don’t panic!

Posted on By Wil

My friend Chris wrote a very funny and very useful article about dealing with panic attacks. I assume, like he does, that many people reading this are creative nerdy types who are prone to anxiety and worrying (this is where I point to myself, but act like we’re all supposed to pretend I’m not really doing that) so I present it here as a public service, and as a way to introduce you to one of my favorite people in the world:

If you frequent this site I’m going to guess that at one time or another you may have enjoyed the crippling embrace of a panic attack. How could I predict such a thing??? Because people who suffer from anxiety tend to be smarty-pants-creative types, aka NERDISTS. Folks not blessed with the gift of self-awareness don’t really understand the rush of liquid fear that floods the body. They just think we’re being “kooky.” I have a joke in my act about trying to describe the feeling of a full-blown panic attack: “Imagine being F*CKED in the HEART.”

[…]

[After a severe panic attack while in college] a friend of mine pointed out, “Oh yeah, that’s a thing. Lots of people have those.” The sheer knowledge that I wasn’t a freak helped ebb the panic tide for a while but every now and again I’d still get the hilariously familiar, “No…wait…THIS time it’s something fatal.” I’m here to tell you that not only are panic attacks NOT fatal, but I don’t get them anymore. THAT CAN ABSOLUTELY HAPPEN FOR YOU. In this article I’d like to share a few tips that I’ve learned over the years while navigating the anxiety steeplechase.

Chris is hilarious, and if the two of us got together to do a Podcast, it would be awesome. In fact, I’m going to call him now and bug him about doing that. You can follow Chris on Twitter, if you enjoy amusing tweets. He’s @nerdist.

talkin’ teddddd kord (the batman and the beetle) talkin teddddd kord (and workin’ with good people) …

Posted on By Wil

Last week, I did so many interviews for this week’s episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, I told Anne, “I feel like I’ve reallly accomplished a lot, but I don’t have anything to show for it.”

Well, now I do, because the interviews I did are starting to come online, including this one I did with The World’s Finest:

Now, hopefully you won’t mind if we swing off-topic for a second. Now, this isn’t your first foray into the world of animation. What attracts you to voice-acting?

It’s really hard to do it right, so I feel a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment when I get to work alongside people like Yuri Lowenthal, Lex Lang, Kari Wahlgren, and Diedrich Bader. While some people can be stunt cast for their looks or whatever in on-camera roles, that just doesn’t happen in animated television, because there are so many truly talented people available to do the work. I feel like I’ve really earned a spot in the room with those guys, and that’s just awesome.

It’s also a different type of acting from on-camera, so it presents a unique set of challenges. I didn’t realize how much we rely on subtle facial movements and body language to convey intention and emotion when we perform, and I’ve really enjoyed learning and attempting to perfect doing all of that with just my voice. Also, voice acting isn’t nearly as repetitive as on-camera acting; we don’t have to do things for forty-seven different angles on Batman, so it never gets boring or dull.

There’s also this one with Comic Book Resources:

“As much as I’ve loved all the dark Batman series we’ve had for so long, I love the 1950s style retro look of the show,” Wheaton said of “The Brave and the Bold.” “I have loved Batman forever. My original introduction to Batman was, of course, the Adam West series. And I’m a little embarrassed at how crazy obsessed I was – what’s the Trekkie equivalent of a Batman fan? That was me for the original Tim Burton movie. And I really, really loved all of those comic books.

“But when I had my own kids, as much as I loved Batman – Batman was a little too dark for them. You could kind of show them ‘Superman’ and some other comics, but ‘Batman’ was a little too heavy. What I really love about ‘Brave & The Bold’ and what really excited me about ‘Brave & The Bold’ is that we have this Batman that is still true to who Batman is and is still true to the DC Universe, but it’s just not as dark. Diedrich Bader and I were discussing this when we were working on my episode. He has a five-year-old kid and was really excited that here’s a Batman that a five-year-old can watch. And it’s not watered down. It’s just approached from a slightly different angle.”

If anyone still doubts the level of my Batmania, I will simply reply with 1000 words:

I was a total dork in the 80s

choosing hope over fear

Posted on By Wil

I’m way too busy today to take time out and write the post that I wanted to write about Obama’s inauguration, but I wanted to single out the part of President Obama’s inaugural speech – a classy and necessary repudiation of the Bush years, I thought – that I was hoping to hear:

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

Can we have safety and still respect the rule of law? Yes, we can.

LA Daily: Winter Mute

Posted on By Wil

This week’s LA Daily is called Winter Mute:

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a sentimental guy, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I love my kids more than anything in the world. I would walk through fire for them, or even sit through one of those holiday movies with the talking animals. Which I did when they were little. More than once.

[…]

I walked into the living room, where Nolan was watching TV.

“Hey,” I said. “Do you want to go out front and play frisbee with me?”

“I don’t know,” he said, with a wry smile, “is your Old going to be able to keep up with me?”

“Only one way to find out,” I said.

For the next forty minutes, we ran around in the street together, making spectacular throws and equally spectacular catches.

Okay, one of us did, and the other one was reminded that he’s not in the same great shape that he once was, but the important thing is that both of us genuinely enjoyed each other’s company, as we always do.

As I worked on this column, I was reminded of something I wrote for here in November: “I woke up this morning with searing pain in my left arm and shoulder. It was joined by some pain in my right hip, and even though I’m pretty damn achey today, it’s worth it. I’m not going to be an old man and wish that I’d played less frisbee with my son.”

wil’s 2009 phoenix comicon schedule

Posted on By Wil

Totally unrelated to this post: I'm in today's Dork Tower. It's part of the hilarious Tao of Igor series, and it made me giggle.

As promised, here's my schedule for the Phoenix Comicon. If this is your first time at a con, and you don't know what to expect, you should read what John Scalzi said about meeting authors (and me.) at cons. If you've never heard me talk about conventions, you may enjoy this article I wrote for the Geek in Review a few years ago, called Concerning Conventions. The article is SFW, but it's at Suicide Girls, which is NSFW. Click with caution.

When I'm not on panels, I'll be parked at a table (hopefully next to Steamcrow, again) in the exhibitor's hall, with copies of my books and some pictures for sale. I always try to bring enough for everyone, but I almost always sell out of stuff before the con is over. If there's something you really want to get from me, I suggest picking it up sooner than later. Or, you know, don't. I'm not the boss of you.

Thursday (Preview Night)
The exhibitor's hall is open from 6pm to 9pm.

No panels, but I plan to be at my table with my books and stuff for the duration.

Friday
The exhibitor's hall is open from noon to 8pm.

12:30-1:30pm – Geek Out With Wil Wheaton, Yuri Lowenthal, and Aaron Douglas
Yuri and I worked on Legion of Superheroes together, and instantly became friends when I dropped an obscure geek reference that he not only got, but topped with an equally-obscure reply (that I also got.) Yuri knows Aaron, and I spent most of a con in Sacramento last year sitting next to Aaron Douglas. It turns out that we're all big geeks, so we thought it would be fun to spend an hour getting our geek on together. Topics of conversation will include voice acting and being a geek who gets to work on these geeky things that we love.

3pm – Photo session with Wil
A few years ago, someone thought it would be a great idea to set up these semi-formal photo sessions where fans could get professional-quality portraits taken with actors. In theory, it also gives fans a few uninterrupted moments with those actors, which can be a real thrill for them. The unintended consequence, in some cases, was actors refusing to let fans take pictures of them at the rest of the con. Um, I'm not going to do that, because it's lame, but if you really want a professional-quality portrait with me, you'll have a couple chances over the weekend, including this one. I guess they print the photo out for you right there, so I can defile the lovely picture with my filthy signature, if you want. Please note that some actors will charge you to sign the picture that you've already coughed up money to take. I am not one of them, because that is also lame.

10pm – MOTHER FUCKING ROCK BAND BITCHES YEAH! \m/
This should be a lot of fun: I'll play with three people at a time, taking whatever instrument they don't want to play. We're supposed to be there for an hour, but once we start rocking, we'll be there until they pry our fake instruments from our cold, dead hands. There's a very good chance Yuri and Aaron will join us for a song or two. Also, if all of this isn't filmed and put online, I don't know why we even bothered to fight the Spanish American war, people.

Saturday
The exhibitor's hall is open from 10am to 7pm.

12pm – Photo Session with Wil
See above.

2-3pm The Obligatory TNG Panel with Wil, Marina Sirtis and Brent Spiner
I don't really need to spell this one out, do I? This is the first time I've been on stage with them both, ever, and it should be a whole lot of fun.

6:30-7pm – The One Where Wil Hates the Description
I don't think they mean to come up with something I hate when they wrote this panel's title, but when I tell you what it is, I think you'll understand why I'm not crazy about it: Wil Wheaton – Life Beyond Wesley [::facepalm::] D'oh! That's … really not how I'd frame this if it was up to me. Anyway, this is where I'll perform material from my books for you, my best friends in the world. I'll cram as much entertainment in to the 30 minutes as I can, but don't be surprised if we go over. If there's time when we're done, I'll take some questions, too. IMPORTANT UPDATE ON THIS: The panel is actually scheduled for 55 minutes, not 30, and the title, it turns out, was a placeholder that got past editing on the way to the printer. So it's all good.

Sunday
The exhibitor's hall is open from 10am-5pm.
I have no panels scheduled, so I will split my time between wandering the con making saves vs. Shiny! and sitting at my table in the exhibitor's hall.