Here’s your chance, web, to ask me any question(s) you want. I’ll answer as best I can, or at least give a valid reason why I won’t answer. Please note, valid reasons may not be valid.
So, ask away, if anyone’s reading. Or don’t. Questions don’t necessarily have to be about me, or about things I might know. Whatever the question, I’ll do my damnedest to answer it.
And…
Go!!
The Annekenstein Monster 
Hi Rob,Do you have an addictive alter ego? Perhaps as a cigarette?
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Hey Chris. While I wouldn't call it an alter ego, it is me who is the cigarette in those TV ads. I'm surprised at how often people comment to me about those ads. Almost daily, someone will say something in reference to them. Maybe I'm becoming addicted to that limited and small “f” fame.
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What's with Debbie Gaudet? Sometimes I think it is a slam against bad female standups… or against comedians who rely on profanity and shock to get a laugh? Lately I am guessing that its more of a performance piece to see how how far you can push the audience and still get them to laugh. Maybe I am overthinking it and aint that the way girls… …
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What's with Debbie Gaudet? Sometimes I think it is a slam against bad female standups… or against comedians who rely on profanity and shock to get a laugh? Lately I am guessing that its more of a performance piece to see how how far you can push the audience and still get them to laugh. Maybe I am overthinking it and aint that the way girls… …
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Garth Brooks or Chris Gaines?
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Good question, Stan. For me, the “slam against bad female standups” is secondary. There are a lot of bad standups, female and male, and I suppose Debbie kind of represents the idea that just because you think you can do standup doesn't necessarily mean you should. (My singer-songwriter Moe Gorman character from season 1 is kind of about the same thing, so maybe I have a point I'm trying to make?)While she is very vulgar, I don't think Debbie Gaudet relies on profanity and shock to get laughs (whether or not I do can be debated, perhaps). Vulgar and profane is just who she is and she's using the standup setting as her personal therapist's office. I don't even know if Debbie thinks she's funny, or whether it (comedy) is important to her. I suspect she doesn't give a fuck.In all honesty, I wrote the monologue in a very short time, under the idea that I would bring it to a writer's meeting, read it, get some laughs and then be done with it forever. However, Debbie seemed to touch people in some weird way (perhaps her honesty and oblivious naivety?), and I had to be talked into putting her in the show. I was very scared to perform her the first time because I thought there was a real chance i'd get booed off the stage. Most people, however, seem to love Debbie Gaudet. That makes me happy.
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Very early Garth Brooks. Never Chris Gaines.
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If you could pick your own name and it can't be “Rob” or “Robert”, what would it be? What do you think of parents who call their children by their middle names thereby ensuring the child a lifetime of form frustration. i.e. first name, middle initial, last name …won't work for them.
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Did you tape any of the live perfomances of Annekenstein? Have any of the video pieces been transferred to DVD? I am thinking in particular of the Trainspotting spoof… er.. homage. I think your photo on this site is taken from that year's show.
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If I was to pick my own name, there are a couple of ways I could go: I could pick a more traditional name such as Alec, or I could go a bit Superstar and pick one that would really stand out, such as, I don't know: Ampersand. Ampersand MacDonald.As for the parents calling a child by their middle name, yeah that's rough for form-filling-out. Other than for that reason, though, I have not much problem with it. I do find it odd, though, that they'd choose to call someone by the middle name. Kind of makes you think that middle name shoulda been the first name.I think parts of the fifth season of Annekenstein were videotaped. I've not seen any of the footage. None of the video pieces were transferred to DVD, and I suspect they never will. At least not for public consumption.Is it bad that I don't remember the Trainspotting spoof, other than we used the Iggy Pop tune from that movie as our opening music.
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Are you a fan of the NHL shoot out format?
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Yes, I am a fan of the NHL shoot-out format. There's nothing more “meh” than a hockey game that ends in a tie. While it's not perfect, I prefer it to the ending-in-a-tie format. One of the imperfections is that teams seem too willing now to play for the tie in regulation to guarantee a point. That can make a lack-luster end-of-regulation.I wonder if changing the point scoring system would improve things. What if you got three points for a win in regulation, two points for a win in overtime (including the shoot-out), and one point for an over-time loss? Would that extra point encourage teams to try and win in regulation? I'd think so.
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However, I'm not a fan of shootouts in playoffs. In the playoffs, let the teams play until there is a winner.
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