The It Factor: FesterVision (Part II) BY VICTOR HO FOR LA2DAY.COM 25 JUN 2008
Here we go, man… LA2DAY continues its mad and crazy interview with the gentlemen that defined the term, “out of this world”. It’s FesterVision.
Oh… and a special guest pops in during the interview…
But not the pink one, please!
LA2DAY: It seems FesterVision is a statement against the corporate world of rock‘n'roll. Was that your intention or was it all just for fun?
Tex Wall: For me it would be far too simplistic to suggest corporate rock as all encompassing evil. No doubt the system has many horrifying aspects but the cold reality is that we ourselves will come to rely upon corporate patronage for existence. Some pro-corporate rock POVs may come from the most unlikely of sources. Could Foxy be accused of selling-out? He certainly has benefited from said alliance with the corporate world. As Foxy himself might proclaim, “Marketing is not free. Billboards do not grow of their own accord.” I want my characters to be complex and unpredictable. Should one lament the ills of a system until it touches us with a Midas hand? Hypocrisy has a price and how many of us are truly willing to forgo temptation if Mephistopheles Records gives us an offer?
Now before people freak out and think, “whoa, this dude is defending corporate rock” understand the following: I am creating a scripted show with a narrative thru line. I need CONFLICT. I will have characters on both sides of many issues, and just like there are good & bad talents, one can find good & bad in the corporate world. It is reflective of the universal struggle between commercial and art. Each side battles for advantage while at the same time needing to work in unison. An artist must respect the financial concerns of the corporation; the corporation must respect intrinsic value of art. Too much commercialization can degrade the very property they have sought to develop. Eventually, one does find “Chevron Presents the FedEx Mona Lisa brought to you by Heinz Ketchup” has less appeal.
One concern I have is the use of computer programs being used to assist in music selection. The very thought of attempting to quantify something as humanistic as music is a bit ludicrous to me. Yes, I fully understand the desire to speed up the filtering process. Having to review the massive amounts of potential songs available is daunting, and computer programs can be efficiently seductive. The question is… do we really want a HAL-9000 stating to the public “I am sorry Dave, I can’t allow you to judge for yourself what music you wish to hear.” Yes, it has been suggested the human ear prefers certain melodies & rhythms and one’s data banks can include all the previous hits. But no one is suggesting we dance to Schoenberg’s atonal scale and I doubt Top 40 disco could help predict the oncoming of Seattle grunge. Many people complain that most contemporary music sounds the same. Perhaps we now have a hint as to why.
And to answer your question: yes, it was mostly done for fun.
Christopher Gauntt: FesterVision is DEFINITELY a statement against the insanity of the music business. Both Tex and I have first hand experience in that world. We know a lot of musicians, and have either performed on stage or produced our own work. *But*, that's really just an obvious side-effect of what we really want the show to be about... a bunch of fun characters, trying to make it, in a bizarre world, up against some really inane and strange obstacles. Anyways, we've written enough storylines to carry our live action, half-hour comedy 22 episodes a year for the next five years and beyond. There is no end to the potential insanity that these guys will run into.
LA2DAY: Why is Foxy Faux so psychedelically insane?
CG: Why is Foxy insane? Hmm… You'll have to ask him. I've heard rumors about an overseas tour with some Harujuku girls, and some swami-mystic, and something to do with black karma, and incense derived from Llama milk, Frog sweat, and Yak hair. But these are unconfirmed rumors.
TW: Conflicting medical studies out of Harvard and Cornell make it difficult to pin down, but I think it can be all traced to the moment of his birth. The son of an English father and an American mother, Foxy Faux was brought into this world during Transatlantic Flight 647 onboard a Boeing 707. His birth caused a minor international sensation as to his official nation-state citizenship. A doctor on board the jet immediately declared his mother mentally-unfit to care for a child, and all attempts to locate the other parent had failed due to his father’s travels to the deep jungles of India in search for the fabled Lost City of Aluminum. Even the United Nations became involved, needing to discuss revision of OHCHR 1954 Status of Refugees chapter one article 11 regarding definition of a ship (sea bound vs. aircraft). It was during this 2-year limbo Foxy was raised by a rotation of British Airway’s stewardess, the infant never permitted to leave the aircraft. Eventually the United Nations decided to officially ignore the situation and the proposed amendment died in committee. Foxy, however, was awarded a one-time-only Citizen of the World visa (France excluded) and is pretty much allowed to reside anywhere on earth where they do not predominately speak French.
This may help to explain why he is such an enigma, but then again, probably not.
LA2DAY: Looking at Tom Konkle's background, his credits include working with Monty Python which is impressive. How was he approached to play the role of the nerdy manager, Matt Finkle?
CG: It was surprisingly simple. We wrote the role for him. Tom agreed to work on my first short film as a favor to the lead actress, and Tex was helping me out by running camera. We hit it off right away. When we decided to do FesterVision, all the characters that had been developing over the years were either already spoken for, or just not a good fit for Tom. I kind of invented the Matt Finkle character based on some of my personal experiences in the technology world. Tex and I then figured out how to mesh him in with the world. We called Tom on the phone, told him about it, and he said "That sounds terrific!" or something of that sort. Of course, that's just my recollection. Tom could have been commenting on his kid practicing the cello for all I know. Regardless, we took it as a yes, and were very delighted when he actually showed up to the shoot.
TW: A wise man once told me the best way to approach someone is to bring two important items to the table. You sit directly across from the person you wish to negotiate, quietly place the handgun and the condom clearly out onto the table, and then proceed to give them a cold uncaring stare.
This wise man, of course, currently resides in prison so I myself have yet to try it, but apparently it is quite successful most of the time. In regards to Tom, it was through a friend of a friend that he attended a screening of a Shakespeare parody of mine. We got to know each other and we acted together in an improv short film (he played Orson Welles, me a Mexican Wrestler). In watching Tom perform, I was inspired with a thought. I came to the realization that FesterVision might work if the lead character was the classic fish-out-of-water type. This way the crazy world of rock’n’roll could be seen through the eyes of someone far more down to earth. The role is complex because Matt Finkle must be played by someone capable of quiet subtleties against a room full of loud personalities and still make his mark as lead. Matt Finkle is also the one who has the most pronounce character arc that has to be timed appropriately for his growth. All this and the guy has to be likeable. I strongly felt Tom Konkle has the talent to pull this off, and thanks to God he accepted the role in our film.
Tom Konkle: Tom Konkle here! I'm just here like a small dolphin caught in the proverbial cyber-net.
I was approached by both Chris and Tex for the role of Matt Finkle having already had a history and friendship with them. They are extraordinarily talented and funny guys to create with going back to when Tex and I did an improv with me as Orson Welles and Tex as a shady Mexican wrestler that was a fun interview. Chris and I had shot a film of his together and frankly survived a few other people's shoots together after that and we knew we wanted to work together on something a bit closer to our own style and hearts. I was asked to do Matt Finkle which was a character I am told they wrote with me in mind and after running over the scenes and allowing me to put a spin on the character and lines we knew we had a funny and tragic character on our hands.
My character is the sad comic lens that the satire and surreal world is filtered through and having worked on shows like Arrested Development and The Office, I love to play in that loose, awkward, scene structure and they let me go. There is an infamous "Teri Hatcher" improv I did during the bistro scene where they let me riff and it’s a great little slice of comedy. The bistro scene is also notable because it’s the first time I actually acted with Chris who plays the record exec in the show.
Tex and I hit it off and have some wonderful scenes together and we "get" each other and he plays to my strengths as an actor, actually covering the performance so as to make me look good and capture what really happened on set. He has the confidence to go for a close-up on you and trust the material will work in the playing of the character. It was a labor of love. I got to work with Fester himself who is great and friends like Jeff McClane who is a kindred sprit and really makes me laugh with his bold choices and off camera shenanigans and with Clare Salstrom who played my wife in the film, she and I have done everything from a western film together to literally a one woman show live on stage. One woman show, yes, her and me. The cast on FesterVision, was universally amazing and strong and that’s a tribute to the circles Tex and Chris move in I think.
It was something we worked up to and they included me very early in the process and thankfully long after the filming which I am grateful for. I work as a professional actor and writer with my own production company called Pith-e Productions and I know how important it is to make collaborators feel valued.
LA2DAY: Let's talk about Fester. Did you purposely set out to find an actor, like Mark Poland, with a musician background?
TW: In all honesty, it was Fester who found me. I owe a lot to Albert and Fester who allowed me into their rock’n’roll world. I always felt they were doing me a gregarious favor by allowing me to run wild in their circus. It was quite fun and had a surreal quality to it. It was sad when it ended and the calls of life caused us all to move on. Occasionally I would look back at the digital 8 tapes we made at the time and think there is something here that can be turned into a show.
I contacted Fester again after about a few years absence (you see - Foxy did disappear) and asked him if he would be willing to shoot a short with Fester & Foxy talking about old times. The improv scene turned out great as each character quickly accused the other of abandonment and memories broke down into old arguments. It was this film I used to help persuade Tom Konkle to take up the role of Matt Finkle.
Fester would find the wording of your question flattering to his performance. Actually I would consider him a musician first who is a great natural actor.
Anonymous said…
The It Factor: FesterVision (Part I) BY VICTOR HO FOR LA2DAY.COM 18 JUN 2008
Like Arrested Development wandered into Spinal Tap, FesterVision is a comedy series that is destined to be magically wicked.
FesterVision satirizes the music industry as it follows the misadventures of three characters that traverse the insanity of making it in the business of rock’n’roll.
LA2DAY took an intermission to do an interview with Tex Wall (creator; Foxy Faux) and Christopher Gauntt (producer; Richard LeTrois) to talk about their psychedelic tour into the series. As a side note, Tex and Christopher did not collaborate while writing their answers in order that the real truth be let out!
So what are you waiting for? Press the doll, man…
LA2DAY: Both of you have an interesting background in the entertainment industry. How did you meet?
Tex Wall: Well, at the Renaissance Faire, of course. Don’t all great creative teams get their start at the Renaissance Faire? In fact, Gilbert and Sullivan were Renaissance Faire junkies in their time. Big Bob Gilbert and Frank “Gunrack” Sullivan that is, not the musical guys.
Anyway, I played a very self-important nobleman from one of the top guilds and my sole purpose was to lecherously entrap young women visiting the faire for the first time. Chris, on the other hand, played an honorable shepherd who felt it was his duty to rescue innocent maidens from lecherous Ren folk such as myself.
Knowing this to be his calling, I gave him twenty-dollars to go off and hang out at the King of Spain’s tent to rescue maidens in that general area, leaving me free to raid unhindered. It was then I knew we could work together in Hollywood.
Christopher Gauntt: As I remember it, Tex and I actually met through Gina Roland, who is Tex's girlfriend, and a really terrific friend of mine. She's a makeup artist. A small group of us went off to the mountains, and Tex brought his camera and Foxy Faux outfit, and we just started shooting stuff. Technically, that footage is my first "acting" gig where I spoke lines on-camera. I played an insane lonely man in a pitch black robe and mask that is into S&M, and is really bummed out when Foxy runs away from him. My opening line was "Welcome to the HOUSE OF PAIN!"
Tex liked what I did so much, that a week later he actually decided to re-shoot a scene of a different short film he was working on, and replaced the previous actor's work with me in the role. That short was the infamous "Can To Queen Four" a.k.a. "ATM". That's when I met Fester, and essentially invented the first incarnation of what would later become the record executive in FesterVision.
LA2DAY: How did you get the idea to create FesterVision?
TW: FesterVision is based on real-life experiences I had when I was asked to join a Los Angeles rock band. Near the turn of the millennium, I had moved into a buddy’s house up in the Hollywood Hills and we set about to throw some great theme parties. We would have stuff like 11 piece mariachi bands playing at our events and it was a blast. One additional idea for our bash was to have fun characters mingle with guests. It was here that my alter-egos were created, Foxy Faux being one of them.
I would completely immerse myself into the character, leaving Tex way behind. I would develop a working accent and back-story and just behave as if I were the real deal. I would create a look. An afro, John Lennon shades, 1740s jacket, pink robe, lace jabot, white gloves, knee high boots. It was all in good fun.
To kick off one of our parties, I jumped up on a rather solid table and jammed to “Play that Funkie Music White Boy” with both V guitar and myself completely wrapped in Christmas lights. Half the party cheered me on with another half thinking I had lost it. A few guests even politely waited for me to be electrocuted (that never happened, FYI). Anyhow, when I jumped down I ran into my buddy Al who had brought his lead singer along for the party… the lead singer’s name being Fester. Apparently both Al and Fester (while observing my performance) said at the same time “we have to get this guy on stage” with their band.
Thus I joined the band Fester and immediately went on tour in the local Los Angeles circuit. All sorts of places from Bar Deluxe, Coconut Teaser, and up over to the Roxy. Places I had never been too (I was a bit sheltered from the Sunset Strip life) only to now find myself going up on stage to perform. It was a fascinating character study in a real life environment. I would find myself talking to people that as Tex I would most likely be too shy to approach. Foxy had a boldness and confidence that would surprise even me. I once talked myself into an uber private party up in the upper echelons of the Rainbow Room on the muse I was looking for the Lou (not the person but an English bathroom: it was gold as there was an actual Lou at the private event). During gigs, I would actually meet people twice, once as Tex (barely acknowledged – Tex aka just some roadie goof) and then again as Foxy (a completely different upbeat reception). I would have fun with them by suggesting that we had indeed met before, perhaps somewhere in Kuala Lumpur.
Playing with Fester and Al was just flat out awesome. Fester had a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell and he himself had toured with White Zombie in Japan (as drummer). Albert was a fantastic lead guitarist, but interestingly enough, was more than content with letting Foxy join the front stage antics with Fester. With my filmic background, I proceeded to record shows with the thought of creating music videos. Our films moved beyond just recording live performances. We began filming pre and post shows, rehearsals, and fun moments. Eventually this evolved into situational comedy skits called FesterVision. We would put these mini-movies on CD-Rs and hand them out at shows along with the music. Chris actually acted in one of the first fully narrative shorts we created (playing a character who evolved into our current villain). And he did a great job.
LA2DAY: Christopher, you are also the producer of the series...
CG: Basically I'm the money guy (for now), and I'm really organized. I had a background in production working on a few low-mid budget features. I'd also produced and directed quite a bit of theater, as well as my own short films. Normally, Tex and I trade off. He works on my stuff, I work on his stuff. This time around, because we are trying to take it to another level, we decided to form a full partnership. As for my cameo (as Richard LeTrois), well, I *am* the producer. I get a little bit of influence in the casting, plus I'm cheap. Nah, it really had more to do with "Can To Queen Four". Tex really liked what I did with the character, so why shop around?
TW: But life throws us all curves. Albert developed a rare type of brain cancer and needed to have tumors removed, and unfortunately his playing days ended (thankfully he did survive). In loyalty to Al, Fester disbanded the band. The bass player Leah went on to tour Europe with Pink (congrats to her!) and thus my days as an English Rock Star came to an end. But did they? I have always believed ideas never die, they just go dormant. I knew we had the seeds for a potential show but something or someone was missing. It was after meeting Tom Konkle that I knew we had finally found the golden fleece. But that is a story to be taken up in the second half of the interview. ;-)
LA2DAY: What are the future plans for FesterVision?
TW: Ideally we would love to have a network/cable series with all the corporate benefits of marketing and finance. The internet can also provide a wonderful launching pad for a show with 24/7 capabilities worldwide. I believe both venues can help FesterVision and we are looking into ways of achieving this.
One concept I wanted to try was “minor” storyline films that coincide with the series on television. Say a character like Foxy exits the scene and returns 10 minutes later within the narrative storyline of the network/cable episode. Well, our internet series would actually follow Foxy to see what happened during those 10 minutes. The character was happy, exited the scene, and returned later appearing very upset. Now we will know why: Foxy, on his way to lunch, finds himself being hunted by lion escaped from a zoo. No one would believe him anyway so upon his return to the network/cable narrative, he states his duress is over nothing thus the “major” storyline moves along unaffected.
CG: The future of FesterVision. That's definitely a mystery. It's currently in the hands of several networks and cable companies. But we haven't heard anything for awhile. Heck, we don't even know if they've watched the promo yet! The problem is, with the writer's strike, and now with the weirdness of the SAG/AFTRA/Producer negotiations, I think it's tough for anyone to get anywhere, let alone a pair of up-and-comers like ourselves. The other issue that Tex and I have been discussing quite a bit is what happens when we sell it. The reality is that it is very doubtful we would have much creative control if it gets picked up by a network/cable. Although we have talent and experience, it's just not enough of a track record to justify handing over the whole process without some oversight. On the other hand, we've been seriously considering going completely webisodic, and attempting to get full sponsorship to pay for the production costs. There is no doubt in my mind that we can easily handle that, and we would be able to keep creative control under those circumstances. Less money up front, but for that trade-off we may perhaps have better chance of establishing a decent reputation.
Comments
BY VICTOR HO FOR LA2DAY.COM 25 JUN 2008
Here we go, man… LA2DAY continues its mad and crazy interview with the gentlemen that defined the term, “out of this world”. It’s FesterVision.
Oh… and a special guest pops in during the interview…
But not the pink one, please!
LA2DAY: It seems FesterVision is a statement against the corporate world of rock‘n'roll. Was that your intention or was it all just for fun?
Tex Wall: For me it would be far too simplistic to suggest corporate rock as all encompassing evil. No doubt the system has many horrifying aspects but the cold reality is that we ourselves will come to rely upon corporate patronage for existence. Some pro-corporate rock POVs may come from the most unlikely of sources. Could Foxy be accused of selling-out? He certainly has benefited from said alliance with the corporate world. As Foxy himself might proclaim, “Marketing is not free. Billboards do not grow of their own accord.” I want my characters to be complex and unpredictable. Should one lament the ills of a system until it touches us with a Midas hand? Hypocrisy has a price and how many of us are truly willing to forgo temptation if Mephistopheles Records gives us an offer?
Now before people freak out and think, “whoa, this dude is defending corporate rock” understand the following: I am creating a scripted show with a narrative thru line. I need CONFLICT. I will have characters on both sides of many issues, and just like there are good & bad talents, one can find good & bad in the corporate world. It is reflective of the universal struggle between commercial and art. Each side battles for advantage while at the same time needing to work in unison. An artist must respect the financial concerns of the corporation; the corporation must respect intrinsic value of art. Too much commercialization can degrade the very property they have sought to develop. Eventually, one does find “Chevron Presents the FedEx Mona Lisa brought to you by Heinz Ketchup” has less appeal.
One concern I have is the use of computer programs being used to assist in music selection. The very thought of attempting to quantify something as humanistic as music is a bit ludicrous to me. Yes, I fully understand the desire to speed up the filtering process. Having to review the massive amounts of potential songs available is daunting, and computer programs can be efficiently seductive. The question is… do we really want a HAL-9000 stating to the public “I am sorry Dave, I can’t allow you to judge for yourself what music you wish to hear.” Yes, it has been suggested the human ear prefers certain melodies & rhythms and one’s data banks can include all the previous hits. But no one is suggesting we dance to Schoenberg’s atonal scale and I doubt Top 40 disco could help predict the oncoming of Seattle grunge. Many people complain that most contemporary music sounds the same. Perhaps we now have a hint as to why.
And to answer your question: yes, it was mostly done for fun.
Christopher Gauntt: FesterVision is DEFINITELY a statement against the insanity of the music business. Both Tex and I have first hand experience in that world. We know a lot of musicians, and have either performed on stage or produced our own work. *But*, that's really just an obvious side-effect of what we really want the show to be about... a bunch of fun characters, trying to make it, in a bizarre world, up against some really inane and strange obstacles. Anyways, we've written enough storylines to carry our live action, half-hour comedy 22 episodes a year for the next five years and beyond. There is no end to the potential insanity that these guys will run into.
LA2DAY: Why is Foxy Faux so psychedelically insane?
CG: Why is Foxy insane? Hmm… You'll have to ask him. I've heard rumors about an overseas tour with some Harujuku girls, and some swami-mystic, and something to do with black karma, and incense derived from Llama milk, Frog sweat, and Yak hair. But these are unconfirmed rumors.
TW: Conflicting medical studies out of Harvard and Cornell make it difficult to pin down, but I think it can be all traced to the moment of his birth. The son of an English father and an American mother, Foxy Faux was brought into this world during Transatlantic Flight 647 onboard a Boeing 707. His birth caused a minor international sensation as to his official nation-state citizenship. A doctor on board the jet immediately declared his mother mentally-unfit to care for a child, and all attempts to locate the other parent had failed due to his father’s travels to the deep jungles of India in search for the fabled Lost City of Aluminum. Even the United Nations became involved, needing to discuss revision of OHCHR 1954 Status of Refugees chapter one article 11 regarding definition of a ship (sea bound vs. aircraft). It was during this 2-year limbo Foxy was raised by a rotation of British Airway’s stewardess, the infant never permitted to leave the aircraft. Eventually the United Nations decided to officially ignore the situation and the proposed amendment died in committee. Foxy, however, was awarded a one-time-only Citizen of the World visa (France excluded) and is pretty much allowed to reside anywhere on earth where they do not predominately speak French.
This may help to explain why he is such an enigma, but then again, probably not.
LA2DAY: Looking at Tom Konkle's background, his credits include working with Monty Python which is impressive. How was he approached to play the role of the nerdy manager, Matt Finkle?
CG: It was surprisingly simple. We wrote the role for him. Tom agreed to work on my first short film as a favor to the lead actress, and Tex was helping me out by running camera. We hit it off right away. When we decided to do FesterVision, all the characters that had been developing over the years were either already spoken for, or just not a good fit for Tom. I kind of invented the Matt Finkle character based on some of my personal experiences in the technology world. Tex and I then figured out how to mesh him in with the world. We called Tom on the phone, told him about it, and he said "That sounds terrific!" or something of that sort. Of course, that's just my recollection. Tom could have been commenting on his kid practicing the cello for all I know. Regardless, we took it as a yes, and were very delighted when he actually showed up to the shoot.
TW: A wise man once told me the best way to approach someone is to bring two important items to the table. You sit directly across from the person you wish to negotiate, quietly place the handgun and the condom clearly out onto the table, and then proceed to give them a cold uncaring stare.
This wise man, of course, currently resides in prison so I myself have yet to try it, but apparently it is quite successful most of the time. In regards to Tom, it was through a friend of a friend that he attended a screening of a Shakespeare parody of mine. We got to know each other and we acted together in an improv short film (he played Orson Welles, me a Mexican Wrestler). In watching Tom perform, I was inspired with a thought. I came to the realization that FesterVision might work if the lead character was the classic fish-out-of-water type. This way the crazy world of rock’n’roll could be seen through the eyes of someone far more down to earth. The role is complex because Matt Finkle must be played by someone capable of quiet subtleties against a room full of loud personalities and still make his mark as lead. Matt Finkle is also the one who has the most pronounce character arc that has to be timed appropriately for his growth. All this and the guy has to be likeable. I strongly felt Tom Konkle has the talent to pull this off, and thanks to God he accepted the role in our film.
Tom Konkle: Tom Konkle here! I'm just here like a small dolphin caught in the proverbial cyber-net.
I was approached by both Chris and Tex for the role of Matt Finkle having already had a history and friendship with them. They are extraordinarily talented and funny guys to create with going back to when Tex and I did an improv with me as Orson Welles and Tex as a shady Mexican wrestler that was a fun interview. Chris and I had shot a film of his together and frankly survived a few other people's shoots together after that and we knew we wanted to work together on something a bit closer to our own style and hearts. I was asked to do Matt Finkle which was a character I am told they wrote with me in mind and after running over the scenes and allowing me to put a spin on the character and lines we knew we had a funny and tragic character on our hands.
My character is the sad comic lens that the satire and surreal world is filtered through and having worked on shows like Arrested Development and The Office, I love to play in that loose, awkward, scene structure and they let me go. There is an infamous "Teri Hatcher" improv I did during the bistro scene where they let me riff and it’s a great little slice of comedy. The bistro scene is also notable because it’s the first time I actually acted with Chris who plays the record exec in the show.
Tex and I hit it off and have some wonderful scenes together and we "get" each other and he plays to my strengths as an actor, actually covering the performance so as to make me look good and capture what really happened on set. He has the confidence to go for a close-up on you and trust the material will work in the playing of the character. It was a labor of love. I got to work with Fester himself who is great and friends like Jeff McClane who is a kindred sprit and really makes me laugh with his bold choices and off camera shenanigans and with Clare Salstrom who played my wife in the film, she and I have done everything from a western film together to literally a one woman show live on stage. One woman show, yes, her and me. The cast on FesterVision, was universally amazing and strong and that’s a tribute to the circles Tex and Chris move in I think.
It was something we worked up to and they included me very early in the process and thankfully long after the filming which I am grateful for. I work as a professional actor and writer with my own production company called Pith-e Productions and I know how important it is to make collaborators feel valued.
LA2DAY: Let's talk about Fester. Did you purposely set out to find an actor, like Mark Poland, with a musician background?
TW: In all honesty, it was Fester who found me. I owe a lot to Albert and Fester who allowed me into their rock’n’roll world. I always felt they were doing me a gregarious favor by allowing me to run wild in their circus. It was quite fun and had a surreal quality to it. It was sad when it ended and the calls of life caused us all to move on. Occasionally I would look back at the digital 8 tapes we made at the time and think there is something here that can be turned into a show.
I contacted Fester again after about a few years absence (you see - Foxy did disappear) and asked him if he would be willing to shoot a short with Fester & Foxy talking about old times. The improv scene turned out great as each character quickly accused the other of abandonment and memories broke down into old arguments. It was this film I used to help persuade Tom Konkle to take up the role of Matt Finkle.
Fester would find the wording of your question flattering to his performance. Actually I would consider him a musician first who is a great natural actor.
BY VICTOR HO FOR LA2DAY.COM 18 JUN 2008
Like Arrested Development wandered into Spinal Tap, FesterVision is a comedy series that is destined to be magically wicked.
FesterVision satirizes the music industry as it follows the misadventures of three characters that traverse the insanity of making it in the business of rock’n’roll.
LA2DAY took an intermission to do an interview with Tex Wall (creator; Foxy Faux) and Christopher Gauntt (producer; Richard LeTrois) to talk about their psychedelic tour into the series. As a side note, Tex and Christopher did not collaborate while writing their answers in order that the real truth be let out!
So what are you waiting for? Press the doll, man…
LA2DAY: Both of you have an interesting background in the entertainment industry. How did you meet?
Tex Wall: Well, at the Renaissance Faire, of course. Don’t all great creative teams get their start at the Renaissance Faire? In fact, Gilbert and Sullivan were Renaissance Faire junkies in their time. Big Bob Gilbert and Frank “Gunrack” Sullivan that is, not the musical guys.
Anyway, I played a very self-important nobleman from one of the top guilds and my sole purpose was to lecherously entrap young women visiting the faire for the first time. Chris, on the other hand, played an honorable shepherd who felt it was his duty to rescue innocent maidens from lecherous Ren folk such as myself.
Knowing this to be his calling, I gave him twenty-dollars to go off and hang out at the King of Spain’s tent to rescue maidens in that general area, leaving me free to raid unhindered. It was then I knew we could work together in Hollywood.
Christopher Gauntt: As I remember it, Tex and I actually met through Gina Roland, who is Tex's girlfriend, and a really terrific friend of mine. She's a makeup artist. A small group of us went off to the mountains, and Tex brought his camera and Foxy Faux outfit, and we just started shooting stuff. Technically, that footage is my first "acting" gig where I spoke lines on-camera. I played an insane lonely man in a pitch black robe and mask that is into S&M, and is really bummed out when Foxy runs away from him. My opening line was "Welcome to the HOUSE OF PAIN!"
Tex liked what I did so much, that a week later he actually decided to re-shoot a scene of a different short film he was working on, and replaced the previous actor's work with me in the role. That short was the infamous "Can To Queen Four" a.k.a. "ATM". That's when I met Fester, and essentially invented the first incarnation of what would later become the record executive in FesterVision.
LA2DAY: How did you get the idea to create FesterVision?
TW: FesterVision is based on real-life experiences I had when I was asked to join a Los Angeles rock band. Near the turn of the millennium, I had moved into a buddy’s house up in the Hollywood Hills and we set about to throw some great theme parties. We would have stuff like 11 piece mariachi bands playing at our events and it was a blast. One additional idea for our bash was to have fun characters mingle with guests. It was here that my alter-egos were created, Foxy Faux being one of them.
I would completely immerse myself into the character, leaving Tex way behind. I would develop a working accent and back-story and just behave as if I were the real deal. I would create a look. An afro, John Lennon shades, 1740s jacket, pink robe, lace jabot, white gloves, knee high boots. It was all in good fun.
To kick off one of our parties, I jumped up on a rather solid table and jammed to “Play that Funkie Music White Boy” with both V guitar and myself completely wrapped in Christmas lights. Half the party cheered me on with another half thinking I had lost it. A few guests even politely waited for me to be electrocuted (that never happened, FYI). Anyhow, when I jumped down I ran into my buddy Al who had brought his lead singer along for the party… the lead singer’s name being Fester. Apparently both Al and Fester (while observing my performance) said at the same time “we have to get this guy on stage” with their band.
Thus I joined the band Fester and immediately went on tour in the local Los Angeles circuit. All sorts of places from Bar Deluxe, Coconut Teaser, and up over to the Roxy. Places I had never been too (I was a bit sheltered from the Sunset Strip life) only to now find myself going up on stage to perform. It was a fascinating character study in a real life environment. I would find myself talking to people that as Tex I would most likely be too shy to approach. Foxy had a boldness and confidence that would surprise even me. I once talked myself into an uber private party up in the upper echelons of the Rainbow Room on the muse I was looking for the Lou (not the person but an English bathroom: it was gold as there was an actual Lou at the private event). During gigs, I would actually meet people twice, once as Tex (barely acknowledged – Tex aka just some roadie goof) and then again as Foxy (a completely different upbeat reception). I would have fun with them by suggesting that we had indeed met before, perhaps somewhere in Kuala Lumpur.
Playing with Fester and Al was just flat out awesome. Fester had a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell and he himself had toured with White Zombie in Japan (as drummer). Albert was a fantastic lead guitarist, but interestingly enough, was more than content with letting Foxy join the front stage antics with Fester. With my filmic background, I proceeded to record shows with the thought of creating music videos. Our films moved beyond just recording live performances. We began filming pre and post shows, rehearsals, and fun moments. Eventually this evolved into situational comedy skits called FesterVision. We would put these mini-movies on CD-Rs and hand them out at shows along with the music. Chris actually acted in one of the first fully narrative shorts we created (playing a character who evolved into our current villain). And he did a great job.
LA2DAY: Christopher, you are also the producer of the series...
CG: Basically I'm the money guy (for now), and I'm really organized. I had a background in production working on a few low-mid budget features. I'd also produced and directed quite a bit of theater, as well as my own short films. Normally, Tex and I trade off. He works on my stuff, I work on his stuff. This time around, because we are trying to take it to another level, we decided to form a full partnership. As for my cameo (as Richard LeTrois), well, I *am* the producer. I get a little bit of influence in the casting, plus I'm cheap. Nah, it really had more to do with "Can To Queen Four". Tex really liked what I did with the character, so why shop around?
TW: But life throws us all curves. Albert developed a rare type of brain cancer and needed to have tumors removed, and unfortunately his playing days ended (thankfully he did survive). In loyalty to Al, Fester disbanded the band. The bass player Leah went on to tour Europe with Pink (congrats to her!) and thus my days as an English Rock Star came to an end. But did they? I have always believed ideas never die, they just go dormant. I knew we had the seeds for a potential show but something or someone was missing. It was after meeting Tom Konkle that I knew we had finally found the golden fleece. But that is a story to be taken up in the second half of the interview. ;-)
LA2DAY: What are the future plans for FesterVision?
TW: Ideally we would love to have a network/cable series with all the corporate benefits of marketing and finance. The internet can also provide a wonderful launching pad for a show with 24/7 capabilities worldwide. I believe both venues can help FesterVision and we are looking into ways of achieving this.
One concept I wanted to try was “minor” storyline films that coincide with the series on television. Say a character like Foxy exits the scene and returns 10 minutes later within the narrative storyline of the network/cable episode. Well, our internet series would actually follow Foxy to see what happened during those 10 minutes. The character was happy, exited the scene, and returned later appearing very upset. Now we will know why: Foxy, on his way to lunch, finds himself being hunted by lion escaped from a zoo. No one would believe him anyway so upon his return to the network/cable narrative, he states his duress is over nothing thus the “major” storyline moves along unaffected.
CG: The future of FesterVision. That's definitely a mystery. It's currently in the hands of several networks and cable companies. But we haven't heard anything for awhile. Heck, we don't even know if they've watched the promo yet! The problem is, with the writer's strike, and now with the weirdness of the SAG/AFTRA/Producer negotiations, I think it's tough for anyone to get anywhere, let alone a pair of up-and-comers like ourselves. The other issue that Tex and I have been discussing quite a bit is what happens when we sell it. The reality is that it is very doubtful we would have much creative control if it gets picked up by a network/cable. Although we have talent and experience, it's just not enough of a track record to justify handing over the whole process without some oversight. On the other hand, we've been seriously considering going completely webisodic, and attempting to get full sponsorship to pay for the production costs. There is no doubt in my mind that we can easily handle that, and we would be able to keep creative control under those circumstances. Less money up front, but for that trade-off we may perhaps have better chance of establishing a decent reputation.