How you doing out there? It's me Tigger, I'm dark Wayne Duck.
It's me Bunkers keep bobcat. All right, y'all, did it rate your
favorite firefly? You design? Hold the old knock got. My name is
Jim Cummings and welcome to tune Jim. All right, so you're just gonna
you're just gonna take it away, right, we're just gonna bullshit. We've
already started. We're already going. Well, this is right on, all
right, Douglas hold on, yeah, I didn't know Douglas. Well maybe
I guess it's welcome to tune in with Jim Cummings and world famous drum roll.
I don't have my sticks with me Nolan North. Ladies and gentlemen,
you'll feel the difference. Nolan North. We got Norland North today on the
podcast. Everybody, Uh yeah you do. That's me no known most for
uncharted, right, Nathan Drake. I think so yeah, I mean I
think that's uh, you know, everybody we got, like you know,
you try to get at least one, unlike some people like Harrison Ford has
a couple, or or say Jim Cummings, who has several. Yeah,
make geez, you know like there's Han Solo Everson for it is Hans Solo
in Indiana Jones. But I think pooh Tigger dark winged. Yes, oh,
I mean I do. I this is weird that. Yeah, I'm
it's okay, what do you want me to hear? Well, here's the
thing, here's the thing. We're talking like how he's talking, of course
talking, he's scamming everybody where where am I supposed to look? Yeah?
Because guess what his line was twice as long as mine. So shut up,
all right because you've done it longer. Yeah. Yeah, they're all
sicking me out there. But no, well that's it always, well,
that's always that's always the case. But yeah, it's good. You know,
I realize I don't think we ever worked on a cartoon together. But
I know you so well from being at these crazy conventions. With the conventions
I think, I don't you know, I've looked at different things. Well,
first of all, a lot of people don't realize that I don't think
we've ever had a an animated series where we've been in the same room.
Of course, that that's long gone. Now everybody zooms it and you know,
and it's um. But I actually remember uh, talking to my agent
one time and said something about it something I don't remember what the project was.
It might have been, uh like the TMNT movie or something, and
and she said, oh, yeah, Jim, Jim Cummings like that thing
you did. And I'm like, wait, I swear this is true,
and I'll pray embarrass your But I was like, wait, she looks like
me. She was one. I go, Jim Cummings knows who I am.
Oh yeah, and I told you there years ago. Us No,
but no. But people don't realize. You know, we come to these
you know, conventions and you meet fans, and they don't realize that people
are we're fans of the people we've you know. I mean so when I
when I think about Peter Cullen or Welko or Maurice or Paulson, you I
mean, I mean then Tress and and Jesse little bit. Yeah. Sorry,
it's just mostly I don't know if I love Jess or the outfits more.
Yes, uh one and the same I suppose. Yes. I was
gonna say he's a package deal. People, people who don't know the outfits,
can you guys describe what kind of stuff he wears? But I don't
know. It's it's like, uh, well you've been to Marty grom Okay,
just okay, because yeah, you know, you know the beads that's
his out. Yeah, that's yeah, that's pretty much. I thought that
was out. They're they're bright, Uh they are, they are something special,
but they are. I don't think people realize how much of a fan
we are of each other, mostly especially the one generation up to the next.
And it's just, you know, the body of work that you see
people do. And we've talked about Winnie the Pooh and taker how my wife
and I raised our kids on his version, and it's like and it's just
it's like there is there's I'm mean, got it. I mean, it's
just nobody else can do it that way. Everybody else is doing an impression.
Yeah, they got exactly some minor job security there. The next they've
tried and by the way, ladies and gentlemen, they tried, trust me,
they've tried. But it's like, I mean, and the good thing
in this business for the most part, knock on wood. I've had gotten,
you know, auditions, they said they want you to do uh Scooby,
what you said, I'm like, does Frank know about this, I
think. So I'm like, I'll call them. Yeah, they're gonna have
you read for Pooh. And I'm like, does Jim know? Yeah,
and and and invariably if you come up and people go that actually happened,
Oh yeah, no, no, no, no, um, there was.
Well I knew, yes, there was. Something came out and they
wanted and well, that's it, that's it. That was It was a
story what happened. When John Fiedler passed away. They were looking for other
characters and they want that. Disney wanted back up. He was Piglet by
the way. Yeah, and they wanted backups. And I remember just going
does everybody know about it? And my agents were really good and they said
we'll find out, and they've said they're not happy about it. I said,
then I don't want any part of it. I don't want any part
of it. And the only one that ever they ever asked me to do,
and uh, Pat Brady, my agent, she had told me,
uh was Wayne all Wine. Uh. They wanted he wanted Mickey. And
Wayne was aware of it that up actually yeah, and Wayne was was aware
of it, and so I with his blessing, I auditioned, but I
said, I told them because I told her because they she knew Rucy Taylor,
who was Wayne's wife at the time, and May and Minny were married
in real life by the way, which is you know. And I had
like eleven auditions and they said, yeah, that's gonna be You're gonna do
that. And I was like wow, and and I said listen, and
I told the agents that said, let Wayne know I don't want anything job
that I he will know any thing we get that they want me to do.
I want to make sure he's doesn't want to do it or not.
And he was cool with that, that's fine. And he passed away like
a month later, and we kind of waited to see what happened, and
um Bob Iger decided like, no, we're gonna go a whole new direction
and h a new direction. So it never happened. Yeah, I know,
I was gonna say, you have to give us some the mouse is
on the money. Well, you know, well they have a great guy
now, I guess. I mean he's he's he's he's done a good job.
But it's like, so you know, you don't And I'm happy because
I think it may been uh, you know, probably the best job I
never got, because I just you know, it's like it afforded somebody else
the opportunity I've been doing other things. And that's a great thing about this
business. I think, you know, we we there's there is, for
the most part, a mutual respect. Yet I wouldn't and I've told him
right to his face. I read the Pooh and we need to and I'll
do take her and I'll do my thing. But it's like, I know
I'm just doing I'm doing a bad impression to him. Like I told Steve
Bloom, who's Wolverine? And oh, yes, I said the Wolverine.
They'll get auditions and I'm like, no, I passed, and they're like
you're gonna pass them, Like I'm gonna do a bad Steve Bloom impression.
Yeah, So I don't want to do that. Yeah, I don't want
to do that. So it's you know, it's but it's you know,
we don't. It's just well, I remember years ago they were trying to
recast The Simpsons a long time ago. I got a big ten twelve years
ago, and uh, and it was because they wanted money, big shock,
right, God forbid you know, it's the biggest show on television.
Can we get double scale? Of course to get this shit done Martin double
scale. Yeah. But but anyway, they uh, they went out there
and they said, well, what would you like to go on down?
And and I and my agent at the time sent me there to Fox and
I didn't know what it was for. And and they had all the Simpson
sides, all the pictures of all the characters, and uh, and I'm
going, why why what is this there? And he oh, well,
can you do a good home? And I go, I do an incredibly
good Homer. I'm so not gonna do this. I can't even begin to
tell you how much I'm in fact, I'm already not doing it. I'm
starting right now not doing it. Well. First of all, the problem
with companies doing that they have to realize what they when they call other voice
actors in yeah, we know, it's because you don't want to pay them
what the worthy. So what you're saying in retrospect is like, hey,
Jim, you're you're, you're, you're a cheaper option than what we had.
You'll take the money. It's like no, And that makes me say,
don't you know see oh there you go. I get it. That
was similar to a joke. Yeah, you know, but yeah, I
just so we never that was something that we just I just never was interested.
And then you know, I remember and the other thing about it that
I like about it. Somebody asked me, have you ever done Futurama?
And I said, you know, I actually read years ago for Bender and
I don't remember what I did, but I just know that it was not
as good at what John Demaggio does. Yeah, and you know there's there's
and I love that about Fred tattersh or great voice a Yeah. You know,
we've been up for the same agency. We've kind of came up together,
and you know, we'll sit there and hang out together. And I
said, he's like, oh, I'm doing this new cartoon. I said,
oh, I read for that character. What you do He said,
well, this voice. I'm like, oh, I did this kind of
thing. And I'm like, I like yours better, and he's like,
no, I like yours better. I'm like, well they liked yours better.
Yeah, well they hired you. So yeah. And the funny thing
is what happens though, is at some point, you know, and I
tell people when they audition just do your version, do something good. Because
a couple of shows that he's gotten, I've gone in as a bunch of
recurring characters. So I've done a bunch of those episodes, and then there's
been roles I've gotten, and sure enough Fred shows up at the session doing
the different guest star roles or recurring things. If you just can get in
the whole the pool with everybody, you don't always have to be the lead
character. Yeah, and I sometimes I like some of the smaller roles just
because you're you're doing more off the walls. Speaking of smaller roles in Zani
in this, you play quite a few characters on Rick and Morty. Yeah,
Yeah, that's a perfect example, you know what I mean. Um,
actually that ties in a bunch of things because they had a bunch of
auditions for Rick and Morty sound alikes and because of Justin Roland doing the voices
and I I just passed on it. I was just like, look,
number one, I don't know if I could do it great. Number two,
it's really hard because like you know, Rick's always like doing Yeah it
does the Burbs and it's really and there. And I've met people I know
do it better. But the other thing is just like you know, Royland
and all those people at that show. You know, they'll call me and
like, hey, we have three episodes. We need you to do these
different characters, and and uh, you know, and yeah that sounds great
and it's it's less heavy lifted, gotta you know. And it's so cool
because they just will hire me on it and they'll be like, okay,
so what's the first character. And it's like, oh, he's like so
just we have this teenage kid. He's sitting on the couch and you know,
he's like, you know, he s gets you do something kind of
nervous. Yeah, it's like, what are we gonna do? I don't
know, you know. And then and they I'm the vice president. I'm
the vice president. And then and he's they showed me the artwork and he
just looks like this massive he's got a big warden. It's very big,
note perfect. And I looked like Tip O'Neill if they scrunched him down to
about five feet tall. And uh, and I said, you know what,
you know, who needs to be in the White House? And this
is this is literally how we got the character, said ross Pero. We
gotta bring him. Sear did like a rash per and it just became that
this thing and that's the vice president. So it's key. So h Keith
David is the president Ricord Morty and I'm his little vice president. That's you
know, just little these little parts and it's so yeah, I know him
as doctor Fasiliers send a frock. Yeah cool dude. Yeah, so I
didn't know he was. I didn't know that. Yeah. So no,
so this, you know, there's the Rick and Morty. Playing these little
incidental characters sometimes can be uh great. When after I did the TMNT movie
in two thousand and seven, is Raphael, they started a series and everyone
said, oh, you guys are gonna do the series. I'm like,
I don't know. But it was a different set of producers and you realize
they're going to do their own direction. And so Sean Aston ended up going
as Raphael did a great job, and but they hired they hired me to
do uh the krang. So so Krang, I do all the krang And
it was like Krang would have like two three lines say yeah perfect, yeah,
and you'll be like it was great. So I was in a bunch
of episodes and yeah, I got like those guys are like, hey,
enjoy your four hour session. You know Hal Smith rang has a tea time.
Oh yeah, yeah, Hal Smith, the great Hal Smith. He
was Otis Campbell on on the Andy Griffiths Show way back when. Well he
was the original um uh owl in Winnie the Pooh. I didn't know that.
Yeah, And we were doing and he was still around. John Fieler
was still around, God bless him both. And Paul Wincher was still around.
So I was this poom and way back when, and um, you
know, we're all sitting there and we all did it together, which I
really like. I like it when the whole cast is better. Ensemble casts
way much much better. And Hal was in there and uh and I think
it was Andrea Romano and she said, well, hell, do you want
to just pick up your line? And and oh sure, sure, sure,
I'll get it done. So he did his line and he was out
of there and I and I saw him the next time. I asked,
man, I was really sorry that you had to just do that one line
and go, he goes, not me. It pays the same as if
I was on every page. Good night, kid. I gotta go,
you know, and I went, oh, yeah, never mind, yeah,
never mind, yeah, got it, Ding ding ding. Must remember
that. I remember one of my favorites that I just I always thought that
and I don't know who did it, and you tell me, but was
it was an incidental one in Winnie the Pooh and it was, um the
groundhog, you know, where do you want it? Where do you want
to him? Michael Goff? Is that who the Michael? Yeah, okay,
yeah, Showy Shay, Yeah, yeah, that's a good one.
You know something poo ish Shay and he's like, because there's one thing where
he's moving this thing and where do you want it? My wife still lasts
about like when I'm lifting something, I go, where do you want it?
Yeah, Shay poo is shilly. Yeah. I just like I just
love that. And I remember reading like, I don't know if people out
there, yeah, gopher, gopher, groundhog? What's wrong with me?
I know it's gopher. It's just been a long day. No, but
uh, you know, you go to the grocery store and you get the
Winnie the Pooh series. I mean, I a matter of fact, I
just we still have them. It's waiting for grandchildren, and I would.
It was so much fun, you know, to do Christopher Roman and you
know, I mean I do all they do my own version, but watch
them. I remember my kids with their little banking in their mouth and I'm
just reading these like oh and and and it was just to do those voices.
Not as well as the originals obviously, but it was just so much
fun to do that, and it made it it was kind of it was
like it was great, you know extra Yeah, well that's very therapy.
Yeah, it was good therapy for Yeah. Well, looking at your credits
in your career, it strikes me as like you're really good at impressions,
like, well, yeah, where did that? Where did that? Kind
of can because Jim talks about you know, some of the very ones that
you've done that are just knocked me out. Well, you've got walking in
and you talk about Jim two. Sorry, you talk about Jim too.
A lot of your voices, you know, come from impressions of family members
or people you grew up with. That was me. Yeah, yeah,
so that's similar to you. I yeah, no, my uncle bought from
he had his mass here's a talk just like this. I mean, it
was great you know, yeah, and it was really loud because he had
a hearing problem, so everything was very loud and as an accent, wicked
bad. So I mean TMNT I was mentioned earlier Repel there's a guy who
talking it's kind of this is kind of this New York kind of thing like
this. Yes, and that's a kid I went to high school with.
Yeah, he sounded just like this. I mean that, I mean yeah,
anyway, So but impressions, Yeah, I always liked him. I
always like there were certain ones I could do. I think the first one
I ever did was just goofing around it. I don't even know if I
haven't done it was it was just gaise occasion. It became today on Mary
and you know, now it's time what was it? Now it's time for
a long distance dedicasion. This one goes out just Sandy and rowing over Virginia
and then and then and then I remember it went to Johnny because I used
to watch um Tred McMahon. No, but who no, no mcmah,
but who did Kevin No? No impression is rich little great Johnny Kushin.
I remember watch him do that. No, this is weird and one of
the lunch times. Um I did that for for Johnny Kushion and um yea
and adjacent and Atlantash that is weird. Alan is a great story. Yet
and somebody went, who's that? I said, it's Johnny Carson. They
go, who's Johnny Carson. I was like, get out. Yeah,
And I just went and drank in a dark room alone, going oh,
I hold this for me. Yeah yeah, oh he's sleeping. It's like,
well, you but you didn't know you know who's I knew Steve Allen,
I knew who that was. Okay, yeah, I actually know history.
Read a book. Yeah anyway something, um but you know, uh,
And yes, there was a time where we had voice matches and it
was the strangest audition process you've ever seen, because like six seven, a
dozen guys could show up and they say, hey, they need you down
at Sony Audition to work. I'm like really, And we'd go down and
it became the same cast of characters. It would be tad as Shure,
there'd be a bunch of different people. You walk in, who are we
doing today? And I did Christopher Walking right, that's for a couple of
things. And I ended up doing this thing because everybody did the Christopher walking
up here guys. Wow. But what happens is when he gets down,
he gets he gets serious when he's talking. And the first one was with
Tony Scott Man on Fire and he was in a gospel man. They took
her creasy. The funny story behind it was like, that was the line,
they took her crazy? Where's the girl? They took her creasy?
And yeah, But the funny thing about it is, I asked, I
said, so I had never done. It was my first one for him
and I said so, I've never So we're just replacing that one line.
And in the adr director was like, yeah, so I said, what
happened? He said, oh, it's pretty funny. I actually watch and
they showed me a couple of outclick takes it and his Denzel Washington goes it
just Ranke leans over. He goes, where's the girl? It killed her
crazy? And they're like cat and you him, you ever been laughing?
And he starts laughing. He's like, oh, they didn't kill her.
The guys, I no, okay, go deep, where's the girl?
They cut a hat off crazy? She's dead. He starts laughing, and
you're like watching and You're getting to see this behind the scenes thing, and
I'm like, this is hysterical. Yeah, and apparently they just finally called
it and like he's never gonna say it, everyone got the giggles. So
yeah, and they forgot to pick it up. So I came in,
they speckled it up, and I get residuals on that forever. Now for
one line. Yeah, yeah, I've done about six of his movies.
Um, that's Travolta. Um, not like you know, Vinnie Babarino,
but John Travolta kind of sounds like this and if you put that, And
that's the weirdest thing is, I don't see it until they played my voice
back through his face and I literally went, oh my god, it sounds
just like him and Tony Scott. I was doing it with Tony Scott and
he goes, he goes, that's right, mate, that's why you're here.
And I was like, right, but that's really sounds like he thought
that was hysterically and he was like no. I was like, it blew
me away. So if you ever see Taking of Pelham one, two,
three yea on television, because what Tony Scott would do, yeah, not
the original Okay, the one with with Travolta, John Taturo, Denzel Washington
remake. Yeah, so Tony Scott would never edit a movie like hey,
let me tell you something, mother Fletcher, you know and they or something
like that. Yeah. Uh, he would recut the movie and uh so
you wouldn't see the dubs he would take. He would take that line off
cut to an and somebody else, and they had me redo it, and
unfortunately was sad. Travolta was going to come back and cover a lot of
the stuff, and then his son passed away and they called me back in.
They said, we're gonna go back over this again because he's not gonna
be able to do it. We need to release this. And again it's
gonna be you. And so if you hear that movie, you'll see him
yelling, what are you gonna do? Carver? You're gonna shoot me?
And I remember watching it going wow, that sounds just like him. Yeah,
that's good and it's not like but it's not like a you know,
hey, can you do that impression? Because people got I think it sounds
like him, it's not. It doesn't have that. There's nothing really remarkable
about if they bought it. They bought it. Yeah, but it's just
it's just a funny, funny business. And Ross mark One has done it
for Oh yeah, he's done a bunch. He's really good. He's an
amazing impressionist. Yeah, he does like John c Riley and different things like
that. Yeah. Yeah, John c Riley is the one that kills me.
That in Malkovich, he does a great John Malkovich. Yes, oh
god, yes, what are you doing? And it's I can't, I
can't do it. So yeah, and he gets really really mad greatly and
tends more angry with every thing gold work, you know, and you're going,
Wow, that's him. It's nail. It's rad. Yeah, that
one sucked, you know, I don't do it, but no, neither
debays, so hey, that's it. Welcome to bad John malcovitches. Yes,
yeah, doing bad John malkoviches it's much worse than yours. It's pretty
bad. Bad suck. If you're enjoying everything we do, hear it tuned
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Afternoons cartoons and in character. So go ahead and support Jim by becoming a
member of the tuned in family today at patreon dot com. Slash Jim Cummings
podcast link is in the description of this show. So, I know this
is your show, but I have a quite so your musical background. I
mean, I know you you were a band, You've done all kinds of
stuff. I love music, and I I'm like one of these people like,
hey, I wish I had the discipline to learn guitar. I played
a little piano, but like I wish I had the discipline to sit down,
like and find that what what what were your musical How did that well?
For me? It just was a good way to meet chicks, you
know, And I like drums. I just played the drums. That's drums,
that saying like Phil Collins, there you go. Good enough for him,
good enough for me. How old were you when you were in your
first band? Oh? Boy? Uh? I don't know, seventh grade
probably you know what, it was a fantastic perel Okay, you and I
had a great convention experience together down in Pensacola, Florida, not really at
the convention, necessarily at the bar talking telling Evan cocktails, eating burgers and
what was it? You were telling me his story about the van and you
had a gig in Pensacola and the van. I stole every stitch of clothing
I had. Can you retell the story for it? And I had,
well, I had all this rock star clothing. I had a shirt that
was so bad assid looked like it was made of aluminum foil. That's how
badass that shirt was. Aluminum foil. Think of it. Okay, it
was the seventies, Leave me alone, but uh but yeah, and we
went out the next you know, we just were tired, went to bed
when I gotta get my stuff out of there, and I opened up and
everything is gone. I mean, you know, I mean I didn't have
underwear. I didn't have anything that took your underwear. Yeah, the whole
the suitcase and the hanging. I was the only idiot who didn't bring it
in. And uh, you know, I had my little toothbrush and I
went in and and it was just awful, and I ended up going and
we were planning at a place called the Stone Pony, and we hadn't even
opened there yet, and so I said, well, I gotta go to
the mall. I gotta go to the mall. And I bought a couple
of shirts and they were exact duplicates of the shirts that the guys who worked
there had. So now I show up and I and I and I go,
oh shit, you know, somebody's gonna be asking me for to bust
their table now. And so I did. No, I'm in the band,
made a couple of extra bucks. Make some tips. You make some
tips, yeah, tip money, don't lose your shirt. I just think
it would have been great if you were out there in the band that night,
looked out like the table and like that guy's got my shirt on.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that would have been less fun act man.
But yeah, so you know rock and roll. Yeah, I know.
I think I think that's the funny thing people say, Like what people have
asked me, like if if I didn't do this, what would I what
would I dream job be? And a lot of people because I played baseball
in college, or they think a rock star. Man, I mean I
think everybody deep down it's like I'm the guy who's like, I Man,
I can rip it up in the shower. I just yeah, that's right.
It sounds so good. Yeah, but I wouldn't. I don't know
if I like Yeah, and you can keep doing it. Apparently, according
to Keith Richard, I saw a thing the other day Willie Nelson had quoted
he said, uh, he said, we need to take care of this
global warming, because what kind of world do do these young kids think they're
gonna leave? Keith Richards And I yeah, that's yeah. I mean they
just gonna they just go forever. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know.
And uh, my son is a huge he's a guitarist and he's yeah,
yeah, he loves but he loves the uh the history of stuff like
that. He's read the Keith Richards biography like twice now, no kidding,
Yeah, and he and he reads all the biographies. He just you know,
he's just it just finds it so interesting. He's a huge Zeppelin fan.
And Jimmy Page and his you know, their whole history and yeah,
and uh and it's funny because I've always loved the music, and now through
my twenty three year old son, I'm learning more about the bands I grew
up with and I like that. Then yeah, then and he's the one
teaching me guitar, he wrote, Yeah, but no, it's it's um,
it's been a it's been crazy. I think I don't know this.
Um, this career is just not when I ever ever expected. You know,
it's like it's Paulson and I always laughed at like it's the one that
you you know, you got in trouble in school trying to Oh yeah,
I was either trying got in trouble in school or just being a you know,
a bonehead trying to get girls to notice me. Yea. And and
you know, I was like the funny guy. And like he said,
Kat, he's like my brother. I don't want to be your brother.
Yeah. Well, girls, ever been in a barn? What I remember
being not a good pickup line? Money? Yeah, yeah, it's name.
I remember getting slammed up against the speaking of high school, um against
the wall by this this Jim teacher, Jim Mand was his name, and
he said, comings let me tell you something, You're a n asshole and
you know what else, You're not gonna do anything you do all this ship.
I was in speech and I was in that newspaper every week. It
was really kind of cool and um, and I was in the band and
I was in speech, and so I was kind of hanging in there and
uh and he goes, what do you what are you gonna do? And
what are you gonna do? Play drums? What are you gonna do?
Do silly voices your whole life? Uh? Huh yeah, let me know
how that works out. You're gonna be over there at the sheet and tube,
the steel mill. You're gonna retire when you're sixty five. Then you're
gonna go sit in your rocket chair, drink lousy beer and lose money on
the Cleveland Browns. Okay, you got that. That's what you're gonna do.
And I went, wow, am I gonna sizzle? This guy's go
dads? What you know? So I got? I got so if you're
listening out there, yeah, I'm gonna come right up next to him.
Mister fish home rooms and told me, uh, I got detention for talking
doing goofy shit, And uh, I sat down. I had not got
detention, And I was like because I usually got away with it, to
be honest with you, and I sat down, I started doing homework.
He's put that away. I said, I can't do homework, and he
goes, no, I want you to sit there quietly and think where these
stupid voices are going to get you someday. Oh okay, And I was
like okay. And of course at the time, I was like, well,
I guess nowhere. I guess because I didn't. This is not something
I thought I would do. Um. But when you look back at your
life, you go, this is what I was meant to do. Yeah,
you know, it's just I've grown up in New England. It was
like, this isn't a job, right. I mean people in California,
Hollywood, they don't even eat McDonald's. Yeah, you know, I was
the kid who going, you know, like being New England watching a Monday
night football game and it's like it's sunny there. What part of universe is
that he wasn't a bright kid? Yeah? Yeah, maybe I should.
Maybe mister Fish was right, maybe it was no. But the thing is,
it's like and then you finally find your place and you find the things
that you're doing, and uh, it's it's it's really cool. Yeah,
and you know, I got the last laugh because I went back to my
high school years a long long time ago, and I gave X amount of
bucks to perpetually ongoing scholarship year to year to year to year to year.
And it's in my dad's name. And I just and I said, please
tell me jim Mon still is here, and they go, no, that
doesn't ring any bells. I go, okay, well, if he comes
walking over to that plaque right there and show him my dad's name and have
him wild, guess who who put it there? You know, I have
no idea. I know, you know. Revenge is good though, yeah,
and he probably doesn't even remember. He's probably right. We need a
what yeah yeah, yeah, you know what pooh is right anyway? Yeah?
So yeah, So what's next for you besides another con Um? Have
you written anything? No? Yeah, just curious now I have not why
enough. I haven't written anything, but somebody who wrote something. But that's
for that's something that we're not gonna We can't but we can't tell anything.
Could be something in the future, I could think, but um, yeah,
no, uh, stay tuned, stay tuned. It's you know,
it's it's that one thing I was talking to somebody today and I think it's
a good way to talk about it is I think as artists, and I
use that word lightly, I'm not one of these people. I'm an artist,
but a no. As an artist, I think you never really content.
But I'm but I'm happy. You know, I'm very happy with the
things that I've been able to do, the people I've been able to meet,
the things like things like this, I mean, getting to travel to
sit with you and all this stuff. But it's okay if you don't feel
content, because I can't imagine a painter does a beautiful painting goes, well
that's the last one. I got it. I got it all out.
Yeah, you know, you always want the next thing, and uh somebody
said, how do you how do you deal with that? Like there's always
the next thing? And I'm like, well, that's the excitement of it.
Yeah, I said, you know what, why would you look at
like, oh, I got to find the next thing? Is it's a
problem. It's like what will would the next thing be? Because you know,
and I think, and it's also I also goes the whole positivity thing.
I just and yeah, I have some really cool stuff on the horizon.
Uh, and we'll see if if it comes to fruition, we'll see
if anybody who likes it, and if they don't, go to the next
thing, and you just you just keep going, you know that. That's
the great thing about this business, especially you know, especially in the voice
side, is we can we can do this till we drop. You know.
We were talking the other day about like, yeah, you can.
Why I retire? Why why would you? Yeah? You know, I
mean I'm not we're not digging ditches, We're not you know, drilling.
Yeah, you know, yeah, still ringing, I'll answer, yeah.
And you can do it a lot from your house these days, you know,
and yeah, exactly, Yeah, and you know, and there's and
there's yeah, and you know, there's new new, you know. I
remember when I got into voiceover, I was doing non camera stuff and then
somebody said, hey, you should talk to a voiceover agent because you're always
goofing around. Yeah, and I'm like, okay, And then breaking into
animation at the time was really difficult. So they said, hey, they're
doing video games now, it's usually just you know, grenade and get down
and oh yeah, and I was like, yeah, I have kids,
I'll do that, sure, you know. It's well they were like,
it's just yelling. I'm like, well I'm gonna yell at my kids.
Yeah, yeah, I might as well. Yeah, let's say what I
remember I gonna do. It's like, well, it's only minimum, I
think. It was like, it's only like seven hundred dollars. I'm like,
I'll yell for seven hundred dollars. I don't care anyway, and it
and and then that evolved, so who knows what the next thing will be,
and you know, just look forward to it. And you know,
now it's just like hopefully I like looking at like who else is doing this?
Probably like if somebody you know, your audition for something or you get
your landed jobs, like who else is in it? Who's too? Do
we got? You know? And it's like, uh, you know,
because it's because we're still you know, there's still time, you know,
we get one. We may see each other just on zoom, but yeah,
we haven't done a show together. Yeah, but that happens to a
lot of people. Well, now you have, well, now we have.
Now we have that's right, we have now we have I mean talking
about it you know, it's interesting here you bringing up you know, like
the introduction to video games, and you know, it didn't really know what
that was about because of me and Jim had been talking a little bit about
you know, like he was saying, you know, like, oh,
he's done a lot of video game voices. You know, I've done kind
of more cartoons. It's almost like we're two different worlds, like but at
the same convention. You know. Yeah, well, I mean, you
know the thing is is that was just you know, people say, how
did you know it was going to be so good? I didn't. That
was the opportunity, that was the foot in the door. Yea. And
what happened is the games. Then people said, okay, then now you
transition to animation, and then you know, I auditioned for Nickelodeon show and
you finally get one, and then you do this, this and this,
and all of a sudden, now you're doing animation. Um, you know,
and and and now I know, people going back and now you get
people move you know, people Gary Oldman did a call of duty. I
mean people are doing that kind of stuff. Yeah, I mean yeah,
yeah, I mean they're doing yeah Reeves, I mean, big names,
so they go back and do that. So um, you know, it's
just like you said, you know, it's I think it's funny when people
said, well, I just want to be a voice actor. Well that's
great if that's just what you want to do, but understand that you should
be an actor. Yeah, you know that. We meet so many people
who say I can do all these voices, you know what I mean.
It's it's like, I mean, I guarantee there's people out there. There's
somebody out there that can sound like Nathan Drake or sound like when should sound
like Winnie the Poem, but they can't do the performance, certainly can't sing.
Yeah, I mean people don't realize that, I mean, what that
takes. And it's like, no, that's the guy you know who who
is that character? Yeah? Yeah, you know that's the one thing that
you've really screwed anybody in the future because it can't it's it's not gonna be
able to be done. It's good, I hope, I mean it's really
Yeah, well no, it's it won't. It's just it's a it's it's
a legacy. Yeah. How does it feel, Jim, when people like
I know, I see a lot of people at the conventions, they come
up and they do one of your character voices, like what's the internal monologue
when when somebody comes up, I can, I can? I can answer
that question? Yes, yes, this Oh yeah, that's sweet. God
love you. Yeah, yeah, that's really great. Hey do you come?
I can do any to Pooh, hi weny to Pooh, and I
go, you're giving me chills. That's that's It's as if I was in
the room. Yeah, it's it's you have you know, you know,
and and it here's the thing. Some of them will do characters in mind
and you're like, and you're like, that's so sweet. They're a big
fan, they do it, sure, sure. And then it's the people
who really really yeah, we got it, and they get a little there
are It's it's rare, but there's some people who get a little it kind
of yeah. They're like, so I'm like, how would I get the
agent? I'm like, oh, you're serious, yeah, and you know,
in order to take my job? Well let me see. Yeah.
It's like, okay, well, good luck. The thing the thing with
the like with with voices like that, it seems to me that that job
a Pooh or a Tigger or Scooby or you know, well, no,
I mean mine, it's it's a different thing. But because those are iconic
characters, and I felt I always felt like as we were talking about the
Mickey One, I told I told my agents, I said, you talk
to you tell Wayne, oh wine, God blood rest his soul. I
said, you tell Wayne. I will not do anything until he wants to
mentor me or pass it on to me. When he's like I'm done or
I you know what, I'm not doing the ice show. I'm taking this
thing. If you but be stow that on onto say if you know it's
like that, you don't, I'm not gonna sit here and go give me
a little pop. Let me try to Jim, what do you think about
my pool? It's like, you know, if he came to me one
day and goes, hey, you know what I'm gonna I'm gonna cut back
on you know, let me hear let me. It's like you that's his
job is something that he would have to bestow or the powers would be just
take it away, and that's that's horrible. So I think, you know,
but Dan Castelanetta, if he wanted to step away from Homer, you
know that should be Dan's choice. Yeah. Then then like, hey,
you know what, I know someone who doesn't, and I'm gonna work with
him as I slow down. Yeah, these are characters that have to Frank
Welker would have to come and find someone say, I'm gonna I'm gonna work
with him on to do Scooby. I'll keep doing Fred but I'm tired.
It's it's a lot of work that should be bestowed upon someone next. You
don't just you can't. It's not a job that should be should be allowed
to be taken, you know. And some and he's done it for how
long have you done it? Poo well eight mid eighties, eighty five and
ticker on and off. So and I have a story about that the Tiger,
Yeah, a long time. I mean it's like, that's that should
be Yeah, we have very very rarely do you feel like true ownership of
a character. But if you can, wells Welker and that Scooby and Freddie
He's yeah, and that's it. That should be his choice. And it's
like and and all these great characters, these these the iconic ones that that
Yeah, I just think it's well, it's ridiculous. Yeah. Well on
that topic of like kind of like you know, ownership of your voice.
You know, like a big part of this strike is you kind of over
AI, you know, and the ability to mimic you know, especially when
you have so many, so much voices recorded you that goes into the database
and that gives it even you know, more knowledge on how to replicate your
voice. I mean I've heard ones, you know, Obama or Joe Rogan,
you know, people who have thousands and thousands of audio recording is online
and it's just kind of like whoa. And you know, my understanding is
that part of this strike is there was a clause in there where they're trying
to buy likeness for like a day rate, and like we have your AI
likeness for like yeah, yeah, but I think that's a big that's just
you think it's people worked up. It's the worked up, ridiculous thing that
they know they're never gonna go and it's the one thing that they can say,
Okay, well we'll take this off the table. Okay, but you
have to It's like no, no, yeah, that shouldn't be on the
table. It's ridiculous. We're going to get to the truth. You go
in and watch them by exactly the a I think the Lai thing is.
And I don't understand it all that well, but you know what, the
biggest best defense against any Ai stealing his voice or my voice is a really
good lawyer. Yeah. Yeah, and the threat of a threat of a
lawsuit. I mean, if if if a studio is stupid enough to go
and say, Okay, we're gonna we're gonna take a bunch of Gym's old
lines and it's him, because you can hear and I had that. And
there's also you know they've done this in court. I mean they can go
listen to the voice Brinton put it and go, yeah, that's him.
Yeah they No, that's not an impression. That's him. Yeah, there's
certain tremor trouble whatever they that's him. It's like, okay, well just
you congratulations. Now you're gonna pay way more than you would have had you
just called called sure. Yeah, and yeah, I had I had something
years ago. Um it was a talking Winnie the Pooh toy and uh it
was called my Interactive Pooh see no comment and uh that the lady that the
girl that was there, I forget who it was from one of one of
the big toy things. She said, okay, now where we did all
this? I mean, and it took months and months. I said every
single name in the unit verse because it was hello, Shaboozy, you know,
and then and all of those names. It was happy Birthday. And
then we started on phone ms and I said, well, what's a phone
m? And it's like pH uh fu, and they would trying to put
it together. Yeah, And I go, now why and he would you
want me to do that? She goes, oh, well no, well
this way, see if we have you doing it all these different phone ms
like the tch sound, the st sound, you know, that way,
we could just put it together and we don't have to pull you back in
and pay you. And then you know what she said it me, No,
she said it. Wow, she said it, And Rick Dempsey went,
you know and I said, um, I'm not going to do that.
What's the word I'm looking for. It's a two letter word rhymes with
no way pose a and so yeah, so I forgot to do that.
You don't even know what you're gonna say it? Yeah, yeah you should
huh yeah, Um, that's not gonna that's the best I can do.
Yeah, yeah, there's one. Yeah. Yeah, here's your interactive pooh.
Yeah yeah, it's a precursor. That's yeah. I mean there's like
the STU. I mean just like yeah, absolutely said it to be so
raisingly unbelievable, abashedly rude in disrespect. Yeah. I couldn't believe it,
you know, it was I was flabbergasted. I can't and you're just telling
me that. Wow. M nah Yeah, it's not gonna I'm busy now
wow wow. Yeah. So and x nay on that. Yeah, and
Disney they were kind about it. They go, yeah, that's right.
Sorry, we didn't know about that was gonna We're gonna take her back.
Yeah yeah, yeah, it's gonna be fine, thank you. Yeah.
See a hand hanging out of the dumpster when you're on your car. Yeah
yeah, really did it? Oh wow, Yeah, sorry about that,
Jim. Wow. Yeah, really sounds good. That's all really good.
We took care of that bitch. Yeah, that's right. That wasn't me,
that was Ai talking. Yes, I've heard of him. Yes,
oh that's painful. Here at the four Finger Discount Network, we produce over
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the description of this podcast. So are you got any more conventions? Land
Him might be seeing you again? Probably probably, probably, I hope,
so yeah, No, I mean, uh, where are we now?
We're in Montreal, Montreal, right, We're in Montreal. I believe I
have Uh, I get to go Tulsa, Oklahoma, which I'm actually a
family down in South uh Territory, So Oda and Tulsa, but I know
I think Edmonton. When are you going to Oklahoma? Oklahoma? August?
Are your sports fan because we should. I'm trying to tout your stuff.
Oh yeah, yeah, tout tout Uh yeah yeah, doing that stuff.
Uh Tulsa. Um, I got a signing in Seattle at some point,
I remember things. Uh, we'll be ending up. I think I end
up my year in my home state in Rhode Island at Providence at the beginning
of November. So oh nice, that's gonna be really cool. Um yeah,
but you know, check what is the Celebrity Talent Booking CDB site.
We're on there and CTB. CTB sounds like I don't know, condition,
sounds like a diagnosis. Yeah, it's yes, I'm sorry you have CTBT.
What what is that? It's chronic tuberculosis tuberculosis, tubercus tuberculosis. You
can't be the good isis there? You go? But yeah, no,
um, just you know doing that stuff. Obviously we got the SAG strike.
It's not affecting interactive or some of our TV animation stuff like that.
But um, you know, writer strike is on as well. So it's
a it's an interesting time. So most of my my you know, in
between conventions and any kind of you know, gaming gaming gigs I have.
I think it's gonna be just hit those the punch lists at the house.
You know, I gotta you know, paint that door that the dog scratched.
You know, I got man got those honeydoo lists that hooft I heard
of those, and then you know the ones that my wife is just like
you said, you get to that about six months ago. I'm calling someone.
Yeah, okay, I'll be here. When he gets here. Yeah,
I'll tell him the right wall to paint exactly or something. Yeah,
I'm good at that too. So um No, it's just you know,
I'm just gonna write it out. Just kind of ran out there. It's
been a it's been a good year so far. I'm curious to see what's
going to happen with all this. Yeah, the sag after on the w
GA strike, we shall see. I hope we can figure this out and
we'll get back to work and have more fun. Ladies and gentlemen, the
great Noland North thanks for inviting us out to play. Stay tuned in with
Jim Cummings sometimes he's on the show. Yeah, well, thank you so
much for joining us. Absolutely. Yeah, it was a great conversation.
You know, we had this plan for the last day or so. I'm
like really happy that you just decided to take this on. I mean yeah,
yeah, for those of you out there, you know, we literally
planned this yesterday. It was like we met up with Nolan and all of
a sudden you told me I heard about the podcast, and I was like,
oh, so you're in podcasts. Yeah, I was kind of angling.
Yeah, we love to cast a good pod. Yeah, no,
it's been a lot of fun and talking to you over the last couple of
days has been real. Treating its pleasure, Yeah, no, it's it's
great. Yeah, and thanks for having me seriously and uh, when I
you know, well, let's do it again when we had absolutely when we
just want to keep shooting the ship, Yeah, I love it.