The Bandwagon Runs Over Eric The Fred

[EricTheFred]

I think I might as well throw one of these out there as well. I've learned some interesting things from the others, so why not?

I'll do a quick Q&A of my own, and then open the floor for questions.

Why are you Eric The Fred? Is your name Eric or Fred?
Both, sort of. My name is Eric Fretheim. Growing up, I often received the nickname "Fred" from my last name (which is pronounced Fret Hime or Fred Hime). And as a Norwegian American I was brought up revering Norse heroes like Eric the Red. So when it came time for an online name, I called myself Eric the Fred.
(Once upon a time, I used 'Long Tall Texan', but that was before CAA, and a lot of other Long Tall Texans are out there.)

Why are you so clueless sometimes?
That goes with being the parent of teenagers (well, one teen, one pre-teen, and a teen nephew who lives with us.) I also have a couple dogs and lots of fish.

What's an old guy like you doing reading manga and watching anime?
I'm a comic book and animation nut from way, way back. As such, I enjoyed some of the early American exposure to anime like Speed Racer, Galaxy Express 999 (the cinematic release in the early 80's), the Last Unicorn, etc. And I watched more than a little early fan-distributed anime, being first exposed to it at 'Star Trek' and 'Comic Book' cons. (At these, I had my first encounter with 'fan subs': VHS tapes with photocopied handouts of the English translation)

I fell out of touch somewhere along the way, because when I became a married man and a parent I was supposed to be 'grown up'. But when my kids started into anime and manga, I began previewing their selections, and discovered I still enjoyed the stuff. I decided, to heck with adulthood (at least in this one respect) and went back to being a fan.

Why are you online so much?
I have severe health issues that leave me working from home a lot, and taking breaks a lot. Although I have done a lot of writing and composing, if I could concentrate on these, I could be doing my work. So, when I am taking breaks, I do less brain-straining activities like cruise my forums. (Or start 'Who's Who' threads, I suppose.)

Where else are you on the web?
I have some of my fiction at Writing.com

I also occasionally drop into the Megatokyo forums.

Someday, my own website, "Rainobe.com" (with some help from Esoteric) will be up and running. This will require an upturn in my health condition, I suspect.

What exactly is your health condition?
Well, it starts with being a hopeless old fogey with ADHD. However, according to the crack team of medical experts who have gathered around my case, I am simulataneously suffering from Crohn's Disease and Fibromyalgia (the later is a recent addition. I've been suffering from it for a long time, but for much of it, the doctors have been assuming the symptoms were somehow related to Crohn's.) I've also had a number of polyps removed, and I don't care to describe that in any greater detail.

Okay, now it's time for your questions:

[Phantom_Sorano]

1. What are some of your favorite childhood past times?
2. What person do you idolize the most?
3. Give us a unsung talent of the great Eric the Fred.
4. What's it like to be so awesome?
5. Have you ever had a cult following to your greatness?
6. If yes, where can one sign up?

[rocklobster]

1. favorite writers?
2. Favorite anime?
3. Favorite actors/actresses?

[Kung_Fu_Master]

Favorite Movie?

[Kaligraphic]

Paper or plastic?

Pillage or plunder?

Do you own a longboat?

The Earth has been invaded by a hunomgous insectoid alien menace. What five giant robots do you dispatch to save all of humanity?

Would you enlist in a spaceborne navy if you knew that you would be assigned to a ship captained by Justy Ueki Tylor?

[EricTheFred]

1. What are some of your favorite childhood past times?

Reading, Fishing and Biking.

2. What person do you idolize the most?

My father. It is really awesome to me that a kid born on an Iowa corn farm who went to school in a one-room schoolhouse during the Great Depression managed to make his way all the way to Harvard to earn a Master of Science degree. Pretty much everything I've done in my own life just pales in comparison.

3. Give us a unsung talent of the great Eric the Fred.

Ironically, I'm told I'm a pretty good singer.

4. What's it like to be so awesome?

Not entirely unlike strawberry jam on wheat toast.

5. Have you ever had a cult following to your greatness?

It's important to pretend you don't notice them.

6. If yes, where can one sign up?

They'll find you when the time is right.

1. favorite writers?

William Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Robert Heinlein, C.S. Lewis, Larry Niven, JRR Tolkien, Fuyumi Ono, Kouhei Kodono, CJ Cherryh, Ursula K Leguin, Madeleine L'Engle. (I read a lot!)

2. Favorite anime?

Tough one. I can't narrow it to one title. The short list probably changes every time I try to make one. Today, I'll say Noein, Boogiepop Phantom, Serial Experiments Lain, Tokyo Majin, Noir, Now & Then Here & There, Paprika, Spirited Away.

3. Favorite actors/actresses?

Sidney Poitier, Jimmy Stewart, Alec Guinness, Samuel L. Jackson
Katherine Hepburn,Sigourney Weaver,Angela Lansbury

Favorite Movie?

Oooh, toughie... probably African Queen, but I'm also big on The Day the Earth Stood Still (the original, not the recent remake) and Silent Running.

Paper or plastic?

Plastic usually.

Pillage or plunder?

Plunder is far more profitable.

Do you own a longboat?

Only a really tiny one that sits over my fireplace. I own a sailboat, though.

The Earth has been invaded by a hunomgous insectoid alien menace. What five giant robots do you dispatch to save all of humanity?

Eva units 0,1 and 2, Gort and Marvin.

Would you enlist in a spaceborne navy if you knew that you would be assigned to a ship captained by Justy Ueki Tylor?

It would improve my likelihood of enlisting if they could promise it in writing.

[Ante Bellum]

Are you okay?
Do you need a bandage?
Does anything need to be amputated?

[EricTheFred]

Are you okay?

I'm okay, and, for the record, you're okay.

Do you need a bandage?

No, I'll just go into the corner and bleed quietly, so I don't disturb anyone.

Does anything need to be amputated?

Only my personal demons. We're working on it.

[Ante Bellum]

Okay!

[Maokun]

Hey! It's my bandwagon! Stop trying to derail it!

Ninjas or Pirates? (Vikings are not a valid answer, sorry)
Pepsi or Coke? (7up or Mountain Dew are not valid answers, sorry)

[EricTheFred]

Ninjas or Pirates? (Vikings are not a valid answer, sorry)

Vikings are always a valid answer.
But, so are Ninjas.

Pepsi or Coke? (7up or Mountain Dew are not valid answers, sorry)

I'm from Texas! We drink so much Coke here, we use the word as a synonym for "Soda"!

[rocklobster]

1. Have you ever been to Norway?
2. Are you into Monty Python?

[EricTheFred]

1. Have you ever been to Norway?

I've never been to Norway, but I've been to Oklahoma!

My parents, my Dad's brother and sister and several of his cousins have visited our relatives over there a number of times, but I haven't managed it yet. By marrying an Asian, I unintentionally guaranteed that all of my own overseas trips would be across the Pacific instead. My wife wants to go to France and Italy though, so I think we'll get over to Europe eventually.

2. Are you into Monty Python?

Absolutely. In high school, I was part of the bizarre crowd who knew all the lines to Python and thought it was hilarious to gang together to sing the "Lumberjack Song" or the "Philosophers' Song".

[Kung_Fu_Master]

Favorite Potato chip

[Maokun]

If you could live in another time era what would it be? What would you carry from this time era if you'd be allowed only what you can carry on your persona?

[rocklobster]

1. Favorite movies?
2. Do you read comic strips?
3. Favorite superheroes?

[EricTheFred]

Favorite Potato chip

Ruffles.

If you could live in another time era what would it be?

1890s or so. It just looks like a very lively, optimistic time to me. New things being discovered and invented every year. Of course, I admit that if I wasn't the white anglo-saxon protestant male that I am, I might not have the same perception of that time. Things weren't so hot for an awful lot of people who didn't fit that description.

What would you carry from this time era if you'd be allowed only what you can carry on your persona?

Enough gold to get me started. Pretty much everything that you might think of as useful wouldn't really be useful, without the power-grid or the spare parts or such to make it work. I might make sure to take a decent knife or two with me.

1. Favorite movies?

I think I answered this one already!!!

2. Do you read comic strips?

Not as much as I used to. I used to follow just about everything, but I wandered off into the world of webcomics and webmanga and stopped paying attention to anything except Dilbert and occasionally, Over The Hedge.

3. Favorite superheroes?

My all-time favorite is Daredevil. I was also a huge X-Men, Spidey, Ironman and Thor fan back in the day (70s, mostly) and I loved the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in their original comic-book incarnation.

[Phantom_Sorano]

1. Ragnarok....when will be the day?
2. Favorite Norse god?
3. Rimsky-Korsakov.....yes or no?

[rocklobster]

1. Do you like Wagner?
2. Would you hitch a ride with a valkyrie?
3. What video game system(s) do you own?

[EricTheFred]

1. Ragnarok....when will be the day?

Hopefully not this quarter. I'm way behind at work.

2. Favorite Norse god?

Thor, of course.

3. Rimsky-Korsakov.....yes or no?

Definite yes. Capriccio Espagnol is a personal favorite.

1. Do you like Wagner?

Not so much, but I've been fond of "Ride of the Valkyries" ever since I first saw Apocalypse Now. And I do like Meistersinger.

2. Would you hitch a ride with a valkyrie?

Given my current military status (not), I'd be very surprised to find I qualified. Even so, I guess I'd say no thanks and wait for the Lord.

3. What video game system(s) do you own?

A pretty good gaming desktop system and a dodgy PS2. A few months back, a burglar made off with our Wii and our better PS2 (and two flatscreen TVs and a laptop! ARGGGGHHH). We'll be tacking on a PS3 and replacing the Wii somewhere in the coming months.

[Kung_Fu_Master]

Favorite:
1. Action
2. Comedy
3. Scifi (Or Syfy now)
4. Romance
And 5. Drama
series?

[rocklobster]

Let me make a suggestion for that Wii of yours: Boom Blox! Trust me on this one.
1. What was your first anime?
2. Scariest movie you ever watched?
3. Funniest movie you ever watched?

[EricTheFred]

Favorite:
1. Action
2. Comedy
3. Scifi (Or Syfy now)
4. Romance
And 5. Drama
series?

By series I guess you mean TV. Not sure if you mean Anime, LA or both, so I'll give a list for each.


Live Action:

1. Action: Not sure. Maybe "Highlander"

2. Comedy: A Japanese live-action called "Gokusen." There's an anime version too, but its the LA I like.

3. Scifi: "Doctor Who", with "Babylon 5" and "The Prisoner" close behind.

4. Romance: Japanese live-action "Densha Otoko".

5. Drama: "Hill Street Blues" (80s American LA cop show.)


Anime:
1. Action: "Noir"

2. Comedy: threeway tie between "Urusei Yatsura", "Pani Poni Dash" and "School Rumble"

3. Scifi: "Serial Experiments Lain". Large number of 'close behinds', including "Boogiepop", "Noein" and "Dennou Coil".

4. Romance: Although most people don't think of it as a romance, "Noein".

5. Drama: Although most people don't think of it as a drama, "Now & Then, Here & There".

Let me make a suggestion for that Wii of yours: Boom Blox! Trust me on this one.

All game purchases in my household must pass approval by Number One Son (college freshman and video game snob extraordinaire) but I'll pass this on to him.

1. What was your first anime?
I'm pretty sure 'Speed Racer'. However, the first one which I knew was called an 'Anime' was one of the Harlock Universe movies (encountered at a Star Trek con) and I can't for the life of me remember which one it was. I had already seen Galaxy Express 999 at that time (one of the few Anime movies ever to have a general theatrical release in the US) so I know it wasn't that.

2. Scariest movie you ever watched?
I'm going to say 'Psycho'. Closely followed by 'Alien'

3. Funniest movie you ever watched?
Either "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" or "Blues Brothers".

[rocklobster]

1. Favorite comedians?
2. Do you like Shakespeare?

[Maokun]

Has anime, in your long career as connoseisur, improved in the last years or decreased in quality compared to the good ol' times?

[EricTheFred]

1. Favorite comedians?
2. Do you like Shakespeare?

1. Robin WIlliams, Bill Cosby, Tom Lehrer, Emo Philips, Jon Stewart.
2. No as a poet, yes as a playwright.

Has anime, in your long career as connoseisur, improved in the last years or decreased in quality compared to the good ol' times?

Improved in terms of production, declined in terms of originality, with the exception that the last few years have served up some of the most original Sci-Fi scripts in anime history.

[Lilac#18]

Do you have any siblings?

[EricTheFred]

Do you have any siblings?

Lots of 'em. One older brother, two older sisters and one each younger brother and sister. And thanks to having so many siblings, I've got eleven nieces and nephews as well (plus one great-nephew courtesy one somewhat careless niece.)

[Radical Dreamer]

Why are you Eric The Fred? Is your name Eric or Fred?
Both, sort of. My name is Eric Fretheim. Growing up, I often received the nickname "Fred" from my last name (which is pronounced Fret Hime or Fred Hime). And as a Norwegian American I was brought up revering Norse heroes like Eric the Red. So when it came time for an online name, I called myself Eric the Fred.

I don't have any questions, really, but I do have a fun fact:

One day in an art history class, the name "Eric the Red" was mentioned and I sat in my desk and thought, "That must be where that one CAAer got his username! Fascinating!"

XD

[rocklobster]

1. What's your favorite Shakespeare play?
2. What's your favorite Robin Williams movie?