Peter Cullen and Frank Welker Are More Than Meets the Eye

Few cartoons and actions figures are as iconic, popular and recognizable as Transformers. Whether you grew up with the ’80s TV series, the original 1988 film or even the current blockbuster franchise, you most likely know the difference between an Autobot and a Decepticon.

The original voices behind the eternal foes Optimus Prime and Megatron, Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, each have been doing voice work for over 50 years, and I was excited to talk with them in advance of their appearance at RI Comic Con.

Rob Duguay (Motif): When you were approached to do the voices for the Transformers cartoon in the ’80s, what was your reaction?

Peter Cullen: I remember being very curious about it. It was so new, so different from anything I had ever done or seen before. That is because there were no cute funny characters of all sorts of voice ranges, but simply an assortment of metal robots that fought for good or evil. It was more real life than cartoons. I was asked to read a few characters including Prime, and that opportunity proved to be a once in a lifetime. The words were perfect, some advice from my brother Larry — who is also a personal hero of mine — and the rest is history.

Frank Welker: I was not familiar with the franchise at all, but loved the characters and the art. They were different than anything I was working on at the time. It was fun to play so many characters and of course I had the opportunity to be the big bad boy and I loved doing him and still do.

RD: Frank, you also do the voices of Scooby Doo and Doctor Claw from “Inspector Gadget” among a few others. Are you very methodical in preparation for these roles or do you handle each one differently?

FW: I find most situations a little different. It depends a lot on what materials are available that define and describe the character. My best source for finding a voice is looking at art work. When I first worked on Megatron, I had great drawings to look at and that was really helpful. A photo is worth a thousand words; in my case a photo is worth a thousand thoughts. I am very visual and the more I see the character the more it helps liberate the creative juices and I know instantly what I would like to do. Now that is for me, usually it is my first instinct that I am going to be most comfortable with. Where it gets tricky is you have a writer who created the character and has a vision. You have a producer and director and maybe toy or comic company and or studio who all have visions so the big trick is congealing all the visions into a cohesive team effort and ultimately, a performance. Megatron was a dream, I had this voice in my repertoire that was dying to get out. In my mind it was different and would not be what other actors auditioning might do. Believe it or not, it sailed through all levels of scrutiny. I never changed it at all until recent years with the new games, movies, rides and “Transformers Prime” series.

RD: How about you Peter? You’re also known for doing the voice of the depressed donkey Eeyore in “Winnie-The-Pooh,” quite the contrast from the courageous leader that is Optimus Prime. How different was it preparing to do voices for two different characters?

PC: At the time, Eeyore had already been done by another actor. When Winnie the Pooh was resurrected in “The New Adventures,” I was to impersonate Ralph Wright who had passed away. I had a discussion with Optimus Prime and Eeyore once, somebody evidently recorded it, but I’ve never heard it and can’t remember. Having not that much preparation would be the best answer.

RD: I’m going to be searching everywhere for that Optimus Prime and Eeyore conversation. For the past few decades, visual entertainment has changed so much. You now have everything in high definition and animation has gone the 3D route, but voice acting has pretty much stayed the same. Do you feel affected by any of the rapid changes in visual entertainment or do you just do the same thing you’ve always done during your respective careers?

PC: Rapid changes, yes. Not only technically but socially. I approach characters as I always do. Define character, study physical composition, and compose a voice to suit.

FW: For me it has certainly changed my approach to Megatron. On “Transformers Prime,” the CGI animation gave us a big beautiful canvas to work with. I really like the faces and new character art; there is a lot more detail and movement. With the CGI you can use a more subtle approach for dialog because visually you see. There’s more detail — lots of close-ups and a lot less projecting. Of course standing next to Peter and playing old enemies again is fabulous fun.

RD: In what roles can we hear both of your voices in the future?

FW: I am currently busy with a new season of “Scooby Doo.” It is crazy fun and a great new version of this legendary franchise. Like “Transformers,” Scooby is generational and like the Energizer Bunny it just keeps going and going and going. Somebody told me that I have been doing that show for 45 years! It can’t be true. I am only 36!

PC: I am happy to say that Eeyore is back. I recorded a session recently with a production team that wanted me in their production of the Doc McStuffins episode “Into the One Hundred Acre Wood.” It was a wonderful day working with them. Where the College Kids Go?

Every campus develops a unique, symbiotic relationship with its surrounding community (depending on who you’re talking to, some might call it a parasitic one). Some establishments thrive, but only because of the steady business from students. The school year just marks the busy season at the end of a slower summer. So where do the collegiates at each RI university go?

Brown University (PVD)

Plopped ceremoniously onto the east side of Providence in 1762, Brown University is Rhode Island’s own Ivy League. The campus is sidled up alongside Thayer St, and many of its students frequent the bars and restaurants there. Though anywhere is fair game, the craft beer and tastefully grungy atmosphere of the English Cellar Alehouse is supposedly a fan favorite. Viva is the go-to for those looking for pulsing, dance-fueled fun. Rumor also has it that Whiskey Republic is immensely popular — as the students love their “Whisko Wednesdays”! But everyone in the know raves about the Graduate Center Bar (GCB). It’s in the basement of of the Graduate Center complex and has a door that looks like a nuclear fallout shelter. Brown and RISD students get free membership access and can bring outsiders in, but anyone looking for access without a student ID will have to pay for a membership.

Bryant University (Smithfield)

Blackie’s Bull Dog Tavern clearly riffs on Bryant’s bulldog mascot, and serves up comfort food to those hungry pooches, but is also a favored watering hole. Parentes, just outside campus (as in walking distance) is the students’ go-to bar during the week, especially Tuesday and Wednesday, despite also catering to a sampling of local regulars. Added plus: free popcorn for all at night. Last Resort is the go- to Thursday night spot, and Thirsty Beaver is a newer spot that students seem to enjoy. Beyond that, Bryant students will make the trek all the way down to PVD for clubs and/or house parties with the PC kids.

Johnson & Wales University (PVD)

Even JWU’s culinary students in the slightly outlying Harborside campus have an easy time with quick Uber and Lyft rides into the city, but house parties seem like the most popular nightlife option for many students. The Brass Monkey, owned and operated by a pair of recent JWU grads, is just up the street offering nice decor, great food and even better programming.

JWU’s Downcity campus is on the southern tip of downtown (aptly named!), and is a short walk away from gems like The Dean Hotel and its eclectic fares. They have a lot more walkable options, including the absurdly close Ultra the Night Club and The Spot Underground.

Providence College (PVD)

Authorities have been rightfully cracking down on underage drinking at the bars and houses around campus, but PC still is a regionally recognized party school. A number of bars ebb and flow in and out of existence, but Olde’s has long been a go-to dive bar for students. PC has its own bar in the student center, McPhail’s, that offers programming throughout the week and live bands every weekend night. The Abbey is famed for its burgers and wing nights, and is popular among both upperclassmen and professors. Also popular, Ladder 133 swarms with PC students on the weekends. Once upon a time Friars took cabs to Fish Co., and the tradition stands, but now they take Ubers to Whiskey Republic.

Rhode Island College (PVD)

Though a dry campus and largely a commuter school, younger RIC students were once known to frequent Mugshots, especially on Tuesday nights for 50 cent beer. But then, one thing led to another and it was closed down. Tantric Nightclub on the East Side has been a popular Thursday destination, especially for the ladies (18+ for them). RIC’s student body also dabbles in PC’s nightlife as well, oftentimes polishing off the night at Golden Crust pizza.

Rhode Island School of Design (PVD)

In arguably the best position of all the PVD schools for nightlife, RISD is toward the East Side, but still very close to downtown. Wild Colonial is a popular watering hole, especially due to proximity, with its aged wood and exposed brick decor. Trinity Brewhouse is another go-to, particularly in the basement section. Some say that many RISD students prefer the small, private parties to actually going out, and/or they piggy-back on Brown’s parties and bars.

Roger Williams University (Bristol)

Though a bit distant from Bristol’s downtown, RWU has a number of options a short ride away. Aidan’s Pub is the expansive, inexpensive crowded bar that many of the students wind up at. In near proximity are Bristol Oyster Bar, Bar 31, Judge Roy Bean Saloon and Thames Waterside Bar & Grill.

University of Rhode Island (Kingston)

Ticket Tuesdays and Sunday Fundays at Ocean Mist have always been South County favorites for weekday drinking. Rhody Joe’s is a hot spot in Wakefield Center and great for a sit-down meal that won’t blow your entire booze budget. A college and local favorite, Mews Tavern has 69 beers on tap. Charlie O’s offers good atmosphere and friendly staff and is where most of the kids from the Briggs Farm and Eastward neighborhoods area end up drinking most nights of the week.

Salve Regina (Newport)

There are three main bars that people go to during the school year: One Pelham East on Tuesday, Gas Lamp Grille (affectionately called Trash Lamp) on Thursday and O’Brien’s on Saturday nights. One Pelham East has a 50 cent draft night on Tuesday, so anyone looking to pinch pennies (aka, every college student) heads down there for that deal, especially when DJs and dancing is part of the deal. Gas Lamp has a bar upstairs and a dance floor downstairs with a decent DJ on Thursday nights. O’Brien’s is where most Salve kids go on Saturday nights. It’s pretty much a Newport staple, but tends to get rather crowded. It’s mostly outside, and there’s a DJ in the back. Lots of people just go because they know other Salve kids are gonna be there, too. The PVD Improv Fest Will Have You Laughing to Bits

Do you like “Curb Your Enthusiasm”? Best In Show? Sketch comedy shows like “Key and Peele” and “Saturday Night Live”? Then you are a fan of improv. What’s that you say? You’re not familiar with the genre? You’ve never been to an improv show? Odds are you have been a fan for years without even knowing it.

Improv is the performance art, often comedic, where the actors are presented with all of the circumstances while they are on stage: who they are, where they are and often specific actions they must perform. Usually these are suggested by the audience. It’s like “SNL” combined with those choose your own adventure books from your youth.

The 12th Annual Providence Improv Festival is a celebration of this form of performance that showcases local groups like Improv Jones and Providence Improv Guild along with national and international favorites like Airwolf from the Upright Citizens Brigade in NYC and the Oxford Imps from Oxford, England, who Providence Improv Fesitval organizer Tim Thibodeau first met at the famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world.

I sat down with him to talk about the festival and the world of improv a little. I asked him who the target audience is for the festival. “We have something for everyone. There is going to be comedy, but there is also The Raving Jaynes from NYC who combine dance and improv to create highly physical, spontaneous pieces of dance-theater. There will be a group improvising a comic book, and one group from Austin, Texas — Black Vault — who do pieces based on the writings of HP Lovecraft.”

The group I am excited to see is North Coast. With a cast of improv comedy veterans from The Upright Citizens Brigade, the Peoples Improv Theater and The Magnet theaters in New York City, North Coast’s explosive performances have been packing comedy venues, universities and festivals nationwide since 2009. Built around a single suggestion from an audience member, the show’s improvised scenes escalate into full-blown hip-hop songs, facilitated by resident beatboxer and U.S. Vice Beatbox Champion, Kaila Mullady. I didn’t even know that there was an award for this! With their seamless melding of comedic timing and freestyle rapping abilities, North Coast frequently blurs the line between comedy show and concert, drawing audiences from the comedy, hip-hop and theater communities for an experience that has been hailed as “mind-blowing” and “next level” by critics and audiences alike.

This year’s headliner isn’t strictly for the heads, but improv geeks will be jazzed that Jimmy Carrane from Chicago will be in Providence to speak with two groups and record his podcast: Improv Nerd Podcast. For those in the know, Jimmy is a legend in the genre. If you have ever heard of Second City, or ImprovOlympics, or The Armando Diaz experience, you know that Jimmy has been a part of every important improv group in America in the past 20 years. It’s really cool that he will be a part of the festival and I am sure many of your favorite local performers will be in the audience.

There also will be a Family Friendly Show on Saturday, September 19. It’s a pay what you can performance where all the proceeds will go to the Manton Avenue Project. It’s a great way to expose your little aspiring thespian to a new set of skills that can greatly improve their time on the stage.

The 12th Annual Providence Improv Festival will take place at AS220 Black Box at 95 Empire St and AS220 Main Stage at 115 Empire St in downtown Providence on September 17-19. For more information, visit the Providence Improv Fest website at providenceimprovfest.com, check their Facebook page at facebook.com/providenceimprovfest.com or follow them on Twitter @PVDimprovfestP!F.

Pronk! Celebrating Community, Activism and Plain Ol’ Fun

Providence Honk Festival (Pronk!) celebrates music, but probably not the way you’re used to seeing it celebrated. On October 12, Wickenden Street in Providence will become unusually brassy. Local favorites, like The Extraordinary Rendition Band and What Cheer? Brigade, as well as guests flying in from other locales, will fill the autumn air with a mix of melody and cacophony. A truly grassroots effort brought to our city streets thanks to local benevolence, Pronk! aims to mix locals and artists into one sticky pile, blurring lines between audience members and performers. No ticket or place in line grants access to the festival; you have it. Providence Honk Festival knocks down the traditional walls of performance for a truly immersive cultural experience.

So … horn bands? That’s it? Pronk! conjured up images of a nebulous bundle of trombones and bass drums whirling together in a tornado of sweaty musicians. I didn’t get. Well, here is some context: Pronk! is an iteration of Honk!, the inaugural horn festival that took place in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 2006. Two local bands felt compelled to match their music with the political issues of the time, and called out to brass and drum bands around the country to play with them. That year, musicians from San Francisco, Chicago, Brooklyn and Vancouver flew in to populate Somerville’s Davis Square with their raucously joyful music. And so Honk! was born.

Sizable and loud brigades of musicians provide the noisy and joyful soundtrack to organizations standing up for local issues all over the country, and Australia, Brazil and Rio de Janeiro joined the club this past year. Providence’s Horn Festival shines a light on organizations like New Urban Arts, which is working to build an empowering community for high-school aged artists.

Pronk! is a simple concept with a long and continuously evolving history. Committee members, all non- paid volunteers, carve time out of their busy lives to help bring musicians to streets and strategize new and innovative ways to evolve while staying true to their non-commercial core. The purity of Pronk! distinguishes it from every other festival in Providence that chooses, and reasonably so, to have sponsors help fund the many costs of putting up a festival. Here’s what excited me about Pronk!: Not just the concept of marching bands and brass-instrument wielding musicians flooding the streets, but the pure and simple goal of using music as a tool for activism. Pronk! performers congregate at India Point Park at 2pm on October 12 to take turns entertaining the crowd. Performances are followed by a parade with a route yet to be announced, though in previous years it headed straight down Wickenden Street to end at The Hot Club, where performances continued into the night.

Bored? Games!

Fall usually brings to mind change — the leaves turn, people head back to school, new friends are made. And a perfect way to bring a new group of friends closer is to play a board game.

Now, I’m not talking about Scrabble, LIFE, Sorry!, and the notorious Monopoly. All of these are timeless classics that instill nostalgia, but let’s be serious — a lot of them are outdated and become boring fairly quickly. The tabletop game family now includes many more categories of games, more exciting than their predecessors, such as card games (e.g., Magic the Gathering (MTG), Pixel Tactics), miniatures (e.g., Warhammer 40K, Heroclix ), board games (e.g., Arkham Horror, Zombicide) and many more.

Since you can purchase just about all of these games online, gaming stores have to offer something a bit more experiential to bring people in. A conversation with a knowledgable staff member who plays the games and can tell you which games are worth your hard-earned cash and which ones are a waste of time is a valuable thing. Weekly tournaments are another popular offering. Of the handful of local shops that carry tabletop games, a few stand out.

Game On! in Warwick offers a large amount of space for their weekly tournaments and boasts a knowledgeable staff. You can find the popular games here, but they also carry a lot of lesser-known products. 943 Namquid Dr, Warwick; gameonri.com/index.html

Temple Games in Pawtucket, which was a NecronomiCon vendor, makes excellent use of their cozy space with multiple tables for gaming and plenty of essential items. They also host a few classic stand- up arcade games. Another fun fact: The owners of Temple Games run the annual TempleCon. 167 Columbus Ave, Pawtucket; fb.com/TheTempleGames

Toy Vault Games in Warwick offers lots of space for players to come in and play a game when they’re not throwing tournaments for their more popular games. Whether you want to learn to play a new game or use it as a weekly meetup spot with friends, at TVG you’ll find an accepting community and knowledgeable staff. If you want to enter a tournament, the buy-ins are super low and the prizes are very good and usually pertain to the game you just played. Fun fact: TVG will be the upcoming featured store for Diamond, the main distributor for comics in the US. 575 Greenwich Ave, Warwick; fb.com/toyvaultgamesri

Fall is an excellent time for tabletop gaming. The chilly weather forces people inside, and they forge bonds. I talked to Dylan Teague of Toy Vault Games about this phenomenon. “The tabletop gaming community here is very strong. We see distinct groups here regularly for our six weekly tournaments,” said Teague.

Chase Corpus: There are people who want to get into tabletop gaming, but find the new, unknown element intimidating. What do you offer for new players?

Dylan Teague: We have lots of demo games, and lots of games that staff members like to play. We encourage people to come in and play the demos and use the staff to teach a game as long as we’re available. I should also mention that if you buy a starter deck for a tournament, entry to that tournament gets comped. It’s a great way to just jump into it.

CC: What is the most popular game currently?

DT: Magic the Gathering

CC: Is there a hidden gem you think most people don’t know about that they should check out?

DT: Pixel Tactics. It’s an indie card game that has a tactical Japanese Roleplaying style. They received all their funding for the game through a Kickstarter campaign.

CC: The gaming community is always evolving and growing. What would you like to see for the future of tabletop games?

DT: Locally there’s a large trading card game community, and I’d like to see miniatures build that same type of community and thrive.

CC: Anything else you want to say to newcomers and veterans alike?

DT: Come play with your friends!

The Agony on Angell Street: Attempting a Digitally Interactive Walking Tour

The sun sank behind the silhouetted structures of downtown Providence, and I was about to embark on the trail of one of the 20th century’s most prolific writers of horror and suspense. Little did I know that it would almost lead me down a path of absolute emotional and physical agony.

NecronomiCon is about to commence and during the convention — or anytime, really — one can take a walking tour through College Hill, visiting many of the locations related to Lovecraft’s life and works, from the Ladd Observatory to the Fleur-de-Lys house. Many websites and mobile apps provide the locations to visit if one were to do a solo tour. Tonight I chose CallofLovecraft.com.

The website works together with Aurasma, a free augmented reality mobile app. One can do the armchair approach from home using the app or take the walking tour, which is what I chose. I was instructed to start at the Samuel Mumford house on 65 Prospect Street. With Aurasma, you point your camera at the location and it will trigger a media file to appear on your screen. I stood for over a minute. I tried different positions. I tried different angles. I saw nothing, but strange looks on the faces of those hurriedly walking by. I began to feel like the narrator from The Outsider – appearing to them as some odd creature.

Moving along, I tried a few more locations: Lovecraft Memorial Square, Providence Athenaeum and the John Hay Library. I became more frustrated as it didn’t trigger anything in Aurasma, but it did trigger a feeling of being out of time. Now that it was dark, there were more shadows and silence swallowing up our modern technology only to leave the cold stones and bricks of the past.

I put away the blasted device of my agony and took in the air. This is how a walking tour should feel — stepping out of one’s element. It was then that I felt compelled to walk the long stretch down to Angell Street to where it all began – at #454. Past Thayer Street, the noisy and flashy activity dissipates. The sidewalks aren’t as lit and passersby avoid all eye contact. It feels alien and lonely, yet peaceful. Is this how it felt to be in Lovecraft’s mind? Sadly the old house no longer exists, but old photos I have seen of it creates a ghostly image in my mind’s eye of where it stood. In all honesty, the technology of today is great for research and finding locations. However, it can’t ever truly enhance or replace the spirit of stepping through history and personally experiencing the environment.

As I returned to my car, something felt different. I began to feel out of breath. Cold sweat ran down my forehead and dripped down to the black pavement. My body was ravaged by aches and pains all over. I sat in my seat, staring through the window down the lightless street. Surrounded by the increasingly loud chatter of crickets, it struck me! Oh my … I can’t believe it! I … I … I got some exercise!

Food, Music, Fun: Taste of the Valley Launches Pawtucket Arts Festival

Prepare your taste buds as Rhode Island kicks off its 17th annual Pawtucket Arts Festival with the Blackstone River Party, or “The Taste of the Valley,” which is an event that’s just as exciting as it sounds. The month-long celebration of Rhode Island’s art and culture scene begins at 6pm at Slater Memorial Park, in Pawtucket, on Friday, August 28, and — blessed day — there will be food.

Thirty restaurants are going to provide you with their best culinary treats and samples in an effort to be voted the #1 “People’s Choice Award.” This is a new incentive for the Taste of the Valley’s restaurant participants, local favorite spots that include Gregg’s, PieZoni’s, Doherty’s and When Pigs Fly. That means we need YOU, reader and food lover, to come vote on your favorite dish. The grand prize winner will receive $500, and there are 2nd and 3rd place prizes that would make any restaurant happy to be in the line-up. And for all of those folks wondering about — okay, I’ll just say it — boozing opportunities, you’ll have plenty. A full bar will be available with sufficient options for beer, wine and even frozen vodka drinks. Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Blackstone River, with the smooth tunes of the Zydeco Cha-Chas playing under the dance tent, you’ll have all you need to create a fabulous Friday night out.

The best part is that tickets are only $10. You can purchase them on-site at the gate or at the Blackstone Valley Tourism Visitor Center. “People love this event,” says Joe Giocastro, Festival manager, noting that the line is often down the street before the gates are even open. And feel free to come for the night and stay for the weekend, where you’ll catch a musical festival featuring local and not-so-local (Louisiana-based) rock and blues talent on Saturday and Sunday. The Pawtucket Arts Festival will extend from August 28 – October 4, so be sure to check out the list of events running throughout the month of September (pawtucketartsfestival.org/events).

“Every year we get better and better,” notes Giocastro. Let this be your year to join the grand opening, and taste and see (and hear, smell, and feel) that Rhode Island is good.

Artists Run to East Providence for The Looff

East Providence Arts Council is launching their inaugural arts and music festival, “The Looff,” on August 22 from 10am – 8pm in Riverside. You might be asking right about now: What’s a Looff? Like, the thing you use in the shower? No, not even close.

“We wanted a real brand for our festival, like Bonnaroo or Burning Man,” said Rick Lawson, the council’s chairperson. The name comes from Charles Looff, designer of the historic carousel that lives in the festival’s location, Crescent Park. Looff’s grand mustache also inspired the festival’s cartoonish logo, which functions as a quirky illustration and an underline for the festival’s name. Lawson wanted to build a real identity for The Looff by creating an event that was unique, eclectic and something the area sorely needed. A musician himself, Lawson has lived in East Providence his whole life. He founded the council in June 2014 after years of seeing squandered artistic potential in the region. “We’re right next to the capital, next to a waterfront park and it’s underutilized.”

A councilwoman’s suggestion to start a committee for the arts served as the catalyst for the whole movement. That December, Lawson rallied a committee together to begin planning for their first festival. The Looff has drawn more than 70 artists, including musicians, an Elvis impersonator, belly dancers and craftspeople. Gathering such a motley crew was all part of the committee’s plan to create an event that Rhode Island-ers could set apart from the other art fairs. How did they manage to gather so many artists, you ask? Pure grass roots campaigning. “We started with people we know, then turned to social media and then Craigslist.”

The festival is intended to help launch other initiatives that the council plans to host throughout the year. The council also hopes to acquire a space for hosting art galleries and theatrical performances. Lawson spoke reverently about creating an educational arts program for the community, one of many ideas that The Looff could help fund. Another larger scale initiative plans to build a network and community for local artists, creating a space for people with similar interests and values to learn from each other.

“I see The Looff being, if not nationally known, than at least regionally known,” Lawson said in regards to where he sees the festival heading in the future. “I want to use arts as an economic driver for the city.” The hope is to draw a wider crowd, possibly bringing in artists from around the country and hopefully pulling in tourists as well. “The artists stay in hotels, eat at local restaurants, tell their friends about us. We could bring in money for the city.”

Arts vendors and food trucks are open for the duration of the festival, and below is the line-up of musical acts.

The Looff Performer Line Up:

12:00 – 1:00 The Oh Nos

1:00 – 1:25 Belly Dancing

1:30- 2:30 “Elvis” !!!

2:30 – 3:15 The Rhode Island Philharmonic

3:15-4:15 Keith Munslow

4:30- 5:30 The DBC

6:00 – 8:00 The Jimmyjojo Show

For more information about the event visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/710675392371009. For more information on the East Providence Council and the other work they do, visit: https://www.facebook.com/EPArtsCouncil or http://www.eastprovidencearts.org NecronomiCon Rises

If you’re a dedicated horror fan — or even if you’re not — you’ve likely heard of Cthulhu or the Necronomicon, H.P. Lovecraft’s two most famous creations. But there’s so much more to know about this odd author and his work. So you can either head to your local library and look up a book, or you can visit the Lovecraft Arts & Sciences store in the Arcade on Westminster Street (story on page XX) to overdose on the bizarre. Simple choice, right?

Run by the arch-director of the Lovecraft Arts and Sciences Council, Niels-Viggo Hobbs, the store is a reflection of the passion Lovecraft fans have for his weird work. More than a mere shopkeep of the bizarre, Hobbs and his cult are also responsible for the upcoming NecronomiCon Providence. I sat down with the man behind the cult convention to learn its mysterious origins.

“It started a few years ago,” says the arch-director. “There are so many Lovecraft things happening around the world, and none of them were happening in Providence except for a few small events. I noticed the Lovecraft convention in Phoenix and the long-standing film festival in Portland, Oregon, that has rooted itself nicely on the West Coast. It seemed a shame that there was nothing happening on the East Coast, much less in Providence. And Providence is such a cool, fun town that people should be coming here. So that was the main impetus for NecronomiCon.”

Pete Larrivee: How did you get into Lovecraft?

Niels-Viggo Hobbs: I happened upon a story when I was a kid, and it stuck in the back of my head a little bit. I never read anything more for a long time until I was in my late teens and I watched some of the cheesy Lovecraft movies that are out there, played some Lovecraft roleplaying games based on his stories and heard bands playing that were Lovecraft inspired. Within a year or so I noticed so many sources were reminding me of this guy Lovecraft, so I started reading more of his stories.

PL: Do you have a favorite story?

N-VH: There’s probably a half-dozen or so that stand out as really great stories, most of the classics are classics for very good reason. At the Mountains of Madness is a phenomenal science fiction story. Call of Cthulhu is an amazing, 25-page synopsis of him at his best. A lot of people have one single story that they point to — Pickman’s Model is one — but I can’t say that I have a favorite. And, of course, on the flipside, plenty stand out to me as not so good that I probably won’t ever read again. But once he perfected his craft, his stories were really good.

PL: What do you look for in a Lovecraftian story?

N-VH: For a truly Lovecraftian story, one that he sort of defined, you need the development of atmosphere over action, and that’s almost a quote from Lovecraft. Like, developing the story so that you feel like you’re reading someone’s manuscript, monograph or diaries where you get the local background, the histories and the architecture. For some people, that’s a turnoff, but for me, it immerses me that much more into the story, and gives it much more depth and atmosphere. On top of that, he developed this cosmic mythology based around incredibly powerful aliens, and potentially completely indifferent ancient god-like creatures. Those are the kinds of things that stand out for me — atmosphere and the huge, universe-expanding mythology.

Authors who subscribe to being Lovecraftian don’t necessarily need to follow that. A lot of them subscribe to the mythology, doing a story about Cthulhu or Nyarlathotep, but I think what makes good weird fiction is that great blending of genres — science fiction, fantasy and horror — and coming up with something really unique. I think that most of the great authors these days are striking off on their own, opening their own paths to very unusual styles of writing that I think Lovecraft would have been appalled by.

PL: What is your goal with NecronomiCon Providence?

N-VH: The big goal is to focus this global think about Lovecraft on Providence, without diminishing the things happening in other places that appreciate Lovecraft, weird fiction and weird art. To at least root that in Providence and to have Providence associated with Lovecraft will allow the city to be known globally as a unique place that gave birth to Lovecraft. The people who came to the last NecronomiCon came from all over the world and left thinking amazing things about Providence. I consider that the biggest victory.

If you’re attending NecronomiCon, don’t forget to check out the books and games vendors in the RI Convention Center, the HP Lovecraft walking tour around College Hill, bus tours, panels and discussions, game tables at the Biltmore, performances, podcasts, LARPing, the Eldritch Ball on Friday night and more. This event roams all over downtown Providence, so visit the website when planning your experience: necronomicon-providence.com.

If you get to only one event, make it the Lovecraft kickoff party on Thursday, August 20 at 7pm, at the Façade Lot on Weybosset Street. You’ll experience bands and performances by Alec Redfearn and the Eyesores and Big Nazo. The strange, hooded figures in the shadows have partnered with Narragansett beer, which will provide Lovecraft Honey Ale, the last of a secret stash once thought lost to antiquity, and the currently available Innsmouth Old Ale, part of a series of brews made to honor the works of Lovecraft.

Note: Any resulting madness, contact with Outsiders, visions of apocalyptic horror or physical transmutations are not the result of the beer or the music, and you should seek help from the nearest Miskatonic University Occult Specialist.

NecronomiCon takes place August 20 – 23 at various locations throughout Providence. For tickets and scheduling information, visit necronomicon-providence.com.

Maker Faire Proves RI Is Strange

Foo Fest has just the place for the life-sized dragon made of wrenches you built last summer and never knew what to do with: Rhode Island’s 7th Annual Maker Faire, where a whole bunch of other people from around the state will be exhibiting some of their most beloved homemade projects, too! The first Maker Faire started in 2005 in San Mateo, Calif, with the gathering of hobbyists, scientists, artists, educators and craftsmen. Now, this past year’s annual event showcased over 1,000 makers, with 130,000 people in attendance to see what they made, explored and learned.

The event dedicates itself to sharing ideas and connecting people interested in finding out what creative endeavors members of the community are taking on in the DIY realm. Since that first Maker Faire, events have been held globally in places such as Tokyo, Oslo and Rome.

In reaction to these large-scale events, more than 100 independent Mini Maker Faires have popped up across the world. These faires are independent of the flagship events in California and New York and bring together smaller, more isolated communities, exposing the unique ideas that flourish in those areas.

So it just makes sense to have a Maker Faire in Providence, right? Believe it or not, you’re not the first one to think that!

Want to hear what a Tooba sounds like? (And no, I don’t mean a tuba.) Want to see what L3D, the interactive cube is? Want to know what “Dizzy” the Racing Sculpture can do? Lucky you, because your answers can be found, as well as booths on a hodgepodge of other ideas, at this year’s faire!

RI’s Makers Faire will take over One Hasbro Place, where you can see some of Hasbro’s toys and what lies underneath their animatronics’ skin, as well as the entirety of Adrian Hall Way, where booths of all sorts, as well as food, drink and music will be set up. Lastly, at AS220 and its black box, you can find a whole bunch of electronic gizmos to play with when you’re ready to get your geek on.

So get your gadget-gawking, art-appreciating, tech-tinkering self to Foo Fest to see all Makers Faire has to offer on Saturday, August 8 from 1 – 8pm. Tickets are available for purchase online and at the event.