1 00:00:15,182 --> 00:00:19,232 Most of these, I don't think are drawings, back in here. 2 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:22,364 I don't know how many I got. More drawings. 3 00:00:24,399 --> 00:00:27,403 But there are a few. 4 00:00:27,694 --> 00:00:29,412 See? And this is what they wouldn't like, 5 00:00:29,696 --> 00:00:31,369 because you see all this stuff. 6 00:00:31,657 --> 00:00:35,412 Why somebody who is supposed to be thinking about driving cars 7 00:00:35,702 --> 00:00:37,500 and what they're gonna do in their life 8 00:00:37,788 --> 00:00:40,041 mes-sing around, putting-pasting pictures 9 00:00:40,332 --> 00:00:42,585 of random dogs into a notebook? 10 00:00:42,876 --> 00:00:44,628 So, that's why things are better these days, 11 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,015 because now you can point anybody to of 12 00:00:48,298 --> 00:00:50,767 on the net, and they'll say, "hey." 13 00:00:51,051 --> 00:00:53,850 You know, even if your teacher doesn't know about it, 14 00:00:54,137 --> 00:00:55,423 you can say, "well, I'm a furry." 15 00:00:55,430 --> 00:00:56,750 I like animals 'cause I'm a furry. 16 00:00:56,765 --> 00:00:58,176 I'm in... you know, I draw this stuff. 17 00:00:58,183 --> 00:01:00,777 It's not because I'm totally weird. 18 00:01:01,061 --> 00:01:03,439 I just draw this stuff 'cause I'm, 19 00:01:03,730 --> 00:01:04,730 you know, into this group 20 00:01:04,982 --> 00:01:08,327 "and into this kind of scene." 21 00:01:08,610 --> 00:01:09,782 A lot of double takes, 22 00:01:10,070 --> 00:01:11,731 downtown Pittsburgh, this weekend, Janelle. 23 00:01:11,738 --> 00:01:13,191 Yeah, there are a lot of business suits, 24 00:01:13,198 --> 00:01:14,198 and people going to work, 25 00:01:14,449 --> 00:01:16,292 and then, you see folks like this. 26 00:01:16,577 --> 00:01:19,296 Yes, the of have arrived. 27 00:01:19,580 --> 00:01:21,060 Folks who have never seen them before, 28 00:01:21,248 --> 00:01:23,208 don't be scared if you see a six-foot tall raccoon 29 00:01:23,458 --> 00:01:26,507 walking by your window. No, you're not going crazy, it's just us. 30 00:01:26,795 --> 00:01:27,835 A lot of people might ask, 31 00:01:28,088 --> 00:01:29,635 why is it so popular? 32 00:01:29,923 --> 00:01:32,802 Why is... what's the draw here? 33 00:01:33,093 --> 00:01:34,140 Everybody loves animals. 34 00:01:34,428 --> 00:01:35,680 Everybody loves costumes. 35 00:01:35,971 --> 00:01:38,099 We are all about creativity. 36 00:01:38,390 --> 00:01:41,269 We are all about imagination. We are all about dreaming. 37 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:42,600 This weekend is our chance 38 00:01:42,853 --> 00:01:44,213 to say to the people of Pittsburgh, 39 00:01:44,229 --> 00:01:47,278 we want to share our dreams with you. 40 00:01:47,566 --> 00:01:49,477 If somebody comes up and wants to know what it's about, 41 00:01:49,484 --> 00:01:51,327 tell 'em what it's about. 42 00:01:51,612 --> 00:01:53,239 Cartoon animals, costumes. 43 00:01:54,698 --> 00:01:58,953 Drawing, art, performance. 44 00:01:59,244 --> 00:02:02,544 Creativity, dreaming. 45 00:02:02,831 --> 00:02:06,085 Every single one of you in here is a creative. 46 00:02:06,376 --> 00:02:08,470 Every one of you is an artist. 47 00:02:08,754 --> 00:02:10,631 We are all dreamers here. 48 00:02:10,922 --> 00:02:13,425 This is a remarkable family, 49 00:02:13,717 --> 00:02:15,640 a unique community. 50 00:02:15,927 --> 00:02:18,021 There is so much it has to offer, 51 00:02:18,305 --> 00:02:20,228 so many beautiful things. 52 00:02:20,515 --> 00:02:23,610 Don't describe us by what we are not. 53 00:02:23,894 --> 00:02:26,818 Use positive imagery. 54 00:02:27,105 --> 00:02:29,449 Don't act like you have something to hide, 55 00:02:29,733 --> 00:02:31,811 ('cause quite frankly, I don't think we have anything Tc) Hide. 56 00:02:31,818 --> 00:02:33,786 This is a magnificent we, 57 00:02:34,071 --> 00:02:37,075 and to me, there is nothing at all to be ashamed of. 58 00:02:51,630 --> 00:02:52,722 Do you cover 59 00:02:53,006 --> 00:02:55,304 just what furries do that's furry 60 00:02:55,592 --> 00:02:57,435 that people don't see in the background? 61 00:02:57,719 --> 00:03:00,563 Or what if they're into, like, sports cars, 62 00:03:00,847 --> 00:03:03,191 or you know, fast cars or whatever... 63 00:03:03,475 --> 00:03:06,149 what other activities... like, anything? 64 00:03:06,436 --> 00:03:09,861 Or are you trying to keep it mainly to the fur scene, do you think? 65 00:03:10,148 --> 00:03:12,617 We're trying to go beyond the scene as well, 66 00:03:12,901 --> 00:03:14,869 because it's portraits of people, 67 00:03:15,153 --> 00:03:16,780 ultimately, it's more about even people 68 00:03:17,072 --> 00:03:19,291 than it is about furries, 'cause we're all just people, 69 00:03:19,574 --> 00:03:21,952 just from different backgrounds, into different stuff, so- 70 00:03:22,244 --> 00:03:25,498 definitely, any tangents that goes on is where we go. 71 00:03:43,598 --> 00:03:44,895 I have called myself a furry, 72 00:03:45,183 --> 00:03:47,231 but I never really understood it 73 00:03:47,519 --> 00:03:49,738 until I was about 17 years old. 74 00:03:50,021 --> 00:03:51,614 I went to work as a mascot 75 00:03:51,898 --> 00:03:53,400 for a single-a baseball team, 76 00:03:53,692 --> 00:03:55,410 surprisingly, as a raccoon. 77 00:03:55,694 --> 00:03:58,493 And the first time I got in that suit and that mascot 78 00:03:58,780 --> 00:04:01,283 was just completely surreal. 79 00:04:01,575 --> 00:04:04,875 I mean, Will was gone. I mean, he was gone. 80 00:04:05,162 --> 00:04:06,539 I didn't know who he was anymore, 81 00:04:06,830 --> 00:04:08,423 and I was performing in this character, 82 00:04:08,707 --> 00:04:11,051 and I just felt nobody could see me, nobody knew who I was, 83 00:04:11,334 --> 00:04:13,928 so I could be as energetic, as happy, 84 00:04:14,212 --> 00:04:16,715 as crazy as I could be, and people loved it. 85 00:04:17,007 --> 00:04:18,367 And after that first time I did it, 86 00:04:18,508 --> 00:04:20,510 I really felt, it's like- 87 00:04:20,802 --> 00:04:22,804 this is what it feels like. 88 00:04:28,143 --> 00:04:30,271 This one, as you can see, is totally different. 89 00:04:30,562 --> 00:04:33,441 And it's different because it's made by a different suit-maker. 90 00:04:33,732 --> 00:04:35,492 Any suit-maker has their own different style, 91 00:04:35,609 --> 00:04:37,987 this was specifically was made by Cody. 92 00:04:38,278 --> 00:04:43,660 He kind of has more of a cartoony kind of look, more energetic look, 93 00:04:43,950 --> 00:04:46,499 and that's what I wanted to go for 94 00:04:46,787 --> 00:04:50,508 and why I commissioned him to make Diezel 2.0. 95 00:04:50,791 --> 00:04:52,418 I try to be as creative as I can, 96 00:04:52,709 --> 00:04:55,303 and a lot of people come up to me every time and say to me, 97 00:04:55,587 --> 00:04:57,589 "man, there's not many raccoons in the fandom. 98 00:04:57,881 --> 00:04:59,849 Your suit is, like, the best one I've ever seen." 99 00:05:00,133 --> 00:05:01,293 And of course, I'm just like, 100 00:05:01,384 --> 00:05:03,227 "stop, come on. You're making me blush." 101 00:05:03,512 --> 00:05:06,356 Of course, I am blushing inside when they say that. 102 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:09,314 But, you know, and I try to add- 103 00:05:09,601 --> 00:05:11,103 you know, like, I squeak-talk a lot, 104 00:05:11,394 --> 00:05:13,613 and that's one thing a lot of people view me for. 105 00:05:15,315 --> 00:05:16,915 It's all of... it's kind of like a brand, 106 00:05:17,025 --> 00:05:18,197 really, is what it is. 107 00:05:18,485 --> 00:05:20,863 Everybody tries to find their own unique style 108 00:05:21,154 --> 00:05:22,246 on what they do. 109 00:05:22,531 --> 00:05:23,874 They try to bring it to life, 110 00:05:24,157 --> 00:05:27,627 and that's what people can get to know you for. 111 00:05:27,911 --> 00:05:30,414 You know, they'll hear me squeak-talking, 112 00:05:30,705 --> 00:05:32,116 but they'll be out of view, and they're like, 113 00:05:32,123 --> 00:05:33,921 "oh, my god, I hear Diezel. Is he here?" 114 00:05:34,209 --> 00:05:35,756 And sure enough, it's me. 115 00:05:39,548 --> 00:05:42,222 Everybody has a unique story. 116 00:05:42,509 --> 00:05:44,136 The more and more you get involved, 117 00:05:44,427 --> 00:05:47,021 you'll see that it is so easy to get to meet people, 118 00:05:47,305 --> 00:05:48,397 who they are specifically, 119 00:05:48,682 --> 00:05:51,356 and how... who's behind that character. 120 00:05:51,643 --> 00:05:52,923 I mean, who's behind that fursona 121 00:05:52,978 --> 00:05:54,651 or that pursuit, if they have one. 122 00:06:00,193 --> 00:06:01,445 All right. 123 00:06:01,736 --> 00:06:04,785 DOM, if you will... 124 00:06:05,073 --> 00:06:09,078 This little part ends up being on the inside when you flip it over. 125 00:06:09,369 --> 00:06:12,873 When I first started, very few people had a suit. 126 00:06:13,164 --> 00:06:16,088 Only if you had tons of money did you have one, 127 00:06:16,376 --> 00:06:20,381 and only if you were really hardcore furry did you have one. 128 00:06:20,672 --> 00:06:23,892 It's almost a rite of passage, if you will, 129 00:06:24,175 --> 00:06:25,472 for people to get a suit, 130 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:28,980 'cause it really lets them put on their persona, 131 00:06:29,264 --> 00:06:31,483 live it, and do what they wanna do, 132 00:06:31,766 --> 00:06:35,487 and see themselves how they wanna be seen. 133 00:06:55,540 --> 00:06:57,634 Because I wanted to be able to hear some stuff, 134 00:06:57,918 --> 00:07:00,671 that's why the other one is not floppy, 135 00:07:00,962 --> 00:07:03,590 but it means a lot to me 136 00:07:03,882 --> 00:07:06,556 to be able to even do this, 137 00:07:06,843 --> 00:07:09,938 and to be able to walk around 138 00:07:10,221 --> 00:07:13,270 and be something different, 139 00:07:13,558 --> 00:07:18,815 and something that I wanted to do. 140 00:07:19,105 --> 00:07:22,700 So, it's important that I'm even able to do this for you, 141 00:07:22,984 --> 00:07:27,205 and show you my floppy ear of cuteness. 142 00:07:29,449 --> 00:07:31,129 Have you ever come out here in these woods, 143 00:07:31,326 --> 00:07:32,828 like, with your pursuit before? 144 00:07:33,119 --> 00:07:34,666 This is a first. 145 00:07:34,955 --> 00:07:39,802 I've been in the woods, but not these woods. 146 00:07:40,085 --> 00:07:42,258 This Will be interesting. 147 00:07:42,545 --> 00:07:45,298 They said that there was hunters around, 148 00:07:45,590 --> 00:07:46,967 to be honest, I've gotta say, 149 00:07:47,258 --> 00:07:50,182 they're probably not gonna shoot a six-foot tall fox, 150 00:07:50,470 --> 00:07:51,938 but you never know. 151 00:07:52,222 --> 00:07:54,566 It may be a short season. 152 00:07:54,849 --> 00:07:55,896 Maybe they need a trophy. 153 00:07:56,184 --> 00:07:59,814 And, come on, this is a trophy. 154 00:08:00,105 --> 00:08:02,699 Oh, my back. 155 00:08:40,603 --> 00:08:42,856 I would say that I'm very rare. 156 00:08:43,148 --> 00:08:44,821 I'm not the norm. 157 00:08:45,108 --> 00:08:46,951 Yeah, you do see a lot of guys, 158 00:08:47,235 --> 00:08:49,829 and a lot of times, when I say I'm a mother, 159 00:08:50,113 --> 00:08:51,615 people are like, "whoa, really?'," 160 00:08:51,906 --> 00:08:54,125 like it's taboo or something to be a mother, 161 00:08:54,409 --> 00:08:56,161 and I don't think that's the case at all. 162 00:08:56,453 --> 00:08:57,822 I think it's really awesome to have kids. 163 00:08:57,829 --> 00:08:58,909 I think it's really awesome 164 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:01,833 to have kids exposed to furry fandom. 165 00:09:02,125 --> 00:09:04,423 It's just a great experience for them, too. 166 00:09:08,006 --> 00:09:09,929 All right, there you go. 167 00:09:10,216 --> 00:09:11,809 You guys have a lot of fun, okay? 168 00:09:18,266 --> 00:09:20,439 I don't think it'll be confusing for her at all, 169 00:09:20,727 --> 00:09:22,980 I actually think it's something that she might 170 00:09:23,271 --> 00:09:25,319 actually be interested in when she's older. 171 00:09:25,607 --> 00:09:28,656 I've already seen her... she likes animals a lot. 172 00:09:28,943 --> 00:09:32,493 She likes to wear Halloween costumes that are animals. 173 00:09:32,781 --> 00:09:35,159 And that's just so cool 174 00:09:35,450 --> 00:09:37,794 to have that experience with her, too, 175 00:09:38,078 --> 00:09:39,796 and see her grow up like that. 176 00:09:43,708 --> 00:09:47,963 My fursona is basically to memorialize my dog. 177 00:09:48,254 --> 00:09:51,884 He was bouncy and fun and loving. 178 00:09:52,175 --> 00:09:55,645 And I guess whenever I'm wearing bandit, 179 00:09:55,929 --> 00:09:58,523 I'm a little him. 180 00:09:58,807 --> 00:10:00,730 I could say it's opposite my life, 181 00:10:01,017 --> 00:10:04,612 because I'm a pretty laid back guy out of suit. 182 00:10:04,896 --> 00:10:09,743 And I get in suit and I get party-fun, 183 00:10:10,026 --> 00:10:13,371 if that's a word. 184 00:10:20,537 --> 00:10:23,040 This guy down here cutting a tree down. 185 00:10:29,420 --> 00:10:30,672 You said your neighbors... 186 00:10:30,964 --> 00:10:32,500 what were you saying about your neighbors, 187 00:10:32,507 --> 00:10:33,747 that they knew about your suit? 188 00:10:33,967 --> 00:10:35,969 Oh, my next door neighbors, 189 00:10:36,261 --> 00:10:37,387 they knew about the suit, 190 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:40,057 and their grandchildren were over one day. 191 00:10:40,348 --> 00:10:43,022 I put bandit on and I walked over, 192 00:10:43,309 --> 00:10:45,687 and they just loved it. 193 00:10:45,979 --> 00:10:49,028 What's the color that's underneath there on the arms? 194 00:10:49,315 --> 00:10:51,363 - What? - You have the color on the arms. 195 00:10:51,651 --> 00:10:54,780 Oh, that's the rainbow flag. 196 00:10:55,071 --> 00:10:58,200 If I turn my arms up... 197 00:10:58,491 --> 00:11:01,244 It's in the correct order. 198 00:11:01,536 --> 00:11:03,538 Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. 199 00:11:07,750 --> 00:11:11,550 It angers me when I find people that say, 200 00:11:11,838 --> 00:11:14,091 "oh, all you do is dress up in those suits," 201 00:11:14,382 --> 00:11:16,851 and party and carry on 202 00:11:17,135 --> 00:11:19,763 and have sex in them suits," and all that. 203 00:11:21,806 --> 00:11:26,528 If you've ever had vigorous sex naked, 204 00:11:26,811 --> 00:11:28,438 you know how much you sweat. 205 00:11:28,730 --> 00:11:31,404 Can you imagine doing that in a full pursuit? 206 00:11:31,691 --> 00:11:33,659 You would die. 207 00:11:33,943 --> 00:11:37,664 It can quickly get over 100 degrees inside the head. 208 00:11:37,947 --> 00:11:42,623 So, no, that's... that's a false statement 209 00:11:42,911 --> 00:11:46,165 to even think that that's all it does. 210 00:11:46,456 --> 00:11:49,881 Yes, there's sex that happens in the fandom. 211 00:11:50,168 --> 00:11:52,341 I remember when I was in my twenties- 212 00:11:52,629 --> 00:11:54,723 okay. 213 00:11:55,006 --> 00:11:58,977 But, uh, sex... 214 00:11:59,260 --> 00:12:04,608 the fursona fandom thing is, um... 215 00:12:06,351 --> 00:12:09,230 I think it's about helping other people 216 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:11,022 to put a smile on people's face, 217 00:12:11,314 --> 00:12:13,316 and let them, even for a few minutes, 218 00:12:13,608 --> 00:12:16,487 forget about the real world and all the troubles. 219 00:12:19,739 --> 00:12:21,582 J” we don't even have to try I 220 00:12:21,866 --> 00:12:23,334 ♪ it's always a good time ♪ 221 00:12:23,618 --> 00:12:27,464 ♪ Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ 222 00:12:27,747 --> 00:12:29,920 ♪ Whoa, oh, oh, it's always a good time I 223 00:12:30,208 --> 00:12:31,786 A lot of furry conventions have dance competitions 224 00:12:31,793 --> 00:12:33,795 'cause there's a big dancer community 225 00:12:34,087 --> 00:12:35,885 in the furry fandom. 226 00:12:36,172 --> 00:12:38,641 It's different than I would say, like, a normal competition. 227 00:12:38,925 --> 00:12:41,553 Because here no one cares who wins. 228 00:12:41,844 --> 00:12:43,437 Everyone supports everyone 229 00:12:43,721 --> 00:12:46,190 and it's just a big family, which is what I love. 230 00:12:46,474 --> 00:12:48,074 And a lot of times, I know that I've gone 231 00:12:48,101 --> 00:12:49,603 to meet people at a convention 232 00:12:49,894 --> 00:12:51,305 and then we'll all just go to lunch together 233 00:12:51,312 --> 00:12:53,064 after meeting each other for 10 minutes, 234 00:12:53,356 --> 00:12:55,324 and that's how you make friends. 235 00:13:01,030 --> 00:13:02,270 J” do our thing, do our thing I 236 00:13:04,450 --> 00:13:08,296 J” and the wonder girls are back ♪ 237 00:13:19,382 --> 00:13:20,884 ♪ Watching ♪ 238 00:13:21,175 --> 00:13:23,644 J” 'cause you've got me patiently waiting j” 239 00:13:23,928 --> 00:13:25,601 j” I think you're amazing, baby I 240 00:13:25,888 --> 00:13:28,266 ♪ it's okay, you're worth the wait I 241 00:13:28,558 --> 00:13:31,232 ♪ but I just can't no more ♪ 242 00:13:31,519 --> 00:13:35,069 J” dreaming of you every night, and I'm praying ♪ 243 00:13:35,356 --> 00:13:36,699 ♪ Will you hold me tight ♪ 244 00:13:36,983 --> 00:13:40,032 J” and just wrap those arms around me, boy? ♪ 245 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:43,494 J” I really wanna feel you in my soul j” 246 00:13:43,781 --> 00:13:45,408 I never really told anyone about it, 247 00:13:45,700 --> 00:13:47,668 it was just kind of something I did. 248 00:13:47,952 --> 00:13:50,796 But then my friend discovered it by himself, 249 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:52,923 and then, he, like... 250 00:13:53,207 --> 00:13:54,550 he kept saying all these things, 251 00:13:54,834 --> 00:13:57,087 mentioning fursuits and anthrocon and stuff. 252 00:13:57,378 --> 00:13:58,658 His name is Jake, and I was like, 253 00:13:58,796 --> 00:13:59,843 "Jake, are you a furry?" 254 00:14:00,131 --> 00:14:02,099 And he was like, "I don't think so." 255 00:14:02,383 --> 00:14:04,932 And I was like, "you talk about fur suits and blah, blah, blah." 256 00:14:05,219 --> 00:14:06,505 And he was like, "well, maybe I am." 257 00:14:06,512 --> 00:14:07,764 And I was like, "I am, too!" 258 00:14:08,056 --> 00:14:09,603 So, that was kind of cool. 259 00:14:26,741 --> 00:14:27,958 Boomer the dog 260 00:14:28,242 --> 00:14:30,586 out in the middle of the woods right now. 261 00:14:30,870 --> 00:14:32,713 And he can hear the wind in the trees 262 00:14:32,997 --> 00:14:35,671 on a nice fall day, the day before Halloween. 263 00:14:38,086 --> 00:14:42,091 And I just got back yesterday 264 00:14:42,382 --> 00:14:44,134 from the final sections of the appeal, 265 00:14:44,425 --> 00:14:47,804 getting it into the court. 266 00:14:48,096 --> 00:14:49,643 So, hopefully, we're gonna do well, 267 00:14:49,931 --> 00:14:51,774 and the judges are gonna have to get back to me 268 00:14:52,058 --> 00:14:56,939 on whether I can get the name "boomer the dog" or not. 269 00:14:57,230 --> 00:14:59,198 So, we'll see. I mean, it is my name. 270 00:15:02,193 --> 00:15:05,572 It's always been my name, for many years. 271 00:15:05,863 --> 00:15:09,037 And I believe in the spirit 272 00:15:09,325 --> 00:15:11,453 of what "here's boomer" was all about- 273 00:15:11,744 --> 00:15:13,792 you know, the TV show. 274 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:16,378 I mean, I love that show. 275 00:15:16,666 --> 00:15:19,010 See, I didn't see every episode of "here's boomer," 276 00:15:19,293 --> 00:15:22,263 but the show went off the air, 277 00:15:22,547 --> 00:15:26,222 and then after that, I kind of was-I was sad, 278 00:15:26,509 --> 00:15:27,709 because I really liked the dog 279 00:15:27,969 --> 00:15:30,597 and I liked the show. 280 00:15:30,888 --> 00:15:33,858 And I thought, well... 281 00:15:34,142 --> 00:15:35,519 What am I gonna do? 282 00:15:35,810 --> 00:15:38,563 How do I keep this spirit alive? 283 00:15:38,855 --> 00:15:40,232 Because it's so good to me, 284 00:15:40,523 --> 00:15:43,447 just at this right time in my life. 285 00:15:43,734 --> 00:15:46,408 How do I keep this going? 286 00:15:54,036 --> 00:15:57,836 Okay, and here's... this is how I do it. 287 00:15:58,124 --> 00:15:59,467 And I always have a shirt on. 288 00:15:59,750 --> 00:16:01,252 And a lot of furries- 289 00:16:01,544 --> 00:16:04,343 a lot of costumers will work with a shirt on 290 00:16:04,630 --> 00:16:06,473 'cause it absorbs sweat, 291 00:16:06,757 --> 00:16:08,680 so it doesn't actually go into their costume. 292 00:16:08,968 --> 00:16:10,891 I mean, there are a lot of manufacturing methods. 293 00:16:11,179 --> 00:16:13,728 I just have the benefit of clothes, and that's it. 294 00:16:14,015 --> 00:16:16,894 So, I just use this as a covering, 295 00:16:17,185 --> 00:16:19,279 and sometimes you'll have fine satin 296 00:16:19,562 --> 00:16:21,235 or mesh under a lot of costumes. 297 00:16:21,522 --> 00:16:23,069 But I just did it cheap, 298 00:16:23,357 --> 00:16:27,157 like, seven dollars to make the whole thing, 299 00:16:27,445 --> 00:16:28,662 and all of that was for paper, 300 00:16:28,946 --> 00:16:32,041 'cause I just used old clothes that I had. 301 00:16:32,325 --> 00:16:34,544 So, there's my paw shoes. 302 00:16:34,827 --> 00:16:37,250 I mean, I think for a lot of furs, 303 00:16:37,538 --> 00:16:39,961 it's a weekend release sort of thing, 304 00:16:40,249 --> 00:16:42,343 and then others, it's a lifestyle 305 00:16:42,627 --> 00:16:44,800 where you have it around you all the time, 306 00:16:45,087 --> 00:16:46,680 and kind of think in that mode. 307 00:16:46,964 --> 00:16:49,513 'Cause I like to think like I'm a dog, 308 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:51,393 and I'm looking out at the world 309 00:16:51,677 --> 00:16:55,352 with canine-type eyes and seeing things that way. 310 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:57,360 I could change my name, but it's pretty wild 311 00:16:57,642 --> 00:16:59,895 to change my name to "boomer," or "boomer the dog." 312 00:17:00,186 --> 00:17:02,564 How could I go through this process? 313 00:17:02,855 --> 00:17:04,949 I went down to the courthouse, 314 00:17:05,233 --> 00:17:07,656 got the paperwork, 315 00:17:07,944 --> 00:17:09,321 filled it out, and got- 316 00:17:09,612 --> 00:17:12,707 they had to do fingerprints and get those taken. 317 00:17:12,990 --> 00:17:15,709 And then I submitted, 318 00:17:15,993 --> 00:17:17,336 and I went to court, 319 00:17:17,620 --> 00:17:18,872 and I lost my case. 320 00:17:19,163 --> 00:17:20,415 And then also he said, 321 00:17:20,706 --> 00:17:23,334 "even though the petitioner" 322 00:17:23,626 --> 00:17:25,503 may wish it were otherwise, 323 00:17:25,795 --> 00:17:27,889 "the petitioner is not a dog." 324 00:17:28,172 --> 00:17:32,018 That was the final words in that document. 325 00:17:34,262 --> 00:17:38,187 My friend actually told me about the people, 326 00:17:38,474 --> 00:17:40,772 you know, that there were furry people on the computer. 327 00:17:41,060 --> 00:17:43,939 (And they said they're into the kind of drawings you DC) 328 00:17:44,230 --> 00:17:45,652 And stuff like that. 329 00:17:45,940 --> 00:17:48,318 And he says, "but I think they're mostly foxes." 330 00:17:48,609 --> 00:17:50,361 But they weren't actually, you know? 331 00:17:50,653 --> 00:17:51,950 And I was like, 332 00:17:52,238 --> 00:17:54,036 "wow, I have to get the Internet right away." 333 00:18:10,673 --> 00:18:12,175 So, then I found them, and I was like, 334 00:18:12,466 --> 00:18:14,764 "wow, there's other people like me-— others like me." 335 00:18:19,557 --> 00:18:20,917 You shouldn't be asking who we are. 336 00:18:21,058 --> 00:18:23,356 You should ask who we were. 337 00:18:23,644 --> 00:18:27,444 We... we... we were the fat kid. 338 00:18:27,732 --> 00:18:29,860 We were the brainy kid. 339 00:18:30,151 --> 00:18:31,323 We were the bookish kid, 340 00:18:31,611 --> 00:18:33,291 we were the kid with the big thick glasses. 341 00:18:33,446 --> 00:18:36,416 We were the kid concerned about his sexual identity. 342 00:18:36,699 --> 00:18:38,499 We were the kid who couldn't throw a baseball. 343 00:18:38,576 --> 00:18:40,624 We were the kid, who for whatever reason, 344 00:18:40,911 --> 00:18:44,381 all the other kids said, "you don't belong with us." 345 00:18:44,665 --> 00:18:49,171 Now, human beings as social animals, crave companionship. 346 00:18:49,462 --> 00:18:51,681 And denied companionship by our peers, 347 00:18:51,964 --> 00:18:54,433 we sought it out the next best place we could find it. 348 00:18:54,717 --> 00:18:56,890 Some of us look to the stars, 349 00:18:57,178 --> 00:19:00,773 others to the far past of human history. 350 00:19:01,057 --> 00:19:04,607 We looked to the happy, smiling, 351 00:19:04,894 --> 00:19:09,616 accepting faces that we saw on Saturday morning cartoons. 352 00:19:09,899 --> 00:19:13,278 Now, to answer your question, "who are we?" 353 00:19:13,569 --> 00:19:18,450 We are adults who never forgot our old friends. 354 00:19:29,877 --> 00:19:33,256 Hello, everybody. I am Diezel raccoon, 355 00:19:33,547 --> 00:19:36,050 here at McDonald's across the street 356 00:19:36,342 --> 00:19:38,015 from one of the best ever conventions- 357 00:19:38,302 --> 00:19:39,849 furry connection north. 358 00:19:40,137 --> 00:19:42,390 Uh, I'm partially drunk, I know. 359 00:19:42,682 --> 00:19:45,777 I don't know about the public intoxication laws here, 360 00:19:46,060 --> 00:19:48,279 whatever the fuck you wanna call it. 361 00:19:48,562 --> 00:19:50,564 I can say that furry connection north 2013 362 00:19:50,856 --> 00:19:53,234 Will be my last convention for a little while. 363 00:19:53,526 --> 00:19:57,497 (I had Tc) Make some life changes with my career. 364 00:19:57,780 --> 00:19:59,908 I'm going to a different shift, different job. 365 00:20:00,199 --> 00:20:02,076 It was for the best. 366 00:20:02,368 --> 00:20:03,745 My life comes first. 367 00:20:04,036 --> 00:20:05,709 Furry does come second. 368 00:20:05,996 --> 00:20:09,045 So, I mean, I won't be doing a con every month. 369 00:20:09,333 --> 00:20:11,131 I'll be doing one every so often. 370 00:20:11,419 --> 00:20:12,887 I'm gonna try as hard as I can 371 00:20:13,170 --> 00:20:14,638 to attend as many as I can, 372 00:20:14,922 --> 00:20:18,677 because all of you out there are my friends... 373 00:20:18,968 --> 00:20:21,721 the people that see these videos, 374 00:20:22,012 --> 00:20:26,688 uh, my friends that watch the videos, 375 00:20:26,976 --> 00:20:28,102 just everybody. 376 00:20:28,394 --> 00:20:30,237 You all are big family to me, 377 00:20:30,521 --> 00:20:32,865 and that's why I go to conventions. 378 00:20:33,149 --> 00:20:35,402 How can I move back in with those people? 379 00:20:35,693 --> 00:20:36,740 Please, tell me. 380 00:20:37,027 --> 00:20:38,950 They're insane. You know that. 381 00:20:39,238 --> 00:20:42,162 [Jerry Seinfeld on I TV hey, my parents are just as crazy as your parents. 382 00:20:50,207 --> 00:20:52,209 This is what I think people perceive it as. 383 00:20:52,501 --> 00:20:54,720 They perceive it as... 384 00:20:55,004 --> 00:20:56,347 some folks may perceive it as, 385 00:20:56,630 --> 00:20:58,553 "this is how they live it day to day," 386 00:20:58,841 --> 00:21:00,343 yeah, I come in my house, 387 00:21:00,634 --> 00:21:01,851 I put my fursuit head on, 388 00:21:02,136 --> 00:21:04,639 and I literally live this way all my life. 389 00:21:04,930 --> 00:21:06,728 I go over here and make dinner 390 00:21:07,016 --> 00:21:08,768 on my 400-degree stove, 391 00:21:09,059 --> 00:21:10,732 I mop the floors, 392 00:21:11,020 --> 00:21:14,274 I clean the refrigerator... all with this on. 393 00:21:14,565 --> 00:21:16,533 My ass. 394 00:21:22,198 --> 00:21:24,576 Remember how mommy wears this sometimes? 395 00:21:24,867 --> 00:21:26,369 You like when mommy wears her, huh? 396 00:21:26,660 --> 00:21:30,710 'Cause you can play with her? 397 00:21:34,001 --> 00:21:37,596 Um, is mommy going to wear this? 398 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:39,598 Yep. 399 00:21:39,882 --> 00:21:40,804 It's a lot of fun, huh? 400 00:21:41,091 --> 00:21:42,171 Do you wanna wear it again? 401 00:21:42,259 --> 00:21:44,182 - Yeah. - Okay. 402 00:21:44,470 --> 00:21:45,596 Here. 403 00:21:53,395 --> 00:21:55,238 It's hard, isn't it? 404 00:21:57,817 --> 00:22:00,411 - Can you see? - Mm-hmm. 405 00:22:00,694 --> 00:22:03,823 Okay. It's tough to see through that, isn't it? 406 00:22:06,408 --> 00:22:08,410 Ah! 407 00:22:08,702 --> 00:22:09,624 Hey! 408 00:22:11,831 --> 00:22:12,627 Hey! 409 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:31,017 You know, I've been married before. 410 00:22:31,308 --> 00:22:33,310 My ex-husband was not a furry, 411 00:22:33,602 --> 00:22:39,450 and that kind of made things really hard sometimes 412 00:22:39,733 --> 00:22:42,031 because he just didn't get the fandom at all 413 00:22:42,319 --> 00:22:43,662 and I was really into it. 414 00:22:43,946 --> 00:22:46,449 And, you know, he just- 415 00:22:46,740 --> 00:22:48,020 I think that's part of the reason 416 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:49,918 why we ended up separating- 417 00:22:50,202 --> 00:22:51,545 part of the big reason why. 418 00:22:51,829 --> 00:22:54,048 Um, and, you know, 419 00:22:54,331 --> 00:22:55,958 I think that I would still love Ryan 420 00:22:56,250 --> 00:22:58,594 if he weren't a furry, 421 00:22:58,878 --> 00:23:01,097 but because he is, it just makes the experience 422 00:23:01,380 --> 00:23:05,476 so much better for both of us. 423 00:23:05,759 --> 00:23:07,056 I saw her for the first time, 424 00:23:07,344 --> 00:23:09,024 and she was this, tiny, little, unimposing, 425 00:23:09,179 --> 00:23:10,681 cute, you know... 426 00:23:10,973 --> 00:23:12,520 she almost looked like the human form 427 00:23:12,808 --> 00:23:13,808 of a plushy or something. 428 00:23:13,893 --> 00:23:15,253 I just wanted to hug her, you know? 429 00:23:15,311 --> 00:23:16,911 And she came up to me and she did hug me, 430 00:23:17,021 --> 00:23:18,022 and it was just... 431 00:23:18,314 --> 00:23:19,634 she was so forward and so natural, 432 00:23:19,815 --> 00:23:21,988 and it really did just feel right. 433 00:23:22,276 --> 00:23:23,823 - Porcupine. - Porcupine. 434 00:23:24,111 --> 00:23:25,829 Porcupines sleeping 435 00:23:26,113 --> 00:23:27,911 Porcupines sleeping. 436 00:23:29,909 --> 00:23:31,707 I love how she makes the little noises 437 00:23:31,994 --> 00:23:33,371 like we do with the animals. 438 00:23:33,662 --> 00:23:35,585 Here. 439 00:23:35,873 --> 00:23:37,500 Here. Don't... 440 00:23:37,791 --> 00:23:39,543 don't let them jump on you. 441 00:23:44,131 --> 00:23:45,553 Part of my family is native, 442 00:23:45,841 --> 00:23:48,310 and in our culture, 443 00:23:48,594 --> 00:23:49,720 there are spirit animals... 444 00:23:50,012 --> 00:23:53,061 having phantom ears, phantom tail, you know? 445 00:23:53,349 --> 00:23:55,852 Having dreams about being feral, 446 00:23:56,143 --> 00:23:58,237 having dreams about, you know, 447 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:00,057 just romping through the woods, kind of thing, 448 00:24:00,064 --> 00:24:03,568 and I've definitely always felt that way. 449 00:24:03,859 --> 00:24:06,578 Even when I was a young child, I felt that way. 450 00:24:06,862 --> 00:24:08,739 I mean, we have a friend who, 451 00:24:09,031 --> 00:24:12,205 um, you know, he wants to be an elf. 452 00:24:12,493 --> 00:24:14,245 Like, literally, that's his life, 453 00:24:14,536 --> 00:24:17,961 and he wears elf ears all the time. 454 00:24:18,248 --> 00:24:20,744 He wore prosthetic ears to a session of congress, I think it was? 455 00:24:20,751 --> 00:24:23,095 Yeah, I mean, that's just, 456 00:24:23,379 --> 00:24:26,553 and we're all like, more power to you. 457 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:28,683 - It's great. - If you want to do that- 458 00:24:28,968 --> 00:24:31,096 he's one of the greatest guys we know. 459 00:24:31,387 --> 00:24:33,230 He's just, you know, wonderful, 460 00:24:33,514 --> 00:24:35,187 and he really thinks he should be an elf. 461 00:24:35,474 --> 00:24:36,566 Yeah, and it's good, 462 00:24:36,850 --> 00:24:38,261 because people like that often are so nice, 463 00:24:38,268 --> 00:24:39,986 because they're they're true to themselves. 464 00:24:40,270 --> 00:24:42,443 - You have to be true to yourself. - Yeah, absolutely. 465 00:24:42,731 --> 00:24:45,359 It's hard, the way we're primed to interact with society, 466 00:24:45,651 --> 00:24:46,994 and, like I said, filter yourself 467 00:24:47,277 --> 00:24:50,372 it's beaten into you from almost the time 468 00:24:50,656 --> 00:24:53,375 you're aware of your surroundings. 469 00:24:53,659 --> 00:24:55,582 It looks like a house in Greentree. 470 00:24:55,869 --> 00:24:57,917 But it's actually a radio station. 471 00:24:58,205 --> 00:25:01,880 And you might confuse this for some kite string caught in a tree, 472 00:25:02,167 --> 00:25:04,261 but it's really an antenna leading from the house 473 00:25:04,545 --> 00:25:06,764 specially elevated for signal strength. 474 00:25:07,047 --> 00:25:09,501 Did you climb that tree in order to get it all the way up there? 475 00:25:09,508 --> 00:25:12,853 Nope, just took a bow and arrow and shot it up. 476 00:25:13,137 --> 00:25:14,229 And this gentleman, 477 00:25:14,513 --> 00:25:16,936 he's 22-year-old Gary Mathews, 478 00:25:17,224 --> 00:25:18,897 vice president and general manager 479 00:25:19,184 --> 00:25:22,108 of radio station WKND, 480 00:25:22,396 --> 00:25:25,900 a small pirate station Gary put on the air himself. 481 00:25:26,191 --> 00:25:29,411 N 482 00:25:29,695 --> 00:25:30,912 Funkadelic... 483 00:25:31,196 --> 00:25:35,576 Right here at 1620 WKND. 484 00:25:35,868 --> 00:25:37,370 You know, I'm just a radio freak... 485 00:25:37,661 --> 00:25:38,833 a radio animal. 486 00:25:39,121 --> 00:25:40,561 That's what my name says right there. 487 00:25:40,831 --> 00:25:42,833 N 488 00:25:43,125 --> 00:25:44,627 yeah, I'm not gonna start barking yet, 489 00:25:44,918 --> 00:25:46,716 but since it's close. 490 00:25:47,004 --> 00:25:50,224 All right, let me see the listeners are doing. 491 00:25:50,507 --> 00:25:51,850 Check my stats. 492 00:25:54,053 --> 00:25:55,851 There's six people already listening. 493 00:25:58,098 --> 00:26:00,647 ♪ Testing 1, 2, 3 ♪ 494 00:26:00,934 --> 00:26:02,732 This is just a loop. 495 00:26:03,020 --> 00:26:04,772 And it goes... repeats over and over, 496 00:26:05,064 --> 00:26:07,317 and it kinda builds tension or suspense maybe. 497 00:26:07,608 --> 00:26:10,612 ♪ Testing 1, 2, 3 ♪ 498 00:26:10,903 --> 00:26:12,871 This is the Barenaked ladies- 499 00:26:13,155 --> 00:26:14,077 beginning of the song, 500 00:26:14,364 --> 00:26:16,082 I think it's "testing 1, 2, 3." 501 00:26:16,366 --> 00:26:17,663 ♪ Testing 1, 2, 3 ♪ 502 00:26:17,951 --> 00:26:19,203 And it just repeats. 503 00:26:19,495 --> 00:26:22,749 Other stations don't do stuff like this, 504 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:25,384 so we do it. 505 00:26:25,667 --> 00:26:28,511 I just played music and I barked on the air, 506 00:26:28,796 --> 00:26:30,093 and I was a dog. 507 00:26:30,380 --> 00:26:32,633 And this was at a time when I was having trouble 508 00:26:32,925 --> 00:26:35,929 with a lot of people in my life about being a dog, 509 00:26:36,220 --> 00:26:38,700 because it was like-it was interfering with things supposedly, 510 00:26:38,931 --> 00:26:40,774 and getting a career. 511 00:26:41,058 --> 00:26:43,026 That was a really strong push at that time 512 00:26:43,310 --> 00:26:45,187 by everybody around me, 513 00:26:45,479 --> 00:26:47,481 so, I felt since they were saying, 514 00:26:47,773 --> 00:26:49,491 "you can't. You just can't be a dog." 515 00:26:49,775 --> 00:26:51,948 They would tell me all the time 516 00:26:52,236 --> 00:26:53,829 "dogs don't go to jobs," 517 00:26:54,113 --> 00:26:58,664 or "you're hardcore unemployable like this." 518 00:26:58,951 --> 00:27:00,794 I was trying to do it, 519 00:27:01,078 --> 00:27:03,080 and I was, you know, being pushed back, 520 00:27:03,372 --> 00:27:06,125 and one of the places I could actually go 521 00:27:06,416 --> 00:27:10,011 and be a dog and let it out was on the radio. 522 00:27:12,464 --> 00:27:16,719 My mom signed it with a "G" name back then- 523 00:27:17,010 --> 00:27:18,478 1982. 524 00:27:18,762 --> 00:27:22,608 And then we go way back to me as a young pup. 525 00:27:22,891 --> 00:27:24,011 And I don't know what I have 526 00:27:24,226 --> 00:27:26,274 that I'm holding and showing, 527 00:27:26,562 --> 00:27:28,564 but that's me as a young pup 528 00:27:28,856 --> 00:27:30,950 in 1968, November. 529 00:27:31,233 --> 00:27:35,409 I was about three years old right there. 530 00:27:35,696 --> 00:27:37,243 This one... 531 00:27:37,531 --> 00:27:40,535 this has where my mom signed the back of the picture 532 00:27:40,826 --> 00:27:42,169 on her own free will... 533 00:27:42,452 --> 00:27:44,329 she signed it "boomer." 534 00:27:44,621 --> 00:27:46,965 That's 1998 there. 535 00:27:47,249 --> 00:27:50,002 I did have my family here, 536 00:27:50,294 --> 00:27:54,174 and I lived with my family till I was almost 40 years old. 537 00:27:54,464 --> 00:27:56,341 A family is like giving... 538 00:27:56,633 --> 00:27:59,978 or having a mate is like giving 539 00:28:00,262 --> 00:28:03,061 yourself to one person, more or less. 540 00:28:03,348 --> 00:28:05,191 That part of you 541 00:28:05,475 --> 00:28:09,070 is wrapped up in your love for your mate. 542 00:28:09,354 --> 00:28:11,857 And I feel like I'd like to give the friendship 543 00:28:12,149 --> 00:28:16,370 out to a wider group, people who'll- 544 00:28:16,653 --> 00:28:18,371 make them happy by being a dog, 545 00:28:18,655 --> 00:28:21,124 showing them that you can have a different lifestyle, 546 00:28:21,408 --> 00:28:23,911 and a different outlook, and things like that. 547 00:28:24,203 --> 00:28:25,204 So, I'm kind of in a role 548 00:28:25,495 --> 00:28:26,792 of maybe putting that out there, 549 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:29,503 teaching that it's possible. 550 00:28:29,791 --> 00:28:31,919 I kind of think that's my role in life, 551 00:28:32,211 --> 00:28:35,841 rather than just making one person happy 552 00:28:36,131 --> 00:28:37,599 or a small group. 553 00:28:37,883 --> 00:28:39,806 I'd like to spread it around. 554 00:28:45,015 --> 00:28:46,858 I made the mistake of talking about it 555 00:28:47,142 --> 00:28:50,692 in my old facility I came from. 556 00:28:50,979 --> 00:28:54,609 It started off by... 557 00:28:54,900 --> 00:28:56,311 Kind of introducing it to my managers. 558 00:28:56,318 --> 00:28:57,896 They would always ask, "where do you go every month? 559 00:28:57,903 --> 00:28:58,904 What do you do?" 560 00:28:59,196 --> 00:29:01,164 And I had a good relationship with them 561 00:29:01,448 --> 00:29:02,825 and they didn't harass me 562 00:29:03,116 --> 00:29:06,245 or gang up on me in any way. 563 00:29:06,536 --> 00:29:08,323 They actually were kind of intrigued by it a little bit. 564 00:29:08,330 --> 00:29:10,048 They kind of tossed jokes around. 565 00:29:10,332 --> 00:29:11,834 They say jokes like, 566 00:29:12,125 --> 00:29:14,005 "why don't you become a porcupine or something?" 567 00:29:14,127 --> 00:29:16,004 I don't want to. A raccoon is like- 568 00:29:16,296 --> 00:29:17,616 "well, a porcupine would be funny. 569 00:29:17,714 --> 00:29:19,307 You'd be the first one" I'm like, no. 570 00:29:19,591 --> 00:29:21,935 So, then I thought to myself, 571 00:29:22,219 --> 00:29:24,938 maybe I'll share it with a couple (lo-workers that I trust. 572 00:29:25,222 --> 00:29:29,352 But understand that in the work environment, 573 00:29:29,643 --> 00:29:32,271 don't place too much trust in people, 574 00:29:32,562 --> 00:29:34,682 even the people that you think you can trust the most, 575 00:29:34,856 --> 00:29:36,483 because eventually people do talk. 576 00:29:36,775 --> 00:29:41,656 Something you don't want to be let out or told? 577 00:29:41,947 --> 00:29:43,915 Don't say anything at all. 578 00:29:44,199 --> 00:29:45,746 Well, I did, 579 00:29:46,034 --> 00:29:50,380 and it got out to some of the wrong folks. 580 00:29:50,664 --> 00:29:52,144 They started looking at things online, 581 00:29:52,374 --> 00:29:54,092 searching the name, 582 00:29:54,376 --> 00:29:56,595 finding stuff, finding artwork, 583 00:29:56,878 --> 00:30:00,007 um, finding journals. 584 00:30:00,299 --> 00:30:02,848 Um, eventually got to the point where 585 00:30:03,135 --> 00:30:04,055 comments would be said. 586 00:30:04,177 --> 00:30:05,850 I kinda rolled it off. 587 00:30:06,138 --> 00:30:07,685 Things would be written about me 588 00:30:07,973 --> 00:30:10,692 on the bathroom stalls and in these freight elevators 589 00:30:10,976 --> 00:30:13,104 on the walls there in permanent marker. 590 00:30:13,395 --> 00:30:16,490 Um, so, it wasn't a fun experience. 591 00:30:16,773 --> 00:30:19,367 So the simple answer of how I keep it separate from my work life 592 00:30:19,651 --> 00:30:22,200 is I don't talk about it. 593 00:30:22,487 --> 00:30:24,114 I think it goes to show 594 00:30:24,406 --> 00:30:28,001 that people really aren't ready for that stuff. 595 00:30:28,285 --> 00:30:31,380 The fandom, as you can see, if very accepting. 596 00:30:31,663 --> 00:30:35,634 People in general, 597 00:30:35,917 --> 00:30:38,511 they accept what they think is the norm. 598 00:30:38,795 --> 00:30:42,095 What is the norm? I don't know what it is. 599 00:30:44,301 --> 00:30:45,928 Not really my place to say. 600 00:30:46,219 --> 00:30:49,018 What feels normal to me may not be normal to you. 601 00:30:55,812 --> 00:30:57,906 We're just trying to get together 602 00:30:58,190 --> 00:31:00,909 and let our hair down and have some fun for the weekend. 603 00:31:01,193 --> 00:31:04,538 We're not doing it to be entertainment fodder for you. 604 00:31:04,821 --> 00:31:06,164 That's not what we're here for. 605 00:31:06,448 --> 00:31:10,203 These people don't want to have to hide in their rooms 606 00:31:10,494 --> 00:31:12,292 because you're going to destroy their lives. 607 00:31:15,499 --> 00:31:16,842 See, and that's the kind of thing, 608 00:31:17,125 --> 00:31:19,753 not everybody gets to break the barrier either. 609 00:31:20,045 --> 00:31:23,390 Maybe it's their approach or something. 610 00:31:23,673 --> 00:31:27,223 I mean, you guys seem to understand what it's about 611 00:31:27,511 --> 00:31:31,391 and why furries would want to be private and public. 612 00:31:31,681 --> 00:31:33,399 And I'm glad you did this study 613 00:31:33,683 --> 00:31:36,812 because sometimes producers come on strong, I think, 614 00:31:37,104 --> 00:31:38,606 to the community, 615 00:31:38,897 --> 00:31:40,991 and they've, like, alienated people. 616 00:31:41,274 --> 00:31:42,821 And maybe it's the wrong kind of media 617 00:31:43,110 --> 00:31:44,862 or something like that, 618 00:31:45,153 --> 00:31:47,622 but you guys have the understanding 619 00:31:47,906 --> 00:31:51,001 of what, you know, the furry scene is like more. 620 00:31:51,284 --> 00:31:53,004 So, I think you can connect a little better, 621 00:31:53,078 --> 00:31:54,295 and that's good. 622 00:31:54,579 --> 00:31:57,298 Yeah, I just feel like other things about it, 623 00:31:57,582 --> 00:31:59,244 they're trying to give you an answer for it 624 00:31:59,251 --> 00:32:01,162 and trying to make it really simple and cut and dry 625 00:32:01,169 --> 00:32:02,872 so that way, you don't have to think about it anymore. 626 00:32:02,879 --> 00:32:04,290 But for me it's like, the more people you meet 627 00:32:04,297 --> 00:32:05,337 the more interesting it is 628 00:32:05,590 --> 00:32:07,558 'cause there's no one answer and stuff. 629 00:32:07,843 --> 00:32:09,561 Yeah, that's-— wow. It's great. 630 00:32:09,845 --> 00:32:11,392 I'm really happy about "fursonas." 631 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:14,229 I hope I see... I get to see it, 632 00:32:14,516 --> 00:32:16,393 you know, in its full glory and all that. 633 00:32:17,978 --> 00:32:19,025 Take one. 634 00:32:21,606 --> 00:32:25,236 This is a picture of me and my friends. 635 00:32:25,527 --> 00:32:29,828 That's me and my boyfriend, obviously. 636 00:32:30,115 --> 00:32:31,715 Someone would have to be really accepting 637 00:32:31,741 --> 00:32:34,620 if they weren't a furry for me to date them. 638 00:32:34,911 --> 00:32:36,231 And it's definitely a lot more fun 639 00:32:36,329 --> 00:32:37,907 to date someone, I think, who is a furry, 640 00:32:37,914 --> 00:32:39,576 because then you can go to conventions together 641 00:32:39,583 --> 00:32:41,301 and do things like that. 642 00:32:41,585 --> 00:32:43,758 I don't understand where the correlation is 643 00:32:44,045 --> 00:32:46,173 between, like, making an animal character for yourself 644 00:32:46,465 --> 00:32:47,808 and liking men. 645 00:32:48,091 --> 00:32:49,434 I don't... I don't understand 646 00:32:49,718 --> 00:32:51,265 where that comes from. 647 00:32:51,553 --> 00:32:54,056 People have told me that 648 00:32:54,347 --> 00:32:57,692 Tc create an animal character for yourself, 649 00:32:57,976 --> 00:33:01,901 you have to appreciate cuteness more 650 00:33:02,189 --> 00:33:06,740 than, I don't... maybe, I don't know, 651 00:33:07,027 --> 00:33:10,156 more than like a blatantly straight man would be like. 652 00:33:10,447 --> 00:33:12,495 "I'm gonna make a little puppy character of myself." 653 00:33:12,782 --> 00:33:15,285 I don't think that would happen. 654 00:33:15,577 --> 00:33:17,500 But, I mean, I don't know. 655 00:33:17,787 --> 00:33:19,084 I think about that often. 656 00:33:19,372 --> 00:33:21,500 I don't understand where that comes into play. 657 00:33:21,791 --> 00:33:24,510 I feel like 80% of furries are males, 658 00:33:24,794 --> 00:33:26,888 and then 80% of those males are gay, 659 00:33:27,172 --> 00:33:28,094 and I don't know why. 660 00:33:28,381 --> 00:33:29,542 And then the other ones are bi. 661 00:33:29,549 --> 00:33:30,669 Like, no one... I don't know. 662 00:33:37,891 --> 00:33:39,518 Oh, you. 663 00:33:39,809 --> 00:33:41,152 N 664 00:33:59,871 --> 00:34:00,963 you want to know my theory 665 00:34:01,248 --> 00:34:05,503 on why there was an uprising of furries 666 00:34:05,794 --> 00:34:07,717 through the late '90s, early 2000s? 667 00:34:08,004 --> 00:34:08,755 Yes. 668 00:34:09,047 --> 00:34:11,766 Okay, so, you were saying 669 00:34:12,050 --> 00:34:13,267 there was a lot of furries 670 00:34:13,552 --> 00:34:16,351 that joined the community around the 20005... 671 00:34:16,638 --> 00:34:18,356 late '90s, early 2000s, 672 00:34:18,640 --> 00:34:22,565 and the reason for that possibly stems from the fact- 673 00:34:22,852 --> 00:34:23,978 uh, two reasons. 674 00:34:24,271 --> 00:34:26,399 One is that a Disney movie came out. 675 00:34:26,690 --> 00:34:29,614 "The lion king" came out in 1995, I believe? 676 00:34:29,901 --> 00:34:31,528 I want to say 1993. 677 00:34:31,820 --> 00:34:33,572 - 1994. - It came out-1994. 678 00:34:33,863 --> 00:34:36,366 - Split the difference. -"The lion king" came out in 1994. 679 00:34:38,243 --> 00:34:40,587 Ha! Pinned ya. 680 00:34:40,870 --> 00:34:42,872 And that proved to be an extremely popular film. 681 00:34:43,164 --> 00:34:44,586 Especially in the furry world, 682 00:34:44,874 --> 00:34:47,423 that became a very popular film. 683 00:34:47,711 --> 00:34:49,179 At the turn of the millennium, 684 00:34:49,462 --> 00:34:51,590 basically you had all these people 685 00:34:51,881 --> 00:34:53,883 who grew up knowing these very iconic 686 00:34:54,175 --> 00:34:56,394 Disney anthropomorphic movies 687 00:34:56,678 --> 00:34:58,680 as well as getting very involved in the Internet. 688 00:34:58,972 --> 00:35:01,270 Yeah, and I think world communication 689 00:35:01,558 --> 00:35:04,903 allowed the globalization of furry. 690 00:35:05,186 --> 00:35:07,405 N 691 00:35:08,940 --> 00:35:11,944 all right, if they wanna get- 692 00:35:12,235 --> 00:35:13,828 they wanna get a fox on film 693 00:35:14,112 --> 00:35:17,116 smoking some... smoking some ganja. 694 00:35:21,953 --> 00:35:23,546 Yeah! 695 00:35:27,208 --> 00:35:29,631 It's people in action, if you think about it. 696 00:35:29,919 --> 00:35:32,013 Because we're part of this fandom 697 00:35:32,297 --> 00:35:33,799 that is so accepting. 698 00:35:34,090 --> 00:35:37,219 And we accept transsexuals and gays 699 00:35:37,510 --> 00:35:41,435 and people that can't talk to anybody else, 700 00:35:41,723 --> 00:35:43,225 and all these crazy things. 701 00:35:43,516 --> 00:35:45,644 But if you show furries what I'm about to do, 702 00:35:45,935 --> 00:35:48,358 more than 70% of them would be like... 703 00:35:57,864 --> 00:36:00,663 However, the ones that we have met that do smoke 704 00:36:00,950 --> 00:36:02,827 tend to be the most accepting out of all of 'em 705 00:36:03,119 --> 00:36:05,213 and the coolest and easiest to get along with. 706 00:36:05,497 --> 00:36:08,216 They kind of can see things a little bit more 707 00:36:08,500 --> 00:36:12,300 for the reality rather than the spectacle. 708 00:36:16,132 --> 00:36:17,554 Whoo! 709 00:36:26,976 --> 00:36:27,818 Shit. 710 00:36:44,494 --> 00:36:46,496 ♪ ♪ 711 00:36:46,788 --> 00:36:49,132 I don't know who that border collie is. 712 00:36:49,416 --> 00:36:50,884 That's a bad suit. 713 00:36:53,211 --> 00:36:55,213 ♪ Santa baby ♪ 714 00:36:58,925 --> 00:37:01,223 ♪ Light blue ♪ 715 00:37:01,511 --> 00:37:04,060 ♪ I'll wait up for you, dear I 716 00:37:04,347 --> 00:37:06,475 ♪ Santa baby ♪ 717 00:37:06,766 --> 00:37:08,689 Right there. 718 00:37:08,977 --> 00:37:12,106 This is Garador. 719 00:37:12,397 --> 00:37:14,320 I don't know who the otter is. 720 00:37:14,607 --> 00:37:18,783 J” think of all the fun I've missed ♪ 721 00:37:19,070 --> 00:37:21,619 - This is Brody. -.L” think of all the fellas j” 722 00:37:21,906 --> 00:37:24,659 ♪ that I haven't kissed ♪ 723 00:37:24,951 --> 00:37:27,500 His name on F.A. Is "Wooley." 724 00:37:27,787 --> 00:37:29,664 W-o-o-l-e-y. 725 00:37:29,956 --> 00:37:35,087 ♪ If you check off my Christmas list j” 726 00:37:35,378 --> 00:37:36,095 Is there anybody 727 00:37:36,379 --> 00:37:37,623 that you think we should talk to? 728 00:37:37,630 --> 00:37:39,177 Other suiters or furries? 729 00:37:43,970 --> 00:37:46,348 I would say uncle Kage. 730 00:37:56,399 --> 00:37:58,822 Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Sam Conway. 731 00:37:59,110 --> 00:38:00,630 I'm known in this fandom as uncle Kage. 732 00:38:00,862 --> 00:38:02,231 I'm the chairman of this organization. 733 00:38:02,238 --> 00:38:03,775 I want to thank each and every one of you 734 00:38:03,782 --> 00:38:05,329 for being here tonight. 735 00:38:08,244 --> 00:38:10,793 I've got a professional reputation 736 00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:12,377 that I have to maintain. 737 00:38:12,665 --> 00:38:15,168 I am a well-known public figure 738 00:38:15,460 --> 00:38:17,633 in my hometown of Malvern, Pennsylvania. 739 00:38:17,921 --> 00:38:19,173 I am a borough official, 740 00:38:19,464 --> 00:38:21,091 I am a scientist, 741 00:38:21,382 --> 00:38:23,305 I am... 742 00:38:23,593 --> 00:38:26,517 I am somebody that is what some people would call 743 00:38:26,805 --> 00:38:28,182 a pillar of the community. 744 00:38:28,473 --> 00:38:31,397 He loves the fandom. He loves all of us. 745 00:38:31,684 --> 00:38:34,028 He portrays us very well, 746 00:38:34,312 --> 00:38:36,690 he's just very good with his words, 747 00:38:36,981 --> 00:38:38,858 uses the right words, 748 00:38:39,150 --> 00:38:41,278 is very cautious about 749 00:38:41,569 --> 00:38:44,914 what he says, who he says it to, 750 00:38:45,198 --> 00:38:49,374 to what media outlet may be trying to get in 751 00:38:49,661 --> 00:38:51,959 and try to film us or film anthrocon. 752 00:38:52,247 --> 00:38:54,247 He's very protective of it, which I highly respect. 753 00:39:27,407 --> 00:39:30,411 We have had a few black eyes 754 00:39:30,702 --> 00:39:32,625 given to us by the media. 755 00:39:32,912 --> 00:39:35,461 We've had some very, very good reporting, 756 00:39:35,748 --> 00:39:38,467 and we've had some reporting that, shall we say, 757 00:39:38,751 --> 00:39:41,049 focused on aspects of the fandom 758 00:39:41,337 --> 00:39:43,214 that we really try to minimize. 759 00:39:55,435 --> 00:39:57,062 "We understand that furries 760 00:39:57,353 --> 00:40:00,072 have been treated unfairly by the media, but we..." 761 00:40:01,691 --> 00:40:03,318 Uh-huh. Yeah. 762 00:40:03,610 --> 00:40:09,333 I have probably 600 emails in my archive 763 00:40:09,616 --> 00:40:11,744 that all have that phrase in 'em, 764 00:40:12,035 --> 00:40:13,127 and they're all lying. 765 00:40:32,138 --> 00:40:34,732 When we were at anthrocon, as you know, 766 00:40:35,016 --> 00:40:37,986 we got into some trouble because we're the media. 767 00:40:38,269 --> 00:40:39,749 Can you tell me about the relationship 768 00:40:40,021 --> 00:40:41,819 of furries to the media? 769 00:40:42,106 --> 00:40:46,657 Um, it's not very good for two reasons. 770 00:40:46,945 --> 00:40:50,666 One, the media oftentimes 771 00:40:50,949 --> 00:40:53,077 over-exaggerates things, 772 00:40:53,368 --> 00:40:54,745 and I guess you could say in a way 773 00:40:55,036 --> 00:40:56,754 they maybe make some stuff up 774 00:40:57,038 --> 00:40:58,991 and dig into things that really shouldn't be dug into. 775 00:40:58,998 --> 00:41:01,547 They care more so about their ratings 776 00:41:01,834 --> 00:41:04,929 than the truth. 777 00:41:05,213 --> 00:41:07,307 You have people who are, you know, 778 00:41:07,590 --> 00:41:09,137 they've heard the stereotypes 779 00:41:09,425 --> 00:41:12,554 or they're apprehensive about people in fur suits, 780 00:41:12,845 --> 00:41:15,769 and, you know, a lot of people thinking 781 00:41:16,057 --> 00:41:17,934 it's a sexual thing when it's not. 782 00:41:18,226 --> 00:41:21,571 Furries are just into sexual acts. 783 00:41:21,854 --> 00:41:25,404 They do it inside of their fursuits. 784 00:41:25,692 --> 00:41:28,036 They're a bunch of perverts. 785 00:41:28,319 --> 00:41:30,196 The list goes on, 786 00:41:30,488 --> 00:41:33,583 and it's absolutely not true. 787 00:41:33,866 --> 00:41:36,585 How much of a part of the fandom 788 00:41:36,869 --> 00:41:38,792 is sexual for you? 789 00:41:39,080 --> 00:41:42,380 Well, that I... 790 00:41:42,667 --> 00:41:44,010 that I probably really won't say, 791 00:41:44,293 --> 00:41:45,454 because I feel that that's something 792 00:41:45,461 --> 00:41:48,010 that's personal to myself 793 00:41:48,297 --> 00:41:50,015 and to whomever it may be. 794 00:43:12,131 --> 00:43:13,633 If your back is to the wall 795 00:43:13,925 --> 00:43:15,142 and you got no better answer, 796 00:43:15,426 --> 00:43:16,769 play dumb. 797 00:43:17,053 --> 00:43:18,173 That's always worked for me, 798 00:43:18,221 --> 00:43:19,939 and I'm real good at it. 799 00:43:23,434 --> 00:43:25,436 What is this all about? 800 00:43:25,728 --> 00:43:27,071 Nothing. 801 00:43:27,355 --> 00:43:29,073 That's a lie. They know that. 802 00:43:29,357 --> 00:43:31,906 What are you hiding? What don't you want us to see? 803 00:43:32,193 --> 00:43:34,193 What is going on here? What's really going on here? 804 00:44:07,228 --> 00:44:08,354 I mean, okay, 805 00:44:08,646 --> 00:44:10,006 there are some people in the fandom 806 00:44:10,189 --> 00:44:14,535 that they're just known for their sexual aspects, 807 00:44:14,819 --> 00:44:16,821 their porn of their character and things like that, 808 00:44:17,113 --> 00:44:19,115 and I don't want to be anywhere near that. 809 00:44:19,407 --> 00:44:21,159 I want people to know me for me 810 00:44:21,450 --> 00:44:23,919 and not what my character looks like naked. 811 00:44:24,203 --> 00:44:26,080 You can't talk about the furry community 812 00:44:26,372 --> 00:44:29,342 without talking about sexual things. 813 00:44:29,625 --> 00:44:33,346 I mean, the two go basically hand in hand. 814 00:44:33,629 --> 00:44:36,974 It's not so overt, not everybody's into it, 815 00:44:37,258 --> 00:44:40,979 but it's certainly a very large presence in the community, 816 00:44:41,262 --> 00:44:46,769 and to say that there is not that presence would be remiss. 817 00:44:47,059 --> 00:44:49,232 I mean, it's obviously there 818 00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:50,772 and it's obviously a big part. 819 00:44:51,063 --> 00:44:52,986 I don't really look at erotic art. 820 00:44:53,274 --> 00:44:55,197 I see it online 821 00:44:55,484 --> 00:44:57,782 and I know that is a big part of the fandom, 822 00:44:58,070 --> 00:45:00,198 but it's not something I actually look at. 823 00:45:00,489 --> 00:45:03,208 And on furry affinity, I have the kid filter on. 824 00:45:03,492 --> 00:45:04,994 I never specified age. 825 00:45:05,286 --> 00:45:07,584 I don't even see the adult stuff on it. 826 00:45:07,872 --> 00:45:09,192 Where's the best place to look at, 827 00:45:09,415 --> 00:45:11,088 - you or the camera? Okay. - At me. 828 00:45:11,375 --> 00:45:14,299 So, my name's Varka. My real name's Jan. 829 00:45:14,587 --> 00:45:18,637 I am a cocksmith by trade. 830 00:45:18,925 --> 00:45:22,020 I work for Bad dragon, 831 00:45:22,303 --> 00:45:25,523 and Bad dragon makes fantasy-themed toys. 832 00:45:30,561 --> 00:45:32,780 The human condition of where we're at 833 00:45:33,064 --> 00:45:36,238 in terms of accepting adult things in our lives 834 00:45:36,525 --> 00:45:37,993 is kind of depressing. 835 00:45:38,277 --> 00:45:40,746 I hate to say it, but particularly in America, 836 00:45:41,030 --> 00:45:44,000 this was stuff that was the foundation of religion. 837 00:45:44,283 --> 00:45:46,411 It was stuff to do with 838 00:45:46,702 --> 00:45:49,672 what is the socially-accepted norm, right? 839 00:45:49,956 --> 00:45:51,833 What are things that are, you know, 840 00:45:52,124 --> 00:45:53,592 that are considered good or bad? 841 00:45:53,876 --> 00:45:55,378 And I don't think masturbation 842 00:45:55,670 --> 00:45:58,048 should ever be an acceptable dinner table conversation ever 843 00:45:58,339 --> 00:46:00,637 because everybody should have standards. 844 00:46:00,925 --> 00:46:03,128 And I think that's something very important to emphasize, 845 00:46:03,135 --> 00:46:05,058 is any community needs standards, 846 00:46:05,346 --> 00:46:08,566 and there needs to be certain topics that are not on the table. 847 00:46:08,849 --> 00:46:10,567 But at the same time, 848 00:46:10,851 --> 00:46:14,401 I feel that people should be comfortable enough with themselves 849 00:46:14,689 --> 00:46:17,238 and with their close-knit group of friends 850 00:46:17,525 --> 00:46:20,153 to be able to be honest with themselves 851 00:46:20,444 --> 00:46:21,741 about what they really want. 852 00:46:22,029 --> 00:46:24,532 What we've got is... it's called a come tube. 853 00:46:24,824 --> 00:46:26,747 And so what you do is you have this stuff 854 00:46:27,034 --> 00:46:28,862 which looks like come, and you put it in a syringe, 855 00:46:28,869 --> 00:46:30,997 and you run it, and you squirt it down the tube, 856 00:46:31,289 --> 00:46:33,007 and it comes out the end. 857 00:46:33,291 --> 00:46:34,634 Just a tube down the middle. 858 00:46:34,917 --> 00:46:37,670 This is one we found in fantasy-themed fan-fiction 859 00:46:37,962 --> 00:46:39,305 and furry porn and stuff, 860 00:46:39,588 --> 00:46:42,467 the jizz always looks like this stuff does. 861 00:46:42,758 --> 00:46:44,556 It's always everywhere, right? 862 00:46:44,844 --> 00:46:47,563 And we were like, "oh, if we're doing fantasy toys", 863 00:46:47,847 --> 00:46:49,394 let's make fantasy lube to go with it, 864 00:46:49,682 --> 00:46:51,229 'cause lube is expensive. 865 00:46:51,517 --> 00:46:52,970 If you go and buy it from the pharmacy. 866 00:46:52,977 --> 00:46:55,856 It's six bucks for a tube, right? 867 00:46:56,147 --> 00:46:58,070 And it doesn't work very well with toys 868 00:46:58,357 --> 00:46:59,779 because it goes away a lot. 869 00:47:00,067 --> 00:47:02,240 It's designed for sex, it's not designed for, 870 00:47:02,528 --> 00:47:04,246 you know, your own use. 871 00:47:04,530 --> 00:47:06,248 And so we made this stuff 872 00:47:06,532 --> 00:47:09,661 which we called come lube 873 00:47:09,952 --> 00:47:13,957 because it's your idealized fantasy... 874 00:47:15,708 --> 00:47:17,802 Fantasy come. 875 00:47:18,085 --> 00:47:21,009 And it's all stringy, 876 00:47:21,297 --> 00:47:22,594 and it's white tinted, 877 00:47:22,882 --> 00:47:24,225 and it makes a huge mess. 878 00:47:24,508 --> 00:47:26,636 But it's... I think it's hot. 879 00:47:26,927 --> 00:47:28,349 In the right context, 880 00:47:28,637 --> 00:47:30,105 I think this stuff's amazing. 881 00:47:43,152 --> 00:47:47,953 I have worked very, very, very hard 882 00:47:48,240 --> 00:47:52,416 to foster good relationships with the local media 883 00:47:52,703 --> 00:47:55,422 and with the city of Pittsburgh. 884 00:47:55,706 --> 00:47:57,629 The city of Pittsburgh loves us. 885 00:47:57,917 --> 00:47:59,840 The media likes us. 886 00:48:00,127 --> 00:48:01,595 I want to keep it that way. 887 00:49:01,313 --> 00:49:02,280 A Pittsburgh man, 888 00:49:02,565 --> 00:49:03,737 we're gonna start with him. 889 00:49:04,024 --> 00:49:07,244 He believes his spirit is more dog than human. 890 00:49:07,528 --> 00:49:08,871 Take a look at this guy. 891 00:49:09,155 --> 00:49:10,372 That's why he wanted 892 00:49:10,656 --> 00:49:12,401 to legally change his name to boomer the dog. 893 00:49:12,408 --> 00:49:14,661 But a judge won't let him change his name. 894 00:49:14,952 --> 00:49:17,296 These are my puppy ears right here. 895 00:49:17,580 --> 00:49:19,799 And I have a dog tag. 896 00:49:20,082 --> 00:49:23,632 Do you consider yourself what's called a furry? 897 00:49:23,919 --> 00:49:25,045 I do. 898 00:49:25,337 --> 00:49:27,760 I feel that I'm a dog by default, 899 00:49:28,048 --> 00:49:31,973 but furry is the scene that I'm in. 900 00:49:32,261 --> 00:49:35,481 I found it after I discovered that I was a dog. 901 00:50:23,312 --> 00:50:25,314 Oh, well, I love the media. 902 00:50:25,606 --> 00:50:28,325 I'm in the media in my own way 903 00:50:28,609 --> 00:50:30,111 with my little radio station 904 00:50:30,402 --> 00:50:32,746 and podcasts and stuff like that. 905 00:50:33,030 --> 00:50:34,748 I really do like cameras. 906 00:50:35,032 --> 00:50:37,751 I like to be on the other side of the camera, 907 00:50:38,035 --> 00:50:39,537 the lens side of the camera, 908 00:50:39,828 --> 00:50:43,583 and to just do productions of any kind. 909 00:50:43,874 --> 00:50:46,468 I really like media, just all in general. 910 00:50:46,752 --> 00:50:48,470 I've been holding it in for a long time, 911 00:50:48,754 --> 00:50:50,472 you know, being canine. 912 00:50:50,756 --> 00:50:53,259 It was something I was put down for 913 00:50:53,551 --> 00:50:55,679 back in my early days. 914 00:50:55,970 --> 00:50:58,723 When I first started out, people didn't get it. 915 00:50:59,014 --> 00:50:59,981 So, I like to do media, 916 00:51:00,266 --> 00:51:01,786 and I kind of feel like it's an answer, 917 00:51:02,017 --> 00:51:05,146 some of this, to what people said, 918 00:51:05,437 --> 00:51:07,155 or they didn't want me to do this stuff, 919 00:51:07,439 --> 00:51:09,079 or thought it wouldn't amount to anything. 920 00:51:09,233 --> 00:51:10,576 And it's kind oe like, 921 00:51:10,859 --> 00:51:13,112 I'd like the people in my school to see this, 922 00:51:13,404 --> 00:51:14,781 and my teachers and everything, 923 00:51:15,072 --> 00:51:19,498 to see the media and, yes, I'm still out there. 924 00:51:19,785 --> 00:51:21,708 Oh, god. 925 00:51:21,996 --> 00:51:23,919 He made his suit out of shredded paper. 926 00:51:24,206 --> 00:51:26,334 - Mm-hmm. - And he was on "Dr. Phil." 927 00:51:26,625 --> 00:51:27,968 Oh, god. 928 00:51:28,252 --> 00:51:30,380 What a bad representation of the furry community. 929 00:51:30,671 --> 00:51:33,800 So are a lot of furries upset about that? 930 00:51:34,091 --> 00:51:36,640 Oh, yeah. Yeah, when it first aired, 931 00:51:36,927 --> 00:51:39,055 oh, my god. F.A. Just blew up. 932 00:51:41,974 --> 00:51:43,692 It was unbelievable. 933 00:51:43,976 --> 00:51:46,320 Anyone who's outside the fandom looking in, 934 00:51:46,604 --> 00:51:48,527 and they see a person like boomer 935 00:51:48,814 --> 00:51:51,158 and they say, "oh, what the heck is he doing?" 936 00:51:51,442 --> 00:51:55,197 And a group of furs, who naturally should be 937 00:51:55,487 --> 00:51:56,727 accepting people to begin with, 938 00:51:56,989 --> 00:51:58,616 are like, "oh, boomer." 939 00:51:58,907 --> 00:52:01,147 And I just don't think that should be the way that it is. 940 00:52:01,327 --> 00:52:02,920 I think, you know, 941 00:52:03,203 --> 00:52:05,126 like, look at yourself. 942 00:52:05,414 --> 00:52:07,963 I mean, you're the one... you're dressing up in a suit. 943 00:52:08,250 --> 00:52:10,594 You're running around town and barking. 944 00:52:10,878 --> 00:52:13,097 How are you any different than boomer is? 945 00:52:13,380 --> 00:52:15,724 You're always gonna have a small portion of folks 946 00:52:16,008 --> 00:52:18,727 that stand out in a negative way, 947 00:52:19,011 --> 00:52:20,729 especially to the media. 948 00:52:21,013 --> 00:52:23,937 I just personally felt that 949 00:52:24,224 --> 00:52:26,147 that was possibly one individual 950 00:52:26,435 --> 00:52:29,154 that didn't really represent 951 00:52:29,438 --> 00:52:32,112 the true meaning of the fandom. 952 00:52:32,399 --> 00:52:34,652 I mean, what makes his opinion 953 00:52:34,943 --> 00:52:36,445 more valuable than boomer's? 954 00:52:36,737 --> 00:52:40,833 Sure, and there are things that Diezel likes 955 00:52:41,116 --> 00:52:43,244 that other people consider to be, 956 00:52:43,535 --> 00:52:45,663 you know, taboo, 957 00:52:45,954 --> 00:52:48,503 or not a good representation of the community. 958 00:52:48,791 --> 00:52:50,509 So, we each have our own things 959 00:52:50,793 --> 00:52:52,511 that we like and don't like. 960 00:52:52,795 --> 00:52:54,513 However, it's all part of one community 961 00:52:54,797 --> 00:52:57,266 and you should talk to everybody 962 00:52:57,549 --> 00:52:58,721 to get the extremes of it. 963 00:52:59,009 --> 00:53:02,559 I do think that boomer is one extreme, 964 00:53:02,846 --> 00:53:04,189 and I think that we are another. 965 00:53:04,473 --> 00:53:07,192 You know, we are much unlike boomer, 966 00:53:07,476 --> 00:53:09,478 and even Diezel... 967 00:53:09,770 --> 00:53:11,147 but two sides of the same coin. 968 00:53:11,438 --> 00:53:12,940 Boomer is a little, 969 00:53:13,232 --> 00:53:14,434 I mean, I don't want to say that. 970 00:53:14,441 --> 00:53:17,285 That sounds so bad, but he- 971 00:53:17,569 --> 00:53:19,412 yeah, I mean, his fursuit's made out of paper 972 00:53:19,697 --> 00:53:21,415 and it's a little sketchy, 973 00:53:21,699 --> 00:53:23,246 and he tried to change his name. 974 00:53:23,534 --> 00:53:24,694 And I am not about that life. 975 00:53:26,203 --> 00:53:29,833 ♪ All my love ♪ 976 00:53:32,042 --> 00:53:34,761 See, there it is. 977 00:53:35,045 --> 00:53:37,343 Listen to my monitor. From the A.M., there's delay. 978 00:53:37,631 --> 00:53:40,305 There's a lot of delay in this. 979 00:53:40,592 --> 00:53:42,094 ♪ What am I supposed to do ♪ 980 00:53:42,386 --> 00:53:43,888 ♪ What am I supposed to do ♪ 981 00:53:44,179 --> 00:53:45,522 ♪ What am I supposed to do ♪ 982 00:53:45,806 --> 00:53:48,229 ♪ What am I supposed to do ♪ 983 00:53:48,517 --> 00:53:50,144 Isn't that weird? That's through A.M. 984 00:53:50,436 --> 00:53:52,609 It's going... 'cause there's delay through everything. 985 00:53:52,896 --> 00:53:55,115 It's streaming down there and... 986 00:53:55,399 --> 00:53:56,651 ♪ what can I do for you ♪ 987 00:53:56,942 --> 00:53:58,660 ♪ What can I do for you ♪ 988 00:53:58,944 --> 00:54:01,288 A lot of the times on TV shows- 989 00:54:01,572 --> 00:54:02,915 like, it's been on "Tyra banks" 990 00:54:03,198 --> 00:54:04,916 and it's been on... 991 00:54:05,200 --> 00:54:06,747 Lots of shows, 992 00:54:07,035 --> 00:54:10,539 and they bring in that type of... 993 00:54:10,831 --> 00:54:12,879 Bad, like, typical furry. 994 00:54:13,167 --> 00:54:14,767 Or they might just tell 'em to ham it up. 995 00:54:14,918 --> 00:54:16,295 I don't know what happens. 996 00:54:16,587 --> 00:54:19,557 But they always end up saying not good things 997 00:54:19,840 --> 00:54:21,387 and making everyone else look bad. 998 00:54:27,347 --> 00:54:28,439 Okay. 999 00:54:29,892 --> 00:54:33,112 Tell me about what a furry does. 1000 00:54:33,395 --> 00:54:35,113 Well, we are furries. 1001 00:54:35,397 --> 00:54:37,525 Furries are people 1002 00:54:37,816 --> 00:54:41,616 who have an inner animal that they like to celebrate. 1003 00:54:41,904 --> 00:54:43,451 - Okay. - And we celebrate it 1004 00:54:43,739 --> 00:54:47,539 through drawing ourselves and wearing costumes. 1005 00:54:47,826 --> 00:54:49,703 Do you have sex when you have the costume on? 1006 00:54:49,995 --> 00:54:51,338 Yes. 1007 00:54:54,541 --> 00:54:57,169 And I've heard that that person, 1008 00:54:57,461 --> 00:54:58,587 I don't know who it is, 1009 00:54:58,879 --> 00:55:00,597 but, like, people don't talk to her anymore 1010 00:55:00,881 --> 00:55:02,000 and she feels bad or something, 1011 00:55:02,007 --> 00:55:04,009 but I don't know how it went. 1012 00:55:04,301 --> 00:55:05,928 I haven't looked up on it, so- 1013 00:55:06,220 --> 00:55:07,563 oh! 1014 00:55:09,223 --> 00:55:11,317 Did you really? Oh, my goodness. Okay. 1015 00:55:11,600 --> 00:55:12,726 Shit. 1016 00:55:15,479 --> 00:55:18,779 This bitch so crunchy right here. 1017 00:55:21,068 --> 00:55:22,866 Oh, wait a minute. Hey, how's it going? 1018 00:55:23,153 --> 00:55:25,497 - I know, right? - I just realized. 1019 00:55:25,781 --> 00:55:28,330 - Takes a while. - I was like, "cl-l, wait a minute." 1020 00:55:28,617 --> 00:55:31,587 I've got, like, my little missiles targeting it. 1021 00:55:31,870 --> 00:55:33,213 Fuck it! You caught me! 1022 00:55:34,832 --> 00:55:37,176 Jesus. 1023 00:55:37,459 --> 00:55:39,120 "I don't know really what to say about chew fox" 1024 00:55:39,127 --> 00:55:40,288 that hasn't already been said. 1025 00:55:40,295 --> 00:55:42,673 Suffice to say, she... 1026 00:55:42,965 --> 00:55:46,890 she sold out the fandom for her own personal gain. 1027 00:55:47,177 --> 00:55:49,020 She got her 15 minutes on national TV 1028 00:55:49,304 --> 00:55:51,932 by showing herself to be the very kind of person 1029 00:55:52,224 --> 00:55:54,318 "we all like to pretend doesn't exist." 1030 00:55:54,601 --> 00:55:56,361 And that's that point you were talking about. 1031 00:55:56,520 --> 00:55:59,740 Everyone likes to pretend that it doesn't exist at all. 1032 00:56:00,023 --> 00:56:02,742 Like, no, it doesn't happen at all. 1033 00:56:03,026 --> 00:56:06,656 And that's just a wretched way to think. 1034 00:56:06,947 --> 00:56:09,200 "She did it by taking a collective shit" 1035 00:56:09,491 --> 00:56:11,414 on the rest of us for a few dollars- ♪ 1036 00:56:11,702 --> 00:56:12,828 Which I didn't make... 1037 00:56:13,120 --> 00:56:15,043 "and her moment in the limelight." 1038 00:56:15,330 --> 00:56:16,456 I was less embarrassed 1039 00:56:16,748 --> 00:56:19,251 over the Alan panda pedophilia issue 1040 00:56:19,543 --> 00:56:20,669 "than I am this shit." 1041 00:56:20,961 --> 00:56:22,053 Isn't that, like... 1042 00:56:22,337 --> 00:56:23,930 I am more insulting than a pedophile. 1043 00:56:24,214 --> 00:56:25,932 I'm more insulting than someone 1044 00:56:26,216 --> 00:56:28,890 who was found sexually assaulting children. 1045 00:56:29,177 --> 00:56:30,929 I am more offensive than that. 1046 00:56:37,477 --> 00:56:38,899 See? "Great. Just what we need." 1047 00:56:39,187 --> 00:56:40,689 We were almost forgotten." 1048 00:56:42,482 --> 00:56:43,722 So, what? This is something that 1049 00:56:43,984 --> 00:56:47,488 we have to feel ashamed about, apparently. 1050 00:56:47,779 --> 00:56:49,281 There will be people who will hate you 1051 00:56:49,573 --> 00:56:51,166 for this documentary. 1052 00:56:51,450 --> 00:56:53,293 There will be people who will dislike me, 1053 00:56:53,577 --> 00:56:57,081 and you, and anyone involved in this project. 1054 00:56:57,372 --> 00:57:02,253 One of the best pieces of artwork I saw in my honor 1055 00:57:02,544 --> 00:57:03,921 was a picture of someone holding me 1056 00:57:04,212 --> 00:57:06,260 by the scruff of my shirt, 1057 00:57:06,548 --> 00:57:09,722 and all it said was, "You told." 1058 00:57:11,637 --> 00:57:12,684 That says it. 1059 00:57:12,971 --> 00:57:14,251 That's all that needs to be said. 1060 00:57:14,389 --> 00:57:15,732 It's not what we say, 1061 00:57:16,016 --> 00:57:17,518 it's that we said it at all. 1062 00:57:29,613 --> 00:57:32,366 You guys might wanna get a picture of this one. 1063 00:57:37,746 --> 00:57:40,590 More interesting sex partners when we come back. 1064 00:57:40,874 --> 00:57:42,474 We'll be right back. We'll keep guessing. 1065 00:57:44,920 --> 00:57:47,719 Oh. "Uncle Kage's furries in the media" next. 1066 00:57:48,006 --> 00:57:49,349 - Look at that. - Don't. 1067 00:57:49,633 --> 00:57:51,180 Suggested? 1068 00:57:51,468 --> 00:57:55,564 Suggested to play immediately afterwards. 1069 00:57:55,847 --> 00:57:57,815 Let me guess, it's probably about me. 1070 00:57:58,100 --> 00:58:00,980 So, reporters would come to me and they would say, "Will you talk to us?" 1071 00:58:01,269 --> 00:58:03,442 I'd say, "I'd rather not. No." 1072 00:58:03,730 --> 00:58:05,858 So, they would go and find someone who would. 1073 00:58:08,193 --> 00:58:10,821 Well, we can go on and on with many examples. 1074 00:58:11,113 --> 00:58:12,313 I'm not going to name names... 1075 00:58:12,447 --> 00:58:13,369 Like chew fox. 1076 00:58:13,657 --> 00:58:15,785 I'm not gonna name that name... 1077 00:58:16,076 --> 00:58:17,953 Little fucking bitch. 1078 00:58:18,245 --> 00:58:19,963 He just uses diversion tactics. 1079 00:58:20,247 --> 00:58:22,591 He knows... he knows how to manipulate 1080 00:58:22,874 --> 00:58:24,376 a conversation in his favor. 1081 00:58:24,668 --> 00:58:27,012 And that is a very valuable skill, 1082 00:58:27,295 --> 00:58:29,593 and that's probably a skill I don't necessarily have. 1083 00:58:29,881 --> 00:58:31,007 Maybe a little. I don't know. 1084 00:58:31,299 --> 00:58:33,427 But I don't like that approach. 1085 00:58:33,719 --> 00:58:35,437 I'm gonna be up front with you, 1086 00:58:35,721 --> 00:58:38,065 I think fursuits can be very attractive. 1087 00:58:38,348 --> 00:58:42,023 I would still have sex with someone in a fursuit. 1088 00:58:42,310 --> 00:58:44,187 I prefer to have sex with someone in a fursuit 1089 00:58:44,479 --> 00:58:46,902 than to be in suit... it's very hot. 1090 00:58:47,190 --> 00:58:49,284 Um, you know, really hot. 1091 00:58:49,568 --> 00:58:50,615 When we went on the show, 1092 00:58:50,902 --> 00:58:52,825 they kind of lied to us to get in there, 1093 00:58:53,113 --> 00:58:54,410 but that's what a lot of them do. 1094 00:58:54,698 --> 00:58:58,373 They said hype up the story and make it real. 1095 00:58:58,660 --> 00:59:01,209 So, they said, "hey, you're gonna be paired" 1096 00:59:01,496 --> 00:59:04,215 with these two other peopl... these two other couples, 1097 00:59:04,499 --> 00:59:09,505 and you guys are gonna be the people who have sex in their fursuits. 1098 00:59:09,796 --> 00:59:11,514 And we're like, "we don't do that." 1099 00:59:11,798 --> 00:59:13,516 "No, but we want you to say you do that." 1100 00:59:13,800 --> 00:59:15,473 - Mm-hmm. - But I don't do that. 1101 00:59:15,761 --> 00:59:17,213 - Well, the thing... - no, we haven't. 1102 00:59:17,220 --> 00:59:18,938 - We did a little bit. - No, we didn't. 1103 00:59:19,222 --> 00:59:21,145 - Little bit. - No. 1104 00:59:21,433 --> 00:59:25,233 Anyways, um, so... 1105 00:59:25,520 --> 00:59:26,646 At that time, we just said, 1106 00:59:26,938 --> 00:59:27,978 "you know what? Forget it." 1107 00:59:28,148 --> 00:59:29,365 Let's just go on there 1108 00:59:29,649 --> 00:59:31,369 "and try to portray it the best way we can." 1109 00:59:31,610 --> 00:59:32,987 And it totally backfired. 1110 00:59:33,278 --> 00:59:36,202 And looking back at it, we shouldn't have done it, 1111 00:59:36,490 --> 00:59:38,242 but hindsight is 20/20. 1112 00:59:38,533 --> 00:59:39,659 What's done is done. 1113 00:59:39,951 --> 00:59:41,669 As I've told him, I don't regret it. 1114 00:59:41,953 --> 00:59:43,500 I don't. 1115 00:59:43,789 --> 00:59:45,325 I don't think we personally did anything that wrong. 1116 00:59:45,332 --> 00:59:46,675 And what I had told them yesterday 1117 00:59:46,958 --> 00:59:49,837 is that anything that I said- 1118 00:59:50,128 --> 00:59:52,256 the first question was directed at the fandom. 1119 00:59:52,547 --> 00:59:53,541 "What is the furry fandom?" 1120 00:59:53,548 --> 00:59:54,674 And I answered that. 1121 00:59:54,966 --> 00:59:56,606 But any question that was asked after that 1122 00:59:56,760 --> 00:59:58,933 was purely about what goes on between us. 1123 00:59:59,221 --> 01:00:02,896 - Yeah. - Yeah, really. 1124 01:00:05,811 --> 01:00:09,031 I think furries tend to become very defensive 1125 01:00:09,314 --> 01:00:12,113 if they feel attacked, regardless of the situation. 1126 01:00:12,400 --> 01:00:15,119 It's very common for one person 1127 01:00:15,403 --> 01:00:17,531 to say something, and then a group... 1128 01:00:17,823 --> 01:00:19,700 a mob Will just form and attack that person. 1129 01:00:19,991 --> 01:00:22,585 Which isn't good, but... 1130 01:00:22,869 --> 01:00:26,715 N 1131 01:00:26,998 --> 01:00:28,409 There's a really interesting dichotomy, 1132 01:00:28,416 --> 01:00:29,696 I think, in the furry community, 1133 01:00:29,960 --> 01:00:33,055 because on one hand, you have a lot of people 1134 01:00:33,338 --> 01:00:36,091 who... they're comfortable with themselves, 1135 01:00:36,383 --> 01:00:38,002 they're comfortable with their interests, right? 1136 01:00:38,009 --> 01:00:40,103 And to each other, it's accepted and understood- 1137 01:00:40,387 --> 01:00:41,764 well understood. 1138 01:00:42,055 --> 01:00:45,400 And then whenever media gets involved, 1139 01:00:45,684 --> 01:00:46,936 everyone's terrified. 1140 01:00:47,227 --> 01:00:48,524 Everyone is terrified. 1141 01:00:48,812 --> 01:00:51,156 And I think it's a mistake for furries 1142 01:00:51,439 --> 01:00:55,239 to try and hide behind, 1143 01:00:55,527 --> 01:00:57,355 "oh, I don't want anything to do with the media 1144 01:00:57,362 --> 01:01:00,707 because they might expose me to be a pervert." 1145 01:01:00,991 --> 01:01:02,709 Everybody's a pervert in some way. 1146 01:01:02,993 --> 01:01:04,336 The real question is 1147 01:01:04,619 --> 01:01:05,899 what is the intent of the person 1148 01:01:06,037 --> 01:01:08,756 that's looking to do the expose, right? 1149 01:01:09,040 --> 01:01:11,168 You need to be sensible. 1150 01:01:11,459 --> 01:01:13,757 But also along the lines of, you know, 1151 01:01:14,045 --> 01:01:15,725 what does it say about you if you're afraid 1152 01:01:15,839 --> 01:01:19,343 to stand up for what you believe in, right? 1153 01:01:19,634 --> 01:01:22,558 And I think it's... 1154 01:01:22,846 --> 01:01:25,065 that's part of the reason why I'm doing this interview, 1155 01:01:25,348 --> 01:01:27,271 is because I think that, um, 1156 01:01:27,559 --> 01:01:29,106 the furry fandom has a long way to go 1157 01:01:29,394 --> 01:01:31,772 in terms of accepting itself. 1158 01:01:32,063 --> 01:01:33,986 Do you know who Varka is? 1159 01:01:34,274 --> 01:01:36,368 He's the CEO of Bad dragon. 1160 01:01:36,651 --> 01:01:39,154 Oh, okay. Yeah, okay. 1161 01:01:39,446 --> 01:01:40,789 So you've heard of Bad dragon? 1162 01:01:48,330 --> 01:01:49,798 Unfortunately, Bad dragon 1163 01:01:50,081 --> 01:01:52,960 has been taken away from anthrocon. 1164 01:01:53,251 --> 01:01:56,471 It used to be an actual store. 1165 01:01:56,755 --> 01:02:01,101 They had things covered so that minors couldn't view. 1166 01:02:01,384 --> 01:02:03,011 However, they were taken away 1167 01:02:03,303 --> 01:02:06,728 because uncle Kage wanted nothing to do with that. 1168 01:02:07,015 --> 01:02:09,359 So, that was uncle Kage's decision 1169 01:02:09,643 --> 01:02:12,943 to boot Varka and Bad dragon. 1170 01:02:26,826 --> 01:02:28,624 Okay, you can mute it. 1171 01:02:28,912 --> 01:02:30,038 He's right. 1172 01:02:33,625 --> 01:02:35,844 - What was that? - I said he's right. 1173 01:02:36,127 --> 01:02:38,721 It does take years to build a reputation 1174 01:02:39,005 --> 01:02:41,303 and ten seconds to destroy it. 1175 01:02:41,591 --> 01:02:44,310 People would not be totally accepting 1176 01:02:44,594 --> 01:02:47,268 of the full truth. 1177 01:02:47,555 --> 01:02:49,273 It's like a white lie. 1178 01:02:49,557 --> 01:02:51,855 You're telling them part of the truth, 1179 01:02:52,143 --> 01:02:54,771 so that they'll understand it, 1180 01:02:55,063 --> 01:02:57,407 but they don't need to know everything. 1181 01:02:57,691 --> 01:03:01,867 If something really bad happened 1182 01:03:02,153 --> 01:03:07,284 and it was exploited by the media to the public, 1183 01:03:07,575 --> 01:03:11,296 do you think that families would bring their children 1184 01:03:11,579 --> 01:03:14,879 to the Westin hotel lobby 1185 01:03:15,166 --> 01:03:17,510 to get hugs from furries? 1186 01:03:17,794 --> 01:03:20,138 No. 1187 01:03:20,422 --> 01:03:21,702 Right now, my daughters too young 1188 01:03:21,965 --> 01:03:25,970 to understand any of the porn side of it. 1189 01:03:26,261 --> 01:03:29,105 Obviously, we don't show her that kind of stuff. 1190 01:03:29,389 --> 01:03:33,690 And when she's old enough to make her own decision, 1191 01:03:33,977 --> 01:03:35,479 she can decide whether she thinks 1192 01:03:35,770 --> 01:03:37,397 that it's okay or not okay. 1193 01:03:37,689 --> 01:03:39,612 But we're going to raise her 1194 01:03:39,899 --> 01:03:42,618 as this is perfectly acceptable 1195 01:03:42,902 --> 01:03:45,325 and that everyone is their own person 1196 01:03:45,613 --> 01:03:48,241 and you should accept people for who they are. 1197 01:03:49,659 --> 01:03:52,128 Did I say that out loud? I'm terribly sorry. 1198 01:03:52,412 --> 01:03:53,572 I'm very, very... I apologize. 1199 01:03:53,788 --> 01:03:55,068 It is the wine, I blame the wine. 1200 01:03:55,248 --> 01:03:56,966 They put something in it... alcohol. 1201 01:03:57,250 --> 01:03:58,877 That's all. 1202 01:03:59,169 --> 01:04:00,889 I really didn't know I was doing this panel, 1203 01:04:01,004 --> 01:04:02,631 - hon est. - Wow. 1204 01:04:07,344 --> 01:04:09,142 I feel like even politicians, though, 1205 01:04:09,429 --> 01:04:11,549 - that's what bothers me. - I never heard a politician 1206 01:04:11,806 --> 01:04:13,934 call someone a fucking bitch. 1207 01:04:14,225 --> 01:04:16,569 I mean, okay, 1208 01:04:16,853 --> 01:04:18,981 maybe in the privacy of their own home, 1209 01:04:19,272 --> 01:04:23,402 but I've never blatantly heard someone on camera say that. 1210 01:04:23,693 --> 01:04:26,822 If you have a reputation to preserve, 1211 01:04:27,113 --> 01:04:29,662 don't call people "fucking bitches." 1212 01:04:29,949 --> 01:04:32,748 That's really sad. 1213 01:04:33,036 --> 01:04:34,754 I don't know, I mean, 1214 01:04:35,038 --> 01:04:38,167 that you have to be that insecure about yourself 1215 01:04:38,458 --> 01:04:41,553 to call someone out like that. 1216 01:04:45,340 --> 01:04:47,342 - Kato, get over here. - What's up'? 1217 01:04:47,634 --> 01:04:49,181 Okay, so any of that- 1218 01:04:49,469 --> 01:04:52,188 do you feel like that's surprising to you in any way? 1219 01:04:52,472 --> 01:04:55,772 You're free to judge me, but I agreed with 85% of it. 1220 01:04:56,059 --> 01:04:58,403 And with the maybe 15% left, 1221 01:04:58,686 --> 01:05:00,814 content-wise, only 5 of it. 1222 01:05:01,106 --> 01:05:02,934 Most of it's just in the way you say something. 1223 01:05:02,941 --> 01:05:05,021 A politician should never get caught saying his mind. 1224 01:05:05,276 --> 01:05:06,573 But, I mean, aside from that, 1225 01:05:06,861 --> 01:05:10,286 I don't really disagree with what he's got to say. 1226 01:05:10,573 --> 01:05:13,201 I think it's a difficult... 1227 01:05:13,493 --> 01:05:15,791 I don't know, it's... do you- 1228 01:05:16,079 --> 01:05:17,119 fuck, dude, really? Really? 1229 01:05:17,288 --> 01:05:18,688 You don't like that there are people 1230 01:05:18,873 --> 01:05:19,993 who are gonna agree with it. 1231 01:05:20,208 --> 01:05:22,586 But, I mean, I don't know, 1232 01:05:22,877 --> 01:05:25,221 it just doesn't seem that hyperbolic to me. 1233 01:05:25,505 --> 01:05:26,927 The way in which he says it, sure, 1234 01:05:27,215 --> 01:05:29,809 but I do think most people are too inept 1235 01:05:30,093 --> 01:05:32,562 to articulate their own standpoints, 1236 01:05:32,846 --> 01:05:35,816 let alone someone else's, or a group's identity. 1237 01:05:36,099 --> 01:05:39,444 So, yeah, I think that the guy who is 1238 01:05:39,727 --> 01:05:41,604 most able to do so probably should. 1239 01:05:41,896 --> 01:05:43,068 But, you guys, you know, 1240 01:05:43,356 --> 01:05:44,767 I've been working on this for three years. 1241 01:05:44,774 --> 01:05:46,374 You guys have been communicating with me. 1242 01:05:46,568 --> 01:05:49,037 You guys are people who know how to speak English. 1243 01:05:49,320 --> 01:05:51,243 Right, and I guess that's what I would caution. 1244 01:05:51,531 --> 01:05:52,891 I mean, not to sound condescending, 1245 01:05:53,074 --> 01:05:55,074 'cause I'm not here to tell you how to do your job. 1246 01:05:55,118 --> 01:05:58,042 But, I guess, make sure that you spend more time 1247 01:05:58,329 --> 01:06:00,729 bringing to light those voices who can articulate themselves, 1248 01:06:00,957 --> 01:06:03,369 rather than bringing down someone who attempts to do it for them 1249 01:06:03,376 --> 01:06:05,424 even if, perhaps, not in a way that you approve of. 1250 01:06:05,712 --> 01:06:07,331 I don't know, maybe a lot of furries are stupid. 1251 01:06:07,338 --> 01:06:08,541 Maybe we're the only smart ones. 1252 01:06:08,548 --> 01:06:09,549 I don't know. I don't- 1253 01:06:09,841 --> 01:06:11,127 it's not that they're stupid, I think. 1254 01:06:11,134 --> 01:06:12,454 I just think that they're just not 1255 01:06:12,635 --> 01:06:14,637 held to a high enough standard of behavior. 1256 01:06:14,929 --> 01:06:18,229 They don't think about their conduct in a larger sense, 1257 01:06:18,516 --> 01:06:20,553 and I think that's what Kage's trying to impose on people. 1258 01:06:20,560 --> 01:06:22,346 Whether or not he's going to be successful at that, 1259 01:06:22,353 --> 01:06:24,447 whether or not he can be successful at that, 1260 01:06:24,731 --> 01:06:25,903 that's up for debate. 1261 01:06:26,191 --> 01:06:28,285 But I think that people do need to think about 1262 01:06:28,568 --> 01:06:30,286 how they are perceived by other people. 1263 01:06:30,570 --> 01:06:34,416 It's an important part of personal responsibility. 1264 01:06:34,699 --> 01:06:36,667 And I think as soon as someone like Kage gets up 1265 01:06:36,951 --> 01:06:38,669 and says, "be this, be this", 1266 01:06:38,953 --> 01:06:40,500 not this, and do this," 1267 01:06:40,788 --> 01:06:42,961 it takes anything valid in the fandom that we've done 1268 01:06:43,249 --> 01:06:45,672 and just flushes it right down the toilet. 1269 01:06:45,960 --> 01:06:48,133 Because if we are all about acceptance, 1270 01:06:48,421 --> 01:06:51,675 if we all are about individuality, 1271 01:06:51,966 --> 01:06:54,515 who's to say that he can say that to anybody 1272 01:06:54,802 --> 01:06:56,242 and that people should listen to him? 1273 01:06:56,513 --> 01:06:58,515 I think it's common knowledge 1274 01:06:58,806 --> 01:07:01,685 over people who have the Internet and cable- 1275 01:07:01,976 --> 01:07:04,104 everyone's like, "oh, yeah, furries." 1276 01:07:04,395 --> 01:07:06,523 They dress up as animals and have sex with each other, 1277 01:07:06,814 --> 01:07:08,726 "or they go in the woods and have sex with animals," 1278 01:07:08,733 --> 01:07:12,533 or things like that, and then they move on. 1279 01:07:12,820 --> 01:07:14,020 But then the furries are like, 1280 01:07:14,072 --> 01:07:17,121 "no, we cannot let this happen!" 1281 01:07:17,408 --> 01:07:18,250 It already happened. 1282 01:07:18,535 --> 01:07:19,536 You can't change it back. 1283 01:07:19,827 --> 01:07:21,750 Like, so... 1284 01:07:22,038 --> 01:07:23,915 Do you worry that if you say the wrong thing 1285 01:07:24,207 --> 01:07:26,926 that you're gonna get in trouble with furries? 1286 01:07:27,210 --> 01:07:30,555 Do I worry a little bit? 1287 01:07:30,838 --> 01:07:32,340 Sure. 1288 01:07:32,632 --> 01:07:34,350 But I've made the conscious decision 1289 01:07:34,634 --> 01:07:36,728 to step in front of this camera right here 1290 01:07:37,011 --> 01:07:40,561 and speak my mind on it. 1291 01:07:40,848 --> 01:07:42,408 Could there be some repercussions of it? 1292 01:07:42,642 --> 01:07:43,939 Sure. 1293 01:07:44,227 --> 01:07:46,355 At the end of the day, I've still got my friends 1294 01:07:46,646 --> 01:07:49,365 and that's all that matters to me. 1295 01:07:49,649 --> 01:07:51,572 I'm not out here to defame anybody. 1296 01:07:51,859 --> 01:07:54,237 I'm not out here to throw the fandom under the bus. 1297 01:07:54,529 --> 01:07:56,952 I'm not out to change the world. 1298 01:07:57,240 --> 01:07:58,583 I'm not out to change the fandom. 1299 01:07:58,866 --> 01:08:00,914 I'm just out there to be me. 1300 01:08:01,202 --> 01:08:02,530 Once again, I'm going to reiterate this point 1301 01:08:02,537 --> 01:08:04,585 because it is very important. 1302 01:08:04,872 --> 01:08:06,169 You're not representing you, 1303 01:08:06,457 --> 01:08:08,175 you're representing all of us. 1304 01:08:08,459 --> 01:08:09,756 I think what he's getting at 1305 01:08:10,044 --> 01:08:12,718 is when you decide to get in front of a camera, 1306 01:08:13,006 --> 01:08:15,179 you're not representing just you at that time. 1307 01:08:15,466 --> 01:08:17,594 You're representing the fandom. 1308 01:08:17,885 --> 01:08:18,761 And I think, again, 1309 01:08:19,053 --> 01:08:20,396 a lot of people try to do that, 1310 01:08:20,680 --> 01:08:24,059 but they don't say it in the right way. 1311 01:08:24,350 --> 01:08:25,602 Is that tough for when 1312 01:08:25,893 --> 01:08:27,611 you feel like your only responsibility 1313 01:08:27,895 --> 01:08:29,989 should just be to be you, right, 1314 01:08:30,273 --> 01:08:32,268 instead of somebody who just got into an interview? 1315 01:08:32,275 --> 01:08:35,620 Yeah, I mean, it kind of makes sense to what he's saying 1316 01:08:35,903 --> 01:08:37,951 at this point in time right now. 1317 01:08:38,239 --> 01:08:40,207 I'm not just representing me, 1318 01:08:40,491 --> 01:08:44,792 I'm representing the fandom. 1319 01:08:45,079 --> 01:08:47,628 The people that like him, do they actually like him? 1320 01:08:47,915 --> 01:08:49,212 Because now I'm a little... 1321 01:08:49,500 --> 01:08:50,870 sort of the way your interview went, 1322 01:08:50,877 --> 01:08:52,580 it was, like, not that you were supporting him, 1323 01:08:52,587 --> 01:08:54,009 but at first you didn't necessarily 1324 01:08:54,297 --> 01:08:55,640 want to speak too ill of him. 1325 01:08:55,923 --> 01:08:57,800 So, I almost wonder if it's maybe because 1326 01:08:58,092 --> 01:09:00,686 they feel like they have to support him, 1327 01:09:00,970 --> 01:09:02,643 or at least not be detractors, 1328 01:09:02,930 --> 01:09:04,773 or if they genuinely like him. 1329 01:09:05,058 --> 01:09:08,437 Basically, he's got connections to the other... 1330 01:09:08,728 --> 01:09:10,651 the other higher... 1331 01:09:10,938 --> 01:09:13,032 if you would even call them higher up furs, 1332 01:09:13,316 --> 01:09:16,240 as in dragoneer who runs fur affinity 1333 01:09:16,527 --> 01:09:17,807 and some of the other web sites. 1334 01:09:17,945 --> 01:09:19,265 And I think there's a general fear 1335 01:09:19,530 --> 01:09:22,830 that his cronies or his followers 1336 01:09:23,117 --> 01:09:24,528 are going to beat the shit out of you 1337 01:09:24,535 --> 01:09:27,038 because you spoke ill of Kage, 1338 01:09:27,330 --> 01:09:28,673 when I think the reality is 1339 01:09:28,956 --> 01:09:32,881 he thinks he speaks for the masses, 1340 01:09:33,169 --> 01:09:35,968 and I just think he speaks for some. 1341 01:09:36,255 --> 01:09:39,475 And I think a lot of people won't talk ill of that 1342 01:09:39,759 --> 01:09:41,261 because they don't want to be shown 1343 01:09:41,552 --> 01:09:42,952 as someone who's against the fandom, 1344 01:09:43,221 --> 01:09:45,440 and some people think if you don't agree with Kage, 1345 01:09:45,723 --> 01:09:47,725 you're against the fandom. 1346 01:09:48,017 --> 01:09:50,270 I feel you're a little biased 1347 01:09:50,561 --> 01:09:52,438 in your interviewing. 1348 01:09:52,730 --> 01:09:54,482 Just a little bit. 1349 01:09:54,774 --> 01:09:56,276 Poquito. 1350 01:09:56,567 --> 01:09:57,864 Well, I mean, it's like... 1351 01:09:58,152 --> 01:09:59,950 where's the other... where's Kage's side? 1352 01:10:00,238 --> 01:10:02,707 Fucking, I would love it. I would love that side. 1353 01:10:02,990 --> 01:10:04,082 You can't get Kage's side 1354 01:10:04,367 --> 01:10:06,040 without Kage's approval on Kage's edit. 1355 01:10:06,327 --> 01:10:07,920 Didn't he deny doing this? 1356 01:10:08,204 --> 01:10:09,922 Yeah, he said... 1357 01:10:15,920 --> 01:10:17,422 sure, yeah. 1358 01:10:17,714 --> 01:10:19,091 A lot of other communities 1359 01:10:19,382 --> 01:10:21,305 don't really have the same problems 1360 01:10:21,592 --> 01:10:23,720 that the furry community does. 1361 01:10:24,011 --> 01:10:25,451 But I feel that a lot of the problems 1362 01:10:25,596 --> 01:10:27,314 that the furry community has 1363 01:10:27,598 --> 01:10:30,647 are brought on by themselves- 1364 01:10:30,935 --> 01:10:34,155 mainly trying to spin themselves in a good light 1365 01:10:34,439 --> 01:10:36,112 when it not necessarily is. 1366 01:10:36,399 --> 01:10:38,618 I'm not saying that things are bad or wrong 1367 01:10:38,901 --> 01:10:40,118 with the furry community, 1368 01:10:40,403 --> 01:10:44,749 but they are certainly not portrayed real. 1369 01:10:45,032 --> 01:10:47,831 It's just what they want you to see, 1370 01:10:48,119 --> 01:10:49,666 and that comes off... 1371 01:10:49,954 --> 01:10:51,752 people take that and spin that even. 1372 01:10:52,039 --> 01:10:54,838 - So... - It's an unnecessary cover-up. 1373 01:10:55,126 --> 01:10:56,343 If you just let things be, 1374 01:10:56,627 --> 01:10:58,129 it might be a Niger place. 1375 01:10:58,421 --> 01:11:02,301 People might actually accept furries for who they are. 1376 01:11:02,592 --> 01:11:04,392 And here's the thing, too, let me add to that, 1377 01:11:04,635 --> 01:11:06,353 and why he... 1378 01:11:06,637 --> 01:11:08,731 I believe he tries to help the fandom 1379 01:11:09,015 --> 01:11:10,358 and here's one reason why. 1380 01:11:10,641 --> 01:11:13,941 What is the age majority in the fandom? 1381 01:11:17,148 --> 01:11:19,150 It's very young. It's a very young fandom. 1382 01:11:19,442 --> 01:11:22,321 As I get older, the fandom continues to stay young 1383 01:11:22,612 --> 01:11:24,785 and get younger. 1384 01:11:25,072 --> 01:11:28,952 A lot of young people in this generation, 1385 01:11:29,243 --> 01:11:31,166 they don't always know what to say. 1386 01:11:31,454 --> 01:11:35,834 They're very stubborn. They have a lot of pride. 1387 01:11:36,125 --> 01:11:38,924 They don't think about the repercussions of things, 1388 01:11:39,212 --> 01:11:42,933 and you have to be careful with people like that. 1389 01:11:51,808 --> 01:11:54,607 So, uncle Kage's doing a "winestream," 1390 01:11:54,894 --> 01:11:56,521 which is a livestream. 1391 01:11:56,813 --> 01:11:59,191 If you're unfamiliar with what that is, 1392 01:11:59,482 --> 01:12:01,200 it's just him at his computer at his house 1393 01:12:01,484 --> 01:12:04,533 taking questions for hours and getting drunk. 1394 01:12:06,614 --> 01:12:07,991 Is this controlling these? 1395 01:12:08,282 --> 01:12:09,829 You don't hear an echo? I don't care. 1396 01:12:10,117 --> 01:12:10,993 I have an idea. 1397 01:12:11,285 --> 01:12:12,780 For those of you who say you hear an echo, 1398 01:12:12,787 --> 01:12:14,915 fuck you! Okay, now! 1399 01:12:15,206 --> 01:12:19,006 We're getting going because I've not been able to drink 1400 01:12:19,293 --> 01:12:22,012 while Jack has been screwing around with the damn server! 1401 01:12:22,296 --> 01:12:23,639 Now it's my turn. 1402 01:12:23,923 --> 01:12:25,550 - So! - Shit. 1403 01:12:25,842 --> 01:12:27,586 I'd like to welcome you all to the winestream. 1404 01:12:27,593 --> 01:12:28,845 I apologize. 1405 01:12:29,136 --> 01:12:30,548 We had a very, very lovely intro set up, 1406 01:12:30,555 --> 01:12:31,852 but, oh, well. 1407 01:12:32,139 --> 01:12:32,856 Maybe next time. 1408 01:12:33,140 --> 01:12:35,268 I apologize, 1409 01:12:35,560 --> 01:12:38,234 I don't like north Carolina wines. 1410 01:12:38,521 --> 01:12:40,865 It's a lovely state, and I'm sure they make lovely wines, 1411 01:12:41,148 --> 01:12:42,445 but they're not to my taste, 1412 01:12:42,733 --> 01:12:44,270 I prefer Columbia valley, Washington state, 1413 01:12:44,277 --> 01:12:46,245 or Mosel valley of Germany. 1414 01:12:46,529 --> 01:12:48,031 Um, Dominic. "Do we really need 1415 01:12:48,322 --> 01:12:50,042 the anthrocon media policy to be so strict?" 1416 01:12:50,157 --> 01:12:52,660 Fuck, yes! 1417 01:12:52,952 --> 01:12:55,046 Um, okay, cook away. 1418 01:12:55,329 --> 01:12:57,673 "The elevators will hold up. What about the escalators?" 1419 01:12:57,957 --> 01:13:01,461 - One thing at a time. - One, two, now. 1420 01:13:01,752 --> 01:13:03,971 Somebody asked me a question, it went away. 1421 01:13:04,255 --> 01:13:06,053 I'm gonna start at the bottom. 1422 01:13:06,340 --> 01:13:08,684 "Do you ever feel you're going too far calling furries out 1423 01:13:08,968 --> 01:13:10,963 that screw up in the media, like boomer the dog and chew fox?" 1424 01:13:10,970 --> 01:13:12,690 No! No, they're a bunch of fucking asswipes. 1425 01:13:12,763 --> 01:13:14,015 I don't feel I'm going too far. 1426 01:13:14,307 --> 01:13:15,587 I want them Tc shut the hell up. 1427 01:13:15,725 --> 01:13:18,569 They're not representing me! 1428 01:13:18,853 --> 01:13:19,570 Mmm. 1429 01:13:19,854 --> 01:13:21,697 Cool. 1430 01:13:27,695 --> 01:13:30,699 I think what you said is probably absolutely true. 1431 01:13:30,990 --> 01:13:33,743 I think he probably indulges in some of the same shit 1432 01:13:34,035 --> 01:13:35,787 that he sees other people... 1433 01:13:36,078 --> 01:13:38,922 and that he doesn't want to be identified with the same thing, 1434 01:13:39,206 --> 01:13:41,709 he wants his own image saved. 1435 01:13:42,001 --> 01:13:46,723 Um, and it's purely for his own... 1436 01:13:49,008 --> 01:13:50,134 I think. It's... 1437 01:13:50,426 --> 01:13:51,928 it's for him. 1438 01:13:52,219 --> 01:13:56,941 The people that are enjoying 1439 01:13:57,224 --> 01:13:58,271 the fandom the most, 1440 01:13:58,559 --> 01:14:01,278 the people that get fandom the most 1441 01:14:01,562 --> 01:14:03,485 and get the most out of it 1442 01:14:03,773 --> 01:14:05,946 are the ones that basically say, 1443 01:14:06,233 --> 01:14:07,530 "I don't give a fuck." 1444 01:14:07,818 --> 01:14:09,536 I don't give a fuck what dragoneer says. 1445 01:14:09,820 --> 01:14:11,948 I don't give a fuck what uncle kage says. 1446 01:14:12,239 --> 01:14:15,209 "I don't give a fuck about any of that shit." 1447 01:14:15,493 --> 01:14:17,996 N 1448 01:14:18,287 --> 01:14:22,758 ♪ like magic he appears ♪ 1449 01:14:23,042 --> 01:14:26,763 ♪ A hero to save the day ♪ 1450 01:14:27,046 --> 01:14:31,142 ♪ and just when you think he's here for good ♪ 1451 01:14:31,425 --> 01:14:36,147 ♪ That's when he goes away ♪ 1452 01:14:36,430 --> 01:14:39,354 ♪ 'Cause he's boomer ♪ 1453 01:14:39,642 --> 01:14:40,768 ♪ Boomer ♪ 1454 01:14:41,060 --> 01:14:43,438 ♪ Boomer ♪ 1455 01:14:45,773 --> 01:14:47,150 So, this is all about- 1456 01:14:47,441 --> 01:14:49,785 and you can see it's still in German. 1457 01:14:50,069 --> 01:14:53,619 The titles are still in German and stuff like that. 1458 01:14:53,906 --> 01:14:55,374 See, and when I would hear him, 1459 01:14:55,658 --> 01:14:57,786 I would tape record these barks- 1460 01:14:58,077 --> 01:15:00,171 the pieces, the parts of the show 1461 01:15:00,454 --> 01:15:02,054 where he was barking and stuff like that. 1462 01:15:02,289 --> 01:15:03,381 And then I'd play it back 1463 01:15:03,666 --> 01:15:07,170 and I would try to learn his bark. 1464 01:15:07,461 --> 01:15:08,428 And that's how I got 1465 01:15:08,713 --> 01:15:10,010 the "here's boomer" bark for me. 1466 01:15:10,297 --> 01:15:12,174 I'd just listen over and over 1467 01:15:12,466 --> 01:15:14,514 and then try to bark like that. 1468 01:15:14,802 --> 01:15:16,349 That's the only way to shut him up. 1469 01:15:16,637 --> 01:15:17,881 You figured it out for yourself. 1470 01:15:17,888 --> 01:15:20,607 Good for you, boomer. 1471 01:15:20,891 --> 01:15:23,394 The thing ls, ls why did that hit me 1472 01:15:23,686 --> 01:15:27,031 when it could've been just as much the human world? 1473 01:15:27,314 --> 01:15:29,032 Because I was in the human world. 1474 01:15:29,316 --> 01:15:30,488 So, why would the dog, like, 1475 01:15:30,776 --> 01:15:31,618 step out, you know, 1476 01:15:31,902 --> 01:15:36,533 and get me so much 1477 01:15:36,824 --> 01:15:38,826 when it could've been any number of factors 1478 01:15:39,118 --> 01:15:40,540 or anything else? 1479 01:15:40,828 --> 01:15:42,626 But somehow I was different, 1480 01:15:42,913 --> 01:15:45,007 and then somehow the dog was there, 1481 01:15:45,291 --> 01:15:49,216 and then somehow I kept on being canine all this time, 1482 01:15:49,503 --> 01:15:51,426 whatever it's been now. 1483 01:15:51,714 --> 01:15:52,840 I don't know how long, 1484 01:15:53,132 --> 01:15:54,652 like, 40 years or something ridiculous? 1485 01:15:54,800 --> 01:15:56,928 I don't know. 1486 01:15:57,219 --> 01:16:00,063 I just go right across here. You don't mind? 1487 01:16:00,347 --> 01:16:01,439 Okay. 1488 01:16:09,106 --> 01:16:12,076 There's kind of a way of doing things 1489 01:16:12,359 --> 01:16:14,236 in the furry scene now 1490 01:16:14,528 --> 01:16:16,371 that I think allows less expression 1491 01:16:16,655 --> 01:16:18,874 than it did when I first came on the scene. 1492 01:16:19,158 --> 01:16:20,535 You didn't have that kind of- 1493 01:16:20,826 --> 01:16:25,047 there wasn't a social pressure to conformity as much. 1494 01:16:25,331 --> 01:16:27,254 Which is weird to be even saying, 1495 01:16:27,541 --> 01:16:30,260 because furry is this different thing to begin with. 1496 01:16:30,544 --> 01:16:32,888 So I kind of don't understand... 1497 01:16:33,172 --> 01:16:36,267 I don't understand some of the modern philosophy. 1498 01:16:36,550 --> 01:16:38,427 But I kinda do, because, like, I bark. 1499 01:16:38,719 --> 01:16:41,097 People come into the scene and that's all they know, 1500 01:16:41,388 --> 01:16:44,688 so they expect other people to be similar. 1501 01:16:44,975 --> 01:16:46,522 I love furries so much. 1502 01:16:46,811 --> 01:16:48,905 I want to see all kinds of people have it 1503 01:16:49,188 --> 01:16:50,485 and enjoy it if they'd like to. 1504 01:16:50,773 --> 01:16:51,899 And I'd like them to see 1505 01:16:52,191 --> 01:16:54,285 all the sides of furry, you know, 1506 01:16:54,568 --> 01:16:55,728 good and bad, whatever it is. 1507 01:16:55,986 --> 01:16:57,954 I don't think there's much bad to it. 1508 01:16:58,239 --> 01:17:01,709 It's people trying to discover themselves in different ways. 1509 01:17:07,123 --> 01:17:09,296 Right away when I did this, I was told, 1510 01:17:09,583 --> 01:17:14,680 "why don't you just keep your regular name like the rest of us?" 1511 01:17:14,964 --> 01:17:16,307 And I was like... I almost, like- 1512 01:17:16,590 --> 01:17:18,934 I was angry, but I was laughing at the same time 1513 01:17:19,218 --> 01:17:20,310 because I was like, 1514 01:17:20,594 --> 01:17:22,312 "that's not what it's about for me." 1515 01:18:50,935 --> 01:18:54,235 N