Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Interview with Blogger Buddy: Great White Snark, Part 2

Click on the hyperlink if you missed out on Part 1 of this geeky interview.

Quest: How do conferences play a role in your life? Is this a lifestyle?
- WonderCon
- Comic-Con International 2007
- Alternative Press Expo
- Maker Faire 2006


Mr. Snark: Geeks don't have conferences, they have conventions. And they're my best opportunity to geek out and gather blog fodder.

And, yes, conventions do involve a "lifestyle." Specifically, a costume culture. But the only time you'll ever see me dressed up as Wolverine or as a Klingon will be on the losing side of a drunken bet.

Quest: Why do you know so much about Finland?

Mr. Snark: Easy. I have exactly one Finnish friend. And everything he doesn't tell me, I make up. That adds up to a lot of information. For instance, did you know that Finland was once the biggest exporter of ketchup?

Quest: No. I didn't. (pause) Even in your relative geekdom you do spring upon some relatively hip blogs like BoingBoing, YesbutNobutYes blog, and TMZ.com. Would you say you're keeping finger on the pulse of celebrity and hipness as well as geekdom?

Mr. Snark: Being a geek and being hip are not mutually exclusive. I think you're mistaking me for a nerd.

Quest: Don't Geeks forgo social lives as well? Aren't they equally anti-social?

Mr. Snark: Nope, common misconception. Some geeks are quite nerdy, but many are high-functioning, social beings who are not only devilishly handsome and intelligent, but also irreverently charming. But enough about me.

I don't follow celebrity news beyond what I need to make disparaging jokes about starlets with drug problems. 'Cause ragging on Paris Hilton is something everyone can get on board with.

Quest: I've noticed you speak about hipsters in your blog. Care to explain how they popped up in your geek/nerd radar?

Mr. Snark: Since I live in San Fransisco, it's hard not to run into hipsters. And then subsequently laugh and/or vomit. They're basically the next-easiest target after 1) Paris Hilton 2) Britney Spears and 3) anyone in the Bush Administration when I need a quick-and-dirty joke.

Quest: And you mention Patton Oswalt, a powerhouse comedian-- his explanation of hipsters (video)--in your blog. Any other comedian's that strike your fancy?

Mr. Snark: My fancy is struck by comedians on a pretty regular basis, although I'm pretty consistently a fan of the Comedians of Comedy: Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis, Brian Posehn. And that was before I knew they were all comic book geeks. I think I must have a pretty refined geek-dar.

Quest: Who is Joss Whedon? Why are his entertainment-related pursuits so important to you?

Mr. Snark: Oh, dear. You really are naïve in the ways of geekiness, aren't you? Joss Whedon is best-known as the creator of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly. He is himself a big geek who has created a lot of happiness for geeks everywhere with his work.

He's like Jesus for geeks, but with less of the crucification and resurrection stuff. Similar humility, though.

Quest: You mention, "...Tuesday, August 21, was almost the fourth best day of my life. Right behind the days that I lost my virginity, got accepted to grad school, and maybe, possibly made eye contact for a brief second with Veronica Mars." Care to elaborate on the first three? (LOL)

Mr. Snark: 1) No, 2) self-explanatory, and 3) I have these two stalker-ish photos of Kristen Bell from a panel at Comic-Con where--if you squint in just the right way--it looks like she's checking me out. It's very exciting stuff.

Quest: What celebrities or Mini-celebrities or Mini-geek-celebrities have you run into in the blogosphere?

Mr. Snark: As the profile of the blog has grown, I've had the chance to meet some really cool folks from the geek domain. For instance, I have an upcoming interview with Stephen Lindsay, the dude who wrote the critically-acclaimed Jesus Hates Zombies graphic novel, which sold out its first print run in less than a week.

Quest: What's your astrological sign?
Mr. Snark: I'm a Virgo. Usually that's a pretty lame pick-up, but it's kind of working for you. Well done.

Where do you see this blog taking you? Do you foresee any long term goals in future Snarkdom?

Mr. Snark: Since there's very little hope for a snarky blog about geeky stuff getting me laid, I'll instead shoot for enough notoriety to land some sweet geek-celebrity interviews.

Quest: Thanks for doing this, Mr Great White Snark. Thank you for letting us usurp whatever time you had allocated to geek-out in exchange for this interview. Thank you for letting us peak into the world of all things geeky. We hope to see more coverage of geekdom in your blog.

And dear Quest reader, I encourage you to check out Great White Snark's blog for a fabulous story about his uncle, FedEX, and whale-watching--a truly unusual and compelling story.


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6 comments:

Cynthia Badiey said...

I swear I hadn't read Part II when I commented in Part I about GWS being "devilishly handsome." How was I to know that he was going to use that phrase in refer to himself?

Great interview, Lucy. Really enjoyed it.

Matt said...

Ahh, I'm a big fan of Firefly and Comedians of Comedy references. Fun, entertaining interview!

Jack Payne said...

I like your sense of humor.
I was particularly impressed by the laugh / vomit option.

And, as a Finn, you have enlightened me about something I didn't know about my native people: Finns and Ketchup.

Thanks for a delightful tour through Geekdom.

Gary said...

Heh, cool interview, very entertaining. Im not really sure which category I would put myself in, a geek or a nerd, possibly a bit of both.

Lucy Dee said...

cynthia w. gentry - Ahhh. I can only put two and two together to come up with the sum being "you are Great White's significant other." Welcome! And thanks for the compliment. It means a lot coming from another established writer. Best of luck with your publications. (Although, it seems you don't need my help. You're already very established.) You two kids have fun!

matt - glad you liked it, matt! In that case, come back again! There's a slew of interviews coming your way!

jack payne - thanks, jack. Sense of humo(u)r is important in this comedy business. I was new to the connection between Finland exports and ketchup as well.

gary - glad you enjoyed the interview. I waiver between geek and nerd myself. You have to be a bit of a geek in order to keep up a blog. Come back and visit again real soon!

Cynthia Badiey said...

Hmmm. I'm afraid your mathematical skills leave something to be desired, Lucy. My husband and 2-year-old would be quite surprised to find out that Great White Snark was my S.O. ;-) Especially since GWS is a good friend of said hubby. :-D (OK, enough with the emoticons.)

I'm merely trying to sing GWS praises so that the females out there come to their senses and see what a catch he is.