May 01 – May 07 (2023) – Wally On The Web

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

From my peeps at Celebworx, the company who books my live appearances, came this really sweet birthday post. I love it!

One of the staples of my beloved 70’s songs is “Smoke From a Distant Fire” from the Sanford-Townsend Band. It’s a great sounding record, with amazing vocals and instrumentation. And it’s incredibly well-written, with the lyrics being some of the best poetry I’ve ever heard. I especially love the lyrical technique where words within the sentence rhyme with each other, in addition to words at the END of the sentence rhyming. “By filling his GLASS with your FAST-flowing bittersweet wine.” “With your eyes all a MIST from the smoke of a DISTant fire.” Brilliant. Enjoy!

Monday the 1st – FUR CRYIN’ OUT LOUD…IT’S PERFECT! – Before my doctor appointment I stopped off at Paty’s for a quick salad on the patio. Then I headed to see my doctor Dr. A about my blood pressure readings. It still wasn’t as low as I would have liked, so I went to his office for another consultation. His nurse took my blood pressure and it was a little high. She took it again and it had gone down, but not very much. Then after a third time it was acceptable, but still not great. I honestly think that I’m stressing about it and overthinking it so much now that it’s affecting my readings. Plus the nurse took my weight and I had gained a few pounds. But the last time I was in to see him I had just gotten over a nasty bout of bronchitis, so I had dropped a bunch of weight then. I had spent all week sweating in bed and not eating anything. That’ll do it. Plus, since everyone knows that muscle weighs more than fat, my logical mind surmised that all of the walking I’ve been doing of late has no doubt added some muscle mass to my “tree trunk” legs. That would account for some of the weight gain as well. But shorts and pants that used to be very tight on me are now fitting very loosely; so much so that I have to wear a belt most of the time now. So I’m definitely seeing logical evidence that I’ve lost weight in the crucial areas, but yet the scale says I’ve gained weight. It’s frustrating. After the appointment I drove to see my pal Jurgen at the Krofft workshop. His pal Scott had dyed a yard of my synthetic blue fur a bit darker for the retro Super Grover replica Muppet that I’m working on, It looked amazing! It was still definitely blue, but a lot of the brightness of the original fur had been taken down several shades! It was gorgeous! Now I can get started on fabricating the puppet with my seamstress Maggie and he’ll be ready in time for Monsterpalooza in a month! I got home and did my nightly auditions, took a nap, and then got up later to do work around the house. I wrote Wally’s Week and scanned some checks for a deposit.

Tuesday the 2nd – AND IT’S DOCTOR DODGE FOR THE DISTANCE! – For the second straight day I found myself headed to a doctor’s office. But first I got a nice, brisk walk in over to the bank to make some deposits, and I hit the post office to mail some checks. I got back home, cleaned up and headed over to my optometrist’s office to see about ordering some glasses for distance. It’s fairly well known that Lasik surgery only lasts about 15-20 years, and since I had mine 25 years ago I was due for an enhancement. But until I can make sure that my schedule is going to remain clear enough for the recuperative process, I’m going to order some distance glasses to bridge the gap. I don’t need to use them all the time, mostly just for driving when I really want an extra edge. The gal who helped me select the frames said that my prescription wasn’t even really all that bad, but like I said…I just wanted that extra edge for certain situations. It’ll be weird having to wear glasses again. But hopefully this summer I’ll be able to get a touch-up on my Lasik and I’ll be back to my old ‘eagle eyed’ self! I hit Taco Bell to get some lunch at the drive-thru and headed home. I got my computer area all set up for a Zoom interview with R&D in Sioux Falls. Rob and Dan are two guys who are intimately involved with the Voices Against Cancer children’s cancer charity in Sioux Falls. They wanted to get me on their internet broadcast to talk about the charity and the upcoming event in Sioux Falls on July 15th. We chatted for a long time and it was a blast. After the interview I did my nightly auditions, worked around the house, took a quick nap, and then spent the rest of the night packing for my upcoming birthday-weekend trip to Palm Springs. But as I worked away I heard a lot of activity outside my window. I went outside to see several fire trucks parked behind my house, and a police helicopter was circling overhead. Apparently a homeless guy had fallen into the L.A. River behind my house and needed to be rescued. Luckily it hadn’t rained in a while and there was hardly any water in the wash at all. Later I made a huge salad and started in on “The Lone Ranger” season 5. This season was IN COLOR! It’ll be fantastic watching these in full color! And one of the guest stars was a younger Slim Pickens. Listening to him talk I kept wanting him to say, “What in the wide world of sports is going on here!”

Wednesday the 3rd – JUST NOT FEELING IT! – After a brisk walk to the post office, I hit the grocery store to get some supplies for my weekend getaway to Palm Springs. (It included a lot of fruits and vegetables, under the circumstances!) I got home to do a Voice Over session for an ongoing client, and then I recorded my nightly auditions. I’d be leaving later that evening for Palm Springs and I needed to tie up some loose ends before going. I did some last-minute packing for my trip, and as I did I reflected on how this trip would be very different from the trips to Palm Springs I’ve taken over the past 13 years. First off, I wouldn’t have my traveling companion Roxy with me. Secondly, I wouldn’t be seeing my ‘adopted grandma’ for lunches and dinners while I was there. But this would be the first long trip for my new Rav4 “The Gray Ghost” and I was anxious to see how she handled on the open freeway. It would be great because unlike trips of the past, I would have no huge car rental fees to pay this time! But in the back of my mind I just wasn’t really “feeling it,” if that makes sense. I somehow wasn’t filled with the same sense of excitement and anticipation from past trips to Palm Springs. I hit the road at 8 and the traffic was wonderful. “The Gray Ghost” handled very well, and I breezed to Palm Springs in just under 2 hours. When I had gotten to the Palm Springs Denny’s to get my usual food before checking into my room I noted that the weather was cloudy and cool; quite unlike the usual Palm Springs dry and warm conditions that I so love. I knew the weather for the weekend was going to be subpar, but it was cooler than I had expected. I pulled up to the Hyatt and went inside to check in. But the usual room that I love was occupied. Even though I had a block on room 627 (what they call in the hotel industry as a “Do Not Move”) for two months, apparently it had been given away. Rats. Only a manager can apparently remove one of those “Do Not Move” demarcations, so I asked what happened. The manager Rick was on duty and he explained that there was a huge concert in town the weekend before and they were totally sold out. They had to move people around, and the person in 627 had kept extending their stay, which put them over the date I had already blocked the room for. Understandably, a “Do Not Move” status on a room is not a guarantee, and it’s hotel policy that it’s only upon availability at the time of check-in. But I’ve been coming there for over 13 years so it’s always been a courtesy that they’ve extended to me as a long-time guest. For a second I thought I should just turn around and go home, but Rick assured me that the occupant in 627 would be vacating the next day, and if I just took a temporary room for the night, I could move into my favorite room the next day. I thought about it and decided to take a chance. I was checked into an inferior room and I set my things down. I wasn’t even going to unpack completely knowing that I would either have to lug everything to my favorite room the next day, or pack up and head home. The room was only on the 4th floor (as opposed to the top floor, like I usually have) and it was located more toward the center of the hotel. This meant that the balcony wasn’t as dark as I would have liked it for stargazing. The center of the hotel’s exterior has a lot of garish lighting which ruins the nighttime experience. But the weather was much too cold to stay out on the balcony for long anyway. Again, I just wasn’t “feeling it,” and I thought maybe I should go back home. I napped for a bit, and got up later to go downstairs to the front desk to visit with my friend Esther, who has worked the night desk at the hotel for as long as I’ve been going to the Palm Springs Hyatt. She also assured me that the occupant of my favorite room would be checking out the next day, and that they would call me once the room was turned over so I could move in. I went back upstairs, showered but never completely unpacked, and slept fairly soundly.

Thursday the 4th – THE END OF AN ERA! – By the time I had woken up at 2 in the afternoon, I noticed that I hadn’t gotten a call to gather my things and move into 627. Wary, I put my clothes on and headed down to the front desk. I told the gal that I thought I would be moving into 627 that afternoon, but she said she saw that the room was still occupied. Apparently the guest in 627 had extended their stay once again, by going on-line and doing it that way. Rats. Rick the manager came out and I handed him my valet ticket and asked him to bring my car up, that I would be checking out. Since I wasn’t “feeling it” anyway, this was the final sign that I needed to not be in Palm Springs. Room 627 is a big part of the enjoyment I get out of my weekends in Palm Springs. It’s on the top floor and all the way at the end of the hotel, far away from the usual hubbub of hotel goings-on. It’s nice and quiet, and my nocturnal proclivities don’t ever bother anyone. It would be a strange enough trip on its own, considering the lousy weather, and no Roxy or Shirley, so I didn’t intend to make it any stranger by staying in a room I just wasn’t comfortable in. I shook the hand of the manager and said it’s been a wonderful 13+ years staying at the Hyatt, but I’d be closing the book on my association with the hotel from here on out. It wasn’t anybody’s fault, really. But I could read the signs that added up to the finale of a really fun tradition. Time to find some new adventures I guess. I’ll miss those warm desert nights, but perhaps I’ll visit the area again, but from the perspective of a new hotel. Luckily I got gassed up and on the road before the horrible afternoon traffic started. I got back home in just under two hours and while I was a little sad about how everything worked out, I was definitely NOT meant to be there that weekend. I had phoned friends from the road to tell them about the change of plans, so once I got home I said, “Now what?” I was a little numbed by the whole experience, so I just took a nap to reset. I got up later to do my nightly auditions and unpack all my bags. I could have saved a lot of time and agony by going with my initial feelings (that I wasn’t “feeling it”) but I had to be sure. And now I’m sure that my Palm Springs getaways (as I used to know them) are part of history.

Friday the 5th – BUT…SOME GOOD NEWS! – With lots to do I set out on food to get to CVS to pick up a prescription, and go to the grocery store to get some food items. I walked past the studio in my neighborhood and saw the WGA members walking the picket line. The writers are on strike now, and they have good reason to be. The deadly threat of A.I. looms heavy over the industry and it could change everything…and not for the better. It was a sunny, cool day and very pleasant weather for a brisk walk. When I got home I did some work, and since my pal Emily was a few doors down doing a house sitting job, I asked her if she wanted to go grab dinner. After dinner I took a short nap, and then got up to do some work around the house. I kept noting out loud how glad I was to be home. On Thursday, I was informed via text that a bid I placed on a certain item in the fundraising auction for the Puppetry Arts Center in Atlanta had been topped. Since the auction was now at an end I wouldn’t have the opportunity to raise the bid, so I understood that I had lost it. Just one more “wonderful” piece of news I received to make my day complete. The item I bid on was a one-hour Zoom conversation with the only active member of the original Muppet Performer cast, Dave Goelz! Dave and I had been in touch via e-mail several times, but the shutdown of 2020 hijacked our plans to meet. So this would have been the next best thing. I got curious to see what the winning bid ended up being so I signed on to my account. Amazingly enough, the page on my account said that I in fact WAS the winner of the package! Confused, I decided to write a note to the Puppetry Arts Center to inquire as to the actual outcome of the auction. They had written back to tell me that I HAD won the package, as the bid that came in to top mine had come in too late; after the auction had closed, and was thusly discounted. AWESOME! This will be a great birthday gift to myself! Now all that’s left is to hone in on a day that works for both Dave and myself, and schedule it in! I’m VERY excited! Dave performs some of my favorite Muppet characters (including Gonzo, Zoot, Bunsen Honeydew, Beauregard, and more) and in addition to being a performer, he’s also an accomplished Muppet builder. He’s the kind of well-rounded Muppet employee that I always wanted to be; a good builder AND a performer! Plus, I feel that his character voice work is the best of the entire Muppet cast. Jim Henson, Frank Oz and Richard Hunt all had very distinct voices, and I could usually detect their voice print in all their characters. Jerry Nelson was also very good, but I felt that Dave was the best at being able to totally change his voice for his various characters. Add to that, I always felt like his “rod work” was the best of any of the performers. When you perform a character like Gonzo, or Kermit or Animal, their arms are worked with rods. The rods are attached to handles that you hold in your left hand, and with one hand you have to manipulate those rods in such a way that makes the puppet’s arms seem like they’re totally independent of each other. I always felt that Dave was the most adept at this technique of all the performers. I look forward to speaking with him with great anticipation!

Saturday the 6th – “THEY SAY IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY!” – From the perspective of “young Wally,” turning 62 was something I never thought I’d ever see. But here I am. I made it. I outlived Elvis, Andy Kaufman, Jim Henson and Lon Chaney. Of all my heroes, only Adam West had outlived me thus far. And I’ve got a loooong way to go to outlive the iconic Adam West! I had thrown together a last-minute dinner for some of the gang at Barone’s, but I hadn’t told Angi about it until last-minute via text. But she had already agreed to take a modeling job that evening, so she wasn’t able to join us for dinner. I spent most of the day answering kind birthday wishes from people on e-mail and social media. I walked to the post office to mail off a few bills, and on my way home I walked past one of the studios where I record a lot of shows. The parking lot was empty and the gate was left open. I thought that didn’t look right so I called the owner of the studio who’s a buddy of mine. He said that sometimes the gate malfunctions and he told me of a way I could close it manually. I kept him on the phone while I did what he instructed, and the gate closed securely. I didn’t want to see one of my favorite studios have any vandalism, break-ins or graffiti! I got home and relaxed and made some phone calls. I got cleaned up and my pal Sara came over to head to birthday dinner with me. We stopped off at JoAnn’s on the way so I could get some muslin to use to pattern the head for my Super Grover replica Muppet that I was working on. I was wearing my “Invader Zim” hoodie, and the guy at the checkout counter said it was his favorite Nickelodeon cartoon of all-time. I told him I did the voice of Tallest Red and he was ecstatic. He asked to take a selfie with me and I happily obliged. I did a few lines for him as “Red” and he chuckled happily. It’s so much fun being able to say a few words in a goofy voice and make somebody’s day like that. It’s one of the things I’ve always loved about being a Voice Actor. The dinner with friends was a blast and we ended up closing the place! I headed home to relax and nap for a bit. Later I spent the rest of my birthday doing what I love best; working on a puppet. I draped-and-pinned the muslin on the foam head I made for Super Grover and got a pretty good pattern going. I also worked on a new pattern for his lower “horseshoe” lip and cut one out of foam. My original pattern had the piece cut as a straight piece. But I decided to cut it in a curved pattern to conform to the shape of his mouth. The straight piece (being made out of foam rubber) would have bent into place nicely, but I wanted to guarantee that it would fit the contours, so I created a pattern for a curved piece. I made a sample out of foam rubber and it worked out great! I made my usual Saturday night Super Saint Salad and watched another episode of “The Saint.” It’s the first Saturday of the month, and normally I would have enjoyed “Laurel and Hardy Theatre,” but in anticipation of being in Palm Springs, I did that last weekend.

Sunday the 7th – SUNDAY SINUS STRANGENESS! – Mid-afternoon I got up to do a little work and feed Spook. I chatted with some people on the phone for a bit, but I noticed that my right sinus was feeling a little strange. There was a “fullness” and pressure behind my right eye, and I have been having some headaches on the right side of my head. I thought I might have a small sinus infection, as something didn’t feel right. Of course, with all of the wind and nice weather we’ve been having it could also be allergies. So I started in on my allergy medication just in case. I’ll see my ENT doctor this week to get examined to be sure. I rested some more, and then got up later to do some more work on patterning Grover’s head. I’m to the point where I have something I can work with, and I’m ready to have Maggie come over this week and start cutting and stitching the fur. When the head is covered I need to take him to Foam Mart to have one of the guys over there construct his little knight’s helmet out of lightweight material called L200. I made a salad and watched a few more episodes of “The Lone Ranger” in color! I’m loving this!

And how was YOUR week??!!

PIX FROM THE WEEK

Recently at Anime Las Vegas some fans and friends helped me stage these photos, which I turned into a living comic strip. That’s what I love about doing these convention appearances. The spontaneous fun and nuttiness is off the charts!

Here’s a sample of the original fur I bought for my Super Grover replica Muppet, versus how it turned out after the dyeing process. MUCH improved!

Here’s another look at the improvement, but with a few color samples thrown in of the nose and lip piece that will be added on later. I’m liking how this is looking!