An Interview with DJ Sloofus

[Ryan O'Hara]

DJ Sloofus is the co-host and token "comic book lover" on the Internet's favourite podcast, The Comic Book Haters. Last time I interviewed fellow co-host Schooly G, this time I talk with DJ Sloofus about comics, the genesis of the show, and what a complete fraud Schooly possibly is, maybe.

Hello creatures of Earth,

Thanks for taking the time to do this.

The pleasure is almost entirely mine. I would assume, anyway.

When I talked to Schooly he said that you are a giant dork, and that he is only friends with you because you saved his life, and now he owes you a life debt, like a wookie. Care to respond?

While this is indeed true, he's kind of stretching it out of whack a bit. He did save my life at an amusement park, but to be honest, I could have easily saved myself. I've told him time and again that he doesn't "owe me" anything, but he still insists on coming by and checking up on me. Coincidentally, he always brings a six-pack to these "check-ups."

So, you saved his life, and now he's saving yours with alcohol?

No, I thought he saved mine. I can't really remember, to be honest. You are right about the alcohol, though.

I think alcohol might have something to do with your recollection of the event, if not the event itself.

Yeah, well, to be honest, it's all just made up. I don't recall either of us saving anyone's lives, let alone each other's.

So, Schooly willingly spends time with you. He also willingly spends a lot of time discussing comics, something he claims to hate. Yourself and the other co-hosts of The Comic Book Haters regularly accuse Schooly of secretly loving comics, but when I talked to him he made a very compelling argument to the contrary. Your thoughts?

That's basically the question I'd love to have answered, too. He claims to enjoy hating things, which seems a bit oxymoronic, but also fits him. Deep down, I don't really think he likes them, but every now and then he'll say something that'll get me wondering it all over again. At the very least, he knows an awful lot about them, especially for someone who claims to hate them. I mean, when I was a kid, I probably had to sit through some boring opera or something, but it's not enough to make me despise opera, though I don't like it. I certainly wouldn't stick around for a podcast devoted to opera.

Schooly claims his vast knowledge of comics comes exclusively from his near-photographic memories of the comics he read as a kid, and from whatever he's picked up while doing the podcast.

Well, that certainly might be true, but it also begs a different question; Why does he always get G.I. Joe trivia--which he claims to love--wrong, and yet knows all kinds of shit about comic books, especially Marvel in particular? Something smells rotten, I say. It just don't add up.

I feel the same way. Someone who doesn't read comics shouldn't use words like "Kirby-esque" and they shouldn't know the 27 different aliases Hank Pym has gone by.

And yet he knows all of this, and much, much more. There's something rotten, I said.

So, where did the idea for the podcast come from?

I think Schooly wanted to do a podcast about zombies, but we never got around to it. Then one night, we just decided to do a comic book podcast and got some beer. That's about it, really. I guess we just got used to making it.

You've made over a hundred episodes, and the secret to the longevity of the show is that it just became a habit?

I guess that's kind of a retarded way to look at it, but yeah, it pretty much sums it up. I mean, I feel like there've been some pretty funny moments, or interesting moments, along the way, too. That's always a nice change of pace. It's just such a retarded concept to begin with.

There have been some great moments. There have been a couple time when I was laughing so hard I was crying. I think the best moments happened when you went off topic.

That's really nice to hear. Some things really were pretty absurd. Comics are a fringe medium to begin with, so there's really nothing you can't do or say about. I always wanted to make a clip show, of sorts, but it seemed pretty pompous, not to mention tedious.

I've never liked clips shows, but I'm probably the only person that has gone back and listened to old CBH episodes. Other people might like it.

We have something sort of similar in mind. Kind of like a "backup plan", of sorts.

Like what, re-enactments of old episodes performed by comic industry celebrities?

Nah, nothing very exciting. Nothing worth getting into, really.

What about The Schooly's (The Comic Book Haters Awards), is that worth getting into?

I think it was a really good idea, but it never really caught on. We considered just making up the winners, but decided against that for some reason. Who knows, maybe we will still do that in the future.

I think that if you guys got a domain name, hosted your own blog and did a little bit of advertising you would have a much bigger audience. The Comic Book Haters are low-brow. People love low-brow!

I'm sure that's true. We just really put the absolute minimal effort into all of this. It's really nice that people enjoy it, and I think it's entertaining on certain levels, but there are lots of things we could do if we wanted to increase the audience. I just figure it's done by word-of-mouth, which is pretty much a retarded way to look at things in the internet age. We've talked about getting a domain name and all that stuff, and we may do it in the future.

Well, you're reaching a bunch of people now, with absolute minimal effort, so that's something.

Yeah, like I said, there's a certain Neolithical charm to the show, I guess. So many comic fans are really hoighty-toighty type folks, but I don't think they're above laughing at themselves, or the chosen object of their affection.

This was the last question I asked Schooly, and it's the last one I'll ask you: What is your favourite comic book?

Man, that's a tough one. As for all time favourite single issue, I'd have to say Dark Horse Presents.... I think it was issue number 61? It was the final issue featuring the original Frank Miller "Sin City" story-line, and the entire issue was devoted to it. I really followed that story intensely, and enjoyed every instalment. If you're talking particular title, collection, or classic newspaper strip, I could be here all night.

[Note: It was Dark Horse Presents issue 62]

What was it about the original Sin City story that you liked so much?

First of all, the stark black and white artwork was awesome. Secondly, it was a great "serial" comic, in that every episode just gave you a little closer look at the big picture. Finally, it featured some really fucked up twists. Overall, I just loved Sin City when it first came out. They're all pretty good, except that last one. That was pretty shitty.

I'm not a big fan of Frank Miller, but I love most of his Sin City stuff. I can see why you would name it as a favourite.

That image of Marv sitting on the electric chair on the cover was so intense... There were Kirby influences all over that comic.

And Marv just kept on getting bigger and bigger as the story went along.

Miller has done some amazing stuff: His original Dark Knight, Ronin, Daredevil... His first run on Daredevil is phenomenal. He puts his characters through sheer Hell.

He's the Goddamn Frank Miller. Is there anything else you would like to say?

Let me just thank you for your time, and thanks to everyone who listens and supports the show. It's great to hear from the listeners, and especially the contributors. That stuff is great!

Thanks, again.

Al-right brother. Peace be with you.

You can listen to DJ Sloofus and the rest of the Haters reviewing comics they've flipped through on an almost weekly basis on The Comic Book Haters podcast. Available on iTunes and at their blog: thecomicbookhaters.blogspot.com.

[Sloofus]

I would like to thank you for the interview, but can you call me about the check? I'd like to be discrete about it. It bounced.

[Ryan O'Hara]

Didn't you think it was odd that the cheque was written in pen on the back of a bus transfer?

[Sloofus]

I couldn't tell it was a bus transfer. I guess the piss-stain smeared that part of the paper.

[Rick]

Hey, I've listened to old shows too. When they are slow with getting out new shows, I often go back and listen to some old ones.

I agree about them getting a much bigger audience if they would only get a hosted domain, a forum, etc. How many times does Dirk have to mention them on The Comics Journal blog before they realize their show is worthy of acting like a real podcast?