Here’s Chris and Dan with a brand new insightful interview conducted exclusively for News Askew:

AN INTERVIEW WITH DAN ETHERIDGE

BY CHRIS GRAVES

Chris Graves: For those who do not know, what is your background and how were you introduced to the world of View Askew and Kevin Smith?

Dan Etheridge: Kevin and I had a sort of crash-course in friendship about 13 years ago, when our personal and professional lives suddenly and vividly intersected. He was dating Joey Lauren Adams, with whom I had just become close friends while producing BIO-DOME. Around the same time — and completely coincidentally — Kevin had rewritten a movie called OVERNIGHT DELIVERY, and when they hired Jason Bloom to direct the movie shortly thereafter, I came on board to produce it. Kevin did another few drafts for us as we went into production.

So Kevin and I went, essentially, from 0 to 60, hanging out & working together quite a bit in a rather intense & wild period of time.

CG: What was your reaction to the “Dogma” controversy?

DE: I’ve always found Kevin’s work a sublime blend of the sacred and the profane… so it was no surprise that the profane ruffled more than a few feathers. In retrospect, what to say? It was a provocative piece, and it provoked.

There were two particulars that really angered me — the dangerous personal threats being one. Inexcusable, of course. And I have a particular dislike for people who criticize something they haven’t seen. Once they’ve seen, have at it… but until then, shut the fuck up.

CG: Can you tell me about your experience providing the voice of “Mr. Plug” in the “Clerks” animated series? Did you get to record with Alec Baldwin or separate?

DE: I didn’t ever to get work with Mr. Baldwin (Alec, that is), which is something I would have treasured. Man, 30 ROCK. So many people say now, wow, who knew Alec had that level of comic genius in him? Well, those of us who worked on the TV show knew — he was amazingly funny in it.

But I guess a lot of voiceover recording is a very independent outing, and so I recorded my stuff (as I think everyone did) without other actors.

The work itself was perhaps my favorite acting experience. I am (spoiler alert) drastically uncomfortable with my body. Okay, that wasn’t a spoiler, really. So, acting on screen or stage is always an exercise in overcoming that, or making it work for you. But voice-over acting? Awesome. No worries on that front. I loved every single second I was recording that show.

It did bring out funny little crutches (perhaps only funny to Kevin and David Mandel and me). The “evil robot” voice of Plug could only be accessed from my vocal chords if I pointed my finger at my own chest (which, if memory serves, was because the character itself did that once on screen, to access a keyboard hidden in his chest). I literally had to do that action on every line to find the voice, but it worked, so… bag o’ tricks? You betcha. Or, in my case… bag o’ trick. (Apologies to RT for stealing one of his great all-time lines.)

CG: What were your experiences like on the Pauly Shore movies “Bio-Dome” and “The Curse of Inferno” and how did you become involved with them?

DE: Pauly was a gent on both pictures. His public persona was built around a carnival atmosphere, and I didn’t know him well personally, so maybe that was his personal life, too. I dunno, though I suspect that was just a persona. But on the set — he was always on his game, always doing his work professionally.

BIO-DOME was a happy occurrence. I had gone to college with Jason Bloom, and I had quit my horrific nightmare development job for a producer’s wife at Columbia Pictures to produce Jason’s mega-USC thesis short film. This was in the days when mega-shorts were the way to get noticed as a director. So we went nuts making one, and the producers of BIO-DOME — which was a low-budget MGM movie — offered Jason the opportunity to direct it. Jason kindly wedged me in there as a co-producer, which really launched my producing career. It’s possible I’d still be eating Ramen and making shorts if that hadn’t happened. Actually, I still like to eat Ramen and make shorts… but I digress….

So we made BIO-DOME. It was psychotic — we made something for very very very very little money which only two very eager 26 year-olds could have decided to try and pull off. The movie happily gave our careers a kick-start… and like I mentioned earlier, it’s where I met Joey… which led to meeting Kevin both through her and through OVERNIGHT (my next movie with Jason). So you could quite easily say: no BIO-DOME, no meeting Kevin.

CG: In “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” you got to work exclusively with Will Ferrell. Was there any pressure to try and keep up with him?

DE: That was an absurd amount of pressure. Kevin had once again kindly asked me to be a part of one of his projects, and when I found out I would be doing a scene with Will Ferrell, I was simultaneously thrilled and scared to death. Truthfully (and, Kevin, I am not begging for you to refute this), but I feel like my awe of Will led me to not do the best job I could have done. You can decide; I think it’s deleted scene 23 on the DVD.

In my very brief experience with him, though, the happy news is that Will was gracious and hilarious. What more could you ask?

CG: How did “Veronica Mars” come about?

DE: If you haven’t noticed a theme in my career by now, I’ll make it explicit: as a producer, I try to find writers and/or directors whom I genuinely believe in, and then seek to work with them again and again. Typically those folks either were good friends or become good friends in the process. Frankly, it’s just a happy way to live life.

VERONICA MARS came about from one of my most valued of friendships. Rob Thomas and I had met several years earlier, coincidentally through Joey on the first night he was in LA. It took a little time, but before long he and I became close friends. In fact, we kind of held off working together, because you never want to fuck up a friendship over work. But before long, we did begin to develop material together. VERONICA MARS was something he had long wanted to do, and I helped him with the mystery story of the pilot and of Season 1. When it came time to shoot the series, Rob wanted someone he trusted down in San Diego to oversee the creative aspects of production; I eagerly wanted to produce that show. So it was perfect, really.

Commuting to San Diego from Los Angeles every week for the Monday-Friday shoot was challenging to the personal life over three seasons… but that’s literally the only negative. I think we made a great show (if I do say so myself), and the folks I worked with — cast, crew, everyone — were spectacular. Really one of the great experiences of my life.

CG: Would you cameo in more Kevin Smith movies in the future? Maybe a return of “Mr. Plug”?

DE: What do they say in Washington? I serve at the pleasure of the President.

Look, this sounds kind of kiss-ass, I know, but this is the fact: Kevin’s given me many opportunities to act on screen that I simply would not have had outside of him deciding to make it happen. I am eternally grateful for those experiences.

CG: Do you have any advice for young producers and filmmakers trying to make names for themselves in today’s entertainment industry?

DE: Every path is different, so I don’t know that any advice can be one-size-fits-all.

For me, working with people whom I genuinely respect has been the key to a happy life. Once you do that, all the arduous work of selling that material, making that material, offering up that material… well, it just comes easier. Because it’s from an honest place.

CG: Is acting and directing something you would like to get more involved in somewhere down the line?

DE: Rob hired me to direct a VERONICA MARS in Season 3 (which Paul Rudd from OVERNIGHT graciously guest-starred in), and that was a blast. It would be terrific to do that on another show that Rob and I produce down-the-road. And acting? Well, when things come along, I never turn them down, let’s say that.

CG: What is your favorite View Askew / Kevin Smith flick?

DE: CHASING AMY. If you’ve read the first part of the interview, I am sure it’s obvious why. Kevin AND Joey? Bliss.

CG: Do you have any new projects coming up?

DE: Rob and I are exec producing two pilots at ABC which he wrote — CUPID, which stars Bobby Cannavale, and GOOD BEHAVIOR, which stars Catherine O’Hara. And I’m always looking for the next indie movie…

CG: And finally, do you still keep in contact with anyone related to the world of View Askew?

DE: Beyond the fabulous troika of Kevin-Jen-Harley? One word: Malcolm. Okay more words: Malcolm Ingram. What a fantastic fellow; we’ve had some adventures. Or melodramas. Melodramatic misadventures, how about that?

Scott Mosier and I once in a blue moon have coffee to catch up, and he has always struck me as someone I wish I knew a lot better. One of the truly good guys in Hollywood, you know?

And of course Joey. If I didn’t feel totally absurd saying BFF, I’d say BFF. Oops, said.

Major thanks to Dan for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer these questions. Continued success, Dan! Thanks also to Chris Graves for another round of fantastic questions, for without him, we wouldn’t have the great answers you just read above, of course. We’ll be back with more exclusive interviews from the folks of View Askew’s past and present soon.