Mister Bones Interviews

Hello everyone!  We have a treat today, the as promised interview with MOC Pages Moderators Mark Kelso and Chris Phipson.  Mark and Chris recently attended the 2010 Brickworld Convention in Chicago, IL and agreed to be interviewed by Dem Bones.  So let’s get started! (Please feel free to leave any comments at the bottom of this page.)

Mark Kelso:

Chris Phipson:

Mister Bones: Mark, Chris!  Come on in guys, thanks for doing the interview!

Chris: Where is Trisha?

Bones: Um, she is not here, I am doing the interview.

Chris: Oh, well that sucks!

Bones: Ok then, why don’t we get started.  So guys, how long have you been attending Brickworld?

Mark:  This will be my third year with Brickworld.  However, like so many lovers, I like to think that we’ve been one since the beginning of time.

Bones: Lovers?  You and Chris are lovers?

Mark: Um, no, I meant Lego lovers.  Moron.

Bones: Well Chris, what about you?

Chris:  This was my third year, second as a registered attendee. The first year I only came on Sunday… wait, are you stalking me?

Bones: HAHAHA, you wish big boy! What major changes have you noticed over the years at BW?

Mark:  Aside from the fact that Chris Phipson gets more obnoxious with each passing year, I’d have to say that attendance has seen major growth, both with builders and weekend visitors.

Chris: That is true…There’s been a couple of things that have changed over the past few years. For one, it just keeps getting bigger and better every year! The sheer volume of stuff that people bring really blows me away. The other major change is the people… Once Kelso shows up, it’s all downhill.

Bones: What is your favorite part of the BW experience?

Mark: It’s gotta be the people…fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!!!!

Chris: To get the full experience, you really have to be there on non-public days and after hours. I could go on and on but honestly, the best part of BrickWorld for me is the people. If this was just me sitting there behind a table for 4 days and maybe meeting one or two guys who kinda thought Lego was cool, I wouldn’t do it. Wouldn’t be worth my time. For me, it’s all about the interaction with my friends. We make jokes and give each other shit, but without them, BrickWorld wouldn’t be worth it.

Bones:  You are also a moderators at MOC Pages, do you see a lot of MOC Pages members attending?

Mark: We’re seeing more and more MOCpages members each year.  This year, in fact, an entire room will be dedicated almost entirely to MOCpages builders.

Chris: OH HELL YEAH! There was probably about 15 of us there as attendees not to mention the few that showed up just on public days to say hi. One of the great things about BrickWorld is not only seeing the MOCpages guys, but also getting to spend time with builders from other sites like Flickr and Eurobricks.

Bones: That sounds great!  Tell us about your favorite exhibit from this year’s convention.

Mark: I’m gonna have to go with the “nnenn Tribute” supervised by Keith Goldman.  While it wasn’t anything extraordinary in the way of building complexity or scale, it was nevertheless, a great example of the solidarity of our global community.  It’s not uncommon to witness disagreements within various circles of builders on this or that.  But when it came down to something as significant as the loss of a valued and influential member of our community, everyone rallied to show their appreciation for Nate and to say in our own special way that he won’t be forgotten.  It reminded me that we really do have a great group of builders out there in our community, and it was a powerful statement about that community as a whole.

Chris: My favorite was Dave Kaleta’s Batcave and Wayne Manor. The pictures on that thing just do NOT do it justice. It’s something you really have to experience in person. The best way is to get Dave to give you a guided tour or you’re bound to miss something cool. I think next year it’s going to be even better now that he has the lights to light up the interior of the manor. You can’t really see it in the photos, but that thing is FURNISHED people! Just amazing work and TOTALLY deserving of the best Mega-Creation prize this year!

Bones: That Batcave did look great in the photos! Ok, Anything else you wish to add? 

Mark: Yes…I’d like to tell Keith Goldman that his mom says “hello.”

Chris: Why does Mark always get to answer first? Oh, do I have anything to add, well, yes, Ketchup and Mayo.

Bones: Wow, you two are as crazy in person as you are on the Pages!  How about a few final questions?

Mark: No.

Chris: Do we have to?

Bones: Aw you kidders!  These last few questions are the really important ones, so here goes; Why are there so few Lego babes?

Mark: There used to be quite a few, but Brian Kescenovitz accidentally ate them all.

Chris: Lego Babes? Ohhh, you mean 1x5s. Yeah, they don’t exist. Dave Sterling found one in the wild once and was able to lure her in and capture her, but aside from this one anomaly, this species doesn’t exist.

Bones: Doesn’t exist?  I think Heather Bratten and Leda Kat may have something to say about that! Moving on.  Is underwear mandatory at BW?

Chris: Wait, underwear? What’s underwear?

Mark:  No.  However, I would recommend you wear your cup.

Bones: Sounds, strangely disturbing.  Tell us this, what is the best bar in Chicago to talk Lego and down a few cold ones?

Mark: Every bar is the best bar to talk Lego and down a few cold ones!

Chris: The best bar to talk Lego in is The RAM across from the Westin. They’ve been the steady hangout of the BrickWorld crowd for a few years now and know how to handle us. And the beer is AWESOME!

Bones: The RAM?  Well, too bad there are no Lego babes and the guys don’t wear underwear then.  Last question, There was a new MOC Pages guy at Brickworld this year, so tell us, Heath Flor, is he really the drunken pirate he portrays?

Mark: He’s actually a mime, but no one’s supposed to know that.

Chris: I’m not really sure how to answer that question. Were we privy to the presence of the drunken pirate for more than about 47 seconds the entire weekend, maybe I could give you a better response. That dude just wouldn’t sit still for 5 minutes! He was too busy trying to be a Chicago tourist to join in on our special brand of fun. Remind me to smack him next time I see him… if he’s not running off to climb the Sears tower that is.

In closing, Brickworld has become THE biggest and best convention in the world for a reason, the people. Without the awesome group that puts the show together AND the awesome group that attends, it wouldn’t be the show that it is. In closing… BrickWorld FUCKING RULES!

Bones: Well, potty mouth indeed!  Perhaps you missed Heath because you were looking at normal human level, we hear he is something of a midget, smaller than Sean Kenny in fact.  Well, that is all the time we have, I want to thank Mark Kelso and Chris Phipson for taking the time to do this interview, and I will leave you with a parting shot of Mark Kelso’s hotel maid after he left.

A candid shot of Mark and Chris after the doors to the public closed:

Dem Bones Studios will be posting this interview, in edited form, soon on MOC Pages.

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It is time for our weekly interview with Mister Bones!  Once again, here is ace reporter of the Darksylvania News, Trisha Ramstein.

Ramstein: Good Morning ladies and gentlemen, and good morning Mister Bones.   Thank you again for having us in.

Mister Bones: Good Morning Trisha, most welcome.

Ramstein: Today will be our last interview with you for awhile as we have an exclusive interview to do with Chris Phipson and Mark Kelso of MOC Pages.

Mister Bones: Really?  What are you discussing, bathroom strategies?

Ramstein: HAHA, no, nothing like that, I hope.  We will be discussing the 2010 Brickworld convention.

Mister Bones: Excellent, I look forward to reading that, but watch out for Phipson.  Make sure his hands are in plain sight all the time!

Ramstein: I’ll do that.  Now, this week we would like to hear more about the Dem Bones staff.

Mister Bones: Very well.  As I told you before, the staff changed when I became the CEO.  The first person we hired was my cousin, Spooky Bones.  Spooky is the CTO, or Chief Technical Officer.  He does the technical stuff like lighting, and camera work.  He is also the director of Jacked Up Fairy Tales.

Ramstein: Oh yes, we all saw “Snow White”; disturbing, to say the least.

Mister Bones: Yeah, that’s Spooky.  We also hired my niece Lydia Bones to take care of wardrobe and costume design.  She will also do various jobs around the studio that need doing, like bring me coffee.

Ramstein:  Well, a family affair!  Is any of the old staff left from when the studio was called “A Bit of Utter MOCness”?

Mister Bones: Oh yes.  SigBooner is still with us, has to be since he is the SigFig of the president.  He is the head writer and producer.  He doubles as the Dem Bones chef as well.  His daughter, VYB Builder runs her own little studio called “VYB Studios” she specializes in sculptures.

Ramstein:  Interesting.  We heard that you recently hired a new employee.

Mister Bones: Hired?  Um, yeah, hired.  That we did.  Lydia and I went and found my Grandfather, Grandpa Bones, and he agreed to work at the studios as the CAO, or Chief Accounting Officer.  We need someone to watch the budget after all.

Ramstein:  Mister Bones did you actually open up his tomb in a graveyard in the middle of the night?

Mister Bones: No.  It was about 3.30 in the morning.  He was getting bored in there anyway.

Ramstein:  Isn’t it true that Spooky, Lydia and Grandpa all work for free?

Mister Bones: Well, yes, but then so does SigBooner and Fang.

Ramstein: Fang?  Wasn’t that the former CEO?

Mister Bones: The former CEO was named Fang, but this Fang is our security guard…..he’s a dog, monster, rock, thing.

Ramstein: I see.  That is certainly an interesting staff.  So who are the main actors at the studio now, beside you?

Mister Bones: The monsters are all still around and get roles here and there, but the future stars will be a group of my old college buddies that are joining the staff for an upcoming series.

Ramstein: Ah, more free workers Mister Bones?

Mister Bones: You make it sound so bad.  They are, um, volunteers.

Ramstein: I am sure they are.  So who are these poor suckers?

Mister Bones: You are really a little snot today aren’t you?  I do not want to reveal their names until the series begins, but I will tell you one; Mumhotep.

Ramstein: Mumhotep?  Really?  He was a rather large star in the Underworld Theater Company before it was broken up.

Mister Bones: Yeah, bloody do gooder ministers, trying to rid the world of the undead.

Ramstein: Now, now Mister Bones, be nice.

Mister Bones: Why?

Ramstein: Well that is all the time we have today, tune in next week for our exclusive interview with Chris Phipson and Mark Kelso of MOC Pages!

Mister Bones: Sweet, I don’t have to deal with you next week! Now get out!

Now it is time for our weekly interview with Mister Bones.  Here again is ace reporter of the Darksylvania News, Trisha Ramstein.

Ramstein: Good Morning ladies and gentlemen, and good morning Mister Bones.   I see you have the coffee all ready and hey wait, you changed your office.

Mister Bones: Good Morning Trisha, bloody observant of you, yes, we did some redecorating and expanding.

Ramstein: Very nice, you seem to get anything you want Mister Bones, a bigger office, premium coffee, the final say so on Dem Bones productions.  How do you do it?

Mister Bones: HAHA, wow, you are really in an ass-kissing mood today aren’t you?  I do not get everything Trisha, but with over 65,000 Lego pieces, I do get a lot.  If only my creator could build better.

Ramstein: Your creator?  You mean the Dem Bones President?

Mister Bones: Who else would I mean?  He is getting better, but he still has a ways to go before he can even get Mark Kelso’s coffee!

Ramstein: Mark Kelso, he is one of the moderators of MOC Pages and a premier builder.

Mister Bones: Yes, he is all that, and a bit more, you should interview him for the blog.

Ramstein: Maybe we will!  Now, last week you told us a little bit about your background and how you came to be the face of Dem Bones, this week I want to find out what Dem Bones has planned for the future.

Mister Bones: The future holds some interesting ideas.  History 101 will continue with trips back to the Middle Ages and the Golden Age of Piracy.  The Dem Bones Road Trip will have two upcoming episodes, San Francisco and Lake Havasu City, which is in Arizona.  We should get part 2 and 3 of the Atlantia series done and Spooky Bones is working on his next Jacked Up Fairy Tale, he will be abusing the Three Little Pigs this time around.  We should also see some more Monster MOCs and a new Fright Night Prequel.

Ramstein:  Interesting, any new series planned?

Mister Bones: Yes, we are currently writing a new series called “The Purple Diamond”; we hope to have that out this summer.  We are also working on my house.  Currently four rooms are done including this office, with four or five more rooms to go, that is if my lazy assed creator ever gets back to building.

Ramstein:  That does sound interesting; tell us more about the house.

Mister Bones: Well, as I stated, it will be an eight or nine room home, so far, with three bedrooms, my office, a kitchen, a library and a lounge.  The build is being done in modular format so each room can be used separate from the house if so desired.  Then we have to build a foundation to hold the rooms and the hallways as well as the front entrance.  There will also be a backyard.

Ramstein:  Sounds wonderful.  What has been completed so far?

Mister Bones: To date, my office, the kitchen, both on the first floor; as well as Sig Booner’s bedroom and Spooky Bones’ bedroom, those are on the second floor.

Ramstein:  I see, what about bathrooms?

Mister Bones: Bathro…aw crap.  No pun intended.  Yeah, we better plan on putting in some loos.  Especially if the Dem Bones gang stops by.

Ramstein: Ah yes, tell us more about the Dem Bones Gang.

Mister Bones: The Dem Bones Gang came about as a fluke.  There was a chap named Jeff Freela on MOC Pages who listed us as a gang in a joke MOC of his and for some reason it stuck.  As a matter of fact, the gang will be on display at Brickworld in Chicago this year.  Heath Flor, one of the gang, is going to Brickworld and will be featuring us.

Ramstein: You are not going?  That is surprising.

Mister Bones: No, not this year, too much going on in June and July, we are planning on 2011 though.

Ramstein: Sounds like fun, so who else is in the gang?

Mister Bones: The Gang is Heath Flor, Hans Dendauw, Master Shifu Leo J, Leda Kat and, of course, me.  Why they named it the Dem Bones Gang I do not know, but it works.  We added Jeff to the Motorcycle Gang, which is a tad different.

Ramstein: Can we expect any hijinx from the gang anytime soon?

Mister Bones: I can guarantee it Trisha, we might send Leda Face to see that you stole her hair and dyed it red.  Why red anyway?  Looks kind of stupid.  Anyway, we do have reputations to uphold, bad reputations, true, but they are reputations none the less, so you will see some, did you say “Hijinx”?

Ramstein: I did indeed!  So who is the leader of the gang?

Mister Bones: We do not have a leader, we all play our part and sort of do our own thing, we seem to think a lot alike, which is scary, and so we do not need a leader per se.

Ramstein: I see, very diplomatic of you all.

Mister Bones: Um, yeah, sure.  I have a meeting to get to, are we almost done here?

Ramstein: Yes, our time is in fact up.  Thank you again for your time and join us next week bloggers when we will discuss the Dem Bones staff.

 Mister Bones: OK, adios….weirdo.

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Well Ladies and Gentlemen; we have managed to secure an interview with Mister Bones for the blog. (Actually, he had to do it, he’s under contract).  So without further do-do, here is Mister Bones being interviewed by Darksylvania News reporter Trisha Ramstein who is currently on assignment for the Dem Bones Blog.

Ramstein: Good Morning Mister Bones and thank you for allowing me into your office for this interview.

Mister Bones: Good Morning Trisha, no problem at all, glad to have you.

Ramstein: This will be a series of interviews for the Dem Bones Blog, so why don’t we start this one off by you telling us a little bit about how you got started in MOC business.

Mister Bones: Of course.  As you may have read in the opening post on the blog, I first got into MOC business with the old studio “A Bit of Utter MOCness”.  This studio is now called “Dem Bones”.  The same president is in charge, but the staff has changed and I am the CEO at Dem Bones, having replaced the former CEO who passed away in October 2009.  When I first started, I was an extra, but was used primarily as a prop.  I was actually in the first two creations the studio put out.  I was a skeleton in the Darksylvania graveyard in “Fright Night I” and a pirate skeleton in “Pirate’s Treasure Cache”.  Then I was a pile of bones in “The Wolfman Stalks His Prey” and a skull under glass in “Doctor Frankenstein’s Monster”.

Ramstein: Interesting, so who was the star back in the early days?

Mister Bones: There really was not one star, the monsters were the main stars until the Fright Night Series developed and then Allen Bowman and Jane Brickster were the two main stars.

Ramstein: Monsters?

Mister Bones: Yes, Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Wolfman, and The Mummy.

Ramstein: You mentioned Allen Bowman and Jane Brickster.  We have not seen them for awhile, are they still working at Dem Bones?

Mister Bones: Oh yes, we are thinking of bringing back Bowman in the Fright Night series.  The original series was five episodes, then we started a prequel of sorts where he goes to Anaheim, “The Matterhorn” was the first of that, and then the series was shelved while we developed other stories.

Ramstein:  Tell us about your big break, when did you become the star?

Mister Bones: Well that was a fluke really.  I had done a couple of Indiana Jones MOCs as a prop, and had a small role in “Fright Night III”.  Then the CEO at the time, Mister Fang, decided to formally introduce me in “Introducing Mister Bones”, he was thinking of having me host the Monster series.  After that I played the skeleton on the dead horse in “Fright Night IV” and then I played myself in “Fright Night V”, just a brief cameo.  Then they started pushing me into more and more MOCs and when Mister Fang passed away, the President of the studio named me CEO as I was developing some notoriety in the community. 

Ramstein:  HAHA, notoriety huh?  You did have a few risqué MOCs, like “Chillin’ with Mister Bones”. but your break seems to have been the Fright Night series.

Mister Bones: Yes, I would say that started it, but it was not until the History 101 series began that I really found my place.  I was the CEO by then and the President and I came up with the idea of an undead skeleton time traveling through history.  The fact we came up with that little nugget over a bottle of Kettle One probably explains a lot.  The first episode aired in December 2009 as did the first episode of the “Dem Bones Road Trip”.  Both became hits for the studio and the rest is very short history.

Ramstein:  Now there are three episodes of each I believe, as well as the “Atlantia” series and the “Monster Series” re-started.

Mister Bones: Atlantia is something we need to get back to, that was shelved during a competition we became involved in and I think it is time to dust that one off.  The Monster Series never really went away; we did two Ghost Rider MOCs in November 2009, then the Invisible Man in December.  There was a five month lull until “Creature from the Black Lagoon” came out in May 2010 and we have completed “Dracula’s Daughter” which should be up soon.

Ramstein:  I look forward to that.  We are about out of time for now; next week when we sit down we will discuss upcoming projects and the Dem Bones Gang.

Mister Bones: Really? Why?

Ramstein: HAHA, well thank you again Mister Bones, until next week, this is Trisha Ramstein for the Dem Bones Blog.