Writing, comedy, radio, acting, voice-work - the inimitable Dave Wittenberg has done it all. To Digimon fans, he's known as the voice of Henry Wong, as well as the Sovereign Ebonwumon, and the Monster Makers' ally, Johnny Beckenstein. When I was finally able to get in contact with him, much to my surprise, he suggested an actual on-line chat, rather than simple e-mail. Naturally, I was more than willing - and here's the result.
Chris
McFeely: So, let's see, what should I begin with...?
Dave Wittenberg: Whatever's clever, as they say... What do you
want to know?
CMcF: Hmn, well, now that I've a bit more control over
this whole process (never done an actual CHAT before!), I think
I'll begin with:
DW: Wow... no pressure... tick, tick, tick... :-)
CMcF: It'd be something of an understatement to say
you've done a lot. But what was your first love? What did you
first decide you wanted to build a career in?
DW: Good question.
DW: I’ve sort've had a really blessed career path. I seem to
start out doing one thing and at some point it naturally branches
into something else.
DW: Originally I wanted to do film and TV as every actor does.
And to some extent I still do, but... I got into radio early in
my career and I really loved that. It was a great way to put
together a couple of things I really love: voices, comedy and
loud music.
CMcF: What was your first job in radio?
DW: As luck would have it, the first job I ever had in radio was
doing goofy stuff on a friend of mine's college show... I only
did that twice I think. Then I walked away from it entirely for
three years or so until I wound up doing voices and impressions
for another friend's show. Only this time it was on WBCN in
Boston, which is a huge heritage rock station, and I was gettin'
paid...
CMcF: It's not often you can say you're getting paid to
have fun, I guess.
DW: Exactly! I am constantly amazed that people will actually
give me money to fool around...
CMcF: So, what was the next step up after WBCN?
DW: I did that for three years, then a station out here in LA
hired me to do their evening show and moved me across the
country. They gave me a contract, but 9 months into it they
decided to switch formats to Spanish... And uh, yo no habla...
CMcF: Ditto that. I could tell you what my name is and
what colour shirt I'm wearing, but that's as far as I go. /:)
DW: Yeah, other than "How much for the burrito?” and
“Take me to the embassy!" I'm outta luck...
CMcF: What was the next move?
DW: Are you just cutting and pasting your half of this
conversation? ;-)
CMcF: Er... no? /:)
DW: lol
DW: I got into the internet radio revolution for awhile and that
was by far the greatest music oriented job I've ever had.
Corporate radio is such a disaster in the States, what with
payola and consultants telling you how and when to play any given
song... At the internet station I could play Fatboy Slim into Al
Green into Parliament into KMFDM as long as I could make it make
sense... Very difficult to return to terrestrial radio after
experiencing that kind of freedom.
CMcF: Yeah, I know a guy who has one'a those stations,
I've done a bit for one before.
CMcF: Of course, it was a review of a Transformers toy,
so I *don't* think it's quite in the same league. /:)
DW: It all counts to me.
CMcF:
Okay, now, let's see... what was your "big break" into
the voice acting industry?
DW: I got into games, actually. That was my big entree into the
industry...
CMcF: What games?
DW: I've done voices for dozens of games at this point. Most
notably for Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 and 3, and hmm... lemme
think... I also did Kelly Slater Pro Surfer, and a number of
upcoming games I'm not allowed to talk about.
CMcF: Ah, mum's the word (I'd hazard a guess that .hack
might be one, but we'll say nothing).
DW: *hums quietly avoiding eye contact*
CMcF: Allrighty, now, let's talking about the writing.
How did you get started in that industry? Did it branch from the
acting, or vice versa?
DW: It sort of evolved independently. I've always been a writer.
Both as a comic and just in general... I've sort of always been
interested in literally every job on any given production.
DW: But as far as professional writing goes, I used to write
freelance for Bill Maher' Politically Incorrect, Dennis Miller
and Craig Kilborn. I didn't get to write my first Digimon until
well into Season 3 which is a good thing, because I had a lot to
learn...
(Chris's note - Dave wrote episode 3.46, "When is a Mon
Justimon?")
CMcF: Well, that's a nice tie-in, as well focus on
Digimon for a little while now. Through what
circumstances did you get involved with the show, and get cast as
Henry? Simply the normal story of "went in and
auditioned?"
DW: Sorry to spoil your aspirations for something more, but yep.
Went in and auditioned and they liked what i did.
CMcF: Well, we can still wring a little more from that.
;-) Did you audition for any other characters?
DW: Well, when I went in, as I would imagine when Steve Blum or
Brian Beacock went in, they had me read for all of the main male
characters. I read for Takato, Henry, and even Guilmon. Each of
them was very, very different, (obviously) so it was up to the
casting folk to figure out which one I'd fit... if any.
DW: I give all the credit in the world to the producer and the
casting people who made some wonderful choices in casting.
CMcF: If you *could* have played any other character in
the show (not just limited to the main ones), who would it have
been?
DW: Hmm... I love Guilmon's innocence. He's so big and so strong,
but so wonderfully kind hearted. I have to say that Steve Blum
did an amazing job voicing Guilmon, though, so having heard the
work he did with the character, I personally don't think anyone
could have done it better.
DW: Wow, some writer I am... nice run-on sentence.
CMcF: Now, to tread the fanboyish waters a little - what
were your impressions of Henry as a character? Did you try to
bring anything of yourself to the role?
DW: A lot of what made Henry who he is sort of evolved
organically while I was in the booth recording him. Mary
Elizabeth, our wonderful director and Terry Lei O'Malley our
marvellous producer had definite ideas of Henry's personality.
But they really let me play around and discover some great facets
of his character.
DW: I love his "heart of a lion" sensibility. He, like
me, believes that fighting is such a last resort. That you should
be able to talk things out and settle differences like
intelligent people. But when push comes to shove and people he
cares about are in danger, there's nothing he won't do to protect
them. I like that.
CMcF: Y’know, I reckon that’s somewhere among
the best answers I’ve had. :-)
DW: Well thankyouvery much as Elvis Presley and Johnny Bravo
might say....
CMcF: I think Johnny Bravo was better without Pops and
Karl, and before Suzie's head got made that weird shape it is
now...
DW: lmao... I have to agree with you.
DW: But he's still nowhere near as cool as the Tick.
CMcF: That show never got shown here enough. But I think
we'll be able to do without the live action version...
DW: I will never understand what happened with that show. It only
aired here for half a season. Only 13 were made, I think, and
poof, off the air it went. But it has the BIGGEST cult following
of any show I've ever seen... except Digimon.
CMcF: The animated or live action Tick?
DW: Animated.
CMcF: 'Cause I'm pretty sure there were two seasons of
that. I must look that up...
DW: www.imdb.com
CMcF: Oh, yeah, right, the site that said Doug Erholtz
voiced Henry! ;-)
DW: Really?! Hmm... *note to self: IMDB goes on "the
list"*
CMcF: *L* Well, they don't say that anymore.
CMcF: Now, here's one I've not asked anyone before: What is
Digimon to you? I know that many actors view such a show as
"just more work," which is, of course, normal. But
what's your take on it?
DW: Digimon is... (why do I feel like this is one of those
pageant type questions?) ...To me it's more than just another
show. The fervor that the fans follow it with. The way that
important lessons of life are dealt with sort of just below the
surface. And the sheer fact that so many people can see it in
such a broad range of countries makes it such a bigger deal than
your average anime...
DW: Plus, the status of the show, being a Saturday Morning
Cartoon makes it a dream come true for those of us who used to
watch Bugs Bunny et al. And on top of that, as if there needed to
be more, you simply get the chance to work with the best in the
business. This show brings together an incredibly talented group.
CMcF: Did you have any previous knowledge of the show
before you came on board with the third season?
DW: I have to be careful to say that I certainly knew OF it, but
I didn't know much about it.
CMcF: Would be hard NOT to know of it, I think.
DW: lol true enough
CMcF: Well then, you might have a different perspective
for this next question compared to some of the others I've asked.
CMcF: What were your impressions of the third season? It
was considerably darker and deeper than anything that had been
seen in the previous two (a much-more seriously oriented dub
helped bring this across all the more) - do you think maybe some
parts went over the target audience's heads a little bit? Or does
a character like, say, Terriermon, Calumon or Guilmon, with their
childish innocence and appeal, give the kids something to relate
to?
DW: I suppose it went a little deeper than the previous seasons,
but I think if you look at the way it's written and produced,
there are going to be parts that go over the head of the younger
viewer yet reach the older one. It definitely had an element of
seriousness that the previous seasons didn't. Characters like
Terriermon and Calumon and Kazu and Kenta tend to keep things
pretty light though.
CMcF: And hey, the kids got naked.
DW: There was that!
CMcF: Have you done any recording or writing for the
fourth series of the show?
DW: I understand the fourth season will be even better than the
third!
CMcF: Apparently, it’s particularly light-hearted, to
contrast with Tamers' seriousness. Any thoughts on that?
DW: I think each season has a different twist than the others. I
wouldn't be surprised if the fourth season had more of the fun
goofiness of the first two.
CMcF: Well, this time around we have kids that turn INTO
Digimon themselves.
DW: Now who among us wouldn't want to have that little skill?
CMcF: It's the
"fighting-for-my-life-stuck-in-another-dimension"
aspect that doesn't appeal so much to me. ;-)
DW: I think fighting for my life doesn't appeal to me much in ANY
dimension. Sounds like a great deal of sweating would be
involved. Especially since I can't turn into a Digimon... or can
I...?
CMcF: One final question to round up the Digimon-related
ones - have a favourite character on the show, besides Henry?
DW: Well, not one, but several. I think Rika is great. I love her
snippy little comebacks and her fiery spirit. I also think it's
great that she wasn't afraid to grow a little bit and realize
that she needed Takato and Henry as much as they needed her. And
I do love Terriermon. Terriermon gets to say so many of the
things that I'm thinking but can't say.
CMcF: Now, see, I love Terriermon, but I'm not so fond of
Rika.
DW: See, the show has a little something for everyone!
CMcF:
I've personally never had any lost love for the introverted,
alienated character archetype.
DW: Hmm... yeah, but when it's a girl it's cooler.
CMcF: There's that whole "marketing" thing. The
girl must be hardcore so the boy viewers will like her.
DW: Nice use of the word Archetype, by the way
CMcF: Heck, I'm makin' it up as I go along, I could have
used that completely incorrectly and probably did and I'd still
be happy if it *sounded* good! ;-)
DW: Well in that case, you doubly succeeded!
CMcF: It's my understanding that a lot of voice actors
rarely watch the shows they work. Does this hold true for you? If
you do watch the shows (or play the games) you work on, what are
your impressions of the finished products?
DW: I love to watch the shows. I'm just a fan of anything
animated. I'm always amazed at what happens when we leave the
booth and the sound editors get to work. And then the real magic,
the composers put music to a scene and it just brings it to life.
CMcF: Fan of anything animated, eh? Have any current
and/or long-time favourite shows?
DW: I'd say Bugs Bunny is number one. But the Simpsons rates a
close second.
CMcF: It's been rather a pity about the dip in quality
the Simpsons storylines have suffered in recent years, I feel.
DW: I think anything that if runs that long, and keep in mind
it's the longest running animated show in history (it may even be
the longest running SHOW in history), you're bound to start
losing something...
CMcF: True, true. I think it might be good for it if it
actually did come to an end, as they've been suggesting lately.
I'd die happy if they made a movie, though.
DW: If you look back on the greatest seasons of the Simpsons,
Conan O'Brien was actually the head writer for most of them.
CMcF: I wish I paid more attention to that sort of stuff
on shows *other* than Digimon. ^^;;
DW: It's never too late.
CMcF: I'm sure there's a list of it all somewhere...
CMcF: It's reasonable to say that voice actors and
actresses are don't get a lot of public appreciation for what
they do, and instead have more cult and fan followings. What are
your opinions on this? Do you like the anonymity?
DW: I love the anonymity. There's a real downside to being
instantly recognizable I suspect. I think most of us just do this
because we love it.
CMcF: Ever found yourself recognised at all, when out and
about?
DW: Yeah, and it's kind of nice. Especially when people are
complimentary. It's always nice to hear that people like what you
do, no matter what your profession.
CMcF:
What advice do you have you for those out there who aspire to be
voice actors? How should they go about making their way into the
industry?
DW: I would say refer to Steve Blum's answer
on this one. It pretty much sums it up. I'd love to elaborate,
but he really hit the nail on the head.
CMcF: Who would you cite as your inspirations, in life,
in the industry, in anything?
DW: I'm most inspired by my family, but as far as people those
other than me may know... I'd say Robin Williams. Great improv
comic. Billy West and Rob Paulsen are the very best in the world
of voiceovers... There's something to learn from each of them,
I'm sure.
CMcF: Paulsen, I love - grew up with him, what with him
being Raphael on the Turtles, which was, of course, a staple for
me.
DW: Yeah. He has really had a marvellously diverse career. I've
gotten to work with him on one occasion and he is utterly amazing
and humbling to be in the same room with.
CMcF: I can imagine... but, as for West... I dunno, I'm
not so sure about him. I liked him as Doug in... er... Doug.
But... there's something about him that I can't quite put my
finger on.
DW: Billy West will live forever in my heart because of Ren and
Stimpy.
CMcF: I never saw as much of that show as I would have
liked. Bad scheduling over here. That might have something to do
with why I’m not so attached to him.
CMcF: Which is not to say that West's not GOOD, or
anything, of course. /:)
DW: lol, of course.
CMcF: Similar kinda vein - are there any individuals in
the industry who you would like to work with in the future?
DW: I would love to work with Frank Welker. He's truly a genius.
Maurice LeMarche... Hank Azaria would be a blast to work with
either live action or in an animated show.
DW: Oh, Dennis Leary and Owen Wilson are also charter members of
my "people you'd kill to work with" list...
CMcF: And speaking of future work - what can we expect to
see from you next? What are you working on at the moment?
DW: I just did some TV voiceovers for Activision O2, which is
their X Games division. I've got a number of game projects on
their way out... Also some TV and Radio campaigns for "The
Who." In addition, I was blessed enough to get to work on
the Cowboy Bebop movie. Lots of other things in the works!
CMcF: Ooh, Bebop. That will excite a few people.
DW: Wait till you see it. Amazing.
CMcF: Doesn't hold much sway for me, unfortunately, as
the show isn't on TV here, and when I was just in the US
recently, I was only able to see half an episode of the show
before the jet-lag kicked in. /:)
DW: Well, I have a sneaking suspicion you'll get your chance to
behold the movie.
CMcF: Basically, my Bebop experience = ten minutes or so.
DW:
But ten good minutes, right?
CMcF: Er... well, I remember they involved Faye trying to
take a shower, so, yeah, that seemed good. :-)
DW: LOL, point taken!
CMcF: But, say, speaking of movies - what's the good word
on the possibility of a new Digimon movie?
DW: I honestly haven't heard. I would think, though, that the
time for another film is ripe, since it's been a couple of
years...
CMcF: You and all of the fandom.
CMcF: We're all just hoping, however, that it'll be better made
than the first, which cut up the first three Japanese movies, and
pasted them together, re-writing the third one's plot entirely
and cutting out more than a half-hour of footage.
DW: Yeah... I would imagine that along the way in the editing
process some decisions were made that may not have been ideal.
But that's true of most anything that has to be reimagined for a
US audience.
CMcF: Rounding it up now, penultimate question - What do
you do in your spare time? What hobbies or interests do you have?
Besides animation, of course, as we've already covered that
pretty well.
DW: I'm a crazed sports fan. I love to take in a baseball game
whenever possible. I also love to play guitar with a few friends
of mine. Not nearly well enough I'd want anyone to hear it
though... I also love doing stand-up. Not so much a hobby but
definitely something I'm constantly playing around with...
CMcF: And lastly - any final words you've got to impart
to your fans?
DW: Yes. Wear sunscreen. Brush AND Floss. Don't chew tinfoil. And
above all, thank you. Thanks for being as into the show as the
people who make it are. You have to realize that everything that
goes into putting that show on the air is done with you in mind.
We're constantly trying to give you something you haven't seen
before along with all of the things we know you love. But thanks
for letting us entertain you. Without you, I might've wound up
working at the gas station, like my mom always dreamed I would.
CMcF: Well, that's me out of questions. You have any you
want to ask ME?
DW: Only that I've really enjoyed chatting with you, and I hope
the other fans that read it enjoy it too. Thanks Chris.
CMcF: Well, now, that's not technically a question.
*grins*
DW: lol... not technically, no.
DW: It has been a pleasure Chris, truly. Thanks for taking the
time and effort to track me down!
CMcF: It's been a pleasure for me too. This is the first
time I've ever done a chat, as I said, but I've always wanted to.
I just didn't think it'd work, you know, time difference, and
all. So thank you.
CMcF: Perhaps at another time, we shall discuss the
cultural relevance of the Powerpuff Girls.
CMcF: Or... perhaps not. ;-)
DW: OH yes we will!
CMcF: Well, allrighty then! Wish the movie would hurry up
and get over here. Monkeys, super heroines, monkeys, robots,
monkeys, devastation and *monkeys.*
DW: Don't forget the monkeys!
