February 12, 2025 • 53 mins
This week, we’re absolutely geeking out because George Buza—the legendary voice of Beast from X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men ‘97—joins us! We talk all things Hank McCoy, his return to the role, and dive into Beauty and the Beast #2, where Beast and Dazzler’s short-lived romance takes a wild turn into gladiator-style chaos.
George shares stories from his time voicing Beast, what it’s like stepping back into the X-Men universe after all these years, and his thoughts on the complex, brilliant, and oh-so-quotable Hank McCoy. If X-Men: TAS was a core part of your childhood (or, let’s be real, your entire personality), you do NOT want to miss this episode!
Find us on the AIPT Podcast Network. Follow our show to be alerted when new episodes appear the first and third Wednesday of the month. Check us out on social media @xreadspodcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. For business inquiries, email xreadspodcast@gmail.com. Learn more at https://aiptcomics.com
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/x-reads-an-x-men-experience--3616281/support.
George shares stories from his time voicing Beast, what it’s like stepping back into the X-Men universe after all these years, and his thoughts on the complex, brilliant, and oh-so-quotable Hank McCoy. If X-Men: TAS was a core part of your childhood (or, let’s be real, your entire personality), you do NOT want to miss this episode!
Find us on the AIPT Podcast Network. Follow our show to be alerted when new episodes appear the first and third Wednesday of the month. Check us out on social media @xreadspodcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. For business inquiries, email xreadspodcast@gmail.com. Learn more at https://aiptcomics.com
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/x-reads-an-x-men-experience--3616281/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, everybody. This is Chandler, and this is Chris, and
this is George Buza, and you're listening to the podcast.
We're here today with episode one thirty eight, and we
(00:22):
are so excited because Chris and I have, as you heard,
our very special guest, George Busa.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hooray, George, Hello, George, Hello, we have agend himself with us.
We are so excited to dive into a vintage is
Shoe that Star's Beast. We actually covered Beauty the Beast
number one in the past, right Chandler.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Yeah, we have back in episode seventy. So if you
guys want to get the first issue of this story arc,
go back listen to seventy and then jump into today
to one thirty eight and you will get the continuation
with the voice of Beast from X Men, the animated
series in X Men ninety seven. George Busa, So we
are so excited to have you here. We've had the
great pleasure of knowing you for a number of years.
(01:03):
You've appeared on our X Men fandom surprise during the pandemic.
You know, we had your uncanny experience last time, so.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
It's best con ever.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Oh my god, bringing endorsement.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
I don't don't worry your thoughts of the Uncanny Experience.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
I loved it. It was It was indeed the best
con that I'd been to, bar none, just in terms
of it's being devoted complete to the X Men experience
and what you did with the mansion was fabulous. The
people were just so wonderful. It was really a fabulous experience.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
We are so happy that you had a great time.
Like it's such a dream come true, not just for us,
but for everybody that comes and everybody that's involved. It's
so magical.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Yeah, it was. Well, thank you so much for the
kind words, and thank you so much for being a guest.
I know people enjoyed getting to meet you, and you
know you are a confessed X Men fan before you
were even a part of the show, so I'm sure
as a lifelong fan of the X Men. What was
it like for you as a fan? I mean, it's
one thing to be there as beast, but did you
(02:08):
feel like you were in the mansion?
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Oh? Yes, absolutely, the decorations, the experience of the whole well,
the age of the place as well, the elevator. I
was amazed with the elevator. Brought back memories of when
we used to go to Higbees downtown or the Hally
Brothers and there was a guy who actually ran the
(02:31):
elevator when I was a kid with the crank.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Yes, you know. In fact, in Toronto, I went to
a movie theater I think it was the Winter Garden
or the Elegant or they're kind of connected in the
same building and there still is an elevator operator person
that moves the elevator for you. So if you guys
want to experience this in Toronto, you should go to
that theater and have the elevator operator move the elevator
(02:55):
for you.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
I used to love it when I was a kid.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Hmm. Absolutely. Well, let's get into some questions about your
career and everything, like we want to talk of course
about X Men the animated series. So, but before you
got into the role of Beast, how did you get
into voice acting and then how did that lead into
X Men the animated series.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Well, I was doing nothing but stage for about the
first five years or actually it was about yeah, five
or six years of my career. All I did was
stage work, and I was working with some actors who
did voice as well, who were doing commercials and cartoons,
and they said, you know, you've got a decent voice,
you should try and get into this. And they introduced
(03:42):
me to an agent who hired me for a small
part I think I had. It was for a radio
commercial or something, and one thing led to the other
and I got in with an agency that did a
lot of voice and it just took off from there
and Toronto was a big hub for animation in the
eighties and the first big animated series that I nailed
(04:06):
was The Land of the Ewoks, And having been mesmerized
by the whole Star Wars experience, this was probably the
first real validation of our careers is being a part
of something that huge from the States, and that was
what really got me going. And then we had so
(04:26):
much animation here that you would literally go from one
session to the other, you know, playing a wide variety
of different roles. Because back then they would do complete
series fifty four episodes for syndication. It wasn't like now
where we're doing eight or nine episodes a season, and
you take the hiatus of a couple of years and
(04:47):
you know people are waiting for the continuation. There, you
just barreled through they did fifty four five seasons worth
of episodes. You just went from one show to the other.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
You know. I'm curious about the actual community of actors
because I've heard stories about, for instance, Lenor having seen
Cal in play before they did X Men, the animid series.
So did you know your castmates at all locally before
you started the show.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Oh yeah, I'd worked with quite a number of them before.
Like Cal and I had done commercial work together. Alison
Court played my daughter on the Land of the Euwalks.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
I was chief Chirpa and she was my daughter. Norman
and I did a lot of work together on commercials.
We also shared being the voice of Chrysler for a time.
I think everybody was the voice of Chrysler. I think
Cal did it for a while, I did it. Don Franks,
who was a Sabertooth, he did it for a while.
Over the course of the decades, every time they changed
(05:47):
an agency, there was a new voice. So everybody would
mourn the fact that they'd lost this huge contract, but
it was just a matter, you know, whenever the agency
got switched around, there'd be a new guy into own.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
That's fun though, to be able to to work with
your castmates before and then kind of all unite under
this X Men banner and form the team.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Well, Dan Hennessy who directed it. He and I had
been friends for a very long time, and he did
a lot of voice work and animation work, and I
used to go up to his place in Cannington all
the time for on weekends. He had a pool, so
it was always nice to have a dip in his
pool on a hot day. And one of my biker
buddies lived across the street from him, and I remember
(06:28):
one night that we pulled a prank on Dan. My
buddy and I got absolutely hammered and we decided to
decorate this tree in his front yard with the empty
beer cans we consumed. So we went out in the
middle of the night with all these Christmas tree hook
ornament things. We hund hundreds of beer cans in his tree.
(06:52):
His wife was not amused. No, I'm sure.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
So men, the animated series comes along. When you got
that audition, was it always going to be Beast? Was
earlier characters that auditioned four?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
I think we got to pick two, And of course
I also read for Wolverine. Everybody wanted Wolverine, but Beast
was a great character, and I identified a lot with
the guy, so I was very happy to get him.
But I think we only got a chance to read
for two characters apiece.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Now I'm curious because at uncan Experience, you did a
class with the lee Walds, which is all about the
literature of Beast, the very aerodite character. When you're doing
the show and you're reading all of this kind of
vast dialogue that they've written for you, did you ever
have to look up some of the words that you
(07:46):
were saying before you actually recorded, or well.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
The scientific terms. Yes, I mean that was not my
forte in school. I was passed by one point from
my chemistry teacher in high school, well, just so I
wouldn't have to repeat the class. I was a disaster.
Science and math were never my strong points. That was
(08:11):
something that I always had to work ten times harder
to keep my grade point average up. And when I
was in university, we had to take a science course,
so I took geology because I was always a rockhound.
I really enjoyed going rock hunting and going through old minds,
so geology was easier. But science was never a forte
(08:35):
and I did have to look up a lot of
the words to see what the heck I was saying.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Well, you know what, he also said a lot of quotes.
And I had to tell a little bit about my
backstory here because as a kid when we were watching
X Men and animated series, Chandler, you probably had a
character that you ran around the house I remember and
pretended to be. I remember Holli Chow, who voices Jubilee
in X ninety seven, having a Halloween costume on his storm. Well,
(09:00):
for me, the character that I used to run around
the house imitating was Beast, and everybody thought I was
super intelligent and everything. And that's what got me into
reading a lot of books because I wanted to increase
my vocabulary, and I became a book reading machine because
of your powerful performance, my friend.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
I devoured books as well. As a kid, I was
very much into science fiction. And there was this whole
series of books that we bought. My mom got me.
I can't remember the name. I've got two of them left,
but they're fabulous. It was all about these kids that
went on these voyages through the different planets in the
Solar System, and on some they discover life and it
(09:42):
was really exciting, and of course, you know, when I
was a kid, the space age was just beginning.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
I want you to give you your best sci fi
book recommendation. I'm going to go pick it up at
the library.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Well, the one that I was reading as a kid,
I can't remember the name of it, but it was
a whole series. But as far as I was concerned,
Jules verne Journey to the Center of the Earth is
my favorite.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
There's a science fiction book called The Ring World that
I really want to read. It's the inspiration that Chris
Claremont used for Magic's power of stepping discs, and it's
just one of those things that I read in a
whatever interview or some sort of source. And I bought
the book by Larry Niven called The Ring World, and
I can't wait to read it. So that's my next
(10:26):
science fiction adventure.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
So Bi says a lot of quotes. There's a lot
of philosophy in these quotes. Do you have a favorite
quote that bisas said from the show.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
There's one that I'm quoting these days which is really
applying to our life, which is, in these times, these
awful fractious times, we are all we have left that
I think is sums it up pretty badly in terms
of the state of the world.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Well, I'm very grateful to have each other, especially in
this moment. The x Men community I think is so strong,
and the bonds that are formed in it, I think
are very healing in everything that's going on. So I
totally agree with that quote.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
This was what I felt in the Uncanny experience was
that community, that cohesion of emotions that I felt being
a part of that crowd. You know, you go to
these other cons and there's anime people, and there's people
dressed like Howard the Duck and all these crazy things,
(11:31):
but there it was all about the x Men community.
And that's what I found so enticing and so gratifying
about that whole experience.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
I agree, I find it very heartwarming and very gratifying
to be a part of that event because of the
community and the reaction that people have. The emotional response
that people have from being at that event is outstanding, and.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
That filled it was his name, John the dress leg Beast,
Richard Richard Yes, came up from Florida and he spent
the entire weekend dressed in that suit. He must have
lost like twenty pounds sweating it out. Hats off to Richard.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
Well, speaking of being Blue, how does it feel to
return as Beast in X Men ninety seven after so
many years? Was that call just completely out of the
blue and you thought you were done with him? Or like,
what was that?
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Well, No, because we actually battered around the idea at
the first time that we did. When Julia and Eric
published their book, they had all done interviews with us
and we had long conversations, and then they called us
down to Texas to New Brownfels to have a reunion,
(12:47):
and I think there were four of us or five
of us down there, and we got to talking about
how nice it would be if we could revive the show.
We thought that there was a fairly decent chance of
it happening because of the response that we had at
the shows. And then when Disney bought Marvel and put
the old series on Disney Plus and it became number
(13:09):
one and stayed there, we thought that there was actually
a chance that it might happen. So I would say
it was about sixty forty that we were kind of
anticipating that there would be a revival. It wasn't completely
out of the blue and we had all wanted it.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Yeah, well it what a revival because it's been an
amazing experience having X Men ninety seven come back christ Night.
We got to go to the premiere and we got
to experience all sorts of wonderful adventures with the cast
and you know, do panels and can experience all that
sort of stuff. It's been incredible for the X Men
fan community to have X Men ninety seven come back.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Well, we're waiting to see what the next season will bring.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
There's something that I love to do with our guest
and it's a fun little rapid fire Q and a
very quick short answers. Will put a minute timer on
our timer clock and just ask you a bunch of
fun things. All right, are you ready for this?
Speaker 3 (14:05):
George sure?
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Who is your favorite X ME character besides Beast Wolverine?
Speaker 1 (14:12):
If Beast had a pet, what would it be?
Speaker 2 (14:16):
A dog who ends in a fight? Beast or Wouverine Wolverine?
Speaker 1 (14:23):
What's Beast's coffee order? What does he like to drink?
Speaker 3 (14:27):
Black French Roast?
Speaker 2 (14:32):
If Beast had a favorite karaoke song, what would it be?
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Uh? Something from zz dam Ooh?
Speaker 1 (14:41):
The smartest Marvel character in your opinion, is it beast
read Richards or Tony Stark.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Beast one word to describe beast.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Blue?
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Perfect?
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Well, great, great respect.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
All right, we got it all under a minute. You
win in George the honor getting all your questions in.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
I actually got to see zazy Top when I was
in South Africa.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
WHOA cool. I've always want to go to South Africa.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Well that's where we shot Sindad.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Oh wow, Oh yeah, yes, you were in the legend.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
I was down there for two years shooting The Adventures
of sind That amazing.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah, yes, and of course the Easter Egg. If people
don't know, George is the truck driver in the X
Men film that came out in two thousand and you
share a scene. Well you actually don't. You're out of
the truck at this point. But Tyler Mayne, who is Sabertooth,
appears and Tyler Maine will be a guest at Uncan
Experience next time. So if you guys want to go
(15:49):
back and watch the two thousand X Men, keep an
eye out for that truck driver that picks up Rogue.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
That night when we shot that scene, it was like
twenty five below zero was one of the coldest nights
we had. Wow, never forget that.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Well, I know the feeling from Minnesota. I know what
that cult feels like, and I'm sorry that you're to
work at it.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Well, at least we got to keep our coats on. Yes, Yeah,
that's an actor's worst nightmares when you're shooting an exterior
scene and you're in continuity from an interior scene and
you're waiting for the ad to go, okay, take their coats.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
All right, Well, let's get into this issue. We are
covering Beauty and the Beast number two. The title is
Heartbreak Hotel. Yes, George is holding up his physical copy
right now in his hands. This was published February first
of nineteen eighty five. Written by Ana Sante, art by
Don Perlin, and on the cover by Billson Kevich.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
We have Beast.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Sharing a kiss with the Dazzler.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Yes, in a very dramatic post like he's dipping her down,
her head is back, her hair's going everywhere. This is
quite quite beautiful. This is this is peak Bilsonkevitch, because
I feel like he was drawing incredible Dazzler covers and
of course the Beating the Beast cover set. It's just
so fun because it's it's very romantic, and I love
(17:15):
that they called it Beating the Beast and up in
the corner our little letterbox, it's Dazzler and Beast giving
each other a hug.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
And it was also this is nearly an episode an
anniversary because it's the second of February that it was released.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
That's forty years ago, by the way, we're literally this
is the fortieth anniversary of Beating the Beast Number two.
Oh wow.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Yeah, So back then, the top song at the time
was I Want to Know What Love Is by Foreigner.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
One of my favorite bands at that time. I was
going with a girl from Cleveland and I used to
listen to Foreigner a lot on the radio and in
my car on his set tape. Blooded was my favorite Foreigner.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
To Oh yeah, that's a good sum I always crank
that one up. Well. The top movie at the time
is A Beverly Hills Cop starring Eddie Murphy, and this
is iconic music in it, speaking of We've gotten an
incredible score by Harold Faltermeyer. It's a freewheeling Detroit cop
(18:22):
pursuing a murder investigation finds himself dealing with the very
different culture of Beverly Hills. This is one of those
movies where I feel like you've either seen it and
love it or you've never seen the movie at all.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
It was one of my favorite films. I loved it.
I laughed my head off on that. Yes, Eddie Murphy
was always one of my favorite comedians.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
To finish setting the era, I want to know, George,
what were you doing February second of nineteen eighty five?
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Well, the exact date I don't know, but nineteen eighty five,
my family and I went back to Hungary so they
would show me where my roots came from. And my
brother and I and the girl that I was dating
at the time all went over there and we spent
a month traveling around the country, and they parents showed
us where they used to live, where they met.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Oh so your parents are from Hungry and then they
were refugees after World War two? Wow? And what what
what town of Hungary are they from? Both both from
Budapest Budapest. Oh so you got to go to Budapest,
which is beautiful. I've been there myself. Did you go
to that giant bathhouse, that yellow building that has all
the mineral pools? And everything. That's an incredible place.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
We went there. We went almost everywhere. The whole month.
All we did was tour around. We took a lot
of train pass We went around the entire country, went
to all the different big cities and all the sites.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
I love Hungry. I think it's great. I love the food.
I think the the cabbage rolls, and they have something
a longosh, which is like bread that they fried. It
is delicious.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
Bread, so good for the heart. See, for me, Hungarian
food is not a big deal because when my parents
came over, that's all we ate. I don't think I
even had anything anything like pizza or spaghetti until I
was like in my teens. Wow. It was at home
all we had was Hungarian food, so my dad wanted
(20:20):
that's all we would. My mother would cook and I
think I ate spaghetti for the first time when I
got sent to summer camp.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Wow. So did you grow up speaking Hungarian first language?
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
I was like four years old before I started speaking English,
and I learned that on the street from the kids
that I was playing with.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Yeah. Amazing.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
My parents didn't speak They were learning English at the
same time because they spent five years in the displaced
persons camps in Germany. After the war, they escaped Budapest
just as the Russians were sealing the the entire city
in an iron ring around it, and they were one
of the last people to be able to get out.
Speaker 4 (21:02):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
And they were heading for the American Zone in Germany,
and that's where they ended up. And they spent five
years there waiting for and opening to take them to Cleveland,
because that's where my grandfather's brother had emigrated to in
nineteen twenty, which was the first big immigration of Hungarians
for the big industrial revolution that was taking place. And
(21:26):
so that was the length because I always asked my parents,
you know, of all the places that you could have gone,
why Cleveland. I mean, back in the sixties, all the
comedian had to do on stage was say Cleveland and
he would get a laugh.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Yeah, I'm trying to transition this back to the comic
book people. Yeah, we're going on. That's what we do here. Yes,
just like Dazzler's Experience and Beauty of the best thing too.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
I'm the King of Tangent, So I'm all about it.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Love it. You like to learn this about you and
your history and your family Actually is fascinated to me
obviously having been to Hungary and like all that sort
of stuff. So I love that information. But let's get
into the issue. Let's get into the story, and then
we can't wait to get some Beast dialogue from you.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Yes, So we open up and we see that Dazzler
is in the Heartbreak Hotel. She is in bed, she
is looking defeat it. Beast is sitting on a chair,
and I love Beast because he doesn't just sit in
a chair, he has to sit on top, on the edge,
all extra you.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Yes, the thing is.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
In the last issue, we saw that society is rejecting
Newtant's hardcore and Allison she was out it. So there
was a lot of hate and anger towards her and
she kind of got ran out of Hollywood. She ended
up in a temporary sanctuary called the Heartbreak Hotel, which
is kind of a haven for outcasts aka mutants.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
Dazzler is defeated, She's lying in bed while Beasts is
sitting up on a chair. She's thinking to herself about
how her powers are out of control. She's feeling awful.
And then Hank McCoy, also a mutant known as the Beast,
and a member of the Defenders, one of Earth's most
powerful superhero teams, has found something at Heartbreak Hotel too,
(23:22):
a lonely, scared woman in need of a friend.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Hey, what are you trying to hide? No more hiding,
no more secrets. You're beautiful, glow it all illuminated from within.
You look like a star from the heavens.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Oh great, So I'm finally a star, but not the
kind I had in mind. At least I'm getting better.
I think maybe being here at the Heartbreak is curing me.
The people are so sweet here. Look when someone left
me while I was sleeping.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
Hey looks like me.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Eh yeah, she holds up a kind of teddy bear
that's losing an eye.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Remember the snob I was when we met at that party.
What an ice queen? And yet you came and help
me anyway, I had to hank. I can't help feeling
like I failed. This is a very trying world we
live in. U. He's up for a minute, have a
few problems, and all kinds of forces rush into crush you.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Yeah, it's a tough cosmos. Sometimes just getting up in
the morning is like getting hit with a shovelful of dirt.
But you'll be okay, Daz now that you're with friends.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Yes, And we get that whole flashback of what happened
in issue one, and then we cut back to the
bedroom and Beasts is reaching out to touch her hair.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
You're shaking. You're still afraid of everyone, even me. I understand,
but you have to learn to trust people again. Not
everyone's out to get you. Look what you've done to
this doll. You're so nervous. Your actions tell me what
(25:07):
you can't.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
Thank you, Hank, thank you.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
So with all this tenderness, we get kind of the
growing relationship between Dazzler and Beast, and then we cut
to the beach front side of the Heartbreak Hotel and
Dassler's kind of, you know, interacting with all the various
hotel guests, Poltergeist being a key character who kind of
makes things shake the more emotional he gets. Basically, she
(25:33):
is introducing us to all these various people at the hotel.
Beasts is also visiting her, checking in on her. But
we get this really fun scene where they're in a
hammock and there is a clown character who has different
masks in a bag and he pulls up the masks
to kind of show his emotion as he's telling this story.
(25:54):
This character is of course creepy to me because I'm
a you know, I have a clown mannin world. So
I'm like, is this a villain? No, he's meant to
be a soft, nice character that's trying to relate to
everything that's going on.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Yeah, he was trying to be a street performer and
the crowd loved him, but they didn't give any tips.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
Rude, rude.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
And then we are and we end up in the
greenhouse and Beasts and Dazzler are getting a little closer.
They are they're kind of feeling the emotion, and we
actually get a kiss moment. So I would love to
hear the dialogue that's going on, firstly in their heads
as they think to each other in this greenhouse, and
(26:42):
then eventually leading to a kiss.
Speaker 3 (26:44):
I still hardly know her. I have no right to
think she wants me. I wish I knew the right words.
Maybe I should just go away.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
A short time ago, I had no time for him.
Now I hope he never leaves. In many ways, he's
still a stranger. Yet I just know that in his eyes,
in her eyes, I see everything.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
I feel like I've been searching for a thousand years
for what I see in her eyes.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
And we see Poulter Guys in the corner thinking to himself, Oops,
I'd better disappear.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Guess what's happening.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
I don't know. I think sometimes one doesn't know why
one does things.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
One just goes ahead and does it.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
And then they kiss, Yes, swell the soap opera music,
kiss the girl, And this Poulter guy's character is feeling
like he wished he had somebody and feel the emotion.
And in his emotion, he makes the greenhouse rumble, the
glass break, and then it makes the kiss break apart.
(27:50):
Because you know, we can't have too much romance in
a comic. We have to have action and we have
to move the story forward so that Beast leaps to
take care of and save her from the falling glass,
and then she kind of recommends Poultergeist for making everything
shake and break apart. Yeah, I just.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
Feel bad for Poultry guys because he's thinking to himself
that he's dangerous and that he should be locked up.
It's a sad state to be in.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
It. We have a quick just one page of doctor
Doom in his castle. In that area, and his goon
is telling him, Oh, wow, your son has been canoodling
with Dazzler, and he says, I I.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Just had to say, Chandler, like, we don't have to
read this part, but I secretly wanted you to read
the Butler barging in because you do butler barging in
so well on this podcast and every issue that there's
a Butler that barges in. I just love I get
tickled pink when you do it.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Well, yeah, I'll do it. I'll do it for you.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Okare we go Shire, you dare address your monarch without.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
League, But excellency, it comes concerns the latest transmissions from
the USA. Your alleged son has been spied in Hollywood
in the company of the mutant called the Dazzler.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Watch your carless tongue lest I smite you with a
single blow. Do not speak of that imputed welp and
his sortid affairs I am not aware of. And then
he goes on and on and on it.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
I hope, I hope that you loved my little I did.
I did.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
It's one of my favorites. So now we're back at
the Heartbreak Hotel. The days continue to pass unnoticed.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
Re enacting the scene from Dirty Dancing.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Yes, Yes, And then there is a long bong at
the door. Who could that be? And they open it
up and they see this kind of large mutant dog
man with a helmet and gloves and he's got two
pit bulls and he's here to collect the Dazzler. He
got a contract with the boss.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
He you go.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
And there is a battle that ensues as Beast tries
to protect Dazzler, but she calls it off and she said,
there's no reason to fight. The powers are out of control,
worse than I ever feels so strange, and she decides
to leave willingly.
Speaker 3 (30:16):
And she wants to be a star.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
She does, no matter what happens, no matter how she
gets there, she wants to be famous.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
It just felt so weird when I read this for
the first time, like she's just so flippantly going like, okay,
I'll go.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Back, Like we you literally just ran away from this
last last issue, and she's like, I'm going back. And
then we're back in that CD underground arena world with
the fighting mutants and creatures and the horsehead guy.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
Yes, anytime we have a crowd shot, I always like
to point out who's having the best night? So besides beast,
who is wearing, By the way, what's he wearing, George.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
A very glassy orange checkered coat.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Yes, I wonder if I wonder if he has had
that tailor made to his body, because I imagine shopping
for that size.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
It's gonna be quite sixty sixty size sixty.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
Yes, absolutely well, Chris, I'm going to say, the lady
in front of him with the fur shawl and the
jeweled necklace and everything, and she looks like she's having
a great time.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
Oh you stole mine. I'm going to pick out the monocle.
Then that's kind of has his hand on her arm.
I want to call him Jasper, that's his name.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
We got a professor X looking character as well. There's
a bald man right in the middle wearing the green
blazer that the professor always wears.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
It's a very tough if it's him.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
The professor is watching on.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
No all right, George, who's having the best time in
this crowd?
Speaker 3 (31:51):
The girl hand holding the rose, the girl holding the
rose in the rose.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
Where's Waldo here? See?
Speaker 1 (31:59):
Oh oh yes, oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
It's right in the middle, right in front of us.
He says, here comes the cast of this futuristic drama.
The stage sure beats Anny Spielberg spaceset, looks like they're
ready to begin. Ah. Yes, got a red rose in
her hand, sitting next to the bald guy with the
(32:22):
friar tuck haircut.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
Yes, fantastic. We're in the arena and Dazzler is so
ready to entertain these people.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
She's like, I want to entertain and I love it
because she's going in there going like, I'm gonna do
the best concert. Move over, Taylor Swift, move over, Kylie Mino.
It is my time to shine. These are my people.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
And she starts singing yes, I love her.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Her thoughts right before she goes out, and she's like,
there they are the crowds, my audience. It's been so long,
and I've missed them so much. I was like, you
don't even know who these people.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
And they're going fight, fight, fight, fight fight. Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
But then all of a sudden they start booing her
because she's not fighting, she's seeking, and she's all bewildered, like,
oh my god, nobody's ever told me just shut up before.
What the heck is going on?
Speaker 3 (33:20):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (33:20):
And she she goes back to the boss, the ringleader,
whatever his name is, and it's just like, excuse me,
this isn't what we agree to. I don't know what's
going on here. But they keep gaslighting her. They keep
telling her like, oh no, no, it's fine. You know,
it's just pretend fighting. You'll be good. Oh yeah, pretend
fighting you all.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
No, No, what I love how? I love how she's like, oh,
I can pretend fight, Like, put me out there. The
crowd love it when I fight, look at it. I
can do this. And then the guy is obviously fighting
to kill her, and she she gets punched in the
side and she's like, wait, that actually hurt. You know,
you could have killed me for real, and he's like, yeah,
that's the point, and.
Speaker 5 (34:03):
Beast leave him out of the crowd because he's like no, yeah,
And now it's total pandemonium inside of the ring because
all of the fighters have been unleashed because the crowd
needs to be riled up even more.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Yeah, this is his orange jacket.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Yes he does.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
I just love the boss guy because you know, Dazzler.
First of all, she surprises herself. She goes, I'll kill you,
and then she thinks it was like, oh my god,
kill him. No, what am I doing? She leaves and
the audience, as you said, Chris, are hungry and sends
out all these glatteries. He says, ah, cripes, all right,
you guys hit the floor. We're losing the audience. Give
them more, give them blood. And they all come roaring
(34:44):
out to entertain the audience and they fight, fight, fight,
fight fight.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
Yeah, and the crowd is loving it.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Mm hmmm, and Beast is bounding over all the characters
to go yell at the manager person with Dazzler and
basically we'd be like, you got to get out of here.
But the crowds are going insane. They're loving this. Dies.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
I know it's it's pretty sad, and dazzlerk is one
of my favorite panels to have in a comic where
somebody is holding their hands to their face screaming you murderer.
So again, this ringleader boss is not a good guy,
gaslighting her even more. And something I want to know
(35:32):
note is that there is a vending machine of coke
and all these coke cans falling out, and I wonder
if that was kind of like not Coca Cola, like
the imagery of that was saying that maybe the audience
had a lot of coke.
Speaker 1 (35:48):
This is right after she screams, you murderer. Yeah, there
is that coke machine, and I don't know, maybe just
people were really thirsty Chris true. This is the only
place to get a cold beverage as this coke machine.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
They were thirsty for coke and blood.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
Oh boy. Well, she gets a conversation in with the
other female gladiator of the group, Ivich, who is kind
of a green skinned lady with wide set eyes and
red hair, and she has kind of like warrior armor
on well just boo, just boom armor and a loincloth.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
She reminds me a lot of an Orion from Star
Trek universe.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
Mmm. She says that she does this because she doesn't
feel like a freak down here. You know, she's like
out there in the world with her green skin and
kind of weird, weird set face. She gets stared at.
But down in the gladiator arena she can be herself
and she feels more at home trying to battle it
out into the death.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
And then we get some visitors. Unfortunately it is some
bad guys because one of them is that the fake
agent that is trying to, you know, do more gas
lighting on her. And then the horse guy, one of
the warriors, He's like, you know, you could talk to
her all you want, but that ain't going to make
her change her mind. Let me just slip her some
(37:13):
drugs into her alcoholic beverage. I don't know, and then
she takes a drink.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
You know you're a roofie, I know you know this.
This whole series is a testament to slimy people in Hollywood.
I mean they use they started in Hollywood and then
it goes to this kind of weird gladiated arena. But
I remember when we read issue one, Chris, we were
both kind of a little triggered at being Hollywood people,
where we're like, wait a minute, this comic is telling
(37:39):
the truth of what it's like in Hollywood for some people.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
Yeah, it's just a lot of stories that I've heard
over the years of my peers just kind of having
parallel situations happen. It's heartbreaking, and I think that Anicent
captured it.
Speaker 1 (37:58):
Well. Oh absolutely, Well, let's get George in on this
next scene as Beast comes bursting into the authorized personnel
only and he is ready to take Dazzler back so
as he bursts through the door, Dazzler screams.
Speaker 3 (38:14):
Hank, let's go, Das. Oh why are you hesitating?
Speaker 2 (38:21):
Hank? There are reasons, it makes sense, there is honor, justice.
I'm taking you with me, but Hank, here, we can
be together, be accepted, Daz.
Speaker 3 (38:37):
We have nothing to hide. If the world doesn't like
our kind, that's their problem.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
Yes, yes, we'll try. I'll go with you.
Speaker 1 (38:49):
And then she puts her hand on his shoulder, and
all of a sudden, her hand starts glowing uncontrollably.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
Oh no, the glow has returned. She thinks, No, I
can't go. I might stay here. You can stay too, please.
Speaker 3 (39:04):
It's being a star mean that much to you? Have
you lost sight of everything but some vain quest for
the limelight. Listen to me. We'll create a world for ourselves,
the same world. You're too good for this.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
Now listen here, says Ivich, and the agent guy says like,
let let him go, let him, let him speak, And
then Beast continues.
Speaker 3 (39:31):
Yes, I know you lost control of your power, lost
your fame, you got a bum deal. You sank pretty low,
But that's no reason to give into this decay. We're
supposed to be bigger than that. Forget it. You're all sick.
You and the rest of this world can just rod away.
(39:52):
Do what you want, Dazzler, I'll be seeing you in
the headlines and in the gossip columns hi through chasing
after you.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
He storms out, and Dazzler is seen in the corner
shedding some tears as her light powers continue to be uncontrollable,
and later, all not you.
Speaker 3 (40:14):
Please anyone but you. You were the most reasonable.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
Beast thinks to himself while sitting on the steps of
the Heartbreak Hotel.
Speaker 3 (40:24):
Sweetest girl, not you, not you.
Speaker 2 (40:30):
And then we pull back and we see a far
away shot of Beast on the stairs and above him
is the sign Heartbreak Hotel and it's heartbreaking.
Speaker 3 (40:40):
Brilliant time on sale in sixty days.
Speaker 1 (40:46):
Yes, yes, yes, wow. I forgot that the drugs are
the things that make her powers go out of whack,
and that they've been kind of, you know, feeding her
these drugs to kind of keep her under control. And
it skis me out every time I read this Beauty
of the Beast Sliming limited series. You know, it's one
(41:07):
of those things where I love that Beast is the
character that they chose Dazzler makes perfect sense, of course,
to be this character in the Hollywood world. But the
fact that it could have been any male character that
they you know, send after her to save her. But
the fact that they chose Beast. He's got such a
big heart and you know, and rightfully also has a
(41:27):
bit of a temper. So he's a good good character
to have in this kind of scenario.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
And on the back cover we have the generals partitioning
the world with the game of Risk.
Speaker 1 (41:40):
Oh oh fine, you know, Tadler, I never got into
Risk because it was always so intimidating to me.
Speaker 3 (41:50):
When I was younger, we played it non stop. I
love that game. I think I still have a copy
of it somewhere in my garage.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
What is it they love about it? Is it just
the conquering of the content?
Speaker 3 (42:04):
Well, first of all, the game would go on for hours.
Speaker 1 (42:06):
Yes, that's what I got, that sense, And.
Speaker 3 (42:10):
It was a great time way, sir. And it wasn't
when I was a kid that we played it as
much as when I was a young adult, so we
played it a lot. When when I first came to
Canada and I had a we lived in a house
full of unemployed actors, all sharing their three d and
fifty dollars a month rent in the house, and we
(42:31):
used to sit and have marathon games of risk. That's
another anecdote that that first house, the address of that house,
it got torn down and that's where they built the
studio where we recorded X.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
Men Really No Way. Yeah, so you actually lived. Your
essence is ingrained into the land.
Speaker 3 (42:54):
Absolutely right into the very studio. Toxic earth that lay
beneath that that house and it leaned. It was an old,
old house and we got it for three hundred and
fifty bucks a month, and when we went down in
the basement we realized that there was a stack of
(43:14):
bricks that was holding it up.
Speaker 1 (43:16):
Wow, it was. Yes, it reminds me a little bit
of the house I lived in when I was in
college that I think about it.
Speaker 3 (43:27):
Well, this was nineteen seventy four and I was in
my very early twenties, and it was right across the
street from the two theaters that I was working for,
because it was kind of like in the theater area
where the Young People's Theater where I did my first
show in Canada, and then around the corner was Toronto
(43:50):
Free theater that was what they called an experimental theater
back in the day, doing a lot of original avant
guarde work. Hm.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
Cool. Well, I just want to firstly say thank you
so much for joining us on the podcast. It's been
really fun to have you here and to also recap
this issue with you, because, you know, as Chris was
expressing earlier, it's just like you know, your your voice
is beast is ingrained in us, and I'm sure you've
heard that from fans for years and years and years,
but like it's just it's it's so fun to share
(44:27):
a new Beast story with you and and especially uh
Dazzler the Beating the Beast series. So this was a
lot of fun. So thank you so much, jas Been.
Speaker 3 (44:36):
I love doing these podcasts and you guys are wonderful
good friends. I hope we do some more together.
Speaker 1 (44:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:43):
Absolutely, thank you so much, George. This has been a
real delight.
Speaker 3 (44:47):
Thanks for having me on. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
Actually, I'm very curious before we hang up, and you
don't have to answer this and any depth that you're
not allowed to, but are you Are we going to
see you in season two of X Men ninety.
Speaker 3 (45:00):
Oh yeah, yeah, Season two was already in the can.
They were polishing it up towards the end of the
year and hopefully it'll be out sometime. I was told.
Now it's kind of been delayed, so I don't know
exactly when it's going to be out. And they said
that they were writing season three, and I don't know
(45:21):
what's in store for that. No, we don't really know
what's going to happen until a couple of days before
we go into record.
Speaker 1 (45:28):
Right, Yeah. Well, I understand too. They want to kind
of keep it under wraps and everything like that. And
I'm sure the script changes are wild leading up to
your recording dates.
Speaker 3 (45:36):
Oh yeah, and you can go back several times. You
think you've done it, and then you're going back and
you're doing changes, and sometimes they rewrite the entire script.
Other times they juggle scenes so that the order in
which you recorded is completely different from the order that
you're recording again. Yeah, but you know, they want to
make it the best that they possibly can. Well, and
(45:58):
I think that's testament to what you saw on the
premiere of The X Men ninety seven. You know, it
took us a couple of years recording and polishing before
they finally released it, and I think the proof is
in the pudding that it was worth the wait.
Speaker 1 (46:13):
Absolutly. You guys just won the Critics' Choice Award for
Best Animated.
Speaker 2 (46:16):
Yes, yes, congratulations.
Speaker 1 (46:18):
Yeah, so congratulations.
Speaker 3 (46:20):
Well, we can't understand there's going to be a statuette
that comes along with it, so that would be kind
of nice. Oh cool, little trinket.
Speaker 1 (46:29):
You get it's a little star.
Speaker 3 (46:31):
That's like, yeah, whatever it is. Yeah, I mean, I've
got a couple of nominations for Best Actor that never
came to the statues, but it's nice to be nominated.
Speaker 1 (46:43):
Absolutely. Well, we can't wait to hear your voice in
season two. Hopefully you're coming in season three and yeah,
hopefully we get to have you back on the podcast
in the future.
Speaker 3 (46:53):
Too, anytime, anytime, and one people have already forgotten. Maybe
another shot at Uncanny Experience.
Speaker 1 (47:01):
Yes, absolutely, Oh my god, so much fun there. A
return appearance is definitely after we cycle through some of
the many other cast backs. That's right, and they forgot
that I was there. Fabulous, well, wonderful. Well again, thank
you so much. We really appreciate you taking the time
and uh yeah, thank.
Speaker 2 (47:19):
You, thank you all.
Speaker 3 (47:21):
Lived through the snowstorm.
Speaker 1 (47:22):
Yes, yes, now it's time for Kenny news news news news,
Hey Newtants, brace yourselves.
Speaker 2 (47:31):
We've got some uncanny news that's going to have you
screaming to.
Speaker 1 (47:34):
Me, my x Men. That's right. The Uncanny Experience is
shaping up to be more legendary than an Omega level
mutant battle, and we're here to break down all the
latest announcements.
Speaker 2 (47:46):
Okay, let's start with the big one. One of the
most celebrated writers in comics is making her way to
Xavier Institute. Gail Simone is coming to the Uncanny Experience.
Speaker 1 (47:56):
Yes, the mastermind behind some of the most iconics stories
and comics, whether it's Wonder Woman, Deadpool, Secret Six, or
even The Simpsons. And let's not forget she's fresh off
writing The Young Kinny x Men, one of this past
year's best selling comics.
Speaker 2 (48:12):
She's got rage, she's got wit, and she's got stories
to tell. You'll get to hear her insights during panels,
snagger autograph, and celebrate her incredible body of work with
fellow fans. If you love sharp storytelling and unforgettable characters,
you cannot missed this.
Speaker 1 (48:28):
Speaking of iconic X writers, We've also got one of
the most ferocious voices in mutant storytelling. Benjamin Percy is
coming to the Uncanny Experience.
Speaker 2 (48:39):
If you love your X Men stories, dark, gritty and
claw slashing intents, this is the guy. From his brutal
run on Wolverine to his high stakes espionage with X Force,
Percy has been defining the crack Cooan era.
Speaker 1 (48:54):
And let's not forget Chris that his work on Deadpool
and Wolverine, Judgment Day, Nightwing, Green Aaroteen Titans. Oh, there's
so much amazing stuff, including the incredible Wolverine audio drama podcast,
which I love and absorbed and listened to.
Speaker 2 (49:11):
And get ready to hear from the man who knows
what it means to cut deep, literally and figuratively. Whether
you want to pick his brain about writing Logan's inner
turmoil or just geek out over the best black ops
moments of X Force, This is your chance.
Speaker 1 (49:26):
Okay, nineties kids, this one's for you or us, Because
we're nineties kids. We are the legendary Larry Houston, producer, director,
and storyboard artists behind X Men. The animated series is
coming to the Mking Experience.
Speaker 2 (49:43):
Saturday mornings, wouldn't have been the same without him his
work on Gi Joe, Fantastic Four, Captain, Planet Ninja, Turtles.
The list goes on. If you were parked in front
of the TV with the bowl of cereal, Larry probably
had a hand in whatever you were watching.
Speaker 1 (49:57):
He'll be taking part in panels and hanging out in
the mutant market with exclusive prints of his artwork. If
you ever wanted to meet the guy who made previously
on X Men an iconic phrase, this is your chance.
Speaker 2 (50:08):
Now, what's the Uncanny Experience without some top tier mutant cosplay.
We've got some extraordinary talent joining us.
Speaker 1 (50:16):
Yes, First up, she's got charm, She's got SaaS and
fifty different Row costumes to prove it. Euphoria BJC is
coming to the Uncanny Experience.
Speaker 2 (50:27):
Yes, she's been bringing Rogue to life for years, from
classic Jim Lee looks to original mashups, plus with the
fashion degree, she actually creates her own costumes.
Speaker 1 (50:37):
If you've ever wanted to meet the ultimate Southern Bell,
or just get tips on crafting the perfect X Men cosplay,
Euphoria is the one to see and teleporting into the scene.
We've got a Line Diaz, the ultimate Nightcrawler cosplayer. If
you've seen The Lions Kurt Wagner, you know he brings
the perfect mix of acrobatics, craftsmanship and pure bump energy.
Speaker 2 (50:59):
He's got the moves, he's got the style, and he's
got that devilish charm. Don't miss your chance to see
Nightcrawler inaction.
Speaker 1 (51:07):
E Last, but definitely not least, the skies are clearing
because Number one is bringing Storm to life.
Speaker 2 (51:15):
Yes, by the power of the Elements, they capture everything
that makes Aurora Monroe and icon power, elegance, and the
ability to strike fear into anyone who underestimates her. If
you want the perfect windswept photo with the true Queen
of the Elements, you need to meet Number one.
Speaker 1 (51:34):
Calling all panelists, Now, let's talk about you X fans.
Do you have an uncanny insight into the X Men universe?
Because the Uncanning Experience is looking for passionate fans to
host panels and discussions.
Speaker 2 (51:48):
Want to break down Omega mutants, analyze the rise and
fall of Krakola, debate the best helfire galiluks. Now there's
your chance to bring your expertise to the table.
Speaker 1 (51:59):
If you've got an idea that's going to educate, entertain,
or completely blow people's minds. Submit your panel proposal today,
Let's make this event extraordinary. You can submit on the
website Wwwwuncanny Experience dot com under the schedule tab.
Speaker 2 (52:14):
Artistic Mutants Assemble. The twenty twenty five event poster contest
is underway and this year's theme life as a student
at Xavier Institute.
Speaker 1 (52:24):
Yes, whether it's training in the danger room, sneaking off
to Harry's hideaway, or mastering your mutant powers in the classroom,
we want your vision of Xavier's Institute.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
We got some great prizes for this too. The winner
gets an official Xavier Institute School uniform card again super Fashionable,
a general admission ticket to the Uncanny Experience twenty twenty five,
an invite to the exclusive Saturday Night after party, and
it's lit. There's a drag show, There's a whole bunch
of things that you can do at this after party
(52:55):
in the mansion. It is amazing, and your art is
going to be featured in the official promo materials.
Speaker 1 (53:01):
The deadline is March fifteenth, twenty twenty five, So grab
your styluses, pencils, and whatever medium you wield. Like a
mutants superpower and get to work.
Speaker 2 (53:10):
All right, that's all for today's on canny news, but
trust us, there's so much more to come.
Speaker 1 (53:15):
Stay tuned to stay mutant, and we'll see you at
the Uncanny Experience.
Speaker 2 (53:21):
Visit Theeoncannyexperience dot com. Xreads is recorded in the United States.
Speaker 1 (53:26):
Our theme music is written by Austin Wintry.
Speaker 2 (53:28):
Please make sure to follow our podcast to be updated
on when new episodes appear every first and third Wednesdays
of the month.
Speaker 1 (53:34):
Follow us on social media at xreeds podcast That's the letter,
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Speaker 2 (53:41):
Thanks so much for listening by
Hi, everybody. This is Chandler, and this is Chris, and
this is George Buza, and you're listening to the podcast.
We're here today with episode one thirty eight, and we
(00:22):
are so excited because Chris and I have, as you heard,
our very special guest, George Busa.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hooray, George, Hello, George, Hello, we have agend himself with us.
We are so excited to dive into a vintage is
Shoe that Star's Beast. We actually covered Beauty the Beast
number one in the past, right Chandler.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Yeah, we have back in episode seventy. So if you
guys want to get the first issue of this story arc,
go back listen to seventy and then jump into today
to one thirty eight and you will get the continuation
with the voice of Beast from X Men, the animated
series in X Men ninety seven. George Busa, So we
are so excited to have you here. We've had the
great pleasure of knowing you for a number of years.
(01:03):
You've appeared on our X Men fandom surprise during the pandemic.
You know, we had your uncanny experience last time, so.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
It's best con ever.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Oh my god, bringing endorsement.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
I don't don't worry your thoughts of the Uncanny Experience.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
I loved it. It was It was indeed the best
con that I'd been to, bar none, just in terms
of it's being devoted complete to the X Men experience
and what you did with the mansion was fabulous. The
people were just so wonderful. It was really a fabulous experience.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
We are so happy that you had a great time.
Like it's such a dream come true, not just for us,
but for everybody that comes and everybody that's involved. It's
so magical.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Yeah, it was. Well, thank you so much for the
kind words, and thank you so much for being a guest.
I know people enjoyed getting to meet you, and you
know you are a confessed X Men fan before you
were even a part of the show, so I'm sure
as a lifelong fan of the X Men. What was
it like for you as a fan? I mean, it's
one thing to be there as beast, but did you
(02:08):
feel like you were in the mansion?
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Oh? Yes, absolutely, the decorations, the experience of the whole well,
the age of the place as well, the elevator. I
was amazed with the elevator. Brought back memories of when
we used to go to Higbees downtown or the Hally
Brothers and there was a guy who actually ran the
(02:31):
elevator when I was a kid with the crank.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Yes, you know. In fact, in Toronto, I went to
a movie theater I think it was the Winter Garden
or the Elegant or they're kind of connected in the
same building and there still is an elevator operator person
that moves the elevator for you. So if you guys
want to experience this in Toronto, you should go to
that theater and have the elevator operator move the elevator
(02:55):
for you.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
I used to love it when I was a kid.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Hmm. Absolutely. Well, let's get into some questions about your
career and everything, like we want to talk of course
about X Men the animated series. So, but before you
got into the role of Beast, how did you get
into voice acting and then how did that lead into
X Men the animated series.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Well, I was doing nothing but stage for about the
first five years or actually it was about yeah, five
or six years of my career. All I did was
stage work, and I was working with some actors who
did voice as well, who were doing commercials and cartoons,
and they said, you know, you've got a decent voice,
you should try and get into this. And they introduced
(03:42):
me to an agent who hired me for a small
part I think I had. It was for a radio
commercial or something, and one thing led to the other
and I got in with an agency that did a
lot of voice and it just took off from there
and Toronto was a big hub for animation in the
eighties and the first big animated series that I nailed
(04:06):
was The Land of the Ewoks, And having been mesmerized
by the whole Star Wars experience, this was probably the
first real validation of our careers is being a part
of something that huge from the States, and that was
what really got me going. And then we had so
(04:26):
much animation here that you would literally go from one
session to the other, you know, playing a wide variety
of different roles. Because back then they would do complete
series fifty four episodes for syndication. It wasn't like now
where we're doing eight or nine episodes a season, and
you take the hiatus of a couple of years and
(04:47):
you know people are waiting for the continuation. There, you
just barreled through they did fifty four five seasons worth
of episodes. You just went from one show to the other.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
You know. I'm curious about the actual community of actors
because I've heard stories about, for instance, Lenor having seen
Cal in play before they did X Men, the animid series.
So did you know your castmates at all locally before
you started the show.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Oh yeah, I'd worked with quite a number of them before.
Like Cal and I had done commercial work together. Alison
Court played my daughter on the Land of the Euwalks.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
I was chief Chirpa and she was my daughter. Norman
and I did a lot of work together on commercials.
We also shared being the voice of Chrysler for a time.
I think everybody was the voice of Chrysler. I think
Cal did it for a while, I did it. Don Franks,
who was a Sabertooth, he did it for a while.
Over the course of the decades, every time they changed
(05:47):
an agency, there was a new voice. So everybody would
mourn the fact that they'd lost this huge contract, but
it was just a matter, you know, whenever the agency
got switched around, there'd be a new guy into own.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
That's fun though, to be able to to work with
your castmates before and then kind of all unite under
this X Men banner and form the team.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Well, Dan Hennessy who directed it. He and I had
been friends for a very long time, and he did
a lot of voice work and animation work, and I
used to go up to his place in Cannington all
the time for on weekends. He had a pool, so
it was always nice to have a dip in his
pool on a hot day. And one of my biker
buddies lived across the street from him, and I remember
(06:28):
one night that we pulled a prank on Dan. My
buddy and I got absolutely hammered and we decided to
decorate this tree in his front yard with the empty
beer cans we consumed. So we went out in the
middle of the night with all these Christmas tree hook
ornament things. We hund hundreds of beer cans in his tree.
(06:52):
His wife was not amused. No, I'm sure.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
So men, the animated series comes along. When you got
that audition, was it always going to be Beast? Was
earlier characters that auditioned four?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
I think we got to pick two, And of course
I also read for Wolverine. Everybody wanted Wolverine, but Beast
was a great character, and I identified a lot with
the guy, so I was very happy to get him.
But I think we only got a chance to read
for two characters apiece.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Now I'm curious because at uncan Experience, you did a
class with the lee Walds, which is all about the
literature of Beast, the very aerodite character. When you're doing
the show and you're reading all of this kind of
vast dialogue that they've written for you, did you ever
have to look up some of the words that you
(07:46):
were saying before you actually recorded, or well.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
The scientific terms. Yes, I mean that was not my
forte in school. I was passed by one point from
my chemistry teacher in high school, well, just so I
wouldn't have to repeat the class. I was a disaster.
Science and math were never my strong points. That was
(08:11):
something that I always had to work ten times harder
to keep my grade point average up. And when I
was in university, we had to take a science course,
so I took geology because I was always a rockhound.
I really enjoyed going rock hunting and going through old minds,
so geology was easier. But science was never a forte
(08:35):
and I did have to look up a lot of
the words to see what the heck I was saying.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Well, you know what, he also said a lot of quotes.
And I had to tell a little bit about my
backstory here because as a kid when we were watching
X Men and animated series, Chandler, you probably had a
character that you ran around the house I remember and
pretended to be. I remember Holli Chow, who voices Jubilee
in X ninety seven, having a Halloween costume on his storm. Well,
(09:00):
for me, the character that I used to run around
the house imitating was Beast, and everybody thought I was
super intelligent and everything. And that's what got me into
reading a lot of books because I wanted to increase
my vocabulary, and I became a book reading machine because
of your powerful performance, my friend.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
I devoured books as well. As a kid, I was
very much into science fiction. And there was this whole
series of books that we bought. My mom got me.
I can't remember the name. I've got two of them left,
but they're fabulous. It was all about these kids that
went on these voyages through the different planets in the
Solar System, and on some they discover life and it
(09:42):
was really exciting, and of course, you know, when I
was a kid, the space age was just beginning.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
I want you to give you your best sci fi
book recommendation. I'm going to go pick it up at
the library.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Well, the one that I was reading as a kid,
I can't remember the name of it, but it was
a whole series. But as far as I was concerned,
Jules verne Journey to the Center of the Earth is
my favorite.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
There's a science fiction book called The Ring World that
I really want to read. It's the inspiration that Chris
Claremont used for Magic's power of stepping discs, and it's
just one of those things that I read in a
whatever interview or some sort of source. And I bought
the book by Larry Niven called The Ring World, and
I can't wait to read it. So that's my next
(10:26):
science fiction adventure.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
So Bi says a lot of quotes. There's a lot
of philosophy in these quotes. Do you have a favorite
quote that bisas said from the show.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
There's one that I'm quoting these days which is really
applying to our life, which is, in these times, these
awful fractious times, we are all we have left that
I think is sums it up pretty badly in terms
of the state of the world.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Well, I'm very grateful to have each other, especially in
this moment. The x Men community I think is so strong,
and the bonds that are formed in it, I think
are very healing in everything that's going on. So I
totally agree with that quote.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
This was what I felt in the Uncanny experience was
that community, that cohesion of emotions that I felt being
a part of that crowd. You know, you go to
these other cons and there's anime people, and there's people
dressed like Howard the Duck and all these crazy things,
(11:31):
but there it was all about the x Men community.
And that's what I found so enticing and so gratifying
about that whole experience.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
I agree, I find it very heartwarming and very gratifying
to be a part of that event because of the
community and the reaction that people have. The emotional response
that people have from being at that event is outstanding, and.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
That filled it was his name, John the dress leg Beast,
Richard Richard Yes, came up from Florida and he spent
the entire weekend dressed in that suit. He must have
lost like twenty pounds sweating it out. Hats off to Richard.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
Well, speaking of being Blue, how does it feel to
return as Beast in X Men ninety seven after so
many years? Was that call just completely out of the
blue and you thought you were done with him? Or like,
what was that?
Speaker 3 (12:27):
Well, No, because we actually battered around the idea at
the first time that we did. When Julia and Eric
published their book, they had all done interviews with us
and we had long conversations, and then they called us
down to Texas to New Brownfels to have a reunion,
(12:47):
and I think there were four of us or five
of us down there, and we got to talking about
how nice it would be if we could revive the show.
We thought that there was a fairly decent chance of
it happening because of the response that we had at
the shows. And then when Disney bought Marvel and put
the old series on Disney Plus and it became number
(13:09):
one and stayed there, we thought that there was actually
a chance that it might happen. So I would say
it was about sixty forty that we were kind of
anticipating that there would be a revival. It wasn't completely
out of the blue and we had all wanted it.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Yeah, well it what a revival because it's been an
amazing experience having X Men ninety seven come back christ Night.
We got to go to the premiere and we got
to experience all sorts of wonderful adventures with the cast
and you know, do panels and can experience all that
sort of stuff. It's been incredible for the X Men
fan community to have X Men ninety seven come back.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Well, we're waiting to see what the next season will bring.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
There's something that I love to do with our guest
and it's a fun little rapid fire Q and a
very quick short answers. Will put a minute timer on
our timer clock and just ask you a bunch of
fun things. All right, are you ready for this?
Speaker 3 (14:05):
George sure?
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Who is your favorite X ME character besides Beast Wolverine?
Speaker 1 (14:12):
If Beast had a pet, what would it be?
Speaker 2 (14:16):
A dog who ends in a fight? Beast or Wouverine Wolverine?
Speaker 1 (14:23):
What's Beast's coffee order? What does he like to drink?
Speaker 3 (14:27):
Black French Roast?
Speaker 2 (14:32):
If Beast had a favorite karaoke song, what would it be?
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Uh? Something from zz dam Ooh?
Speaker 1 (14:41):
The smartest Marvel character in your opinion, is it beast
read Richards or Tony Stark.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Beast one word to describe beast.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Blue?
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Perfect?
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Well, great, great respect.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
All right, we got it all under a minute. You
win in George the honor getting all your questions in.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
I actually got to see zazy Top when I was
in South Africa.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
WHOA cool. I've always want to go to South Africa.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Well that's where we shot Sindad.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Oh wow, Oh yeah, yes, you were in the legend.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
I was down there for two years shooting The Adventures
of sind That amazing.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah, yes, and of course the Easter Egg. If people
don't know, George is the truck driver in the X
Men film that came out in two thousand and you
share a scene. Well you actually don't. You're out of
the truck at this point. But Tyler Mayne, who is Sabertooth,
appears and Tyler Maine will be a guest at Uncan
Experience next time. So if you guys want to go
(15:49):
back and watch the two thousand X Men, keep an
eye out for that truck driver that picks up Rogue.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
That night when we shot that scene, it was like
twenty five below zero was one of the coldest nights
we had. Wow, never forget that.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Well, I know the feeling from Minnesota. I know what
that cult feels like, and I'm sorry that you're to
work at it.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Well, at least we got to keep our coats on. Yes, Yeah,
that's an actor's worst nightmares when you're shooting an exterior
scene and you're in continuity from an interior scene and
you're waiting for the ad to go, okay, take their coats.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
All right, Well, let's get into this issue. We are
covering Beauty and the Beast number two. The title is
Heartbreak Hotel. Yes, George is holding up his physical copy
right now in his hands. This was published February first
of nineteen eighty five. Written by Ana Sante, art by
Don Perlin, and on the cover by Billson Kevich.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
We have Beast.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Sharing a kiss with the Dazzler.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Yes, in a very dramatic post like he's dipping her down,
her head is back, her hair's going everywhere. This is
quite quite beautiful. This is this is peak Bilsonkevitch, because
I feel like he was drawing incredible Dazzler covers and
of course the Beating the Beast cover set. It's just
so fun because it's it's very romantic, and I love
(17:15):
that they called it Beating the Beast and up in
the corner our little letterbox, it's Dazzler and Beast giving
each other a hug.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
And it was also this is nearly an episode an
anniversary because it's the second of February that it was released.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
That's forty years ago, by the way, we're literally this
is the fortieth anniversary of Beating the Beast Number two.
Oh wow.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Yeah, So back then, the top song at the time
was I Want to Know What Love Is by Foreigner.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
One of my favorite bands at that time. I was
going with a girl from Cleveland and I used to
listen to Foreigner a lot on the radio and in
my car on his set tape. Blooded was my favorite Foreigner.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
To Oh yeah, that's a good sum I always crank
that one up. Well. The top movie at the time
is A Beverly Hills Cop starring Eddie Murphy, and this
is iconic music in it, speaking of We've gotten an
incredible score by Harold Faltermeyer. It's a freewheeling Detroit cop
(18:22):
pursuing a murder investigation finds himself dealing with the very
different culture of Beverly Hills. This is one of those
movies where I feel like you've either seen it and
love it or you've never seen the movie at all.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
It was one of my favorite films. I loved it.
I laughed my head off on that. Yes, Eddie Murphy
was always one of my favorite comedians.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
To finish setting the era, I want to know, George,
what were you doing February second of nineteen eighty five?
Speaker 3 (18:49):
Well, the exact date I don't know, but nineteen eighty five,
my family and I went back to Hungary so they
would show me where my roots came from. And my
brother and I and the girl that I was dating
at the time all went over there and we spent
a month traveling around the country, and they parents showed
us where they used to live, where they met.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Oh so your parents are from Hungry and then they
were refugees after World War two? Wow? And what what
what town of Hungary are they from? Both both from
Budapest Budapest. Oh so you got to go to Budapest,
which is beautiful. I've been there myself. Did you go
to that giant bathhouse, that yellow building that has all
the mineral pools? And everything. That's an incredible place.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
We went there. We went almost everywhere. The whole month.
All we did was tour around. We took a lot
of train pass We went around the entire country, went
to all the different big cities and all the sites.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
I love Hungry. I think it's great. I love the food.
I think the the cabbage rolls, and they have something
a longosh, which is like bread that they fried. It
is delicious.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
Bread, so good for the heart. See, for me, Hungarian
food is not a big deal because when my parents
came over, that's all we ate. I don't think I
even had anything anything like pizza or spaghetti until I
was like in my teens. Wow. It was at home
all we had was Hungarian food, so my dad wanted
(20:20):
that's all we would. My mother would cook and I
think I ate spaghetti for the first time when I
got sent to summer camp.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Wow. So did you grow up speaking Hungarian first language?
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
I was like four years old before I started speaking English,
and I learned that on the street from the kids
that I was playing with.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Yeah. Amazing.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
My parents didn't speak They were learning English at the
same time because they spent five years in the displaced
persons camps in Germany. After the war, they escaped Budapest
just as the Russians were sealing the the entire city
in an iron ring around it, and they were one
of the last people to be able to get out.
Speaker 4 (21:02):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
And they were heading for the American Zone in Germany,
and that's where they ended up. And they spent five
years there waiting for and opening to take them to Cleveland,
because that's where my grandfather's brother had emigrated to in
nineteen twenty, which was the first big immigration of Hungarians
for the big industrial revolution that was taking place. And
(21:26):
so that was the length because I always asked my parents,
you know, of all the places that you could have gone,
why Cleveland. I mean, back in the sixties, all the
comedian had to do on stage was say Cleveland and
he would get a laugh.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Yeah, I'm trying to transition this back to the comic
book people. Yeah, we're going on. That's what we do here. Yes,
just like Dazzler's Experience and Beauty of the best thing too.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
I'm the King of Tangent, So I'm all about it.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Love it. You like to learn this about you and
your history and your family Actually is fascinated to me
obviously having been to Hungary and like all that sort
of stuff. So I love that information. But let's get
into the issue. Let's get into the story, and then
we can't wait to get some Beast dialogue from you.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Yes, So we open up and we see that Dazzler
is in the Heartbreak Hotel. She is in bed, she
is looking defeat it. Beast is sitting on a chair,
and I love Beast because he doesn't just sit in
a chair, he has to sit on top, on the edge,
all extra you.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Yes, the thing is.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
In the last issue, we saw that society is rejecting
Newtant's hardcore and Allison she was out it. So there
was a lot of hate and anger towards her and
she kind of got ran out of Hollywood. She ended
up in a temporary sanctuary called the Heartbreak Hotel, which
is kind of a haven for outcasts aka mutants.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
Dazzler is defeated, She's lying in bed while Beasts is
sitting up on a chair. She's thinking to herself about
how her powers are out of control. She's feeling awful.
And then Hank McCoy, also a mutant known as the Beast,
and a member of the Defenders, one of Earth's most
powerful superhero teams, has found something at Heartbreak Hotel too,
(23:22):
a lonely, scared woman in need of a friend.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Hey, what are you trying to hide? No more hiding,
no more secrets. You're beautiful, glow it all illuminated from within.
You look like a star from the heavens.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Oh great, So I'm finally a star, but not the
kind I had in mind. At least I'm getting better.
I think maybe being here at the Heartbreak is curing me.
The people are so sweet here. Look when someone left
me while I was sleeping.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
Hey looks like me.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Eh yeah, she holds up a kind of teddy bear
that's losing an eye.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Remember the snob I was when we met at that party.
What an ice queen? And yet you came and help
me anyway, I had to hank. I can't help feeling
like I failed. This is a very trying world we
live in. U. He's up for a minute, have a
few problems, and all kinds of forces rush into crush you.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Yeah, it's a tough cosmos. Sometimes just getting up in
the morning is like getting hit with a shovelful of dirt.
But you'll be okay, Daz now that you're with friends.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Yes, And we get that whole flashback of what happened
in issue one, and then we cut back to the
bedroom and Beasts is reaching out to touch her hair.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
You're shaking. You're still afraid of everyone, even me. I understand,
but you have to learn to trust people again. Not
everyone's out to get you. Look what you've done to
this doll. You're so nervous. Your actions tell me what
(25:07):
you can't.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
Thank you, Hank, thank you.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
So with all this tenderness, we get kind of the
growing relationship between Dazzler and Beast, and then we cut
to the beach front side of the Heartbreak Hotel and
Dassler's kind of, you know, interacting with all the various
hotel guests, Poltergeist being a key character who kind of
makes things shake the more emotional he gets. Basically, she
(25:33):
is introducing us to all these various people at the hotel.
Beasts is also visiting her, checking in on her. But
we get this really fun scene where they're in a
hammock and there is a clown character who has different
masks in a bag and he pulls up the masks
to kind of show his emotion as he's telling this story.
(25:54):
This character is of course creepy to me because I'm
a you know, I have a clown mannin world. So
I'm like, is this a villain? No, he's meant to
be a soft, nice character that's trying to relate to
everything that's going on.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Yeah, he was trying to be a street performer and
the crowd loved him, but they didn't give any tips.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
Rude, rude.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
And then we are and we end up in the
greenhouse and Beasts and Dazzler are getting a little closer.
They are they're kind of feeling the emotion, and we
actually get a kiss moment. So I would love to
hear the dialogue that's going on, firstly in their heads
as they think to each other in this greenhouse, and
(26:42):
then eventually leading to a kiss.
Speaker 3 (26:44):
I still hardly know her. I have no right to
think she wants me. I wish I knew the right words.
Maybe I should just go away.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
A short time ago, I had no time for him.
Now I hope he never leaves. In many ways, he's
still a stranger. Yet I just know that in his eyes,
in her eyes, I see everything.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
I feel like I've been searching for a thousand years
for what I see in her eyes.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
And we see Poulter Guys in the corner thinking to himself, Oops,
I'd better disappear.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Guess what's happening.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
I don't know. I think sometimes one doesn't know why
one does things.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
One just goes ahead and does it.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
And then they kiss, Yes, swell the soap opera music,
kiss the girl, And this Poulter guy's character is feeling
like he wished he had somebody and feel the emotion.
And in his emotion, he makes the greenhouse rumble, the
glass break, and then it makes the kiss break apart.
(27:50):
Because you know, we can't have too much romance in
a comic. We have to have action and we have
to move the story forward so that Beast leaps to
take care of and save her from the falling glass,
and then she kind of recommends Poultergeist for making everything
shake and break apart. Yeah, I just.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
Feel bad for Poultry guys because he's thinking to himself
that he's dangerous and that he should be locked up.
It's a sad state to be in.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
It. We have a quick just one page of doctor
Doom in his castle. In that area, and his goon
is telling him, Oh, wow, your son has been canoodling
with Dazzler, and he says, I I.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Just had to say, Chandler, like, we don't have to
read this part, but I secretly wanted you to read
the Butler barging in because you do butler barging in
so well on this podcast and every issue that there's
a Butler that barges in. I just love I get
tickled pink when you do it.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Well, yeah, I'll do it. I'll do it for you.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Okare we go Shire, you dare address your monarch without.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
League, But excellency, it comes concerns the latest transmissions from
the USA. Your alleged son has been spied in Hollywood
in the company of the mutant called the Dazzler.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Watch your carless tongue lest I smite you with a
single blow. Do not speak of that imputed welp and
his sortid affairs I am not aware of. And then
he goes on and on and on it.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
I hope, I hope that you loved my little I did.
I did.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
It's one of my favorites. So now we're back at
the Heartbreak Hotel. The days continue to pass unnoticed.
Speaker 3 (29:35):
Re enacting the scene from Dirty Dancing.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Yes, Yes, And then there is a long bong at
the door. Who could that be? And they open it
up and they see this kind of large mutant dog
man with a helmet and gloves and he's got two
pit bulls and he's here to collect the Dazzler. He
got a contract with the boss.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
He you go.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
And there is a battle that ensues as Beast tries
to protect Dazzler, but she calls it off and she said,
there's no reason to fight. The powers are out of control,
worse than I ever feels so strange, and she decides
to leave willingly.
Speaker 3 (30:16):
And she wants to be a star.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
She does, no matter what happens, no matter how she
gets there, she wants to be famous.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
It just felt so weird when I read this for
the first time, like she's just so flippantly going like, okay,
I'll go.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Back, Like we you literally just ran away from this
last last issue, and she's like, I'm going back. And
then we're back in that CD underground arena world with
the fighting mutants and creatures and the horsehead guy.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
Yes, anytime we have a crowd shot, I always like
to point out who's having the best night? So besides beast,
who is wearing, By the way, what's he wearing, George.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
A very glassy orange checkered coat.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
Yes, I wonder if I wonder if he has had
that tailor made to his body, because I imagine shopping
for that size.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
It's gonna be quite sixty sixty size sixty.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
Yes, absolutely well, Chris, I'm going to say, the lady
in front of him with the fur shawl and the
jeweled necklace and everything, and she looks like she's having
a great time.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
Oh you stole mine. I'm going to pick out the monocle.
Then that's kind of has his hand on her arm.
I want to call him Jasper, that's his name.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
We got a professor X looking character as well. There's
a bald man right in the middle wearing the green
blazer that the professor always wears.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
It's a very tough if it's him.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
The professor is watching on.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
No all right, George, who's having the best time in
this crowd?
Speaker 3 (31:51):
The girl hand holding the rose, the girl holding the
rose in the rose.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
Where's Waldo here? See?
Speaker 1 (31:59):
Oh oh yes, oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
It's right in the middle, right in front of us.
He says, here comes the cast of this futuristic drama.
The stage sure beats Anny Spielberg spaceset, looks like they're
ready to begin. Ah. Yes, got a red rose in
her hand, sitting next to the bald guy with the
(32:22):
friar tuck haircut.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
Yes, fantastic. We're in the arena and Dazzler is so
ready to entertain these people.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
She's like, I want to entertain and I love it
because she's going in there going like, I'm gonna do
the best concert. Move over, Taylor Swift, move over, Kylie Mino.
It is my time to shine. These are my people.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
And she starts singing yes, I love her.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Her thoughts right before she goes out, and she's like,
there they are the crowds, my audience. It's been so long,
and I've missed them so much. I was like, you
don't even know who these people.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
And they're going fight, fight, fight, fight fight. Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
But then all of a sudden they start booing her
because she's not fighting, she's seeking, and she's all bewildered, like,
oh my god, nobody's ever told me just shut up before.
What the heck is going on?
Speaker 3 (33:20):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (33:20):
And she she goes back to the boss, the ringleader,
whatever his name is, and it's just like, excuse me,
this isn't what we agree to. I don't know what's
going on here. But they keep gaslighting her. They keep
telling her like, oh no, no, it's fine. You know,
it's just pretend fighting. You'll be good. Oh yeah, pretend
fighting you all.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
No, No, what I love how? I love how she's like, oh,
I can pretend fight, Like, put me out there. The
crowd love it when I fight, look at it. I
can do this. And then the guy is obviously fighting
to kill her, and she she gets punched in the
side and she's like, wait, that actually hurt. You know,
you could have killed me for real, and he's like, yeah,
that's the point, and.
Speaker 5 (34:03):
Beast leave him out of the crowd because he's like no, yeah,
And now it's total pandemonium inside of the ring because
all of the fighters have been unleashed because the crowd
needs to be riled up even more.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Yeah, this is his orange jacket.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Yes he does.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
I just love the boss guy because you know, Dazzler.
First of all, she surprises herself. She goes, I'll kill you,
and then she thinks it was like, oh my god,
kill him. No, what am I doing? She leaves and
the audience, as you said, Chris, are hungry and sends
out all these glatteries. He says, ah, cripes, all right,
you guys hit the floor. We're losing the audience. Give
them more, give them blood. And they all come roaring
(34:44):
out to entertain the audience and they fight, fight, fight,
fight fight.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
Yeah, and the crowd is loving it.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Mm hmmm, and Beast is bounding over all the characters
to go yell at the manager person with Dazzler and
basically we'd be like, you got to get out of here.
But the crowds are going insane. They're loving this. Dies.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
I know it's it's pretty sad, and dazzlerk is one
of my favorite panels to have in a comic where
somebody is holding their hands to their face screaming you murderer.
So again, this ringleader boss is not a good guy,
gaslighting her even more. And something I want to know
(35:32):
note is that there is a vending machine of coke
and all these coke cans falling out, and I wonder
if that was kind of like not Coca Cola, like
the imagery of that was saying that maybe the audience
had a lot of coke.
Speaker 1 (35:48):
This is right after she screams, you murderer. Yeah, there
is that coke machine, and I don't know, maybe just
people were really thirsty Chris true. This is the only
place to get a cold beverage as this coke machine.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
They were thirsty for coke and blood.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
Oh boy. Well, she gets a conversation in with the
other female gladiator of the group, Ivich, who is kind
of a green skinned lady with wide set eyes and
red hair, and she has kind of like warrior armor
on well just boo, just boom armor and a loincloth.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
She reminds me a lot of an Orion from Star
Trek universe.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
Mmm. She says that she does this because she doesn't
feel like a freak down here. You know, she's like
out there in the world with her green skin and
kind of weird, weird set face. She gets stared at.
But down in the gladiator arena she can be herself
and she feels more at home trying to battle it
out into the death.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
And then we get some visitors. Unfortunately it is some
bad guys because one of them is that the fake
agent that is trying to, you know, do more gas
lighting on her. And then the horse guy, one of
the warriors, He's like, you know, you could talk to
her all you want, but that ain't going to make
her change her mind. Let me just slip her some
(37:13):
drugs into her alcoholic beverage. I don't know, and then
she takes a drink.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
You know you're a roofie, I know you know this.
This whole series is a testament to slimy people in Hollywood.
I mean they use they started in Hollywood and then
it goes to this kind of weird gladiated arena. But
I remember when we read issue one, Chris, we were
both kind of a little triggered at being Hollywood people,
where we're like, wait a minute, this comic is telling
(37:39):
the truth of what it's like in Hollywood for some people.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
Yeah, it's just a lot of stories that I've heard
over the years of my peers just kind of having
parallel situations happen. It's heartbreaking, and I think that Anicent
captured it.
Speaker 1 (37:58):
Well. Oh absolutely, Well, let's get George in on this
next scene as Beast comes bursting into the authorized personnel
only and he is ready to take Dazzler back so
as he bursts through the door, Dazzler screams.
Speaker 3 (38:14):
Hank, let's go, Das. Oh why are you hesitating?
Speaker 2 (38:21):
Hank? There are reasons, it makes sense, there is honor, justice.
I'm taking you with me, but Hank, here, we can
be together, be accepted, Daz.
Speaker 3 (38:37):
We have nothing to hide. If the world doesn't like
our kind, that's their problem.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
Yes, yes, we'll try. I'll go with you.
Speaker 1 (38:49):
And then she puts her hand on his shoulder, and
all of a sudden, her hand starts glowing uncontrollably.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
Oh no, the glow has returned. She thinks, No, I
can't go. I might stay here. You can stay too, please.
Speaker 3 (39:04):
It's being a star mean that much to you? Have
you lost sight of everything but some vain quest for
the limelight. Listen to me. We'll create a world for ourselves,
the same world. You're too good for this.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
Now listen here, says Ivich, and the agent guy says like,
let let him go, let him, let him speak, And
then Beast continues.
Speaker 3 (39:31):
Yes, I know you lost control of your power, lost
your fame, you got a bum deal. You sank pretty low,
But that's no reason to give into this decay. We're
supposed to be bigger than that. Forget it. You're all sick.
You and the rest of this world can just rod away.
(39:52):
Do what you want, Dazzler, I'll be seeing you in
the headlines and in the gossip columns hi through chasing
after you.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
He storms out, and Dazzler is seen in the corner
shedding some tears as her light powers continue to be uncontrollable,
and later, all not you.
Speaker 3 (40:14):
Please anyone but you. You were the most reasonable.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
Beast thinks to himself while sitting on the steps of
the Heartbreak Hotel.
Speaker 3 (40:24):
Sweetest girl, not you, not you.
Speaker 2 (40:30):
And then we pull back and we see a far
away shot of Beast on the stairs and above him
is the sign Heartbreak Hotel and it's heartbreaking.
Speaker 3 (40:40):
Brilliant time on sale in sixty days.
Speaker 1 (40:46):
Yes, yes, yes, wow. I forgot that the drugs are
the things that make her powers go out of whack,
and that they've been kind of, you know, feeding her
these drugs to kind of keep her under control. And
it skis me out every time I read this Beauty
of the Beast Sliming limited series. You know, it's one
(41:07):
of those things where I love that Beast is the
character that they chose Dazzler makes perfect sense, of course,
to be this character in the Hollywood world. But the
fact that it could have been any male character that
they you know, send after her to save her. But
the fact that they chose Beast. He's got such a
big heart and you know, and rightfully also has a
(41:27):
bit of a temper. So he's a good good character
to have in this kind of scenario.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
And on the back cover we have the generals partitioning
the world with the game of Risk.
Speaker 1 (41:40):
Oh oh fine, you know, Tadler, I never got into
Risk because it was always so intimidating to me.
Speaker 3 (41:50):
When I was younger, we played it non stop. I
love that game. I think I still have a copy
of it somewhere in my garage.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
What is it they love about it? Is it just
the conquering of the content?
Speaker 3 (42:04):
Well, first of all, the game would go on for hours.
Speaker 1 (42:06):
Yes, that's what I got, that sense, And.
Speaker 3 (42:10):
It was a great time way, sir. And it wasn't
when I was a kid that we played it as
much as when I was a young adult, so we
played it a lot. When when I first came to
Canada and I had a we lived in a house
full of unemployed actors, all sharing their three d and
fifty dollars a month rent in the house, and we
(42:31):
used to sit and have marathon games of risk. That's
another anecdote that that first house, the address of that house,
it got torn down and that's where they built the
studio where we recorded X.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
Men Really No Way. Yeah, so you actually lived. Your
essence is ingrained into the land.
Speaker 3 (42:54):
Absolutely right into the very studio. Toxic earth that lay
beneath that that house and it leaned. It was an old,
old house and we got it for three hundred and
fifty bucks a month, and when we went down in
the basement we realized that there was a stack of
(43:14):
bricks that was holding it up.
Speaker 1 (43:16):
Wow, it was. Yes, it reminds me a little bit
of the house I lived in when I was in
college that I think about it.
Speaker 3 (43:27):
Well, this was nineteen seventy four and I was in
my very early twenties, and it was right across the
street from the two theaters that I was working for,
because it was kind of like in the theater area
where the Young People's Theater where I did my first
show in Canada, and then around the corner was Toronto
(43:50):
Free theater that was what they called an experimental theater
back in the day, doing a lot of original avant
guarde work. Hm.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
Cool. Well, I just want to firstly say thank you
so much for joining us on the podcast. It's been
really fun to have you here and to also recap
this issue with you, because, you know, as Chris was
expressing earlier, it's just like you know, your your voice
is beast is ingrained in us, and I'm sure you've
heard that from fans for years and years and years,
but like it's just it's it's so fun to share
(44:27):
a new Beast story with you and and especially uh
Dazzler the Beating the Beast series. So this was a
lot of fun. So thank you so much, jas Been.
Speaker 3 (44:36):
I love doing these podcasts and you guys are wonderful
good friends. I hope we do some more together.
Speaker 1 (44:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (44:43):
Absolutely, thank you so much, George. This has been a
real delight.
Speaker 3 (44:47):
Thanks for having me on. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
Actually, I'm very curious before we hang up, and you
don't have to answer this and any depth that you're
not allowed to, but are you Are we going to
see you in season two of X Men ninety.
Speaker 3 (45:00):
Oh yeah, yeah, Season two was already in the can.
They were polishing it up towards the end of the
year and hopefully it'll be out sometime. I was told.
Now it's kind of been delayed, so I don't know
exactly when it's going to be out. And they said
that they were writing season three, and I don't know
(45:21):
what's in store for that. No, we don't really know
what's going to happen until a couple of days before
we go into record.
Speaker 1 (45:28):
Right, Yeah. Well, I understand too. They want to kind
of keep it under wraps and everything like that. And
I'm sure the script changes are wild leading up to
your recording dates.
Speaker 3 (45:36):
Oh yeah, and you can go back several times. You
think you've done it, and then you're going back and
you're doing changes, and sometimes they rewrite the entire script.
Other times they juggle scenes so that the order in
which you recorded is completely different from the order that
you're recording again. Yeah, but you know, they want to
make it the best that they possibly can. Well, and
(45:58):
I think that's testament to what you saw on the
premiere of The X Men ninety seven. You know, it
took us a couple of years recording and polishing before
they finally released it, and I think the proof is
in the pudding that it was worth the wait.
Speaker 1 (46:13):
Absolutly. You guys just won the Critics' Choice Award for
Best Animated.
Speaker 2 (46:16):
Yes, yes, congratulations.
Speaker 1 (46:18):
Yeah, so congratulations.
Speaker 3 (46:20):
Well, we can't understand there's going to be a statuette
that comes along with it, so that would be kind
of nice. Oh cool, little trinket.
Speaker 1 (46:29):
You get it's a little star.
Speaker 3 (46:31):
That's like, yeah, whatever it is. Yeah, I mean, I've
got a couple of nominations for Best Actor that never
came to the statues, but it's nice to be nominated.
Speaker 1 (46:43):
Absolutely. Well, we can't wait to hear your voice in
season two. Hopefully you're coming in season three and yeah,
hopefully we get to have you back on the podcast
in the future.
Speaker 3 (46:53):
Too, anytime, anytime, and one people have already forgotten. Maybe
another shot at Uncanny Experience.
Speaker 1 (47:01):
Yes, absolutely, Oh my god, so much fun there. A
return appearance is definitely after we cycle through some of
the many other cast backs. That's right, and they forgot
that I was there. Fabulous, well, wonderful. Well again, thank
you so much. We really appreciate you taking the time
and uh yeah, thank.
Speaker 2 (47:19):
You, thank you all.
Speaker 3 (47:21):
Lived through the snowstorm.
Speaker 1 (47:22):
Yes, yes, now it's time for Kenny news news news news,
Hey Newtants, brace yourselves.
Speaker 2 (47:31):
We've got some uncanny news that's going to have you
screaming to.
Speaker 1 (47:34):
Me, my x Men. That's right. The Uncanny Experience is
shaping up to be more legendary than an Omega level
mutant battle, and we're here to break down all the
latest announcements.
Speaker 2 (47:46):
Okay, let's start with the big one. One of the
most celebrated writers in comics is making her way to
Xavier Institute. Gail Simone is coming to the Uncanny Experience.
Speaker 1 (47:56):
Yes, the mastermind behind some of the most iconics stories
and comics, whether it's Wonder Woman, Deadpool, Secret Six, or
even The Simpsons. And let's not forget she's fresh off
writing The Young Kinny x Men, one of this past
year's best selling comics.
Speaker 2 (48:12):
She's got rage, she's got wit, and she's got stories
to tell. You'll get to hear her insights during panels,
snagger autograph, and celebrate her incredible body of work with
fellow fans. If you love sharp storytelling and unforgettable characters,
you cannot missed this.
Speaker 1 (48:28):
Speaking of iconic X writers, We've also got one of
the most ferocious voices in mutant storytelling. Benjamin Percy is
coming to the Uncanny Experience.
Speaker 2 (48:39):
If you love your X Men stories, dark, gritty and
claw slashing intents, this is the guy. From his brutal
run on Wolverine to his high stakes espionage with X Force,
Percy has been defining the crack Cooan era.
Speaker 1 (48:54):
And let's not forget Chris that his work on Deadpool
and Wolverine, Judgment Day, Nightwing, Green Aaroteen Titans. Oh, there's
so much amazing stuff, including the incredible Wolverine audio drama podcast,
which I love and absorbed and listened to.
Speaker 2 (49:11):
And get ready to hear from the man who knows
what it means to cut deep, literally and figuratively. Whether
you want to pick his brain about writing Logan's inner
turmoil or just geek out over the best black ops
moments of X Force, This is your chance.
Speaker 1 (49:26):
Okay, nineties kids, this one's for you or us, Because
we're nineties kids. We are the legendary Larry Houston, producer, director,
and storyboard artists behind X Men. The animated series is
coming to the Mking Experience.
Speaker 2 (49:43):
Saturday mornings, wouldn't have been the same without him his
work on Gi Joe, Fantastic Four, Captain, Planet Ninja, Turtles.
The list goes on. If you were parked in front
of the TV with the bowl of cereal, Larry probably
had a hand in whatever you were watching.
Speaker 1 (49:57):
He'll be taking part in panels and hanging out in
the mutant market with exclusive prints of his artwork. If
you ever wanted to meet the guy who made previously
on X Men an iconic phrase, this is your chance.
Speaker 2 (50:08):
Now, what's the Uncanny Experience without some top tier mutant cosplay.
We've got some extraordinary talent joining us.
Speaker 1 (50:16):
Yes, First up, she's got charm, She's got SaaS and
fifty different Row costumes to prove it. Euphoria BJC is
coming to the Uncanny Experience.
Speaker 2 (50:27):
Yes, she's been bringing Rogue to life for years, from
classic Jim Lee looks to original mashups, plus with the
fashion degree, she actually creates her own costumes.
Speaker 1 (50:37):
If you've ever wanted to meet the ultimate Southern Bell,
or just get tips on crafting the perfect X Men cosplay,
Euphoria is the one to see and teleporting into the scene.
We've got a Line Diaz, the ultimate Nightcrawler cosplayer. If
you've seen The Lions Kurt Wagner, you know he brings
the perfect mix of acrobatics, craftsmanship and pure bump energy.
Speaker 2 (50:59):
He's got the moves, he's got the style, and he's
got that devilish charm. Don't miss your chance to see
Nightcrawler inaction.
Speaker 1 (51:07):
E Last, but definitely not least, the skies are clearing
because Number one is bringing Storm to life.
Speaker 2 (51:15):
Yes, by the power of the Elements, they capture everything
that makes Aurora Monroe and icon power, elegance, and the
ability to strike fear into anyone who underestimates her. If
you want the perfect windswept photo with the true Queen
of the Elements, you need to meet Number one.
Speaker 1 (51:34):
Calling all panelists, Now, let's talk about you X fans.
Do you have an uncanny insight into the X Men universe?
Because the Uncanning Experience is looking for passionate fans to
host panels and discussions.
Speaker 2 (51:48):
Want to break down Omega mutants, analyze the rise and
fall of Krakola, debate the best helfire galiluks. Now there's
your chance to bring your expertise to the table.
Speaker 1 (51:59):
If you've got an idea that's going to educate, entertain,
or completely blow people's minds. Submit your panel proposal today,
Let's make this event extraordinary. You can submit on the
website Wwwwuncanny Experience dot com under the schedule tab.
Speaker 2 (52:14):
Artistic Mutants Assemble. The twenty twenty five event poster contest
is underway and this year's theme life as a student
at Xavier Institute.
Speaker 1 (52:24):
Yes, whether it's training in the danger room, sneaking off
to Harry's hideaway, or mastering your mutant powers in the classroom,
we want your vision of Xavier's Institute.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
We got some great prizes for this too. The winner
gets an official Xavier Institute School uniform card again super Fashionable,
a general admission ticket to the Uncanny Experience twenty twenty five,
an invite to the exclusive Saturday Night after party, and
it's lit. There's a drag show, There's a whole bunch
of things that you can do at this after party
(52:55):
in the mansion. It is amazing, and your art is
going to be featured in the official promo materials.
Speaker 1 (53:01):
The deadline is March fifteenth, twenty twenty five, So grab
your styluses, pencils, and whatever medium you wield. Like a
mutants superpower and get to work.
Speaker 2 (53:10):
All right, that's all for today's on canny news, but
trust us, there's so much more to come.
Speaker 1 (53:15):
Stay tuned to stay mutant, and we'll see you at
the Uncanny Experience.
Speaker 2 (53:21):
Visit Theeoncannyexperience dot com. Xreads is recorded in the United States.
Speaker 1 (53:26):
Our theme music is written by Austin Wintry.
Speaker 2 (53:28):
Please make sure to follow our podcast to be updated
on when new episodes appear every first and third Wednesdays
of the month.
Speaker 1 (53:34):
Follow us on social media at xreeds podcast That's the letter,
X riads podcast on Twitter, Instagram, at Facebook.
Speaker 2 (53:41):
Thanks so much for listening by
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Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Law & Order: Criminal Justice System - Season 1 & Season 2
Season Two Out Now! Law & Order: Criminal Justice System tells the real stories behind the landmark cases that have shaped how the most dangerous and influential criminals in America are prosecuted. In its second season, the series tackles the threat of terrorism in the United States. From the rise of extremist political groups in the 60s to domestic lone wolves in the modern day, we explore how organizations like the FBI and Joint Terrorism Take Force have evolved to fight back against a multitude of terrorist threats.