Between 1999 and 2009 Lightsabre.co.uk brought news, fanfic, podcasts and much, much more to the masses. Our fifty-ninth guest was the man who brought mirth, hilarity and limericks to the blogs at StarWars.com – The Stooge.
Lightsabre – Stooge, welcome to Lightsabre.
Stooge – Thanks for having me!
…is this thing on?
Lightsabre – Every week you regale us with your latest limerick, and in the blogging community Fridays mean only one thing – Limerick Friday. What inspired you to do it, and why Fridays?
Stooge – I didn’t have much of a plan when I started the Joke-A-Day. I had figured out a few jokes, enough to get me through till… Thursday. Luckily, that night the limerick idea just came to me, and I’m thrilled that folks don’t seem to be sick of it yet.
Lightsabre – Tell us something of your career. What do you do for a living and what led you to the blogs at the official Star Wars site?
Stooge – I work for a nightly entertainment news show called, fittingly, Entertainment Tonight. It’s a cool job, and I get to work at a movie studio… back when Star Trek was being made, I used to see Klingons every now and then. As for the Star Wars blogs, I’ve been visiting the official site since its early days, mostly as a lurker. But when the blogs were announced last year, I knew it’d be a fun thing to do.
Lightsabre – What is it like to be a part of the Star Wars phenomenon?
Stooge – I’m not really a part of it more than any other fan… but hey, that alone is a blast, since there are so many ways to express your Star Wars fandom. You can be into collecting or costuming or theorizing or EU or fanfic or just watching the movies over and over and over again. Personally, I’m into silly jokes…to each his own, I suppose!
Lightsabre – Like all writers you must experience writers block. What do you do come Friday, when a limerick just won’t drop onto the keyboard?
Stooge – How’d you know that happens to me? There have been plenty of Friday mornings when I find myself standing in the shower, wondering what the hell rhymes with “Poggle the Lesser.” Luckily, something usually manages to pop into my brain by the time I get to work… and if not, a good place for inspiration is the starwars.com database. And thank the Maker for Special Guest Limericists!
Lightsabre – You also do some brilliant Top Tens, presumably inspired by David Letterman. Which comedians tickle your funny bone the most?
Stooge – Yeah, I definitely enjoy Letterman, though I think that Conan O’Brien is the funniest guy on TV. And I grew up on classic film comedians, such as the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges, all of whom were brilliant at coming up with puns. I also liked when Moe would hit Curly with a saw.
Lightsabre – What were your feelings on Revenge of the Sith? Did it satisfy your fan appetite, or simply whet it for more adventures to come?
Stooge – The first time I saw it, I remember being confused, trying to reconcile my obvious excitement with that gnawing feeling of “is that it?” Since then, I’ve really come to appreciate it as a tight, tense, incredibly visual movie… and it wraps things up rather nicely. Of course, I’m also stoked for the upcoming TV shows!
Lightsabre – If you had to pick the best of the six Star Wars films, which would it be?
Stooge – The Empire Strikes Back was my early favorite… there’s a poetry to it which none of the other episodes have been able to match. And Yoda’s speech gets me every time. I’m a sucker for philosophical muppets.
Lightsabre – Which of the myriad Star Wars characters do you feel the most affinity for?
Stooge – I’m a Yoda nut. But the Emperor is a close second. I like extremes, I guess.
Lightsabre – Tell us something of your other interests outside of Star Wars?
Stooge – My latest hobby involves joining a crazy cult, and then quitting right before the mass suicide. You should see the looks on their faces…
I also enjoy baseball, card collecting, and Babylon 5.
Lightsabre – Are there any other blogs that catch your attention? There seem to be a large number of popular blogs these days, with some very insightful points of view.
Stooge – For Star Wars blogs, I mostly stick to the ones at the official site — where there are more than enough great reads to keep me occupied! Also, lots of OS bloggers will promote their other sites, so it’s a great way to discover what’s out there. (It’s how I found Lightsabre, for example!)
I will say that, for humor blogs, the British bloggers really lead the pack. And I’m not just saying that to suck up to the interviewer. If that was the case, I’d also note how clever, strong, and good-looking he is. As for non-SW blogs, I’m a big fan of Waiter Rant, The Comics Curmudgeon, and news from me.
Lightsabre – What lies ahead for you in the future?
Stooge – Um… I’d really like to think of another good “Cluck Cluck” joke. Those are so stinkin’ tough.
Lightsabre – A quick question about our site, Lightsabre. Any comments?
Stooge – I love behind-the-scenes stuff, so I get a big kick out of your interview section. It’s really expansive and impressive!
Lightsabre – It’s been a great interview, and thanks for being our guest on Lightsabre. Just one final question, that in true Stooge style I shall ask as a limerick.
The Ewok we know as Paploo
Has stepped in a pile of pooduu.
It sticks to his fur,
And makes him go “Grrrr!”
So tell us Stooge, what should he do?
Stooge – In limerick form :
Well, I’ll give the news to ya straight:
It very well may be too late
He should’ve worn shoes
But since he refused
We might need to go amputate!
This interview was originally posted on lightsabre.co.uk on 31st December 2006.
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