The Drinky Crow Show

[SwimMod_Luuv]

Post your questions and comments for Eric Kaplan here!

Eric Kaplan is a writer and producer for Futurama and Drinky Crow Show, and executive produced Mongo Wrestling Alliance.  He has also written for; Problem Solverz, Duck Dodgers, Late Show with David Letterman, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Flight Of the Concords, Malcolm In the Middle, Big Bang Theory, Out of Jimmy's Head, his own Zombie College webtoon, and has produced segments and episodes of most of those shows as well.

from wikipedia:

Eric Kaplan is an American television writer, producer, and story editor. His work has included such shows as The Late Show with David Letterman, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Malcolm in the Middle, and Futurama. He currently works on the The Big Bang Theory.

Kaplan graduated from Harvard College (where he wrote for the Harvard Lampoon)^[1] in 1989.^{[citation needed]} Prior to committing to a career in professional writing, Kaplan had been an English teacher in Thailand. After that he took five years of philosophy graduate school at Columbia and UC Berkeley.^[2] While in philosophy graduate school he studied with Donald Davidson, John Searle, Hubert Dreyfus and Bernard Williams. He is qualified to teach philosophy of science, metaphysics, medieval philosophy, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of language, and is at work on a thesis on the phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty.^{[citation needed]}

Starting in 1986, Kaplan interned for Spy Magazine, where his duties included mopping the floors and writing blurb-length film reviews.^[3]

Eric Kaplan's first television writing job was with The Late Show with David Letterman which he worked on for a year and a half before quitting and moving to Hollywood to look for a job in "half-hour" work.^[4] It was at this time that Kaplan learned of Matt Groening doing a show set in the year 3000. This show would turn out to be Futurama. After applying for work on the show using some writing samples, Eric would have to, as he says, "sweat it out", for over a month before getting the job. Upon Futurama's cancellation, Kaplan went to work for the short-lived comedy series Andy Richter Controls the Universe, writing just one episode. After Fox dropped Andy Richter..., Eric Kaplan then began work on the hit-show Malcolm in the Middle, Eric also wrote the "Girlfriends" episode of the HBO hit, "Flight of the Conchords". During hiatuses of Malcom, Kaplan attempted to develop a one-hour dramatic series that combined elements of Spanish Telenovelas, Marvel superheroes and reality programming.

Mirari Films

Kaplan runs Mirari Films, an animation studio and VFX house. In addition to "The Drinky Crow Show" Mirari Films produces "Baxter and McGuire" for Comedy Central and is developing shows with several artists in the fields of comedy and comics.

[duzitickle]

I just wanted to let you know there's not many cartoons that make me cry,
But Jurassic Bark is one of them.
=,]
thanks for the years of futurama funnies.

Now, Drinky Crow!
I <3 that show DOOK DOOK DOOK!
What your fav episode of all time?

Do you have any shows you wish you'd made but never did?

[Curlymafurly]

My roommate has a Flight of the Concords poster on his side of the room, but It's right next to a 300 poster. I think he just has them both up to un-blank-en his wall.

What should I do?

[4-HBabe]

Seriously! You must tell me immediately if Raj and Penny actually hooked up. This has been killing me all summer. I can't believe you would do that to us you bastards!

*deep breath*

Sorry. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Now then, Futurama is extremely funny. When you come up with an idea to use a character based on a real person (such as in the Lucy Liu episode), how willing do you find these actors/personas to play themselves? And if they absolutely refuse are you tempted to hire a voice actor to do a really bad impression of them?

[Doom_Metal_Alchemist]

---

duzitickle wrote:
I just wanted to let you know there's not many cartoons that make me cry,
But Jurassic Bark is one of them.
=,]

---

Jurassic Bark has never made me cry, but Luck of the Fryrish ALWAYS does when Fry reads his nephew's tombstone: "Here lies Philip J. Fry, named for his uncle, to carry on his spirit."

So Eric, what was your favorite episode of Futurama that you wrote on?

[SwimMod_Luuv]

There seems to be a real versatility to the stuff you've done in terms of how you're working.  You seem to produce really good material whether you're working on your own, or as part of a writing staff, or with a partner as with Drinky Crow, which you co-created with Tony Millionaire.  Do you have a preferred mode?  Would you rather have the structure of working on a network show, or be off on your own doing your own thing, or maybe just doing a show with a partner, or small group?

[poisonbella]

Hi Eric!

what an extensive resume very interesting! did you always want to be in entertainment? where do you come up with the ideas? i love futurama and the simpsons! do you have any interesting stories to tell, anything in general? something strange or cool or funny? thanks!

[duzitickle]

Stop making me cry moar.
That's one of the others that turns the waterworks.
The real folks blues 1, 2 (cowboy bebop) also makes me bawl like a baby.
=\

[EricKaplan]

I'm glad you enjoyed it.  I think love and the passage of time make us cry from a good place.  My fave Drinky Crow episode was God of Monkeys I think -- I like the idea that we create our own hells & the stuff about being outisde the explanatory matrix

[EricKaplan]

let 100 flowers bloom

[EricKaplan]

Why do you think it made you cry?  What was your favorite episode?

[EricKaplan]

I think that's a good question.  Lucy Liu was totally game.  Bob Barker was okay with the line "I'd like to skin you alive even as long as nobody uses the skin."  Al Gore was okay with saying "I have ridden the mighty moon worm!".    Celebrities as a rule like people to pay attention to them and will do the needful.

[EricKaplan]

My fave was the Zoidberg mating episode.  When I first met on the show David Cohen had all the characters on boards and I rifled through them until I saw Zoidberg and conceived a strong desire to write for a show that had such a character.  When I actually had the chance to write hte first big Zoidberg episode I drenched David's feet with hot tears of grattiude, so much so that when he got up he slipped and had to get stitches.

[EricKaplan]

It is cool if everybody comes prepared to bring it and let the gestalt of the writing process channel something beyond what anybody's individual egos can get at.    But it sucks if it's a committee.   The best if it you're fortunate enough to bring it, whether it's in a group or alone in the wee hours.  

[EricKaplan]

PS I do a lot of stuff through my animation studio, Mirari Films, so I get the best of both worlds.

[EricKaplan]

When I was in fifth grade I liked a girl named Arlene Shneier and would pass her notes that were a conversation between the beings of two universes, one called Lumber, and the other Doderania or "The Doderane".   That's at least strange, and possibly funny but only cool if you look at it with a very charitable pair of eyes!

[SwimMod_Luuv]

between Mirari, the big network projects, the small indy projects, etc, is there a trick to managing your time?  Which actually probably brings me around to saying thanks for spending some of it with us this week, we really appreciate it!

[scrapyard]

dude are u related 2gabe kaplan?

cuz if so

that'd be toly badass

[EricKaplan]

My pleasure!

But you're right -- time's precious!

[EricKaplan]

I think we are descended from the brother of Moses

[scrapyard]

that is awesome

so hey listen like i feel like hbo is steal'n alla good shows

why dont more shows go 2adultswim?

since u worked on concords & all u gota be an expert amirtie

[LDK_SPARDA]

Dear Eric Kaplan,

I may not have much to ask, but I do have one thing to ask. Has there been times where you have been like a character portrayed as yourself in some shows? Like a random passerby character? Like if you had an episode where there was a random crowd of people, would you have yourself as one of the characters standing in, being observant of the situation?

Sincerely from a fan of Drinky Crow Show and Mongo Wrestling Alliance,
LDK_SPARDA

[duzitickle]

---

EricKaplan wrote:

Why do you think it made you cry?  What was your favorite episode?

---

seymour waited and waited and waited so long for fry to return.

that poor animated dog's loyalty and dedication to fry just tore my heart out.
still duz.
makes me think of all those real life abandoned animals.
(yeah, imma softie for animals)

=,[

fav episode of drinky crow....
man, i just love beer goggles.
i sorta see the world through crazy goggles like that.
i think most folks are prettier and more charming than they really are.
its not a bad way to live, though.


tell me about nibbler.
whose idea was he?
(hes such a fun character)
also:  are you surprised when you see someone with a tattoo from your cartoons?

[EricKaplan]

yes -- in the Futurama movie "he Beast with a Billion Backs" I am one of Colleen's five polyamorous boyfriends.

The Jewish one.

[EricKaplan]

Nibbler was Matt Groening's idea.

I have never seen such a tattoo.  Some day I would like to do a ten minute cartoon with a frame rate of 10 frames per second -- and tattoo the frames on 36,000 people and have them run past a camera really quick.