The Saga of Paul Rugg

Once he was here, now he is there, traveling from sea to shining sea. Gone from the Once-Golden State to a peninsula with water on three sides (as peninsula's are known for). And yet, there is a quiet pride in Paul's decampment. Watch and learn more.

     

Paul Rugg's Froynlaven    

Central Florida ComicCon Invites Old Friends

 RUEGGER, RUGG TO CFCC 

 

As Lakeland, Florida USA gears up for their big comic con, old Warner Bros. chums Tom Ruegger and Paul Rugg prepare to meet their public. 

Come this Saturday, Januray 20th, these animation legends will host a panel entitled (and I quote):

The Ultimate Animaniacs and Freakazoid Panel

Tom Ruegger and Paul Rugg talk about the making of Animaniacs and Freakazoid and take questions from the audience in this panel for the Ultimate Animaniacs and Freakazoid fans!

Don't miss it! (I'll miss it, but then I was there.)

 

Wondercon '23 Vid

Cast and crew from O.G. Animaniacs as well as Freakazoid! mingling, greeting, and, in general, being pleasant to the fans at a fine convention.

@John P. McCann Channel

Wondercon '23 Notes

 Great fun. Good seeing old friends and meeting fans of the shows. Here is the original Animaniacs panel:

(l. to r.) Julie and Steve Bernstein, Paul Rugg, myself, and Tom Ruegger

With more onstage the next day for Freakazoid!

(l. to r.) Dan Riba, Steve and Julie Bernstein, Mitch Schauer, myself, Tom Ruegger and Paul Rugg—the voice of Freakazoid!

Lots of laughs as we recalled the old days.  Then we all left early to take our medicine.

I Arrive at Wondercon 2023!

Here's how much the Hilton thinks of me. I'm given TWO bottles of Evian Water FREE. Everyone else, the slugs, the dregs, the nobodies, pay $5 a BOTTLE. Just livin' large in Anaheim, CA.

How Freakazoid Episodes were Made

So THAT'S how they did it.

 There was a formula back then. Follow it and you'd have something to watch . . . something strange and mystical.

John P. McCann Channel

Wondercon '23 Paul Rugg Promo

Coming March 26!!

In Sunny Anaheim, California!

A Freakazoid Panel for the Ages!

It's a Con, but Go Anyway!

John P. McCann Channel

So Long, Ed Asner

 

Behind the Voice Actors

Sergeant Mike Cosgrove (who also used the name Ed Asner) is gone. Freakazoid's pal and law enforcement chum has cashed out his life chips and departed this plane of existence. 

Ed was fun to work with, bummed cigarettes off the crew, and never seemed thrown by the often surreal dialogue he was called upon to read. I wish his family peace in this troubled time. 

Adieu, Ed and may you know eternal rest involving offbeat wholesome fun.

ZuccoloX

Freakazoid Friends at Warner Bros.

L. to R.: Joe Leahy, Jonathan Harris, Paul Rugg, and I

 Rummaging in some old files and scrolled across this photo circa 1997. Note my stylish collarless shirt. I never really thought about moments such as this because I was always looking ahead to the next job. Now I realize my work at Warner Bros. was the most fun I've ever been paid for. Not that my current life isn't fun. But I'm not paid for sitting around—though that is no longer universally true in California. I wonder who took this?

John P. McCann Discusses Himself

Yes, it's me. 

What could be better for an hour?

A lot of things, come to think of it: soft music, a pie, a cat and Gorilla glue. But if you'd like to hear a story of the rise, fall, and plateauing of one TV animation writer, then give a listen to my audio interview by Joshua Murphy over at JM Archives.

I discuss my Warner Bros. days, post-Warner Bros. career, and writing books and short stories. If you're thinking of writing for a living, here's a great resource on how not to do it. Give a listen, leave a comment, enjoy rose water and ham.

John P. McCann Playlist

Now Showing on the YouTubes!!

A plump playlist of videos from sources great and humble.

In these days of riot and plague, spend some happy time looking at ME! (Listening, as well.) Unlike my TV animation Sizzle Reel, these are various interviews and video segments rarely seen by anyone, including myself. Sample selections from such sources as the Animanicast and Doug Walker, the old Nostalgia Critic.

START TODAY!

The John P. McCann (or JP Mac) playlist is up and running. See almost a dozen interviews over a career spanning several decades. Why aren't there more? Well, just because. In any case, these interviews and audio clips are fun, enjoyable, and free! What have I been doing with my life? Here's a small sample. Degust upon them.

(Or explore John's multifarious writings as JP Mac.) 

Freak-a-Con Rolling Forward

Say it out loud only imagine there's a bad ass echo.

Livestream with Paul Rugg, Tom Ruegger and others Thursday, March 15, 2018 at 5:00 PM Pacific (8:00 PM Easter Time) on Facebook.

There'll be videos and contests and audience questions and anecdotes from the show they still talk about when the subject arises of a fascinating show that only lasted 24 episodes. Freakazoid is almost here!

On the subject of Warner Bros. from back in the day, I've had several people ask me if Steven Speilberg ever attended the Animaniacs voice recording sessions.

NO

Perhaps he attended a scoring session?

NO

In the day, Speilberg used to make his movies in threes, back-to-back-to back, then take time off. When Animaniacs began, he'd finished Hook and was in pre-production, then on location in Hawaii for Jurassic Park, followed immediately by work on Schindler's List. (We'd get faxes from him from in Poland, covered with frost.)

So Speilberg was often out of the country, and otherwise involved in the task of creating motion pictures. The idea that he'd pop by the remote, tricky-to-reach, studio where we initially recorded the Warners is mere internet chum. 

A Freakazoid Christmas of Some Sort

90's Animation Returns for the Holiday

Thanks to Julian Madison on YouTube, we can enjoy the Guy With Lightning in His Hair shopping for gifts when trouble, as it always seemed to do, arose. Also, Freakazoid confronts the mysterious Cloud, based on the 1958 special effects extravaganza, The Crawling Eye. Merry Christmas!

Fan Fic Freakazoid! Series

And what the deuce would a 21st century Freakazoid! series contain? Over at Ralph Dibny, Rafa Rivas really expended the time and effort in to envision such an occurrence. Check out his concepts on story and artwork, as Rafa combines a little Bruce Timm with a lot of Tom Ruegger to bring us new adventures of the super teen extraordinaire.

On a more sober note, health issues continue to zap me like a small man with electric fingers. And while the general trend is upwards, the journey contains side roads, detours, and messy spills that don't bear public discussion. But my spirits are good, my wife, an angel, my family and friends of service, and I don't need a doughnut to sit on just yet.

I Podcast about Freakazoid!

Our Hen House

 Kevinn Gomez asks at length and I answer on his podcast, Friends in Hell. Make sure you give the guy a "Follow."
http://kevinn-gomez-9.podomatic.com/

Freakazoid Animation Art Awaits

This fellow.  I'll say no more.

Rafa Rivas posts a fine article on Freakazoid! containing Bruce Timm artwork from the series' original development. Paul Dini thought up the characters who graced the initial show bible but then never blossomed on screen. Unfortunately, Rafa attempted to close his piece with a comment about a certain spooky hooded character who spoke like the late Jack Palance. All the best to Rafa, wherever he may be. (Keep an eye open for pie. It's your best play.) "Ohhhhh my!"

Prophecy of Freakazoid

The Escapist notes that long ago in the 1990s the future of the "Information Super Highway" was previewed by the Guy with Lightning in His Hair. See how Freakazoid correctly foresaw the future of the Web in a neat video salute to TV animation past. (Thanks to Keeper over on FB for pointing this out.)