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The Rant Shack
(Wherein We Rant)
Mike Says:
(06/01/05)
A-1 Comics owner Brian Peets, Nice Guy creators Tim Watts and Michael O'Connell, and KOVR's Cody Stark
THE NICE GUYS ON TV!
Yes, as promised, all the news on the big Nice Guy TV appearance on the Daybreak show on KOVR-TV, Channel 13, in Sacramento on May 6, 2005.
So a little backstory. Rich Straub is a former roommate of me and Tim (and a guy we went to school with since, like 5th grade), and he works at Channel 13. He's been talking for a while about the idea of pitching us as a segment on the 13 morning show. But to do that, you kind of need an event to center it on (they just prefer it that way). Well, we realized Free Comic Book Day was coming up, and once again Brian Peets, owner of A-1 Comics, had invited Tim and I to appear and sign autographs with other comic creators (Brian, as you might have read here in the past, is one of our biggest supporters). Hmm...that kind of smells like an event, doesn't it?
So Rich pitched it, and the producers at 13 thought it was a swell idea. So we got all the info to them, and we asked Brian to come on with us and talk about Free Comic Book Day. And we were on! Rich would be the guy, even, putting together all the video stuff during the interview, like shots of our web page. All we had to do was show up.
Okay, a couple of snags...
First, my week got real busy, and I didn't get around to calling Rich until the night before the thing. I got his wife, Teresa, on the phone, and only then did I find out the day before Rich's son Ryan broke his arm in a freak household accident (yikes!). Our big concern, of course, was Ryan. Screw it if we didn't have any video stuff on the segment. I finally reached Rich on his cell phone. He hadn't been to work in the past couple of days because of needing to stay home with the Amazing One-Armed Ryan. And he wouldn't be able to be there the following day when we were there, which bummed us out. He also hadn't been able to get the video stuff together, which, again, we weren't all that bothered by. But this is Rich. Rich said he'd be staying home with Ryan, but would be up at 4:00 AM and on the phone with his peeps at the station to talk them through what he wanted for the video. What a pal!
So the next morning came, and an early rise it was. Our segment was to be at 6:48am, which meant we needed to be there by at least 6:30. And we'd both be heading right into work after. I handled getting the directions of Mapquest, and e-mailed them to Tim, as we live pretty close to each other. No problem!
Stupid razzum frazzum Mapquest...
Enter snag number two. I was just about the get on the freeway and head down to West Sacramento to the KOVR studio when Tim called me on my cell. He was trying to get down there extra early. Well, let me make a long story short. Mapquest blows. And Sacramento doesn't help by having two main freeways--I-80 and "Business 80". Tim was lost. Then, by trying not to repeat his mistake, I took a different route that SEEMED like what Mapquest was trying to explain...and *I* got lost. We were calling each other back and forth, and by the time about 6:20 rolled around, we were STILL lost. I ended up calling Rich, and he walked us through it (mentioning that just about everyone got lost trying to find the studio...). It was looking like I might not make it in time, and Tim might have to go on with Brian...assuming Brian had found it, and assuming TIM made it in time. DisASter!
But Brian, being a former NFL star, well-trained in directions from tracking down all those obscure strip clubs around the nation during away games (I'm just assuming here), had gotten there in plenty of time and was just chilling in the green room. I screeched into the parking lot with about three minutes to spare, and saw Tim come running back out to the parking lot to grab a copy of "The Nice Guy: Pilot" from his car. This is when I learned the difference between "normal" time and TV "time". We were freaking out because it was only three minutes to broadcast. The guy who was letting us in? Totally relaxed. We were like, "Oh, my God, there's only three minutes!". He was like, "What's the problem? We've got three whole minutes". I forgot that ten seconds is a lifetime to these guys.
So we darted into the green room, and had about a minute or two in there, where host Cody Stark, a very cool guy, and, we discovered, closet comic guy, came in and rapped with us a little about the Nice Guy, and told us how much he'd enjoyed the strips he'd read. Then, before we knew it, we were led into the studio and got mic'd up. The good news about the delays? By the time we actually got into the studio, we were just so damned relieved that we had actually made it that we were totally relaxed. No nerves at all.
During the mic stuff Cody and I talked about comics, and about him reading Dark Knight back in college. Cody's co-anchor Patti Lee was rather amused at Brian's attire...shorts and hiking boots. Brian commented that he got plenty of dates dressed that way in college. Soon the countdown came, and the camera went live, and our segment began.
And I think it went pretty well. Of course you always look back and wish you'd done or said things differently, but you've just got to roll with it when you're live and see where it goes. So much of it is guided by what the host is asking. On a lot of these things, as Rich warned us, the time goes by really fast, and maybe only one of you gets to actually talk. But we each got a shot, and covered a lot of ground. We managed to cover comics, comics in the movies, the comic industry today, Free Comic Book day, and, of course, The Nice Guy. None of us managed to say anything incredibly stupid (there was the one brief moment where I almost blurted out the Weird Science line, "Well, we're not talking candle wax on the nipples or witchcraft or anything", but I kept control. Brian got his attire mocked by Cody as well, and rolled nicely with it, and he managed to not only summarize the event but say some very nice things about The Nice Guy as well. And the video looked great...Rich had them film the web site, and that cut in intermittently while we were talking, and there was a great graphic showing the Free Comic Book Day info with Tim's art on it. You know, seeing yourself on TV is one thing...not really a big deal, especially if you've been through it before (I have, don't ask, and no it has nothing to do with John Walsh)...but seeing your web site that you've created...and seeing Tim's art up there on screen....THAT's a rush.
Our four minutes of fame ended quickly, but didn't go by as quickly as I'd thought, and I thought it did really well. I wondering how many people would actually be watching at that time of day, but was pleasantly surprised to get to work and have people come up to me that saw me that didn't know I was going on, and to show up at the event at A-1 the next day and have people come up and tell us they came in just because they saw it. Wow. Great marketing, and it was free! A big thanks, again, to our pal Rich for making it all happen, and going above and beyond during a tough time. You the MAN, Rich. Get a big picture of this, pal!
If you jump to the Photos page, you'll find some more screen caps of the broadcast for your viewing pleasure. And now that Rich has gotten me the video (both in DVD and AVI modes, no less), and since Channel 13 gave us the okay to use the footage on our web page, I'll try to get the video itself up for you soon...once I figure out how that works.
THE NICE GUYS AT A-1 COMICS ON FREE COMIC BOOK DAY '05!
And since we went on TV to push the event, we figured we'd actually GO to the event as well.
No, we're not comic creators. But we play them on TV...
So we did, on Saturday, May 7, out at the Roseville A-1 Comics location. I remembered from last time that the parking lot for the store fills up real, real fast during these things, so I got there a little before the store opened to get a spot. I got some of our stuff set up, and said howdy to our man Dan Cooney of Valentine fame, another Sacramento creator who's doing real good for himself with his work. He was sitting next to our spot on the row of tables, and we hung out and waited for Tim and his girlfriend Tammy to show up, which they eventually did...after a night of partying it up with our gang that I missed because my parents were in town staying with me. We set up, kicked back, and let the fun begin.
Good group of celebs, as usual, mostly locals this time. Aside from us and Dan, Chris Wisnia of Tabloia and Ojo fame was there (great guy, always good to hang out with him). Also appearing were Paige Braddock (Jane's World), Jennifer Feinberg (Little Scrowlie), Jim Sinclair (The Maxx) and Steve Buell (Video). We all sat in one long row of tables as we met fans and newbies alike, talked about comics, gave advice (get a real job!) to aspiring creators, and tried to politely inform those who thought Free Comic Book Day meant OUR stuff was free that they were mistaken. We also got to judge an art contest with aspiring locals (whoever did the Moon Knight? You had my vote. Sorry you got aced out, but the dragon WAS nice (it was Tammy's favorite, and her horse won, even though she didn't get to vote. Talk about your silent majority!)).
Proving once again that Free Comic Book Day AIN'T exactly free...
We had some pals of ours show up, too, including our buddy A.T. and his daughter Parker Rose, my co-worker and old friend Kyle and his son, our old buddy Randy who hung out for most of the event and went out to lunch with me after, and my pal Lisa from work (big Nice Guy fan...even paid cash money for our book). Sadly, #1 Nice Guy pimp Sarah Haslett wasn't able to make it over until after we left. We missed you, Sarah! We'll catch you next time.
The event was JAMMED. Seriously, the A-1 employees were seriously taxed. The line literally crossed the whole store, and stayed that way pretty much all day. That's a lot of customers to focus on AND have to grab sodas and snacks for me, Tim and Tammy. Big thumbs up to the always friendly and highly overworked A-1 warriors. You guys kicked ass, and that's WITH the boss going out of town and leaving it all up to you! Well done.
Mike and Dan Cooney kicking it celeb style. More sodas and fresh M&Ms for ALL my men!
Once more, a great time had by us Nice Guys, and our big thanks to Brian for making it happen, for making us a part of it, for doing the TV thing with us, and for throwing such a great shindig for Sactown locals. Sign us up again for next year, my friend. We'll be there.
Our
photos of the event can be seen on the Photos
page.
DISTURBING INTERNET IMAGE OF THE WEEK
You know, I just expect a LITTLE more education out of our local fast food employees...
LET THE SUMMER FUN BEGIN!
Stay tuned for more Nice Guy summertime fun, and get out there and hit the surf while the waves are tasty, dude! See ya next time...
Michael O'Connell - Writer and Websovereign
The
Nice Guy
“Pilot”
Now on Sale!
ITEM!
New strip added in the Comics! section: "Kneeeel Before Zod"
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New update in The Rant Shack...with the news on the A-1 Comics Van Fundraiser...and the shocking Tim Watts finger news...
ITEM!
Update to the Photos page with A-1 Comics shots! Sorry, no shots of Tim's finger...
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Always find out the latest NG News in the What's Cookin' Section
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