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GAROU
(Garou & Nurse Bela Donna)
1. Where did you come up with your
name?
My parents named me Garou because we are descended
from a long line of Garous. When preceded by the word "Loup"
it means "werewolf" en Francais.
2. Where did you come up with your
character?
I think it might have been a combination of heredity
and environment.
3. Going to conventions you have met a
lot of famous people, who is your favorite?
It is very exciting to get to meet so many spooky and
wonderful characters. It was really so wonderful when Von
Bulow & I got to hang around with Tura Satana. She was so much
fun and full of sass, like Mae West!
And at WonderCon Penny Dreadful and I had a great time with
Martine Beswick. But even just getting to howl hello at
Legends like Zacherley and Bert I. Gordon is so exciting and
getting to be pals with the great ghouls of Ghoul-A-Go-Go and
having fun at conventions with Count Gore and Doctor
Sarcofiguy and Doctor Dreck and Doctor Lady and Doctor
Gangrene is always a real treat, though it does seem that I do
know rather a lot of doctors. But I need all the help I can
get! Those conventions are pretty much non-stop all weekend so
if they don't fall during a fool moon, even I get tired! It
was super exciting to meet Rowdy Roddy Piper and Ox Baker, and
the marvelous Gremlina Glow of Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.
These wrestlers are some of the friendliest humans I've ever
had the pleasure to meet. Gremlina is a load of laughs and so
is her amazing husband. And Eddie Munster really speaks my
language!
4. What are your favorite horror movies and why?
Why, well it was Jean Genet who said it best:
"To escape from horror, bury yourself in it."
So although I quite enjoy being lycanthropic, it isn't usually
a path one gets to choose. Having it thrust upon one's self is
quite a difficult challenge. For so artistically expressing
the pathos of this situation, my hat is off to Lon Chaney
Junior. For me, The Wolfman is the greatest motion picture
ever made for a number of reasons, but his performance is the
greatest reason. I honestly don't know how he was able to
conjure such perfect expression without having been in that
very predicament himself. I guess that is why they call it
"acting" and his actions honestly exhibited just how it would
feel to have this befall you. His pop was no slouch, either.
Let me keep it brief by telling you about my favorite kinds of
horror movies. I love films with my werewolf brothers in them,
even though they rarely have a happy ending. Paul Naschy did
an excellent job as did Dean Stockwell in Werewolf of
Washington. David Janssen in Moon of The Wolf, that film is a
real smorgasbord- there is even Tennessee Williams sort of
sub-plot in there amid a crime drama story and a horror movie
sub-plot as well! If you want to see it for yourself, check
out Season Three of Shilling Shockers at
www.shillingshockers.com
Paul Naschy was really a great werewolf in so many classic
Spanish horror films but I have to go with Oliver Reed for the
post-Lon Chaney Junior era. His passionate performance really
captures the zeal we wolfmen experience when the moon is full
in Curse of the Werewolf.
5. Who inspired you growing up?
I still have a lot of growing up to do, but Penny
Dreadful is all the inspiration I need! I am a little older
than I look, so when I was a pup I really loved the now
classic silent films and Vaudeville, ya know, the Marx
Brothers, George Burns, W.C. Fields, Stan Laurel & Oliver
Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Sid Caesar's Your Show
of Shows which featured Howie Morris and Imogene Coca and Carl
Reiner. You might know Howie Morris as Doctor Lilloman in Mel
Brooks' High Anxiety, one of his later roles. He is a big hero
of mine. All these comedians are, as they still keep me
laughing.
6. What kind of advice would you give
to any future horror show hosts?
Show the movies some love. And don't just tape one
episode and put it on the air. Tape a bunch before you begin
broadcasting so you have time to work on future episodes at
your own pace.
7. Who are your favorite horror movie
actors?
Lon Chaney Junior and Senior. Bela Lugosi. Boris
Karloff.
Christopher Lee. I love it when he was paired with Peter
Cushing. What an incredible pair of actors! If I have to pick
a favorite Christopher Lee film, that is very difficult
because anything he was in became a classic by virtue of his
skill. I think the creepiest and ookiest of them is The Wicker
Man, though.
You can see how I love horror films, it very hard to stop
thinking of tons that I just loooove! ARRRRRROOU! Sorry, but I
get excited about this topic!!!! I really love silly fun
movies because I love to laugh and have a good time. One movie
I never tire of is Carry On Screaming! Kenneth Williams really
is a SCREAM as the mad doctor! But I also have lots of love
for The Bat, The Brain That Wouldn't Die, Bride of the
Monster, Attack of the Giant Leeches, The Giant Gila Monster,
Attack of the Monsters, well, if I love it, you will see it on
Penny Dreadful's Shilling Shockers! These have all made it on
already because I love them so much, in addition to some of my
favorite silent films that we are showing in our latest
season, number eight for those who are keeping score at home!
That includes Lon Chaney Senior twice as The Hunchback of
Notre Dame and in Phantom of the Opera as the Phantom, of
course! We also have Conrad Veidt in The Cabinet of Doctor
Caligari. And we're showing Nosferatu and also Metropolis! And
that's not even the whole season. We've been very busy and
it's been a real howl!
8. What in your opinion makes a great horror movie?
A touch of the supernatural, a pinch of mystery and a
handful of suspense, and perhaps a dash of humor to relieve
the stress of the suspense. I like the way fog slithers in a
black and white film, a monster that has more to their
character than just provoking terror, and having enough hair
on the back of my neck to appreciate it when the action
onscreen makes it rise up and tickle my ears.
9. What was your favorite thing to dress up as for
Halloween in childhood?
A silly mortal!
10. Is there any particular monster that fascinates
you?
The ones that I haven't seen are the most intriguing.
Of course in Season Five I found living with a chupacabra to
most unpleasant. I much prefer creatures like Nessie the Loch
Ness Monster, Memphre, Ogopogo, Champie, Slimy Slim and
Sasquatch and the other low profile types who aren't as likely
to drop in uninvited and make a mess of things. Vampires won't
drop by uninvited either, so they make the list too! But you
can't beat a werewolf! I dare you to try!
11. How did your show get started?
Well, Penny and I like to watch horror films and
Manfred Von Bulow kept dropping by from next door. He's a
semi-retired monster hunter, so to keep others of his ilk from
also deciding they could just drop by, we figured we ought to
air the movies so everyone else could watch with us, without
necessarily showing up in person just in time to Bogart all of
our popcorn, like someone we know!
12. Who are the other members on your show?
Manfred Von Bulow, of course, and Penny Dreadful's
longtime pal Luna who is just plain bat guano crazy. But she
is handy with all the newfangled gizmos since she has a few
short circuits herself!
13. Do you have any upcoming projects in the works?
Season Nine is in the works! Meanwhile, thanks to the
electronic gizmos that translate from werewolf to English for
interviews such as this one, a whole new world has opened up
to me and my inane ramblings. For some reason, they call it
Twitter.
Look for Garou Wolfman or just type @Garou_Wolfman into your
whatchamacallit.
And I am on Facebook now and then too. Thanks for digging
me up!
VISIT GAROU!!
© Ariann Boisvert. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of any content, images or sounds, in whole or in
part, without express written permission, is prohibited.
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"There's something very tragic about that man.. And
I'm sure that nothing but harm will come to you through
him."
~Frank
Andrews, the Wolfman
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