Welcome to our next InterWho (Whovian Interview)..
I had the privilege of interviewing Kevin Gray. Kevin is a life long whovian working with our friends at AM Audio Media on the Doctor Who Dark Journey Series.
Now grab some tea and enjoy our chat with Kevin!
Allons-y!
BBB: Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us about yourself...
KG: My name is Kevin Gray and I am an alcoholic…oh sorry, am I in the wrong place? Ahem…ignore that, let’s start over. I’m Kevin Gray, I am a fan of science fiction and horror, although there’s not much of the latter around anymore, well…not scary horror. I also have a slight fondness for music. And since I really like synthesizer music, especially analog-type stuff, Doctor Who was always a perfect fit! The Doctor Who theme has always been one of my favourite pieces of music. I used to be a DJ (wasn’t everyone?) and I went by the name of DJ Krynoid. I still name my remixes with that moniker. When I stopped DJing (doesn’t everyone?) I focused more on making my own noises. I like to remix and re-edit songs and make my own extended versions. When I do, I usually throw in audio clips from movies and shows. I was lucky enough to be on stage with Blue Rodeo a few years back. No, I wasn’t playing, I helped set up the recording gear for the shows. Two magical nights, I’ll tell ya! The recordings were released as a CD/DVD and the DVD won a Juno! My first CD credit (although my named was spelled wrong on the first batch of discs)! Lately, I’ve been focusing on audio productions. I did some comedy skits with my brother and I did audio post on an independent film called Everyday Is Like Sunday (it’s on Netflix - check it out). And now I’m working with AM Audio Media, doing the audio production for series two of Doctor Who: Dark Journey! Series one was a damn fine show, so trying to match that or even top it…is proving to be a hard act to follow! But I’m giving it my all and I think the AM Audio Media gang has brought some (dark) magic to this second series. You can find my website at: www.bigsoundguy.com. It’s still a work in progress, samples of my work will be up soon. If you want some audio work done, you know how to find me!
BBB: When did you first become a Whovian?
KG: I have always been a Whovian! From the day I was born! Well, at least since I was on solid food then? I've been watching Doctor Who for as long as I can remember. My earliest memory of Doctor Who (from what I can remember) is of Pertwee’s Doctor driving the three-wheeler in Day Of The Daleks. I lived in the UK for a number of years when I was young and watching Doctor Who was taken for granted. Of course, there were only three channels to choose from, so the competition wasn’t like it is now. But Doctor Who was a good show, especially in the 70’s. And there was good moral fibre there as well. I like to think that a lot of my good sense came from watching the show and emulating some of the Doctor’s traits.
BBB: What is your favorite Classic Who or New Who episode and why?
KG: That’s hard to say. A hard thing to choose...The Robots Of Death is certainly up there. The Seeds Of Doom too (obviously – watch out for the Krynoid!). I loved The Claws of Axos and Terror Of The Autons, Inferno, The Mind Of Evil, Pyramids of Mars, Pirate Planet, Stones Of Blood, Morbius, Fendahl…I told you this would be hard! And like one or two other people, I got caught up in the hype of Doctor Who returning and because of all the buzz, I really enjoyed the ninth Doctor’s Series 1. It was good TV, Doctor Who or not. Episodes like Blink, Vincent & The Dr. stand out. But as it’s continued, things have become hit and miss…with a little too much of the latter.
BBB: Tell us more about Doctor Who Dark Journey and your part in this fun audio production..
KG: Ooh, I didn’t know there was a question just for that, pretend you didn’t read the above…my part: do all the impossible things Andrew asks of me! Gems like “can you make his robes sound more scarlet”? “Big Ben doesn’t sound big enough”, “we need more baby” and “can you make Andrew sound better?”…Mike and Andrew already had the dialogue recorded when I came on board. It was my job to create the soundscapes and effects and edit the dialogue to fit. The goal is to create a believable environment for our heroes and villains and drop the listener right into the thick of it. And hopefully, at the end, have you begging for more!
BBB: If you could meet just one Doctor Who cast or crew member, who would it be?
KG: A few years ago I would have said without hesitation; Jon Pertwee! But as he has left us I think for my answer now, I'd be a little more practical and say whoever can get me a job on the new series.
BBB: Who is your favourite Doctor and why?
KG: Jon Pertwee...I liked his fatherly attitude towards his companions. He was always teaching them something. And he told it like it was; if someone pissed him off, he let them know. And of course all the James Bond-ness; hovercrafts, mono-copters, motorcycles, jeeps, rockets and BESSIE!!!!...and the way he could wolf down sandwiches (Sea Devils) was impressive too!
BBB: Who is your favorite Villain and why?
KG: Delgado's Master…such a moustache twiddler. Yeah things got silly sometimes, but he could be downright evil and still be charming. That TCE was pretty scary to a young kid! Ainley was a close second…don’t get me started on John Simm! And now we have Missy…an interesting idea, utterly wasted in the story but Michelle Gomez the actor, she seems like a blast! Have you seen her behind the scenes bits? She’d be fun at a party!
BBB: If you could travel with The Doctor in his TARDIS to any time and/or place, where would you like to go?
KG: I was always a fan of the randomizer. Even more so if Romana I was there too...but seriously? Hmm…I’d like to see the future, see if we screw things up or not.
BBB: As we head into Series 9 this year of Doctor Who, what are you hoping to see?
KG: I'm hoping to see some great stories. Stories that rely on substance, not style. I don't need to see stories that originate from "wouldn't it be cool if...", I want a series of good yarns. I want to get goosebumps when the Doctor does something awesome, I want Clara to be the companion, not the boss. And more hovercrafts and mono-copters! Yeah, maybe that’s what’s wrong with the new series…bring back Bessie!
BBB: Is there anything you would like to add before we wrap up this interview (such as conventions you gone to, cast you have met, a collection you have, etc)?
KG: I did attend Visions 93 in Chicago. That was quite an experience. My only “real” convention. It was the thirtieth anniversary year so there were a lot of guests! I met Peter Davison, Colin Baker (really nice guy!), Anthony Ainley (another really nice guy!), John Levene (an awesome guy! Did you know he was a sound guy too?), Sophie Aldred (amazing singer!), Nicola Bryant, Wendy Padbury (what a doll…), Lis Sladen, John Leeson, William Russell, Carole Ann Ford, Anneke Wills and John Nathan-Turner & Gary Downie. There was also non-Doctor who stars too…I had the pleasure of meeting the cat from Red Dwarf; Danny John-Jules. And Jeremy Bulloch, who played some guy named Boba Fett in some small independent film called Star Wars.
“a collection you have”?...well, I do have a few Doctor Who items ever so subtly taking over my house…CDs, records, DVDs and now Blu-Rays. And that’s before we get into…toys! I’m a sucker for Doctor Who figures. From Denys Fisher when I was a kid, to Dapol when I should have been saving, to Product Enterprise, when any saved money left, to Character Options, where dreams came true with Krynoid’s and SV7’s to today with Big Chief, where I need a new better paying job! I did also have Weetabix cut-outs but they didn’t last very long.
Blue Box Balm would like to say THANK YOU to Kevin for participating in our fun whovian interviews!
If you have any questions for Kevin, please leave a post and I will make sure that he stops by to answer them :)
