I wanted to take a moment and personally thank each and every one of you for the outpouring of love and fond memories during the final weeks of our run on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.” Hearing your stories and coming to understand how we’ve touched and affected so many lives makes what I do so worthwhile. Many of you may not realize this, but I’ve actually been a part of the show since early 2007. Back when Geoff Peterson was just a gleam in robo-Geppetto Grant Imahara’s eye, I regularly appeared on camera (in heavy prosthetic make-up and a muscle suit) as then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert De Niro, assorted other characters and, of course, as the voice of Morgan Freeman. Geoff Peterson’s existence came about because of a bet. Craig Ferguson often joked about building a “robot skeleton army” that would one day conquer the world. MythBuster’s Grant Imahara offered to build for Craig his own personal robot skeleton on one condition: Craig had to get him 100,000 followers on Twitter. And that’s exactly what Craig did…in less than a day. Initially, Craig voiced Geoff Peterson in stilted, grating, Dalek-esque tones. A few weeks later, he very generously asked me to take over. For the first year of Geoff’s existence his phrases and mannerisms were pre-recorded and pre-programmed. I showed up a few times a month to record a new batch of phrases, and then one of the writers would “operate” Geoff during the show by tapping buttons on an iPad (I can use that term because that “racist” isn’t here to stop me!). One year later, in May of 2011, I began puppeteering and voicing Geoff Peterson “live” in the studio. For Craig to introduce this new element into his talk show, to share the stage with a relatively new comedian, speaks volumes about the man. He was taking a calculated risk handing the robot reigns over to me, and like many others on the show I figured this character would quickly go the way of Craig’s old sound machine and puppets. But after a few months of fits and starts, it became very clear to everyone that Craig and I had a unique on-air chemistry that cannot be planned or scripted. And the longer Geoff appeared on the show, the more he became an inseparable part of the show’s fabric. Most importantly, Craig had found a new “toy” and was clearly having fun again. Later on, I would pull double, triple, quadruple and quintuple duty as the voice of Sandra the Rhino (briefly played by my friend, the lovely and talented Dana DeLorenzo), all of the phone calls, the entire Shy Fellas Band, every one of the celebrity flies, Craig’s inner thoughts and, yes, the voice of Secretariat (which, it must be noted and never forgotten, was Joseph Bolter in the front and Ryan McGowan in the back). Not to mention my on-camera stint as Kraftwerk’s Ralph to Craig’s Florian. And that brings us to now. If I’m honest about it, my feelings on the show ending are mixed. A large part of me is sad that we didn’t go a few more years; for me, it felt like Craig and Geoff were really hitting their stride. But that other part of me, the practical performer side, knows that we accomplished everything that we possibly could have within the confines of network television. And that perhaps this show ending is really just a new beginning for me—as much as I have loved being Geoff Peterson, it is definitely time for me to step out from behind that wall. The list of people I want to thank is vast, but I feel I must mention a few key players in all of this: “Late Late Show” scribe Joe Strazzullo, who first discovered me on my public access show and wrote all of my Schwarzengger sketches. Writer Tom Straw for coming up with Geoff Peterson’s George Takei-esque voice during the early years. The Original Warm-up Guy Chunky B, for your infectious energy and laugh. Warm-up guy and writer Bob Oschak, who breathed new life into Geoff Peterson during the pre-recorded years (and is really a comedian). Our fearless and inventive director Tim Mancinelli, who always made us look good. The entire crew for their hard work, dedication, and dirty jokes. Supervising Producer Cathy Hoeven, who was always in my corner, always fought for me, and was always there to brighten my day. Producer Michael Naidus (not really a racist), who kept Geoff off the chopping block and gave me the best piece of advice to date (“Don’t be funnier than the host!”). Executive Producer and television legend Peter Lassally, who was always there to share his wisdom, his praise and his Johnny Carson stories. And, most importantly, my comedy partner, my sometimes lover, and my friend, Craig Ferguson, for taking a chance on a scrawny comedian/voice actor from Cleveland and making my dream of being on late night television come true. (There are so many others to thank, but I’m running out of room! You’ll just have to buy the book when it comes out.) And to all of YOU, the viewers, the fans, the friends of “The Late Late Show,” thank you for believing that a robot skeleton could talk. Many of you have been here from the beginning, from the public access years to the Howard Stern era and beyond, and for that I thank you for your continued support of my work. My only request is that you stick around, because I’m not done by a long shot. I’ve got a podcast you can listen to (“Driving Myself Crazy” on iTunes and SoundCloud), I’m writing a book about my experience on the show (tentatively titled “Memories of a Robot Skeleton Sidekick or Is That A Second Banana in Your Pocket?”), and I’ve just put the finishing touches on my own television pilot (creatively titled “The Josh Robert Thompson Show”) which will hopefully be coming soon to a TV, phone, tablet, laptop near you. I’ll also be on the road doing stand-up with Craig Ferguson in Feb and March of 2015, and (finally!) working on my own comedy special. If that’s not enough, you can hear me regularly on “Family Guy” and other animated series doing all sorts of different voices. Fret not. I am just getting started…in your pants! Much Love, Josh Robert Thompson (aka. Geoff Peterson) P.S. Balls.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 23:30:45 +0000
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