Marc Tyler Nobleman's Blog, page 71

Buster Jones, Black Vulcan voice actor, 1943-2014

Buster Jones, popular cartoon voice actor of the 1970s-80s, passed away on 9/16/14. I learned of this because his neighbor kindly notified his Facebook friends list one at a time. Buster was not married and had no children.

In 2011, I had the privilege of interviewing him for my Super Friends blog series. It was the first interview he gave about his animation voiceover work. His interview was one of the most candid of that (or any of my) series—in fact, one of his stories in particular is flat-out ribald. Buster had been out of the VO business for a while and was desperate for work. That interview got him invited to a cartoon convention in Texas, for which he got paid—and the royal treatment.

When talking conversationally, Buster had a stutter. However, when he recorded, it went away.

A radio and on-air TV personality as well, Buster interviewed everyone from Bill Withers to Rosey Grier to Gladys Knight:





Earlier this year, my good friend Mike Fox kindly went to Buster’s on my behalf (I don’t live in Los Angeles) to take a photo of Buster with the action figure I’d sent him. It was his Super Friends character, Black Vulcan.


You were electric, Buster. RIP.

Addendum: Because Buster was not married and had no kids, I feared no one would submit an obituary to the media. (Sensitive issue for me; Bill Finger never got one.)

But thanks to my friend Jonathan Taylor, I reached the right person at Variety and results happened:

Kidlit mashups (AKA merged children’s book sequels)

First they revealed their superhero Halloween costumes.

Then they read aloud bad reviews...of their own books.

Now in yet another unlikely way, authors and illustrators of books for young people have come together. Well, not them...their creations.

In 2013, a phrase fusing two popular children’s book titles skidded into my head: “I Want My Cat in the Hat Back.” Perpetual tip of the hat to Jon Klassen (I Want My Hat Back) and Dr. Seuss (The Cat in the Hat).

It was immediately followed by an image, which a talented designer friend named Tim Connor kindly made real:


Next thing I knew, I was hunting for other recurring words in titles of other beloved children’s and YA books to brainstorm more “merged sequels.”

The results feature a madcap mix of time-tested classics and modern favorites (plus one I wrote, because it worked). Another savvy designer friend, Derek Wolfford (also a musician and the curator of the Bill Finger Appreciation Group on Facebook), generously agreed to produce the sixteen concepts I came up with. (What I did as an attempt at a thank you—scroll to last image.)

Twice upon a time...

















Disclaimer: All of these works are, of course, copyright their respective creators. As you saw, whichever book cover formed the backdrop of the mashup is the one whose author (and, when applicable, illustrator) credit is intact. This was due only to design logistics. Full credits:

Fancy Nancy (Jane O’Connor/Robin Preiss Glasser) + Nancy Drew (Carolyn Keene)Harold and the Purple Crayon (Crockett Johnson) + Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse (Kevin Henkes)Curious George (H. A. and Margret Rey) + George and Martha (James Marshall)Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (Mo Willems) + The Magic School Bus series (Joanna Cole/Bruce Degen)Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Judith Viorst/Ray Cruz) + A Sick Day for Amos McGee (Philip C. Stead/Erin E. Stead)Stuart Little (E.B. White/Garth Williams) + Little Gorilla (Ruth Bornstein)The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (Jon Scieszka/Lane Smith) + The Story About Ping (Marjorie Flack/Kurt Wiese)Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (J.K. Rowling) + Harry the Dirty Dog (Gene Zion/Margaret Bloy Graham)Babymouse (Jennifer L. Holm/Matthew Holm) + The Mouse and the Motorcycle (Beverly Cleary)Clifford the Big Red Dog (Norman Bridwell) + The Big Red Lollipop (Rukhsana Khan/Sophie Blackall)Encyclopedia Brown (Donald J. Sobol/Leonard Shortall) + Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Bill Martin, Jr./Eric Carle)Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) + Green Eggs and Ham (Dr. Seuss)The Library Lion (Michelle Knudsen/Kevin Hawkes) + The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)Skippyjon Jones (Judy Schachner) + Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus (Barbara Park/Denise Brunkus)Walk Two Moons (Sharon Creech) + Goodnight Moon (Margaret Wise Brown/Clement Hurd)Bill the Boy Wonder (me/Ty Templeton) + Wonder (R.J. Palacio)
Suggestions for more? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.

The Everything Store

The Everything Store by journalist Brad Stone came out in 2013. It’s about Amazon.com, which launched in 1995. 


However, there was an Everything Store that predated both the book and the site.

“The Everything Store” was actually its nickname. Its name name was Towers Pharmacy.


It was in New Haven, CT. It had an old-fashioned, S-shaped, speckle-countered luncheonette. It had a Cheers-like cast of employees and regulars. It was popular with Yale faculty and students (including Flashdance actress Jennifer Beals, who once did a school photography assignment in the store) and Yale Repertory Theatre performers including James Earl Jones, among many others.

the luncheonette
And from 1978 to 1987, it was my dad’s.

 the pharmacist at work, 1986
At least once I (age tween) helped the cook make eggs for a customer. On Saturday mornings, I took classes at the nearby Creative Arts Workshop and my sister and I would hang out at the store before and after; one of my jobs was cutting the plastic binds off the new stacks of newspapers. There was a small toy section in the back. I was excited when the store added a small spinner rack of cassettes. I’d eagerly anticipate trips to the nearby comic book store where I binged on new releases (60 cents apiece) and back issues alike. 

One night there was a break-in and my dad had to go down there in the wee hours to assess the damage. One day he did the Heimlich maneuver on a choking customer and saved her life.

 preparations for Hurricane Gloria, 1985

(The photos here are the only known ones we have of Towers.)

When I was starting my sophomore year of high school, my dad sold the store. One September afternoon, my friends Mike and Seth and I went there to help pack up the inventory. My family hoarded quite a few birthday cards for future use.

After that, the building became, among other things, a Chinese restaurant.

I don’t know what it is now.

But for a while during my childhood, it was everything.

What's the difference? Whatever it is, embrace it

“Instead of always telling our children that we are all equal and the same, we should tell them that we are all different. Saying we’re the same naturally makes them look for differences. Conversely, saying we’re all different (in appearance, cultures, etc.) makes them instinctively look for ways we’re alike.”—Erica L. Scott, Binghamton, NY, 2009 letter to Newsweek

Interview subjects who have died

Since 2006, I have interviewed numerous people for my books and this blog. Many were in their golden years, and some—even some who were not yet in their golden years—have since passed away. I’ll keep a running list/tribute here.

various Golden Age comic book writers and artists: Jerry Robinson (who died 12/7/11, and about whom I wrote an obituary of sorts), Shelly Moldoff, Lew Sayre Schwartz, Alvin Schwartz, Joe Kubert, Arnold Drake, Carmine Infantino Michael Rye , voice of Green Lantern and Apache Chief on Super Friends, 9/21/12 Karen Morton , actress who starred as the title character in 1981 Tommy Tutone music video “867-5309/Jenny,” 2/11/14 James Rebhorn , character actor who portrayed a live-action Batman early in his career, 3/21/14
Also:
Janet Schulman , editor of Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman; I did not interview her, but worked with her (of course), 2/11/11

Iowa Reading Association Conference 2014

On 6/24/14, I had the honor of delivering two keynotes at the Iowa Reading Association Conference in Ames, IA. It was was my first time to the state, though all I got to see was the stretch between airport and conference site.

I got to tell some of my favorite stories...in an appropriately named county:


I got to take home this gift, a piece of tag-cloud art customized to my work:


And I got to be humbled by many nice tweets afterward, such as these:






Thank you again to Deb Mortensen for inviting me, and to the educators who took the time to listen to me.

Jimi Jamison (lead singer of Survivor), 1951-2014

Jimi Jamison, lead singer of the rock band Survivor (whose 1980s hits included “High on You,” “The Search Is Over,” and “Burning Heart”), died of an apparent heart attack on 8/31/14.

From: Jimi Jamison
To: Marc Tyler Nobleman
Date: Tuesday, July 22, 2014, 11:23 PM
Subject: Re: Hi Jimi - interview with Lee Ann Marie from “I Can't Hold Back” video is up!

Fantastic Marc! Great stuff here.

I wish I had talked to her more. Great actress, dancer and a real lady. In the scenes on the “L,” I actually forgot we were shooting a video.

Thanks my friend,
Jimi Jamison

Jimi was also a grandfather. And part of an Emmy-nominated 2004 Starbucks commercial.


RIP Jimi. Though our interaction was brief, I could tell that you were a class act.

“Greatest American Hero” theme singer interview: Joey Scarbury

Look at what’s happened to me.

You’d think by now the Internet would have provided us an interview with the singer of the 11th most popular pop song of 1981, but you’d be wrong…until now.


I love superheroes and I love music so it was only a matter of time before I arrived at this topic: Joey Scarbury, distinctive voice of “Believe It or Not,” theme of the memorable TV show The Greatest American Hero (a reboot was recently announced). Despite what seems like a fairly uncommon last name, he was not easy to find, and then it took a while to hear back from him, but once we connected, it was worth it.


The Greatest American Interview? I rarely use superlatives and try not to play favorites, but this is a fun one. (Conducted June 2014.)

How old were you when you sang the Greatest American Hero theme?

26.

What else were you doing professionally at the time?

I was touring, singing backgrounds with Loretta Lynn.

How did you get started doing that?

When I was young, my mom took me to talent contests. She was working at a furniture store in Thousand Oaks, CA and she met Bob Webb. She asked if he was related to [musician] Jimmy Webb, and it turned out that Jimmy was Bob’s son. Jimmy wrote many songs including “Macarthur Park.” I went to their house and sang for Jimmy. This was when I was 13. That started my singing career.

Where were you living at the time?

Thousand Oaks.

How were you hired to sing “Believe It or Not”?

Mike Post was my producer at the time. He and Stephen Geyer wrote the song with me in mind to sing it. Worked out great.

Still in touch with Mike?

Occasionally.

Any funny stories from the recording?

Not really. Pretty cut-and-dried. I was touring and had to fly home from Fort Worth, TX to record it.

What did you think of the song?

I thought it was a really cool song. I had no idea it was going to become iconic. It’s almost a staple by now. There aren’t a lot of songs that are really happy (like the one by Pharrell) and that song is.

Musically did you like it?

I loved it musically. It was acrobatic vocally. It’s not an easy song to sing.


Had you seen any footage of the show at the time of the recording?

No. They’d shot some but I hadn’t seen it. There were also songs inside of the show. For the pilot I think we did “Rocket Man” and a David Bowie song but most after that were originals. Every week there was a song written for the show and I would perform it.

Were those songs released?

One was on the album [America’s Greatest Hero]. But they were snippets, only 30-45 seconds long.


What did you think of the show?

I thought it was fun. I was 26 years old. I was making money doing what I loved.

Did you meet any of the show’s stars?

Yes. At wrap parties.

Multiple times?

Three or four times.

Any photos from those parties?

No, not really.

What were highlights of being in the spotlight when the song was a hit (shows you appeared on, celebrities you met, honors you received, etc.)? I saw you on Solid Gold.

It was weird because when the song was released I was still on the road. A bunch of letters going to Stephen J. Cannell Productions asking where to buy the record, but I didn’t even have a record deal at the time so we had to do that very fast. It wasn’t drawn out and long. I had to quit working with Loretta.

How did Loretta take that?

She was happy as a lark. She was phenomenal.

Still in touch with her?

No, not in quite some time.

What were you paid to record the song?

I was paid union scale to record the actual record. I don't remember the amount. But I made the money back a hundredfold in residuals and royalties. And I did get paid for doing the songs for the show every week.

Do you still earn royalties on the song?

Oh yeah. They’ve used it in so many different things—commercials, TV shows, movies.

Do you have any idea how much you’ll make in any given royalty period?

I’ll go a year and make $3,000 and the next year tens of thousands.

Where did your career go after that?

We took a while to release the album because there were some legal issues. Warner Bros. was suing Cannell for rights infringement for Superman and couldn’t release it till that was handled. By then the [song’s peak] was pretty much over.

I kept singing themes for TV, commercials. Went to Nashville and started writing. I wrote a song with Even Stevens, “No Matter How High,” which went to #1 for the Oak Ridge Boys in 1989.

At that point I decided to stay home with my children, coach baseball. I did that for about 15 years.

Have you had any fun Greatest American Hero moments since (i.e. a reaction when someone you meet discovers you sang the theme)?

Happens all the time. People are blown away. The song is not obscure and I don’t say that to toot my own horn. It’s still relevant. When my kids were in high school (20 years after the song was a hit), their friends knew the song. They were so impressed that I was the dad. (laughs) Things don’t usually last that long.

Did you see how Seinfeld referenced the song?



It’s funny, I wasn’t a big fan of the show so I didn’t see it. I went into the recording studio the day after it and everyone was talking about it. I didn’t make any money on that because they didn’t use my voice. I was surprised to hear it in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and did get paid for that.

Have you kept in touch with anyone connected to the show or the song?

I’m not really in the music business per se anymore. I sing a few demos for people every once in a while but unfortunately it kind of outgrew me.

What are you doing these days?

I am the manager at a Lexus dealership in Santa Monica.

with his wife (and a lion cub, natch), 2013
How did you end up in that business?

That’s a long story. I was bored and sitting around doing nothing and a buddy of mine said come down and work for me and I did it.

When was that?

About 20 years ago.

Between colleagues and customers, how often does it come up that you sang—

Every day.

How would it come with a customer?

If they’re older and see my name. Where I work there are a lot of people in the industry.

How often do they ask if you can you sing a bit of the song?

All the time but I don’t.

When was the last time you sang it?

In its entirety? About six years ago a New York radio station called me because they were doing a revival of theme songs at the China Club. Singers of three or four other songs were there. Can’t remember who or the name of radio station, but it was an ABC affiliate that played oldies [WPLJ, in 2005]. That was live with an audience.

How did that feel?

It was a kick. I’m pretty reclusive. Not the easiest guy to get ahold of.

I noticed.

I prefer it that way. The radio station called me in California and flew my wife and me out.

Have you done the song at private events, like the wedding of a family member?

No. I’ve sung at funerals, but songs like the Lord’s Prayer. I used to do the national anthem at local sporting events. Three times at Dodgers games.

Are you still singing/recording?

I still sing—very rarely—but don’t record.

Do you miss it?

A little bit. I like singing. I still sing recreationally. Performing I don’t miss a whole lot. I was mostly a studio singer who became a performer.

What performance was the most memorable?

The thing we did at the Universal Amphitheater about 1982. It was a charity event but I can’t remember what it was for. Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Glen Campbell were there. Everyone sang individually.

Where do you live?

I live in Acton, CA. It’s very rural.

Did you marry before or after the song?

I was already married. I met my wife at Sears; we both worked in the catalog department. I hadn’t started touring with Loretta yet.

How many kids do you have? What do they think of your connection to this song?

Three: Cody 31, Jeremy 27, Katelyn 23. I don’t know—they think it’s cool. They’re proud of me. They weren’t there when it happened.

When was the last time you watched an episode of the show?

Someone contacted me about year ago because he had made a compilation on DVD of every song written for the show. He sent it to me—66 songs! Kind of cool. He was doing it just for fun.

What did you think when you first heard from me?

Again, I stay to myself and was apprehensive at first, but you were persistent so I agreed.

Has anyone else ever interviewed about this? If so, when and for what publication?

Mostly back in the day.

Do you have any of those clippings?

I’m not a big memorabilia guy. I have my gold record and only a few magazines hanging on the wall.

Have you appeared at any fan conventions to sign autographs?

No.

Would you?

Maybe.

How do you look back on the experience?

Once in a lifetime. How many people can say they have a beautiful family and had a number one record and a gold record and made a living doing what they love? I didn’t let it get to my head. Luckiest guy in the world.

Look at what’s happened to you.

The funnest school names

I have the privilege of speaking in schools around the world.

I have not yet had the privilege of speaking in any of these schools—but I’d love to:

Accident Elementary School, MDHalf Day School, ILHurlbutt Elementary School, CTPickle Elementary, TX (whose mascot is a penguin; Lawrence David, if you have not been here, what are you waiting for?)Poison Spider School, WYPrettyboy Elementary School, MDPumpkin Delight School, CT

Words and phrases coined on this blog

pionerds (nerd pioneers)
ficture book (fiction picture book)
smarticulate 
sunlighting
funconventional
sellhole
oddsend
biosong
pinkienail
searchiness
super-ation
mo-created (mostly created)
heydecade (as opposed to heyday)

Batman-related:

Bobstacle (Bob Kane obstacle)
Billain (Bill Finger as villain)
Billography
Billding (a building where Bill Finger lived)
Batmanhattan
batload

And, of course: 

Noblemania

I didn’t coin this but do shamelessly co-opt it:

Noblemanuscripts

I am not claiming I am the first ever to use these words. With the exception of “pionerds” (which I do remember finding elsewhere), I haven’t checked.