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Interview with former Tharg, Richard Burton (questions needed)

Started by Frank, 09 September, 2016, 09:30:33 PM

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AlexF

I'm guessing it's too late to get any more questions put to Mr Burton, but one thing I wonder is how much input Steve MacManus had over 2000AD at the time. I imagine he left Burton largely alone while he was off prepping Crisis, Revolver and The Megazine, but would Burton have shown him pages / plans for any given Prog for approval or anything like that? The only tidbit I've heard is the story about MacManus telling then-new Tharg John Tomlinson (or was it McKenzie?) to do whatever it took to lure John Wagner back onto writing Dredd for the weekly again.

CalHab

Finally got through both parts and really enjoyed it. Thanks to everyone involved.

I'm a bit confused about why you would ask for input from a forum and then describe its users as "a bunch of fucking assholes", but maybe that's how podcasting works.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: CalHab on 22 November, 2016, 05:49:21 PM
I'm a bit confused about why you would ask for input from a forum and then describe its users as "a bunch of fucking assholes", but maybe that's how podcasting works.

Ahh... the wit and charm we've come to associate with Mr Reid. He could interview Alan Moore, Grant Morrison and John Wagner in the same podcast and I still wouldn't listen to it.
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Frank

Quote from: CalHab on 22 November, 2016, 05:49:21 PM
I'm a bit confused about why you would ask for input from a forum and then describe its users as "a bunch of fucking assholes"

From memory, Flint says something like he doesn't post here much because there are too many assholes - not all of them. None of the ECBT crowd post here anymore because they don't get on with Rennie and Campbell. 

As a consequence, they never miss an opportunity to put the boot into Rennie's strips. Listening to them review the early episodes of Hunted was quite funny, because they clearly quite enjoyed it but struggled to find ways to say otherwise.



CalHab

Quote from: Frank on 22 November, 2016, 06:38:07 PM
From memory, Flint says something like he doesn't post here much because there are too many assholes - not all of them. None of the ECBT crowd post here anymore because they don't get on with Rennie and Campbell. 

I thought he was fairly clear about how he views everyone on this forum. It was a rather unnecessary diversion.

Frank

Quote from: AlexF on 19 November, 2016, 11:22:35 AM
I'm guessing it's too late to get any more questions put to Mr Burton, but one thing I wonder is how much input Steve MacManus had over 2000AD at the time ... I've heard is the story about MacManus telling then-new Tharg John Tomlinson (or was it McKenzie?) to do whatever it took to lure John Wagner back onto writing Dredd for the weekly again.

I think MacManus's title was Group Editor, which I assume meant he had oversight on the general direction of 2000ad but left the day to day to his editors. I understand the third instalment was recorded shortly after the second, but there are other interviews coming up that can probably address these matters.

I'll post requests for more questions and links to the interviews as they arise.



Fungus

Thoroughly enjoyed part 1 of this interview, but I did a double-take at the start of part 2...
so British Annuals were always much better value than US Annuals?! Eh?
US Annuals had/have a price tag in line with increased page-count, whereas hardbacked British Annuals were always a rip-off  :o
They bore no relation to the weekly cover prices and were a notorious cash cow...?

Frank

Quote from: Fungus on 22 November, 2016, 11:01:05 PM
US Annuals had/have a price tag in line with increased page-count, whereas hardbacked British Annuals were always a rip-off

I only ever bought one US annual, a Batman one written by Pete Milligan. I was devastated when I got to the end and realised there was no word search*

PART THREE of this epic encounter sees poor Richard Burton worry he's never going to get away. 2000ad forum questions are finally answered and Richard shares his memories of being on the set of the 1995 Stallone movie at Shepperton.

The podcast opens with Flint bringing up Garth Ennis and Alan Grant's scathing criticisms of Burton, which - to Burton's credit - he responds to, even though he doesn't need to. It's the kind of topic that would be weeded out at the negotiation stage of most interviews.

I actually found the wounded quality in Burton's voice quite touching. Oh, and Flint repeats Part Two's 'not all 2000ad forum members are assholes' clarification, just for Cal Hab's benefit:


PLAYERFM

iTUNES

LIBSYN

ECBT20000AD


* Especially since a Pete Milligan word search would have been the best thing ever

TordelBack

Quote from: Frank on 23 November, 2016, 07:32:34 AM
Oh, and Flint repeats Part Two's 'not all 2000ad forum members are assholes' clarification, just for Cal Hab's benefit:

Sometimes I wish I could block out all the stupid bloody things those boys say long enough to listen to the good stuff they do, but I never seem to be able to manage it.

CalHab

Quote from: Frank on 23 November, 2016, 07:32:34 AM
Oh, and Flint repeats Part Two's 'not all 2000ad forum members are assholes' clarification, just for Cal Hab's benefit:

I don't think he's responding to me. There was an earlier poster who asked for it to be removed and who now, ironically, appears to have had their own post removed.

For the record, I wasn't suggesting the comments should be taken out of the interview. I just think they're a bit daft.

In any case I'm looking forward to enjoying the third part of the interview. It's been interesting listening so far.

Frank

Quote from: Frank on 23 November, 2016, 07:32:34 AM
PART THREE of this epic encounter sees Richard share his memories of being on the set of the 1995 Stallone movie at Shepperton.

PLAYERFM

iTUNES

LIBSYN

ECBT20000AD

I undersold this bit. Learn which future movie stud producers told Burton they wanted to cast, back in 1988:






JayzusB.Christ

Quote from: Frank on 24 November, 2016, 02:55:38 PM
Quote from: Frank on 23 November, 2016, 07:32:34 AM
PART THREE of this epic encounter sees Richard share his memories of being on the set of the 1995 Stallone movie at Shepperton.

PLAYERFM

iTUNES

LIBSYN

ECBT20000AD

I undersold this bit. Learn which future movie stud producers told Burton they wanted to cast, back in 1988:




That was a bit of a revelation alright.   What  might have been...

Very pleased to have a question answered that I've been wondering about for years (obviously not really the big deal among the editorial staff I thought it might have been).  Also glad to hear Flint is a lot more comfortable using my username these days (though not sure where he got the 'de' bit).

I haven't had much love for ECBT in recent times, for reasons others have put far more eloquently than I could, but this was a great listen.
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

Leigh S

I used to quite enjoy the podcast when it was Richard, Iz and Stacey, but I drifted off a long time back.  Tried to get back on board, but listening to Flint, our Burdis and some American guy talk for 30 minutes on why Trump is great the other week, which didnt improve much once matters turned vaguely towards the prog in hand kind of broke me  from returning to a regular listener. 

That said, hats off for getting this scoop, even if Flint would be better served to let his guests do the talking rather than talking (swapping?) sides based on who is being interviewed - though maybe thats a good strategy to get the guest to lower their guard - I dunno, but I find slating either creators or readers a bit counter productive.  I am sure there are assholes in both camps, but one thing the internet teaches you pretty quickly is playing the asshole name game tends to throw your name into the hat, even if you think you are (and even if sometimes you actually are) fighting the good fight.

Burton comes across as very likeable, but I still dont feel the narrative of decline during hi time has been challenged much by this - to take the Stront example - "we can fix Stront by killing off Alpha" feels a bit Brexity in offering a simple and pretty cliff edge solution to a complex problem.  "So he is dead, now what?" doesnt seem to have been considered at all

For my money, I always wondered if a MacNeil pencils /Harrison inks might have produced something interesting for Stront, in the Dillon/Walker style, though I suspect neither artist would ahve been particularly happy with that compromise.


Frank

Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 24 November, 2016, 09:00:43 PM
Very pleased to have a question answered that I've been wondering about for years (obviously not really the big deal among the editorial staff I thought it might have been)

Cheers, Jayzus.

I'm not sure Richard's answer (about the level of nudity and violence in Horned God being fine because it was a strip for older readers) squares with his idea that his 2000ad was an all-ages comic, which could hook in the eights year olds with Dead Meat and introduce them to more sophisticated material as they aged.

If the eight year olds see The Lorentian in Chronos Carnival, they see Slough Feg's floppy old cock too*.

The podcast ends with Richard saying he'll be happy to do a follow-up interview answering any questions arising from these chats, but I should probably give him a refresher course in the actual strips, so he can discuss them in more detail.

I'll pass on Alex's question (above) and if listening to the podcasts provokes any inquiries from others feel free to post them here.


* I wouldn't lose any sleep over that, but obviously some parents would

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