Today we resume with part three of a six part interview with ventriloquist Mike Palma of Florida.
Video Transcript:
And where are you in Florida?
I’m in Central Florida, about an hour to an hour and a half north of Orlando. It’s called Ocala — horse country.
Okay, I know exactly where you are. I was down there a couple years ago. I had to drive to do a little fair in Naples, and on the way I stopped in. Donald (Woodford) and I went out to lunch, and he brought me over to his house to show me his Hartz collection. It’s incredible. That man has more Hartz figures than anyone I’ve ever seen.
Yeah, we call him “Vent Central South.” I’ll tell you, Conrad’s pieces are only going to go up in value. He’s got the smoothest mechanics I’ve ever seen. I don’t think I’ve ever handled one of your figures, but if you’re learning from those guys, your pieces have got to be smooth. I’ll have to check yours out.
Absolutely. One of my big goals is to perform with a dummy that’s as flawless and smooth as one from Conrad or Mike Brose, or any of the best out there. So when I build a figure, I build it as if I were going to use it myself.
I take a lot of pride in smooth, quiet mechanics. I’ve owned other figures in the past that sounded like a typewriter — click, click, click. You’d try to crack the head open and fix them. But when I make a figure, I want it to be high quality, and that means high-quality mechanics.
That’s great. So are you using strings, or are you building with brass? How do you put your pieces together?
I use a combination of both. I like brass mechanics for the eyes, similar to the way Conrad sets his up. But for the mouth, I prefer the feel of a string. I’ve tried direct linkage with a metal rod, but it just doesn’t have the same responsiveness.
People say, “Well, the string will break.” Sure, the string might break, but you just replace it. It’ll take 20 years before it wears out, if ever. I’ve never had one break. If the mechanics are installed properly, the springs are set to the right tension, and everything works smoothly, you shouldn’t have a problem. And honestly, it’s a lot easier to replace a string than to fix a brass linkage.
Absolutely.
So are you carving or sculpting? How do you create your figures?
I’m not as talented as Conrad — I wasn’t given the carving ability. But I do have a gift for sculpting. I’m not the best, but I’m better than some, and I just try to put out a good product. I sculpt, then mold and cast.
In the past couple of years, I’ve also been talking with another figure maker, Larry Lafontsee. Larry creates some incredible, out-of-the-box designs — crazy-looking, wonderful figures. He made a Chinese character for me named Facius M. The mechanics are smooth, the look is fantastic, and he just did an exceptional job.
Once again, I want to develop my own style, but Larry has really helped me think outside the box when it comes to creating new characters.
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