Mike Mulloy [Interview]

Happy Wednesday Everyone! I’ll be damned if we don’t have a fantastic comedian to showcase today. This is a guy that I have admired from a far for quite some time, thanks to a string of events that have led me down a comedy rabbit hole over the last 5 years or so. It all started about 4 years ago when I discovered a little thing called a “podcast”, which has allowed a displaced American comedy fan the opportunity to listen to the modern philosophers of our era that are comedians, just talk about shit. Somewhere along the way, I discovered a brilliant comedian named Sean Jordan, who informed me on this very site about an up and coming podcast he was regularly appearing on entitled “All Fantasy Everything”….and it truly has rocked my fucking simple world since. And today’s guest is a man who is heavily engrained in this world that we should all know and love. It’s motherfuckin’ Mike Mulloy, Y’all!!

Mike is a salt of the earth, no holds barred comic with a brilliant outlook on everything imaginable. Often referred to as “enemy of the podcast”, both on and off mic over at “All Fantasy Everything”, it is his brilliantly abrasive and fuck it all comedic style that is so damn intriguing. And while the digital stain on humanity that Twitter probably isn’t the best product to judge someone’s talent within, I will say that if you are not following @fakemikemulloy on Twitter, you are missing the fuck out people. Mulloy’s take on anything you can imagine is destined to be hilarious, and one of the few reasons I continue to monitor the chaos that ensues on that damn website.

In more recent months, Mike Mulloy has teamed up with 3 other established members of the “All Family Everything” to create what sounds to be like the best comedy show in the Los Angeles area, which is called Faded. He created the show alongside the aforementioned Sean Jordan, fellow past guest David Gborie, and possible future guest Zak Toscani (and by possible, I mean definite. Like, this Friday). The show takes place at Blue Rooster Art Supply every Friday, and If I weren’t literally ten thousand miles away, I would be there every fucking weekend. The always have the best guests, including our dear friend and past guest Christi Chiello, and just a grip of comedians who I am dying to have on the site as well, including The Lucas Brothers, Bri Pruett, Kenny DeForest, Kyle Kinane, Roman Rivas II, Sam Jay, and literally dozens more. Seriously Folks, if you aren’t at Blue Rooster each and every Friday whilst living in the L.A. area, what the fuck is your problem?

Mulloy also has another damn fine and truly unique show entitled On Deck Comedy, which we will discuss in great detail below, which is insanely unique and a testament to the brilliant mind of Mike Mulloy. The show also occurs at Blue Rooster Art Supply, check out details HERE. Past guests have included hilarious folks like our very dear friends Amy Miller & Lydia Popovich, as well as wonderful comedians like Courtney Karwal, Rhea Butcher, Chris Cubas, Megain Gailey, and so many more! We will get into it!

So let’s get right into it, shall we? Please enjoy some wonderful words from the absolutely brilliant Mike Mulloy! Enjoy!

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Photo by Ed Ballart. Taken at Faded.

When did you discover that you were a hilarious human being, and that you were destined to make people laugh for a living?

I’ve just always been someone who’s loved to laugh.  I think my love of comedy came more from liking to laugh than it did from making others laugh.  I love to make others laugh, but I also just like thinking about the things that make me laugh.  Just thinking about weird, dumb shit has always been something I’ve enjoyed.  That’s really the basis of all my comedy.  This made me laugh.  I hope it makes you laugh, but at the end of the day it makes me laugh.  When a joke or a premise stops making me laugh, I usually stop doing it because an audience can tell when you’re not having fun with a bit anymore.

Though I have not been fortunate enough to catch On Deck live, the concept of it seems hilarious, and you always seem to have very funny people appearing on the show. Can you tell us how you came up with the idea of this show? And for our readers who may be unaware, what exactly is On Deck Comedy?

Jamel Johnson, one of my cohosts, had just moved to LA and I really wanted to work with him.  He’s honestly one of the funniest mother fuckers on a planet and I can’t understand how the town isn’t all over his dick.  Sometimes spending so much time with him makes me forget how damn funny he is.  But when he got to town I just knew I had to come up with something for us to work on.  We were at my place just chilling and drinking and smoking and trying to come up with what our show was gonna be and On Deck was what came from it.  I couldn’t even explain the show when we first came up with it.  In fact, we barely knew what it was during our first show.  We almost bailed on the whole concept in the first show because the comics were confused, but luckily the first team was Dan St Germain, Debra DiGiovanni and Matt Donaher, all fantastic comics, who insisted they figure it out.  And they did.  They did and they killed it and then told me how much fun they had and I knew it was something we had to stick with.

Basically the show is two teams of three comedians, doing jokes for 27 minutes as a team (Like the 27 outs in baseball).  Each jokes we give a single, double, triple or home run (with the rare out, that’s only happened twice in the nearly 3 years we’ve been doing this) and the team with the most runs wins.  It’s silly and it’s fun and you get to see comics working together which a. you rarely see b. you’d rarely see the comics we group together working together.  It’s just fun and different.

When we set out to build the show, I wanted something different. I was on so many show cases where the host would bring me on and just leave the room.  My thinking was “how can you expect these people in the audience to give a shit about my set when you, the person who booked me, doesn’t even care?”  So I wanted to make something that forced me as the host to sit there and watch the comics I booked.  I wanted something where if the audience was ever in doubt about how they should be reacting to a joke, they can look to us at the table and see we’re laughing.  It’s really just about putting comics over and making them seem important.

I also know, but again haven’t had the privilege of witnessing in person as I am about 10,000 physical miles away from L.A., that you have another show features our friends, past guests David Gborie and Sean Jordan, as well as future guest Zak Toscani. Can you tell us a bit about this show and why anyone who lives in the Los Angeles area is a mark ass hater for not attending yet? What are they/we missing out on?

Honestly, I can’t even explain Faded, it’s just this wild positive vibe.  Stand up comedy can be scary as an audience member for someone that doesn’t attend shows regularly.  A lot of times people think the comics are gonna fuck with them and that’s really not what we’re going for.  We just want to put comics who we love in front of them and show they why we love them.  But the show is really becoming a hang out for so many people, comics and audience members alike.  There’s some weeks that we have comics come hang and I look in the back of the room and think “Shit, we have been comics just hanging out here than some other shows have booked tonight”.  We have people who come every week.  We have people who come to Faded one night and come to On Deck the very next night.  We have people who FLY IN just to experience Faded.  This show has existed for 17 weeks, that’s insane that people are that committed to it this early in the process, but it’s by design.  That’s exactly what we wanted to create.  Los Angeles is a scary place.  It’s really hard to make friends here that aren’t based around “what you’re here for”.  But in 17 weeks we’ve had people just coming and meeting up with the friends that they’ve made at the show which is really insane to think about.  We’re just trying to build a community.  The fact that I get to do it with my best friends is really a bonus.

Photo by TWS friend, John Michael Bond, taken at Faded.

Holy Shit, Folks. I am beyond excited to share

You have managed to engrain yourself in the very charismatic and cult-for-good-dudes podcast that happens to also feature the solid performers mentioned previously, David Gborie and Sean Jordan, that is known as All Fantasy Everything. This podcast introduced me to your comedic talents, and I’m sure others as well. With that in mind, I am curious to know what has been your favorite pick that you have made in your multiple appearances on the show?

Probably the “Create a movie one”, cuz it was the only one that I really prepared for and thought out thoroughly.  A cast of all black women and then Elton John as the villain caught people off guard but then it all made sense to them when I painted the whole picture.

While I know it is very cool to shit on the disease that is the website Twitter, I have to admit that it is because of folks like you that I keep coming back to it. You are definitely one of the best “Twitter Follows” I have ever encountered. And I am curious to know just how much effort you put into Tweets? And have you managed to have something from Twitter actually make it into your stand up? Or is it a completely separate animal? 

I’ve scaled back on Twitter considerably lately because I think it’s melting my brain some days, but a lot of times I’ll test a concept on there to see if what I think is funny is funny to anyone but me.  If something really clicks, then I might look into expanding on it in my stand up, but most of what I do on Twitter is just fucking with people. Whether it’s bad people who I think need to be brought down a peg or silly traps that I set for unsuspecting people to get caught in.  As dumb as Twitter is, I probably owe everything I have to it.  Ian found me on Twitter.  He really didn’t know me that well, we’d done one or two shows together, but when he was writing a sports comedy for Comedy Central, I was one of the people he reached out to because he liked my sports tweets.  Without that, who knows if I would have become as close with him, Sean, David and Zak, but I really don’t know what I’d be doing if I didn’t have those guys in my life now.

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers?

Honestly, who knows?  I think about my career a lot differently than I did when I was starting out, even differently than I did when I first got to LA.  I spend less time thinking about how to get into doors and more time focusing on just building my own thing.  The things I’m given can be taken away, the things I build myself really can’t. So I don’t really want to be at the mercy of the decision makers in this business, because most of them don’t know their asshole from a hole in the ground. I’m gonna build my own audience and figure out how I can deliver things to them myself instead of finding someone else to give me a platform to their audience.  My audience really does a lot of the work for me, because most of them have been watching me do this shit for a while and they want to see me succeed.  If I just grow my base, I’ll be fine.

Nothing really to plug, just Faded and On Deck.  Keep an eye on the Blue Rooster as a whole because I’m basically turning that into my own personal comedy club house.  We did a live All Fantasy Everything there this weekend, sold out in under a day and was just an amazing experience.  Really hoping we do some more of those and bring some other fun shows into the space.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

I’ve pretty much been smiling all weekend.  It’s really cool seeing something you created is turning into the vision you first had for it.  I feel pretty unstoppable at the moment and that feeling makes it hard not to.  Just knowing that it makes my enemies sick helps too.

Raynold Gideon [Interview]

This is Kandi & Bear. They allow today’s guest to live with them. They are much younger and a whole lot better looking than Raynold Gideon, according to today’s guest. We cannot confirm this, but would probably guess it to be true based on the adorableness of Kandi and Bear.

Welcome back Folks to another very exciting week here at Trainwreck’d Society. In fact, this is a week that I am EXTREMELY excited for, for so many reasons. Sometimes it is so much fun to know the line up before it comes out. It’s the little things, I guess. Today’s guest is an absolute genius storyteller, to say the least. It’s Raynold Gideon, Everyone!

Raynold Gideon is a man who has a wealth of experience in the world of film and television as a writer, producer, actor, and more. For over 50 years, this man has been on a mission (whether he knew, or believes it, or not) to put out some wonderful work. He has received two well deserved Oscar nominations (both projects will be discussed in the text below, as you know we have an unhealthy and unreasonable love for these “awards”). Along with his long time writing partner Bruce A. Evans, penned what can only be referred to as the single greatest coming-of-age films of all time when they adapted, and dare I say bettered, the Stephen King story that would become the film Stand By Me.

Stand By Me is a god damned classic. We all know this. But, when the chance to share some words from the great Raynold Gideon came to fruition, I couldn’t help but think of one of my favorite stand up comedians and podcasters out there, Daniel Van Kirk, who I have heard, on more than a dozen occasions, say that Stand By Me remains his favorite film of all time. So I thought, why not see if he had anything he would like to ask Raynold about the film. And lo and behold, we managed to steal a few moments from Daniel to throw a question together for Raynold in order to join in on the fun. So just a delightful bonus to throw out there for you all. Thank you so much to Daniel Van Kirk for helping us out today!

So Folks, please enjoy this incredible interview we have for you all with the amazingly talented human being that is Raynold Gideon. He is a brilliant writer, the roommate of some very beautiful canines, and just an all around delightful human being. We talk about his coming up in the business, his long term partnerships, the disrespectfulness of Disney, and of course, the glorious film that is Stand By Me. Enjoy!

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What was it that initially that made you want to get into the world of writing and producing films? I understand that you initially entered the world of entertainment as an actor. What prompted you to make that shift?

Getting into writing was a total accident. A friend needed an idea for a short film. He was a theatre director and wanted to show he could direct film. I sat down one morning and sketched out what I thought would be a fun short. Other than dissertations at University I’d never written anything before. The director liked what I had written. I said he could have it if I played the lead, he said you can play the lead if you put up half the money to make the film, I did, we shot it and got an Academy Award nomination. It was called Frog Story. The actress we cast was dating Bruce Evans at that time and that’s how I met Bruce. Some months later Bruce and I wrote a short film together, we shot it, it was called James Sloan Private Eye. Bruce and I got along and said why not try to write a feature script together, we did and have been writing ever since.

How did you manage to team up with your writing partner of 40+ years, Bruce A. Evans? And what do you believe it is about you both as team that has worked so well in regards to bringing some wonderful stories to the big screen?

I somewhat answered this as part of the first question. Bruce and I like the same kind of movies, we’re good friends and we’ve had some success as a team. Why fix what’s not broken.

 Several of the projects that you have worked on have been adaptations from previous works, and many have been original scripts. I am curious to know which form of writing that geniuses of their craft such as yourself prefer. So, do you have any preference between the two? And which do you tend to find the most challenging?

Adaptations are a bit easier because you have the idea, the story. Originals are blank page time and a lot of ‘what if’s?’ We’ve mostly done originals. A Man A Woman and a Bank, Starman, Kuffs, Made in Heaven, Mr. Brooks…

One very specific project that meant a lot to me as a child growing up in the 90’s that you wrote was the 1997 fish out of water tale Jungle 2 Jungle. As a 12 year old kid at the time, this Americanized remake of a 1994 French film was very special to me, and I still enjoy it to this day, if not only for nostalgic reasons. I am very curious to know what drew you to this project? What made you want to bring this story to American audiences?

Disney. We got a call from an executive at Disney. Would we be interested? We screened the film, loved it, said yes, and then were told we have Tim Allen, don’t lose him. So we wrote the script, we didn’t lose Tim, he loved our script. We were invited to a special afternoon Premiere, and everyone, cast, crew executives, all had reserved seats, we the writers did not, did not have a seat anywhere. To apologize, next day the executive sent us a case of ok wine.

A question from the wonderful & acclaimed comedian Daniel Van Kirk (Dumb People Town, Pen Pals podcasts): Throughout the 30+ years since the release of Stand By Me, what storyline, character trait, or moment in the film seems to still resonate the most with audiences?

Innocence. It was the age before those kids discovered girls, and rubbers and all that. It was an “Ah to be that free and happy again; also it was a terrific adventure for kids and for the young girls who came to the film again and again, it was “I always wanted to know what my brother was doing in that tree house with his friends”. Also everybody seems to remember Gordie to Ace…“Suck my fat one you cheap dime store hood’.

After so many years in the world of storytelling, I am curious to know what you believe to be your most prized accomplishment in the business? Not necessarily one singular project (could be though, if you so choose), but when you look back on your decades spanning career, what would you say you are most proud of? 

Stand By Me. Stand By Me. Stand By Me. Rob Reiner captured the innocence, the adventure, the humor of our script and I believe we captured the essence of Stephen King’s novella.

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers?

We have three projects that we like Sisyphus are pushing that rock up the hill to potential green lights.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Sunrise this morning at Runyon Canyon.

And for a clip of one of the greatest scenes in American cinema:

William Kaufman [Interview]

Happy Wednesday Folks! We have a wonderful and exciting interview to share with all today. We are fortunate enough to have another damn fine writer and director to feature on the site. In fact, his work speaks for itself, and has actually been featured here at Trainwreck’d Society in the past. It’s William Kaufman, Everyone! He is a brilliant mind in the world of action films, and happens to have a close partnership with our dear friend Chad Law! And best of all, William is one hell of a nice guy!

We discuss Mr. Kaufman’s start in the business, what he loves about action films in particular, our beloved city of Spokane (which we were once calling “The City of Lost Potential”, but may have to retract that statement soon!), and so much more. We are so excited that William was willing to grace our digital pages today and we know you are going to love what he has to say. So Folks, please enjoy some great words from the brilliant artist and person, Mr. William Kaufman!

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What was your first introduction into the world of cinema? And what made you decide that you wanted to join this world for a living?

I grew up in London and being the only “Yank” on campus I think I always felt like a bit of an outsider at my British prep school… I think going to the movies was sort of my “escape”… most of the movies I saw were American blockbusters, heroes saving the day and as “little boy” as that sounds, it was my connection to home…  I have insanely great memories of all those Saturdays I spent in my old local theater. 

I quickly became “that kid” in the neighborhood that was always running around with a camcorder making his little movies.  To be very straightforward it was all I ever wanted to do… When I was around 13 we moved to Texas for Junior High and then moved back overseas to Bangkok Thailand where I went to an international school. While I was there I got to work (PA/extra) on a couple big US movies that were shooting there and from that moment on I was hooked. After film school in Texas I got hired on by a SFX/Armorer coordinator and that definitely served me well when I got ready to do my first indie film The Prodigy.

The majority of your credits have been in the world of action/adventure. What is it that you love the most about this genre of film? What keeps you wanting to work in this world specifically?

I think it was just a natural direction to go in as that genre is what spawned my initial love of film. I love the action genre when it’s done well, and for me in particular, I am most connect when it’s grounded in great characters, compelling storylines and and a gritty reality I can recognize. 

I’m not saying that I don’t care for fantasy or sci-fi… on the contrary, I just prefer it when crazy outlandish ideas are are taken seriously.  I just want the stakes of the storyline to matter… And in the action genre specifically, I have to be completely invested in the characters for any of the action set pieces to have any impact.  Without that, it’s simply a series of stunt shows strung together for 90 minutes.

You filmed much of 2011’s The Hit List in the eastern Washington city of Spokane. I was living in the area at the time, and I remember strolling around Riverfront when you were shooting. The film was fantastic by the way, and I’m sure local Spokanites are always happy to see their city being used. So how was your experience in the city of Spokane? Did you get to enjoy your time in eastern Washington’s largest (and frankly, only) city?

Spokane and the surrounding areas are beautiful. I had an amazing time there. It was a huge growing experience for me because up till then I’d never done a studio picture… I never had anyone in charge of the production that superseded me creatively. That was a huge adjustment… I learned a ton… I definitely learned what to do and also what to absolutely NOT do when playing at that level :).

The next year you returned to work with Cuba Gooding Jr. with One in the Chamber. This time your location was a bit more enticing, as it was set in Romania. So you spent a lot of time with the Oscar winning actor of the course of these two films. So how has your experience been working with Cuba, and what do you believe is a main factor in your partnership that has helped in  putting out such great films?

As I said on The Hit List there was quite a bit of adjusting for me. Cuba of course was great but I still think he was trying to figure out what kind of a filmmaker I was if you know what I mean. That’s just natural… I was an absolute unknown indie film maker out of Texas with one tiny little, genre festival hit under his belt and another film nobody had seen yet called Sinners And Saints in post production.  On One In The Chamber, all that was behind us. Sinners And Saints had become a run-away cult hit and Cuba had gotten great reviews from The Hit List and so his level of confidence in me was completely unwavering.  I remember he would come to set and say “OK coach let’s get to work” He was awesome to work with… Great attitude, amazing work ethic… We had a blast!

While you are definitely known to write your own brilliant stories, such as Sinners and Saints, The Prodigy, & more, you have manage to direct the works of some very fine screenwriters like our old friends Alan McElroy and Chad Law. So when you are picking up a gig as a director on a project that you didn’t write, what are you looking for a script that a guys like Alan or Chad just seem to get? What makes a solid script in your opinion?

Alan’s resume speaks for itself.  We didn’t get to collaborate very much but he’s a great guy and responsible for a lot of very cool stuff. 

My relationship with Chad is a completely different animal. We’ve been friends and collaborators for over 10 years. Chad is a straight up monster of a writer.  You’d be hard-pressed to find someone more prolific as a screenwriter and lover of genre film than Chad. And that’s what I look for… Someone who REALLY has a love of the genre… Too many aspiring writers dabble in the genre thinking it will be easy path to get to do “real movies.” They quickly find out how misinformed they are.

Chad is someone who really “gets it”.  His scripts are also a blast to read… They actually read like a good fiction novel. They’re slick, funny and oozing with attitude. So speaking as someone who is inundated with scripts all the time, Chad’s work definitely stands out.  He also invests a huge amount towards attention to detail… Always double and triple checking that everything in the script tracks… That everything moves the story along and stays true to the characters he has created. Knowing your partnered with a writer who cares that much about doing great work is a powerful weapon to have in your arsenal.

What does the future hold for you? Anything you can tell our readers about?

I did a very cool little action film in Albania and Bulgaria called The Brave that I’ve been told will be released later this year.  It was a really unique project because with the exception of Louis Mandaylor who played the protagonist and Armand Assante who played the antagonist the entire cast was either Russian, Albanian or Bulgarian.  The story is set in Albania and is about an elite Albanian strike team going after a powerful drug lord. If you’re a fan of old-school gritty action cop films I think you’ll really dig it… Louis and his costars killed it… Super proud of his performance in it.

As for upcoming work… There are lots of interesting things developing but it’s probably a bit early to share those. One project I am particularly excited about is Johnny Strong and I are shooting a follow up to Daylight’s End early this winter.  It’s a great script, again penned by Chad Law… A different kind of movie than the first one. It’s more of a survival/journey storyline than last stand action film… I promise to report back to you soon as I get the greenlight to share more. 

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Ha! Probably this question… Do you mean on production?  Well then that would be my experience with Louis on The Brave… after production ended in Albania we had an bit of an adventure trying to get out of the country… I’d share the details with you but then… then I’d have too… Well you know. 

Left to right
Bes Kallaku (famous Albanian actor), Kaufman, Louis, Chad Pittman (producer)

Harry Werksman [Interview]

Hello Folks, and a happy Friday to you all! We have yet another exciting interview to share with you all today. We have ventured once again into the world of wordsmiths, and are so very excited to share some words with an absolute legend in the world of television. It’s Harry Werksman, Everyone! Harry is a man that has worked as a writer and/or producer within a plethora of genres, from modern whimsical comedies such as Ugly Betty, to the sci-fi classic Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the incarnation of the wildly successful drama Grey’s Anatomy, and just so damn much more. He is an inspiring figure in the world of television and just damn good writing in general. And he also happens to give some of the best insight into some pretty common questions about the modern world of television that appear regularly here at Trainwreck’d Society, but also very often out in the real world, although I am sure many are afraid to actually admit they are asking. But, we don’t give a single solid fuck around here, and Harry Werksman doesn’t seem to as well, as he is brutally honest and, dare I say, exactly spot on with his answers (and far more rational, I might add).

So Folks, please enjoy some wonderful words from the brilliant mind of a legend in his field, the absolutely brilliant Harry Werksman!

When did you discover that you had a passion for the world of TV writing and producing? I understand you had a different career path before joining the world of entertainment? 

I have loved TV my entire life. For example, I would set my alarm clock as a boy (starting at age 10) to wake up at 11pm to secretly watch the original Star Trek, The Prisoner, and Night Gallery. Didn’t know back then that one day I would write and produce TV, in fact I didn’t even know those jobs existed, I thought I was really watching people doing these things. Well, except for Star Trek but I did want to tag along with Kirk and crew. 

And yes, I did have a slightly different career path. After I graduated from Northwestern, I went to Oxford to get a graduate degree in history (17th century English Ecclesiastical and Social History to be precise). The goal was a doctorate, become a Don at Oxford and teach. That changed, for a variety of reasons, I got an M.Lit. in history and moved to LA. Where, with my ever-useful degree, I got a job working for a crisis management consulting firm. After about 18 months in that job, I just couldn’t do it any more and quit. Given that unemployment wasn’t going to pay the bills and I knew that I wanted to write TV (I started taking extension writing classes at UCLA (having NEVER even seen a script before) to figure out how it all worked. While doing that, I worked as an art department PA on TV commercials. That production experience truly helped inform my writing. To be able to see what can and can’t be done and appreciate the incredible contribution everyone below the line can make. 

What was your very first paid gig in the world of entertainment? And was there anything from this experience that you learned and still sticks with you to this day in your work life? Any lessons learned, basically? 

After many fits and starts, my first pro sale was to Star Trek: DS9. At the time, the show was reading spec scripts (they had to be DS9 scripts) trolling for ideas and getting people on their pitch list. I had submitted a script, which they didn’t buy, but got me on the pitch list. After a few times going in to pitch, I had had no luck. Then on what must have been my third or fourth try, the producer I was pitching to said he “loved” the story but it was a “seventh (final) season idea. I left the meeting thinking “They’re going to steal the idea, God damn it”. About six months later, as I was now on a ticking clock to either break into TV or find something else to do with my life, I got a call from the DS9 offices saying they were buying my story and could I have a story document ready by Monday. When I picked myself up off the floor, I said “ABSOLUTELY!” It was Thursday late afternoon already. But I hunkered down, submitted it, got paid for the story and eventually saw it on the air!

The lesson for me was only do this writing thing if it’s truly what you want to do and you can think of absolutely nothing else you’d rather do and are prepared to hear “NO” 99.99% of the time. So, if you accept those two things (and dig deep for the answer) then NEVER GIVE UP. Write because you have something to say, not because you want to say something (thanks for that one FS Fitzgerald). It’s a marathon not a sprint.

The always reliable and knowledgeable website Wikipedia has informed me that you spent some time in the current “location” of the Trainwreck’d Society “headquarters”, here in the UK, including some time in Scotland as a youth, and even attending the prestigious Oxford University. With that, I am curious to know how you enjoyed living on this side of the pond? And were there any sort of British ways and means that still influence your work to this day?

My mum is Scottish. Growing up, before we moved my grandparents to California (Glasgow was no place for OAPs in the mid-1970s), I would often spend part of my summers in Scotland with my family visiting my grandparents. And yes, years later, I did attend Oxford for my M.Lit. in history, and some rowing and maybe a little bit of beer drinking.

I loved all the time I spent in the UK. Scotland was magical as a child. Oxford was an amazing experience — the friendships, the intellectual challenges, and just seeing the world from a different POV than through the colored prisim of America. The thing I think I carry with me the most is the ability to “take the piss” out of someone and have the same done to me. We’re just telling stories… getting paid to make up lies. I have a responsibility and a hope that what I write makes a wee bit of difference.

You were there in the beginning of the mega successful series that is Grey’s Anatomy. The popularity of this show was almost instant it seems like. Medical dramas have been around for a while, but GA will most likely go down as the greatest one of all time. With that, I am curious to know what initially drew you to this project? And were you able to foresee the success that it would become?

I had spent a year in Sydney, Australia working on Farscape and fell in love with the country. When I came back to the US, I wanted so desperately to go back  that I wrote a pilot set in Queensland. I eventually sold the pilot to ABC. It didn’t get made but it got me an interview with Shonda Rhimes.

When I was offered a job on the first season of GA, I took the gig but had NO CLUE it would become GREY’S ANATOMY! I don’t think any one did. Those first three seasons were a wild ride. The magic of that show was/is that it’s not really about the medicine. That’s just what the characters “do”. Medicine was a mirror that we held up to the characters that reflected what was going on with them and who they were and hoped they could become. 

You have worked several other damn fine projects over the years, such as Ugly Betty, Star Trek: DS9, and many more. And I would never ask you to choose your favorite project that you have contributed to in any capacity, but I am curious to know what you believe to be some highlights of your career thus far? When you look back on your career thus far as a whole, what are some things you find yourself having the most pride in?

I have been truly blessed with the career I’ve had so far. I’ve learned something new and experienced something different every step of the way. I’m proud of every show I’ve contributed to in one way or another, from Staff Writer on VIP to helping make Grey’s what it is to Show Running Moonlight (the little vampire show that could but was about a season too early).

But I’m most proud of every bad idea that I’ve had, on every show I’ve been part of, that started a conversation that resulted in a good idea being born, nourished or sometimes even brought back from the brink of death.

With a career that has spanned 25+ years, I am sure you have seen a lot of change in the ways in which television is made, not to mention the more recent resurgence of the television platform being where all the best stories are told. So, I am curious to know what your thoughts are on the current world of television? We have so many different ways to be entertained these days. Do you consider the abundance of shows available to be a good thing, or is the business simply becoming oversaturated?

Holy shit snacks! 25+ years! That’ll make you feel right sized if nothing else will. 

Yes, I’ve seen and experienced a lot of change in the TV world. The world is a very different place than it was 25 years ago. TV today is amazing. There are so many choices, so many voices, so many perspectives, and so many interesting stories being explored. Another Golden Age they say and I’d agree. The medium had to evolve the way it has to keep pace with radically changing technology and the way we consume our entertainment.

There will be over 500 scripted TV shows produced in 2019. Is that too many? Not enough? I’m not sure. Certainly there are more opportunities but that also means the opportunity for more crap (that being wholly subjective of course). As long as smart, funny, engaging, challenging and thought-provoking projects are having a chance to break through the clutter and noise then, while we may be reaching a saturation tipping point soon (I don’t really know, just my opinion), I say bring it on! Let’s take on any and all comers. Tell a good story that people care about, that makes them think and feel something, for better or for worse. At the end of the day, my job is to: Show up. Keep up. Shut up. That’s entertainment. 

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers? 

I’m still just a working writer. I joke that I go to the “Word Factory” everyday. I’m continually coming up with new ideas, wherever and whenever they might come to me. I read a shit ton of books of every description and genre. I write pilots for stories with great characters, interesting stories, a specific POV and maybe something to say about something. I take pitch meetings, general meet and greet meetings, open writing assignment meetings, whatever comes my way. The one project I’m quite keen on at the moment (and has been an obsession of mine for years) is about the world of art crime. The Thomas Crown Affair meets Mission Impossible. It was recently optioned by a production company so my fingers are crossed. Stay tuned. 

What was the last thing that made you smile? 

That question and the fact that we should all smile more often. Though I just read that in primates smiling is a sign of fear. But maybe, just maybe we’re not just monkeys hitting a keyboard an infinite amount of times and producing Shakespeare. 

Linden Ashby [Interview]

Hello Folks! Welcome back to another great week here at Trainwreck’d Society. We are kicking things off with a wonderful interview from a brilliant actor who has been gracing both TV and silver screens for quite a while in some pretty amazing roles. It’s Linden Ashby! Whether you know him from the more recent somewhat dramatic reincarnation of a classic film in series format known as MTV’s Teen Wolf, or you are a 90’s kid who thrives on acid washed nostalgia for one of the best video game turned films of all time, which is obviously Mortal Kombat, or you just simply watch quality film and television, you are probably already know and love Mr. Ashby for very obvious reasons. He’s a truly delightful performer, and as it turns out, a delightful person in the real world, at least through e-mail correspondence.

We are so excited to share this wonderful collection of answers from a truly magnificent performer who is brutally honest, and so damn down to earth that it is extremely compelling. We talk about the previously mentioned projects that he has worked on, and so much more. We are so happy that Linden was able to take a some time out of his busy schedule to talk to us about some of the old, and a lot of the new that he is offering to the world. So Folks, please enjoy some wonderful words from an absolutely incredible performer, the brilliant Linden Ashby!

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When did you first discover your passion for performance? Was it something you have always wanted to do since you were but a wee lad? Or did you sort of just find yourself in this world one day?

It was in my first year of college that that I realized how much I truly loved acting. From that point on it was all about doing plays and trying to figure out how to maybe/possibly/somehow …. make a life out of this???  So, after a few years of trying to figure it all out, (good luck) I did what all parents hope their children will do, and dropped out of college. I then moved to New York to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Aaand…. from that point on I was a goner. 

What was your first paid gig in the world of performance? And do you recall learning anything on this project that has stuck with you and continues to affect your work today?

It was a production of The Miracle Worker that was being done in a local theater in Jacksonville Florida. I think they paid me $40 a week. As to what I learned from it? I learned what a weird and insular world a production (film, TV, stage) becomes. And the positives, and negatives, of that insularity. I also learned that maybe, just maybe, I didn’t COMPLETELY suck as an actor. (Though in the ensuing years, I’ve certainly questioned that assessment.)

Looking back on six successful seasons on MTV’s Teen Wolf, what would you say you enjoyed most about working on this show? What do you miss about it, particularly in regards to set life whilst making the show?

What I enjoyed most about Teen Wolf was…. the people I worked with. I worked with people who have become some of my best friends. I worked with people who’ve become family.  I got to do this amazing show that I was SO proud of… A show that went out into the world and touched and affected people in ways that I couldn’t imagine…  (Including my own!) As to what I miss most about it? The people. Plain and simple.

In 1995 you portrayed one my favorite characters in a film that simply rocked my youth. I am talking of course about the film adaptation of the insanely popular video game, Mortal Kombat, in which you portrayed everyone’s favorite character, Johnny Cage. The name alone is so cool! So how was your experience working on this brilliant project?

Shooting Mortal Kombat was….  Siiiick!!!!!!! Haha

Ok, all kidding aside it was pretty sick. And if I’m being honest, it was also a movie that no one gave a snowball’s chance in hell of being successful. You have to remember, there had never been a successful video game adaptation before MK. Street Fighter had failed, Mario Brothers had failed, and Double Dragon had failed! So nobody thought Mortal Kombat was going to work at all! (Except for maybe w a core group of fans.) But we believed it could work! And it did. That movie went out into the world and just became this “thing”! To this day, there’s such a fondness for that film. People genuinely love it. And I love that!! I think it was this collection of people on that film who for a lot of different reasons all needed it to work. And we came together in this really collaborative way and somehow caught lightning in a bottle and made this film that…. I don’t know, I could spend a month telling you how it happened and why I think it happened but you’d get bored and I’d get bored… So, let’s just say it worked. And I’m REALLY happy and proud that it did! And yes, Johnny Cage is a GREAT name!!!!!!

I have to imagine that, even though the film is pushing a quarter century in age, there still are very die hard Mortal Kombat fans out there? Do you get a lot of 30 something year old guys and women accosting you about your role as Johnny Cage? Does being a big part of someone’s pop culture nostalgia still affect you to this day?

Haha, Daily! And I love it.

I have to be perfectly frank with you here Sir, and please don’t get offended right away….my dearly departed grandmother straight up HATED you. Well, obviously not you, but Cameron Kirsten, who you portrayed so devilishly on The Young & The Restless. You sure were a mean guy, and you did that so well. Beyond this role, you have had roles in other more “dark” projects like a few LFN gems and the 2008 remake of Prom Night. So I am curious to know what you enjoy about working in darker roles, whether you are the actually villain or not? What draws you to roles in projects like these?

I love a good role.  And I love food on the table, a roof over my family’s head, electricity in the light bulbs, and hot air coming out of the heater… So….  Sometimes you do the part because it’s great and sometimes you do it for other reasons.  But your grandmother was right, Cameron Kirsten was a pretty great bad guy. (Who I only played because Susan was on the show and I thought it would be fun.) (it was)

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers?

I’m in a new series coming out this spring/summer on Netflix called Trinkets. I’ve seen a bit of it, and I can tell you, it’s really good! Writing, acting, directing….  this is one that I’m actually really proud of and excited about. I also just finished directing my first feature length project for Lifetime called Homeless at 17 so…. I’m pretty excited about that one too!!