I
got to be on my first Dragon Con panels ever last year and it was
tremendously exciting for me. As you might have guessed over the past
couple of weeks I fucking love
Dragon Con, and getting to participate in such a way was an absolute
thrill. I love getting in front of people and talking. I love sharing
my insights in nerd stuff.
But
it wasn’t just the public speaking that was great; it was also
interacting with the broad and fascinating range of talents that were
on those panels with me. Everybody was fun and smart and
entertaining, but one fella absolutely blew me away not only with the
way he presented himself but also with how graciously he interacted
with the rest of us.
Side
Note: Shaun – I know you’ll read this and I’m not just blowing
smoke up your ass. I was legitimately blown away by what a showman
you were after that 1983 panel. Just ask Mrs. Troublemaker. She’ll
tell you.
Those
first panels last year were amazing experiences loaded with great
people that I have stayed in touch with through the magic of
Facebook. I found out that Shaun is the host of a podcast called
Shauncastic
(naturally) that covers the whole gamut of dorky topics. He’s a
very buys man with a lot going on – particularly around Dragon Con
time. So I was utterly surprised when he contacted me last week
asking when he was going to be able to do something for Needless
Things’ Dragon Con coverage. I asked him if he wanted to do a Q&A
and he said he would. Sensing an opportunity to take advantage of
somebody else providing content for me, I also asked if he would send
along the complete list of Dragon Con tips he’s been posting on the
social media over the past several weeks. He said that sounded like a
great idea. SCORE. That went up yesterday. Go and check it out if you
haven’t already.
One
of these days you guys will get to hear from Gary and Joe and some of
the other awesome folks I have had the opportunity to interact with.
You know – when they’re not utterly engulfed by Dragon Con. Today
here’s a great Q&A with Shaun Rosado.
1)
What are your top geek passions?
A) Star Wars – I have been a fan of a Galaxy Far, Far Away for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest memories involves a TV special for the premiere of Return of the Jedi. As soon as I saw Luke Skywalker activate that emerald lightsaber beam. I was hooked.
Comic
Books – My father was an avid collector of comics in the 70s, 80s
and 90s. He passed that passion onto me.
Video
Games – I had an old school Atari back in the early 80s (I cannot
remember which model number though) and of course really went nuts
with the NES and subsequent systems afterward. These days, it’s not
a question of IF I am going to buy a game system, it’s a matter of
WHEN.
2)
What was your favorite toy when you were a kid?
A) I
have two.
My
favorite toy I owned as a kid was my massive LEGO collection. I would
take all of my action figures and create elaborate LEGO armors for
them and then smash them together. While I never owned any of the
sci-fi themed sets or any of the really elaborate parts, the basic
multicolor blocks allowed me to really think outside of the box. I
remember as I got older creating more and more elaborate ships, armor
and items than I ever saw in a prefab box. It was amazing. Then after
a month or two, I’d smash them to pieces and start over. While I
have other favorite toys no other single toy was used more than my
LEGOs. They were my Omni-Tool.
My
favorite toy I wanted buy never owned was a vintage mid 80s
Soundwave. When I was around 6 or 7, Transformers came out and it was
huge with kids my age. Seriously, kids were feral for these
toys/cartoons. And at the #1 spot of every kid’s wish list was
Soundwave. Sure there were a lot of kids that wanted Optimus Prime or
even Megatron, but Soundwave was where it was at. I think it
was because the toy turned into a tape player which looked like it’s
completely real counterpart.
Optimus
Prime turned into a “toy truck”. Megatron turned into a small gun
that looked like a toy (later on I realized the PP7 is a very
respectable gun for its size, but that’s a whole different story)
but Soundwave looked JUST like a Walkman, and the Walkman was the
FUTURE! Portable music that can go with me anywhere? The toy turns
into a robot and the cassettes were mini robots?
Our
kiddie brains exploded.
3)
What is one album everybody should own?
A)
Meatloaf – Bat out of Hell. This is rock opera at its best people.
Not only did it have a tremendous singer in Meatloaf, the
compositions are epic, sweeping and practically drip with theatrical
production. While there are a lot of other albums I love and would
even call my favorite, this one should be in everyone’s collection.
4)
Who is your favorite wrestler and why?
A)
The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan. Growing up in the 80s, I was
privy to the rise of the first real superstars of Wrestling. Hulk
Hogan was everywhere and the WWF was on every weekend for what seemed
like every hour of the day. From a pure indoctrination point of view
– Hulk Hogan is a favorite.
But
my true favorite of all time has to be the Ultimate Warrior. The face
paint, the tassels, the mystery of who he was and what his agenda
could be…he was like the Batman of Wrestling! The guy would vanish
for 6 months and the pop back up, do the Warrior Press, destroy a guy
and then run right back out. And when he talked, he was the literal
depiction of what would happen if Batman needed to chew scenery.
Why
did I mention both of them? Easy. WrestleMania the Arcade game. You
could play a tag team. In those cases it was ALWAYS Hulk Hogan and
the Ultimate Warrior. Not to mention I am an Ultimate Hulkamaniac.
5)
What’s your geek/dork/nerd background?
A)
As a kid, I lived in a neighborhood that didn’t have too many kids
my age. There were maybe 3 or 4 children within my age group and by
the time we hit 2nd
grade, half of them moved to different schools because of their
folks. So I spent a lot of time on my own. I watched movies, played
video games, played toys and ran around outside just imagining stuff.
My
father is like an OG Geek, loving classic Planet of the Ape movies,
Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Star Trek, Comic Books and the like. My
mother was also fairly geeky, though a lot of her geek tendencies
would emerge trying to make sense of plot lines. Why could this
character do something but another character could not etc…
So
as I grew up, I just kept pursuing what my parents liked. Video
Games, RPGS, and Conventions were added to the mix as I got older but
it always goes back to sitting with my folks listening to them
explain to me why Ray Harryhausen was so important to movies or how
the Planet of the Apes changed special effects forever.
6)
How did Shauncastic
come about?
A)
Well, funny enough it started with Dragon Con. I had been attending a
few years when I was asked to be on a panel called the Adult Themes
in Star Wars. We would talk about sexuality, how did Storm Troopers
go to the bathroom and all the other stuff that was too PG-13 or R
for the everyday kid crowd. It was a blast. People loved it and we
were nearly shut down by the fire marshal because of 300 some odd
people crowding into a 115 capacity room.
When
it was over, I left and there was a line of folks trying to get in.
Apparently my voice had carried and people had heard me in the
hallways. So when they asked me back for next year to do it again, I
naturally agreed. Bigger room, bigger audience, bigger laughs. At the
end of that show a lot of people asked me if I was on a podcast or if
I had my own. I told them I did not. They asked why and I jokingly
replied: “Yeah, why DON’T I have my own show?”
But
it stuck. People seemed to like my sense of humor. I was always
ranting or wanting to talk about a topic and this would let me keep
the con experience going year round. So I sat down with some friends
and I decided I would make a podcast about everything Geeky, Nerdy
and Pop Culture-y. That way I can talk about Movies, TV, Games,
Books, Comics whatever. I wanted to cast a wide net.
So
we worked on the name. Very early on we decided to call it “The
Nerdist” but found out that Chris Hardwick had JUST started his
podcast and was using that name. Missed it, by THAT much! A few years
later I told him that story and he said that he couldn’t believe
someone had not used the name before. It was a fun moment.
So
in the end, one of my friends asked why didn’t I just name it after
myself? I was always going to be on the show and it was taking cues
from my sense of humor and aesthetic, so why not? My first reaction
was no, I didn’t want to come off as a raging egotist but the more
thought on it, the more it sounded like a funny idea. So we decided
on a name that was celebratory that mentioned a rotating cast of
contributors and me. So we landed on Shauncastic.
7)
If you could pursue any project, what would it be?
A)
Writing the Flash. I have been a fan of the Flash since Wally West
took up the cowl in 1986 after Crisis on Infinite Earths. I have
always dreamed about writing for a comic book company and in recent
years have started to work towards that goal. Shauncastic has given
me some very interesting opportunities and one day *fingers
crossed* I’ll
have a chance to contribute a Flash story.
8)
What's a favorite con memory?
A) How I came to be known as the “Ewoks Eat People” Guy
Around
2005 I began to attend Dragon Con as an adult. I had been a few times
as a child with my folks but this was the first time I would go as a
grown up. It was pretty awesome. Of course being a huge Star Wars fan
I spent a lot of time in that track room. Over the course of the
weekend, I would ask questions, talk to panelists and basically hang
around cause I was just digging the vibe.
On
Sunday they had someone drop out and I was asked to be on a panel
with a bunch of people with very big titles. If memory serves there
was the Senior Archivist for Lucasfilm there, 2 Professors of
Mythology, and a PHD in Literature. They wanted a regular fan and
apparently I had gotten the staff’s attention. So they asked me to
sit with them. The panel was on how real beliefs and myths had been
intertwined into Star Wars.
For
anyone who has seen me on panels, you’d be surprised to know that I
was pretty quiet on this one. I was simply blown away by the
intelligent, thought provoking conversation taking place over the
hour. Sure, I’d jump in from time to time with a quip or an
anecdote. But mostly, I was quiet and listened. Then a panelist
mentioned that every culture featured in Star Wars was rich and
amazing. Well someone from the audience disagreed and yelled out
“What about Ewoks!?”
This
got my attention. As a kid, I loved Ewoks. Caravan
of Courage
was my jam despite it being horrible and my favorite Star Wars movie
of all time was Jedi. There was no way I was going to let that shot
across my geeky bow stand. So I asked the ladies if I could handle
this one and they let me. This is what followed to the best of my
memory:
“Ewoks
are awesome. These lil’ savages helped take down the Empire! I hear
all the time how silly and cuddly and stupid they are – but they’re
not. Let me tell you what I mean.
In
Jedi, when Han, Chewie and Luke are caught by the Ewoks we don’t
really fear for them. As a kid I just KNEW they couldn’t die. They
were the heroes, so they’d get out of it, but recently I watched
the movie again and I realized that our band of rebels were in some
hot water. They were tied up like animals to get barbecued. I was
surprised but then the guys get free and they proceed to blow up the
Death Star. Everyone wins.
Now
flash to the end of the flick. There’s Billy Dee Williams, host of
the party hugging everybody handing out bottles of Colt 45, cause
that’s what a good host does. Around them, giant platters of meat
everywhere. Behind them, rows of storm trooper helmets.”
At
this point I need to note the entire audience did one collective
inhale of breath in realization like you’ve seen in the movies. It
was amazing. And then I uttered the words:
“Ewoks.
Eat. People.”
With
that the room went up in claps and screams and it was amazing. I tied
up the story about how eating your enemy gives you their strength,
but it didn’t matter the audience was in tears thinking about how
the Ewoks had eaten all those Stormtroopers.
And
while this alone would qualify for my best Con experience, the next
moment is what cemented it. The Senior Archivist for Lucasfilm pauses
and says: “I’ve never heard that before in my life. Oh my God,
that is amazing. When I get back to Lucasfilm, I’m going to enter
that into their canon and put you down as the creator of the idea.”
This
knocked my socks off. Little old me, on my first panel was getting a
credit for the idea that Ewoks Eat People in Lucasfilms archives –
and it COUNTED! After that, I was called the Ewoks Eat People Guy. A
few years later the Ewok Violence mashups started and the story made
the rounds. In fact, Sideshow Collectibles even did a premium statue
of the more aggressive Ewoks (which I own). All from one silly
throwaway line.
Best.
Con. Moment. Ever.
9)
Which actor do you feel like you could sit and watch for hours no
matter what they were doing and why?
A)
Edward James Olmos. The man is such a great talent and natural actor
he could make reading the ingredients to a 1950s Cook Book sound
amazing. Especially if he, from time to time, would stop and give his
“Adama Stare” at the camera.
10)
What advice can you give to somebody just starting out podcasting?
A)
Be consistent. Release every week, day or month. Once you start, you
are making a promise to your listeners. Make sure you keep that
promise to the best of your ability. When you can’t, let them know
why. And no matter what, do the podcast for you. If you’re
constantly looking at hits per day – you’re going to get sad.
Instead, release a show that you’d listen to. No matter what,
you’ll always have a listener.
11)
How did you become involved with panels and tracks at Dragon Con?
A)
Well, I covered a bit of that with the Ewoks Eat People story but
after that great panel I was flooded with requests to sit and comment
on topics. Since then I have been on 4 different Tracks but I mostly
stay with Star Wars as they gave me my first chance to get on stage.
12)
Is there a movie that should never be remade and if so which one?
A)
No. Movies are generational. While I believe some movies are great in
the period they are filmed, I have to remember that modern audiences
may not appreciate a movie the same I did when I was a kid because
the visual medium of cinema is constantly evolving.
Stories
are cyclical. If we don’t remake, reinvent and reimagine – we
flounder.
And
let’s be fair. Just because a movie is remade, doesn’t mean the
burn the prints of previous versions. If you don’t like it/want to
see it, don’t watch it.
13)
Closer –what would you say to somebody that has never heard of
Dragon Con?
Dragon
Con is a giant Nerd Party the likes of which no one can comprehend.
It is big and amazing and scary. But that is also what makes it
great. Forget about planning your whole con. Make one goal each day
and check it off. For the rest of the time, just see where the Con
takes you. You’ll have an amazing time. And if you feel like you
need help prepping, check out my Dragon Con Survival Tips. It's a
great place to get your bearings!
How
could I possibly follow all of that?
Like
this – Dragon Con is on like a pot of Donkey Kong’s neckbone,
people. Look for me and Shaun all weekend long.
If
you haven’t seen it yet, here’s my panel schedule as of this
writing:
Saturday
1
PM – Kung-Fu Grip: Action Figures and Toys of the 70s to 90s and
Beyond!
This
is my panel. It’s big. It’s gonna be great. Also, I will be
giving stuff away. It’s
in
Marriott M-303-304 (The Marquis level where they keep the Famous
People).
10
PM – Earth Station Who: The Past, Present, and Future of Doctor Who
We’re
recording a LIVE ESW episode. I think some of the folks from The Forgotten Doctor
will be joining us. Director Faber may end up ejecting me because,
let’s face it – I am not going to be sober at 10 PM at Dragon
Con. That’s just ridiculous. This one is in the Sheraton Grand
Ballroom.
Sunday
5:30
PM – Masters of the Universe: 30 Years of the Power!
This
panel is also mine, all mine! Come see me, Mr. Beau Brown, and
William Stout(!) talk about the greatest sci-fi/fantasy toy franchise
of all time. There will be fabulous prizes here, as well! It’s in
Marriott M-303-304.
7
PM – GI Joe Anniversary: Celebrating is Half the Battle
Me,
Gary Mitchel, and Gnoll will be talking GI
Joe: A Real American Hero.
Expect an awful lot of nice talk about Larry Hama. I have prizes for
this one as well. Because I feel it is important to bribe your
audience.
-Phantom
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