Talking with Tim

Like any worthwhile pop culture junkie, a good book title can get my attention with relative ease. And thus was the case with TV critic Bill Brioux’s new effort from Greenwood Publishing, Truth & Rumors: The Reality Behind TV’s Most Famous Myths. I recently got a chance to interview Brioux about the book and another project he’s got in the pipeline. Once you’ve read the interview, be sure to visit Brioux’s blog, TV Feeds My Family.

Tim O’Shea: As a veteran critic of several years, I would imagine you view most entertainment rumors with skepticism-in researching this books, were there many items that you always assumed to be true that you found out to be false?

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Andy Schmidt is a former Marvel Comics editor who I found consistently brought an engaging vibe to the books that bore his name. When I learned last year that he was going freelance (for a number of positive reasons, most importantly to care for his newborn child) , I was eager to see where his professional path went next. Soon enough, I found that path included tapping into his teaching and editorial skills in one spot, Comics Experience. As detailed at the website, Comics Experience is where “…you can learn to be be a comic book writer; be a comic book artist; self-publish your own comic book; [and/or] learn how to break into comics…”. The latest round of classes started last week (January 7). Schmidt and I discussed what’s coming up in the short-term as well as the long-term.

Tim O’Shea: At present, the main classes are Introduction to Comics Writing, Introduction to Comic Book Art, as well as advance versions of both classes. Based on response and interest, are there any other classes you might consider offering down the road?

Andy Schmidt: Oh, definitely, I’ve been talking about doing an inking class and a coloring class and even more recently a Manga class. The response to what I’m offering has been incredibly positive from students and creators alike. So, I’m hoping to grow this out a bit.

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I first became aware of Arvada, Colorado-based pioneering podcaster Brian Ibbott when his show Coverville was mentioned by USA Today’s Whitney Matheson in her Pop Candy blog. After several months of enjoying the show, which focuses on covers (succinctly and aptly defined by Ibbott as “a new rendition of a previously recorded song”) and features a variety of musical genres and artists, I contacted Ibbott for an interview. Ibbott also produces other podcasts, including Lyrics Undercover, Today in Music History and The Wii Show. While the majority of the interview focuses on Coverville, we also discuss his other podcasts.

Tim O’Shea: As you quickly approach your 400th episode (as of today [January 7, 2008] he’s up to podcast 408), from your perspective, in what ways has the show drastically changed and have any parts remained (other than the show’s core premise) essentially the same?

Brian Ibbott: I think the overall feel of the show has stayed consistent, but I’ve become so much more comfortable with the microphone. It’s only taken me 400 shows to get there!
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