GEEK PROFILE: DON ROFF

Columnist, Clown in the Moonlight

Found online at

Don Roff dot com







Tell me about your column and your latest projects.

My column is, “Clown in the Moonlight,” which is an excerpt from Lon Chaney’s quote: “There’s nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight.” Having grown up with a love of Lon Chaney (both junior and senior) films, and a perchance for the macabre, and being slightly moronic, it seemed to fit. The column is about literature, film, writing, soundtracks—all of which I obsess over a little too much (just ask my wife).

My latest projects include ghost writing a novel (and potentially another), working on a short film based on a script of mine that will hit the comic-con circuit in 2010, editing an airsoft magazine, and three books coming out this autumn on the subjects of zombies, vampires, and ghosts.

It’s been a busy year.

Who or what are the biggest influences on your work and if you could pick one person to collaborate with dead or alive who would you pick?

The biggest influence of my work, as Flannery O’Connor said, is my childhood. As far as collaboration, I would have loved to work with Jerry Goldsmith: my words, his splendid music.

What album had the most influence on your adolescence?

JAWS soundtrack by John Williams: The first in a long line of soundtracks among my collection; the music that not only excited me, but inspired me to create.

What were your favorite toys or games from your childhood?

That would be a toss-up between Classic GI Joe (Adventure Team), Mego® Superheroes, or Micronauts. I still have all three displayed proudly upon my shelves.

What is your pop culture guilty pleasure? (What movie, TV show, band, etc. do you love that you know is awful, but you love it anyway?)

Oh, too many to choose from. I love crap. But off hand, I’ll say, at least for film, Home Alone. It was the one movie that I defended against the snooty regime of film school. It’s fun, it’s seasonal, and it embodies the Heroic Journey as well as any Homeric verse.

If you could own one piece of artwork by any artist, who would you choose and why?

David by Michelangelo. Might make a nice hat rack. But seriously, who wouldn’t want such a magnificent piece of sculpture?

What are your favorite television shows that you feel ended too soon?

Kolchak: The Night Stalker had only one magnificent season. It would have been great for Season Two to delve more into Carl Kolchak’s personal life (which, ironically, is why Darren McGavin was instrumental in pulling the plug on Season One. He felt that it was just a “monster of the week” show.) It was… and it was great!

Classic Jonny Quest is another one-season wonder that deserved more episodes. The realism and violence are what made it good—and what sealed its short-lived fate.

Who is your favorite super hero?

Throughout my life, I’ve obsessed about Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Captain America, Daredevil, and Metamorpho. But the one I’ve obsessed about the longest is Aquaman. He’s a hero whose true potential has never been fully realized.

Funny, but it was Super Friends in the early 1970s, which began my Aquaman obsession—and he’s the worst version ever! The Mego® Aquaman figure during that era made up for it, though.

If you were to have dinner with 5 people living or dead, who are they and what would you serve?

Alfred Hitchcock, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jerry Goldsmith

Blueberry pancakes and little baby sausages. In addition:

Capers for Hitch; Dandelion wine for Bradbury; cherry Pez for King; milk straight from the carton for Pfeiffer; and fish for Goldsmith (fish always goes well with music).

What fictional character do you identify most with?

This varies according to my physical, emotional, and psychological state from week to week. But right now, and rather consistently, it’s: Joe Gillis (from Sunset Boulevard)

What 5 movies could you watch again and again?

Jaws, Psycho, First Blood, Ed Wood, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

This is cruel—as there are so many, many more.

What book or author do you regularly recommend?

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

What are your favorite web sites?

Blu-ray.com, High-Def Digest, The Digital Bits, Movie City News, CrossFit, Tactical MilSim Magazine, Varese Sarabande

What are you most looking forward to geeking out over in the coming year?

I look forward to my new book, Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection coming out later this autumn. It’s my favorite time of the year and I am eager to see how fans of zombies and horror react.

Hopefully, they buy a few copies.