RKMBs Forums .::Important::. Fortress of Awesome Chat -((Random Interview #5))- : Chewy Walrus

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Chewy Walrus




1) What is your full name?

• Stephen E. Foxworthy. As I've said before, no relation to the mediocre actor with the same last name. In my defense, I've been born and raised in the city, so - despite my living in Indiana - I can't imagine myself ever being realistically called a redneck.

2) Your passionate...and somewhat obsessive...defense of your name kind of renders my next question moot. But, for the sake of continuity, where do you currently reside?

• Indianapolis, Indiana has been my home for all of my life. While I spent four years in Bourbonnais, IL as a college student, I'm currently back in Indianapolis... for now anyway.

3) What do you do for a living?

• Heh. Funny you should ask...
  
  I'm actually between jobs right now. Seeing as how there's not much demand in the job market for a bachelor's degree in Philosophy, I'm looking for any kind of work I can find at the moment. Just this last Friday, I finished a temp job as a standardized test evaluator and this Thursday and Friday, I'll be running sound for a religious convention down at the RCA Dome. Ideally, the dream is to become a professional stage actor one day, but right now, I'm just need to make money to 'feed my habit' as it were.

4) Assuming the word "acting" was involved in your last answer...and for once I assumed correctly...I have to ask: what is it? What makes you want to act? What's the passion or the drive to be on stage or under the spotlight? What makes it so fun or so daunting? Elaborate in the form of an essay, and don't forget to use a Number 2 pencil, please...

• Acting is a tremendous release for me. It's a great thrill and a tremendous adrenaline rush to get up in front of a live audience and transform yourself into a completely different personality. It starts to become a personal challenge as well, especially in taking on different roles.
  
  I prefer stage acting over screen acting (I've tried both) for two reasons: (1.) I'm far too expressive to be a convincing screen actor (it usually comes across as over-acting) and (2.) I feed off of a live audience. Whenever I'm in a play, it usually takes until a show night for me to really get into a role, because I need that audience response to, essentially, complete my performance. If I have a great audience, then I am the best actor that I can be - period.

5) You know what a tremendous release for me is? Passing gas. Of course, that has nothing to do with acting. Except, sometimes, I have to act like I'm not the one who did it. So, I guess that could be construed as acting, of a sorts. Maybe. Okay, even though I want to talk about gas for another paragraph or two, let's turn the spotlight back on you again....Psyche 101 time. Which best would describe your desire to act: Compensation for shyness or an extention of ego? Why?

• For me, I think it's a bit of Column A and a bit of Column B. On one hand, I have a lot of self-confidence issues carried over from my incredibly awkward childhood. I gained a bit of confidence around my sophomore year of high school, which kinda fed my ego a bit. It really got me to like any form of applause or recognition. So, given my history and my current egotism (which Sammitch can assuredly attest to), I'd say it's really a little bit of both. But then, what do I know about psychology?

6) Obviously not much, as you have just essentially told me that you are gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. [MENTAL NOTE: Interview Jim Jackson to verify last claim]. No, seriously, I hear you on the ego thing. That's my middle name. We can smell our own, you know? Anyway, I have no clever segue for this next question, so I'll just ask it: What would you consider your greatest role on stage so far?

• I've been really blessed to have been able to portray a wide variety of characters - both serious and humorous, both young and old. I've played comic relief, love interests, villains, teachers, politicians, dancers... I've run the gamut. It feels really good to have a wide range because it enables me to play such a variety of really fun roles.

• My greatest role, however, without question, has to be the loveable mentally-retarded man Norman Bulansky in Tom Griffin's "The Boys Next Door". That type of role was not only challenging, but very eye-opening and heart-warming as well. As I became that man, I began to see life through his eyes and really capture his spirit. It was a very powerful thing to be a part of. It's my best role and easily the best production I've been a part of to date.

7) Well warm my heart and open my eyes to this: Why did so many people think 'Home Alone' was funny?

• Slapstick, my friend. Slapstick. I think what writer John Hughes and director Chris Columbus were trying to do is capture the formula made popular by the greats like the Three Stooges and Laurel & Hardy. I mean, think about it. People getting set on fire, bashed on the head with full paint cans and irons, and falling flat on their backs... these are the same ingredients that were made popular in the early days of film. However, movies have evolved since then to include a wide range of theatrical elements. To the casual film viewer - i.e. one who doesn't care for basic film elements like plot, characterization, and the like (see also - fans of Napoleon Dynamite) - this sort of film would be high quality entertainment.

8) Holy fuck, you are a master. You single-handedly propped-up Home Alone while dissing Napoleon Dynamite, all at the same time. You should be a politician with that kind of linguistic swerve. That is, if you survive the lashing you'll be getting from the guys on this board. Speaking of....Fight Club time! If you could get into a fist-fight with anyone on these boards, who would it be?

• Dang... that's a toughie. I know I don't have any 'enemies' on these boards (though heaven knows that I've had my fair share of arguments), so that makes it a bit more difficult. I'd have to say Sammitch largely because (a.) I know him already, which gets a lot of the pre-fight awkwardness out of the way, (b.) he's largely seen on these boards as my counterpart, which means it should be a pretty decent fight as far as these posters are concerned, and (c.) I know him well enough to know just how to take him down...
  
  Either him or my old RDCW tag-teammate, backwards7. Rage outside the cage, baby!

9) Er...yes...cages...sure. Sorry. I mean, I know you can take that bitch Sammitch any day of the week (I love you Phil), but, I usually go into 'white-sound-mode' when someone starts referencing wrestling. Too many sweaty guys in mullets and spandex for my taste. But, speaking of sweaty guys in mullets and spandex, who is your hero or idol? Why?

• My father, without a doubt. As I've grown older, I've really come to appreciate the influence and the example that he's laid before me. Everything in life worth knowing I've learned from him, whether he needs to kick my butt to get me to learn it or not. I have a great deal of love and respect for my father and am sincerely thankful that I've had such a powerful influence on my life.

10) Very nice. I won't disrespect that with a joke. What is the one skill you would love to have, and why?

• I would say 'to sing,' but I can carry a tune fairly well, so I don't know if that would count. I guess I would love to play the guitar. I have a lot of friends who are able to play the guitar and I greatly respect that talent. Plus, musicians like Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, and Nigel Tufnel simply awe me with just how truly awesome their ability is.

11) Eric Clapton? Fuck, you're white, aren't you? And here I thought you were going to go into something about wigglng your toes or something. Anyway, you're always so decently ambivalent about your political theories or opinions. Try and spell it out for me here...

• Aw, you noticed! You do care!
  
  It's not so much that I'm 'ambivalent' about politics (though, on occasion, that might not be a bad choice of words), as I'm more moderate than anything. I think both sides have very good points and I think that a lot of those need to be addressed. As a Christian, it really peeves me when people like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell stand up and say that God wants you to vote Republican. I firmly believe that God is neither Republican nor Democrat and that all people - not just Christians - should vote on a candidate based on the issues rather than on subjective things like morality.
  
  Another reason I prefer to appear ambivalent on political issues is due to my dislike for the mudslinging and personal attacks that seem to come along with people sharing their opinions on such matters. I'm pretty nonconfrontational, actually, and don't like arguing, especially in such an impersonal venue such as this.

12) asks: Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnan?

• Connery, without a doubt. I'm a bit of a purist, so I can't imagine Bond being other than Connery. Granted, I think that Pierce Brosnan brought back a lot of the charm and panache that seemed to be lacking from Bonds like Dalton and Moore. But, in my mind, there's no beating that original strength and suave of Scotland's greatest actor.

13) So, a priest and a rabbi walk into a message board forum.....and propose this challenge: Define your religious faith.

• I am a Christian, specifically a member of the Church of the Nazarene, a Protestant denomination. As such, I believe that God is living and active in the world today, that He is all-knowing and all-powerful. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, both fully God and fully man and that he died to save people from the tyranny of sin.
  
  I think that one of the main problems that people have with Christianity is its representation. I mentioned earlier people like Falwell and Robertson who leave people with a negative view of Christianity basically by being condemning of people with different views than their own. That is not the aim of Christianity... in fact, it's simply un-Christlike. Christ never pointed a finger in condemnation, but reached out a loving hand. He expected change, to be sure, but he loved those around him, whether he agreed with them or not. That is basic Christianity as best as I can describe it. While I don't think that this is the time or place to get into some of the finer points of Christian theology, I do think it important to at least mention the above if nothing else.

14) Well said, Sir Walrus. Okay, besides this place, the job, and the eternal goal of learning to wiggle your toes, what keeps you busy? Hobbies? Interests? Come on, sell me like I'm a divorced Twinkie-junkie scanning Hot-Match.Com...

• You mean you're not?

Surprising, I know...

• I've taken up reading a lot more avidly than I did when I was in school, because now I have time. I'm reading everything Neil Gaiman that I can get my hands on, followed by Alan Moore... and then I'm going to try to catch up on some other authors like A.W. Tozer, H.G. Wells, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Ayn Rand... for starters.
  
  I also love to watch movies. Be they in the theaters or on DVD, I'm a sucker for a well-crafted plot and some great performances. I have a large DVD collection (by no means the largest ever... but large enough for my own purposes) including the Lord of the Rings extended trilogy, The Usual Suspects, Memento, and number of my other favorite movies, including three Best Picture winners.
  
  And, of course, comics. I've been a comic book fan since high school when I started reading Morrison's JLA. Since then, I've been a fan of comics, namely by writers like Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Warren Ellis, Neil Gaiman, and the like. And, while I love some good art, I read comics largely for the stories. Lots of fun!
  
  I also enjoy writing short stories on occasion. I've been writing with the former MBL (currently Vanguard) for a number of years now (getting close to a decade, aren't we, guys?) which has really helped to refine and hone my writing skills as a whole. While acting is my primary form of expression, writing comes in a close second.

15) If you could have a role in any movie franchise or television show, what would you choose, and why?

• Ooh... that's a tough one, really. I have a lot of stage roles that I'd love to play, including Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof," Charlie Brown in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," Thenardier in "Les Miserables," and the Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard of Oz" to name a few.
  
  I suppose you could consider "Fiddler" and "Wizard" films, since they were made into movies as well. But, in terms of a new film, I wouldn't mind playing The Mad Hatter in a film version of one of my favorite books, Alice in Wonderland. I've always loved that character and I think he's just too much fun. There's a lot of depth that I'd love to bring out there.

16) You're a bit too deep for someone calling themselves 'Chewy Walrus'. Speaking of, where does the name 'Chewy Walrus' come from? What's the story?

• Heh. I figured this one would come up. It's not an interesting story, really, but it's my story all the same, so here it goes.
  
  Early during my freshman year in high school, I took it upon myself to come up with odd combinations of animals and adjectives for no other reason than to have fun. At the time I'd come up with Psychotuna, Mexican Penguin, and made a drawing of Electric Weasel (which was the name of a friend's church youth group). Then, walking down the hallway on my way to class one day, it came to me... out of nowhere.
  
  Chewy Walrus.
  
  It was, by far, my favorite of any of the combinations I'd come up with to that point and, as such, I chose to adapt it as my own Internet name. Prior to that, I'd been known around the WWWF as Mr. Potato Head, but I felt that 'Chewy Walrus' was by far more original, so I decided I'd hang onto that particular moniker... so, there it is.

17) Okay, here's your one paragraph to vent a bit. The subject: George Lucas and the Star Wars franchise. Let it all out, and wrap it up by explaining whether there is or is not alien life in the universe....aaaaaaaaand...GO!

• Hurm... the Star Wars trilogy (and, as a result, George Lucas) is a textbook example of a good idea taken too far. The original trilogy was absolutely brilliant - a typical fantasy story of good versus evil with fantastic, larger-than-life characters, unforgettable lines, and a modern-day mythology. The so-called "Special Edition" and subsequent prequel trilogy were merely Lucas' vain attempt at money-grubbing and what I like to call 'Hollywood prostitution'. The old adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" comes readily to mind. What Lucas did to his classic trilogy (both with the "Special Edition" and with the new trilogy) is defiling a piece of art... like if I were to paint a mustache, a beard, devil horns, and a '666' on the head of the Mona Lisa using paint with a base of human dung.
  
  I've heard it said that George Lucas was abducted by aliens sometime between 1983 and 1997 and replaced by an alien facsimiliewho was bent on destroying his work and career up to that point. I've heard the same said for Michael Jackson... and I think Michael's facsimilie is doing a much better job so far. I wouldn't be surprised if we found out that Lucas was a pedophile or something here in a few years...

18) Okay, you didn't truly address the alien life part of the question, but, I give you points for referencing Morrison's Batman with the first word (didn't think I'd notice that, did you?). And the fact that you worked the word 'dung' in there. Good stuff. You know what else is good stuff? Women. What famous actress would you choose to have a love scene with?

• 
  
  Five years ago, I would've said Natalie Portman, but thank God I've matured since then.
  
  Now, I'd have to say Angelina Jolie in a remake of The Graduate. She is, without a doubt, one of the sexiest women in Hollywood and not only that, but she's not that bad of an actress to boot. Plus, being in a film with her would likely do wonders for my career. Just look what it did for Ethan Hawke in Taking Lives!

19) If it didn't take his life, then, I'm not satisfied. But, Jolie is hot tamale sauce, no doubt.

Why do you keep coming back to Rob's Boards? Any favorite posters you would like to thank in your Emmy acceptance speech?

• When I first came to Rob's, it was largely because of the Hero Headquarters forum (now Writer's Block) and the writing that we did there. As I'm still involved with that (albeit to a lesser extent than I used to be), I still get along fairly well with all of those posters. A few of them, namely Gooz, Danny, and Pro, have been good friends and collaborative partners of mine for a good long time. Basically, I enjoy working with the whole bunch - Grimm, thedoctor, Eurostar, TTT, Cowgirl Jack, Mxy, Captain Sammitch, NotWedge, and SpandexMonkeyMan. They're good people and good writers.
  
  These days, I mainly come back because it's just fun. There's always something going on, whether it's picking on Oakley or someone getting RACKed. Some other of my favorite posters are PJP, rex, Joe Mama, Wednesday, PrincessElisa, UltimateJaburg53, MisterJLA, Stupid Doog, TK-069, and - of course - all the ladies...

"Who loves ya, baby?"

20) In the legendary novels The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, author Douglas Adams states the answer to life, the universe, and everything is, simply, "42". What's your answer?

• I think one of the most succinct answers I've ever seen - and one that I quite enjoy - came from the Westminster Catechism: "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." This is also made clear in Ecclesiastes 12:13 - "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person."
  
  Also, "if you haven't found anything worth dying for, you aren't really living."

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Thanks Chewy!

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and then I'm going to try to catch up on some other authors like A.W. Tozer, H.G. Wells, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Ayn Rand... for starters.

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rex said:
...you didn't have that much to work with this time.

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Read Atlas Shrugged now. You will thank me for it.

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I give you points for referencing Morrison's Batman with the first word (didn't think I'd notice that, did you?).

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Im Not Mister Mxypltk said:

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I give you points for referencing Morrison's Batman with the first word (didn't think I'd notice that, did you?).

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Actually, "Hurm" is Rorschach. "Hh" is The Bat-Man.

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Joe Mama said:
But how the fuck does Chewy get a softball lobbed at him (Connery vs Brosnan??? No-brainer...) by , while I have my whole faith called into question, a la Williams vs Ruth??? T'ain't fair, I tells ya!!!

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Heh...don't argue with the Ump....

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britneyspearsatemyshorts said:
chewy and pro are gay?

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Chewy Walrus said:
I was hoping someone would catch that. Thank you, Nowhereman, for restoring my faith in humanity.

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Chewy Walrus said:
I was hoping someone would catch that. Thank you, Nowhereman, for restoring my faith in humanity.

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Nowhereman said:
bsams on the other hand only catches stuff from g-gay stage actors!

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britneyspearsatemyshorts said:

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Nowhereman said:
bsams on the other hand only catches stuff from g-gay stage actors!

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it's tru---err I mean FUCK OFF!

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The one n only Nowhereman said:
I got a freakin gold medal!

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