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Finding Your Own Jerry: A Chat with Dollar Slice Bootlegs' John Pryor
188 Plays4 days ago
John Pryor never stops... for real. Better known to the toy world as "Dollar Slice Bootlegs" John has been at the forefront of the bootleg toy world for years, and has forged his own wild path through the punk/emo scene, through resin casting, and now into bringing his creations to life through SOFUBI and with Machine 56. Let's get an update from a fan-favorite returning guest in the latest episode of the pod.
Follow John @dollar_slice_bootlegs on Instagram!
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Intro and other voices by Joe Azzari
https://www.instagram.com/voicesbyjoe/
Theme Music is "Game Boy Horror" by the Zombie Dandies
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Transcript
Introduction to Hosts and Podcast
00:00:03
Speaker
Are you ready, kids? Get your parents' permission, check your mailbox, and grab your shopping cart. It's time for the Adventures in Collecting podcast. I'm Eric. And I'm Dave. Welcome to Adventures in Collecting, where we talk toy news, culture, and halls, along with our journeys as collectors.
00:00:41
Speaker
words like f**k or s**t or a**hole.
00:00:50
Speaker
Hello everybody and welcome back to Adventures in Collecting. Hi, don't adjust your set. This is just my floating face here today. Dave has reverted to his um his floating head status, not because he ah does not want to be on camera, but because he is he is under the weather and he's sparing you all. i am I'm doing every single person watching this a favor, believe me.
00:01:21
Speaker
It's, I mean, it's that time of year here in, in the Northeast, right? We got are awfully congested right now and nobody needs that. It is, it is cold season. And, uh, this is, this is your friendly reminder from your friends at adventures in collecting. Take that vitamin C. Um, you know, we are, we are no longer sponsored by the, uh, the good folks at liquid IV, but I stand by their incredible product. Make sure you get some of that vitamin C liquid IV.
00:01:49
Speaker
in your life. Lots of liquids. um Dave, do you have a recommended like tissue brand? Do you do like the tissues with aloe to keep the skin soft? ah at At this point, there is no, like we're past that. Do you do do you do the neti pot thing? No. No? No. No, never tried? No, there's there's too much history of ear infection and whatnot. um got I just blow my nose until until it's all gone. There we go.
Annual Toy Drive and Collaborations
00:02:23
Speaker
um So ah we do have a a special guest with us this week, but yes before we before we bring him in a little bit of adventures in collecting housekeeping, ah we are still
00:02:36
Speaker
ah running our toy drive with our our wonderful friends at Chubsy Websy Toys in ah in Little Falls, New Jersey. ah Super awesome mom-and-pop shop, ah awesome toy store, awesome people. Every year we partner up with them.
00:02:53
Speaker
to ah to to try to make the holidays a little bit more special for kids in need. And and this year we're doing the same thing. So we've we've made the donation process easy for you, our listeners, our viewers. um All you have to do is go to ChubsyWubsy.com. That's C-H-U-B-Z-Z-Y-W-U-B-Z-Z-Y dot.com. um And you will see a nice banner there on the on the front page about the ah the donation.
00:03:21
Speaker
um And to kind of sweeten the pot this year, to incentivize your your kindness and your generosity, ah we have a Marvel Legends Has Lab giant man that we are giving away to one lucky donor. um yeah And to to get all of the information, how how you can donate, how you can make sure that your donation counts as an entry towards the giveaway, um just head on over to our Instagram.
00:03:48
Speaker
um at AIC underscore podcast. We have a pinned post right there on the profile. you'll Again, you'll see the picture of Giant Man. You'll see the picture of the Chubsy Websy Toys logo. It has all the information there on what you need to do to ah to donate and enter to win yourself a Giant Man. And and most importantly, um you know in this holiday season, give something back to kids in need.
00:04:12
Speaker
i if you're If you're mulling it over, whether or not you want you're thinking about doing it, it is a $10 minimum donation. Chubsy has a bunch of stuff on the website that's at right at that $9.99 price point. um So you know grab a an action figure, you know a doll, something um you know yeah at that $10 price point. Follow the instructions on the Instagram post. and um you know Potentially get yourself a giant man. Yeah. Yeah, if you are if you are able to donate please by all means of course If you are not that's that's great, too. If you have you know stuff lying about the house You can you know drop it off at a at a bin somewhere like as long as it's unopened. Yep Whatever whatever you can do
00:05:02
Speaker
and um and And also, ah that's running until December 12th. So you have until yeah December 12th. You have until this this week is it, friends? Yep. This week is it. That's right. As this is airing ah on today is is the 9th. You have just three days left. so Eric, um where where are we doing this? Just in case people... like have extras that they can donate but can't oh yes very good so um buy something online. this is This is Toys for Tots, but ah we we every year we work um with the Operation Toy Train, so it's a really cool experience. it's ah it's a bunch of um
00:05:43
Speaker
yeah it's It's a great family experience to your train enthusiasts if you got little ones um they take a lot of decommissioned rail cars and ah They restore them and run them up kind of the Northeast corridor ah here in the United States and ah They have different stops that are scheduled. Santa Claus is on the train. They pick up all of the the Toys for Tots donations and we will be i handing over all of your donations ah the weekend of the 14th. So yeah, it's it's December 14th. We will be at the Pumpkin Lakes, New Jersey Operation Toy Train ah stop. ah So again, it's a lot of fun.
00:06:29
Speaker
um you know It's great to be able to kind of individually hand those those toys over. um There's always great photo ops, you know food, hot chocolate, all kinds of fun stuff. ah Like I said, it's ah it's a great ah it's ah it's a great plus up to the normal Toys for Tots donation process. Absolutely. Absolutely, but but worthwhile.
00:06:51
Speaker
Yep. And we, and again, on that, that pinned post, there's also operation toy train is tagged. So if you want to see the rest of their stops, if there's something, you know, maybe that's closer to you, ah definitely check that out as well. But ah also stay tuned this week. So as you're listening to this, this week, our annual, um,
00:07:12
Speaker
holiday in a box. I don't know what what we what we usually call it, but our our December. I think that's it. Yeah. Holiday in a box. or Our December giveaway will be launching this week. Um, so stay tuned for that on our Instagram. And then of course, the, uh, the fourth annual, uh, Archie Tournament for yeah toy line of the year is underway our first ah round of voting Potentially our second round of voting will have wrapped ah by the time this is airing but ah it's 64 toy lines a single elimination tournament random seating so all the voting takes place in our ah Instagram stories and you know, we will post
00:07:56
Speaker
dates as to like when each next round of voting goes live. So even if you missed the first or second round, there's still time to get your votes in. um as we As we whittle our way down to ah the what you guys, our followers on on Instagram and listeners, what you guys feel is the toy line of the year.
00:08:16
Speaker
And our previous three winners, we have not had any repeats yet. So our our first year was taken by Marvel Legends. Our second year was was taken by GI Joe Classified. And then our our last year was taken by Transformers. So so far, it's been a <unk> been a Hasbro sweep. But ah yeah, there's some good match ups. I was looking ahead at the brackets. There's some good.
00:08:38
Speaker
There are some good matchups. We have some ah we have some some fun matchups to look forward to. There's a lot of chatter in the comments early on now you know about some some brands. so i mean You might want to keep an eye on maybe a couple of the underdogs. Just just throwing that out there. You've got a feeling. You might have some spoilers this year. There's some there's some good matchups. yeah so um But with that, that takes care of our housekeeping, David, which means... Which means you are no longer going to bury the lead. Nope, nope, it's time to grab the shovel. Which is difficult because it's cold and the ground is very solid. The shovel has been in the oven on the coals. The shovel has been on the coals, warming up, ready for... Okay. I don't know if that's a thing, heating up a shovel, but it is now. I don't think you do that. It is now. I don't think you do that.
00:09:32
Speaker
So on this episode of Adventures in Collecting, we are welcoming back a fan favorite guest.
Interview with John Pryor: Collecting and Creativity
00:09:39
Speaker
That's right. John Pryor, better known as Dollar Slice Bootlegs. From his nostalgia fueled creations to his unique takes on the world of collecting, John has been keeping us and the entire community entertained with his offbeat artistry and of course, his sharp humor and wit. Welcome back to the pod, John.
00:10:00
Speaker
All right, hey, what's good? Thanks for having me back. And thank you for the lovely ah introduction. Oh, man, it's it is always a pleasure. It's good to have you back. it's It has been way too long. Yes, it has. ah we have We have a lot to talk about. ah But first and foremost, before we hop into anything of of substance and real importance, um we have one very important collection that we need to check in on.
00:10:28
Speaker
so more For those that maybe didn't listen to the the first episode and maybe they they don't follow you super, super closely, which by the way, if you are not following Dollar Slice Bootlegs on Instagram, what are you doing? John has, without question, the most unique single action figure collection out of anyone we have ever spoken to.
00:10:56
Speaker
and And we were tasked with, with and i so I swear to you, we were going to ask him, but he had to cancel on us at New York Comic Con because he had to go meet Tom Hardy. This is a real story. This is a real story. We had an interview booked with Todd McFarlane. He's an absolute sweetheart.
00:11:16
Speaker
his PR people, bless them, they are wonderful. Tom Hardy at New York Comic Con decided to surprise New York Comic Con the day before we we were we were set to interview Todd. um He surprised everyone. And since he was in town, they realized with the Venom movie that he had never actually gotten a chance to meet Todd McFarlane, like, you know, co-creator of Venom. So oh i didn't think about that okay they like canceled hit the back half of his his afternoon. Like he had to leave his own panel early. Yeah. And it was literally to go crash a press junket with Tom Hardy. You can watch the the videos on Instagram. It's actually very sweet, but it's really yeah, that's actually, that's, I mean, bummer and everything, but like, yeah, that's actually, that's really neat. Like, yes, just a weird way to connect those two, but it's like, Hey dude, like,
00:12:08
Speaker
You're bringing my baby to life on the like big screen like 30 some odd 20 years later I don't know I don't know when the 90s were anymore, but like everybody fucking wanted it then and now they got it now and you know Thank you. Thank you bane and it's and it's crazy like in the video. He's like oh my god. It's venom's dad So it was, it was like, its that it was it was very cute. It was, it was, if anyone is going to cancel a meeting professionally and it was very professional, it was, you know, note, and this is not a knock to Todd as people or anything there. Like I said, they're absolutely wonderful. There was a reason to do it. That was it. And, and we'll, we'll get, we'll get him back on and we will ask about this collection, but John, how's your Malboja collection going?
00:12:54
Speaker
yeah
00:12:56
Speaker
I think I have like 106 or 105 now. um so like So I have 101 that are out of package. And then I've got the one that we were talking about on the last episode from Korea with the Korean packaging.
00:13:10
Speaker
And then I've got at least one of the one of each example, the maroon and the green. I've got those in package also in my studio. um But I know I've got a handful of other ones floating around in boxes. They're still in package as well. um So yeah, yeah, I talked to you last. um and I think I got the last one maybe about eight months ago, six months ago. And yeah, I mean, just slowly, slowly. by I had this thing where I was like, I wouldn't pay more than like 15 to $20, like ever shipped entirely. Like whether it be the two pack with the medieval spawn or if it was just a single pack, but I just kinda kept on waiting it out and would find deals. And so dig it, when I was doing this, the prices went up to the point where it was kinda hard to find them for under $30 for a couple of years. Yeah. and
00:14:02
Speaker
And now that I don't collect them anymore, the fucking prices have crashed, dude. They're like dirt cheap again. There's so many of them listed. Like i it's the dollar slice effect. Like it all tanked after I left the market.
00:14:14
Speaker
So if you ever wanted to build up a Malboja focus collection, now's the time, dude. Just sweep on in after I left the ashes. cause like that they're the Dude, that the market is toast. As the kids say, it's cooked. like It's just all over. But yeah, it was so much fun. It was so much fun. and It's been a blast. like I just got a giant wall of them in my living room, and you know they're kind of doubled up in some spaces. But ah yeah.
00:14:44
Speaker
I like reminding myself that I've got the largest Malbolgia collection in the world. Like, the world. yeah Wow, I spent enough money to have something. you know it's kind of It's funny, but like it's kind of cool. like It was a pain in the ass to stay to that like price range at times. so Well, I'm glad you cracked triple digits. I think the last time you talked to you, you still had... I think it was under 100. Yeah, you were under 100, so... Yeah, last time I was at 76, and dig this, two anecdotes about that. First of all, someone was like, all right, well, you know, they did the math and like, I forget the fucking number, but, or yeah, basically, here's like, you're like 566 slow, you know? You need 566 more, and it's like...
00:15:30
Speaker
You might be right. I might need 666 of those little bastards. You might be onto something. And secondly, to the effect of like, you know, please aware of McFarlane about that. That would be great. I went to their booth this year at Comic-Con and I showed like the guy, the main dude there at the booth, I was like, yo, dig this. A focus collection of malbolishes. And he literally looked, he's like, oh cool. And just, but so.
00:15:55
Speaker
That's how excited right my my reaction was, so I'm curious what you'll get. I think i think Todd, being Todd, well so we definitely got to get a picture of it up to date. yeah when we When we're getting him back on, we'll we'll chat offline and I'll make sure that I get a nice picture of the collection and everything, but we will we will definitely show him. I think he will get a kick out of it. Right on.
00:16:21
Speaker
That's his, that's one of his babies, you know, that yeah that's ah changed the game, dude. yeah Like that changed everything that articulation, that scale, the spray ons, the fricking just like all the details of the paint. I mean that, that literally was like, Hey, you guess what? You got to step it up now because this is what is coming out as a standard assortment figure. This isn't a deluxe figure. Like time to like add some wrist and knee articulation everywhere, you know?
00:16:46
Speaker
and And you know, I think what probably drove the price up a little bit, you know, over the past like couple of years was the new spawn figures and there has not been a Malbolgia. So I think a lot of people, you know, they made Violator, and they made Clown, they made a lot of the classic characters, but he has yet to make a new Malbolgia in this new line. So I bet a lot of people who were getting kind of the classic spawn figures went back out and tried to get a Malbolgia for their, their collection.
00:17:16
Speaker
So I wouldn't be surprised if that is what caused that little spike on you. Yeah, that's that's that's really reasonable and logical and probably like, why? But nah, dude, it's because of me, dude. I just all entirely dollar slices on the show. It's on the shoulders of dollar slice, man. Like, whatever, Malbolgia, new toys, nah, nah, nah. Me, this guy. The the DSB effect. that's the yeah That's what it is. But yeah, dude, thanks for asking about that.
00:17:46
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, we've seen the art toy scene um evolve constantly over over time, um especially over the past few years, kind of a lot of people coming into it, a lot of like really cool new stuff. How's it changed since you first came onto the scene?
00:18:06
Speaker
um It went from being I had nothing like it it went from like I was either going to die or I was making toys To I had nothing better during quarantine to do so I figured I'd start making toys So that's that's that's the difference and that's as far as I go on them dude like I don't really you know, I come from a generation in a time when it was like I either I'm gonna die or I'm gonna make toys. And then to have the flip-flop to, I had nothing better to do, so I make toys. I don't know, I don't really, that's, I don't really, um I don't know what else to say about that.
00:18:46
Speaker
Well, so i mean it's but it's a really good point, right? Because you know I think a lot of people, and I know a lot of people in this world, you know regardless of what you collect, regardless of of you know where you kind of sit at the table in the in the toy world, I think we're all kind of sick right about talking about the pandemic and talking about like what what was happening four years ago. and But it did leave like a permanent Mark on a lot of people from just kind of like a mindset and a perspective thing so it's it's really interesting to hear that like You know and I and we know you pretty well and We know that you're you know you're a very passionate person and you care a lot about you know what you do But it's just it's it's interesting to just kind of simplify it and boil it down to that you know like I yeah it was either this or death versus well I
00:19:38
Speaker
I still like doing this, so I guess it's this. So it's just, it's it's interesting. It's very interesting. Yeah. So it's just like, you know, the motivations and maybe the, uh, output are a lot different than like, um, when I first got into it, you know, maybe now it's just, maybe there's a lazier approach these days than there used to be. And that's, uh, you know, that's fine.
00:20:02
Speaker
ah Like you were saying with quarantine, like it definitely it changed a lot. you know it It did, and for better or for worse, that's that's the life, that's the world we live in now, is post-quarantine. And it would be fun to like abandon it and not talk about it anymore, but like the planet is literally still reeling and dealing with the post-traumatic stress syndrome of ah Global pandemic and everything breaking down entirely and everybody just being kind of gaslit into being oh, hey Let's just go back to things being normal. Even though it's the farthest fucking thing from normal ever will be again, you know, so It's just a it would be nice not to talk about it But it just changed so much and fucked everything up so much But um, yeah for better or worse, you know, it's a it's a different game now and there's a lot of difference It's just a different
00:20:53
Speaker
I guess like, uh, what I see, like what I got into is resin. I just, it's, it's a different game now. I don't really pay much much attention anymore. It's, uh, um, the most edgy piece I saw was like a year ago, some dude put just a blank card. It said, fuck you and a blank figure. And it's like, wow, bro.
00:21:13
Speaker
That's edgy. yeah That's a message. That's deep. So it's just kind of like, I'm waiting for something like that crosses my feet and I'm just like spit out my coffee and I'm like, wow, that's reminding me why I started doing this. But you know, for now it's like, it it's like a, that, that movie office space, you know, it's just a bunch of cats that are all about their TPS reports and you know, they need a boss and they need a someone like kind of thing. It's just, it's just a different game right now. that Yeah.
00:21:42
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, going back to, you know, when we first found out about you, you know, it was watching that documentary Master Casters, like, like, yeah God, I mean... feels that feels like an eternity ago. Dude, I agree. And to that effect, I think about Master Casters, and I think about now, and like how on the like just the outskirts and of the like designer resin scene I am, I don't know if I'd even be invited back into any documentary like that. Despite like all the influence and everything, like all the the trails I blazed and all the roads I made, I don't know if people would know that or remember that at this point. so like
00:22:22
Speaker
I always am curious like master casters if there is a part two if there is another guy who picked up the director's chair and I was like I'm gonna make a resin toy or designer toy documentary I wonder if I'd even be in there, you know, but like master casters I don't know I'd like to think so, but I don't know but master casters dude at designer con this year I heard from more people than ever about seeing that and finding me on there and it just is
00:22:50
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, that documentary, I should rewatch it. It's been a long time since I've watched it. Yeah, I gotta watch it again, too. And it's probably gonna feel...
00:23:00
Speaker
pretty surreal watching it now that like yeah we we have regular conversations with you and i know a couple other people from there. But um you could you kind of hinted at it, though. you you know You've moved out of that initial kind of purely resin format and into some other formats, which you know those those of you that are watching can can see behind you there. um you know what's What's really your favorite kind of material? What's your favorite canvas to work on these days?
00:23:29
Speaker
um I mean, I like it all. Honestly, there's not like anything that's taken priority. It's just resin. You get paid penny on the dollar for the hours of time invested. And like it just, um, at the moment, uh, I'm, I'm just having fun with the Safoobies, you know, like resin is always going to be my passion, but, uh, I just, well, we'll get into it with a slice of the rebels with slice city rebels basically smacked it the fuck out of me. Like it took all the love and the joy out of it. And like,
00:24:00
Speaker
I'll figure it out sooner or later, but the only person i I regularly do resin for at the moment is with my, um, my collabs with, uh, Danny Diablo because it's still fun with him and I still like enjoy it and it's still really like good times. But otherwise, you know, resin is just like, it's so much, oh wait, no, excuse me. I forget how dope my career is sometimes. Okay. Besides Danny Diablo, I also cast and,
00:24:26
Speaker
Do resin collaborations with sket one these days, which is just like are you kidding me? Sket one like what? but yeah, I I just basically that the resin is just I love doing it, but it's it's a lot of work and a lot of time and I It's a token, you know, I spent a good like almost 18 months developing the the big rad wolfs of who be and you know, you can spend 18 hours on one piece, it falls off the shelf and it bounces, dude. It bounces. You don't like lose all that time and like the piece is ruined and it's destroyed and like you have to start all over and it's like, do you even want to start all over? It's just like, oh tight, okay, here, big get that dust off of there, good, good to go. Yeah.
00:25:17
Speaker
Well, that's one of the beauties about Sofubi, right? Like they started as being kids toys. You know, they were meant to, that format was meant to hold up in the, you know, what, seventies and eighties, right? Uh, you know, the Godzilla's and the other Kaiju. I was going to say probably earlier, even a little bit. Yeah. Yeah. No, I love that. Like I enjoy the Sofubi community. Like Sofubi, I don't know what the hell I'm like mispronouncing. I like the Sofubi community. Like they, they, um, they're really down with weird shit.
00:25:46
Speaker
Like you can just come up with the strangest, you know, like, Hey, I want a kitten head with like a party hat blowing like one of them little like, you know, paper and who kind of whistle dealies on tank treads. And like, dude, people will be all about it. You know, like you just come up with the like wonkiest ideas. It's, it's much more, um, uh,
00:26:05
Speaker
they're more interested in the artist's interpretation, which is just so much fun. So I feel like with the resin stuff, I was dealing with boundaries where like cats who didn't understand, you know, the people who say figs, like they don't understand, like it's not a fig, like that's a fruit, but it's like, it's not ah it's not a toy, it's a piece of art, you know? And like a lot of clowns who don't get it are like, this doesn't look like a factory made storm shadow at Target. And it's like,
00:26:35
Speaker
right over over their heads, you know? So what I love about the Safooby crowd is like they understand art and their art collectors and like they don't want it to be within a very like specific box. It's just like whatever you throw against the wall and whatever weird shit that just seems cool. Like as long as it's, you know, like got some soul behind it and you actually you're making it with your heart. They seem to really enjoy that stuff. And that's, that's, um, that's refreshing to say the least.
Innovations and Collaborations in Toy Design
00:27:05
Speaker
So, last time we spoke, you had recently revealed your first multi-character line with Slice City Rebels. And I've seen a bunch of iterations of the Big Rad Wolf. What's next? um Well, it's ah that's there's so much to unpack there. ah Well, I mean, just really quick, what's next? um Staying with the Big Rad Wolf for now, ah just going to continue working on him. He's got some, we've got some plans to do some different shows all over the place.
00:27:43
Speaker
um Yeah, i I've got, so I can't really talk about too much of what I've got going on with some Safoobies coming out at Comic-Con, but I got some Safoobies coming out at Comic-Con that I can't talk about that I'm working on with the company and I, yeah.
00:27:59
Speaker
So I got some stuff you working on developing it with ah the dream team of uh oh toys and monster Sean, Sean Blay sculpting it again for me and um It's awesome. I guess, yeah, okay. Without talking about it kind of thing. So I'm getting to work with Sean and Aaron again, like, uh-oh toys and, uh, Monster Sean, Sean Blay. They, they, they produced the wolf for me the last time. Um, and then just really quick, if no one's seen seen it before, here he is. We, we, it took us five months and us, I mean, Sean, Aaron and the factory, but it's the very first telescoping Safooby feature on any Safooby toy ever. So.
00:28:40
Speaker
That was a lot of engineering and why Sean is a genius and why Aaron, Sean, and the factory at work with are a dream team. So yeah, basically, we but funny enough, we started up yesterday, notes and other things underway, and we're working on a ah piece that's going to debut at Comic-Con this summer. It'll be an exclusive edition for that, and then we'll be spinning it up, I believe, into 2020, probably kissing up to 2027.
00:29:10
Speaker
I've got quite a few different color waves planned for it. um And it will be one of those things that's like, whenever we finally get to announce it, it'll be like, oh, dude, of course. like Of course, you know, and it'll make perfect sense. And it'll have been like, I, you could even see it coming right now. If you just even think, put a little thought into where and who and what I can't talk about or who I'd be working with and who would be a comic con. It's not rocket surgery, but like, yeah, I can't wait to be able to like really announce it. Cause, um,
00:29:42
Speaker
to be working with everybody I'm working with is like living like the dream again. like you Oh, it's just so crazy. Every time I think it's like, wow, dude, it couldn't be cooler than this. like It's just always something more interesting comes along. But yeah, like with Slice City Rebels, like back to that, ah I would love it if any graphic artists that ah see this, hear this, like that don't fuck around like on a pro level wanna hit me up, let's let's party.
00:30:12
Speaker
Slice City Rebels are kind of on ice at the moment, just because me and Barton need someone who's gonna be a little bit more who has more time to do the graphic artists, the graphic illustrations.
00:30:24
Speaker
you know adam's like Dude, he is like a rock star when it comes to tattooing and and he's booked out forever. And, you know, Homeboy's may used to making like, you know, like over a G per day and working like four days to five days a week. And then he's doing, you know, illustration for Slicity Rebels. And it's like, you know, maybe you'll see a dollar in two years. So it's just not really worth his time. And I understand. So like, you know,
00:30:51
Speaker
Just kind of put it on hold so we can find someone to help work with packaging and promotional art and whatnot and Just put them out like we did an initial run for designer con and those you came in one that was great That was like six weeks of 12 to 14 hour workdays painting and casting to the point where I literally had like bruises on my ass from sitting in my little wooden stool like, um, painting all day. Like it was the weirdest damn thing. I was just walking by the mirror one day, happened to notice like some color that wasn't there. I was just like, are you kidding me? But yeah, I guess I'm old. And like, it was just like so much intense, like working in city. And so that was just to like, I was like, you know what, I need to put this on on hold for a second. I'm literally bruising myself because of how much effort has to go into these and
00:31:42
Speaker
sitting there and putting that much effort into it. On top of the fact that freaking horsey boo had to help with the paint too. Like these sculpts, these pieces are just bonkers like detailed. Like Scott Hensley went ham on them and like thank you you know like it's beautiful but Yeah. Just basically put them on ice for a little bit. Maybe get some paint masks made, maybe like figure out how to invent a machine that makes more time and then add more time to my time container and then get back to them. But I would also be interested in that machine by the way, if you could figure that out. Yeah. I plan to do a limited edition of at least like 10 of each colorway and I'll do like primary colors, you know? So well guys I'll get you to artist proof.
00:32:28
Speaker
The thing that's really cool though is you know the the the idea of Slice City Rebels as it originally was might be on ice. but You know, we've seen Big Rad Wolf who started as a Sly City Rebels, you know, character, right? And move into this Sufubi space. He wasn't part of that. No, he started out way before that. Oh, okay. All right. Yeah, yeah, and fun stuff. So yeah, no, Big Rad Wolf was the only, well, actually, Enslaughterbot. So I had my two characters were pre-established. Yeah. But Big Rad Wolf, he initially was for the guitarist sleeping with Sirens.
00:33:04
Speaker
Homeboy hit me up to do a commission and but you know we started rapping and um he had me come out to work to her to meet up with him to go over the design and I had my prototype Vigrad Wolf.
00:33:17
Speaker
um And what you call it, you know, we met up and it was just, I don't know, it wasn't really vibing. And then he tried to pitch it to the band while I was on the bus that like, hey, we could like make toys of ourselves. I could be this wolf. And they're all looking at me like I'm some kind of dickhead. Like, what is this guy doing here talking about toys? And like, I didn't mean to be here in this capacity. What am I doing?
00:33:42
Speaker
And so I just kind of like abandoned the project and took the character for myself. So I did the first version and that one, you know, I want kind of, I like to be nerdy dude. So, you know, I took some like police Academy figures, some Kenner Terminator two figures, some Kenner ghost, but the real Ghostbusters figures. Ah,
00:34:06
Speaker
and just kind of smashed them around, did some kit bashing and, you know, gave it some nice heritage where it was like different pieces from the same producers from different, you know, movie franchises in the same era kind of thing. So I did that one first and I made about three colorways. And then um there was a really, really, really short run 3.75 Wolf as well. It came out at Decon 2020, 21, I think.
00:34:36
Speaker
And um yeah, Decon 2021. And I didn't really make too many of him. And then the Slice City Rebel figure pretty much came out after that. And then, yeah, the wolf is that that the Sufubi is like the fourth version at this point. Yeah. And um I mean, I love this evolution, though, you know, seeing all these like you like you said, you know, Sufubi as a as a culture.
00:34:58
Speaker
You know, I don't even think using the word weird is appropriate because nothing, if if nothing is weird, is anything weird, right? Like in in the world of Sufubi. yeah So, you know, all of the colorways, the UV reactive stuff, the glow in the dark, that the that one you did with the light up arm, like there's just... Billy it billy and Jimmy had a designer con this year.
00:35:22
Speaker
worst Okay, the light up arm. Really quick, you guys can appreciate this fucking Cedric from Mars Volta and that the drive-in bought that first one, the farm boy. Very cool. Very cool. Man, you just can't get away from that. ah well We'll get into that a little bit later, but you can't you can't get away from those people. You can't get ah get get away from that industry at all. but I'm so happy though, I'm so glad that's like the best.
00:35:51
Speaker
But ah yeah, with that big rad wolf, man. It's like, honestly, like, I know in the last interview, I said that the ah Scott Hensley sculpt was the definitive wolf. um But, ah you know, I take it back. Now the Safoobie is the definitive wolf. Like, dude, Sean and Errin, and um I gotta say retro band, he had a hand in it too. He was really giving me notes and whatnot. And between those three, they really like helped me come up with the, like,
00:36:20
Speaker
the definitive wolf motif. you know like From now on, that is going to be the touchstone. That is like, well, if you want to tweak on the wolf or you want to make a few adjustments tight, but this is where we start from. you know like this is This is what he looks like. This is the dude. like This version is even going to be in a cartoon, so it's just like that's that's it. Awesome. so When you're looking at all of these different you know Ways to kind of ah approach the ah big rad wolf, you know, what are what are you looking at in terms of inspiration? Like what's driving the different colorways? Is it just kind of that that rich history of sofubi? Is it you know, like like like how do you get to these different colorways and variations? Yeah, thanks. That's it's
00:37:03
Speaker
Basically dude, I just try and think of like either characters that I think would be fun to like, you know, put over the wolf or just colors that look sick together. Cause I just have always been tweaky about colors and always just kind of zoned out and looking at ones that compliment each other and like just kind of make me happy to see kind of thing. And then even to the point where like the pantones that I choose down to that, like, which is just, uh,
00:37:29
Speaker
shees Yeah, I don't know. It's just so it's a lot of fun getting to tweak out with them on the color. It's just what makes me happy basically is like I'll just maybe see it like a you look at full foliage, you know, in the fall and like the color fades and then you see the way those leaves look. You can find a lot of cool shit to paint from just those leaves and just the different colors that looks so beautiful together and just go together so well, even though it wouldn't necessarily make sense.
00:37:55
Speaker
So you just look at that and then you apply that to like, you know, the toy, or like you were saying, Billy and Jimmy Lee, it's just like, you just think of characters that like, Hey, this, this can work, you know, like seven year old me was so excited and having so much fun painting, you know, double dragon wolves of my toy, you know, and I was like,
00:38:15
Speaker
I'll do another release of those and I'm going to have them come with like the little silver bat ah the beatdown bats as well. you know yeah nice and know like It's not Double Dragon without those like just generic silver beatdown bats. those things are just You need those, dude. A bobo. You need that shit. you know ah or like the drums, the steel drums. Yeah. Yeah. Now that was, that was fun as a kid in the actual arcade. Cause you're fucking like, you you think it's only throwing and then you kick it and it rolls and hits your buddy and knocks him in a manhole.
00:38:50
Speaker
your It's all bad. Yeah, so I mean, it's just basically, yeah, whatever pops in my mind, it's just whatever, like, I'll just be going about the day or whatnot, or maybe watching TV, you know, like, oh crap, you know what, this would be cool to put on, you know, the wolf, or I'll be scrolling or whatnot and see, you know, like,
00:39:12
Speaker
Uh, you want to do pop culture. You want to see something will look tight, like just scroll super seven and see what they're putting out in reaction until you're like, Oh, okay. I could do that on my character. Find one that you like, you know, like I've definitely been inspired scrolling like that sometimes, but like I've said, I'd kind of like to avoid doing the, uh, the lazy approach of piggybacking off of something that already exists. And now a word from our sponsors.
00:39:45
Speaker
This segment is brought to you by our friends at Chubsy Wubsy Toys. A traditional mom and pop toy store in Little Falls, New Jersey, Chubsy Wubsy Toys brings you the best new toys from the brands you love without the hassle of pounding the pavement searching for them at larger retail stores.
00:40:01
Speaker
Visit them in person at their brand new home at 101 Newark Pompton Turnpike Suite 1 in Little Falls, New Jersey, or online at ChubsyWubsy.com. That's C-H-U-B-Z-Z-Y-W-U-B-Z-Z-Y dot.com. And tell them Adventures in Collecting sent you.
00:40:26
Speaker
And now, back to the show. So you're your artistic presence has evolved from beyond toys now. um Tell us about your relationship with Machine56. Yeah, wow.
00:40:39
Speaker
um oh so
00:40:46
Speaker
It's hard to even wrap my mind around it as like, I'm like trying to figure out how to say anything. Like it's just like a hornet's nest that was hit by a wrecking ball. ah what What to come out first? um So yeah, I, you know, Machine 56 are an amazing ah clothing brand and art brand from Indonesia. The artist Yoga, he's just bonkers, creative and incredible. It makes, I think,
00:41:11
Speaker
just insanely influential street where i had and i found the brand ah around twenty twenty when the pandemic was going down cuz we had you know wearing masks and i was like tight dude i've been waiting for this day. Home is too generic it's not the same as if it was in the nineties so what am i gonna find so i was hunting for something cool when i found them.
00:41:32
Speaker
They make some, you know, interesting helmets and whatnot. And I started i became a fan of the clothing. And long story short, i'm the brand i'm ah I'm the very first brand ambassador that they developed for the company. And since pretty much probably a few weeks after the last interview in 2021, they've been sending me one of each color of each garment of each piece that they make.
00:41:57
Speaker
So I can help the US customers and help the the Facebook community and the online community get the sizing that they need because um the clothing that it can, since it's not fast fashion, since a lot of it's very cut and sew, the sizing can be a little challenging for Westerners. It's in centimeters as well.
00:42:18
Speaker
And for whatever reason, it's just, so I noticed that they kind of could use that help. And after doing it, you know, just, um, already volunteering my my time and energy for about a year, I was like, Hey guys, here's the proof of concept. Here was what I've been doing. Like, here's the results. Like, can we party? So they, they made me brand ambassador.
00:42:42
Speaker
And now to the point where, you know, I've been representing him at DeCon every year since 2020, you know, when we did the remote DKE segment, I was wearing my helmet, the the Rex G6, that one right there. So that to this year, like they literally, you know,
00:43:00
Speaker
the The rep from the toy division of M56 for Type 6 came out and, you know, Machine56 were officially at my booth with their toys to distribute there and, um you know, did all my graphics for my banners and all that. And I'm their full-on, like, their US distritor distributor now for their Type 6, it's called Type 6 format, and it's their 1.6 scale toy brand.
00:43:27
Speaker
And so I've got that going on. um I'm doing some stuff with them and I go out to, I actually go out to work with them for a week in February. I go out to Bandung to the studio and yeah, we've got some projects where that are underway and we're also starting up and just getting that actually in person and making it happen. And they they got me made into a, they they ah got me um kind of like, ah they got me a falling out in Jakarta, dude. Like they they've got people into my work. So that same week, the coming weekend, I'm one of the featured guest artists for the Jakarta Toys Convention.
00:44:15
Speaker
So I'm going to be doing with them. Yeah. So I'm going out there and then we've got some, um, you know, M56 are going to be painting up like a micro edition of five wolves. And then we've got some other, um, Indonesian Safooby artists that are painting them up and doing some stuff. And then that that Monday we've got a private event with punk drunkers as well that we're doing. So it's like, yeah, I don't know machine 56, like just,
00:44:43
Speaker
They've become such a wild presence and and in my life and just like it's a reciprocal kind of thing where I'm i'm helping them get their their brand out there and helping them. you know, with the, the customers to make sure everybody's happy because dude, these, these garments are expensive. I mean, it's worth it. They're incredible once you get them in hand, but they're expensive. So if they're not like just on point and fit you, like, you know, your second skin, it can kind of be a bummer. But fortunately, as far as I know, as far as I'm aware with my feedback, it's been, you know, like 10 out of 10, like each time someone hits me up that everything comes out correct and whatnot. So,
00:45:21
Speaker
That's good. It's working out. Yeah. And I mean, that that helmet has become like, like, I almost think of you. I almost use the picture of you in the helmet for for the, ah you know, like the key art for this episode, just because I like, you know, even even watching the um the video, the video, the live streams that you were doing with um with Pete and ah and ah Oh my God. Sucklord. You showing up to the livestream in the helmet each time. like it just it's It's become, as much as you are you know a brand ambassador for them, like it's I feel like it's become kind of part of your overall presence too. so i mean Thanks, man. Thanks. that's That's what I've been intending. That was the intention with that is definitely, like if you think of me, that that a G6 Rex like is definitely a part of that. ah
00:46:17
Speaker
whole aesthetic and part of the whole package, you know, and that's entirely intentional. You know, every convention I do, I always bring it with me. I always do the Crowdwalk with it to the point where Machine56 literally have a hashtag now that says DSP Crowdwalk and they'll emulate it. It shows that they're at out in the, you know, and they were in Taipei doing it and they've done it in Jakarta, they've done in Japan. So it's just like,
00:46:43
Speaker
amazing It is surreal to have a company and brand that impacted my life so greatly. I'll also impact it like to the point where it just overlaps down. Like we're actually like just part of like the same thing. It's just, it boggles my mind that like we're on a I get to work with them and they work with me and it's just like, they're psyched. I'm psyched. it's It's just, okay, wake me up, you know? Again, movie life status.
00:47:11
Speaker
So ah something else that is is kind of inherently part of your brand, ah it it was it was no accident that we picked a saves the day song ah for your episode announcement.
Music Industry and Toy Collecting Overlaps
00:47:22
Speaker
You have a ah pretty colorful past in the the punk hardcore emo scene that i I don't think a lot of people are are probably very aware of. um yeah know you've You've mentioned a couple of connections you know just in in our chat here ah alone.
00:47:39
Speaker
But ah what really kind of connects you back to that world? okay um Now, this is going to take a second. You guys don't mind, right? This is going to be ADHD, like, dump. And it spans about a deck. We're here for it. Let's go. All right, my man. All right, guys. Let's party. All right. So I was like 19. I found saves a day. It was right after the I'm sorry, I'm leaving EP had come out and through being cool, had Almost come out and like I was like, holy shit, this kid's riding my fucking life. Like this is how I feel like, you know, like just every single word like You want to like see where my brain was at for the longest time growing up? Just look up the lyrics to their song blindfolded and we're good to go So anyways, let's fast forward my 20th birthday. They're playing like literally the day of my 20th birthday They're playing up in Santa Cruz at this place called Palooka Ville
00:48:36
Speaker
And I got there early and my folks used to have a printing and copy shop and there was a copy, the color copier would have like heat press transfers. So I'd make bootleg t-shirts of like bands that I liked. Anyways, I had a bootleg weezer t-shirt and like It was before the green album had come out. So they were like, it wasn't embarrassing. It was still cool. um And so like Brian, their drummer saw that and like, you know, instead, since the green album hadn't come out yet, he didn't look at me and was like, Oh God, what's wrong with him? He came over and started talking to me um instead because like the green album hadn't come out yet.
00:49:13
Speaker
ah And it was a sticker from like one of their singles. They had like imports and whatnot. And I think it was the Japanese El Scorcho. And it had this like sick logo. And he was like, oh, cool, we're sure. And we started rapping. And you know, like it was less than 10 minutes in the conversation. He was like, you know, dude, like you should come to the rest of the shows if you want in California and we'll put you on the guest list. And like I was like,
00:49:40
Speaker
funny thing cause I was already planning on going to all your shows, but if it's on you, boy. And that's what started it. Like my 20th birthday I met saves a day. My 21st birthday I was in the studio with them while they were tracking the drums to at your funeral for the album. Stay what you are in Rob Schnaff studio that is featured in pretty much every Elliott Smith record layout, you know? Um, and that was,
00:50:09
Speaker
right but here Here I am a year later, like, you know, crashing with them at the Oakwood studio, I think is where they were staying, you know, staying with them, going down and like meeting up with them and staying with them. Like for my, it was my 21st birthday, you know, it's just like, Hey, I'm in the studio. You guys are recording some sick, like songs right on. And like, even then you could tell that that the album, that track, everything was just going to be just game changing.
00:50:37
Speaker
when it was even cooler was Chris was writing songs for in Reverie already on the piano in the studio. oh Like he was writing out and yeah the the riff or the the main like chords for monkey, what turned into being monkey on the piano. And it was, ah so you know, those are my buddies, but there I was a super fan. So I was just even more surreal to be like hearing songs that weren't even existing other than in the moment when he played them kind of stuff.
00:51:05
Speaker
um So yeah, I went from that to running around with saves a day. And, you know, again, taking advice from Brian, Brian's like, Hey, dude, you should move to New York. I should, you should come out here. So in 2000, I went out there in the summer and checked it out, made friends with a bunch of cats out in Long Island. And summer 2001, dude drove from Santa Cruz to a great neck Long Island and, uh, posted up and from there that was the summer of 2001 so I was there for all the events that like you know tell your friends taking back Sunday album was about Dejan Tandu from brand new like I remember reading Jesse's live journal the night of these events that turned into like
00:51:50
Speaker
global successful songs about yeah you know dudes getting bummed on the fact that the girl that someone else had a crush on was making out with their friend best friend kind of thing. and So yeah, basically all of my homies that we play fucking softball with on Sundays ended up on MTV, ended up like huge. like So suddenly all like my, okay, dig this. So at one point, you know, I do like touring with Glassjaw and merch and the way that happened living in Long Island, my buddy Todd, who I'd like party with all summer, I'd always talk shit about Glassjaw to him. Cause you know, at the time it just still went over my head and I was kind of didn't like new metal and it kind of sounded at times like new metal. And I was just always like, I don't fucking get it, dude. What's wrong with Long Island? And then, um,
00:52:40
Speaker
I found out he was in Glassjaw. Just as a lot of people say. Yeah, valid. But yo, um so it turns out he was the guitarist for Glassjaw. So that was cool. Yeah. And so he was like, you know, eventually if I was like, man, I'm so sorry. He's like, no, dude. So it's all good. I knew you were actually my friend and not about because of the band. So yeah, I started touring with them here and there and you know i would tour I tour managed Baysides first, like large tour, and I wasn't good at that. I liked partying. I wanted to party. I didn't want to tour manage. I wanted to party. So yeah, like going out with Glassjaw, eventually you know you meet all these different bands. so you know
00:53:24
Speaker
Glassjaw, I'm walking around at Warp Tour, let's say, 2003. I see Burt McCracken, the singer from The Us, just chilling. Maybe it was 2002. He was just posted up, like, outside the buses, smoking a bowl, and I'm just walking by, and then the gears in my head turned, and I was like, yo, that guy's rich. He's smoking weed. You have a medical marijuana card, and that was unicorn status back then.
00:53:51
Speaker
Like you should go hit that guy up and like sell him weed. Like you should go make some money right now. And that opened up the weirdest goddamn doors in my life. Like, dude, suddenly I was like, you know, it was one of those things where like, to like show off or to flex, artists would be like, yo, check out my dealer, check out what he can bring. Like, and yeah, it was straight up. We'd like, like, as soon as I went over to talk to him, like less than five minutes, again, we're walking to my car and leaving for, you know, work tours in San Francisco.
00:54:25
Speaker
uh, oakster dams in oakland downtown we're leaving to drive across the bay to go load up on fucking medical tree and you know i tax the living shit out of it and he didn't even blink and that kind of set the precedent and then anytime they used were in california i'd know well ahead of time because i'd have the orders ready to go and go meet up with them wherever and then you know they'd foot the bill for like the next couple days and just go rage it and make way too much money off of you know like the medical weed. So yeah, I just kept getting passed around from different you know artists showing off, you know hey, you know check out my dealer. you know And it was to the point where at so at one point I was selling weed to the girls on the MTV show, The Hills. Like, oh my God, I haven't thought about that. Yeah, to that level, like, you know, like, Adrina and her crew, like,
00:55:17
Speaker
I don't know if I've ever told the story of farting on Lindsay Lohan, um but I went out with them one night they were filming and we went to some bar in Hollywood where it was karaoke and um I didn't give a shit, you know? And Lohan shows up and she was tanked and she was on me like flies to shit. And, you know, I just, I was too cool. I was just too cool. And in my mind, I'm like, you know, like, what am I going to do here? I'm not, I don't want to like hang out with this girl, but I want to leave an impression. So I turned around, put my butt against her thigh and just ripped hard ass. And I was like, yo, how does my fart smell and walked away. And then a few minutes later, um, some of the Hills cast came up and like, yo, what did you do? And then like another 15 minutes later, we were getting getting kicked out and I never got invited back to film. You know, I don't understand why, but um,
00:56:13
Speaker
I can think of a couple of reasons why maybe we i' one maybe just one. Yeah. So that kind of stuff or like to the point of like pinching weed from ice cues bag, cause he's a Dick and he like rockstarred me big time to me, you know, like get on the bus, got the fucking tree. Good to go. Oh no, dude. He's in the champagne room. He ain't coming out to meet you or shake your hand or say thank you.
00:56:40
Speaker
I was like, all right, Ty, I got to double check the weight of this in the bathroom one minute, dip into the little bathroom, take a bunch of weed, bring it back out. Fuck you. ah but And that was life for a while, you know, that like went on till about 2011, you know, and you can find me on Silverstein Records. I think we've mentioned that before, but, you know, gang vocals on those records. um I mean, shit dude, I was working with like, even Breathe Carolina, four years strong, you know, Comeback Kid. ah I mean, just all the most random ass bands. Mac Miller was like, one of my clients at one point, because one of my buddies from tour who did merch, like he actually
00:57:26
Speaker
Made it and runs around with like, you know, like Mac Miller level artists or like BTK and all that or whatever the fuck they're called um Yeah, it was just a weird time and I You know, like you said I can't get away from it and I'm happy about it though, you know, like I don't mind it's it's it's a nice like little like privilege, you know, not everybody has that privilege to be behind the Backstage and have it be like common and and it's interesting to write like, you know People who who kind of cut their way through you know these parts of the world and kind of like You know find find their groove and find their path and you know and end up somewhere completely different right like like I think a lot of people look at that right and think you know the music world kind of that that that life of partying and stuff and then like I
00:58:27
Speaker
making action figures, like how, like how do these things and, and again, like not just action figures, but also. Vinyl art, like, you know, these art toys. Um, do you find that there are more connections than you would ever, ever expect between the two like you outside of just that, that, you know, one instance of, of Mars Volta buying a big Rad Wolf, but like, you know, all the time. Yeah.
00:58:55
Speaker
It's, it's all the fucking time. Like it's constantly like, holy shit, this person collects. I would have had no idea, but like, yo, they're in my DMS and we're talking about toys or whatever, or folks will just show up at shows or whatnot. And like, you know, to the point where, um, again, talking about Danny Diablo, like working with him, like the band, uh, sheer terror, you know, they're like a classic New York hardcore band, like the singer Paul Bearer.
00:59:21
Speaker
Like you how would the, how the fuck would you know, dude? He's a miniature toy painter and like he's tight. He like kills it. Yeah. And like, you know, uh, Danny's sending me like photos of like the Paul Bearer sending in Danny pictures of a painting as many that was just like,
00:59:40
Speaker
Yeah, like there is, there was it's constantly overlapping and it's constantly like, no way, you're into toys. We could have been talking about toys this whole time. You know, I've had cats from like, just like, you know, high school, like level, like, holy shit, I was embarrassed about this while listening to your band. And I could have gone and talked to you like after the show, like cats from Snapcase, Colas, dude, DNA, Cabal crew, like DJ Rose, like Guav.
01:00:11
Speaker
ah It's koalas, like the amount of cats that are like, you know, specifically out of the hardcore scene that are into designer toys, Safooby vinyls, even Danny, you know, he's act like he is cool. Just crazy town over Godzilla's. Like the Godzilla's of Fubies, Godzilla toys, like Homeboy is about that life and it's just so neat to like again like these people you you have this one capacity that you know them in and that you've like learned about and then they're in a totally different like world with the toys and it's a totally different context and you're on a totally different plane together and it's
01:00:53
Speaker
it's definitely like surreal. Like, you know, it's like even just like you said, Cedric, like even talking to him being like, whoa, bro, thanks. Like, whoa, you know, and him hitting me up being like, Hey, how do I make the light work on it? It's like that you do this and like, yeah.
01:01:08
Speaker
Come on, dude. Paul Bear is sheer terror painting toys. Like, you know, you don't... I'm honestly never gonna... Next time I hear them, I'm just gonna picture him like painting like Warhammer figures. That's what he does, dude, exactly. That's what they are. They're Warhammer. Yeah, thank you. Yeah. No, you called it. It's just... Us nerds are everywhere. We're everywhere. Us nerds are everywhere.
01:01:37
Speaker
Oh, for real. Like, even even to the point where like, yo, at five points, me and Danny are sharing the Airbnb on Saturday night, and we're both like into sober like keeping it low key life. And it's just like, chilling there watching movies talking about toys.
01:01:55
Speaker
And it's like, what is life right now? Like what kind of context is this where like, yep, these, these like people that are larger than life just existing on such a real plane to the point where you're like hanging out, wrapping toys for like an entire evening kind of thing. And it's just insane.
New Q&A Segment Announcement
01:02:14
Speaker
Yeah. It doesn't make any sense. And it's, it's yeah. Every, every day it seems like there's something new and mind blowing about it if you really zoom in. So,
01:02:24
Speaker
pivoting Pivoting off of this, right? We have ah kind of a new concept here on Adventures in Collecting you know for our Q and&A. um we Every time we have a guest, ah we we do this this Q and&A segment. um But we've kind of changed it a little bit, and we've opened up our hotline, as well as featuring one of our Q and&A questions from um from from fan or followers submitted Q and&A, ah Dave, remind our followers, remind our listeners while I look up our hotline phone number that I was supposed to write down and didn't, remind them how they can submit questions ah via Instagram for for future episodes. Yeah, so heading into the recording date, you're going to see a story on Instagram, and that Instagram is at AIC underscore podcast.
01:03:21
Speaker
um And you'll see a story and it'll say, hey, do you have any questions for this next yes? And um you can submit them. You can tap on that, type in your question, hit submit. ah We get to see them. And one of those questions will be the featured question on that episode. um But of course, you know, still send those questions, leave those comments.
01:03:48
Speaker
Follow us on the YouTube. Watch, hopefully, I don't know if my head's going to be bouncing around like the DVD logo on this episode. It will not be bouncing around. It'll be very static. It'll be a very static day of head. And ah yeah.
01:04:04
Speaker
So yeah as as Dave mentioned as well, all of those things, but also the hotline. ah It is it is 973-750-8256. It does not spell anything cool. I'm really sorry. It's just numbers.
01:04:21
Speaker
It's not anybody's house so you can call it anytime. Do you at least have Sergeant Slaughter feeling the calls like back in the day or anything like that with your GI Joe hotline? No? i i we We probably should do something better with with the voice the current voicemail. It's literally just me but recording it very late at night. But um you can call that number whenever, wherever you are, in whatever time zone you will never disturb or awaken anybody. It goes right to a voicemail.
01:04:49
Speaker
so yeah Um, if, even if we don't have a guest on and you want to just call up and say like, Hey, how do you feel about X, Y, and Z? What's your favorite Thanksgiving side? Um, you know, whatever, whatever you want to ask, what's your, maybe one of these times we'll do an episode of just hotline questions. I don't know. That would actually be a really, really great idea if we threw the hotline out there and be like, we're only going to talk about what people call in about Dave.
01:05:17
Speaker
I like where you're going. Sometimes they're good ideas. Sometimes they're good ideas. With that, we do have exactly one voicemail and exactly one featured Q&A. Well, the featured Q&A is always one. But we also have a voicemail. So Dave, do you want to do our featured Q&A, even though we kind of sort of maybe already answered this earlier on in the episode? Still, get it in there.
01:05:48
Speaker
Um, yeah, so at hanjuan18 asks, how about a dollar site dollar slice bootleg Asian tour in 2025? We have plenty of Sofubi collectors here. And hopefully I said your handle correctly.
01:06:06
Speaker
Juris! Juris, you're the best, dude. That is my boy, Juris. That is ah amazing that he'd ask. That's so sweet, dude. Yeah, he's the cat behind the Type 6 format toys for Machine56. He's the dude who does all this. um And he's kind of like become my ah manager for international events. So yeah, I'm, you know, I'm going to the Jakarta Toy Fest that he and invited He got me put on that. Like I said, they've kind of been building up a dollar slice out there. Like he kind of been taste making it. And here's a better idea of like the, what he makes. Like this is what he designs and puts out. Yeah. And they're like, they're literally all the, the zippers, everything is like, it's, it's functional, you know, like literally anything you see on there the pockets, the Velcro opens this like zip unzips and he's literally got another silk screen t-shirt. Like, where is it? I mean, uh,
01:07:03
Speaker
fine But yeah, I'm gonna be going out there and see like there's even a t-shirt to swap it out. It's literally it's literally an exact representation of the ah the You know the real t-shirt like that's what's crazy about these toys with the type 6 format is literally like yo if if they if they're making it it already exists as well in like real clothing, so um Basically, you can like dress up like your Type 6 figure, take a photo next to it or holding it, and it's like repeit just a cool kind of look. um But yeah, i I plan on doing that. We're gonna get me out there, Jakarta, for the toy fair.
01:07:43
Speaker
and then in the summer I think he's working on getting me out to Japan and also to China um and just bouncing around you know because like you can do that you can like go to different fests every weekend and go out there for like you know six weeks or something like that um and just fly around sell your toys and get your name out there you know get up So, like that yeah, I definitely have plans to do that. Juris, dude, you're the best, man. You just throw a meaty softball up for me. Like, you didn't know, like, man, dude, Juris is a genius. Like, i i cant I cannot, like, express enough how fortunate I am and how, like, lucky I am to, have like, just falling in with machine 56 and every single person on that team or just... I just, just bonkers, uh, good at what they do. And yeah, right on your ass, dude. Thank you. All right. And then that's going to take us to our, our voicemail here and I'm going to play this, uh, and hopefully it will play and everyone can hear it. So let's, let's, let's see what's what's what's on the hotline. Oh dear. Hi, my name is Jerry. I have a question for John Prior. Oh, Jerry. I was just wondering how he's able to,
01:08:57
Speaker
Do all these shows and run on business at the same time while being an awesome dude. Alright, thanks, bye.
01:09:07
Speaker
Aww, fucking Jerry, dude. Aww, man, I love you, dude. You're you're just, you're fucking great, bro. Aww, Jerry, yo. Let me just, you know what, like...
01:09:20
Speaker
I just want to talk about Jerry. Let's not talk about me. I want to talk about Jerry and how I know Jerry. So dude, Jerry's one of the best man. I met that kid through Puffco and through the, the peak vaporizers and the Facebook groups and, um, of this, this group that's kind of small, but it's called a big Puffco energy. And, uh, you know, I joined the discord and we kind of broke down in there to the point where,
01:09:46
Speaker
I do this event called PuffCon every year and it's ah put on by Puffco. They shut down an entire block in downtown LA and it's just a giant hash event. it's all you know The entrance is you have to own a Puffco device and 20 bucks. you know and For a whole day, they shut down the block and there's vendors, there's carnival rides, um Action Bronson always co-headlines.
01:10:11
Speaker
Larry June was the headliner this year. Ryan Selcius plays a lot of crazy artists come through. and yeah I know Jerry from ah the Puffco scene. and um He's just a sweet, amazing guy. i yeah I wouldn't have had such an easy time this year at Puffcon if he hadn't come through. He yeah he was really clutch, came through and helped me out with a lot of stuff. and yeah yeah Yeah, he's a good kid. He's an amazing guy. Just really positive, upbeat, good energy, you know? Like, yeah unintentionally, you're around him and it's like a gas station, you know? It's just awesome. Love that. We need, we need everyone needs a Jerry in their life. Yeah, no, Jerry and all of you guys in the the Puff, the big Puffco energy, all you homies in the Discord, love you guys. You're the best.
01:11:02
Speaker
maybe Maybe that's going to be the name of this episode is, find yourself a Jerry. That wouldn't be a bad one. Jerry is awesome, dude. Such a good kid. Well, with that, we have we have reached the the end of our ah end of our time here.
01:11:22
Speaker
And we have our our final question for you, John. But as you know, you and you being a a previous guest, you have answered our ah our traditional final question. So um we have prepared a special final alternate final question for you. So Dave, would you like to fulfill your role as this podcast's James Lipton and ask our final question?
01:11:46
Speaker
Why, yes, I would. So our new final question, since you've already answered our standard final question during your first appearance, we have prepared a new one for you. If you could, in an official capacity, collaborate with any IP or brand to put your spin on a fan favorite character as a toy, what character would it be, and how would you tackle the project?
01:12:10
Speaker
Okay. Well, hold on a second. Since I used my normal face for the last episode and the last time that we have to same thing, conversely use an alternate face for this. All right. There it is. three Um, you know what? Ninja Turtles. I mean, you know, like um outside the obvious, but if we're talking just movie life, dream status, Ninja Turtles, dude.
01:12:35
Speaker
party with Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird all day long. That would just be the top of Everest for me. It would just be working with ah and on any kind of license capacity for the turtles. We're like, you know what, John? We love dollar slice. We dig your aesthetic. We dig your vibe. Here's our boys. Go ham. You know that dude, if I was going to write a script for life on what I want and how it should go and like one of the best scenes of the movie,
01:13:05
Speaker
Yeah, that would definitely be like there. You know what? Kevin Eastman would even call me directly on my cell, not even email. They went to all the trouble to get my phone number and called me directly. That's, yeah, that happens. Let's, let's like make it real. Well, listen,
01:13:26
Speaker
And you you know you know this as as well as anyone else that's listening to this. Right now seems like the time where anybody and their mother and their mother's best friend and their mother's best friend's niece and their mother's best friend's niece's school teacher can make licensed turtles. So if there is any time for DSB turtles to happen and be real life, now now is the time. Yeah. You know, you might be onto to something there. you're You're right. I didn't even think about that.
01:13:54
Speaker
Yeah, I feel like that's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or like the brand agnostic toy at this point. Yeah. ah just Just about, I mean, literally just about every major company has made turtles within the past two or three years with the exception of like McFarlane.
01:14:13
Speaker
Well, I mean, there we go. Like you heard it here, Kevin. Give me a call, dude. I'm waiting. and I'm not going to hit you up. It's got to work out. Like I wrote it in the script. Give me a holler. Look me up, dude. You can find me. It's okay. I'll be waiting. So also movie life. If Kevin Eastman, if you're listening to Adventures in Collecting, first of all, I'm so happy you found us. i Thank you. Hi. i Love your work.
01:14:39
Speaker
but also big fans, but also reach out to John DSB turtles for a four L DSB turtles. Um, yeah. All right. So with that, John, before we let you go and you know, let you get more hashtag DSB turtles, hashtag DSB turtles. There you go. Um, before we let you go, remind our followers, our listeners, where can they find you online? Uh, where can they follow what you're up to? And, uh, and, and where can they, they, uh, they reach out to you. All right.
01:15:09
Speaker
So I'm just old school. I got my Instagram, my name, dollar slice bootlegs with underscore but between each word. Um, that's, that's pretty much where I'm at. That's, that's where everything gets announced. That's where, uh, you find out about what's coming out or who I'm working with. Um, I've got a tick talk, but it's pretty much mainly my dog and me like just being a dumb ass. Uh, let's see.
01:15:37
Speaker
I think mainly, yeah, I just have my Instagram. That's that's my main source. I just keep it simple. There isn't really too much else out there to promote on at the moment that I like to use. There we go. And we'll make sure we put a link to that ah in the show notes in the description.
01:15:56
Speaker
So that way you can click and or tap, click, tap wherever you're watching or listening. Um, and, and get right to John's, uh, amazing Instagram page. One of obviously one of our favorite follows. Um, John, it has been an absolute pleasure as always chatting with you today. yeah Thank you. Um, thank you for taking the time. We're, we're so excited to see all of the, uh, the things that you're working on. And, you know, it's been, it's been amazing watching.
01:16:22
Speaker
you know watching your evolution and and kind of your success over the years since we started doing this and i do thanks so much yeah i really i appreciate that a lot like before we go i gotta put them fifty six as well you know on the i g machine fifty six also machine fifty six dot com head over there sign up with the newsletter we don't spam yet but you'll know when these helmets are coming out you'll know when the clothes are coming out And it just gives you a leg up on any of the releases they put out. Also, go follow the Type 6 format through Machine56. The toy company, Juris, is just killing it. Go give Puffco a follow as well. Follow PuffconLA. I'll be there again for 2025. It's invite only, and I think I'm going to be there every year until they don't have me anymore. So I know this coming year I have a live event we're doing with Ryan Fit Glass, and it will be ah pretty bonkers.
01:17:19
Speaker
So also give them a follow up, and yeah. Awesome. Dave, ah it's it's that time. Send us home. Yeah. Go ahead, everybody. Find yourself a Jerry. Find do yourself a Jerry.
01:17:36
Speaker
Thank you, dear listener, for hanging out with us today. Subscribe, rate, and review us wherever you listen, and then tell your friends to do it. Thanks also to Joe Azari, the golden voice behind our intro. Our music is Game Boy Horror by the Zombie Dandies. Find more about them both on our show notes.
01:17:52
Speaker
Follow us on social media at AIC underscore podcast on Instagram and Twitter. Stop by and say hi. Show us your toy hauls and share your toy stories. Maybe we'll talk about it in a future episode.
01:18:08
Speaker
don't try this at home vowa prohibited in some assembly required each sold separately not a flying toy consult a physician if your toy run exceeds more than four hours
01:18:16
Speaker
This has been a non-productive media presentation. Executive producer, Franca Blaui. This program and many others like it on the Non-productive Network is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives license. Please share it, but ask before trying to change it or sell it. For more information, visit non-productive.com.