INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN DRUMMOND

On the Sunday, August 24th, 2003, I had the pleasure of interviewing Canadian voice actor Brian Drummond at CN Anime 2003. The interview was filmed by Amanda and done in front of a live studio audience group of friends.

Photo from the interview can be found here.


Pan: Can you say your full name backwards really fast?

Brian: Do you want all the letters backwards?

Pan: It's up to you.

Brian: Drummond Alexander Brian.

Pan: You have a middle name.

Brian: I do have a middle name. It's Alexander.

Pan: Do you prefer Coke-a-Cola or Pepsi?

Brian: Coke.

Pan: Any reason why?

Brian: I don't know. It's just a habit more than anything.

Pan: The packaging?

Brian: Yeah. Maybe it's red – more of a fiery color. [Vegeta's voice] But Vegeta wears blue tights so maybe it should be Pepsi.

Pan: If you were a Fruit Loop, what color Fruit Loop would you be?

Brian: An orange one. A very Saiyan-esque kind of color.

Pan: Is orange your favorite color?

Brian: No.

Pan: What's your favorite color?

Brian: I think my favorite color is blue. I tend to like things that are blue and green. My eyes are hazel-green.

Pan: What is the answer to life, the universe and everything?

Brian: The answer to life is to have hazel eyes, wear blue and eat orange Fruit Loops. [laughs]

Pan: What is your name, what is your quest and what is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Brian: [in an accent] What is my name? My name is... many names. The man behind the mask. What is my quest? To vocally destroy the planet. What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow? How the BEEP should I know? [Note: He actually says "beep". Heh.]

Pan: Who is your personal hero? Is there anyone you've looked up to during your entire life?

Brian: Well, you know what, I'd say someone I've looked up to my entire life as a hero, and I mentioned this earlier, would be Michael J. Fox. He was in "Back to the Future", which was one of the shows I saw as a kid that made me want to be an actor. With what he's going through right now, as another fellow performer and fellow British Columbian kid, I think I look up to him. As a family guy as well, with a wife and kids, and how he looked at the profession -- how he's lived his life and where he's going right now, I'd say he's a pretty big hero if mine.

Pan: Can you tell us about any of your highschool experiences? Did you enjoy it? Did you hate it?

Brian: I didn't hate highschool. I was, you know, I wouldn't say I was dork, but I had hockey hair. I was a drama and band guy. I played some sports, though not a lot. I had to work a lot all the time. It wasn't particularly the most pleasant experience. I think most of people that end up in the acting profession didn't usually like highschool all that much, because so much of highschool was surrounded around the jocks, and the hot chicks. I never got the hot chicks and I wasn't a jock. It wasn't exactly the most positive experience, but I think where I am right now, I'm excited about where it took me and how it lead me there. I had some great teachers -– some great English teachers, some great drama teachers -– that just opened me up to the idea of being creative as a way to have an awesome life and I utilized that. It was awesome.

Pan: What is the weirdest thing a fan has ever done to you?

Brian: Well, they've been asking me to sing songs lately. That's getting pretty weird. Let's see -- handcuffing me, I had a chain around my neck today and my arm around my back -- I should stop coming to conventions. [laughs] Some people are going to have to smarten up here. Next time, it'll be, "Can you sing the Brady Bunch theme backwards with your hands cuffed behind your back...?"

Camerawoman: Wearing a studded leather color.

Brian: Yeah, OK, people wonder about anime fans. I'm starting to wonder myself. [laughs]

Pan: Can you sing the Brady Bunch theme--

Brian: No! No, I can not. No. No. [laughs] That wasn't on your list [of questions].

Pan: No.

Brian: See? [laughs]

Pan: Do you ever search for yourself online or for any of the characters you portray?

Brian: Not so much characters. I pull up my name every once in awhile -- usually if I'm going to a convention, just to make sure that there's no nasty rumors or questions that might come up about me –- just to be aware of things. But when you search your name and it brings up 3000 sites, how much can you really do?

Pan: Do you enjoy jellybeans?

Brian: You know, I'm not really a big fan of jellybeans. I like certain Jelly Bellys, but regular Joe blow jellybeans, nah.

Pan: Is there any candy you do like?

Brian: Red licorice. I'm a red licorice fan.

Camerawoman: Guess what you're getting at all the next cons?

Pan: Do you eat things that fans bring for you?

Brian: If it was in an unopened package, I'd consider it. [laughs] Who knows what they'd be laden with? But yeah, red licorice and Caramilk bars. Those are a couple of my vices.

Pan: If you could rule anything, what would it be?

Brian: I'd like to rule myself. Well, I don't know. I don't thing I'd ever want to rule something. That's part of what's fun about being an actor and being creative, is that you can sort of set up your own destiny with what you're doing, but nothing is completely in your control, and neither is it in any control of a ruler. If someone says they're a ruler, they're not really. Does Jean Chrétien rule this country? I don't think so. Who does? Someone might say, am I the ruler of my home as the father? No. You know, there's give and take in all directions, so I don't think I'd want to rule anything.

Pan: I want to know if I can rematch you in that rock-paper-scissor match from earlier. [Please see the con report for context.]

Brian: I'm going to give you two tries at it, and if you can't beat me, forget it. [looks at camera] She gets two, and watch this, she's not going to get me.

Pan: You do notice that I'm going to choose scissors again, you're going to choose paper again, and I'm going to lose.

Spectator: She lost against two actors.

Pan: Hey! I beat Midorikawa!

Brian: I'm going to beat her!

Pan: Ready. Sai-sho-wa gu jon-ken-pon!

[Pan scissors; Brian rock]

Brian: [taps Pan on head with pen, wins, and raises hands into air in triumph] Told you! I knew you were going to do scissors!

[Pan and Brian hug]

Brian: She didn't even have time to grab for it!

Pan: [swats him on head with her clipboard]

Spectator: You even have the reflexes of Vegeta.

[poses]

Pan: Thank you very much.

[Pan and Brian shake hands]

Pan: Have you ever had a weirder interview?

Brian: Uh, probably from you. Weren't you there at Anime North asking some weird questions?

Pan: Uh... probably on the Sunday.

Brian: Yeah. See that was the only time that maybe somewhat weirder.

Pan: So have I been the weirdest one?

Brian: Yeah, you're it. [laughs]

Pan: [laughs] Thank you again. [shakes Brian's hand]