The Darkest Of The Hillside Thickets: An Interview With Toren Atkinson

Popshifter: Who steals a costume?

Toren Atkinson: You know we’ve lost a few. We lost The Rhino. We lost a skeleton costume which was basically one of those full, black body suits with the skeleton painted on top, and we also just generally have forgotten things at the venue and gone back and they’re not there. I mean, come on! These are awesome costumes, who wouldn’t want to own them?

Popshifter: That’s true; it just seems like really absurd thing to steal.

Toren Atkinson: What can I say, human condition! I don’t mind much if these costumes have had a good, long life and it’s time for them to retire like a Beanie Baby but you know, if you spend three months working on an awesome costume, you get to use it once and then it’s gone. Especially if you don’t hire anyone to film the show—then you’ve got nothing, but memories.

Photo from thickets.net

Popshifter: Speaking of filming, are there any plans of releasing any videos on a DVD collection or anything like that?

Toren Atkinson: Yeah, absolutely. It’s something I’ve been slowly working on over the last couple of years and the people at Penny Arcade Expo said that they would have some footage for us. So I hope to use that and the tons of VHS tapes I’ve had over the years that I need to convert over into digital files—if anyone wants to help put that together, we have lots of raw footage that needs to be processed and gone through! I think the plan is that our next CD will also have a DVD element to it so hopefully it will be an interesting package.

Popshifter: Very cool! Was last year the first time you guys went to Penny Arcade Expo?

Toren Atkinson: Yes, it was the first time we were invited. Although I guess I shouldn’t say that really because before Penny Arcade Expo, there was the NecrowombiCon. Basically there was a group of Vancouverites and Seattleites who were fans of Penny Arcade and they would put these little conventions together with Gabe and Tycho being there and the one we played in was in Surrey I believe, or possibly Burnaby, which is a suburb of Vancouver, and it was at a video game arcade. We played in a parking lot and Gabe and Tycho were there and there were lots of videogame competitions and whatnot. It wasn’t quite the same as PAX is now, but it was kind of the early generation of that idea. So technically it was our second time playing PAX but it was a completely different vibe and experience.

Popshifter: So do you guys still have arcades in the area?

Toren Atkinson: I don’t go to arcades that often but I know there’s a couple downtown you can pop in and put coins in the machines and whatnot.

Popshifter: Arcades are definitely a dying breed in this area. So yeah, Penny Arcade Expo was also your debut of your song in Rock Band as well.

Toren Atkinson: Exactly!

Click to read more about. . .

New music and number of costumes
Wardrobe malfunctions
DVDs and PAX
Rock Band
Halloween

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