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Geeking Out
13 years ago
When I began writing this entry:
I wanted to start it with a breezy little, "So, I just got off the phone with John DeLancie." But I quickly realized that I'm not nearly cool enough to make something like that work. So instead, I'll just try to relate the facts.
Now, as I've mentioned previously, learning Mr. DeLancie would be providing the voice of the main antagonist confronting Our Little Pony heroines in the first two episodes of the 2nd season of that particular cartoon show made me quite happy: "Geeking Out," was, I believe, the phrase I used, for reasons that I explain in the post you'll find behind the link at the top of this paragraph. But I don't think anyone could've foreseen how much Mr. DeLancie's subsequent encounter with the burgeoning world of MLP:FiM fandom would affect him.
After all, the man played the featured antagonist during the entire course of "Star Trek, The Next Generation," so he certainly knows from rabid fanbases. But by all accounts, the genuineness of Pony fans, the creativity displayed throughout the various branches of the community, the way a not-insignificant portion of those watching this children's TV show are actively trying to take its lessons to heart to improve the way they look at the world, this all seems to have impressed him to a fair extent. By which I mean he and some filmmaking friends of his started a Kickstarter campaign last week to fund a documentary that will center around Mr. DeLancie's journey at the end of June to the Meadowlands of New Jersey for the 5th Bronycon, the fan-organized convention dedicated to all things Friendship is Magic--the campaign, by the way, reached 100% of its goal after three but is happily accepting further donations to make the documentary as definitive as possible.
Since my duties on this side of the country wouldn't allow me to attend the convention, I kicked in a few bucks with the thought that I could at least watch the film when it came out. This got me a nice "thank you" note through Kickstarter from one of the producers, and in my reply, since I wanted to say something more than just "you're welcome," I mentioned that I'd written this review of the show last year for the Strange Horizons webzine.
The producer wrote back saying he'd found the article well-written and had passed the link on to John DeLancie. He then sent me another note saying Mr. DeLancie had asked if he could contact me directly.
Little parts of my brain spinning around, I answered that I wouldn't mind at all, included my direct e-mail address, and not long afterwards found myself in receipt of an e-mail from a gentlemen whom I'd once watched performing one of my favorite roles in one of my favorite plays: Jack Tanner in Bernard Shaw's "Man and Superman." Not to mention the Star Trek and My Little Pony stuff.
We exchanged a few more e-mails during the course of that Thursday afternoon, and in the last one, Mr. DeLancie included his phone number and asked me to give him a call.
Practicality, alas, reared its ugly head at that point: I was working the front desk at the library the rest of the day, then going out to dinner with Dad and my two brothers who'd arrived the night before for a weekend of mid-spring frivolity. I would be off all day Friday, though, I wrote back, and would be happy to call him then.
Turned out, though, that he was leaving Friday at noon for a Star Trek convention in Dallas--but, he said, he could call me from the airport if I'd give him my phone number.
So late Friday morning, I spent twenty minutes or so chatting about My Little Pony with John DeLancie. And when I say "chatting," I mean I tried not to stutter too badly or pass out while he told me what he hoped to do with this documentary and asked me my thoughts on the subject. I told him he really needed to talk to Shaun, a.k.a. Sethisto, the guy who runs Equestria Daily, and he asked me if I could arrange that. I could and did and apparently the two of them had a conversation Friday night.
Whether that will conclude my participation in all this, however, well, only time will tell. Further bulletins as events warrant.
Mike
I wanted to start it with a breezy little, "So, I just got off the phone with John DeLancie." But I quickly realized that I'm not nearly cool enough to make something like that work. So instead, I'll just try to relate the facts.
Now, as I've mentioned previously, learning Mr. DeLancie would be providing the voice of the main antagonist confronting Our Little Pony heroines in the first two episodes of the 2nd season of that particular cartoon show made me quite happy: "Geeking Out," was, I believe, the phrase I used, for reasons that I explain in the post you'll find behind the link at the top of this paragraph. But I don't think anyone could've foreseen how much Mr. DeLancie's subsequent encounter with the burgeoning world of MLP:FiM fandom would affect him.
After all, the man played the featured antagonist during the entire course of "Star Trek, The Next Generation," so he certainly knows from rabid fanbases. But by all accounts, the genuineness of Pony fans, the creativity displayed throughout the various branches of the community, the way a not-insignificant portion of those watching this children's TV show are actively trying to take its lessons to heart to improve the way they look at the world, this all seems to have impressed him to a fair extent. By which I mean he and some filmmaking friends of his started a Kickstarter campaign last week to fund a documentary that will center around Mr. DeLancie's journey at the end of June to the Meadowlands of New Jersey for the 5th Bronycon, the fan-organized convention dedicated to all things Friendship is Magic--the campaign, by the way, reached 100% of its goal after three but is happily accepting further donations to make the documentary as definitive as possible.
Since my duties on this side of the country wouldn't allow me to attend the convention, I kicked in a few bucks with the thought that I could at least watch the film when it came out. This got me a nice "thank you" note through Kickstarter from one of the producers, and in my reply, since I wanted to say something more than just "you're welcome," I mentioned that I'd written this review of the show last year for the Strange Horizons webzine.
The producer wrote back saying he'd found the article well-written and had passed the link on to John DeLancie. He then sent me another note saying Mr. DeLancie had asked if he could contact me directly.
Little parts of my brain spinning around, I answered that I wouldn't mind at all, included my direct e-mail address, and not long afterwards found myself in receipt of an e-mail from a gentlemen whom I'd once watched performing one of my favorite roles in one of my favorite plays: Jack Tanner in Bernard Shaw's "Man and Superman." Not to mention the Star Trek and My Little Pony stuff.
We exchanged a few more e-mails during the course of that Thursday afternoon, and in the last one, Mr. DeLancie included his phone number and asked me to give him a call.
Practicality, alas, reared its ugly head at that point: I was working the front desk at the library the rest of the day, then going out to dinner with Dad and my two brothers who'd arrived the night before for a weekend of mid-spring frivolity. I would be off all day Friday, though, I wrote back, and would be happy to call him then.
Turned out, though, that he was leaving Friday at noon for a Star Trek convention in Dallas--but, he said, he could call me from the airport if I'd give him my phone number.
So late Friday morning, I spent twenty minutes or so chatting about My Little Pony with John DeLancie. And when I say "chatting," I mean I tried not to stutter too badly or pass out while he told me what he hoped to do with this documentary and asked me my thoughts on the subject. I told him he really needed to talk to Shaun, a.k.a. Sethisto, the guy who runs Equestria Daily, and he asked me if I could arrange that. I could and did and apparently the two of them had a conversation Friday night.
Whether that will conclude my participation in all this, however, well, only time will tell. Further bulletins as events warrant.
Mike
As old and stolid as me, it's easy to pretend. :)
Mike
V.
I'm pretty sure that's as far as my involvement will go now that I've spoken to the director as well, but I'm looking forward to seeing the film when they finish it.
Mike
The director as well, I'm not quite sure that I'm gonna be able to help 'em out much, but it's always fun to be "in the loop" for a little while at least.
Mike