Ask Futurama Star Billy West About...?

In case you haven't heard, Futurama is coming back — in like 2008, so don't go channel-flipping in hope quite yet. This is the first interview Billy West (who voices Fry, Prof. Farnsworth, Zapp Brannigan, Zoidberg, and other Futurama characters) has done since the announcement. Realize, too, that Billy has also been the voices of Ren and Stimpy and hundreds of other animated characters over the years, and old-school Howard Stern fans will remember that part of his career, too. Ask Billy about anything you like; we'll send him 10 top-moderated questions (and maybe he'll answer a few extra ones of his choice, too). We expect to post his answers Wednesday, the day after Freedom Day's 21st Century predecessor, the 4th of July (which, sadly, is not known for nude hot tub parties). Meanwhile, to tide you over, here's a little MP3 voice montage Billy did in his home studio just for Slashdot.

Re:Futurama Flavored Humor

[Ithika]

I'm a nerd and appreciate the N-NP references

Each to their own I suppose. I appreciated the P-NP references.

"in like 2008"

[grub]

Like really? Like that'd be like cool when it like returns...

oh man Billy West

[I_Jonny_I]

not that I knew who the voice guy for all my favorite cartoon characters was. But really, you must get some mad pussy with your Zoidberg voice.

Hank vs. Billy

[Lev13than]

In a cage match of you vs. Hank Azaria, who would win? How about your characters vs. Hank's characters? What if it was in jello instead of a cage?

Re:Eek 404!

[Roblimo]

Works fine fore me - Flash Player 7, Ubuntuthreefour Gnuf/Lunix, FarFox 1.5.0.4.14159265 or whatever the heck it is.

- Robin

Grandma lovin'

[MooseTick]

Have you ever personally traveled back in time and had sex with your grandmother?

If so, how was it?

My question for Billy

[MechaShiva]

When you say you recorded that mp3 in your studio, did you mean answering machine?

Re:Well...

[Tackhead]

> Leela or Amy?

The correct answer is "1", unless you meant "XOR", in which case the answer is "0", and you can bite my shiny boolean ass.

Re:Getting in the Biz

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a rough business...

Oftentimes, the only way to get a break is to have phone sex with the producer.

da-da-da-da-dumped?

[Anonymous Coward]

have you ever been dumped because your partner was irriated by you using your excessive character voices?

or, have you been approached by someone due to your voice talent?

do you take requests?

[mothoc]

Do you take requests from people to have you say something in a character's voice? For example, if someone asked you to say, "Good news everyone! We've been hired to deliver this giant mutant octopus to Hentai 9, the schoolgirl planet" in the voice of Professro Farnsworth, would you consider it?

Re:PLEASE read his FAQ first

[_Sprocket_]

Bad news, everyone....

It's Flash-laden. That's right... it's a suppository.

Y'all need to get out more.

[mcmonkey]

I don't want to sound like a snob but I wonder if Futurama suffers from being too genre or personality specific. Does it target only graduate level people with its nerdy humor?

I've heard/seen such references to Futurama before, and I can only wonder, what the heck are you talking about?

I love Futurama; I laugh at Futurama; I'm exciting there will be more Futurama. But I would never describe Futurama as "intellectual" or "graduate level" humor.

Due to the setting--1000 years in the future--Futurama has a lot SciFi/advanced technical gadgetry references, but those are often along the lines of the Smell-O-Scope. Most of it is intellectually-acceptable potty humor. And I mean that in a good way.

Futurama is around the same nebulous region inhabited by Mel Brooks movies. Certainly funny stuff, but if you consider that high-brow humor, you need a brow lift.

I think Futurama is great, but I don't use it as a crutch to boost my ego. When you discuss your appreciation of Futurama as if it's some advanced skill, you don't sound like a snob. You sound like an idiot.

Re:oh man Billy West

[dr_dank]

Oh yeah, just like Leonard Nimoy did when he wore his spock ears out to the bars.

Re:Save Me From Myself

[Teese]

Of all the characters you've played, which one is your favorite?

Why do people always ask that?

My question: Of all the characters you've played, which one do you use the most when sitting on the toilet?

Re:oh man Billy West

[Anonymous Coward]

and exclaiming "Whoop-oop-oop-oop!" during orgasm ensures a call-back

Re:Save Me From Myself

[dr_dank]

My question: Of all the characters you've played, which one do you use the most when sitting on the toilet?

Zoidberg. There can be no other.