Episode 35: Sonic the Hedgehog

has been for many years. It is Roger Craig Smith. Do you actually know the number of people that you voiced? I have knew it. Somebody pointed out, like a long time ago, one credit on on the show Regular Show on Cartoon Network that I think it was behind the

voice behind the voice actor's website. They had it listed that I had done a hundred and seventy eight characters on that show, which sounds impression, but it's it's like eventually, like Taco Vendor number four and like school bus guy and you know, like random you know, like you know, mall Patron, they all kind of stay. It's like, dude, what all the same thing, but it was kind of funny. I went, wow, that's kind of crazy, and I was like, that's going to go on my bio. It's like in

one production a lumb But I have no idea. I have no idea. Oh my god, did your voice on regular show? I didn't. I was I was Choppers, Thomas the intern. Oh man, um not what's the name? I was gonna say Baltazar? But is it balt Tazar? What was it? Oh man? There's there were so many it was. There was seven seasons for me out of their eight seasons, I was in seven before they went to space and my guys survived. But so yeah, it was Thomas and like,

oh just a whole mess of characters and so much fun. Yeah, Garrett, Garrett, Bobby Fergus and Giant Beard Faced Jr. Yeah, it was a blast. I love we're going on that show. So this is just a just nerdy, almost insidery baseball question. But when you started, where you always Roger Craig Smith or where you Roger Smith? And SAG was like, we we got them. Not only that was Roger Smith before SAG. Because I went to go register my name when I

was doing stand up. I want to go register my website, and I was like, I'll just go with Roger Smith dot com. That's a hotel. There's a hotel in New York City called the Roger Smith Hotel. Gosh, I guess it is like a really nice place. I have to go stay there. I'm like, yo, I'm checking in. Um but no, so that was taken and uh. And then eventually what ended up happening is I was going to go with like Roger C. Smith and and they said, no,

that's too much like Roger Guenevere Smith. Who Roger G. Smith. You want to hear another really funny story about that. He Uh. Someone told me this years after I had already been narrating, UM say us with the dress right that. They said, you know you weren't the first narrator for

the show. And I was like, yeah what and they go, actually, we've never even I don't know, we didn't tell you this, but they said, somebody got their wires crossed at the network and it was all your auditions and all kind of stuff. But when they went to go book it, they saw Roger C. Smith and they booked Roger G. Smith. So he showed up and they're like, and they had

him do like one episode or two episodes before. The people on the other end of the line were like, he sounds so different, and I think he must have been. I guess they just really love my work because he's a gifted actor and anything. It seems like a very nice man. I've never met the guy, but that this ambiguation of Roger G. Smith too close, So they said,

you can go with Roger Craigsmith. So that's what no wonder sack sag wanted me to be, um Danny Murrie Fernandez and I said no, and I was M Danny M Fernandez because there's another Danny Fernandez d A N N Y and I don't know what he's doing with his life that he ruined mind. Yeah, that's the crazy thing about it is it could be someone who like did like you know, all my children like one, but because they're in it, they locked down that name. Yeah, I hope to work because he's a dude. So I

hope they don't confuse you know what I mean. I don't know if they don't think. So I was gonna see what should go with like hashtag Danny Fernandez ruined my life, but since audio could you know, it's like, why we'll see what happened is I was yeah, so I they were like, I was like, I can't keep my name, and they were like, just go with Danny Murray.

So I did. And then I was just afraid because I'm friends with people like I don't know, if you know comedian Jessica Michelle Singleton, she goes by Jessica Michelle, And I was afraid people would call me Danny Murray like that would I don't know, do people call you Roger Craig, I get Craig, I get I get Robert Smith, which is hilarious. I'm like the singer from The Cure, not quite so I do cry. Yeah, So I was essentially scared that So now I'm Michael B. Jordan. I'm

like a Michael J. Foxx. Yeah, it's goo scenario. It's funny because I never knew. That's why that exists so much like the three name thing and what is based upon the union basically saying that we don't want the confusion for yeah, well you're a you're an actual because they always say that might happen, but you have now proven that that does. In fact happen. So I probably

I told you about Brian Branson, right, Brian Branson. I have a buddy who's stage name is Brian Branson because he he had that situation happened where he had to change his name. But everything he submitted that just kept being like Nope, you can't, No, you can't. He was like, all right, well Brian Bryanson, and they're like that's actually available. He was like, all right, let's go with it. Brian, Brian, Brian Branson. Yeah, but that's sad. Danny Danielson, Dannie Danielson,

we're talking about Sonic the Hedgehog. Yes, oh, man, Sonic you know that was That was probably my second game because everyone start with Mario then Nick True then got the Genesis True Knuckles dude. But yeah, no, it was. It was great. Roger, what was your first earliest memory of Sonic? Uh, you know what, probably being seeing it in a store, like in a store because you know the sixteen bit blast processor and all that kind of stuff, right,

it was it was. I mean you would see that side scrolling game like on a like demo mode or something at a toy store and I just remember thinking, man, that's fast. I mean, it really was one of those things that you just went that I've never seen video games move that quick, because even Mario Brothers was still relatively slow as far as the side scrolling in comparison and watching the whole screen move and watching the character like.

So I would say it was probably my first exposure and my first memory that I know was seeing like a demo mode of of Sonic the Hedgehog just playing on like a tube TV somewhere and just going, dang, they're getting quick. Um. Yeah, I didn't have a genesis

growing up until I was in my early twenties. My brother I think they had one at like the Why that we used to play at, and then my brother got when my brother, my older brother always got all the cool like I got, like Barbie dolls and like Barbie houses, and he would get all the gaming consoles, which then I would like common deer um And that's why I am the way I am now. Um. But no, I mean really, if my parents hadn't gotten it for him, even though that's very sexist whatever, um hadn't gotten it

for him. He also remember when he got a Super Mario sixty four. Remember him getting Sonic the Hedgehog. Uh and playing that, but um, if we wanted to get into how Sonic the Hedgehog came to be Sonic If you have been living under a rock and don't know who he is? UM is technically a media franchise that was created and produced by Sega. It started as a video game franchise centering on a series of speed based platform games where Sonic, the protagonist is an anthropomorphic blue

hedgehog with super sonic speed. Yes, typically Sonic usually along with some of his friends such as Tales, Amy Knuckles, who will get into and a must stop antagonist Dr Eggmund's plans for world domination. Yeah, she didn't read that. She literally was locked with the entire time. She just memorized all of that. That's amazing. But the funny thing is, like he calls him Eggman, but that's the nickname. His name is Dr Robotnick. Do we know the initial name

of Sonic? Have we got that that far back? See the concept of it? Kind of like how like what was it? What was it? Like Mickey Mouse started off with the first Disney character was Yeah, it was the Rabbit. Yeah, yeah, the Rabbit. Um. I always heard that the The initial name was Mr. It was based on a sketch that one of the creators did of Mr needle Mouse. Yeah, I think it's called Mr Needleman was his name. I think, Yeah, I should know this. Why that became I don't know,

but sorry, so knuckles you were saying, I interrupted. You know I was given Dr Robotico. Please Roger, anytime that you know anything, feel free to me. Do you guys about this Trump stuff? Please act that's true. You should come back on the plan political podcast that we have here every day daily zite guys, five days a week. Um. So. The first game in the series was released in one, which Roger wouldn't see until what a decade later, sadly,

and I played it. I just never had I never had my own console, Like, yeah, do you like play it with like friends or yeah, my buddy Scott. My buddy Scott had had to shout out to Scott. There's always that one kid, I know, like, we didn't have I don't know, I think I've said this, but my family didn't have Mario Kart. We had Diddy Congressing. That's my jam because I'm like, where the misfits where the like rejected you know, um, lower class forgotten. So that's me.

My family had racing and the cool kids, you know, playing the rich neighbors had Mario Kart. But it was crazy because you know, Sonic was at the time the mascot for Sega, and that's so that's what you got Sega for the same way where you got like a s and he has to play Super Mario. You had the play Yeah. Yeah, you were the weird kid who's like, I need to play that duck huck. I gotta put my gun up against the screen, even though it doesn't work that way because it's a camera. Um. But yeah,

so everyone who had a genesis was doing that. This was you know, then Sonic drops three years after me and Danny were born. Thanks guys, thanks for that. It's a narrativeicent tradition for me to shoehorn some way to see the distance of the origin of the topic from. Now he's done it with things that have come out in the fifties, he'll be like, and that was. Yeah. What I was gonna say is what you were saying

is that it was Sega's mascot. It was actually a right, but they wanted a rival to Nintendo's flagship character Mario, and that's how Sonic came to be, and then it successfully spawned many sequels and the series had a ton of spinoffs. That has sold over eighty nine million physical copies as of March twenty eleven, which is a long time ago, crossed over to five billion dollars boeen and

as of ten, the series has shifted eight hundred million units. Now, they just they just they announced that on their little Sound like the Hedgehog Twitter account, which is very funny. People should follow that. The actual sound like the Hedgehog Twitter account is very funny. Do you know Alan Denton,

the writers used to work together. Yea, We used to Wait, I'm only saying this because he tweeted this at when I announced that I'm in Ralph Breaks the Internet, which you are as well playing Sonic, reprising your role because you were in the original record. Ralph Allen was like, what, Danny.

We used to write listicals together because we used to write for like a comedy site which shall not be named, when we were just you know, I'll speak for myself struggling writers, and so we would write listicals like nine Bridesmaid Fails. Is that the term for those things. Yeah, okay, cool, yeah, yeah, because those things are addictive. Yeah, you get you get on a good one. Oh man. Yeah, it's the worst eighteen times Justin Bieber proposed in front of a Honda Civic.

I don't know. Oh man. There was a speaking of listicles today in the BuzzFeed slack. We found someone put an a I bought who like, read a whole bunch of BuzzFeed articles and made their own BuzzFeed articles. And everyone's like, you know, we we might have to use some of these for the lest because I'll just read off a few people recreate the secret lipstick easy veggie packed veggies. BuzzFeed employees read for the first time, ten

people you won't believe actually exists. Yeah, exactly, And it comes to the like ten this reasons you should eight examples of its like I can't do that, oh man. Addictive today, Yeah, you just get caught up so funny, so much, so much. Allen was a writer on Sonic

Boom series that I was involved with. Yes, so the franchise has gone on to be TV shows, anime, and a comic book series recognized as the longest running based on a video Game by Guinness World Records, and then in two thousand five, Sonic was one of the first game character inductees into the Walk of Game, which is essentially the Walk of Fame, alongside Mario and Link. Nice Link, Link, good old, good old Link people. What people don't know

is Link's name is actually Zelda. Interesting sag made Link changed. Yeah, so there was there was an episode of I Love Lucy that had Link. Yeah, you know, and so you have to go Zelda. Yeah. So we are going to move on to some of the characters for Sonic and I have a whole list of what Sonic is. But Roger, since you play Sonic, I thought it would be best if you describe him his characteristics, his personality, like has that changed through the years at all? Has he kind

of always been the same dude? You know what? I don't know. I mean, I guess what's funny because my first I always just think of like the the iconic sort of like visual representation of Sonic. When you would stop playing the game, if you left the character idle, the foot would start tapping looking at you, like what gives Let's go? So there was always that kind of cocky kind of self assured sort of attitude, and we've

played that ever since. I've been voicing since two thou ten, And when I went into go audition for it back then, they were still showing some of the previous animation to kind of give us an idea of like the character would have been done, sort of like in Cannon kind of thing, like this is where it's sort of this is where the character kind of exists. We're trying to keep it in that realm but do something a little different in that kind of thing. So I don't know

that he's changed all that much. Although with Sonic Boom we were playing more with like the comedic side of things. Yeah, that's fun. It was more fun because you know, it was you couldn't just have them fight every single episode and have that sort of thing, so it was we changed it for that. But for a lot of the games, we've always just sort of stuck with the the sort of hero who's cocky and self assured and has some good little one liners and and but it's very loyal

to his friends and he's very likable. Yeah, Like, but I feel like that's really important because I feel like his cockiness could be I don't know, even your scene, which we can't really talk about too much because I don't want to spoil it, but even you're seen in Ralph Breaks the Internet, he's still kind of that dude. But I like la, like you love him cool, Yeah, you're good. That would be the writing for one. But

then there's also yeah, there's a fine line. I mean there's a fine line between like, you know, somebody who's just arrogant versus somebody who's self assured or you know, and but has a little bit of the jock kind of cockiness to him. But I mean as a character, he can back it up. You know, he's he's the blue blur, so you can you know he's good. I like the thing you pointed out, which is in the game they had the foot tapping mechanism to kind of

give you an idea. And I think there was a lot of character that you were able to see from the first games because you had Sonic kind of cocky running through beating up Dr robot Nick, and then you had like Tales, who always seem so worried all the time, who was the worry ward and he was like, no, I mean no, you fell off, let me carry you.

Back up, you know, so, and then I feel like the first time you got like a hard and fast idea of the characters was Sonic Adventure, because that was like, really the first time you're kind of interacting as certain characters and you're able to choose, like Amy Knuckles tales a big Cat Um, I think that's his name. If I remember Big the Cat. Yeah, I was a big cat cat, Big cat, Yeah, big gig the Cat. I mean,

then you had the early series too. I'm jumping around a bit only because I want to ask this question, how hard was it filling the suit of nineties sensation Jalil? I mean, let's be honest, those shoes are constantly exponentially ever expanding fell those shoes. Uh, you know, like like that's that's the that's always an honor to get to voice any character that's been done, even by somebody who's

done it before you. And and we're talking about something that's lasted for so many years now sort of be a part of that legacy is like it's just cool. I mean, and and it's not as if I walk in every day going like how would Jalil do? But it's also yeah, exactly, I probably should I mean, maybe the fans would like it better. No, Um, it's uh that that to me is like one of the neatest little sort of like legacy or aspects to this legacy is just kind of going man Urkel started off doing this.

This is kind of cool because it's like, yeah, it's uh. And I've talked to somebody who recently said, like, oh, I know, I know Julia. I should ask him, like, you know, what what it was like. And sometimes it would be fun to get like, you know, Jason and Ryan and Jalil and everybody together and kind of sit down and be like a podcast someday, my gosh, talk about it. But the Sonic heads, yes, the fan base might go insane with that. But yeah, the Sonic Roundtable,

the Sonic down keep tapping a going round round and around. Uh. And that's a good segue into that feature being introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog too, which is crazy because I always remembered always being able to do that. But no, the down tapping a where you spin and get that boost was actually introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog to spin dashin s. Also, Sonic the Hedgehog two was the introduction of miles. Yeah, yes, and I didn't know this, but it was miles power is a play on miles per hour.

Look me and Rod, are you really today years old? Roger? What? No? No, it's like yeah, meaning like today is the day you learned that? Oh yeah, I know that something new to ye. I mean what's even crazier too, is like that you

said his government name? Who someone is? Yeah, that is a that is a thing that as I get older, I'm learning isn't something everyone says, but like growing up like in Compton Long Beach or just anywhere where people have nicknames if you say their real names, like you call me by my government name, funny, they want to

be called by their Yeah. Yeah, Tales is who was referring to miss That's that's when Tales would be, like, Yo, why you called me by my government should have been sonics name now when you think about its speed and Miles, it should have been he should have been Miles the Hedgehobe,

Miles Prower the Hedgehog. I love it. So yeah. So, while many individuals at Saya had a hand in Sonics creation, it was actually programmer Eugen Naka and Naotoshima who was an artist who were basically generally credited as the creators

of the character. Uh. Basically many results were coming from from their experiments with different character designs because they were trying to find Like we said earlier, a competition for Mario, and one was like an armadillo, who was later developed into Mighty the Armadillo, a dog which was like a Theodore Roosevelt look alike in pajamas. So funny, dragon Ball has the Theodore Roosevelt dog. Yeah, well he's a president.

Ah well, they went and took that. They're like, instead of making Fdr Think just In looks, he was known as Theodore the Roosevelt, but they used to actually Theodore Roosevelt's design for Dr Robot. I do know that it makes perfectly good sense when you see the mustashion and he se him in the tub all the time. Oh no, that's taft. Never mind, I was gonna see. It reminds me of Potter from It's a Wonderful Life, Mr Potter. It does, doesn't he Wilford Brimley from Like Cocoo. Yeah,

I can see that, um. And then they had a rabbit who would use the extendable ears to collect objects, which was later incorporated to Restar. But then basically Nalo Joe took some of these uh internal designs with him on a trip to New York City and basically wanted some feedback from random, random people on the street. That's how they did it back in the day for art and Twitter on the street which your art and then someone would take it from you and that was a repost.

Is when someone stole your art and walked around asking people about tweet Yet what was a crime? Yea is now yeah? Yeah, and this and he was doing this instant park and then there was a writer who saw him doing this. I was like, this guy needs some friends. And then next thing you know, he wrote the script of friends that was that's crazy. Yeah, I could tell we were going along. I was not yes, Andy, people

like where is he going? But that's when we got So he showed people his designs of a spiky teal hedgehog code named Mr. Needle Mouse, said R because I believe it didn't translate directly into that wasn't there. I wanted to say that. I thought that was something in Japanese that became needle mouse like that, like it translated directly into I don't know about that, but I do know something like that. I'm sure the Internet will correct

correct me. No, no, no, there's hashtag Danny Fernandez. However you want, so kit Soon, I think I'm saying that right, is a Japanese fox. That was That's what Miles is. So he's an eight year old kit Soon with two tales, hence the nickname Tales. I don't know you were close, Roger. We tried to get there. We're trying to make me feel better about this, but I say, let me go into the ethers and the Internet will just have their field day with me. I did want to say that. Yeah.

So Sonic was detailed to have an end quote cool attitude represented of the United States at the time and nothing's changed. We're like, he reminds me of crop wom I for a high sea box like the He's like the epitome of Mr Cool or something. Sonic's blue pigmentation was chosen to match Sega's cobalt blue logo Very Cool, and his shoes evolved from a design inspired by Michael Jackson's boots, with the addition of the color red, which was inspired by both Santa Claus and the contrast of

those colors on jackson album Bad Bad. Yeah, I guess that's why he's then it's just like what is cool

in America? Yeah, Teddy Roosevelt Jackson, Michael Jackson's shoes. I thought I read something somewhere to where they were talking about the significance of that character of Sonic actually tapping his foot and looking at was the first time that they had seen like an actual video game character convey like a personality of sorts everything else up until because when you think about when you play Mario, you don't really you don't really feel like, oh, Mario is this

It's just that's the character. Yeah, he was cool and even then, like early on and never even said anything, just kind of like you know, the early Sonic the Hedgehog character. But but it's funny to think, like, yeah, that would have been that would convey something of like a personality of this thing that you're playing, whereas up until that point we were sort of disconnected from what we were doing. Yeah, he's sitting there, He's like, Hey, I got places to be. Yeah was that Roger and me?

People don't know exactly, so good crazy, somebody was gonna come in and write a theme song for friends. So good to see that seamless. You can work trends into anything. Really one thing I also like, as they said, his personality was based on then presidential candidate later President of the United States Bill Clinton's get it done attitude during presidential campaign. I'm gonna just leave the low hanging fruit there, but you know, you did have a get it done attitude.

To help sell the idea to Saya's higher ups, Shima pitched the concept framed by a fictional fighter pilot that had earned the name Hedgehog due to a spiky hair, and not just because he's an actual hedgehog, because he was a fighter pilot who earned the game call sign Hedgehog. Oh yeah, oh man, goose was already taken. Yeah, it was like, gonna be the world. That's Sonic the Goose. Yeah, what was what's that? Like? What would that even sound?

Talk to me Sonic? Um if you don't know if you know this, but the original concepts gave Sonic things and put him in a band with a human girlfriend named Madonna. Huh, I hope you're learning a lot about yourself here. Um. I love it. I love we love this lore behind Sonic. However, a team from Sega of America was like Nope, led by Madeline Schroeder, who calls herself Sonics Mother funny that I did not know that I did not know. Yeah, softened the character up for

an American audience by removing those elements. M and Madonna sparked a heated issue with the Sonic team, and Naca later admitted that it was probably for the best. So that's how we got. We just wanted to have a girlfriend exactly, and Madonna and New Coke and whatever is super popular. I love it. He was going to be like Joe Magnello and True Blood or something. Um. And then so let me have Miles, which I don't want to pass over too much. It's his best friend again,

like we said, Myles Power. Now that was going to stick with me for it right? Yeah? Sorry, So Tails was rated that Miles Tails Wait, Finkle is iron Horn iron Horn. Tails was rated the third most popular character in the franchise Sonic and Shadow and Official. Yes that is why you think second. I think second, hands down this new Shaw Shadow. Maybe it's because I was like older when Shadow came along would be but I was

always like Sonic and Tales. But if if not Tales Knuckles, how is Knuckles getting beat out by Shadow Like this is definitely these kids in their roadblocks in Fortnite doing this, doing this thing? Um n kids. So the other the other main character, um Dr Robotanic, how would you describe him to people that don't know? We say this is a podcast for everyone, So even if people have never watched Sonic, he's he's oh gosh, he's the He's the Joker to Batman. He's the some people just want to

watch the world burn. He's always out to just total global universal domination. He just wants to rule everything. And he's always got this evil army of robots, the things that he's creating, and obviously we've had fun with it, uh in Sonic Boom Universe with you know, they never always seems to work out all that well for him,

but uh no, that's them. There are enemies, and that's a and he's just he's just a very very bad He was either hugged too much or not enough as a child, and he just wants to rule the universe. That's so fascinating because if he is the Joker to Sonic, that he technically loves him. I think he does secretly kick down No, I think I think there's a there's an affection there that's interesting. Jealousy maybe more than anything,

maybe more jealousy than an actual affection. That's probably the deepest we've ever delved into the that's a relationship dynamic. Dr black Nick I was gonna say, that's what we do here, we do deep dives. And then Knuckles, who is it? Okay? Yeah, Yeah, he's basically I'll give you a rundown on Knuckles, basically the best character in the franchise. He's read my favorite color. We have someone right here. I'm white here. Look, I love you, Roger. I just

love Knuckles more. He used his fist. I related to that as an angsty teen. I was like, yeah, and he had and his hair kind of had that emo swooped too. We know you're a huge fan of friends, friends all the time. Yeah, I'll be there for you. It's okay. I like that. Well played Knuckles debut in on The Hedgehog three after Dr Eggman tricks him into opposing Sonic and Tails see and that was like that first era of the bad guy who turns it out to be the good guy. This is like the cool

version of a geta. Uh. He first became he first became playable, and Sonic and Knuckles, which was insane if you remembered it because Sonic and Knuckles was a cartridge with a cartridge slot in it because you're able to put the cartridge from Sonic three in Sonic and Knuckles in play Sonic three as Knuckles, which was wild because I was like doing that's tight and my parents the

first form of inception game within a game. Yeah, uh it seems up with Sonic entails after learning of Eggmans trickery and and kind of goes to kick his butt. One thing I don't want to skip up when we're talking about Sonic that was real cool at least for me, is Sonic goes super sane. Yeah, because he gets the when he goes Supersonic, he gets gold. He has the the floaty hair. You know your franchise, In our franchise, I feel like I have a lot of overlapping fandoms.

Like I see a lot of art for sure, Yeah, I see a lot of like Supersonic art, like super sayan Sonic art um. I also see a lot of other art I see a lot of pregnant Sonic and what you're talking if anything like that, this doesn't live on the internet. If I see it on my side of the weird Internet, I know that you're getting Sonics. Tumbler is very fascinating, Marie. You're making this, You're making this all Sonic devian Art, Deviant Art pictures. M But yeah,

I will say, just like Vegeta, they overlaps. Continue. Knuckles was created by developer Takashi utah and never was intended to be more than a supporting character. He was basically put in Sonic the Hedgehog three as an intimidator because it's powerful abilities and people saw that. You was like, he is cool, don't take him away from us, and uh, you know, just like a Curatoryama. He was like all right, and then he wanted to throw in Madonna. Oh yeah,

I guess, or who would have been big at the time. Well, sorry, it's we have just one other care. I mean, there's a bunch of Sonic characters, but just one other one that I wanted to mention was Amy Rose, who is a pink anthropomorphic hedgehog which driven competitive personality who's infatuated with Sonic. She serves as the first playable female character in the series. What we forgot to mention his knuckles or maybe you did. Knuckles was introduced in Sonic the

Hedgehog three. When you guys are doing this Roger, are y'all ever in the same room? Getting to when we did a Sonic Boom the animated series, we recorded as an ensemble cast, and it was always a ton of fun. It was always a blast, so fun. We really did have a lot of fun making that show. Um. But but for video games it's almost always you're always going solo. Is that a typical for a lot of cartoons though

about it just depends. So a lot of them did Powerpuff Girls in the same room too, we did, uh yeah, you know my good friend Natalie Palamedia, Yes, who's extremely funny and talented show No, but I've heard about her solo show. Kate mccuchi, who I work with Unity Kid, who wanted me to go she went and supported Natalie, and seeing that now that she was describing it, I'm like, it's just incredible. But it makes such good sense. I mean,

Natalie's amazing. Yeah, that's friends, well, well, you know friends, Yeah, you know keep going to that. Well, yeah, I don't go to the discount ben and find Rosses now that you know, just with that one, I think that it's time that we take a break. We let people recuperate. Awkward, Yeah we will. We will catch you after this break and we're back and Roger is still here. Thanks. I'm happy to sneak out. I didn't leave. He didn't sneak out.

I haven't gotten my parking validated. That's hilarious. We're going to talk about video games, but I wanted to know what games you must have some of the Sonic games. I mean, obviously you wor them, but like, what are your do you have any favorites or that you're currently playing or that you still you know what, I'm not currently playing anything Sonic related to this. I know. I'm excited to see Ralph breaks the internet and he Sonic in that, um, but no, I'm not. I'm not playing.

In fact, I've had to kind of like like my my gamer card has been revoked. I mean I just today like updated my Xbox and I was like, man, I haven't played this thing in so long. So you're a busy working man, I know. But it's also just like it's just sad, you know that I haven't been gaming as much as I once did. Um, have you ever thought of like going on Twitch playing Sonic as

Sonic I was doing something? No, but I did. I did do a joke reasently I said, I think I'm heavily considering doing a twitch of me playing um Windows Solitaire while uh filming someone else's feed while they're playing Solitaire on like Windows, and I'm gonna live stream or I'm gonna Facebook live the entire thing via periscope. Just trying to do like literally just do like a show within a show show kind of thing. No, I actually

this is an interesting thing. Like whenever anybody asks you to do something like in the character, it's always like, I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog, and it would I would imagine I'd probably get myself into some pretty serious hot water if I was to say, hey, voice of blah blah blah, a character that I don't own is

going to do the character while playing the game. And so I try to be you know, and then yeah, and then also like yeah, because the company is so big versus like, you know, people who have kind of gotten away with it is like, you know, Mercer will do like McCree and Saga is like, well, we're gonna ask say of Japan and say of Japan's like nope, tell you right away their first responsive very likely Nope.

That was such a knowing quick responses. You people never think about that, like like I've had you know, we get this conventions and stuff come up and like, you know, can you say as they're holding there, they're they're already recording, you know, phone in front of you that And it's usually like somebody that they don't like who has a YouTube channel that Yeah, we say that Sonic lover too

four nines YouTube sucks and you hate him. I was like, you know, and do it in your Sonic was like no, just go No, I'm not going to do that, and like I'll say something like you gotta go faster. You know that I've already said before. Yeah. Oh it's funny, like I caught some back on the Blue Carpet, the Red Carpet. Ralph breaks the Internet for a Variety had asked me to in the Sonic Voice encourage people to go vote, and people like, oh, no, Sonics getting political.

I'm like, there's nothing political about people. That's the funniest thing too, is where it is like, yeah, when people get mad. I was like, no, that's that is the one thing that you that is a completely nonpartisan is saying vote because just just enact, you're right, but an American. But I'm very aware of the fact that I'm always like doing this. You're you're a part of something much bigger than what you are. So yeah, he was like, you know, in the character's blue, so he's trying to

his shoes are red. What is he saying? Make red shoes great again? I love the Internet. How we get off on that? Sorry, we just don't worry. That's me Okay, I forget what the original question was. What was put if you played the video game video games? What video games do you have played? So I play all of them. As soon as I've done something, I'll play all of them and I'll go back game, even play the retro ones.

I've played the mobile versions of stuff. Because it's just, I mean, it's it's interesting to see how how it changes, how it grows and continues to kind of you know, And that was sort of the impetus behind Sonic Boom and and rise of lyric and uh man, I'm already blanking on the other the handheld version. Um that that that title, but is that they wanted to kind of make it a little bit more contemporary. So that's what

we're trying to kind of do. And I'm glad you brought that up because I do have some things to say interesting. Yeah, I'm actually a sonic lover. LVR seven channels sucks. Um. But now there's some real cool things about Boom being contemporary and how I've seen a lot of Boom without actually seeing Boom because a lot of things have went viral because of how cool and contemporary. Yes,

and that's all the writers. It's like, it's like those guys like doing all the really funny memes and playing with the you know, breaking the fourth wall and that kind of stuff. Yeah, there's been a few that have gotten really viral, which was a lot of fun. Yeah, knuckles right his hat when he was woke. Yeah, that

was hilarious. That was hilarious. And that's all that's pure writing. Yeah, but you your performance adds to it, you know, I want to give So that's how I mean if somebody didn't, I mean, he had to use a very comedic character. I was gonna say, I had one question, I think before you go on you do you still collect sonically? Oh yeah, to this day, or like in general of the characters that you voiced, do you still like if you go to comic connor You're like, I gotta get

this for sure, for sure, let's go. We're gonna take a step out in our difference for a few sex to go and if if corn real quick, if he's yeah, Because y'all may not have known this, but I was out on the Blue carpet with with right with Danny because she was thriving, and that's when I actually first met our man's here and actually we were chatting and what Roger was stepping on the blue carpet woad with were the Puma Sonics that I actually took an l

on the Puma Sonics. They did a pack drop where they had the Sonic and knuckles um and you had the Sonics and I was like so jelly because I wanted him so bad, and they dropped that comic Con Oh yeah, did you have you got a parent? No, I'll cop them on stock X especially Okay, we're not gonna would look adorable but I have giganto. I'm rather dainty. So that was a lot of fun that was actually

to be totally honest too. For for walking the carpet, I had contacted my pr lady and I had said, hey, I've got these shoes that I was nice enough to be given like I'm like a year ago, like months ago. I guess it would because it was it around. It was Diego Comic Con. Yeah, so it was this year's comic com that they dropped. Okay, so we're talking June right July. But I got it. I got him before then. I know what I got him. You know, I think I think they might have been last year's coming. And

I wasn't expecting him. It wasn't anything that it was like, you know, yes, I'd like my free pair of shoes. It came in a huge box, um all because and so all, and I was like, I'm never gonna wear thesee we're gonna wear these, like I gotta wear him

to some fan event or that kind of thing. In all of sudden, and I was getting the word that we're gonna get to go to Ralph breaks the Internet and I went the shoes and I contacted the pr people, and I said, like, we gotta find a way of like really making these shoes pop. But I'm like, I want to dress snazzy but have like the have the Sonic the Hedgehog shoes and so literally it was everything was everything was built from the ground up around those shoes.

You are right, yeah, exactly. That was all his designers shoes. Just in case you didn't, Okay, Yeah, they dropped on the twelfth of June for the retail price of one thirty on stock X and my size they're currently going for three. Are they really ye? Yep, I might need to like sign like brand for the sure. Yeah, they were not. They be devalued at that, you know, like

Rogers signed or twelve dollars. So it was so funny when we stepped out when we were doing the blue carpet or whatever for Ralph, because I was like, I don't want to go in the fan area. I don't think yeah, if he was, like, you'd be surprised. And I stepped out of the car and it was like Danny and so people wanted me to sign their poster. People wanted me to sign their posters, and I want to be like, I feel like I'm ruining it. I'm

not Sarah Silverman, I'm not Gal. Um. Yeah, so I signed their poster and it's it's funny because I don't know if you've been in the same predictar. I mean, I mean, you are the voice of Sonic and I'm just voicing myself in it for like a minute or two. But um, what's funny is when I go on these podcasts and people would be like one of the stars of what's the Internet? I own it? Own it? You are? You are me and Galgadote are the stars too, Rag p Henson and Danny Fernandez. Um if he did? You

want to go over some of your favorite games? Yeah, we're just going to do a quick dash through the games because there are so many, and I just want to talk about the like huge influential ones, uh instead of just going through all of them that have spanned from to this very year. Uh. So you had, you

know Sonics one and two. Two was the game. I feel like it was the staple game, the spin Dash, the one everyone played, and then three took it up a notch by introducing Knuckles, because really, that's a third character in this franchise that you now get to play. You're able to play as uh Tales or Miles if you want to be Danny when you with the second player, and they would be able to run besides you. So

that was like the two player aspect. I think the next big game in the series actually came after Sonic and Knuckles. I didn't realize these were back to back. I always felt there was so much time between them, and there was a Sonic and uh Sonic the Hedgehog three dropped four years later, we get Sonic Adventure, and Sonic Adventure came out for the Dreamcast, and it was a moment because because the Dreamcast was was hot at the time. It was the reason people, Yeah, that was

the reason people bought Dreamcast. And then it introduced that like Dreamcast used to have this uh I forget the name of it, but it was like a yeah that you would put in and you would put the what is it? The chow's the chows from the game, and you'd be able to take care of it outside of it. So basically all this like all the kids going crazy over the Pokemon, the Pokey Ball, plus that you could do. It was like we've been on that since since the Yeah, yeah,

we're sounding like old crotch that canters. So there were great games after that because you had um Sonico six, Yeah that was that was when your emails. Yeah, oh man, well I'm not gonna no, No, you're right because you're mentioning the whole thing. Because Sonic fans, which I used the term loosely because this isn't very fan is a fan centric way to act oftentimes will say that Sonic Adventure or Sonic Adventure two was the last good game.

Whatever Sonic they like was the last. But one thing everyone kind of did agree with was Sonic which one was it? Yes, Sonic Rush for the d S, which was not on this list, which makes me smarter than the internet. Uh, Sonic Rush was super fun and in it you you played at Sonic and also your your counterpart was what was her name, Blaze the Cat, Blaze the Cat. And it was a very fast paced, fun game.

It was, and everyone agreed, because you know, I hate when I really like a game and everyone's like, no, you shouldn't like it. It's like that. Luckily that didn't happen with this game. Everyone liked that it had had a fun story, it looked great, it was such a blast Sonic Rush, But then those knuckles in that, I mean, how could you enjoy that if your favorite I like you, I guess I guess you're kind of cool. Super cool that you got that you got to play Sonic and

Super Smash Brothers. Yeah, so cool again, like getting to be a part of something like this, Like those things just sort of like kind of fall into your lap, you know what I mean. It's like it's one of the things that kind of and it's like a crossover absolutely same thing with the same thing with with you know, record around Ralph. Yeah, a sudden, it was like somebody called up and they're like, yeah, Disney wants it for something.

I was like for what this thing record Ralph? And I'm like, okay, what what a what am I doing? They're like you're doing Sonic. I'm like, no, something's wrong, Like no, I don't think you know. And then showed up and they're like yeah, we we we we wanted sound like the Hedgehog and they're like you got to use our guy And I was like all right, really so because that was gonna be my question on the

meta side. Was it a them hitting you up and you needing permission, but so they wanted Sonic and Saga was like I would imagine it was a licensing thing. I mean, I think that's how that works. Um, you know. I mean, obviously I'm a brilliant voice actor and they were lucky to have me regardless, and it's just pure luck that the licensing. No. I actually think that that, um,

with most of those characters. I think that they mandate that, if you know, because when you think about something like you know, Disney doing a record Ralph with all those different video game characters, I think if they're gonna say, we're gonna use your guys or gals, we want to have, you know, the characters beyondest because they had Kylie Bars, we you That's what I was gonna go to. Now is it seems like you're in secause you're Insanega's Wheelhouse.

Now they're like your your Sonic, your son I mean until I'm not. Once they see you take a selfie with Mario, there you go, it's like, oh he's doing and he's he's as the character. We don't allow that. Yeah, oh my gosh. But yeah, that was pretty much the games.

And then you know, the first Sonic series that we referenced with Julio White was the height of like nineties game fever, when we had your Super Mario movies, when you had the Super Mario TV show, They're like this, you need a TV show because games are popping right now. But then after that you got I think there was the Sonic anime series before X. Yeah, Sonic X. Yes. I remember Sonic X because Sonic X was one of those shows that were I was a little too old

for it at the time. It came out two thousand four, two thousand five, which means I was a junior uh in high school, and I was like, you know how old you're but they had video games back. Oh yeah, I was in it though. I was like, look, I don't care what people say. I love Sonic, a Sonic anime, let's go. But then then we got the Sonic series that that everyone's talking about. Did I skip? Was it Sonic Extan Sonic Boom? I'm not crazy? No, yeah, I know.

I was under my fourth wife. I think at the time that the Sonic extras coming out, so you know, yeah, yeah, using that. Oh that's funny too. I'm trying to look up Sonic Boom while we talk about it, and of course I got videos of Fighter Chain, funny Sonic Boom. Ye, Sonic Boom cartoon that might be a little better, but we're so we're going to get into Sonic Boom right

after these messages and we're back. So, actually, Roger, I have a question, when did you first audition for Sonic Like ever, I guess it would have been two thousand nine ish. I remember getting any you know what it was for? It was it was literally for the games.

Did you know it was Sonic? Yeah? Yeah, So you went and you signed an NDA and then they started showing you like video clips of previous versions that have been done, from game clips to to some of the anime that had already been done, that kind of thing, so that you could have an idea of like, Okay,

we're trying to do this. And then it was just working with um Jack Fletcher was our director at the time, and he just you know, you you you go in and just standard audition, you know, it's like you sign in, you put your name on the list, and you get called in and they say, okay, we're trying to do this and you say, oh, how about this one? You know we'll do will its sounds too done? You go, how about that voice? It's too easily too high? You know, And then and even then we still will play around

with it to this very day. But yeah, it was I would say it was probably two thousand nine, and then the game was coming out in two thous ten, and they someone from Sake of America had sent me the heads up like, hey, we're gonna announce your name today like twelve noon, like PST or something like that, and I was like okay, and They're like, just wanted to let you know, and I'm like, why what does that matter? And the like you might you might get some and I mean like a like twelve oh one PST.

All of a sudden, I was starting in this like you know, like you know, people going, he sounds too old, because oh yeah, it didn't matter like they here because you know, you're a voice actor, so they'll hear you doing different things. And at that point I think I would have done like Chris Redfield, you know, and it's like and they were like, how can Chris Redfield voice Sonic?

And then there was this when we teach you about voice act Yes, this Alton Towers voice leak from the from over in the UK, there was a hotel that had a sonic themed room and apparently some of the files that we had sent over like they literally like they're there's sorounded lower like, so all of a sudden, the sonic voice it was like sugg all the controls And I was like, that's that's gotta be a like either a pal NTSC conversion issue or something. I was like,

that's not how we recorded it. But yeah, so that's how it goes, and you just you still play around to this very day with the voice. So yeah, dude, that's nine I say. It was when we first auditioned for Oh man, that's so crazy because sometimes I'll do a voice over audition and I'll do some weird thing where like somehow I get it out of register that I've never did and I was like, oh, I hope I don't get this. You have to be aware of

that too. You have to be aware of that when you go into like everything that you'll do certain voices and you go, I can't sustain that for four hours and not be shredded. So yeah, that's how how it's how it goes. But let's talk about sounding moon, because I do remember the day because the big thing that people talked about more than anything, the one thing I heard before even stuff about your voice was the handkerchief. Split I was team Handkerchief. I liked it. I was like,

that gives them a little little flavor. But some people were so mad history. Some people were so mad about htory. I. I love it. I love the handkerchief. And one thing I do love, stay on brand. Here's y'all makee knuckles nice and thick. Was a thick boy. He was like he was He was like, I was like, this dude lifts like talking about fan he's got tight hamstrings or something, or he's just like I can't, you know, I can't. And then he had the arm wraps and like, dang

knuckles so tight. Even the straps around the shoes. People were like, that doesn't even make any sense. Why would they have like sport tape around their feet because they would just like shred that up. You know, which is a really funny thing for us to even consider, is that, like people have this like visceral reaction at times to to like anything changing with characters. You're talking anthropomorphic hedgehog is so unrealistic, dude. But yet I get it too.

I understand that, like, you know, like these are characters that that oftentimes we've we've grown up with or that we just feel like and and it's weird to think. And I've actually Bill Freiberger, one of the other writers on the Sonic Boom series, basically said that we can't we can't retroactively harm anything that you loved, let's say, fifteen years ago. We can't harm anything that you experienced

back then with what we're doing now. But you have to understand that the joy that you had in something back then needs to be polished and done a new for a more contemporary audience if you want to have that thing adapt and be sustainable. So it's kind of like it's a tricky it's a tricky thing, so I think, you know, and it's and it's a ton of people

working on it. So yeah, And I think it is the thing of like people not understanding that the demo that it's for is not them and that there are proven things that are creatively what you're nostalgia is being based off of. It's not like people are like, oh, this is just a nostalgigraph it's like, no, it's actually not for you, which is why you're mad about it, because the changes that are being made are to apply

to what this new demo wants. You know. I think one of the biggest things I think people kind of crap on is the new Team Titans. Uh, it's not. It's the people love that. People love the movie, but people hate it. Like if you're on Tumblr, people are constantly doing everything. Yeah, that's the thing. But then but

then that's that was my point. Teen Titans go. It has a fan base that loves it so much the same way that found successful, and it just irks the people that don't like but it's not the original Teen Titans, Like, yeah, that can't be. You can't just keep cranking out the same thing or you're going to get like then the franchise dies and then you don't get to enjoy a new version of it or introduced it to somebody who's

younger or that kind of thing. So it's it's a it's a tricky the plus everybody thinks that everything is being done for them and if I don't like it, now we have this outlet where you get to go on and go like that's not my blankety blanket. You know, I think it's cool that both exists, though, Like that's how I feel about Shira, That's how I feel about ThunderCats. It's like everyone like the animation, like no, I think it's really cool that we have um two verse of it.

Like I want to be in a world I want to see, like you know, same with my franchise. I want to see like different people taking the stab at it and I want people to be taking risk because its opposed to like giving us the same recycled. That's how I feel about Whenever people talk about like it'll never be Heath Ledger's joker, I'm like, GOODREDI did it. I don't want to see someone trying to do that.

I want to see someone doing their own taps. And also everything I don't care, like how wonderful a film is, Like there's so few things that really still stand up. Really you have to always go back and take it with a little bit of like, oh, that was a different time when the comedy was a little slower, the animation wasn't available, or that kind of thing. And it's like so you, I know you have have this like

nostalgia of any given thing. But when you go back and watch some of the stuff, like some of the original Star Wars and you go, oh, how funny this was in the seventies. Yeah, oh wow, this is in the eighties, and you just know you have to look at and go like, it's not the nostalgia that I had when I watched some of that stuff as a little boy. Is awesome and it's it's amazing that it had the impact because it was able to conjure up

so much in me with an imagination. So you have to find a way of doing that same thing for an audience that's a little more savvy or a little more with a shorter attention span or whatever. So it's like you can't just keep cranking out the same thing where it dies because it doesn't find a new audience that's so smart and true still doesn't stop people from going like, but that sucks and it's not my man, but it must be so cool to have. At least.

The one thing I like about comic Con is it's people face to face, and so it forced like people would never probably say that, you know to your you know what I mean, but like that it must be nice to have you know this, different generations of fans coming up to you. And it's also it's it's nice when you get a chance to I mean even even these things, like you get a chance to kind of like express to people like, guys, there's nobody that's involved

in these things. I have yet to work with somebody on any franchise that I've ever been a part of who says, man, I can't wait to make this game suck or make it or just ruin this character for everybody. Everybody got it exactly when he goes into a trying to do but it's really really difficult because to keep something viable you have to adapt, and to adapt means you're gonna violate the sensibilities of someone somewhere that wants it the way that it used to be. And it's like, well,

you can't do that. You constantly have to evolve. And so when you get a chance to kind of talk people down and go guys, nobody in that room was trying to do anything, you know, to to irritate you specifically, and it's like you have to understand, take your own head out of your own butt and think about what other people might be experiencing with it and you understand there, like, hey, the scarf was a choice to kind of let me bring them into a little bit more of a contemporary

fuel or give them a little bit more of an Indiana Jones kind of a vibe. And this was more about adventure and fun and comedy with you know, with with the sonic boom rise of lyric game um, and so you know that that requires a little bit of an update because if we were just stick with the same old character, it wouldn't look right. You can create that world and plug something old into it. So it's yeah, you know, hey, some people all the time, all the

people some all the time. He couldn't have his girlfriend Madonna and be Bill Clinton. No exactly. I think Mr needle Mouse and be Bill Clinton. Oh we're getting emails. We don't like this Bill Clinton thing. Now that we're wrapping up. I don't want to make you dance for us, but if you could, what do I don't dance dance for us, but dance. No. It's funny because when we had kylie Bert, who's the voice he's the voice of for you and go on in DBZ, and we're like, oh,

could you do the voice? If you did it. We're like, oh my god, I always feel bad whenever I do like a voice in front of us. In fact, I even did on that Variety thing they're The guy that was hosting on the car was like, he was like, what is what a sonic sound like? Could you do you know, like the voice and to voice like I don't even know what he sounds like. And I was like, you better get out there and you know, go vote. And then like just before they cut it, I look

at it go it's basically that shrill, annoying thing. And people are like Roger thinks sonic is shrill and annoying. I was like, man, that's a grown man, and it's your voice. Here's the thing too that I feel is even harder for your a comedian. So you're always going to go for the funny something exactly. And And one thing is, look, I say this would love nerds are not the never get that like you do that, Like

they're just like you're trying to well. Doing it in person is always awkward, like as a grown up because they see me and they're like, oh wow, okay, like that's why I closed my eyes, And especially with little kids and that kind of thing I've said to people like like I've been at like you know, birthday parties and something somebody come in and go, hey, my my kids a really big fan of like you know, give a mass a cookie or something like, so we want you to do the voice, and I was like, I

can tell you right now, if you've not explained to them that grown ups have jobs where they do this, have them turn around, or let me go around the corner and call you on your cell phone and we'll do it that way, because this ruins the illusion, and

I'm I get so I'm so conscious of that. I would just feel bad because I'm like, you know, like I've been going gray since I was in high school, and it's like, so here's this character like e c O. When when the girls asked like, I'm not Italian five five, I've got no tan. It's not gonna this is not

gonna go out for you. So I'm always conscious that Carrie Fisher said the same thing that people would like, oh, it's Princess Leia and they would like bring their kids up and then they would just cry because they're smoking cigarettes. Like this was before also like Force Awakens and stuff, so like during those decades when the only other Princess Leia was her. When she was much younger, she was like, people like the kids would come up and be like, Grandma,

you know I'm princess and I get it. I get it, so but yes, what would you like me to say? No, I mean you did it. He's YouTube channel is is horrible and yeah, listened to Nernificent tag. Danny Fernandez ruined my life. He did. We just have you close out the episode. At the end of every episode, we just say stay near, but he has to plug. Yeah, I are we ending it right now? No? No, We're not ending it right now. I was just letting to know what we usually ask. Okay, cool, but what do you

want to play? Right there? People find social just Twitter and Instagram or is at Roger Both are at Roger Craig Smith my full name, No d R O G E R c R A G. Smith. Um, and uh and visit the Roger Smith Hotel in New York. I hear, and I think you should really support them. You had me going. I was like, were going to visit? No, and I Facebook. I've got on there, but I'm I'm mostly on Twitter. I like I prefer Twitter for the interaction there. Excuse me, Um, you play another Roger, you

play Steve Rogers. Yes, we didn't captain America. I mean I did say that he's a man of a million voices, So I think I encapsulated that A Black Panthers Quest is airing on Disney XD right now, Yeah, which is phenomenal. The writing on that is so epic, it's so good. You guys have to check out that series. We've got you a Kitty on Cartoon Network, got Bent on Cartoon Networks. Thorn the show run Jeff Thorn is Yeah, I've not seen Jeff about a while, but yes, Jeff's awesome. That's

a that is a lovely human being. But let me know, if you're doesn't want to take let me know, how dare you take to take jobs? You should be in it. I mean you can play your family like you have that accent down because that is your family. Yeah well well then, well then what kind of accidents very wispy like these where the Nigerian X is very rough? Ah yeah, so there's like a clear and I appreciate that that it isn't just generic Nigeria. It isn't Will Smith and

concussion shots fired. You know, will Smith come at me? I jump into the canyon too. He's too busy on Instagram right now. He's being exactly. He's literally going what if he's saying about? And then you have another Sonic game that's dropping twenty nineteen. We do. We thought it was coming out earlier, and that's okay, exactly. You know, UM is the official name Sonic Team, Racing Team, Sonic Razing. Thank you, thank you, jeez once again at Roger Craig

Smith and uh um. But yeah, so we got another game coming out and I'm not in it. But they've got the big Sonic the Hedgehog CG movie that's coming out in I think that comes out in nineteen. Yeah, I can't remember that summer. I think they're they're shooting for things. Yeah, November with Jim Carrey will be playing crazy Man. I'm very excited. I want to see his UM. I want to see that new show that he has on show. Yeah. I wanted to witers Cody Heller, She's

it looks real good. It was bizarre to even think that we're talking about CG, a live action CG Sonic the Hedgehog film coming out like for a like massive audience, like to think this many years later that the character is still niconic. It is. I mean, we got a cloth are There's so many things we could talk about. I was gonna say, you also were in the Olympics, right, they've done the Olympic Games, like the Sonic character. I didn't do anything. I don't think there was any voice

associated with that. But on your IMDb, is it really yeah? Funny? Oh no, are you thinking about they go to the Olympic Games kind of thing? Like there the mascott they might have been. I feel like he was, Yeah, okay, So I was going to say, because um, Goku Mario has been an Olympic mascot, and Goku has also been Olympic mascot, and I think that they had. I was looking on your IMDb and it looks like, okay, I don't know if you got paid for it, Roger, Yeah,

but it's listed. It's been like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day blue like stuff like that, right, right, And it's weird to think that, like, you know, and it's really funny because I always say in my job that like when somebody if you get on an airplane somebody ask you what you do. Rarely do I even say I'm a voice accurate because anything I heard of and you're only is legitimate and good is anything they've ever heard of but never heard of anything. But it's like you be

shocked because it depends on the person. Even with like old ladies, I'll say sound like the Hedgehog and they go, oh, yeah, it's not the little Blue Feller like, and then it's like, my mom funny, and then it always falls up with this he talks so funny. That is funny, just about that conference. I remember when I got hird for at Midnight. I was so hype to go on at uber and be like yeah, because because you know, you'll be like I'm a comedian to be writer and they're like, oh,

you've done anything on it. So I was like, yeah, I right for at Midnight on Comedy Citral and he was like, what show is that? Exactly? Yeah, that's what you just I just go like, people, what do you do? I'm a teacher third grade love the Little Buck story. It was so funny. I took my mom loves Jimmy Fallon, as moms do, and took her to um the Tonight Show and Brian Cranston was on and he comes out and she was like, oh, the dad from Malcolm in the exactly. Oh, you would love this story. You would

love this story. As a result of the Regular Show thing, I know, we're trying to get out of here and it's only gonna take twenty minutes. Uh. I brought my mom to a recording session of Regular Show many many years ago, and Mark Camill worked on that show with us the entire time and it was great. He was pop or skips, uh skips and all sorts of gosh. So that was Mark Cambell doing like you know, skits idea. And so I, I, you know, bring my mom into

the session. We're in the waiting room, um, waiting to go into the studio, and in walks you know, some of the co workers and guess I thought I'm introducing her in walks Mark and you know, hey Roger, and I was like, mom, Mark, you know, this is my mom. Karen like, Karen, this is this is Mark Cambell. And she goes nice to meet you, and he's like nice to me and he couldn't have been he was. He just like you knowed a hand him like, you know, money right there. He was like, your son is this

and he's the nicest guy right. Then he walks off and I look at my mom and I go, you know what that was, right? And she goes and he said this Mark Hamill and she goes Dorothy Hamill's brother. And I literally was like, yeah, um, I'm freaking out about introducing you to Dorothy Hamill, the Skater's brother. I was like this Luke freaking Skywalker from the Star movie. I was like, yea exactly, And I was just like, there you go, that's the reality what we do is.

That's why it's like, it's just it's a blessing to be a part of it. But it is kind of you know, like to be a part of anything. But but to think that Sonic is so ubiquitous in so many ways that like globally because look were this is show business. Somebody went that character is recognizable enough if we plug in the right celebrities and the right people in that kind of thing, we can make a movie

that could could become a financial success. And I'm sure Sego was more than happy to say like, yeah, further's the you know, that's why it's not like, people go like, are you irrigated that you're not in? And I was like, I didn't think that I was going to be in that from the get go. Let alone in Cameo or anything.

It's like it was just it's a different entity. And yet people when I say to people, I go, I'm you're still but you're also still voicing him because it's still as far as I know, yeah, as far as the next games coming out. But but but I always looking at it. Yeah, but we're a part of something too that like that will help further the franchise, and

so why would I be against it. It's like, you know, getting a versions of Captain America and Batman and all kind of stuff, So yeah, there's gotta be something for everybody.

I love. It was that inspirational. Yeah, I was gonna say, I am there's a Latin American pop star, Carol Savia, and she's voicing me in the Spanish version of Ralph Breaks the Internet because she's singing a song for Ralph Breaks the Internet And I am not a Latin American pop star that has like eight million followers, and she is more famous for playing me than I am for playing me. She announced that she's playing Danny Fernanez. I don't think she knows that I'm a person and not

just a character. But people are like, how come you didn't voice her? Like and I know, like I only have three lines I could easily do in Spanish. But I was like, I think it's because she's a Latin American pop star and she's in like she's from the Disney Channel, so when they're doing those, I'm not known in Latin America, like I mean, I'm Mexican, but like she's bigger, she's eight million followers, So yeah, I was.

I was more like, this is really cool and weird that she's voicing me, Like that's that's it's so meta. I think people don't like to think of this as a business though, too, like because these are the things that they love when they connect with on a certain level that they don't they don't like to think of the commerce aspect of it. But again you have to look at and go if the commerce fails, so does

everything you love about this. So it's a it's a weird makes for strange bedfellows, as they say, and it's a it's a weird dance that you have to do. It's kind of like you know when people start looking at that, going, oh, they're trying to hit certain markets. Yeah, they have to so different than like somebody back in nineteen nine or eighty eight walking with his sketches of Mr Needle Mouse and asking people on the streets in

New York what do you think about this? Yeah, it's because if you like this, if you think this is cool, we want to get something that appeals to as many people as possible. People don't like hearing that, because after all, this is for me, and I don't like it. So I'm gonna get rid astertly worded now in Sonic's voice, this is for me it dr rig Head. Thank you

Roger again for coming on. I am Danny Fernandez. You can catch both of us in Ralph Break's Internet which is currently out, and uh follow Roger on Twitter for all of his announcements. Yes he has a lot of announcements me if you way on Twitter and Instagram, I f y d E if he's on Twitch. Lots of NERD fam chopped in the stream. Some of you all rated me. Thank you so much. Keep up the love. You'll probably hear Roger on stream as I play some soul Caliber six with my main sick free Oh man,

Oh yeah, that's my main stufton shelfton. So so that's that's that's our boy. When you hear me getting tossed up while I try and get good. Uh, Danny, you got anything coming up? Did you already say? What's coming up for you? I think so? Just follow me on Twitter. That's where in oh my book, Yeah, I was announced.

Um so I got to finally announced and share. I was very honored to write in The Good Immigrant, which was actually a collection of essays from actors and writers of color as a book that came out in the UK a couple of years ago that riz A Med very famously wrote, and I think his essay was called Airports and Audition Rooms. It's basically talks about what it's like to be a creator of color when you're only

wanted or appreciated when you're famous or whatever. I was asked to contribute in the American edition, and so we just announced that. Um, I'm very excited for everyone to read my essay. There's also a ton of very talented writers of color that contributed, and that is dropping March twenty nineteen, but I tweeted out the book cover today, noise Yeah. I think that's it. I think that we

need to say what we always say, iffy yeah. Sometimes you feel you're stuck in second gear when it hasn't been your day, your month, your week, or even your year. I'll be there for you when the rain starts to fun to do. I don't even know where the clops are where we already a joke. You broke your love life, went away staying stay near to y'all. Thanks for listening.