CLANG! by Casey Wolfe
Original Release Date: October 12, 2012
As any parent knows, balancing work and family can be difficult to say the least. For Gern and Betty Steadfast the two are about to slam together with a great… big… CLANG! Earbud is proud to present the acting talents of Stephen Tobolowsky, Meeghan Holoway, Sean Keller, Alex Wagner and Lindsay Zana in what is our most ambitious (and fun) podplay to date. Enjoy!
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Well, we used our first Wilhelm (two actually). And we chuckle every time we hear it.
It sounds like arrogance to fawn over something you produced/directed – in this case, the podplay CLANG! There shouldn’t be shame in falling in love with something you’ve created, right? Artistic creations are like children, after all, and we love our kids warts and all, right? Right.
Which brings us to the podplay at hand – CLANG! Without giving too much away, that’s what this episode is about – kids, having kids, and the lengths you go to to provide for your kids – but mostly about how children give us what we need most: perspective and robot hijinks.
This is definitely on the lighter side for Earbud Theater – we hope you enjoy it.
And OH what a cast we have! Big thanks to the following:
Stephen Tobolowsky – Gern Steadfast
Meeghan Holloway – Betty Steadfast
Lindsay Zana – Tyler & Jack
Alex Wagner – Jenni & Ellie
and Sean Keller – The General & Gabriel Edgar Wech
Very special thanks to Mark McCabe for his assist on the robots!
And a bit more from the original post back in 2012.
As a matter of fact, this has been the worst year of my life. Again, just as a matter of fact. And I realize that as I say this maybe I’m being too pessimistic so let me rephrase: worst year of my life… so far.
We all go through difficult times and I only bring it up to point out that even when we’re slogging through the necessary unpleasantness life occasionally delivers there are bright spots. And maybe because of what we’re going through those inspiring moments shine a bit brighter than usual. My highlights had to do with the support of friends and family and are of no interest to you (I don’t blame you (and where is this going anyway?)). One moment that does stand out is getting to work with Stephen Tobolowsky.
You don’t know him, but you do because the guy has been in a trillion movies (or 217 to date if you’re into accuracy). He looks like this:
And also this:
And you most likely remember this:
I’m impressed with the guy, not just for his work ethic, but because of this podcast he has that’s grown over the past few years. It’s called The Tobolowsky Files and was the brainchild of David Chen who writes for the excellent website /Film. Dave saw the indie film Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Party and wisely surmised that there were perhaps more stories Stephen had to tell. He was right. Stephen’s criteria is “a good story well told,” but he’s underselling. These are GREAT stories. They can be moving, inspiring, informative or funny but are usually a combination of all these elements.
Tobolowsky Files hit me at just the right time. When things go off-the-rails, it’s cool to find something that gives you perspective. Something that reminds you that we all go through heavy shit. It’s just part of the human experience. And it doesn’t have to destroy you. TF was that for me, so I wanted to bring it up to YOU because if you haven’t heard any of these recordings about “life, love and the entertainment industry” – DO SO NOW!
Stephen is currently touring the country, I believe, promoting his book The Dangerous Animals Club (and yes, I bought my copy) and I believe NPR just picked up The Tobolowsky Files. So after you listen to CLANG! head over to /Film or iTunes and see what all the fuss is about.
Once again, thanks to Stephen for being game enough to play in the Earbud sandbox. Now. Let’s Celebrate… WITH SANDWICHES.