November 11 – November 17 (2024)

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

My pal Maguire in Sioux Falls called to ask if I could send over some photos I took back in 1980 at the “Great Bear Music Fest” – an outdoor concert where he and I appeared to emcee a few events on behalf of the radio station at which we worked. When I dug them out of my files they brought back some great memories – summer, sun, rock and roll, and lots and lots of nice young ladies! This is a shot of Maguire in conversation with somebody about something.

As I was driving around the old classic from Foreigner “Dirty White Boy” came on my device. When I first adopted my cat Spooky he was only about 8 weeks old. Being all white he was prone to pick up every bit of dirt and grime available. I used to sing this song to him all the time when he was a kitten, and it brought back some good memories.

Monday the 11th – SALUTE TO THE VETS! – Shortly after I woke up I realized that the traffic to my session in Santa Monica may be lighter than usual due to the Veteran’s Day holiday. I got cleaned up and headed down the road. The traffic was better, but not great. But still better than a usual Monday. My first stop was at my favorite Mexican restaurant…Campo’s in Santa Monica. Luckily, it’s right down the street from Lime Studios, where I’d be recording voice tracks for a video game later in the afternoon. I took my delicious Campo’s food over to the studio, sat down and ate it like mad. I really miss this place. When I lived on the westside back in the 80s and 90s my buddy A.J. and I would go there all the time to eat. But it’s the only Campo’s location in LA anymore, so I have to get my fill while I’m down there. The session consisted of some ADR (additional dialogue recording) where I put the character’s voice to the finished animation they provided. I also did a ton of other characters. It was a blast! Some of the characters involved me having to replace the voice of other actors. Apparently a few of the previous actors they recorded fell out of the project, so they called me in to replace some of them. I had done several other previous sessions for this project at my home studio, but because it involved ADR (where I had to sync my voice to the video) I needed to go in-studio. No problem! As long as I get my Campo’s beforehand! I chatted with my folks on the phone while I drove back home and then did some work around the house. I relaxed for a bit, and later I recorded an audition. I did my nightly WOG (walk/jog) and enjoyed the beautiful moon and stars. Since it was fairly warm out (54 degrees) I even enjoyed a short post-WOG relaxation stint in the anti-gravity chair – enjoying the night sky. I typed out Wally’s Week and then made a salad. The next “Incredible Hulk” episode in line on the DVD was a two-parter – so I viewed that. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The “other” Hulk was portrayed by a wonderful character actor/stuntman named Dick Durock. He had the kind of unique face that’s hard to forget. He’s probably best known for his portrayal of Swamp Thing in the films. It was fun watching him face off against Lou Ferrigno’s Hulk.

Tuesday the 12th – STAN LAUREL MUST BE LAUGHING UP THERE! – It was the kind of day where I just wanted to lie around all day. I got up later and made some dinner and then worked around the house. I got busy making a new pair of glasses for the Donnie Druthers stop-motion puppet that my pal Isaiah Ferguson made for our new sizzle video. The pair he made had broken, so I needed to make some new ones since the original pair was irreparable. I found two little round vinyl bushings in my junk drawer that would work perfectly. I bound them together with some Magic Sculpt and let them set for a while. Several months ago I went to Staples and bought a new office chair for my computer and art desk. I liked the one I had been using so well that I bought a new one just like it. The one I had been using was starting to lose its support, and it wasn’t very comfortable any longer. Plus there were a few rips on the vinyl seat, so it was time to let it go. I brought the box upstairs from the garage and started assembling. It was great having the old one close by so I could eyeball a few things that weren’t very clear in the instructions. Finally, I got it all together. I took a break and did a few other things before I started breaking down the old chair to throw it away. I laid the chair on its side, grabbed the Allen wrench and started disassembling the chair’s back. I got the back completely removed and was ready to set about removing the seat. But when I looked at the seat I couldn’t find the ripped vinyl. Where did it go?! Then I realized I had made a typical “Stan Laurel” goof. I wasn’t disassembling the old chair – I was disassembling THE NEW CHAIR! What a stupid thing to do! I’m sure Stan Laurel was up there having a good laugh at my expense! This was something so stupid it was worthy of his famous film character! But I shook my head, called myself a couple of choice names, laughed, and put the chair back in place again. I decided against breaking down the old chair for now, and put it in the kitchen for guests to use. I went outside to take my nightly WOG. Afterwards the decompression time in the anti-grav chair was amazing. The moon was large and almost full, and I sat there and watched it set behind the buildings on the horizon. “Good night, moon,” I said. Absolutely stunning! I went inside and did a little work before bed.

Wednesday the 13th – INSPECTING THE SPECS! – Most of the day was spent relaxing, but I did a fun last-minute audition and emailed it in to my agent. I worked around the house for a bit, and later recorded more auditions. I took my nightly WOG, sat down to do a little work on the computer, and then added the temple arms on Donnie’s little glasses. These glasses will end up being 3 different pieces; the two little round vinyl bushings, some Magic Sculpt to bridge them all together, and then some flexible plastic for the temple arms. These are turning out very nicely!

Thursday the 14th – BOB, BLEACH & A BIRTHDAY! – Another voice session for the “Bleach” anime was on the docket for later afternoon, so I took the advantage of having a pre-session lunch at Paty’s on the patio with my neighbor Bob. The weather was simply gorgeous! Then I drove to Studiopolis to record Renji’s lines for two episodes, and then headed home to get cleaned up. My gal Angi stopped over after she got out of class at her film school. We went to Ernie’s Taco House to join a birthday party for my friend Tuesday Knight’s mom. Her mom is wonderful and turned 85 that day! She and my mom are only about 6 months apart! It was good food, fun friends, and fabulous food! I got back home to relax for a while, and then took my WOG later. The night was warm-ish and beautiful! There were a few stars out, and the nearly full moon was playing peek-a-boo with the cloud cover. What a stunning visual to enjoy during my time in the anti-grav chair! Very meditative!

Friday the 15th – IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW! – It’s always a blast to see my pals Edi and Elliot Lurie. And it’s even better when we’re enjoying a meal at Paty’s and laughing. We had a lot of catching up to do, and somehow the conversation led to a New York children’s show with Andy Devine. Elliot mentioned a frog puppet on the show, and as he was recounting some of the adventures of Froggy Gremlin he started laughing so hard he was wiping tears out of his eyes. Which made Edi and I laugh hysterically as well. As he was imitating Froggy’s voice and mannerisms I hearkened back to one of my favorite all-time films – “Tunnel Vision!” The film defies description, but is satire and parody at its highest level! I’ve loved it for decades and still quote this film with my pal Maguire in Sioux Falls. One of the bits in “Tunnel Vision” involves a kid show with a naughty frog puppet, and the voice sounded a LOT like Elliot’s impression of Froggy Gremlin! I discovered, after about 40 years, that the bit in “Tunnel Vision” was actually a parody of an existing character! Hard to believe that I’m still making discoveries about that movie four decades later! I drove over to the store to get some groceries and it started spritzing rain. I guess it’s that time of year! I got home to put the groceries away and relaxed. I did some more work on Donnie’s glasses and they’re coming along nicely. I need to go to Michael’s on Saturday and get some primer and paint to finish them. I had to bring the tall ladder up to my fourth floor to change a light bulb and to rearrange some artwork on the wall. It’s no easy task as the space is very tight, but I managed nicely without any injuries! The lighting system that I have in my upstairs hallway is a super stupid system I never should have bought. But I’ve had it for years. In order to change the bulb, which is flat on its face, is to use a suction cup to stick onto the bulb’s face so you can twist it out of its base. Stupid! There’s no other way to grab the bulb because of the design of the system. Someday I’d like to replace that stupid fixture, but for now…it stays. I moved some other stuff around and it looks a lot better. I took my nightly WOG and then did some organizing work on my computer.

Saturday the 16th – SATURDAY AT LAST! – Before my hair appointment I had to run a few errands. First stop was to my box so I could pick up some magenta lighting gels I ordered on Amazon. This gel will serve as the lenses for Donnie’s new glasses. I really only needed a piece about 3” by 3”, but the smallest quantity I could buy was a huge sheet. Oh well. It may come in useful somewhere else someday. I hit McDonald’s for some lunch, and then went to Michael’s to get some paint and primer for Donnie’s glasses. I headed over to my stylist’s salon to get a touch-up on my color. We hadn’t talked since the ELO concerts in L.A. – so I had a lot of stories to tell. She was the one who gave me that amazing curling product that helped me make my hair look like Jeff Lynne’s for my “concert cosplay.” I headed back home to relax and spoke with Angi on the phone for about an hour. Her dog Khloe’s tests came back and she’s A-OK! We were worried because Khloestine had gotten into her allergy medication and ate every pill in the bottle all at once! That was good news to hear because Khloe’s a real cutie! Like her mom! Later I did some auditions that were due first thing Monday morning, and I took my nightly WOG and spent some time in the anti-grav chair. It actually wasn’t too chilly out, and I enjoyed myself quite a bit! I got back inside and did some more organizing work on the computer, made my salad, and watched an episode of “Boris Karloff’s Thriller” on DVD. It was the second episode of the second season, and I must say – they’re off to a pretty slow start. I’m hoping they get a little better as the series goes on.

Sunday the 17th – SUNDAY: STATEMENTS, SLEEP, AND STUFF! – As Sunday is my “comatose” day, I slept most of the day. Later I worked on some stuff around the house, reconciled my personal bank statement, worked on the computer, took my nightly WOG, and continued to do some more work around the house. I did a little prep for the week ahead, and then hit the hay.

And how was YOUR week?!

PIX FROM THE WEEK