Bronze Archive: January 2-3, 1998
The erudite and less-than-cranky Micky DuPree had the grace to send me some old VIP postings that she found on Dejanews. I've provided them here to add to the archive.
This archive lists the posts in sequential order
From: "Candace L Simkins" <WILLOW4@prodigy.net>
Subject: Joss Whedon's postings from the Official Posting Board
Date: 04 Jan 1998 00:00:00 GMT
Message-ID: <68nq1e$olc$1@newssvr07-int.news.prodigy.com>
Organization: Prodigy Services Corp
Newsgroups: alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer
Joss Whedon has been busy on the official posting board
the last couple of days. Here are his postings, cut and pasted
DIRECTLY from the board. I'll try and fill in with the questions
he was answering, but I may not remember them all.
This was his first post, to let everyone know he was there.
The hot topic was about Buffy & Angel possibly having sex.
joss says:
(Fri Jan 2 18:15:27 PST 1998 ww-tl04.proxy.aol.com)
do you people ever think about anything but sex? Honestly.
Okay, hi there. We're about to go back into production, which
means I will disappear into the ozone, so I'm haunting the place
a bit.
QUESTIONS: Did Kelly Brendon (Nicholas' twin brother) every work on the
show? Did you write or direct either "Surprise" or
"Innocence"?
joss says:
(Fri Jan 2 18:25:17 PST 1998 ww-tl04.proxy.aol.com)
Kelly worked on the show as a set dresser but just left. Marti
Noxon wrote Surprise, and yes, i wrote and shot Innocence.
QUESTION: Is Cordelia still a virgin?
joss says:
(Fri Jan 2 18:28:28 PST 1998 ww-tl04.proxy.aol.com)
I honestly don't know if Cordelia has had sex. She HAS dated
older guys, but it's still unknown. This isn't me being coy:
I haven't DECIDED yet. I'm waiting for the characters to tell me
who they are and what they've done. That's the fun.
QUESTION: Do religious symbols, other than Christian, harm vampires?
joss says:
(Fri Jan 2 18:35:19 PST 1998 ww-tl04.proxy.aol.com)
I don't think vampires are affected by other religious symbols.
It is not simple religiosity that offends them -- I think there is old,
bad blood between vampires and Christianity. This is partly
because I don't want to confuse the issue on the show. I'm gonna
post this and then finish cuz my puter gets wigged by long msgs.
QUESTION: What exactly is your involvement with each and every show? Do
you have a final say in each script?
joss says:
(Fri Jan 2 18:42:24 PST 1998 ww-tl04.proxy.aol.com)
So anyway it would be PC to have all religious symbols hurt
vampires but you gotta stick with the legend a bit. Do I work with
the other writers? Entirely. David Greenwalt and I help break
every story and I rewrite every script -- although my writers are
cool and I'm having to rewrite less and less. (Whew!)
QUESTION: I must've missed these questions, I don't remember them. I
assume someone asked him if he'd been to a particular website,
and someone asked him about casting Armin Shimerman as
Principal Snyder. Also, many people were asking him to join
the various clubs on the PB.
joss says:
(Fri Jan 2 18:48:13 PST 1998 ww-tl04.proxy.aol.com)
Were I at all cool, I would be able to say I had never visited the
Cult of Joss site. But I did, so... didn't sign in, though, cuz who
would believe it's me unless e-mail address got out which I try
to avoid. also then everyone would know that I lack cool. Now
as to joining this club, wassup? Do I have to do anything?
Adopt a dingo. i am very confused. As to Armin, I don't watch
the star trek shows -- although I have seen his character. He
audtioned for the part and he knocked it out of the park -- I
guesss he's perfected that crabby guy.
QUESTION: Was there a specific subtext (very interesting point, but I
vaguely remember it now) in the final scene from "Puppet
Show"? Also, he was asked to tell us once and for all who made
whom?
joss says:
(Fri Jan 2 18:51:36 PST 1998 ww-tl04.proxy.aol.com)
No subtext in Oedipus -- just made me laugh. Angel was Dru's
Sire -- he made her -- and she made Spike. But SIRE doesn't
just mean guy who made you, it mean's you come from their line.
Angel is like a grandfather to spike. Now someone's gonna
explain these clubs, right?
QUESTIONS: Will Oz be back? Do you know what shows will be airing, and
when? Do Slayers ever stop being Slayers? (or something
like that)
joss says:
(Fri Jan 2 18:55:00 PST 1998 ww-tl04.proxy.aol.com)
Oz will return. I don't have the airdates on me. Slayers are slayers
til they die, usually pretty young.
QUESTION: When will there be Buffy merchandise available. Also,
Therapist was trying to explain a particular club.
joss says:
(Fri Jan 2 19:00:13 PST 1998 ww-tl04.proxy.aol.com)
There is no Buffy merchandise YET. Therapist? Why is it the
more you explain the club, the less I understand?
QUESTION: Actually, a comment. Robert ISH said that Alien Resurrection
sucked and that he wanted his money back.
joss says:
(Fri Jan 2 19:05:34 PST 1998 ww-tl04.proxy.aol.com)
Many questions but one thing I must reply to first. Robert ISH... you
want your money back? I want three years of my life back. Which is
to say, I sorta gotta back you up.
QUESTIONS: More pleads to join BAH (some kind of addictive hospital
thing). A writer asked for Joss' words of inspiration.
joss says:
(Fri Jan 2 19:13:24 PST 1998 ww-tl04.proxy.aol.com)
yikes! Many are the questions and I gotta bail! Apologies. BAH,
I'm in. So as not to play favorites, I'm gonna go with my own hall.
Maybe Marti and I can break stories while we convalesce. Words
of inspiration? Don't know. Should probably have some handy.
For me, though I desperately crave fame and fortune like the next
guy, writing, the act of writing, the rhythm and flow of the english
language, the creating of internal universes... it's the greatest
peace I'll ever know. It's its own inspiration. Write, and it'll give
you more than I could with a writely platitude. did that make the
slightest sense?
QUESTION: Very simply.. Wile E. Coyote or the Roadrunner? Someone kept
asking him to adopt a dingo (I think it's another club)
joss says:
(Fri Jan 2 19:20:46 PST 1998 ww-tl04.proxy.aol.com)
Another very important issue has been raised. Coyote. Hands
down. Roadruner is a brat. Had to be said. Okay, put me down
for a dingo, i will name him "Pinhead", but not the one from
hellraiser. I basically want to join any club where I don't have to
do anything. And I should probably go ahead and appoint Little
Willow as my bodyguard.
QUESTION: I'm not sure, I think someone asked if Spike & Dru were in
China during the Boxer Rebellion. If so, who else was there?
Angel?
joss says:
(Fri Jan 2 19:21:44 PST 1998 ww-tl04.proxy.aol.com)
and oh yeah, Spike and Dru were at the Boxer rebellion alone.
Unless it later turns out to be cool that ythey weren't.
QUESTION: Someone wondered if Joss thought all the people who were at
the posting board on a Friday night were losers. I believe
this answer is one of the coolest I've ever heard uttered in
response to any question in history.
joss says:
(Fri Jan 2 19:27:17 PST 1998 ww-tl04.proxy.aol.com)
And so, bailage. By the by, if being on the site on a friday nite
makes you guys losers, what does it make me? Buffy is a show
by losers, for losers. Be PROUD. Losers rule. later than now......
Joss.
=============================================================
His first post of the day today (Saturday).
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:04:02 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
I just wrote out a nice long post and was rewarded with another
AOL system error. I will therefore post again but in bits, this
being part one, introducing the topic of backstory and continuity.
<<The next four posts are a continuation of his "nice long post".>>
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:06:16 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
People seem distraught over gaps in continuity and backstory.
Understandable. First of all, any info you get from non-me type
people may be false. Mostly you should trust me. But first and
foremost you should trust only what you have seen ON THE AIR.
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:08:05 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
Even I change my mind or leave gaps. See, the show's narrative
is fluid. It changes. I could lose a great story idea if I adhere
slavishly to a backstory that I thought up years ago and that
hasn't even been mentioned on the show.
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:11:17 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
A story arc is like an actor -- until it hits the screen we could go
a lot of different ways but once it does we're stuck with it and
will stick by it. So I am purposely vague about the gaps. It
keeps it fresh for me to be expanding on backstory and
relationships. So you can't even completely trust ME. Like they
say, trust the tale, not the teller.
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:13:00 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
That is not to say that I don't think ahead. I have many eps
and arcs mapped out for well past this year. But as usual,
I'm not saying anything about them. Oh, and finally.... I think
someone must have BUILT a mini-golf course tween eps 1
and 11. Heh heh.
QUESTION: Is "Bad Eggs" part of the 2 parter or is it a meaningless show
that has nothing to do with it? Also, are any of the cast
going to be doing any talk shows in the near future?
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:17:00 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
Okay, so that's my long post, all broken up. Now for Q's: Bad
Eggs is not part of the two parter, but I would hardly call it
meaningless. I don't know about talkshows. Sarah is getting
the most attenytion right now, obviously.
QUESTION: I think Little Willow asked if she could be his bodyguard for
something. She also asked him to keep a lookout for a blue
envelope she mailed to him. Someone else asked if he has any
kind of a grand plan for Buffy, as in "she has to accomplish
this, this and this by then, then and then".
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:20:08 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
Little Willow, you ARE my bodyguard. didn't anyone tell you?
And yup, i'll be looking for a blue envelope. And yup, I have
arcs and placemarks mapped out -- right on my wall, where
one reporter saw some crucial ones (but I don't think he
abused that knowledge).
QUESTION: Will there be a Star Trek-like convention for Buffy soon?
Will any of the Slayerette's parents show up this season?
Will Buffy be dealing with her issues from WSWB? They seem to
have disappeared. Will you direct Alien 5?
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:24:08 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
Conventions? I don't think we're there yet. Parents? Probably
not THIS season... Buffy's issues? She did pretty much deal,
but there's residue -- plus she'll always have new problems.
Alien 5? No clue just now, but if I write it I will have more control
this time.
QUESTION: Will sex be an issue for Buffy & Angel this season? Also,
someone said that they promised someone else that if Joss
returned, she would duct-tape him to a barstool, so she told
him to consider himself taped.
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:26:32 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
Will sex be an issue? Uh, did you GO to highschool? Now, can
somebody help with this duct-taqpe? I can't stay long. Also, it
chafes.
QUESTION: If you re-write every script, why don't you get writing
credit?
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:30:59 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
Writing credit. Some exec prods take credit (or try) whenever
they work on a script. But my name is all over the show and I
try not to be greedy. These days I do less anyway, thank god.
Besides, everybody pitches in -- and we can't ALL have credit.
Greenwalt works on EVERY story with me. It's par to the
course. The only time it bugged me was the witch ep, which
was 100% me and Greenwalt. So there.
QUESTION: Someone mentioned that it IS possible to go through high
school without having sex.
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:35:54 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
Soon to leave... Okay, it's possible to get through highschool
without HAVING sex, but the issue does come up more often
than not. It's the time of body-wiggage, the great hormonal
mazurka that makes us all so crazed. I'm not taking a stand
on having sit -- some will, some won't some should or
shouldn't. That's not the point.
QUESTION: Someone said they received an email from someone named Chris
Beck who said he was a composer for the show. Since he didn't
know much about the composers, he asked Joss to verify that he
does actually work for the show.
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:38:53 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
Chris Beck, to speak plainly, rocks. He is one of our
composers and is currently working on the twoparter. I think
the music has come up a LOT this year.
QUESTION: I have no idea what this is response to. I assume someone
asked him that if they had a PB party, would he come?
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:42:09 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
Okay, truly gonna go... as for the PB party, i'm into it but
CANNOT promise -- my life just doesn't work that far in
advance. Crises erupt daily. As to my becoming a reg
here, yeah it's nice to be chatty after so long a time. And
come monday we're working and I will never be seen again.
QUESTION: Ok, this was a weird post because some guy under his post had
color as well as this exact post, so I don't know a) if it's
really Joss or b) If it is, what it's in reference to.
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:44:36 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
A fuller fan! The service was wicked moving. Wanted much
to see I Shot Jesse James but don't know Tarantino and felt
uncrashly.
QUESTION: Will you be making a Buffy movie - this time, the way YOU want
it done?
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:46:45 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
A Buffy Movie... mabye one day... it would be the greatest epic
of all time, except for that other epic, the one with the guy.
QUESTION: Can you tell me what "I can't believe you of all people are
trying to Scully me!" means? Will there be future scenes of
Xander dancing? (This was asked by a member of XDC - The
Xander Dance Club)
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:50:29 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
Somebody field the scully Q please. I must go. But only after I bring
VERY SAD tidings. We had a scene of Xander dancing in a future
ep that we HAD TO CUT. Don't hate us, the show was overlong. I
promise he'll dance again one day. Bye, all. ---Joss, proud member
of several organizations whose initials he can't remember.
QUESTION: Why did you cast SMG as Buffy? Do you believe in vampires?
Will you direct Alien 5?
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 17:55:05 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
ok, not to ignore No1fanperson -- SMG is buffy and i can't
remember picturing her before SMG. And no, I don't believe
in Vamps. Direct Alien 5? Love to. But no plans to just yet.
Really gonna leave. swear to god.
QUESTION: I guess -mere- was being ignored. :(
joss says:
(Sat Jan 3 18:01:52 PST 1998 ww-tl03.proxy.aol.com)
Sorry, Mere. Hi. and Bye. for real. i'll see you guys in the
laterage. j.