#John Cygan

[movies-to-add-to-your-tbw]

Title: WALL-E

Rating: G

Director: Andrew Stanton

Cast: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Sigourney Weaver, Teddy Newton, Bob Bergen, John Cygan, Pete Docter, Paul Eiding, Donald Fullilove, Teresa Ganzel, Mickie McGowan, Laraine Newman, Lori Alan

Release year: 2008

Genres: science fiction, adventure

Blurb: WALL-E is the last robot left on an Earth that has been overrun with garbage, all humans having fled to outer space. For seven hundred years, he has continued to try and clean up the mess, but has developed some rather human-like qualities. When a ship arrives with a sleek new robot, WALL-E thinks he's finally found a friend, and stows away on the ship when it leaves.

[archivyrep]

Archie the Archivist, the laserdisc, and preservation of analog data

Some time ago, I went through all the major animated series and searched the fandom pages related to them for terms like "library" and "librarian." One of the series that came up was Regular Show. I watched a few specific episodes, one of which was "The Last Laserdisc Player." At first, I thought a character was a librarian, even listing him on the list of Western animated series with libraries and librarians at one point. But, I learned in the credits that this man, voiced by John Cygan, was named Archie the Archivist. Enter one of the strangest, wildest, most bizarre depictions of an archivist that I've ever seen, seriously. So, I just had to write about it. I had no choice in the matter, ha. Anyway, warning for spoilers for those who haven't watched the episode.

Reprinted from my Wading Through the Cultural Stacks WordPress blog. Originally published on Jun. 10, 2021.

Before getting that far into this series, I'd like to bring in what is noted on the blog, #ArchivesInFiction (herein AIF) on this blog it is noted that for archivists, archivists often aren't protagonists in fiction, if at all, leaving those in the archives profession unable to reference a fictional character as a shorthand when explaining what they do. Even worse, archivists and archives are often misrepresented in fiction, with writers falling back on various cliches and tropes. I used their posts to determine whether any of them are the case here.

The protagonists, Mordo, Rigs, and their friend, go to the local library to search for a laserdisc player. They are told by two older patrons who declare a VHS is better than a laserdisc (I guess the equivalent of a Blu-Ray?). Archie hears about this and takes them down to the basement where thousands of formats are stored. He believed they are the ones who will end the "format wars."

At this point, this could be called a basement archives and Archie could be called #AlmostAnArchivist which AIF describes as when a character managing the archive is doing their best but isn't a professional archivist. Archie goes on to tell the story of how VHS took over from laserdiscs, having a goon squad which destroyed all the players in society, so VHS could be dominant. The laserdisc itself opens a secret chamber in this basement archives (treated as the basement of the public library). Inside, they find the last laserdisc player. Again, I would say this falls into a few tropes, specifically by heists, robberies, and theft from archives. [1]

Anyway, the episode continues as they fight off the “ancient order of the VHS” so they can watch their film, with the library getting destroyed in the process. The librarian turns into the laserdisc guardian and they later watch the movie together, which is an absurdly long film. All in all, however, the archives is in a "dank, dark, subterranean setting for the repository in question," what AIF calls #DustyArchives, which is a trope common in journalism and fiction. However, there is not any #InvisibleArchivesLabour, as the characters don't seem to ignore the work that has "gone into compiling, ordering or preserving the records is forthcoming." I suppose you you could say this falls into the #AcknowledgedArchivalLabour trope, which is, surely "all to uncommon in fiction" as AIF notes, but is worth nothing for sure.

In this story, however, there are no aha moments where characters find exactly what they need without finding aids, convenient finding of archival records with minimal research, no death-related imagery used to describe interactions with repositories or records, with no buried records. I vaguely remember something about records being compromised due to their lack of provenance, but he was not an unapproachable curmudgeon who views archives as their "personal fiefdom and is therefore protective of their records and their knowledge." And you could argue that power of archival records is "acknowledged within the context of the narrative."

Notes

[1] AIF defines #ArchiveHeist as a "scenario in which the planning and/or execution of #ArchiveTheft is as important as the theft itself," while defining #ArchiveRobbery as "similar to #ArchiveTheft only with force and or destruction," and #ArchiveTheft as  a common trope for archives in fiction, a "self-explanatory generic term but with some nuances regarding the subtlety (or otherwise) of the theft in question.

© 2022 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[joysweeper]

and it looks like this! not always pink but they kept making Choices with colors.

In addition it was made into an audio drama which is unfortunately off Youtube now. I remember it was the highest melodrama, there was a fantastic brainwashing scene, and it also ratcheted Luke way up on the power scale. And they had John Cygan voice Luke, the VA who later did Canderous Ordo in KotOR, and sometimes you can tell.

The old Dark Empire comics where Palpatine returns and Luke becomes his apprentice for a hot minute are melodramatic and silly but I'm still fond of them. Palps dresses Luke like Vader minus the headgear and chest box and makes him replace his prosthetic with what I dearly like to think is a spare Vader hand much too large for him, and that he keeps using for way too long afterwards.

Ok first of all wow I'm sorry it took me 10 business days to respond to this. My deepest apologies, it will probably happen again.

Second of all holy shit? Like like, hold on just one hot second. This is beautiful. This is the exact kind of ridiculous tomfoolery hiding deeply fucked up implications that I love in my Star Wars. How have I never heard of this before?

I am loving the knock off RoTJ poster here. This is glorious.

[sabrerine911]

Since this year marks 20 years for Metal Gear Solid 2 

I felt like drawing one of the best characters of the whole franchise, and the main antagonist of MGS2, Solidus Snake.He is already one of my top favorites, my growing love  for dual wielding in fiction has only increased that love XD

Rest in piece John Cygan, and hats off for delivering such an astonishing performance, for such a badass character.

Here is the sped up video of the drawing processhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-nHRNSiI4w

[vintagewarhol]

[therealmrpositive]

Leo the Lion (2013)

In today's review, I find the courage and mystery at the heart of the jungle. As I attempt a #positive review of the infamous animated story of Leo the Lion #DanielAmerman #JohnCygan #MatthewMercer #AmandaAllan #PorterHansen

The depths of the jungle hold many wonders, with animals frolicking and species intermingling, if you are looking for non-human drama, it might just be the first place you’d start. In 2013 (possibly, depending on who you ask) an animated tale of courage, adventure and believing in yourself found its way onto Netflix and told the tall tale of Leo the Lion. After the success of the likes of Lion…

[allronix]

As I pointed out on Reddit, Mr. Sbarge actually has the *largest* speaking role in the game. So it would definitely be a larger commitment on his part than most of the other actors they could ask.

Also remember that several of the original cast have passed away (like John Cygan, who voiced Canderous), or otherwise would be unable to return (Tom Kane, voice of Vandar and Uthar)

But I can see Disney taking the same very lazy route they took with live action remakes of their animated catalog and putting a very bare minimum effort with primarily unknown and underpaid actors that can be easily scammed and forgotten.

https://www.scifipulse.net/raphael-sbarge-chats-about-his-career-and-the-kotor-remake/

the remake attempt is in absolute fucking shambles

[metalgearinformer]

John Cygan, voice of Solidus Snake, passed away on May 13

[kwebtv]

John Cygan (April 27, 1954 – May 13, 2017) Actor, voice artist and comedian notable for playing Detective Paulie "Pants" Pantangeli (1991–1992; 1994–1995) on the TV series, The Commish.  He also portrayed Harlan Stone on the short-lived TV series, Bob.  

Other series he appeared in were Frasier, Diagnosis: Murder, Modern Family, NYPD Blue, Judging Amy, The Hughleys, The Shield and The X-Files. 

[slyandthefamilybook]

John Cygan will forever be the voice of my Luke Skywalker. the world lost a real talent when he died

save me 1990s Star Wars radio dramas. 1990s Star Wars radio dramas. Save me

[rngwaifuanna-blog]

“We’re all born with an expiration date. No one lasts forever. Life is nothing but a grace period for turning our genetic material into the next generation. The data of life is transferred from parent to child. That’s how it works. But we have no heirs, no legacy. Cloned from our father with the ability to reproduce conveniently engineered out. What is our legacy if we cannot pass the torch? Proof of our existence – a mark of some sort.” 

Actor John Cygan passed away at age 63 a few days ago after a longtime battle with cancer.  He was a prolific film and voice actor that did loads of voice work for Pixar films, with roles like Twitch in Toy Story 3 and Solidus Snake in Metal Gear Solid 2.

Thank you for the childhood memories, John.  You will be missed.

[archivyrep]

Archivists on the Issues: Fictional Archivists Out in the Open [Part 1]

Archivists on the Issues is a forum for archivists to discuss the issues we are facing today. Today’s post comes from Burkely Hermann (me), Metadata Librarian for the National Security Archive and current I&A Blog Coordinator. There will be spoilers for each of the books, animated series, films, and other media he will be discussing. It was published there on March 8, 2023 and will be published on my Wading Through the Cultural Stacks WordPress blog in late September.

Eight archivists-of-sorts in fiction. Top row, from left to right: Archie the Archivist (Regular Show), Jocasta Nu (Star Wars), Sunati (Always Human), Russ (Be Cool, Scooby Doo!). Bottom row from left to right: Unnamed archivist / records clerk (My Dictator Boyfriend), Atropos (Lore Olympus), Clotho (Lore Olympus), and Clark (Joker)

In January 2018, Cate Peebles wrote about examples of archives in popular culture, specifically in true crime documentaries. In her post, on this blog, she argued that archivists are missing in "moments of recognition" and said that representations of actual archivists are "few and far between". She concluded that no popular image of an archivist exists, but that archivists are "more present than ever" even if unseen, adding that "without records and their keepers, there are no stories to tell." In this article, I'd like to highlight some examples of fictional archivists that I've come across through the years, especially since starting my WordPress blog on the subject.

For one, there are some characters who who merge characters of archivists and librarians. This includes a reference librarian who manages a Yale University Library room which combines elements of archives and libraries into one institution in Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) and a character who is almost an archivist, named Archie the Archivist (voiced by John Cygan) in Regular Show. In the latter case, Archie works in a library and becomes a guardian to protect analog data, which could have some parallels to archivists as keepers of information.

Similarly, there's Madame Jocasta Nu in Star Wars, specifically in Attack of the Clones and the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series. She is played by Alethea McGrath in the film and voiced by Flo Di Re in the animated series. Madame Nu is described as a librarian and archivist, but seems to manage a library-archives hybrid known as the Jedi Archives, within the Jedi Temple. She is best-known for declaring, in Attack of the Clones, that "if an item does not appear in our records, it does not exist," an arrogant and untrue statement which ignores reality of archives as memory institutions and their role in society. Madame Nu differs fundamentally from the unnamed librarian in the dark, haunting Thatcher Memorial Library shown in a scene of Citizen Kane (1941). The librarian in the latter has been described as one of the world’s meanest archivists. Played by Georgia Backus, she has her hair tied up in a bun and has "an intimidating stare on her face", acting as a "real dragon lady at the gates of knowledge." This is not the type of archives you want to go to! It is not the image which should be projected.

There are various archivists, of sorts, in other media. For instance, in the webcomic, Always Human, Rae, a friend of the protagonist, Sunati, dreams of becoming an archivist and fulfills this dream during the run of the comic. More directly, an episode of Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!, entitled "Silver Scream", features Russ, a young film archivist who works in a film archive room and is a bit eccentric. Other archivists appear in issues of the popular webcomic Lore Olympus in 1980s style dress, helping characters who request records about their past memories, or in the webcomic My Dictator Boyfriend. In the latter case, the archivist/records clerk is manipulated to write a birth form for the ruler's wife, Anna, even though the son isn't even born! [1]

There are other prominent depictions. For one, there is a records clerk, named Clark (played by by Brian Tyree Henry), who brings out a medical hospital record for Arthur Fleck in Joker (2019). However, Fleck, who later becomes the Joker, steals the record from the clerk because he hasn't filled out the appropriate paperwork to take the file with him. Then there's the well-known depiction of a classy archivist named Abigail Chase (played by Diane Kruger) who appears in National Treasure (2004) and National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007). It is a depiction which has been oft discussed by archivists. Archivists also make an appearance in former webcomics like Power Ballad, and currently running ones like Brimstone and Roses.

There are many more examples, like supposed newspaper archivist (and former newspaper reporter) in the animated series, Stretch Armstrong, who has a newspaper archives in his basement. He declares in one episode, "some say I’m packrat, archivist I say!" Even The Simpsons has a character who runs the Springfield Historical Society, in the episode "Lisa the Iconoclast" which could be called an archivist. Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, otherwise known as Tangled: The Series, features, along with other archivy themes, a keeper of a museum, known as The Spire, named Calliope (voiced by Natalie Palamides). She is a scholar who does magic tricks and has a messy library. Most recently, a character named Arizal (voiced by Christine Marine Cabanos) is the protagonist of Recorded by Arizal. She puts together vlogs explaining why she wants to be a record keeper, often another name for an archivist.

© 2022-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Continued in part 2

Notes

[1] Hermann, Burkely. "Libraries, records, and Kore: Archives on Mount Olympus." Wading Through the Cultural Stacks, Nov. 28, 2020; Hermann, Burkely. "Popular culture and the duties of archivists." Wading Through the Cultural Stacks, Feb. 27, 2021; Hermann, Burkely. "Evil Anna and How I Learned to Love Archival Manipulation." Wading Through the Cultural Stacks, Apr. 3, 2021.

[homeless-guy-eats-crap]

F

[the-rockers]

John Cygan, voice actor for Solidus Snake, passed away 2 days ago

Rest in Peace, Boss. You will not be forgotten.

[allronix]

Okay, no matter what this guy played, the best role I remember was Canderous Ordo, in the Knights of the Old Republic games.

Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la. Ret'urcye mhi, Te Talyr Mandal'or. ("Not gone, merely marching far away. Goodbye, Mandalore the Preserver)

[wrasslerjedi]

RIP in peace, Canderous Ordo. :/