Alicyn
Welcome to Alicyn's Wonderland. I'm your host, Alicyn Packard. Join us as we journey through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole into the wild and wonderful world of animation and video games.
Hey, do a girl a favor, and please subscribe to this podcast and go on iTunes and leave us a good review. If you like the show, please help spread the word. It really helps us to get heard by more people. Thanks so much. So when you auditioned for Futurama, did you just audition for fry? Or did you audition for multiple
Billy West
rides? I didn't audition for fry audition for the professor and Zoidberg. And that was that and Oh, interesting. The professor, they showed me a drawing and he just they said he's 147 years old. And I said Jesus, he must fart dust, you know, like a mummy or something. And he would be I thought he'd be shaky because you know, he'd be all skin and bone and you know, good news, everyone, you know, and that's kind of what comes to you. I didn't know where in the other voice, like I said was Zoidberg and then they said, listen, we're recasting we want you to do fry because I did audition for him. But the voice I did I wanted to do something that that the mimic couldn't get their hands on. When you do your own voice at a certain age. It's like no one has anything to go by. There's nothing to hang on to you know, because I would like I was in bands and I break a string Ah shit, I broke a string now what are we gonna do you know, as all whining and complaining nasally and that's the voice that I wanted to give Friday 25 And I wanted him to be a project for Lila because she's strong. She's strong. And she's you know, like a leader type. And he's well meaning and he doesn't quite know how to say what's on his mind and everything. But he's got a huge heart. And that's probably why she loves him. She sees that. But I wanted to make him needy. I wanted him to be a project for her because I was a project for girls like, you know, you know, why don't you just cut it real short. You know? This, yeah. Put this on go over to Marshalls. Yeah, yeah, finally is basically regulars. They look good with that arm with that alligator, that Lacoste alligator. That was a project had to be fixed.
Alicyn
Wow. So So then so then you re read for fry, and then ended up booking that that was after the pilots or before
Billy West
that was they recorded the pilot? Yeah, we had done a couple of table reads.
Alicyn
Okay. Wow. So what's it like then coming back so many years later and playing the same character? Is it easy to get back
Billy West
to that role? Yeah, because we did it for so long with such familiarity with each other. Yeah. You know, I mean, it was like we never left when we get back together. That must be so fun. Sat down. Katie was so happy. She came in and she was just like, I remember one day I said to her, Katie, you've never not been a star. Yeah. God, and she's a hell of a singer. Hmm. We went to go see her band when I've seen her band before. And she played she sang. She sang. I saw that match. Oh, really? Yeah. Yeah, maybe that was the one she's incredible. But she sang one of her own songs. And I was getting wistful. And she came over the table. What did you think Billy? And I said, Katie, you know, one of those songs. That song you wrote makes me feel sad. I mean, I'm happy sad, because I love it. But um, but it's getting to me. And I said, I think the reason why and don't take offense is because you remind me of Laura Niro. And she said she was my idol. Laura Nero was singer songwriter that wrote the fifth dimension songs. Yeah, wedding bell blues and Stoney and for Barbra Streisand, and that was her. That was her idol. Lauren Nero. Yeah. So So I mean, it was just it was a direct hit to my heart. I felt it. I felt it when she sang. Yeah, it was honestly incredibly talented. Yeah. And so is everybody on the show now that when I think about it, so
Alicyn
are you recording the new episodes as an ensemble, sort of?
Billy West
We're still in isolated, you know, boots, but we used to sit in a semi circle and just have the mics and it was just fun city. It was so cool. I prefer things to be like that. I've had the record out of my house during the pandemic, and that's no fun. Yeah, my brother's the engineer. I can't I am not an engineer. I just can't live in two worlds.
Alicyn
Yeah, it's I mean, more and more voice actors are being asked to wear a lot of different hats. Yes, the engineering while you're acting is tough, especially if you're like screaming, right?
Billy West
Especially if you don't have a director on the other end that's you need a director you know, and I know that I do. But you guys have a director? Oh, yeah, sure. Yeah. Yeah. David X Cohen is directing and the episodes are funny just like I remember them is that a lot of the same writers some of the same but they brought in some new people that are killing it nice. Yeah, that's amazing. A little bit of fresh energy to i Big up to the writers you know, as they say, because a W two W because they come up with the funniest twists of phrases man, I've always had a love of language and hey, try hard beer makes you stupid. And he goes, No, I'm doesn't know when I looked at David David norm doesn't instead of title No, please read it as written. Okay, but I'll be back for that $750 Idiot fee, fix it fee, whatever you call it I don't even know what they call it. But, but then when I saw it on TV, I said that's the best acting I've ever done because it was fry. And he's kind of stupid. And he didn't know what he was saying. And neither did I. It was the best hack and it was so true and pure.
Alicyn
It's amazing. Yeah, so I know, there was a lot of controversy. John DiMaggio didn't want to come back. I think. The twitterverse nicknamed Bender gate. Yeah. As they are wanting to do as they are want to find a good guy. So he's gonna sign or what nice. I don't know. He's just looking for the right pen.
Billy West
How do I know?
Alicyn
Right? Yeah. But he ended up coming out. Yes, of course. We couldn't do
Billy West
it without him. Yeah. Now he's brilliant. And he's just so he's so funny. I mean, he was started out in stand up. And so we were just giddy and silly. For a majority of the time in between takes I mean, riffing, and I had a good time with him. And still do. Yeah. And so except that you have to peek into another booth to to see him.
Alicyn
So are you guys like connected on Zoom or something? Or we can
Billy West
sort of see each other and everything. And then there's others that are on Zoom. A lot of times it's Matt graining himself, like from his house. And he's got he's wearing like a bunch of hats. Yeah, it's good to do disenchantment isn't shamon real busy with that? And Simpsons to whatever extent I don't know for sure. And Futurama. And so
Alicyn
you also worked on disenchantment? It was that because of Matt graining that you ended up working on that show?
Billy West
Yeah, he saw Mo and me and Johnny. So they're gonna talk to you guys. And he said, I got this idea. You know, we were like, wow, who knows what it's what it's going to be. We didn't know. And that he's asking us to be contributors, or even have the chance to contribute is thrilling to me. Yeah. So he had these characters that he had these, so many fully developed characters, and we didn't even get our hands on him yet. You know, like, all this work was done. And you feel like I better not eff up I better think long and hard before I opened my mouth. So how did you approach that? I just did it the same way I always do is look at the character. And here are some of the things that he has to say. And I don't know, it's like Spinning the globe and where you're gonna go on vacation, you know. See what comes out? Yes. But there's this like, divine guidance or whatever you want to call it love that. You know, like this divinity that grace. Is you the meals somebody
Alicyn
the meals? Yes. Yeah. And the big woman up top. Yeah,
Billy West
yeah. But they had these characters, like there's a king, King Reuleaux. And there's this, there was this little actor named Percy Helton. And he was just
Unknown Speaker
frantically the man. Just
Billy West
you know, it was always like, tentative, and you know, twitchy. And, and he was in film noir movies like, you know, the blonde that breezes into town on the bus with her suitcase, you know, the saxophone, black and white, glorious black and white. And she gets a room in a rooming house. And across the hall from her room. Is this a man? He's got his eye on her, you know. And she's, she takes a job at a cafe and the guy who runs it is starting to fall for her unbeknownst to his wife. You know, it's real noir drama, and she needed money. And she came home and sat in her house. And it's like, you know, there's no air conditioning. It's like hotter than hell. And he's across the hall. And he goes,
Unknown Speaker
I bet you're aggressive Shelly,
Alicyn
you know, Sherry, Shelley, Shelley,
Billy West
her name was Billy,
Unknown Speaker
how can I interest you in a glass of sherry? Yes, I
Alicyn
have to drink it with
Billy West
you was like, you know, okay, you know, so play this guy, and then push them out the window didn't Yeah, that kind of thing. But, you know, he thought he had a shot with her. And then she kept like, freezing them over until the next time she needed something. And I don't like the way I'm being treated, Billy, you know, Oh, yeah. But that voice that voice is kind of like what I was doing for this king rule out of all the ELLs and it's very and breathy and I said I bet it'll play if I commit to it. First shot. That was your first take. Yeah, I think it'll play if I commit to it. Do you
Alicyn
give them a second off just to do your range? You try it, I guess, you know, a
Billy West
couple of things. And then there was another character on there named Henschel. And these are little denizens of Dreamland fictitional faraway land somewhere in time, and he Henschel was like, you know, he's sort of a hatchet man kind of thing. You know, he was he's just got that grinding. out there. You know,
Alicyn
that's a tough voice for me to do.
Billy West
That is hard. it'll rip you up. But how do you
Unknown Speaker
do it? It's kind of pinching the vocal. But it's more if you could do with our doorbell and Okay, there we go. It's Friday. Oh, that sounds bad. Feels really?
Billy West
frying. You're really frying? No, they call it Volvo. Right? Yeah, that's it was popped by the high voice higher.
Alicyn
Okay. Yeah. Wow. This is like a masterclass. No, you can,
Billy West
it was like Popeye was like that it was a high voice and a low voice at the same time. Now an octave apart. You know, I bring in some flowers. And then it's like, you olive oil. I bring in some flowers. Yellow, olive oil, like bring you some flowers.
Yeah, cash, do that with my oil. So there's just a zillion places in here. And it's like, if you get damaged, you could jump around and try to find something else.
Alicyn
Have you ever damaged your vocal cords really badly? What happened?
Billy West
I had the flu once, but it was this horrible, horrible flu that wouldn't go away. And like four weeks, one of my vocal cords went up into itself, it just kind of Ooh, you know, like a spasm or something. So I was basically working with one and you can't have one because it's got to rub up against something to make a sound. So I was making sounds anyway. And I was sweating bullets and they were gone. You okay. And I said, Is this any good? You know? And they said, Yeah, it's great. You sound fine, you know? And he said, your worst day is better than everybody else's best day. And I said, well, thank you, but I have you hear a sound in your head? And if if you're not, if it's not landing where you want it,
Alicyn
and just emotionally it feels like Oh, God. I mean, I don't know your vocal cords insured. Yeah, no. I heard Lloyd's of London will do that.
Billy West
And Lloyd's of London. No, I never thought about that. But But it's like, my voice will come and go. It was like that since I was a child. It's weird. It's not It's like pharyngitis or something weird. You have a thing fair in general. Thanks. Yeah. I don't know much about down there. And I don't want to have magical thinking. You know, something will just appear,
Alicyn
sir. Yeah, just manifest it. Yeah. Wish it into being
Billy West
my voice gets hoarse. But when it comes time to perform that something will click, but this is one of those times where it's just like, um, you know, I must have I think I was screaming and yelling the last session, probably what it was the recovery times used to be like, overnight, yeah. Now it's like, two three days.
Alicyn
Oh, man. Yeah,
Billy West
don't get old. Well, it's
Alicyn
better than the alternative. That's right. Oh, man. Oh, man so much.
Billy West
I'm Rocky, because I'm on the autism spectrum.
Alicyn
I have ADHD. So you Yeah. And that's something you know, when you talk about kind of feeling like you didn't fit in, in school or feeling like something was just different. I mean, I'm like, bite my nails. I like fidget and stuff like that. So all the answers. Yeah. are just being like, a conversation is not that Yeah.
Billy West
Like, I was always like, I had attention deficit. I had OCD. Come to find out I had
Alicyn
all of them. It caught them off.
Billy West
I know. I know. Like ketchup. Yeah. And then you have to take meds for all of them. And that was on everything but a skateboard at one time.
Alicyn
When you do rediagnosis a kid or I fell? No, there was no such
Billy West
thing. Right? Yeah. You You were just like we didn't my aunt told me. We didn't know no one knew what to do with you.
Alicyn
Were you the only person in your family that was neurodivergent. Yeah, but I
Billy West
don't know if my dad might have been with it. But he was violent and crazy. And I never really got to know him. I was always like, cowering, defensive.
Alicyn
Yeah, that could have been masking what it was.
Billy West
It was darkness that he had from childhood. And, you know, he never got help, but but he's really rough on me and I and I just I used to just disappear. In the middle of a beating, I would just poof, go away. I'd be in Elysian Fields. You know, the Scarecrow and the Tin woodsman getting out of the poppy field, you know, and I swear I had to not be there to survive. Yeah, I had I couldn't be present, just so I could survive.
Alicyn
Hey, guys, this is Alicyn Packard. Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to let you know that if you like the show, please, please, please remember to subscribe to this podcast. And leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps us to get heard by more people. Thanks so much. So are you were your parents so proud of you then? Yeah, my
Billy West
mom. She was very very proud to see me finally make something of myself after years of you know, messing around, but I brought a lot of junk on myself because I was a drunk and a crazy and you know, and I had done drugs. You know, everything stopped 30 years ago, but up until then, I was just like, somebody would say what's the worst thing you can think of. I guess if somebody told me both my parents died no worse, Billy West is drunk, and he's on his way over. That's it. Somebody said.
Alicyn
I mean, you're in great. You know, you seem extremely healthy now.
Billy West
Yeah, yeah. But I mean, I was on the road. Yeah. You know what it was what made you get a huge shift intervention, I didn't show up to court for a violation. And I got stopped one night, and they said, Oh, no, about this drunken driving thing. You're going to jail because you didn't show up to court a year ago. So I'm on my way. And I spent seven nights, seven days first time in my adult life that I was without a drink. And I sat and I thought about it. And I said, I'm not a criminal. I'm not honest to God, guys. You know, I mean, you're in there with real criminals. And but I wasn't like that. It's just that was the alcohol the cause so much of my problem? Yeah. Because all of them, you know, I mean, you're, you're raging, if you're raging, then it's 50 times as bad. You know, I could keep a lid on stuff that was going on with me, but I didn't know myself at all. Really? I thought I did. But I didn't. What advice
Alicyn
would you have for anybody that might be struggling with their own substance abuse issues,
Billy West
you can never move forward, because you're destroying the present, which means you have no future. There is no bridge, you've burned it. And there's no place else except the past, which is why a lot of drunks talk about long time ago, I used to, you know, it's a downward spiral, but there's no progression. You're stuck there. And the end, the outcome is either hospitalization and sanity or death. If you're an addict, or an alcoholic. Yeah, it's it's tough stuff. But but I just had a talk with myself, you know, just how did you get in here? How did this happen? You know, I mean, I was I was lucid for once. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I didn't really know what it was like to be out at night after seven without being buzzed. Wow. Yeah. Wow. No.
Alicyn
And were you working at that time? And yeah,
Billy West
I was playing music at night, doing a radio gig in the morning, and I was living on three and a half hours asleep sometimes, too. Wow, I'd get in super late. And I would just stay up and they sent a guy to come and pick me up. It was his job to drag my ass in to work no matter what shape I was in. Wow, I know. That's amazing. I really don't do this to me.
Alicyn
Oh, yeah. Now was that. So such an inspiring story, though, to see where you were then able to take your career?
Billy West
But I was in radio, yeah. Before the intervention. And like you just said, How did you work? A lot of times, I just don't even remember, you know, being there. I remember some things but
Alicyn
and things I think have changed a lot. I think that like growing up to me, it seemed like there was a lot more flexibility and people kind of we don't talk about that, or we're not going to It's okay, we're going to look the other way. Whereas now I think things are be more obvious
Billy West
people confront each other. Yeah. And everybody knows a bit about psychology. I mean, we didn't know anything about anything. It just was what it was. But, you know, there was always the talent was always there. And I began to hate myself because I realized that, you know, the universe gave you this gift, and you're just taking it and throwing it back in its face, you know, by by screwing around and you know, and I hated myself for that. I said, you know, there's other people that would just they can only dream or wish they could have something like that, that they could do and, and I hear I was pissing it away. And
Alicyn
so you got clean? Yeah. Yeah, that sounds challenging. Was it very difficult? Or was it just
Unknown Speaker
to a
Alicyn
sound like your kids sister?
Billy West
Mini Me?
Alicyn
I knew I do feel like I like it. I like it too.
Billy West
I like it. What I remember when I first met you was that you were a Livewire, you know, you just had a good energy.
Alicyn
A lot of energy, a lot of energy. And that is kind of one of the
Billy West
things with people with an ad and you were playful. You weren't afraid to play.
Alicyn
That's what it's all about. Right? That's why we're in this
Billy West
career. Yeah. You can never stop playing like a child. Yeah. And lose that wonderment and wonder of everything and
Alicyn
childlike wonder. Exactly. I think it's like it's like in our bios. Wow. Well, we we've talked about so much. I feel like it could talk to you all day.
Billy West
I did want to ask you that busy. No, I have to go. No, I
Alicyn
don't have to go. You know, I
Billy West
have years I decided, but I decided I'm yours.
Alicyn
Yeah, oh, you're here. You're here forever. As long as the parking attendant. He was like, give me your car key. And I was like, Oh, I have Tesla. So here's my Oh, I don't have my wallet. Is that an ADHD thing? Oh, I don't have my wallet. I left the house without my wallet. What do you say must be nice. Yeah. I just pay for things in just you know, looks and like candy.
Billy West
Yeah, that's very funny. So
Alicyn
Mel Blanc, Mel Blanc was your one of your voiceover idols. Right. Yeah. To get back to that. Did you ever get a chance to meet?
Billy West
I did. I met him in the 80s. I just happen to look through a local Entertainment Guide, and it said, Mel Blanc is doing a voice and slideshow. He was showing slide rad. Yeah. Which is what they did, then. I don't know if anybody does that anymore. Probably not. But you know, he's going to be at this. This Clark University do that. You should do a voice and slideshow. Yeah, really? Yes. That would sell out. That's a snooze pill.
Alicyn
Oh, my God. Are you kidding me?
Billy West
Please? No, I like talking to people. I do that at the shows. You know, they give you an hour. And then the audience asks you questions. Yeah.
Alicyn
But once I noticed, he was at the show. And he was showing he was
Billy West
and I wanted to go so bad. And like, I was going with a girl at the time, we had a car and we drove out there he was, he comes out and he's doing all this incredible stuff. And I was like, I was I had the longing. You know, like I wanted to be, you know, like the painting.
Alicyn
Yes.
Billy West
reaching down and here's this little dude that just wants some DNA just and a, I don't care wherever I can get. Yeah. And then at the end, he was getting ready to go. And I was like, sad. And he said, if anybody wants to get a lot of graphs, he talked like that, like a line over here, and I'll take care of it. And I got up and I started slamming little kids out of body, checking them into the board's like a hockey player. And he goes, could you let the little kids go? First he yelled at me. And I went when I finally went up and shook hands, and it was so surreal. I can't tell you. Yeah, surreal. It's like it was always like that when I met my heroes, just totally surreal. You know, like, you might find yourself. Yeah, sitting with juniper on a microphone, saying isn't God, same as I get here? Yeah, that's what it always beautiful microphone. Yeah, this is not my Jun for a. When I first met her, I wouldn't let go of her hand because I was like, I had total abandon. I was like, hi, you know, in height, and she was like, began to look at me and I went, what are you going to do if I don't let go? And she went, Oh
Alicyn
yeah, she's five one. So sadly, in shorter problems.
Billy West
She she was so nice to me. And she was so sweet. Boy that I love her. Did you guys work together? Yes, we did we work together about 10 times or so. Wow. Yeah. And you just sit there, you're like the eternal student as long as these people are around?
Alicyn
That's kind of one of the unfortunate parts about COVID I mean, there are many unfortunate parts about COVID but that we're not really getting to work in the same room as each other anymore. It's like where is that ancestral knowledge that's being passed from one generation to the next it has
Billy West
to take another form. It's like COVID changed the face of television you know before everything was so clinical and slick and then all of a sudden we're seeing faces that are you know, too big for the frame and then the little one that guy because he didn't sit forward enough and that makes it a kind of like this you know, it's like everything is being reinvented Yeah. Are you know you always think you're watching the Brady Bunch this like six boxes? Oh,
Alicyn
on Zoom. Yeah. And you're always like here at the top, and there's always somebody else's at the top. Your eyeline you're always just looking at someone's forehead. Yes. Acting with someone's forehead.
Billy West
I had a hard time with Zoom. Because I don't know. I wasn't I was never used to seeing myself. Yeah, you know, it was distracting to me.
Alicyn
Yeah. Well, we bet you were on camera before you appeared on camera in Mark Hamels movie comic book, the movie. Yes. So tell us about that. How did Mark Hamill convince you to appear on screen
Billy West
he had an idea that he wanted to do a mockumentary about the comic cons, which no one had done really, and got a bunch of talented people together. And we made it up as we went along to improvise. Yeah, we just say okay, what do you want to do? I think Larry David shows sort of done like that. Yeah, I think they just get a general idea. And here's where we here's where we need to wind up. And they get there. Oh, that sounds so fun. Yeah, that's what we did. And it was really great fun. Yeah. And just Parnell Xin it. Roger rose. Gosh, it's like a million years ago. What year did they come out? I'm trying to think, Gosh, I don't know, like 9099 2002 or something like
Alicyn
that. Wow. Yeah. 20 years ago,
Billy West
20 years ago. What about the next 20? How fast is that gonna go? Give us a call 2666868. Let's talk about the passage of time and the acceleration of it.
Alicyn
You know, what else is interesting? So, correct me if this is right, so you're on The Howard Stern Show. And then Ivan Reitman hears you on the show and thinks that you'd make a great Bugs Bunny? Is that how you audition came into the world of voiceover from radio
Billy West
Well, no, I had already been doing Doug and Ren and Stimpy. Okay. And I was still on The Howard Stern Show.
Alicyn
So did you get an agent when you were in New York?
Billy West
I had an agent in New York. And you know, I kind of got my own work. Yeah. Yeah, they wouldn't send me out a lot, you know. And if I did get something, I bring it to them, and then somebody else would get it. What am I somebody else's agent on top of everything else.
Alicyn
So it just kind of naturally evolved then.
Billy West
Yeah, but Ivan Reitman was doing a redo of the Looney Tunes. And I said, Gee, you know, I always like it better if you can create a voice for some project, if they just say, what would you do? You know, we all got together and we get we gave this thing dimensions and a history and a Bible and every other thing now it's up to you. Oh, no pressure. But bugs was bugs. And that was like, I love Mel Blanc. And they get to Wychwood, Michael Jordan to dock
Unknown Speaker
the closest thing to a religious figure that we have.
Billy West
It was fun because I met him. And it's on the lot. Warner Brothers a big party and everybody's calling Michael Jordan's name every second Michael, Michael Michael. And then he hears his, his agents name. He hears his name being called by his agent, that voice he knows he turns and he goes, Michael, this is Billy West. And he reaches over like six people. And shook my hand. You know, it was like incredible because his hand was like that bone. Oh, my God.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah. No.
Alicyn
No. Wow. And then incidentally, you voiced Slimer in Extreme Ghostbusters. Yeah,
Billy West
I get tricked into that.
Alicyn
What do you mean to get tricked?
Billy West
They said that, you know, I said, Wait a minute, what about Frank Welker? And they said, Hey, he doesn't want to do it. They were lying. They didn't ask him. No, or they did. But he probably didn't want to work for you know, bag of chips. Yeah. You know what I mean? So yeah, so I found out about it. And I was I felt so horrible about that. I was just like, Eek, God, that was new. Yeah. I didn't know what the hell was going on.
Alicyn
So I pulled Twitter and I asked anybody had some questions for you. And I got a couple of really good ones. So Chris Brown asked, what is Billy's favorite Futurama moment
Billy West
would be an episode called the devil's hands or idol play things and we got to do an opera Rata. Ah, so you get to sing in character. And that was up there for me. Yeah, yeah. Cuz Katie can really sing and, and you can say, well, and they sing. Yeah, it was, you know, but Ken Keillor melody is very hard to sing. Yeah, he puts these twists and turns in it. And Katie was quicker on the draw than me because sure, because I hadn't sung in a while. But I mean, it was thrilling to be rise to the occasion, you know,
Alicyn
Oh, yeah. That's so fun. Tom and Jerry did a little musical episode one. So yeah, yeah. It was like a full on musical. It's always fun when they surprise you. Yeah. Twisting the genre. Yeah. And Alex Weitzman asks, uh, Billy is known for utilizing classic character actor voices to fuse together into new vocal creations, which we have definitely seen your Is there a particular era or style of voice that most appeals to you or jumps out at you? And what is your process for capturing that vocal essence?
Billy West
I guess it's see all the influences I had when I was very young. A lot of more radio guys. I was Johnny Bannon, the human can sandwich and he's got to come out and that's rock and roll is all about before we stop we got some friends here. Mr. Roy verse in 1956. On K or as 101 I hit the post.
Alicyn
Let's see you were like four in 1956. So
Billy West
no, no, I mean, I listened to these guys for years growing up. They didn't vanish. It wasn't like a comet hit the Earth and the dinosaurs all went away.
Alicyn
Whatever had then we had serious
Billy West
Well, no, they were called big, dumb announcers. And then one day, a comet came and killed them all. And then there was little raptors, then there was cable. They were more facile, and they were smaller and quicker and more versatile. And they were known as little dumb announcers.
Alicyn
Well, hello, there. Thanks for listening listener. Caller.
Billy West
Yeah. But you know, I mean, people got to the point where they assumed they were being lied to if they heard someone talking to them on the radio. Yeah. Because it was like, You know, Friends, do you know what you and I need really need a good cup of coffee, you know? And people just were so used to that. And then all of a sudden, here comes somebody that like, decides he's gonna fart into the microphone, and I was like, whoa, whoa. Yeah, yeah, he broke all the rules. And I love Rule Breakers, you know? Yeah, I love that. You got to take what's known and smash it to pieces and build something new out of it.
Alicyn
Do you know, um, voice actor up up, Michael? No. So he's actually a voice actor on the Howard Stern. Oh, really, as well. And he asked a question about how your comedy experiences on live radio help with VoiceOver later on.
Billy West
It helped a lot because it wasn't like you could prepare for anything. Whatever got slung at you. Yeah, you had to run with it and it was the cold This room in the world you know because there's nobody there you know when you die you die alone it's a tough room but thing was is is just to really believe in what you're about to do and commit commit commit to it come hell or high water and I would play the Howard basically I wasn't like hey world look I can do world hey world, it was to him.
Alicyn
So you're talking to just one person
Billy West
Yeah, but the experience of of like, you know, whatever came up in the news, it could be somebody like you know Leona Helmsley and next thing you know, it's like I think Mrs. Helmsley might be in the hallway Robin, you know, next thing you know, I'm laughing. You're like, yeah, it was always that gotta just jump in. I think he's here, Robin, you know, and then just come in and start going off. Oh, my God. Yeah, it was fun throughout the wildest one was when Lucille Ball was dying. And I went into the show. I wasn't a member of the show yet, but I used to come in when he was getting started was getting off the air. And I came in I said, you know, they're showing those conveyor belt bond bond clips in the grape stomping, and I said, I think Lucy's probably, you know, and he goes, Oh, and then I started doing impersonations of old Lucy, like, why are you bothering me?
Unknown Speaker
Leave me alone,
Billy West
you know, and he started cracking up laughing and he was eating a baked potato and started shooting out of his nose and he goes off really well. Oh, I wouldn't call you tomorrow morning. And you got to do that. So they called Cedars Sinai. And Gilbert Godfried was on the air with them. And I was in my house in the Lower East. And it just went from there. You know if you heard the bid I
Alicyn
don't know. She never did. I thought they called her at Cedars Sinai. No, no,
Billy West
I was. Yeah, it was thanks. Radio seed. Prop Cedars Sinai got it, then prop beds and prop old ladies. But you know, it was so irreverent and so dark. And hey, Lucy, can we talk to you for a minute? Right?
Unknown Speaker
Why are you people bothering me? And why do I keep answering That's what I keep asking myself.
Billy West
And says here when you were a little girl, your parents used to tie you to a clothesline and you know and tie you up like a dog because you were hyperactive. And I and there's that pause and you're supposed to say something and you better be funny, man. When when you say it like it's a bad yeah, Gilbert was cracking up laughing. I miss him. He was one of my heroes. There aren't too many contemporaries that are actually my heroes, but Penn Jillette you know Frank Welker. Yeah, but Gilbert, he was fearless. Totally fearless, and he could rebrand tragedy like nobody else. You know where you're not you're not supposed to crack a smile and yet he would whittle away where you go, you know, this is horrible. Laughing at a tragedy.
Alicyn
Certainly that these days. Yeah. Well, Billy, it's been amazing having you in the studio. Thank you. I'm so grateful that you took this course I'm so grateful that you took the time to come and visit with us and chat with me and I know I'm I appreciate I know you're semi retired.
Billy West
I you know, my work until he told me don't come in anymore. Yeah, that's the that's the plan.
Alicyn
Well, they're never gonna say that. Yeah, I don't know. Well, thank you so much, guys. Don't forget to like and subscribe.
Outro
Thanks for tuning in to Alicyn's Wonderland, where we explore the wild and wonderful world of animation and video games. Please remember to subscribe and leave us a review. For more episodes of Alicyn's Wonderland. Please visit us at www.alicynpackard.com. See you next week.