97 replies to this topic

[itsamike]

1.  Were you a fan of the comic prior to this job or did you just stumble across a good job that you can voice?  (What I mean is did you collect muscles and stuff when you were younger).

I'd never heard of Kinnikuman before I walked in for the audition. They already knew me from bit parts in Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh. Now, of course, I can't get enough Meat collectibles!

2.  If you can not promote or talk much about the company and cartoon, are you allowed to go to Muscle con 2003 and tell people you are Meat without breaking somekind of contract?

I'd ask for, and I hope get, permission to speak freely.

3.  What can you tell us about upcoming events?  Anybody die?  Is that one guy who lost to Ramen man ever coming back?  Where is Jade?  Is there going to be any kind of Zebra man? (he is my fav).

Nothing. Sorry. That's a contractual thing. :-X Besides, while I have an entire script before me, I only see video for my lines, and those immediately surrounding them. I see the produced episodes the same time you do.

4.  Can you give us a hint on how much an Ultimate muscle voice over would get paid?  Just curious.

Nope. Also a contractual thing. but I can say that it's more than minimum wage. Quite a bit more.

Hope that helps a little, anyway.

--Mike

[itsamike]

also, did they ask you do meat in an oldman voice or did you just think it would be funny?

They wanted a Burgess-Meredith-in-Rocky kind of voice. My audition actually ended up sounding more like Ralph Kramden, which they liked. The voice eventually settled into what you hear now.

I never heard the female Meat voice until a few episodes in. I laughed long and hard when I heard the original.

--Mike

[jkaris]

I never heard the female Meat voice until a few episodes in. I laughed long and hard when I heard the original.

--Mike

Niesei!

[Wraith]

ar any of the voices your "normal" voice? or do you always have to change it?

[Warsman]

I don't think this a in yer contract (i really hate hounding ya like this ,but)
how many episodes in season 1?

some say
52
others 24
personally i hope for 36~54

[itsamike]

ar any of the voices your "normal" voice? or do you always have to change it?

The generic promo voice is closest to my real one, except for the "high energy" delivery.

For a free sample, call my voicemail at 1 888 688-9993. That's me reading the generic greeting.

--Mike

[itsamike]

I don't think this a in yer contract (i really hate hounding ya like this ,but)
how many episodes in season 1?

No problem. As far as I know, there are 52 episodes.

--Mike

[EVOM]

Hey Mike, what got You started in the "biz" of doing voices anyway, was it a hard career for You to get into?

[itsamike]

Hey Mike, what got You started in the "biz" of doing voices anyway, was it a hard career for You to get into?

I started in Radio, spending my formative years in Upstate New York. Other employment opportunitues led me to a radio syndication gig in NYC. I'd always been doing voices of some kind at my radio jobs, but I had the urge to expand, so I answered an ad in Backstage magazine for an animation voiceover. I was hired, that was my first experience with anime.

I answered another ad that turned out to be for Pokémon. Eric Stuart, director and voice actor extraordinaire, hired me, liked my work and then had me audition for another bit part in Yu-Gi-Oh.

When 4Kids leased the Fox Box time, they needed a whole lot of parts filled. Eric called me to audition for Muscle. I read a bunch of characters and ended up getting Meat. Just being around 4Kids also got me the promo voice thing, and other roles in Kirby, Fighting Foodons and Ultraman Tiga.

See more stuff at My Webpage.

--Mike

[Wraith]

what are all the characters you do? sorry but now you got me interested.

[jkaris]

what are all the characters you do? sorry but now you got me interested.

See more stuff at My Webpage.

--Mike

[Wraith]

ok i did

[arforbes]

Wow, so many questions I had have beed asked and answered already by the rest of the board. I'm sure I'll think of something though. This is great that we have someone "famous" on the boards!!!

Sweet!!!

[SeiferA]

1st of all, newbie in the house. What's up everybody? Now then, to the topic.

Mike, I'd go and worship the ground you walk on like some people, but I'd rather give a polite hand shake...if I could anyway ^ ^

I'll give you my honest opinion: Your work on Meat is alright. Not perfect, not the worst thing I've ever heard in the world, but it is tolerable and even funny at times. I give you a thumbs up at your work (And probably at your other works as well as soon as I actually CHECK your website).

Give my compliments to Mark, if possible. He's perhaps one of the few dub vas I'd actually prefer over the japanese vas (Don't take it personally )

The only question I could possibly ask you is: Do you happen to know how accurate the dub's dialog and story is to the originial japanese dialog and story?

...that and how many people are actually working at 4 Kids in the Fox Box division? I mean, from what Im hearing, it seems like every employee gets like 3 to 4 jobs with various shows in the Fox Box...

[itsamike]

I'll give you my honest opinion: Your work on Meat is alright. Not perfect, not the worst thing I've ever heard in the world, but it is tolerable and even funny at times. I give you a thumbs up at your work (And probably at your other works as well as soon as I actually CHECK your website).

You can't please everyone. The folks who pay me like what I do, so I've gotta make them happy first.

Give my compliments to Mark, if possible. He's perhaps one of the few dub vas I'd actually prefer over the japanese vas (Don't take it personally )

Will do. And I'll live.

The only question I could possibly ask you is: Do you happen to know how accurate the dub's dialog and story is to the originial japanese dialog and story?

I never get to see the original translation, or speak to the writers, but I'd guess 75%-85% is accurate to maintain the storyline, the rest is modified for comedy, cultural, topicality or similar reasons.

...that and how many people are actually working at 4 Kids in the Fox Box division? I mean, from what Im hearing, it seems like every employee gets like 3 to 4 jobs with various shows in the Fox Box...

Oh, about half of them! There must be at least 75 staffers at 4Kids doing a variety of jobs, and at least 50 voice actors in the talent pool.

--Mike

[RubzOne]

Hey guys I gotta tell you somethin... I went out drinkin last night and got super hammered, woke up at 10am with a serious hangover (I never wake up this early. Ever.) BAM! I turn on the tv and the channel and guess what was on? Ultimate Muscle! This is the first time I have seen it and I gotta say... seeing this cartoon really brought back alot of memories of my MUSCLE days.... finally kids have voices to the faces unlike us when the toy line was introduced. Mike you did a great job with Meat, and I'm totally pumped for the new toyline. I have a couple of capsule figures of from the Second Generation series and I always thought that weird chess piece guy was lame looking, but I just saw all the cool stuff he can do this morning on the cartoon and I am totally pumped for all the characters, I finally get to hear what they sound like and that's more that any of us ever had. We just collected MUSCLES with passion and we didn't know why. Now I have a reason to complete my collection.

Johnny I promise I will take those pics this week and we will be talkin bidness Much love to all those on the board and to future members. It's a great time for Muscle.

BTW, Mike, I am getting a tattoo of the Kanji for Meat on the back of my neck. The same one that Muscleman wears on his forehead. No I'm not a weirdo stalker, I have been planning this for quite awhile, check out our tattoo thread Peace out

[itsamike]

Mike you did a great job with Meat, and I'm totally pumped for the new toyline.

Well, bless your heart!

Mike, I am getting a tattoo of the Kanji for Meat on the back of my neck. The same one that Muscleman wears on his forehead. No I'm not a weirdo stalker, I have been planning this for quite awhile

Excellent. I'll have to give that suggestion to the toy licensing people: Temporary tattoos!

--Mike

[AK of Troy]

Well, it is good to have a VA on the MB. And while the dub is pretty much god awful in script and directing, nobody can doubt the talent of the VAs. I think the voice acting is great and while you have to wonder what kind of moron would decide to give a 25 year old nerdy midget alien a "Rocky's trainer" voice, I can't say anything bad about the actual performance. So good work, Mike.

A lot of people are asking him dumb questions though. If you want to know the future plot, just ask on the MB and I'll answer. How would a VA know? Also, 4Kids doesn't create the show, it is actually Japanese(some people don't seem to realize this) So just ask these questions to people who watch and read the Japanese versions. And I can also tell you about the poor translation of the series too. Do you know that they changed almost all the bad guys' names(except Sunshine, Kevin Mask and Checkmate) despite the fact that they were all in English to begin with?

Also, about how many eps for season 1, I answered this before. There are less than 50 eps in Japan so obviously season one will not be 50 eps. Gerenally an American season is 24 eps so that seems about right to me.

The one question I want to know, which I doubt Mike can answer is. (Maybe he can ask someone at 4Kids) I'm not sure but I heard rumors that Kin 2 isn't doing so well in Japan right now and I wonder whether it is successful so far in the US, and enough so that they would continue making episodes in Japan because of profits in the US market.

[Warsman]

yea the Voice actors on Ultimate muscle are great.
I mean i watched a episode of DBZ and the Voice actors didn't put any emotion into the script.

then again i've watch some of the japanese episodes and saw the turn stuff before they edited alot outta of it.

Too the Voice actors of U.M.!
Cheers ,
Tilt one back with me.

[M.u.s.c.l.e. God]

Whoa, I take a break from reading the boards and look what happens. Welcome Mike, thanks for visiting the boards and answering our questions. So far I've taped all the episodes and for the most part I like it. I like the voices and the animations. I don't like how they changed some of the names... (dork dork Van dork???? what the heck?). The farting and stuff is too much even for me. Overall I'm very happy they brought the cartoon here.
I like Meat's voice, I always thought of him with a old gruff voice... irony=funny! Kid muscle, Van dork and assorted bad guys are done right as well.
Anyway I hope you can get some of your co. workers to read our ideas, praises and complaints.

[itsamike]

while you have to wonder what kind of moron would decide to give a 25 year old nerdy midget alien a "Rocky's trainer" voice, I can't say anything bad about the actual performance. So good work, Mike.

Uh, thanks?

The one question I want to know, which I doubt Mike can answer is. (Maybe he can ask someone at 4Kids) I'm not sure but I heard rumors that Kin 2 isn't doing so well in Japan right now and I wonder whether it is successful so far in the US, and enough so that they would continue making episodes in Japan because of profits in the US market.

I'll try to ask, but I can't promise they'll have info.

--Mike

[itsamike]

Tilt one back with me.

GULP!

--Mike

[itsamike]

I don't like how they changed some of the names... (dork dork Van dork???? what the heck?).

No, no! It's Dik Dik Van Dik!

A dik-dik is a miniature antelope with a pointed snout, large eyes and a duiker-like head.

I like Meat's voice, I always thought of him with a old gruff voice... irony=funny!

Thanks!

Anyway I hope you can get some of your co. workers to read our ideas, praises and complaints.

I'll do my best!

--Mike

[Krangala]

Do you know that they changed almost all the bad guys' names(except Sunshine, Kevin Mask and Checkmate) despite the fact that they were all in English to begin with?

You mean that guy's name WASN'T "Pumpinator"???

I never woulda known.......

or that his grandpa's name WASN'T "Shockodile"

[doc_moore_j]

Ahh dik dik's are cute