The Interviews

The GKA Times Interviews Lisa J

2008-09-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

Well Power Morphicon is finally over and the You Tube videos and Ranger blogs are chuck full of information from the event. But over here at the GKA Times we are
daring to go a little bit further in finding out what the event was like from someone who was apart of putting it together.
Lisa J is one of the Rangerdom's renisance women. One of the awesome hosts of the popular Rangercast podcast series and the hostess of her very own podcast series

No Pink Spandex. [So we welcome back Jason David Frank's #1 fan Lisa J for this interview.

Giant Killers Anonymous:Now Lisa lets get a little background on you.

GKA:How old were you when you started watching the
show and what do you remember from the first episode you
watched?
Lisa J:The first episode I watched was Season 1’s “Foul Play in the Sky.” I thought the episode was horrendous. It didn’t help that the episode was about Kimberly, so I didn’t bother going back to the show.
Then one Sunday in church, I heard a bunch of my cousins talking excitedly. I asked my cousin Jocelynwhat was up, and she responded with "Power Rangers!"

I was skeptical, but she insisted on telling me about the show and its characters. I remember specifically that she wrote out the names of the rangers, and she spelled “Tommy” wrong (Spelled it with one M). I told her it was wrong, but she disagreed. So I watched the show again just to make sure I was right about the spelling, and I got hooked. All of this at the ripe age of 8. GKA:When choosing your Gourmet Power Rangers, do you prefer Saban or Disney flavor? Lisa J:I rarely think of Power Rangers as “Saban” or “Disney.” Two of my all-time favorite seasons are from each “side”: Zeo and Dino Thunder. I just look at the season for its merits and not who supplied the dollars. During the first run, I gave up on In Space through Wild Force. I tried watching Ninja Storm, but I couldn’t take it. I found a million flaws with SPD and Mystic Force…. Now looking back, there are seasons that I can enjoy, i.e. Ninja Storm and SPD (to a degree)

There are seasons that I can respect, i.e. In Space (but nothing in this world will get me to like Andros, lol). I honestly can’t say Saban or Disney. Can I say Sabisney? Diban? GKA:So lets talk about Rangercast, what's it like working with those guys. Lisa J:The guys were cool. I don’t do as many shows with them because of my own projects and this little thing called “real life needs your attention because life would like you to graduate and get a career sometime this century.” When RC first started out, we really didn’t know what we were doing, and in a way it was great to figure it out together. Now you see people going off and doing other projects, and I think it’s great that we can grow and every once in a while come back to…not knowing what we’re doing. Ha ha! I kid I kid!
GKA:What is the process of putting together your own podcast show Lisa J:Oy. You really wanna know that? Ok, where do we start? LOL! A “normal” recording involves asking Jer and Katie randomly “So, you wanna record now?” And then we get on Skype (with the help of various recording tools which have changed over the past year) and just ham it out. As far as my interviews with different Power Ranger alums, there’s a lot of typing, a lot of waiting, and a lot of hoping. The worst thing that can happen is that you don’t get a response, and then there are the good times where it’s possible to meet up in person! That’s part of the crapshoot. Add in finding web space, setting up various accounts for feeds and such, advertising (HA! I’m really good at this one >.>), investing in good equipment (It really doesn’t look professional if you interview people with your taped-up, almost dilapidated computer microphone), massive editing….do you see why I said, “Where do we start?” There are books and articles just on podcasting, and I’d suggest people searching online to find out more. GKA:You seem to carry a camera around alot, you plan to be a film maker? Lisa J:I’m a Media major at my college, my focus being on video production/video editing. So yes, I do carry some kind of camera a lot because I’m always trying to capture pictures better. Even just carrying a still digital camera can help you so much in videography. The cinematography of a shot can make or break your project, so I’m always trying to improve upon that. A filmmaker? Maybe someday I’ll be one, but right now, I just want to be the best editor in the history of editors. I was hooked on editing ever since sophomore year of high school. One video workshop at the local library and now I’m constantly “carry[ing] a camera.”

-Gka:Lets get into the Morphicon questions shall we?
GKA:Describe your part in Power Morphicon Lisa J:I was the Head of Graphical Design. Ooo, sounds fancy, eh? Really though, my job first started as just designing the logo and badges for the convention, but I knew it wouldn't just stop there. I noticed that the staff needed some help, so I asked a few questions of a few people, and then I was upgraded as Katy's helper, Power Morphicon Inc Secretary, in informing the public on basically anything.Then I got upgraded some more, and basically did anything that Maureen and Sabrina needed (And Katy and Hayden and Josh and.). My main, self-imposed job at PMC was to videotape the event. I planned on doing that anyway before joining the staff, so I had to follow through. If it weren'tfor Amy, and Funaro and Jesse's posse, two-thirds of this event wouldn't have been documented. For people who do not know, PMC's schedule each day was packed filled with panels, autograph signings, more panels, concerts, more panels, film screenings, even more panels.hard to document that by yourself. Thanks again for the folks who helped me out with videotaping! We'll have to see how this documentation will be distributed, but I will keep people posted over at http://powermorphicon.org/forums GKA:What was it like watching Power Rangers as a kid then being a bit older meeting them face to face in the flesh at Power Morphicon? Lisa J:It wasn't anything completely new because I've met ranger actors in the past. At the same time though, I couldn't believe the number of guests that showed up for PMC. I still can't believe that the MMPR guys (sans Jason David Frank and David Yost) were there, but that initial shock wore off quickly when you have to escort this actor, remind that actor of their schedule, etc. GKA:Did any of the Rangers have you star struck? Lisa J:That's hard to say because part of me has met ranger actors in the past already, and another part of me is just really shy when meeting people for the very first time. So it really doesn't matter whether you're Steve Cardenas or OmegaRed85 on Rangerboard, I get shy. I do have to say that for some odd reason, I couldn't get the nerve to talk to Walter Jones for a while. I'd always say, Oh, he looks busy. I shouldn't bother him now or Oh, I don't want to bother him right after the panel. Finally, I did get to talk with him and it was just fine after that initial, Soooo..[insert question here] But really, I go through that thought process with any stranger. Odd, but true. GKA:What were the fans who attended like? Lisa J:Old and young, tall and short, black, white, yellow, purple! Overall, the fans were great! Some were a bit over-zealous, but overall the fans really made the guests feel loved. My favorites were the children. There was this one little boy in a Red Ninja Storm suit with a Tyranno Staff. He got so excited when I talked to him about Ninja Storm. It was so cute! The kids really got me smiling. GKA:If suddenly Circuit popped out of the sky and gave you a time ship to whip back in time and pick up another guest, and you could only pick one, who would that be? (we all know the answer but please, humor us) Lisa J:Can I just say how interesting it is that people expect instant JDF glee from me on various things, but then they don't? LOL! So no, I wouldn't have gotten JDF. It would totally have to be Shuki Levy. I haven't heard too much about him except for Austin's Shuki impression (by the way, very hilarious!) and would love to hear his knowledge on the show. GKA:Do you think Power Morphicon was a success? Lisa J:It was a total failure. Maureen and Sabrina should quit their day jobs to save themselves from the SHAME that they'd have to face the next work day. Call it quits, gals! I'm just kidding! Of course Power Morphicon was a success! Not only did the VIPs have a fabulous time and would love to do it again, not only does Disney want Power Morphicon Inc. to do it again, but the fans can't stop talking about it. What kept me going was to see attendees, young and old, be completely enthralled with the whole weekend. Did certain things flub up now and again? Of course. But there's nothing like seeing something you've worked on for so long become a wonderful experience for so many people.

The Ron Wasserman Interview 2:Still A Bit Raw

2008-09-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

originally posted October 10, 2006

GKA Times:Well folks here it is, the Ron Wasserman "Mighty Raw" interview sequel: Still a bit Raw And be sure to visit Ron's spankin new site(RonW) when you're finished

GKA Times:So hows the family been Ron?
Hows the wife and kids? I've heard of many famous singers like Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra sang to their children, are you and your wife any different?

Ron Wasserman:The family is great. Thanks for asking. Since my wife is a real singer she mainly teaches our 2 1Ž2 year old boy to sing. I work on his rhythm. He's going to be a musician for sure. (if he wants to)

Current musical favorites
GKA:The iPod has really changed the way we listen and share music. Sharing one's personal MP3 list is a goodway to learn a lot about someone's tastes. So what's in your iPod right now?

Ron: My iPods are actually sitting on the shelf for the moment. I got this Pioneer inno, a little XM satellite receiver so I've been cruising most of the stations on there. My moods and taste change constantly so one day it'll be extreme death metal, and the next world music.

Upcoming projects

GKA:I was quite excited to read up on the projects you've done over the years like Dragonball Z and X-Men(Fox Kids). But what are you working on these days?

Ron:Just finished up shows for CBS, Saturday morning named Horseland, Cake TV,Dance Revolution, Trolls and the in between stuff for the Slumber PartyGirls. All in all about 7 hours of score and songs total written from March 15th to Sept 20th of this year. 7 days a week, 10-13 hours a day, every day. Brutal.

Thoughts on YouTube

GKA:Whats you take on YouTube? While iPod has changed the way we listen, YouTube has changed the way we watch. In less than two years it's provided very popular, very free and easy entertainment for some, new venues to get famous for others. I've heard of musicians crediting YouTube for getting their faces and sound heard where as otherwise no one would have given them the chance.

Ron: YouTube is the new "MP3.com" where we (Fisher) kind of exploded online and ended up with a deal at Interscope/UMG. I think it's a great site and it'llprobably be great for the next year or so until it becomes all commercials and trailers. BTW I did hear that GE owns it, which owns NBC so perhaps it's already headed there.

GKA:Where is the TV theme song heading? Since you've taken part in the BGM and themes of so many shows, I must ask whether or not you liked Teen Titans and all their Japanese music? When you first heard Smallville's song, did you say to yourself "Save Me!"

Ron:First off, themes are getting shorter. They used to all be 60 seconds and are mostly 30 seconds now. Why? Because you can cram in another commercial. Stylistically each show has always been and continues to be different so I'm not sure where things are headed. However some shows, like Power Rangers do lose their direction and focus and start going with stuff like the Mystic Force theme which, will sound terribly outdated in 4-5 years.

GKA:Personally, I think theme music is the crown jewelry of a good show. Growing up in the 80s(Miami Vice,Magnum P.I. Knightrider, Greatest American Hero) I would say they are what keep the show fresh in your head What does someone have to do to get into making themes for television.

Ron:First off, every composer has to pay his dues. This usually means starting as a studio assistant and then using any down time to start learning how to engineer and write.
Then, you just need to slowly but consistently inch your way into the right circles and present some ideas. Once you do that, you'll move to a new level of abuse, pay more dues, and then, if you're lucky,(which will happen if you just keep working) you'll get a show that does well and BOOM! Then the phone starts ringing for a month or two. LOL!

GKA:How many songs have your written for PR

Ron:I think it was around 30.

GKA:You`ve belted out plenty of lyrics during your time on Power Rangers. But were there any number of songs that were cut and never released?

Ron:Good question,.hmmmmm...I do think everything was used cause there was no time to waste. Remember I was scoring to picture about 30 minutes a week and writing a song. It was rough. I.m sure there were lots of basic ideas that got trashed, but nothing ever fully recorded and mixed was.

GKA:What do you think of Ranger songs and artists outside your body work on PR?

Ron:Obviously it's mostly been derivative of the original theme which is very flattering and most of it has been really great. Especially the stuff my friend Jim Cushinery sang on.

GKA: Tell everyone what happened this year, and what your plans were for theOperation Overdrive theme.

Ron:I was so busy that I really did not plan anything in advance. I simply shot a email off to Disney to see when they wanted a theme submission and they politely wrote me back saying they already had the theme for 2007.

GKA:I know everyone reading this probably has this question running around somewhere in their head,"What exactly happened with next year's theme" In other words, why does it seem like Disney is more orless trying to keep you in the dark so to speak and pull an "early" due date for the theme?

Ron:No, I don't think they're keeping me in the dark, I think that when I posted my rejected themes for Mystic Force on the web, it pissed off some wimp-ass executive. That is what I think really happened. Their email would have been a lot nicer with perhaps some sort of explanation of what had happened or something. I've been in the business long enough to know whenI'm being blown off.

Will you be making a theme for the fans
GKA:Theres been talk that you might pull off a theme solely for the sake of the fans. Any truth to that? And would you be open to making a anniversary song?

Ron:No and no. Also, because the phrase "Power Rangers" is copywritten, you can't release a song that uses the title or speaks about the show without the copyright holders permission.
And they ain't going to give me that.

GKA:Before we get to the fan questions I have one burning question, did you REALLY like the Mystic Force song?

Ron:Yes and I especially loved the original version by the Black Eyed Peas called "Pump It".

GKA:As always we at the GKA Times like to hear what burning questions fans want to ask our guests. So here are some hot picks right now.

Hi Ron, Did Kathy Fisher work on any of the first set of original Power Ranger songs? I seem to remember hearing a female voice in a few of the songs. Thanks for your time,-Brian

Ron:Hi Brian, You know there was something she did sing on for the show but I just can't remember what it was and I don't seem to have a copy of it anywhere. Also,since she and I did a bunch of stuff for Sweet Valley High at the same time,my memory is a little clouded. Sorry.

Whats it like being the music maker of the a favourite boys TV show?-Solar Max Ranger

Ron:IMHO there has been no greater honor OR responsibility I've had professionally. Since all I've ever done since the age of 3 was play piano and starting writing at 5 1/2, I would have been so bummed had I never had such a huge success as MMPR.

Can you tell us who is "Super Power² is that anickname for you friend Jim Cushinery?-Omegaranger468

Ron:I think so. Remember that by this time I was long gone from Saban and I believe Jeremy Sweet was writing for the show. So I think they came up with that name.

Do you ever wonder would be like if you released a full Power Rangers album with TV version, reprises and extended versions? Speaking of which, what would SPD's theme sound likeif it was extended or any themes for that matter? -BlueBrotherX7 Boy.

Ron:I sure would love to do that, and I believe it would have probably of sold pretty well but sadly whenever corporations are involved there are so many hoops to jump through to get permission, and then YOU do all the work and THEY take 90% of the cash. This is why it's never been done by me or any other artists that worked on all sorts of other shows. Sucks..huh?

A longer SPD theme would be so hard because there is already SO much packed into that one minute version. Might sound a little long if it were 3 minutes or so.

Did you record a full-length version of Space's "Go,Go, Power Rangers" rendition? The one with a bunch of electric guitar with little accompaniment, ending with the lyrics, "Go, go, power"?-Primo Piccolo

Ron:I think there may have been a long version. Unfortunately I don't have a copy of the song but it does seem we did a full length version for something.

Does Ron own the rights to ANY of the songs he's done for PR, or are they all part of the Saban Music Library now?-SnoopsWarner

Ron:No. And just so you don't think I got taken advantage of too badly, neither does any other composer that writes for any movie or TV show or game that you've ever seen. This doesn't mean that we don't get performance royalties or have token ownership of the composition, but the copyright and all the legal stuff associated with it are always owned by the corporation. For example I just finished up 3 Scooby-Doo PodCasts. Took me 3 days to do them, had a great time. The contract, 17 pages long. LOL!

On your time producing songs for Saban, was there anysong you wish you could do differently, any song youwish you could take back, or any song you wish youcould add?-Phantom Ranger

Ron:I'd erase "Fight" only because there was a instance in Norway or somewhere where a girls two brothers accidentally killed her. Although I know it's not my fault in any way, perhaps if I'd not written that particular song, this incident would not of happened. I would do "We Need A Hero" differently. Always though it would have been cool to have the first verse in more of the "Cold September Rain" G&R style and then break out into the version that exists. Nothing to add that I can think of.

Ron, a question Do you think Disney missed the boat on commisioningyou to write SPD specific song tracks for the series,or do you think that was a budget issue depending onwhat salary you would command?-Cameron Samurai

Ron:I have no idea and will probably never know why they were not interested inhaving me write songs. Had nothing to do with the money because Disney paysthe same fee to everyone on their TV stuff period, regardless of who youare. There is simply no logic to their decisions. It's baffling.

The Ron Wasserman "Mighty Raw" Interview

2008-09-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

Originally posted December 5, 2005

A pioneer in the music industry and the voice thatcarried three years of Power Rangers, Ron "AaronWaters" Wasserman has been a fan favorite contributorto the Power Rangers license. Ron is married to thebeautiful Kathy Fisher. Kathy and Ron make up the acclaimed band Fisher, with Kathy's loving vocals andRon's talents for making instruments sing along withher is a true spoiling of your ears and your heart. Visit the bands official site and grab a few shots of them here

On Life

GKA Times:First Ron, can we get a hello to the readers?

Ron Wasserman:Hello everyone. It¹s an honor to be here. Thank you for having me.

GKA:A native Californian I hear, where did you plant your roots?

RW:The beautiful San Fernando Valley just a tad north of Los Angeles when I was a child. I then moved to the city for a bit. The traffic and L.A.attitude got to me after a while so I now live in the mountains about 80 miles north of LA. I love it here.

GKA:From a Rangerfans point of view you¹re solely a guitarist, but listening to Fisher reveals you`re quite accustomed to piano.
RW:My primary instrument is piano which luckily enables one to write for literally every instrument existing. Perhaps this is why some of the guitarparts written for PR, Fisher. I think this helped me create a some what different approach to creating guitar parts.

GKA:Reading up on you has given me some insight on who youare. A champion of the little guy? A Revolutionist? How would you describe up yourself in one word?
RW:Underdog.

GKA:When did you decide what you would do in life?

RW:I really never seriously considered music as a profession. However everything that happened just pointed me in that direction and since Ivealways been a person who is very sensitive to signs¹ and omens I feel I luckily took the right path every time I came to a fork in the road.

GKA:Tell as about your wife

RW:I met Kathy Fisher through Ron Kenan who was V.P. of music at Saban. He thought we might be interested in working together which was how the relationship started and continued for the first year and a half.

Since we became so close and involved on a daily basis we both knew it would only bea matter of time before we made an attempt to have a personal relationship.
We've been together now for nearly a decade and it¹s been really great. Kathy is (as some of you know) an amazing singer. Back in 1994 I finally convinced, begged her to sing the theme for a show called ³Sweet ValleyHigh. This led to her getting a call to do a commercial a few years later.

She really exploded on to that scene and has had at least 4-5 national spotsrunning every year ever since. Not exactly the most artistic outlet for asinger, but at least it¹s a very good business. (and nearly impossible toget in the door.)

GKA:Growing up, who or what was your biggest inspiration to be so straightforward?

RW:I remember always asking adults about how much money they made or how they ran their businesses. I would never get a straight answer. Also, most of my guy friends were really typical and totally covered their emotions. These examples do absolutely nothing to help shape a kid's mind. God only knows how much faster I could have developed in life by getting a few straight
answers.
These are the main reasons I have always been very forthcoming about myself and the projects I"ve been involved with. I only hope to help reduce some agony time for other people. The downside to my approach is that very few people want to hear the truth.

Don't get me wrong, I don't go around criticizing everything or feel I'm the least bit better. If someone asks, I only convey actual facts about a particular situation. Unfortunately most of the time it¹s not such a fairytale and this, In my opinion, tends to destroy some people's fantasy.

GKA:Your IMDB profile lists a few cartoons on your plate,animation and the like are close to your hears aren't they?
RW:Nearly every project gets my absolute focus.
They are all, good or bad, successes or failures, a part of my soul. Although sometimes when I listen back to older material I have no idea what the hell was going through my head when I was writing that material.

GKA:There never seems to be enough time in the year to stop and smell the roses, tell the readers how you look at life.

RW:I NEVER took any real time to slow down until my son was born in 2004. Simply hanging out with him initially went against my grain and really conflicted me internally between being so in love with this little human and feeling like I was really not creating enough material. I'm over that now and have finally learned to live more in the moment. This has really helped me live a much happier life.

GKA:Favorite color?
RW:Hate to make this complicated but it depends on what the color is applied to. Inside of a house (small rooms) Blood Red. Clothing, Blue or Brown(dropped the black for now.) LOL!. Sorry.

GKA:Before we get into the other topics, tell us about what you want to be remembered for the most. A person that could always be trusted.

On Music

GKA:Noting how well established the MP3s role in today's music industry has become, do you think they've helped artists take more control over their music, or just lined the pockets of corporate executives?

RW:First off, I love MP3s. That being said, the technology has all but destroyed the music business, but has greatly enhanced an artists freedom to get to the masses and for music in film and television to be a lot better because music supervisors can now easily go through a ton of tracks quickly instead of fumbling with a stack of CDs.
The pockets of the corporations running the music business are not getting as stuffed as they were even 4 years ago. They totally blew it by refusing to embrace new technology. I told Doug Morris (head of Universal MusicGroup) back in 2000 that whoever created a 99 cent download service would be the McDonalds of the internet music business. He laughed and said ³not in my lifetime. Now he does deals with Apple iTunes.

GKA: So many award shows today clutter the airwaves; in the end does this onslaught mean much to the middleman? This is to say if only the popular folks get nominatedand take home awards, what are the lesser known folks going to do to get noticed by the mainstream?

RW:For now, only the biggest artists will get huge recognition but this is how it has always been. However in years past there were real rock stars and huge events. Now there are a bunch of white boy rocker bands that all sound the same, chick acts that all sound the same, rap acts all the same etc. Mainstream music IMHO sucks terribly right now. I personally listen for more foreign artists these days because at least they aren't all using the same damn sounds.

GKA:How would you best describe this business?

RW:I compare the record business to the 1930s film business where actors were all exclusively signed to one of the big studios. Then, the actors became free agents and suddenly the business was revived. Story lines became more interesting and the technique of film making grew at an astounding rate. This same rule is the only thing that can save the record (CD) business.

The music for film/TV & commercial business in my opinion is at a all time high. This is where I hear the best cutting edge coolest stuff. Although the scripts seem to have a rather corporate influence, the music seems to be on the cutting edge. Why? I have no idea but am thrilled at how that side ofthe business is going.

GKA:Does talent always mean you're going to be a success?

RW:Almost never simply because the word talent is only part of the equation to be successful. I've known so many absolutely over the top amazingly talented musicians, but they were socially inept or had other character flaws that prevented them from ever having a real shot at being successful.

Let me tell you a little backstage info. Most of those hugely successful bands who appear to just be partying all the time and walking out on stage and sounding great are actually, (when no one is looking) having daily meetings with everyone involved with the project to discuss strategies, business plans etc. to help sustain the bands success. This is part of that success equation.
Great musicians + people who have the sense to care about their careers + street smart enough to carry and honestly communicate with a audience + BEING KIND TO EVERYONE. You get my point.

GKA:We've lost so many legends in just the last ten years,who could you name as some of the great living legends currently in the industry.

RW:Bono. Willy Nelson. Neil Young. Chris Martin. Trent Reznor. Prince. Rick Rubin. Bob Dylan. A bunch more.

GKA:I'm Afro American; I listen to almost every variationof music there is, all except Rap and Hip Hop. Now by my standards I just don't care for that style of music, but others might take offense to this as being against my "culture". But here is my question to you Ron, does today's music have an ethnicity or is it just the way it's marketed?

RW:Okay. Here comes my brutal honesty. I feel the Afro American rappers are doing themselves and their people a disservice. Let me be clear, I'm talking about the really negative shit. This perpetuates the stereotypical bullshit image of African Americans that white people have. I realize that lyrically the anger comes from a very honest and angry place and in no way can I ever claim to fully understand it simply because I did not grow up under those terrible conditions however, cashing in at the expense of vulnerable kids AND filling their heads with more hate is very very VERY fucking bad.

What really pisses me off is that while these people PRETEND to be at one with their audience, they totally isolate and protect themselves from the very people they claim to be. AND if you don't think that with the exception of Dr. Dre who was smartenough to exploit a white kid and take HIS money that the corporationsaren¹t laughing all the way to the bank on this one by exploiting African Americans, you are wrong.

GKA:What was your Favorite song growing up?
Like colors this varied all the time. I would go from top 40 to classical toclassic rock all the time and obsess with that particular song or artist. Sorry I can't be more specific on this.

PR & Rangerfan Questions:

Who was the best producer you worked with: Saban or Kalish?

RW:Considering I never met Kalish it would have to be Haim Saban. He was the most vicious and brilliant business person I had or have ever met. Guess this is why he is worth billions of dollars now. (Something I would never want personally.)

Also. would you like to act on Power rangers oneday?-Superanger

RW:I'd like to be the ranger who could bring back the original pink ranger (AmyJo Johnson) circa 1994 to 2005 and take her to my hide out. LOL!!! She was one sexy gal.

When did you stop composing main themes for PowerRangers and why?

RW:1995. I pretty much blew a chip from 6 years of 80 hour weeks of writing for all the Saban shows. I believe I was suffering from total exhaustion.They really should have sent me and Kathy to Tahiti for 2 months instead of allowing me to walk out the door. However it worked out much better for me in the long run to jump without a safety net.

Who decides (Disney era) if they are going to use your song or not? Is it the production staff or the Disney executives and how do you know what to put into the theme song. -Rangerkiing 2.0

RW:I think the executive producers (whom I'm never met) make the final decision. I deal directly with one of the heads of music who pretty much is a go between person. A bit odd. Disney sends me a basic break down of the show, about 4 pages, with a outline of the story and a few key phrases they'd like to be used in the theme. The rest is up to me.

What was the first PR song besides the main theme youwere asked to do (Fight, 5-4-1, Go Green Ranger Go, etc.)?Did you have to reapply for Zeo, or did you just auto-transfer between seasons? Does any kind of sheet music exist for your songs? If so, could we have access to them?-Zapdos560

RW:First song was "Fight" I believe they just auto-transferred for Zeo if I understand your question correctly. Sheet music was done for all the songs by Saban so that foreign companies recutting the vocals for their countries would know what notes to sing.Sadly I do not have any copies of these and have no idea how to obtain any.Sorry about that.

Have you ever heard the music of any Ranger actorsturned singers, like Amy Jo Johnson or Johnny Yong Bosch?-PrimoPiccolo

RW:Amy came in one night to record something with me for MMPR but I can not remember exactly what it was or if it was used. She did an okay job. I do remember she was exhausted a bit

Are there any Power Ranger songs you produced but never made it onto the air? If so why not and what were they about?-hasso_opitz

RW:Absolutely everything was used. My theme submission for the upcoming Mystic Force season was my very first rejection on anything PR related.

Hey Ron, what was your most favorite song that you produced for PR?-PhantomRanger

RW:I always get in trouble here because just like my favorite colors or favorite songs it changes all the time. I will say that "We Need A Hero" is my favorite kind of emotional song. It was written on piano initially (never recorded) as a slow ballad and is actually rather sad. I wrote that about and to America in general. "5-4-1" to me was the most fun to sing and that droning chorus (simple) groove was quite hypnotic to me.

Could you describe the process that goes into composing one of your songs?-VeangenceGod
RW:First off, I must have all the daily "junk" out the way first so there isn't anything distracting me in the least. I then fire up everything in my studio and just start messing around with basic grooves until something hits me. About 30% of the time I get lucky and start from there. Another 30% of the time I hop in the car and just drive around bouncing melodies around in my head.
If something cool comes through, I have a digital recorder ready tosing into. The rest of the time I literally pace in a circle for hours just waiting for a decent idea to come to me. This is a terribly agonizing process but as long as I stay on my feet and consistently move, something always comes through.

Does being attached to Power Rangers all the timeirritate you?-gored21

RW:Absolutely not. Very few people are fortunate enough to have been associated with such a mega huge show like Power Rangers. I consider it one of the luckiest breaks of my life. Plus, the fans of the show are way better, more honest and respectful than any of the other shows I've worked on.

What do you think of children's media in general?-NinjaJack

RW:Here is how I see it. I'm sad that there is so much violence in kid's TV and games however, I sincerely believe that 99.999999% of the children exposed to that media are totally aware of the difference between a show or game and real life. I also do not believe there is any way to go backwards in time. Everything evolves and until something else is created that equally interests a kid as violence in media does things will have to stay as they are.
What I LOVE about modern media is that nearly all shows now are mixed race and this will help the United States become more like Europe where there is much less racism.

GKA:Tell us about your worse day at Saban Entertainment

RW:I had the approval of 20th Century Fox to score the first Power Rangers Film and Haim decided to throw me off the project by telling me I was not good enough to score a film.
He actually did this IMO because it would have brought me into the spotlight and increased my ability to move forward career wise. "Cross My Line" is about this day.

GKA:Now counter that with your best experience with the company

RW:The day they said the show was number one in children's TV history and that I was probably going to be famous for the music part.

GKA:How many songs did you end up composing for PR?

RW:Probably around 20 or so.
Bonus question
GKA:Not long after you left the show, they dropped rock music altogther outside of the theme music. In fact in 2000's Lightspeed Rescue I can't even consider that "rock". Truthfully PR just brought the rock music back to the in show tunes in 2003. Were you aware of this?

RW:Honestly I was not aware of this. Because of all the intense work I'd done on the show for the 1st 3 years I was so sick of anything to do with Power Rangers that I did not watch a single minute of any new episodes. That being said, IMHO I do not think that any other genre of music besides rock would have the same impact to viewers on this show. Sadly this happens all the time as producers think they are Steven Spielberg and want a big Orchestral score like John Williams. The only difference is that for TV you don't get the time and certainly never get the budget for a 85 piece Orchestra to record the score so, you generally end up with a weak synth like sounding score.

GKA:Is rock PR`s true path? Or should future musicians try and sink their teeth into other genres?

RW:I personally think rock should be the only direction and anyone that has heard my other work knows I write in a lot of styles so I'm not just saying this because it's all I do. That being said there is a special connection between hard rock and the show. Why they've decided to change that for Mystic Force is beyond me.
If for no other reason it's going to really date the show. Believe me, a rap-pop theme is going to sound very old in 10 years. I think the original MMPR theme albeit not the best sound quality by today's standard, still kicks ass! It¹s strange to suddenly change music direction after 12 years of a really successful genre for the show.

GKA:Ron, I have to thank you for this time you spent answering these questions and giving this fandom some insight on yourself. Would you like to have the last word?

RW:I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to read my rambling thoughts here. If it gives any of you any new insight or inspiration in any way, then I've done my job.

RAW

The GKA Times presents the Paul "Bulk"Schrier Q&A session

2008-09-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

The GKA Times:Today we are proud to offer the fans an excellent Q & A session with one of the most well known folks from PR through the years, Paulie "Bulk" Schrier!

On forever red did you actually get to see Austin (Jason) and Selwyn (T.J.) again and how did it feel to see JDF and Jason Narvy after so long
-DekaBreak1000

Paul Schrier: I saw all the boys on the shoot. Great time. Everybody had fun. it was hot hot out there in Palmdale/Lancaster.

They say you did some directing work on the show. Any episodes in particular you can name?
-Rito Revolto

PS:IMDB it, but I did direct ten eps in total, whole or part.

Are you content with your life?
-Silver Green Ranger

PS: Sure, of course. I've been very lucky and had many good times....not abad ride on planet Earth.

Do you think Power Rangers could work in a more teen/adult-oriented medium?
-Silver Green Ranger

PS:Teen, yes...adult...hmmm...maybe, but, it would have to be action,which leads us away from classically adult and serious themes. Think of all the really horrific TV movies with story lines that break your heart, and then add Bulk and Skull. Does that work for you?

Any male co-stars pissed you off or didn't get along with?
-FirePhoenix

PS:Yeah, that Jason Narvy is a real pie hole. Honestly, nope...everything was cool. How did you get the role on Teknoman? Teknoman was a Saban Produced show, aired on UPN. I knew the producer and many of my fellow voice actors. We had a BALL on that show. And I was SKINNY....sweet! 65 episodes.

Which do you prefer, voice acting or actual physical screen time?
-Phantom6

PS:Hmmm, is directing a choice? Either is fine, but both require totally different skill sets.

What is the one, defining moment on Power Rangers where you thought "what the hell?!"
-Charles RB

PS:Sure. The first season on one of the first days of shooting, beforeour rented trailers arrived, the rangers had to change clothes in thebackseat of the costume designer's car on location at Vasquez Rocks(Made famous by EVERYTHING, look it up.)! When I heard that, I uttered those words exactly.

If you could've been any of the other characters, which would you have chosen?
-Charles RB

PS:None but mine. I got the pleasure of creating that character myself,and with Narvy, built Bulk and Skull through great preparation and alove for comedy. Nobody handed Bulk to me...We MADE Bulk...no seriouscharacter development (by the writers) before we started. Ground up.

How did it feel when you got to direct an episode?
-Primo Piccolo

PS:Directing is HARD. Really hard. I mean, super-make-you-cry hard. So,it felt good to finish one...that was the good part of the firstone....getting it over with, and wrapping early, baby!

Was It difficult to change the personality of your character every season?
-Iranger

PS:No, 'cause it was all in there from the very start. In the private moments in the first couple of seasons, you can see the wacky dudeswho emerge later....they're just misunderstood and mean initially.

In the Zeo season finale, Bulk and Skull received their first ever cliff-hanger ending, with the duo accepting an unknown international spy mission in Paris from the mysterious Inspector Cousteau. However, in Turbo, the story line wasn't continued as the characters went back to the junior police patrol with no mention of what happened in Paris (or if they even went). Do you know how the story was originally supposed to be resolved?

In that same finale, Rita and Zedd were also given a cliff-hanger ending by preparing to resume their attacks on earth. However, in the Turbo movie they had apparently retired with Rita blaming their situation on encounter with the Power Rangers (which was never shown in Zeo). Do you know how this ending was originally supposed to be resolved? Was it related to the above Bulk and Skull cliff-hanger?
-Big Smile

PS:Dude. There is no answer I can give you, other than that were manymany writers on the show...and that of course the events that you arelead to believe occured, did occur in our universe...Fanfic writerswould be nearly out of business if we did not leave some things opento question. Between seasons, folks...stuff HAPPENS in the story worldon MMPR...we don't see it, of course...let me call all 430 writers andask them.

What did you think of Countdown to Destruction? (I thought it was great that Bulk and Skull got their first serious moment)
-The Crazy Bastard

PS:Oh, not true. We had serious moments all the time, other than thegape-screaming, running for our lives stuff. :) that was a radical episode series. We enjoyed the fighting...because we trained with Japanese stunt man all the time...

Do you think Jason Narvy made the right decision not to return in PR Lost Galaxy?
-The Crazy Bastard

PS:Well,Narvy did, since he left to start higher ed. And I, frankly, was released when the time came, though I think I was on the Terra Venture for one episode as Rich Genelle....oh I mean, BULK, the bartender.LOL. Show biz...no worries, for real.

Was it great returning in Forever Red and meeting Jason David Frank and Jason Narvy again?
-The Crazy Bastard

PS:Yeah, like he said, twice again. I saw Narvy every 6 months for yearsafter he left for school. And I saw JDF all the time socially...so, no big X-mass prize there. Just old friends making more TV together.

Can you tell us a little bit about each cast from eachseason that you were with?
-The Crazy Bastard

PS:You are crazy, you bastard. Let's see...5 Casts, times 5-7kids....that's more than 20 Rangers, man! I'll grow old and die beforecompleting this task....see my impressions below of the seasonal B&S.

Austin St. John returned midway through Zeo. Was it cool to have him back and be able to interact with him in a different fashion than before, since your character had changed?
-The White Ranger

PS:No change for us, honestly. That question doesn't strike me asapplying to us, because we made the material despite the cast, and reacted very true to character, mostly. It was nice to have the homie around again, totally.

Who was your favorite new cast member to come on the show?
-The White Ranger

PS:No Favs...loved 'em all.

Do you see PR as an outlet for you to break out and do other things, including directing and voiceover work, as well as be involved with your comic book work?
-The White Ranger

PS:Well, I'm a battle worn veteran, and no disrespect to my Military Pals, but show biz is a fight in itself. Nuff said. Great time, and I do still work and get calls from friends to work, but no actives eeking of acting jobs right now (except for Equity Theatre). I have other game afoot.

When did Jason Narvy actually ask to stop doing the trademark Skull Laugh?
-Phantom6

PS:Funny, no...more like he physically ceased to be able to perform it well enough as he matured, God's Honest Truth.

It's pretty well known that Jason Frank and David Yost didn't get along,
-Phantom6

PS:An untrue assumption. Dave and JDF were very different personalities. Yost a studied and experienced actor, and Frank, a green miracle martial artist. They learned from each other, and were better for eachothers' processes.

Was that the only on set friction?
-Phantom6

PS:Spandex, man. Spandex.

How did you and the others get along. You and Jason Narvy looked to be pretty tight, your on screen time was always great.
-Phantom6

PS:All you need is love.

What were some things that now that you are off the show that you can mention to us that went on behind the scenes? (any interesting things)-love? drama? etc?
-NickP20032004

PS:No no Drama, Nick. Sorry man. We did work gruelling hours, under sometimes dangerous conditions, me doing all my own stunt work for years...injuries...loves won and lost. Like any Pirate Ship you can imagine, the drama is on the high seas, not on deck with the crew.

Have you ever seen any new PR seasons since the move to New Zealand?
-Omegaranger468

PS:Of course, Disney and my good friends like Steve A. and Jermaine T.,Anne K. and Doug S., they did GREAT work with the show...and the new team is ROCKING. Don't you think?

Did you enjoy your time on Power Rangers?
-Omegaranger468

PS:E tu, Brutae? OF COURSE.

how long do you think PR will last?
-Omegaranger468

PS:The franchise is 30+ now guys...we may see a legendary show here...oh wait...it IS, hmmm? How COOL is that!?

What did you enjoy being most?
- A bully - Favorite.
- A bully trying to figure out the identities of the Power Rangers-Punk rock rules.
- A Junior Police Patrol officer - fun, a nice change...enter Laurel and Hardy.
-A Detective - And SPY, don't forget. We loved the 007 thing.
- A Chimpanzee - Ode to a spin-off. Nice Directing Myself as a Monkey in ADR. HAHA.
- An alien hunter - odd season, we loved the prof, Jack. Great comrade.
- A Terra Venture adventurer - Hmmm, no opinion.
- A Juice bar owner - One episode...I felt, oh wait, it's gone.

-Playing Monk -----uh, I hope this is the Dude's screen name. I don't remember being a Monk. :)

Were you indeed the voice for Primator (the white gorilla monster in Season 2's The Wannabe Ranger)? He sounds almost exactly like you, but I've never seen a definitive answer either way. -MegaZeo

PS:I think I did do that one, and several others. Misty distance on the subject surrounds us.

Out of all monsters and villains Bulk and Skull ran into, which encounter was your favorite?
-MegaZeo

PS:Goldar rocked. LOVED Diva-Tox.

A lot of the former actors of Power Rangers looked at doing the show as a learning experience, what did you learn from doing such a popular show for so many years? And how do you apply that to your life now?
-Kimberflames

PS:Hmmm, the touchy-feely question. TV is hard to make. Acting on TV is aserious work-out. Acting on TV for 10 years leaves you looking for ajob in a night warehouse. Seriously, QUIET time was sooo nice after I was done with the Rangers. I was on call 24-7 for 8 years....straight. Ring, We need you, Ok, ::roll out of bed::. So I learned alot about TV production on a budget...and did a bunch of theatre on the side, with Narvy. I learned to patient, and observant.

Have you seen the last seasons? If so, what's your personal thought about how Disney manages the series?
-Apocalyspe Ranger

PS:Look above the line. HA - show biz joke.

Did you enjoy the "I'm the [insert color] Ranger!" scene in Countdown to Destruction?
-Apocalyspe Ranger

PS:Yeah...we loved that ep mini series. Fun to shoot in the old Army base at San Pedro...so much history!

Rock and Roll...
-Paulie

The Eyeshine Interview

2008-09-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

originally posted April 7, 2006

GKA Times:We are proud to introduce our latest interview featuring the hillariously talented Johnny, Alex and Maurice. Together they form the up and coming band Eyeshine. Enjoy the interview and watch out for flying newspapers.

GKA Times: So which one of you is the oldest?

JYB: don't worry about it.
MS: Johnny, heh heh
AO: Johnny, my props to the old man. lol j/k
JYB: ha ha ha ha....laugh it up guys.

GKA:There is a joker in just about every group, isEyeshine any exception?

JYB: Maurice and Alex
MS: Johnny and Alex
AO: Johnny and Maurice

GKA:There is a joker in just about every group, isEyeshine any exception?

JYB: Maurice and Alex
MS: Johnny and Alex
AO: Johnny and Maurice

GKA:From my perspective you guys sound very polished.Which of you is the most critical of their work?

JYB: I think you have to be somewhat critical of your work otherwise it'd really stink.
MS: Johnny and Alex like to do things over and over and over
AO: Me"Alex"

GKA:These three go out to Alex. The capital of ElSalvador San Salvador is your hometown, decribe whatit was like living there?

AO: There are a lot of things to do and places to go. we have a tropical climate and our people are more friendly. for example, you say hi to everybody even if you don't know them.

GKA:So how was it getting hit in the face with thatnewspaper in the Sunday Flowers video?

AO: well if you like getting hit in the face then it's kudos otherwise don't try this at home

GKA:Whats it like working with a Power Ranger?

AO: we don't even think about that. to us he's just johnny.

GKA:Maurice, your site bio gives me the impressionthat you`ve been in Cali all your life. If Eyeshine ever takes you on a world wide tour, which country would be your first choice to visit and perform?
MS: Japan, definately Japan.

GKA:Eyeshine.net has a picture of your dog next toyours. So whats his name?
MS: Kiba, yep after Kiba from Wolf's Rain.

GKA.After watching the Sunday Flowers video, I have towonder if you and Johnny are that competetive in reallife?
MS: Nah, he knows kung fu. i don't mess with him.

GKA:Okay now we`re up to Johnny. First let me asksomething thats been nagging me for years. You everfind it funny that you being a Power Ranger from Texas makes you a "Texas Ranger"?
JYB: not really, I think it only makes me cooler.

GKA:Whats it like leading a band?
JYB: kinda like leading a group of trained killer ninjas but instead of throwing chinese stars we use music waves and occasionally cheeseburgers.

GKA:You`re in a band, so is Brad Hawkins from VRTroopers and Michael R. Gotto (young Tommy) has onetoo. Not to forget Scott Page and Amy Jo Johnson. Itseems like folks involved.with early Saban really hada love for music.
JYB: i think everyone has some kind of passion for music. it just comes down to what you prefer, creating it or listening to it.

GKA:You guys seem to really enjoy yourselves as youperfom, how close are the three of you in real ife?
JYB: we're friends and we hang out but not all the time, that could also be why we actually get along so well. a lot of it is my fault as i do quite a bit of other things.

MS: to be honest, we've all got our own things going on outside the band. i hang out with johnny quite a bit more than alex though doing film stuff.

AO: most of the time we hang out to jam and make fun of each other, occasionally doing other things but not everyday

GKA:You guys are all still pretty young, but you seemto have a joint purpose n life with your music. Doyou think everyone has a calling?

JYB: yes and our music is mostly about that. sometimes our lyrics are even a little elusive but that's the way they're designed. i want people to not only listen but to think about it and find out who they really are.

MS: absolutely, why are we here?

AO: yeah, we've all got a purpose here. it's just a matter of finding that out in this world and once you find out, what are you gonna do about it?

GKA:This is the last question, I swear!. Would youguys ever consider doing a theme song for PowerRangers?

JYB: yep
MS: yep
AO: yep

GKA:Well we`ve come to the end of the interview, anylast words?
JYB: Thanks for the questions, don't forget to check us out at http://www.eyeshine.net/ or www.myspace.com/eyeshine.... you didn't think i'd let you get away without that plug. I mean come on, it was obviously coming.

MS: POOP!

AO: I LOVE KETCHUP!

JYB: -_- see what i have to work with...........NINJA VANISH!

The GKA Times Interviews Scott Page Pagter

2008-09-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

originally posted February 26, 2006

GKA:It`s a pleasure to have been given the chance to
interview one of the many folks responsible for bringing
Power Rangers to life. A voice actor and muscian Scott
Page Pagter is talented, capable of many things so let
us take some time to get to know him just a bit better

Life

GKA Times:So lets hear about your life before we get
into the more geek portions of the interview.
This first question might sound generic, but tell me
who Scott Page Pagter really is...

Scott Page Pagter:Well, I am a bit of a nut, like to have fun. Love music, people and scuba diving.

GKA:How long does it take you to write a song?

SPP:Anywhere from a few minutes to a few years. If I ever finish my 2nd album, at least one of the songs started many years ago and when I heard it years later it inspired me to finish it.

GKA:I`d like to hear what are you favorite music genres and artists

SPP:I love lots of different styles, from old progressive Rock, Yes, Gentle Giant, Genesis/Peter Gabriel to old R&B, Stax, Ray Charles & Buddy Guy, and I love Kevin Gilbert a lot. I like a lot of new music as well. Guster (great song writing), Ben Folds of course, Dave Mathews, Children of Bodom (talented many-noted players, except for the “singing”), Green Day, Audioslave, U2, Ben Folds!! And the Ohms. A little of everything I guess.

GKA:Are you at all a spiritual

SPP:Yes. In my own way.

GKA:When did you decide you wanted to pursue working
in the entertainment industry.

SPP:Very young, maybe 11 or 12 I was in music and wanted to be a rock star!! I did a few things and got close, but not close enough. Then I wanted to stay in the biz so I learned how to become an audio engineer to pay the bills while I kept trying to get music work. I did a lot of music for films and TV, but still not enough to support a family. I eventually got into Saban Entertainment as an engineer, which led to directing, writing, voice work and eventually producing. I used to tell people that my job as producer of the show was actually my high paid waitress job.

GKA:A writer in Marmalade Boy and director in Tenchi
Muyo! 3. Done work on other animated shows...sounds
like animation is in your blood.

SPP:I love cartoons. Well good ones at least. Don’t see a lot out there right now.

GKA:Could we have a short list of a few of the shows
you`ve worked on? From the top of your head

SPP:Way too many to remember…..here’s a partial list
ADR Director / Producer
(partial list)
Tenchi Muyo Funimation
Daigunder ABC Family
Power Rangers Disney / Fox / Saban
VR Troopers Fox / Saban
BeetleBorgs Fox / Saban
Masked Rider Fox / Saban
Mystic Knights Fox / Saban
Teknoman UPN
Grimm's Fairy Tales Nickelodeon
Mapletown Syndication
Maya The Bee Syndication
Noozles Nickelodeon
Ox Tales International
Peter Pan International
Little Women HBO
Wowser Syndication

Voice Talent
(partial list)
Power Rangers Porto, Pirantishead, Oysterizer
Big Bad Beetleborgs Wolfgang, Various other guests
VR Troopers Various Guest star roles
Masked Rider Various Guest star roles
Digimon Grillmon, Growlmon (not sure about this, I found it online)
Daigunder Various Guest star roles
The Twelve Kingdoms Kouya + bits
Gun Grave Henchman
Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi Professor Itsuki
King Gainer Tan
Shin Chan Sven + Various Bits

ADR Writer
(partial list)
Power Rangers / VR Troopers, etc Disney / Saban
Tenchi Muyo Funimation
Mars Daybreak Bang Zoom
Fafner Bang Zoom
B-DaMan ABC Family
Duel Masters Cartoon Network
Marmalade Boy Tokyo Pop
Daigunder ABC Family

GKA:Derek Steven Prince said in a 2001 interview that
he owes a you a lot for where he is now as a voice
actor. How does it make you feel to know you`ve made
an impact on people`s lives and careers?

SPP:It’s really flattering and makes me feel great that people credit me with helping them get started. Mr. Prince is an immense talent. I’m honored to work with him. I have a number of VO people who credit me with getting their careers started, it’s really nice. I have worked with a lot of talented people, and made a ton of really good friends.

GKA:You played Wolfgang in Big Bad Beetleborgs and in
PR, Peckster, Oysterizer and Pirantishead which are
four of some of the greatest monsters of either of the
two shows. Not to mention Porto. What do you do to get
into character when you`re behind the mic?

SPP:I just try and have fun. I really like doing the silly character voices. I have a lot harder time doing straight traditional anime voices. The Peckster was my first big role, I’d only done bits until then. I did it so I would better understand how the actors felt when they had someone directing them from the other room. I was really scared but wouldn’t let the engineer or Doug Latislaw (the sound supervisor and guitarist in a band I play in now) know it.

I pulled it off and it still remains one of my favorite voices. Btw, I played Wolfy in the first season and then Frank Adelia (who was in the costume) played the second season. Very odd teaching him how to do my voice, but I was really glad he got to do it.

GKA:Of course you worked on VR Troopers, Masked Rider
BeetleBorgs and Mystic Knights in conjunction with
your Power Ranger work. What was it like on the set of
any of these shows and after they were over, what
lessons did you take from them?

SPP:I always enjoyed going on the sets. They were all fun. Rangers was weird in the beginning since it was so popular, the security became very tight. We had people saying they were involved and trying to sneak on sets. They usually got caught.

I learned so much on the sets. I was mostly in post production until then and it was great to learn the other side of doing a show. I got to direct some on camera stuff with Power Rangers, that was fantastic!! I also learned about budgets, lighting, film, editing…great lessons. It’s been really helpful in trying to produce my own shows of late.

GKA:Would you say VR Troopers storylines were just too
high brow for kids to really understand at the time?

SPP:I didn’t think so at the time. I mean we had a flying car and a talking dog, not very highbrow stuff.

GKA:Masked Rider wasn`t what some people expected.
There is a long standing rumor that the original Kamen
Rider`s creator Shotaro Ishinomori was seriously
critical of Saban, stating that the series ended up
being not so much to his liking. Does this hold up any
truth or is it just fan speculation?

SPP:It was my least favorite of the bunch of different shows we did. I did not hear anything about anybody being upset

GKA:Next to the Rangers, the BeetleBorgs were one of
Saban`s biggest hits on Fox Kids. I was a huge fan of
the show back then and was sad to see it go away when
it did. I have two questions on this
-Was there a third series planned?
-Were the BeetleBorg and Rangers exploits in the same
universe?

SPP:There was talk of a third season, but from what I heard and saw, the Japanese footage was less than what we were looking for. And as for PR and BB being in the same universe, that’s your choice I think. I thought so. We shot ‘em both at the same studio after all!!

GKA:The last topic before we get the Rangers is of
course the last major live action series Saban
produced outside of PR. The Mystic Knights Of Tir Na
Nog. How did this project start and what was it like
for an American studio producing a show as far away as
Ireland.

SPP:MK was the brain child of Bob Hughes. He set up all the Irish connections. I went over there for 3 months helping them get the ADR (automated dialog replacement, it means recording the voices after something is shot) going. It was amazing working there!!
I loved it. Great people, great beer!! Bob did a few other productions there too, movies and such.
GKA:Now we get to the good stuff I`m sure everyone has
been waiting for, the Ranger questions.

GKA:Describe how Power Rangers came to be from your
perspective. Starting from when you signed on, to the
airing of the first episode.

SPP:Haim Saban had been trying to get something going with the Japanese footage for a few years. I saw the first version once a long time ago, it was really odd. Once they got the last pilot shot I got involved in the studio when they did the original ADR. Tony Oliver was directing and I was engineering and helping. That’s when we figured out the original voices, Rita, Goldar, Squatt, Baboo and Alpha 5.

I still remember Richard messing around with the Alpha voice and he and I laughing so hard over the Ai yi yi stuff. Haim was there and he loved it and it became his signature thing to say. We thought it was just silly. I also remember the original Rangers coming in for their first ADR sessions. It was funny, they were all so nervous. Especially Amy Jo and David.
I did things here and there after that but didn’t really get full time involved until halfway thru the first season. On another note, most of us at the studios thought the show would never make it on the air. Boy were we wrong.

GKA:So whats the truth about some of the actors
departing from the series? Such as Austin St. John,
Thuy Trang and Walter Jones. And of course the swift
exit of Jason David Frank, Catherine Sutherland, Nakia
Burise and Johnny Young Bosch in the early Turbo eps?
These departures have always raised questions among
many fans and it would be keen to hear about it from a
producers perspective.

SPP:You need to understand that when the show started it was really low / no budget and all the actors were getting paid very little. When the show got big they wanted to get a lot of money too, which was totally fair. Austin, Thuy and Walter had a bad manager telling them that they should get stuff that was not fair and they said they had to get it or else.

They got or else. David thought that he was the star of the show and walked off the set in a huff one day. That was funny because he was replaced on the spot with only about a 5 minute delay in production. They just gave all his lines to Alpha. There was more to it than that, a money issue of course, but the point was the same.

I tried to get him to come back in a do his voice work but he wouldn’t return my calls so I just got whoever was near at the time to do his voice. It was a runner actually. When I saw David later at Thuy’s funeral and tried to talk to him about it he was less than pleasant, as usual.

Once he walked out of the studio because he didn't’ want to do his laugh at the end of a show, he just said, ‘nah, I’m not gonna do it, just let everyone else do it”..Well, of course we got that recorded and played it for all the other actors. We made a great recording of everybody else on the show making fun of David reacting off his line. It was hysterical. Unfortunately the computer we did it on crashed and we lost most of it a long time ago.

I was really sad to see Catherine and Johnny go (I taught them both how to scuba dive!) but the show was beginning to do like the Japanese at this point and changing actors every season. These were not my decisions, I was only producing / directing the voices and ADR scripts at that point. I still speak with Catherine every now and then, and Johnny and I are sure to cross paths soon as he’s a big Anime VO guy now.

GKA:We`ve pretty much gotten the gist of who Haim
Saban was, but tell us about Shuki Levy, Doug Sloan,
Judd Lynn and Jackie Marchand.

SPP:Shuki was the creative side of Haim. They worked together all the time. Shuki was the one who gave me my producing credit on PR, I was very thankful for that.

Doug Sloan and Ann Knapp are good friends of mine. They to me were the fun of the show. I remember many times Doug, Ann, Jackie and I sitting in Shuki’s old office on the PR set watching things and laughing trying to bring different elements of humor into the show.

Jackie was Doug’s assistant and has worked her way up to the big cheese now. She’s fantastic. We used to work together by me giving her my ADR scripts and she would fix them so we kept the conventions in line. She also made sure to scold me with my spelling and grammar mistakes.

Judd’s a great guy too who took over for Doug and Ann. I was a bit distant at first with him because of my close friendship with Doug and Ann and my sorrow at their quick exit, but we eventually got over it and I loved working with him.

GKA:In early 2001 Dark Horizons posted news that Fox
had plans for a third installment of a Power Ranger
movie basing it on Time Force. What the heck happend
and if Disney asked you to produce a new movie based
on the newer series would you do it?

SPP:I heard rumors about a third movie, but that was all. There are so many levels of management and accountants that we sometimes don’t get the real story until it’s already been decided. I would love to be involved with PR again. It was a really fun time in my life.

GKA:It`s been a few years since PR moved to New
Zealand, what did you think of Doug Sloan and Ann
Knapp`s Dino Thunder series? They sure gave the old
PR days some great nods.

SPP:I love Doug and Ann and they tried really hard to keep me involved but couldn’t get it to happen. I can’t say that I watched it much. I think I had seen PR enough for a while. I did something like 400 episodes. Though what I did see, I thought the action and fun was back, but obviously, I thought the ADR was incredibly weak compared to what we did, but I am a bit jaded there.

GKA:Now that Doug and Ann are no longer apart of the
series, you still tune in?

SPP:Not really, I may glance at it as the channels change. See above.

GKA Times:Lets hear some questions from the fans

What was your timetable when it came to adapting the
various episodes to PR?-JustAnotherBlueRanger

It varied on how much of the footage was useable. First the story people would choose the footage and try and figure out a way for it to fit the new story arc, then it goes to writers for a few weeks (including re writes). Then they pre for shooting, shot, edit, go to network for their “input” before it gets locked and then gets to me. I usually got a rough story and we had to figure out how to make the story make sense. Gave it to my writers to do that, then came back to me for review before going to the studio and recording the voices. The short answer is a good 6 weeks.

What's your view on PR now run by Disney?-nickraman

I’ve heard that it’s a lot more difficult working with Disney from friends, a lot more time spent in meetings. We really had it good with Saban, by the end he pretty much let us do the show without much input from anyone else.

Any chance you might come back for '07?-nickraman

Haven’t been asked, but I do miss it sometimes.

Did you have to audition for your voice roles on
Power Rangers, or did you get to take liberties as the
ADR director?-Puperazzi

When it was a guest star like The Peckster, I just got to cast myself. I tried to only do it once or so a season, but for Porto, I had to audition just like everyone else. I was the most surprised when I got picked!!

Was working on PR the best or worst time of your
life?-OmegaRanger468

It was without question a great time in my life, also painful at times, but a great time. The best time is still to come I’m sure!

Out of the various monsters you voiced (Peckster,
Oysterizer, Pirantishead, Face Stealer), which was
your favorite? If you can recall, that is.-MarZeo

It’s a tie between The Peckster, Porto and Wolfy

What challenges did you face just getting MMPR
started and the early episodes done, considering this
sort of show hadn't been done before?-Charles RB

Besides the fact that we were figuring out how to do a show like this as we went along, the only challenges I can remember was really believing that the show was as big as it got. I remember going to a live show for D.A.R.E. in downtown L.A. once and couldn’t believe my eyes, the place was packed full of screaming kids, like a Beatles concert or something. The kids from the show “Home Improvement” were there as guests as well and they were freaked out to meet the Rangers. I knew it was big time at that point.

Which is easier to work with- a recurring cast like
there was from MMPR to Turbo, or having a new cast
every season?-Charles RB

Depends on the cast, some casts were not as fun to work with and others are still good friends. Some I would have kept for the entire run and some should have never been there, you’ll have to try and figure which ones on your own!!!!

GKA:We like to let the guest have the final word in
the interview, so go head, the floor is yours Scott.

SPP:I really want to thank all the fans, especially all those who helped me and supported me when the move to New Zealand was made, it meant a lot to me.

Special thanks to Terri Ann for the website, Chris & Jarod for their website hosting, and especially a fan who became my good friend, the White Tiger!! As for Rangers, so many of them have become friends and I value their friendship and wish we got together more often. You know who you are!!

The GKA Times presents The Raymondl Interview IV

2008-09-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

originally posted January 31, 2006
GKA:Thankyou for the long wait folks. But the final chapter of the Raymondl interview has come a close. I`d like to thank Raymondl for taking out his time every week to answer my various questions and I also hope many of you learned something along the way.
-NinjaJack

GKA:How important is the Rider Kick and bike to you?

RL: The Rider Kick and motorcycle are VERY important to the whole character makeup of the franchise. The Rider Kick is the defining signature finishing move that differentiate the character from any other hero in tokusatsu. To NOT have a Rider Kick is like Spider-Man not having his web shooters or sticky powers.

The motorcycle may be either just as vital or even moreso than the Rider Kick. There is a reason he's called "Kamen RIDER" and not "Kamen WAITER" or "Kamen ROWBOATER"--the motorcycle is what gives him the "Rider" name. It's like being called "Batman" and wearing a squirrel suit--he wouldn't be "Bat-Man". No motorcycle means he's just another hero that should pick another name.
Both the Rider Kick and the motorcycle are what defines the role--if he didn't have either one of them, then he's no different than another costumed hero with a mad-on for monsters.

What makes Green Arrow "Green Arrow" is that he uses arrows that are colored green--he's not the Yellow Pole Vaulter. Kamen Rider is a masked hero who rides a motorcycle and has a kick that makes things explode. Both factors to me are incredibly vital to the whole character, and not having them demeans the heroic standard set by Ishinomori and the franchise as a whole.

GKA:The greatest and most beloved Rider of the last decade seems to be RX`s Minami Kotaro, but out of the new gen riders who would you say could give him a good sparing match?

RL: Boy, you're right--RX is not only popular, but he's pretty tough to boot! I can't say who'd give him a good match, but I'll try to see how it goes.
If you're talking about a pure fighting match, then I'd have to say Kamen Rider Kuuga--just to match the fact that both of them have more than one physical form and the fight would be about matching up each other's abilities.If you are talking about angst-ridden origins, I'd probably put Kamen Rider Gills against Minami Kotaro--they both have been given lousy breaks in life, but managed to overcome them, but Kotaro seems to have weathered it a bit better with a more optimistic outlook and he isn't so grim & gritty.
This is a tough question to answer because if I answer it any other way, your readers might take it badly if I went against RX or if I put RX over their current favorite! :)

GKA:Early thoughts on Kabuto`s look and plotline?

RL: Kamen Rider Kabuto's design is really imaginative--way moreso than RYUKI, BLADE, or HIBIKI in terms of following the insectoid design theme that 95% of the Riders use. Blade was insect-like, but mixed in too many other animal aspects while Ryuki & Hibiki didn't even try to follow Ishinomori's concept of the bug-eyed hero.Kabuto's name alone demands that he look more insect-like and he has the mix of both the classic look and the updated "super-technology" feature that KAMEN RIDER FAIZ made popular.

It's important to keep in touch with the current world, but it's also important to honor the forerunners of what came before and was successful for so long. I've said it often that Faiz was about as "radical" as I thought the franchise should get towards--it was new, yet paid homage to the classic mold. Kabuto seems to be following that path design-wise.Concept-wise, it seems to be a mix of many of the recent ideas in the Heisei Rider run.

The idea of ZECT is similar to the concept of BOARD in Blade or TAKESHI in Hibiki where an organization is created for the sole purpose of combatting an evil group--which is a decent idea. The army idea of the ZECT-Troopers supporting the Riders is a new and interesting concept so far.Still, we have to see how the show actually performs before anyone can say if the program works or not. It's a bit too early to tell right now because it usually requires at least 4 episodes to settle in the basis and objectives of the program.

GKA:Again, sorry to poke around in the rumor mill. But if it came to be, what do you think of the idea of a new Metal Hero series after Kabuto is over? And if you don`t mind me asking, ignoring my B-Fighter bias, which previous series would you like to see get a second run?

RL: Well, I normally don't like rumors (as you already stated) and all of that talk about Toei returning to the Metal Hero line after Rider is not only premature, but erroneous because KABUTO hasn't even aired 10% of their episode run yet and already people are yammering about what's coming next.

If people were that accurate, then I'd like to have them predict lottery numbers for me. Rumors only spread lies and unnecessarily builds up peoples' hopes or dashes them. Rumors only start flame wars and can be created to sound real by anyone.

I'm sure a lot of folks would believe me if I tried really hard and made up something out of my brain, but I don't do that because I hate looking like a chump when the real thing comes out and it isn't anything close to what I flapped my mouth about.Still, your question is valid because there can always be a possibility of Toei's return to the independent hero types like the Metal Hero series. It may return not to replace the Rider shows, but it could also air simultaneously with both Rider and Sentai, or it could be something completely new.

I don't think viewers should concern themselves with that idea for now and they should just enjoy what is already being presented and be pleasantly surprised when something fresh comes up.As for which hero series should get another run, I'd probably would like to see a return of the Rescue Police line. The metal suits always work well visually and the concept of the police-oriented heroes obviously worked well with the success of DEKA-RANGER, so that is always an idea I'd like to see return to the airwaves.

Just like you, I liked B-FIGHTER a lot, but not so much B-FIGHTER KABUTO because I thought the first show was so good that having a sequel just would pale in comparison to the first B-FIGHTER series. B-FIGHTER KABUTO was not up to the standards in both design, concept execution, and acting prowess as the first one was.OK--I'll finish up the rest of the interview in my next e-mail to you, hopefully by tomorrow or Monday.

GKA:The Tokusatsu market has seemingly exploded in the last three years. Shows and films like the Gran Sazer series, Garo, Ryukendo, Mirrorman Reflex, Woo and even Koreas new shows seem to have suddenly sprung up adding to the already running Ultraman, Kamen Rider and Super Sentai series. Thats alot to watch, it`s like it`s the late 70s all over again. But why?

RL:I'm glad that you and your readers have noticed the rather large influx of new tokusatsu projects out lately--it has been looking a lot like the 1970s with the proliferation of so many tokusatsu shows and movies.

Now as to why this is happening--I'll be honest...I don't have a clue. It's obvious that tokusatsu SFX has increased in quality, which would lead to a larger SFX budget, and also to hire so many performers, so it logically stands to be that tokusatsu isn't a cost-saving move for any company. It's not Hollywood with their overblown, garish SFX that overshadows the story and acting, but it's not cheap either, so any idea that tokusatsu is cheaper to make than say, an anime program, is wrong.

Might be merchandise selling? I think it may be easier to make action figures of superheroes than say PuffyAmiYumi dolls when it comes down to putting in features & accessories. A Kamen Rider Kabuto toy will do a lot more than a Sailor Moon doll in terms of lights and all kinds of gimmicks, but that certainly can't be the sole main reason why tokusatsu is so abundant these days.

The book industry also are on top of the tokusatsu trend with NEWTYPE THE LIVE and TOKUSATSU ACE, so there is a strong market for tokusatsu books and magazines, but merchandising can't be the main key.Might it be a way to find a new popular performer--to see if he or she becomes the next Shaku Yumiko or Odagiri Joh? Maybe, but there are more people in tokusatsu that don't go on to bigger and better things than there are super-successful ones, but the ones that do become really popular get really skyhigh.

Still, that's not a good enough aspect.Could it be just an influx of imagination and ideas? That's the one I might sort of lean a bit closer to for now--this year's Sentai program (Boukenja) is a new idea that hasn't been overused like the animal teams, or that there is still a goldmine of ideas from the old days that are reaching a new generation (i.e. MIRRORMAN REFLEX and the introduction of Toei Tokusatsu Channel on Japanese cable that's re-airing a lot of old tokusatsu). Even toys have begun to remarket the older heroes like Chojin BAROM-1 for Bandai's Sofubi Tamashi line or SIC doing the AKUMAIZER-3 set.

Even non-superhero stuff like YOKAI DAISENSO or AEGIS turned out to attract moviegoers and there seems to be no stopping of new versions of the main 3 franchises, so maybe it's just a good time to be creative with tokusatsu, especially with offbeat shows like GARO or SHIBUYA 15 that wouldn't have been thought up of even 5 years ago.

I really don't know the answer to why there's so much tokusatsu now, but I am glad that there is so that everyone can find a favorite and enjoy the genre rather than be pigeonholed into only watching the Sentai, Rider, or Ultra programs. With the choices of the Choseishin shows and RYUKENDO as well, it's a good time to be a tokusatsu fan. I might never know the real answer for this, but it seems that its a "mystery" that I don't need solved right now because I hope that everyone is enjoying the vast options.

GKA:Give me a list of the five most important folks in Tokusatsu history

RL:Well, it's only my personal opinion, so I can't say that it's the "be-all, end-all" choices, but here is who I think are the top 5 people in tokusatsu history (in no particular order):

#1--Ishinomori Shotaro.

Not only did he create KAMEN RIDER, he also created the Sentai franchise, put out numerous tokusatsu programs that helped fuel the genre in the 1970s during tokusatsu's "Golden Age", also devoted time to making tokusatsu programs for girls with a positive angle and attitude, and also was a proliferent manga artist & writer whose influence is still being flet today.

#2--Tsuburya Eiji

Tokusatsu didn't get a start without him, because he essentially made Japan think that tokusatsu could work because of 1954's GODZILLA. His visual creativity and imagination brought Godzilla to life and tokusatsu would have been a failure had GODZILLA not been so well done both storywise and visually. The fact that he also created ULTRAMAN and the subsequent sequels is icing on the cake.

Despite what any other creator has done, no other subjects other than ULTRAMAN and GODZILLA have sold more merchandise and have the visual recognition like these two creations have had, and that is due to Tsuburaya's efforts.#3--Tanaka Tomoyuki. While his main claim to fame is that he was the one who thought up the idea for GODZILLA, it was his writing of the script and direction of the film that brought tokusatsu to the masses as a viable entertainment option.

People forget that GODZILLA was Japan's first tokusatsu project, and if he didn't think of such a thing while being bored on a plane flight, there would be no tokusatsu at all today.#4--Kawauchi Kohan. The first man to take advantage of tokusatsu by putting some really imaginative characters on TV when television was first being sold in Japan en masse.

Japan had gotten into TV a bit later than America, and even a few years after World War 2, many families could not afford a television, so there really wasn't a lot of programs on the air. Kawauchi Kohan brought superheroes to Japanese TV with shows like GEKKO KAMEN, NANA-IRO KAMEN, ALLAH NO SEISHA, and other non-superpowered crime fighters who wore masks and defended Japan against evil and injustice.

These characters were very matinee serial styled, but by putting them on TV, he proved that tokusatsu didn't have to be a giant, irradiated monster and that the new entertainment medium could be used fof such a genre. While he didn't produce a lot of shows in general, he brought it to the masses first right in their own homes, so without Kawauchi, there'd be no tokusatsu on TV to influence viewers of that generation, which would have lead to people like us not being impressed with gaudy suited heroes fighting rubber suit wearing bad guys.

#5--A combination of three performers. Naya Goro, Izuka Shozo, and Soga Machiko. These three people put tokusatsu on the map during the 1970s, when tokusatsu had their real big run. All three played villains, and without their performances (for Naya Goro & Izuka Shozo--their voices only), both the Sentai and Rider franchises would have been perceived as a joke if their enemies weren't somewhat formidable.

The struggle between good & bad had to be believable, and since the heroes would always be written better, looked better in costumes, and always righteous, it fell upon these three performers to break out and really put a stamp on the genre by putting either a face or voice to the bad guys, and make it look good. Without these three, half of the villains of the 1970s would have not lasted in fans' memories and the genre would have not been as fondly remembered as being entertaining.

You can compare the Japanese main villains to the ones on POWER RANGERS and you can easily tell the difference between a fearsome villain that could really be a threat to the heroes, and the one that you know is hamming up the dialogue and could have been beaten back in one minute if the script didn't call for them to stick around.

It's like comparing Doctor Doom or the Riddler--who seems like they'd give your hero a run for his or her money? It's just like that with these three performers--cannon fodder types they are not.

GKA:And lastly. give us your thoughts on the Superhero. What does he stand for, why do kids love him and further more why do those kids offten hang on to these heroes long after they`ve grown up

RL:The superhero is a necessary concept for society. Every young person longs to right wrongs done to them (or at least perceived to be done to them), and the escapist fantasy of having powers is an intoxicating idea that we as people have always romanticized.

Even the most "mature" person in the world at one time or another has wished for some superpower to do incredible things.The superhero's main power should always be his or her moral & ethical nature. Kids look up to superheroes because of the concept behind them to help humanity and give aid when those less-fortunate are in trouble.

Every superhero or superheroine, no matter what their powers are, be it super-speed, have a mighty kick, fly, or able to throw fire, uses those powers not for self-motivation, but to devote their efforts & abilities to help those in need.Superheroes stay with us as adults because we are ingrained by society to always give back more than we take.

While this doesn't always hold true to everyone (i.e. supervillains or the jerk across the street), people who were brought up in any society (be it "civilized" with infrastructure, or "less civilized" with little resources) that has cultural norms & beliefs always emphasize the point of helping those who are like them in nature--their fellow human beings and other living creatures.

Superheroes take that norm one step further and have the added abilities to help those who require assistance far more spectacularly than normal people. The fantasy of gaining abilities that exceeds what life has given us further enhances the notion that once you are in the position of being able to give more help than you require from others, then it's your duty to do so selflessly and totally.

That's why I think there are no real differences between American heroes and Japanese heroes--none of them ask for anything in return because it's their intrinsic sense of duty that compels them to help the weak against those that defy society's efforts to keep their denizens happy & safe. There is no difference between Superman and Ultraman--both do the same jobs with different tools, but the goal, the motivation, and the results are the same.

We adults still care for the concept of the superhero that we learned as kids because now we know the lessons superheroes teach us--that there is a sense of obligation to see justice done for the safety of our societies, and that is an idea that never fades away.

GKA:Last word and goodbye to our readers.

RL:Well, I have to admit--I was a bit surprised in being asked to do this interview. I really don't know if I make any impact anywhere other than our board, but from what the good folks here at GKA tell me, I'm some kind of "expert" at tokusatsu & superheroes, and that people on the Net somehow know about me.

Frankly, I'm deeply flattered and a bit embarassed to be given such a nice introduction by the people here at GKA, and I should be one honored rather than them, because I never thought that I was anything more than a tokusatsu fan who paid attention and was in the right place at the right time.

I really don't think that I'm anything more special or better than any of the tokusatsu fans out there right now, so I think my job is to merely relate any information I have about tokusatsu that I've learned over the decades so that everyone can be as knowledgable as they can be about this really unique form of entertainment and art--yes, I think tokusatsu is an art form.

It has its good sides and its bad sides, and no one should ever hesitate to question tokusatsu in any aspects of it because if you spend time watching it and buying stuff related to it, you deserve the best, and if the product isn't good, then you should not watch it and go on to another one--that's the beauty of tokusatsu...there are decades of ideas out there in this field, and I'm just trying to relay to everyone that there's a whole world of information out there of this.

I'm truly grateful to GKA for even considering me a candidate for their pages--I'm no celebrity, I'm not looking to promote any program or project other than our board, and I'm certainly not getting rich from pushing tokusatsu towards people, but I only want everyone to look at a fascinating genre that seems to always be overlooked outside of Japan.

I'm just like every other fan--I just happen to pay attention and not just watch the program at face value and I looked beyond the story & SFX and I wanted to see what made these programs tick--what made them fascinating to me behind the scenes--what propelled the show outside of their scripted fantasy world.

I've been asked why tokusatsu fans find me either perplexing or unorthodox in the way I approach the genre. I think its because I never saw myself as a Japanese hero and I rarely play-acted as one because I saw them as metaphors in life rather than just people in costumes fighting alien armies.

Tokusatsu is more than just fighting heroes to me--they are mirrors of conduct. They are representations of social concepts. They are the culmination of ideas and imagination. They are just plain fun to watch if you don't take things too seriously or they are programs that elicit deep conceptual arguments if you do take them a bit further.

Anyway you slice it, I like tokusatsu, so as long as I remember that they are programs on TV & on the movie screens and only their inherent concepts should be taken in real life, not their abilities to punch out concrete walls.I am honored, I am humbled, and I am overwhelmed that GKA has chosen me as an interview candidate.

I hope to be around for a while so that I can devote more efforts into giving out information about tokusatsu, have logical conversations about the ideas they put forth, and to just enjoy them as I did as a child, and this interview made me look back a bit more introspectively at why I like this stuff so much.

Thank you GKA, and thanks to your readers for taking time out to hear someone whose not really that important in the world of tokusatsu to share his thoughts and opinions with you all. Best wishes to everyone out there and to the GKA staff, especially NinjaJack / King Kodro for all of his hard work and efforts.

I hope that as time progresses, more and more people get to watch all kinds of tokusatsu and find it just as enjoyable as anything else in their lives and pass it on to future generations as a way of sharing what they like and what they stand for.

-Raymond L

The GKA Times presents The Raymondl Interview III

2008-09-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

originally posted January 24, 2006

GKA Times:Thanks to alot of in depth questions and insighful answers from Mr. Raymondl the Times will be forced to extend this interview for one more entry of answers from this life long fan of the heroes of henshin.

"Lets Go!-Super Sentai

GKA Times:Sentai is preparing it`s 30th anniversary, how many of these Sentai seasons have you seen? And what do you think of the early shots of the new one.

RL:That's right--not only is it Super Sentai's 30th anniversary, but also the 35th anniversary of Kamen Rider, and the 40th anniversary of Ultraman! 2006 will prove to be an exciting year for tokusatsu! How many Sentai seasons have I seen?

Um, let's see..something like...all of them. I've been watching Sentai since the very first day GO-RANGER premiered in 1975 in Japan. There was a big build-up to this new program, and all of the kids on the block ran home to watch the program. The next day, every kid I was playing with wanted to play GO-RANGER--me included! I haven't missed any seasons of Super Sentai or Kamen Rider. I've missed sporadic episodes of Ultraman, but not since 1980.

I've pretty much watched nearly every episode of every tokusatsu program on the air since 1971 either first-run in Japan or via video (or for your older readers--film reels, which is how I watched KIKAIDER for half a season). Since I haven't seen any episodes yet of BOUKENJA, I'll hold off giving it any real opinion, but I think the concept is fresh and new and not rehashed--like animals or dinosaurs. No more dinosaur or car-related Sentais, thank you very much.

GKA:Of course I have to ask this if I want an in depth interview, what do you think of the Power Rangers?

RL:Ha ha ha! I knew the POWER RANGERS question would pop up! That's quite all right--I actually have a mixed opinion on PR. I don't completely hate it like some people, and I certainly don't think it's better than Sentai--I'm grateful for it and at the same time, I don't think it's very good quality-wise.

I appreciate that PR introduced Sentai and by a vicarious extent, the world of tokusatsu to the American public. A lot of people watched PR and it sparked interest in the genre, and many people looked beyond the program to find its origins in Japanese tokusatsu and grew from there. I believe that without PR, a lot of folks would not have discovered tokusatsu and would be missing out on a great form of entertai

At the same time, I think the product that Saban originally presented could have been more faithful to its original content. As evidenced in Hawaii, tokusatsu that was either dubbed or subtitled proved to be successful with the airings in prime time of KIKAIDER. As long as the quality was entertaining, Japanese tokusatsu programs could translate here well.

I think that Saban could have made PR a bit more like Sentai and not pander down to the viewers. I realize that Saban was aiming for children, and I totally agree with Saban that the kid's audience is their primary goal, but I have a problem with the lack of quality dialogue, poor casting jobs with the inexperienced performers, and not putting any care into making believable storylines.

The inclusion of Bulk and Skull were totally unnecessary and brought down the program, which I had hoped to be more Sentai-like and not so--goofy. Now the general public thinks tokusatsu is a joke and only limited to children, and if PR didn't perpetuate that stereotype, maybe tokusatsu would gain a greater foothold in the States.

I understand that in the early stages of the program, they could not put in the budget of matching the filming styles between the American scenes and the Japanese fighting scenes, but once it got popular and profits were rolling in, Saban (and now Disney) could have put in more quality into the program plotwise and hire better actors. Now, I don't mean totally copying Sentai, but do something of equal quality but original to the American version.

A lot of people have told me that PR: TIME FORCE was one of the better ones and after watching a few episodes, it was nearly a total plot-lift off the original TIME-RANGER, one of Sentai's better entries. That's not the way to make PR better I think. I believe that the PR team could make a storyline that's original to PR that would equal the excellent storytelling in TIME-RANGER or JETMAN if they bothered to try.

I could go on, but I'm not upset at PR--I just believe that television should get better as time passes because the producers, the writers, the SFX team, etc, should have gotten the hang of it by now and not use what didn't work in the past, namely jokey scenes and poor acting.

I think the PR team should be comfortable by now to make their own stories and realize that the audience isn't so juvenile and make a good show that makes viewers care about the program and look into it more. Maybe if PR made a totally new Rangers show featuring members NOT originally from Japan, it might work.

But I'm sure Bandai wouldn't want that--they wouldn't sell more toys. I think PR & Sentai can work together, but I think PR still has a long way to go to be even half as good, but there is always potential. I will always be grateful to PR for introducing people to tokusatsu, but the consistent juvenility of the program makes the general public believe all tokusatsu is like PR, and that's not true. Maybe PR needs a shake-up that makes people talk about it again.....

GKA:And further yet, what do you think of Sentai and Power Rangers sharing their Battlizer powerup in the Magiranger vs Dekaranger teamup. Or the Rangers stunt choreographer Koichi Sakamoto filming some Magiranger Fight scenes.RL:I think the use of the American-created Battlized armor for Deka-Red in MAGI-RANGER vs. DEKA-RANGER was long overdue! Since PR uses almost everything of Sentai, why not reciprocate the deal and use one or two PR ideas in Sentai? I think all it does is make Bandai richer by selling another action figure to a new audience in Japan! I don't mind some occasional cross-usage...it's like PR took all of Sentai's baseballs home to play with, and if Sentai wants to use one of PR's footballs once in a while, that should be OK, right? Ha ha ha! As for Sakamoto filming MAGI-RANGER scenes--that's just as OK!

GKA: With a love for both American and Asian heroes you must have went nuts when you heard that Marvel comics was working with Toei on those early Super Sentai series.

RL:I didn't mind too much about Toei asking Marvel Comics to help out with Sentai. As I wrote on our board, BATTLE FEVER-J was originally not a Sentai program, but started up as CAPTAIN JAPAN, which was supposed to be similar to Captain America. When that concept didn't come through, Toei simply re-used the idea of Sentai that Ishinomori Shotaro created with "Himitsu Sentai GO-RANGER" and "JAKQ Dengekitai", so Marvel's influence on Sentai is neglible at best.

I think Marvel got the better deal out of it by importing MICROMAN and some of the Super Robots over as MICRONAUTS and SHOGUN WARRIORS, while all Toei really got was their version of SPIDER-MAN. The "CAPTAIN JAPAN" idea fell through, so I don't really consider Marvel as having any direct influence on Sentai's genesis, seeing that Ishinomori came up with the idea 4 years earlier, and all Toei did was re-hash the concept.

GKA:Do you like mecha in your hero shows?

RL:Mecha in my hero shows depends on what kind of hero we are talking about. It obviously does not work with KAMEN RIDER to a large degree (the closest success was Auto-Vajin from KAMEN RIDER FAIZ, but luckily, the robot had little airtime), and it is almost a necessity with the SUPER SENTAI line.

It did work out well for the Space Sheriff-styled shows, which "Kyozyu Tokusou JUSPION" used to brilliant effect, but then it wouldn't work with more non-super powered heroes like CONDORMAN or JIRAIYA. It would definitely be out of place with period-piece heroes like SHIROJISHI KAMEN or Henshin Ninja ARASHI, so the success factor in having mecha on hero shows depends on the hero's motif--mechanized shows like WINSPECTOR or JIBAN are already skewed towards mecha, while it would look out of place with ULTRAMAN.

GKA:From this Ninja`s point of view, Sentai has been lacking in quality Reds since GoRed. I liked Ban whenever he didn`t yell. But the current trend of reds seem to have been too hyperactive and boylike to be taken that seriously like Reds of the 80s and 90s
What do you think?

RL:Mmmm...that's a question with no real good answer. The old-fashioned, more professional-like Red Sentai leaders have been gone for a long time (since Hoshino Goro / Oh-Red in OH-RANGER), and at times there are flashes of that kind of non-hyperactive Reds (like Tatsumi Matoi / Go-Red in GO-GO FIVE and Asami Tatsuya / Time-Red in TIME-RANGER), but for the most part, today's generation of viewers have had nothing but the over-loud, hyper Reds.

You have to remember that today's tokusatsu programs are breeding grounds for upcoming young stars, both male and female, and most of them are hired to be "ikemen" or "pretty people" with little acting experience. Since the Red member is always the key focus main character of any Sentai program, they have to hire a really "attractive" guy (for the legions of older, middle-aged women who watch these shows with their kids) and that key person has to stand out--hence the over-anxious, boisterous Reds.

It's certainly not what I seek in the lead role, and sometimes, the loudness factor actually diminishes my liking for the Red member, but then I have to remember that these shows are aimed at children and that my tastes are a bit out of age demographics for these type of shows. I have no choice but to accept today's Reds that need Ritalin, but for the most part, Toei has been really careful not to make them too annoying personality-wise.

They are loud and yell too much, but overall, the Red members tend to be the most heroically written Sentai member, so that's always a saving grace. I think the days of the cool, calm, collected, and calculating Red leaders like Kaijyo Tsuyoshi / Aka-Ranger from GO-RANGER are gone because of the emphasis on hiring model-type guys rather than getting a more mature, established performer.

Toei isn't the only one guilty of this, though. Toho has consistently hired the most annoying leader-types in their "Choseishin" series, with Sazer-Tarious from GRANSAZER and Lio-Sazer from SAZER-X as being way over the top in delivering dialogue and being generally no more heroic than the other members, losing the charm that Toei has with the Red Sentai members.

"Rider Kick!"-Kamen Rider

GKA:I know you loathe rumors as opposed to hard facts, but it`s pretty widely accepted that Ishimori Shotaro was quite displeased with Saban`s Masked Rider series. What are your thoughts?

RL:I can't blame Ishinomori being upset at how Saban churned out MASKED RIDER. It's no rumor that he was livid at it--that's a cold, hard fact. The fact that not only the show was butchered to pieces storywise, Saban couldn't even keep the correct Rider and their accompanying cast intact in one show.

MASKED RIDER was supposed to be Saban's version of KAMEN RIDER BLACK RX, but to use scenes from KAMEN RIDER ZO was a bit too much, seeing that RX & ZO look the same as if you put in Jose Canseco on a TV show and used footage of Oprah Winfrey and tried to pass them off as the same person.

Ishinomori held KAMEN RIDER rather close to his vest, usually handling casting of the Riders himself and always writing the series opening episode and guideline bible for each Rider until his health gave way. By the time Toei sent out RX to Saban as MASKED RIDER, he wasn't in the best of health and to see his creation butchered was probably a major insult to him.

I think that MASKED RIDER is perhaps one of the worst-made shows ever in the history of television, because of the ridiculous scene splicing, the inability to merge the Minami Kotaro scenes with that awful kid actor, and the inclusion of that Ferby-looking thing with the multi-cultural family, just to be politically correct.

From production values, to story plotting, to continuity control, to acting performances, MASKED RIDER was awful from the moment it started, and I don't blame Ishinomori for being irate at it--it was a justifiable emotional response. I've seen better movies made in the 1950s & 1960s as drive-in monster fests that are superior to MASKED RIDER, and trust me, I've seen a lot of bad movies.

Since I don't have as much emotional attachment to the Rider character as Ishinomori, my only way of not supporting that version that Saban made was to simply not watch it, but for Ishinomori, you can't help but be mad at what someone did to your creation.

GKA:Now that Shotaro-san has passed, are the proceeding riders anything by comparision to his?

RL:I thought that after the passing of Ishinomori, Toei and his successors at Ishimori-Pro did a good job with KAMEN RIDER AGITO and KAMEN RIDER FAIZ, and they are close, but not good enough, to encapsulate the "Ishinomori formula" that ended with KAMEN RIDER KUUGA.

AGITO and FAIZ were really good on their own, but hardly up to the dramatic level of KUUGA, since Ishinomori had some hand in Kuuga's genesis, but from mid-way of the KUUGA series, astute viewers could see that it wasn't quite an Ishinomori-styled plot. Still, KUUGA is highly regarded as one of the best Rider programs ever made, and for its first run without Ishinomori, Toei did a great job with AGITO, and I think that FAIZ is about as "radical" as I'd like a Rider to be by straddling the thin line between Ishinomori-styled story concept and a new interpretation of the franchise.

Ishinomori probably wouldn't have OK'd FAIZ if he was still alive because of the heavy reliance on mechanical gimmicks, but for the most part, it was a fresh new concept that still had the classic Rider style angst in it. As for RYUKI, BLADE, and HIBIKI--well, that's another story and those strayed too far away from the initial Rider concept, but BLADE tried its best to veer back towards it, but didn't quite do the trick.

I know a lot of your readers might not like the fact that I think that RYUKI, BLADE and HIBIKI are too far-fetched from the established Rider mythos, but if you showed any of those programs to a novice watcher, they wouldn't associate those programs with the other Rider shows.

So, do I think the New Generation Riders compare to Ishinomori's vision of Rider? It depends--are we talking about AGITO, RYUKI, FAIZ, BLADE, or HIBIKI? That's when the lines of opinion get blurred. I think that AGITO & FAIZ are the closest to his idea of Rider but still new enough to introduce fresh concepts to the franchise, but they still aren't the old Riders.

GKA:Was Hibiki a bad move on Toei`s part?

RL:Was HIBIKI a bad move on Toei & Ishimori-Pro's part? Well, with their main advertising sponsor pulling out of the program early on, the head writer and some staff members getting fired, and poor ratings & toy sales, I'll let you and your readers figure that one out! :) Let's just say that if they had a chance to go back and fix things, Toei and Ishimori-Pro would probably take that opportunity in a heartbeat......

GKA:Was Hibiki the first time Toei tried to be "hip" with a Rider series?

RL:No, definitely not. HIBIKI isn't the first time any Rider show tried to be "hip"--every Rider program has tried to emulate the times they were in. The idea behind the original KAMEN RIDER being a motorcycle enthusiast was based on the era where Japan had started to make quality vehicles after decades of making inferior cars (yes, there was a time when "Made in Japan" meant shoddy construction and poor materials--hard to believe nowadays...) and there was a boom in motorcycle purchases.

KAMEN RIDER X had a lot of psychic-styled villains because of Japan's interest at the time with the paranormal and ESP concepts. KAMEN RIDER SUPER-1 drove that huge Harley Davidson bike because the American cop program "CHIPS" featuring two motorcycle-riding police officers on the Los Angeles highway patrol was popular in Japan.

KAMEN RIDER FAIZ used the cellphone and digital items in the series due to Japan's ever-growing dependency on such devices. HIBIKI wasn't trying to be "hip" per se, but tried to go "backwards" with the Japanese-centric concept with the kanji writings, the oni motifs, the fancy named weapons, but it's far from being "hip"--I think the old Japanese ideas used in HIBKI didn't attract today's Japanese kids, who are more used to Game Boys, PS2s, cellphones, and digital cameras than they are with ancient demons who use sound as weapons.

The GKA Times presents The Raymondl Interview II

2008-09-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

originally posted January 15, 2006

GKA:We are happy to present the second half of this three part interview with Raymondl. Stick around you might learn something

GKA: Why is it that western heroes don`t seem to latch on to audiences that much anymore?
Marvel constently gives us Spider-Man, X-Men, Hulk Avengers etc but for the life of me I can`t put my finger on why the newer heroes don`t seem to captivate audiences and "stick" the way Wolverine or Green Lantern did in their time. What must a hero do to get really noticed and stay endearing at the same time?

RL:I'm not sure if its Western heroes only that don't stick in people's minds anymore. I think that Western heroes are already at their limits on what is "original". I think Alex Ross said it best in an interview I read in WIZARD that superheroes fit into a few categories that have been "pigeonholed". For instance, there is the "all-powerful, justice-seeking" type of heroes that Superman & the Martian Manhunter are prime examples of.

Then there is the "dark loner on a path of vengeance" types that Batman and the Punisher exemplify. There is the "all-beauteous, virtuous super female" types that Wonder Woman and nearly all super-heroines qualify under. The "techno" heroes like Iron Man and Steel come next. There is the "magic-based" heroes that Drs. Fate and Strange are in and to a point Green Lantern, and then there is the "kid who gets a chance to be a hero" types that Captain Marvel (Shazam) and Spider-Man fall in.

Almost every Western hero comes under one of these umbrellas--but Alex Ross put it way better than I just did. I think after reading that interview, I can see why new Western heroes don't seem to have that staying power, because it begins a "been there, done that" routine. Even the "newer" heroes like Spawn or Hellboy all fall under one of these categories. With that in mind, there really hasn't been any new hero concepts in the West other than a variation of any of these iconic types.

While it's always enjoyable to read BATMAN or THE AVENGERS, there really isn't anything new about superheroes in decades, which is why these days, I tend to stray towards the non-hero fare like 100 BULLETS, FABLES, Y--THE LAST MAN, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, GOTHAM CENTRAL, and THE SIMPSONS for a change of pace, even though I still like reading JSA, BIRDS OF PREY, and other hero stuff. 9)

GKA:Lets take a look at todays heroes. Give us a overview of what you think of the current Anti-Hero trend.

RL:Ooooh, the touchy subject of the "anti-hero". I'm mixed about them. Some are done well, like Jesse Custer in PREACHER, or Vic Mackey on THE SHIELD program, and some are down right annoying, like how Marvel approached Venom in the late 1990s, or how Lobo devolved into a parody rather than an "anti-hero".

Their moral ambivalence certainly attracts readers, but since the line between hero and villain (to me at least) is so thin, that writers can't help but tip them over to one side or another, and most of the time, they tip towards the side of good. Wolverine was once an anti-hero, but it's clear that he is a good guy, no matter how much so-called "killings" he's done, since he never really kills anyone that is clearly a good guy like Captain America or Reed Richards. He just kills off the really evil guys.

The Punisher is another one like that--he never sets out to shoot Hawkeye or Ant-Man, but he'll take a potshot at some cruddy villain. With that in mind, the writers lose touch of the character's "anti-hero"-ness and puts them squarely on the moral side. The characters in THE AUTHORITY, whose methods are quite brutal and violent, are probably the only ones closest in my opinion of being a true "anti-hero" idea.

Their goals don't always serve in the best interests of the majority, they perform actions sometimes without dealing with the immediate consequences, yet it always turns out for the better. Perhaps the best writing of an "anti-hero" is Vic Mackey on THE SHIELD--no matter how much good he does on the streets of L.A., the show's writers always remind viewers that Vic has shot & killed a fellow cop that was investigating him, has stolen drugs to fund his actions, hidden away evidence that would incriminate him, and other dirty dealings. At the same time, his brutal methods have cleaned up the streets, made criminals fear him, and the outcome of a lot of his actions come out positively.

I don't think there is a comic out there right now that hits the "anti-hero" idea right anymore, so comic book writers have to tread that thin line between hero and villain, and taking a cue from Mackey is a start.

GKA:America's Spider-Man has enjoyed the most success in Japan, why is this and who do you think from the US would also be accepted as a brother there?

RL:I can't explain SPIDER-MAN's appeal in Japan. It might be because he's an American hero that doesn't look all-American, especially with Japan's slight xenophobia towards non-Japanese ideas. While Japan has embraced cultural icons such as Mickey Mouse, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Steve McQueen, and King Kong, the ideas that are "super pro U.S.A." aren't as popular, such as Superman, or Captain America, and evident in the failure of G.I. JOE there. SPIDER-MAN, I guess, is just "super-hero" enough not to have any nationalistic allegiance towards anyone at first glance.

The movies did really well in Japan, as well as having Japan's own version of Spidey in a tokusatsu program, but I think his weird look also helps. Spidey has one of comicdom's best costumes, bar none. You ask anyone who's never heard of comics before and ask him to point out who could possibly be a "Spider-Man" and most likely, that person will identify him in a group picture with little difficulty.

Perhaps that's the appeal, since the Peter Parker storyline doesn't seem to matter as much to the Japanese as the Spider-Man aspect of the character. I don't really have an answer to this one. As for an American hero that is doing well over there, BATMAN seems to be the best bet. His dark overtones, his frightening persona, his obsessiveness--all of these have been mentioned in Japan as akin to a samurai mentality, so his appeal is strong.

Otherwise, the Japanese seem to have enough heroes on their plates not to require an embracing of any U.S. hero that I currently know of, though people's tastes change and I could be wrong within days. Who knows what will be popular--there could be a craze soon for Iron Man for all I know!

GKA:Is it a good thing that America is being so influenced by Japanese heroes? Or is it bad thing that the west seems to show a lack of appreciation of it`s own heroes?

RL:I think that the influence of Japanese heroes towards American heroes is OK--up to a point. I've noticed that a lot of publishers are seeking the "manga" look, or attempt to draw their characters with exaggerated proportions similar to manga, or outright present a hero with a Japanese undertone these days.
That's OK, but not to the point where the American idea is completely buried and doesn't seem to even exist anymore. Take for instance the recent MARVEL MANGA line where they tried to draw heroes like Spidey, Iron Man, Cap, and the rest of the guys with an all-manga style. They drew Iron Man's armor almost to the point of mimicking a Japanese mecha robot, which isn't what Iron Man is. Iron Man needs to be more "man"-looking than "bulky Japanese robot with multiple boosters, swords hidden in his hips, and able to combine from all of your Mom's household appliances".

Cartoon Network is seriously guilty of this--a lot of their newer programs are so Japanese-like, that it seems they aren't even remotely American anymore, even though the property is U.S., like TEEN TITANS and that SUPER MONKEY program. While it would be nice to emulate some story ideas from Japan, or have some art styles similar to Japanese anime or Chinese manwha, someone as American-iconic as the Boy Wonder shouldn't look like he fits in with the cast of DORAEMON, at least, not too much.

I appreciate the fact that Americans are beginning to be more interested in the Eastern style of storytelling, and that they respect the appeal of the Japanese anime style. If that's the case, then simply bring over the Japanese properties uncut, and do a joint international trade where American ideas can be aired over international TV stations and books. By totally converting over to a Japanese style, American shows are losing it's visual definition.

As a kid, you could tell that BATTLE OF THE PLANETS wasn't American, and to find out more about it, it appealed more to you that it was a foreign project. As a kid, you could tell that HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE was clearly an American-made idea, and you were comfortable with it. These days, even G.I. JOE--clearly an American appeal only, is drawn by Studio Gonzo in Japan for G.I. JOE: SIGMA SIX. That makes G.I. JOE less identifiable with its original theme of being American soldiers fighting for the truth, justice, and the American way.

It's good in some ways that American producers are trying something new, but they should use some common sense and incorporate those new foreign ideas into their own original projects rather than converting over so completely. It's like if the art team from Hanna-Barbera took over GUNDAM in Japan--GUNDAM would lose its national appeal & identity.

GKA:Superman or Batman?

RL:Batman--most definitely. Actually, I'd like to make a more specific version--the Bruce Timm / Paul Dini-animated series version of Batman is the best. There have been some terrible interpretations of Batman over the years, and I think the animated version is the most clear-cut, most definitive of Bob Kane's original interpretation of the character.

I like Superman, but I haven't really liked him since the old Curt Swan / Kurt Schaffenberger days in the late 1950s / early-1960s where he used to fight all kinds of weird stuff. The current Superman has too much drama outside of his Super-ness. .

Be back here next week as we conlclude this in depth interview with Raymondl

The GKA Times presents The Raymondl Interview

2008-09-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

orginally posted January 10, 2006

GKA Times:Ladies and gentlemen I`d like to introduce to you a vital resource in the Henshin community, Raymondl.
A man with a vast knowledge of Tokusatsu and US Super Hero history, he is one of the most thorough of fans out there in any genre. It`s a true honor to take this time to interview him. Enjoy.

Raymondl:Thank you for the wonderful introduction! I don't think I deserve the praise you've heaped on me, since I think I'm just a fan who paid attention to the shows and was in the right place at the right time, so I'm more than pleased to be here at GKA! I guess you consider me some kind of authority on tokusatsu & superheroes, so I'll do my best not to disappoint you or your faithful readers!

On life

GKA Times:Over the years at TokuBBS I`ve gained a strong sense that family is important to you. In your own words how high a priority is family today.

RL:Family is incredibly important to me. It was my father that gave me my fair sense of values, because I don't try to judge anyone too harshly, I'm all for second chances, and I have no bias towards anything other than a strong moral dislike on things that are injust. It was my mother who introduced me to tokusatsu. I was not a well child, and I was constantly sick up until 4th grade, so I had a lot of time to spend at home in bed. She and her sister (my aunt) used to send me (let me rephrase that--"still" send me) the tokusatsu & manga magazines that had all of these heroes, which I was fascinated with.

I actually knew about KAMEN RIDER and ULTRAMAN before SUPERMAN & BATMAN, even though I am American by birth. It was the difference between getting a free tokusatsu book or use my allowance to buy American comics, so since I wasn't raking in big dollars, free it was! Without either one of them, I would not have been into tokusatsu and I would not have been into doing the site as fairly as possible to all, which is now at TOKUSATSU DENSETSU

I also lost a lot of family members because of cigarettes and the disease of Lupus, so I'm a big donator towards lung cancer and lupus research, as well as volunteering for any women's breast cancer fundraisers, as my mother is a cancer survivor. So, yeah--I guess family is important to me!

GKA:Where did you grow up

RL:I was born, bred, raised, and still live in New York City. My father is Chinese and my mother is Chinese-Japanese, so I drifted a lot between NYC and Yokohama, Japan during my early years, and I attended kindergarten in Japan. I also worked in the family restaurant from the ages of 13 - 19 every summer in Yokohama, so that's another family trait I owe something to--the concept of hard work and forced to learn a language in order to function properly

GKA:As a kid who or what inspired you?

RL:Hmm..who inspired me? That's a good question--obviously my parents, but I would probably also give a lot of credit to my general environment for giving me a love for cheap pop culture, and also living in NYC gives me a more "liberal" view in things and the chance to experience a lot of cultural facets in life.
To say one particular factor as being an inspiration is a bit tough to whittle down into one or two things--I just realized that trying to answer this question made me realize that I'm kind of complicated! Good question, though--something new to think about!

GKA:TokuBBS was one of the first places I stopped by when Chris Reeve died. I recall reading you had actually met him in person, could you please give the readers a look back at that meeting?

RL:Ah, Christopher Reeve--what a gentleman and a fantastic person. I was working at CNN in NYC, and there was a big political problem regarding housing for low-income persons and some actors decided to bring this problem to the public's attention at CNN for Larry King's show. Mr. Reeve arrived with Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon, and the late Roger Zazlow to be interviewed for the show.

While the women in my office fawned over Alec Baldwin (who wasn't as fat as he was now, since this happened around 1995-1996!), I was of course overwhelmed that Superman himself was in front of me! The other actors had some support staff with them, which made it difficult for us workers to get to them to ask if they needed anything like drinks or ask them something prior to interview time (like what questions not to ask, or if they had any camera angle preferences), but only Mr. Reeve didn't have an entourage--he simply came by himself.

He was easily approachable, didn't turn away any fans, and was in generally good spirits and laughing a lot. I was a computer technician, but I decided to ask him if he needed anything and all he wanted was a glass of water.

Even though it wasn't my job, I quickly went to get him water and when I returned, he graciously took time out to speak with me about a broad range of topics--too bad I can't quite recall what they were, because I was just simply awed at being in front of the greatest Superman actor ever. We didn't talk too much, but he spoke clearly, looked directly at me, and always had on a smile.

I totally forgot to ask him for an autograph or to take a picture with him, but I remember shaking his hand and told him that he really made me believe that he was a real-life superhero, especially since he was here fighting for a good cause. We didn't speak anymore afterwards, but i came away with a deep admiration for him because of his genial nature, his obvious appreciation for a fan like myself, and was radiating a good vibe that made everyone around him happy.

Everyone in the office started calling me the Asian Jimmy Olsen because I guess it was too obvious that I was hanging onto Mr. Reeve's every word. A month or two later, Mr. Reeve suffered his crippling injury, and it was a shock to all of us in the office, as Mr. Reeve made a deep impact on other workers there, and we were all generally sad that it happened to such a kind and decent human being.

As you all know, he went on to fight a long and courageous fight for spinal paralysis research and inspired so many others. I wasn't surprised though, because for the few minutes I spent with him, he certainly was the Man of Steel on and off screen.

GKA:Whats your hobby?

RL:My hobbies are very varied: I collect tokusatsu & anime programs, tokusatsu & anime books, tokusatsu & anime toys, DC comics, I play middle infield for an over-30 softball league, I play on a bowling league, I read books at rapid speed, I draw comics covers, I build plastic GUNDAM models, I watch movies, I go eat out at fancy restaurants a lot, I hang out at jazz clubs, I sell tokusatsu toys on the side, I watch baseball & football, I buy CDs a lot, and I coach a women's volleyball team once in a while if they need help. Oh yeah, I also help run the Tokusatsu Densetsu site! That's just a Tuesday for me!....:)

On Comics

GKA:Now you have a black belt in comics I hear, tell us more about your love afair with superheroes.

RL:I'm pretty critical about American comic books. I grew up the only kid on the block liking DC Comics when everyone was into Marvel. I've only collected Marvel in the 1970s--mainly AVENGERS and G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO in the 1980s-1990s. Other than a sporadic run with the FANTASTIC FOUR in the 1970s, I've primarily read DC Comics all the way through.

Because I was there "pre-Crisis", I remember all of the various Earths, the myriad versions of kryptonite, the Legion of Super-Pets, how the Justice Society of America came to team up annually with the Justice League of America, all of the crazy WW2 heroes like the Haunted Tank and Viking Commando, the spacefarers like Space Cabbie and Ultra the Multi-Alien, and every other DC guy in between.

I was always fascinated with DC's heroes because I didn't want all that angst in Marvel books, which seemed to be a prerequisite for all of their heroes. I like my heroes a bit more pure because it is of course fantasy, and if I wanted "real life", I'd watch the news rather than read a comic book where a Martian can stand alongside an Element Man.

I'm pretty much a fountain of cheesy, useless knowledge on DC guys, especially the B-list guys who are still great to me, like the Martian Manhunter (who finally got some PR thanks to JLU), Metamorpho, Black Canary, Doctor Fate, Starfire, Power Girl, and Deadman. I think I'm one of the only bozos around who know off the top of his head that the original Green Lantern Alan Scott's middle name is "Wellington". I'm a sucker for classic DC guys, and I love what they are doing at DC now with INFINITE CRISIS and ONE YEAR LATER.

GKA:Every nation has it`s heroes, which has the best and the most heroic, Japan or the United States?

RL:I don't think either Japan or the U.S. has a foothold on each other when it comes down to superheroes. American superheroes are a different breed than Japanese ones.
Although a lot of folks compare SUPERMAN to ULTRAMAN, and BATMAN to KAMEN RIDER, I think its more about the similar archetypes of the "all-powerful" hero and the "loner on a crusade" motif rather than an actual direct coorelation.

Both countries have done admirably well with their heroes, and both sets of heroes probably wouldn't function well if their locations changed. SUPERMAN probably would have a more difficult time with the giant monsters, ULTRAMAN would probably not work well against the hidden crime in Metropolis.