An Interview With Mancomb Seepgood.

Thomas said we can make a big interview for the Discussion About Megazine thread. It would be really cool and interesting, I hope. We could ask lots of questions about Megazine and all his letters and bestest Megaziners, and also lots of other questions and word associations too.

I hope it is a cool idea!

Please does anyone want to make any questions at-all? - Please can you send them to the Megazine Letters account again. It would be really helpful!

I've been interviewed before?

:-[ Huh; for some reason, i thought you had been. Oh well, everyone makes mistakes or something.

:O i was sure you had as well...................o.o

i'll try and think of some to send

*An Interview With Mancomb Seepgood.*
Questions by David-James and Strawberry, and also lots of old questions too.

Howcome you really like Megazine?
It was the first real place I could actually see there was more to talk about than football and casual racism. Started reading in the late 90s/early 00s (after a misguided few months reading Backchat) and grew from being confused and repulsed by this odd humour, to embracing these unique thoughts, and wanting to be a part of that. It still took a few years to write in though.

Who are your bestest Mega-ziners ever?
Isn't it pretty much a given that Topper is the king of all things Zine? Consistently made me laugh with original musings, and never joined in with the fads and furies that affected a lot of letters.

Which Mega-ziners do you think are really bad and annoying?
I was pretty terrible. Other than that, there was no-one who REALLY annoyed me. Maybe anyone who mentioned Jaffa Cakes more than once.

Where did the name Mancomb Seepgood come from?
I made it up all by myself. Anyone who says different is a liar and fraud.

Howcome you started making Lewis Gumdrops letters too?
He was a character based on someone I knew who was the most naive person I have ever met (the sort of person who has never seen Star Wars), and I thought it might be funny to put him in horrible situations. It didn't last.

Which Mega-ziners have influenced all your letters?
Topper and DeLorean were who I aspired to be. I think I achieved the level of slightly good Backchatter though.

Where does the inspiration for your letters come from?
War.

What types of letters do you think are really neat and cool?
A really fantastic front pager. Just a great, simple thought all wrapped up in a sentence. Which is what Twitter is succeeding in for many of its users, and is great.

Creative and ignored or boring and famous?
I'd like to be famous for being boring. That'd screw with them.

If you'd never found 'Zine, what would you be like now?
Happy, content and sane, studying to be a radiologist or dentist or some such, rather than this wretch I am now. Thanks guys!

Please do you think it is true you are the 13th bestest Megaziner, ever?
Seeing as I only wrote about 25 letters over a limited period of time, none of which were very good or original...YES!!! YES I AM!!! IN FACT I SHOULD BE 1st! SCREW TOPPER AND EVERYONE!

Are you really proud you are the 2nd hottest boy Vegetable Revolutionary? Do you think it is true?
I've just had a haircut that makes me look like an angry, ginger Neo-Nazi so probably not. I thank everyone who voted for me though. Though if you were a man, it does mean you're a big gay and like penises and licking them and licking your own.

Fudge or jelly babies?
I HATE jelly babies. Properly disgusting things. And I like most foodstuffs. Just sickening and sweet and full of pain.

Cake or death?
I have never understood this question.

Who are your bestest comedians?
The obvious ones...Stewart Lee, Herring, Iannucci, Lenny Bruce, Emo Philips, Steve Wright, Pryor, Rock, Kitson, Noble, Sean Lock (who is still vastly under-rated in my head), Jeremy Hardy, Lucy Porter, Miles Jupp, Simon Munnery, Steve Coogan, David Schenider, Rob Brydon and those who try and teach with their work as well like Mark Steel, Mark Thomas or Rob Newman. I think I I could create something as interesting and amusing as The Mark Steel Lectures, I could die very happy indeed. I love a bit of comedy learning me.

What's your favourite chocolate bar?
For ages it was the Double Decker. But now it's just an effort to eat. Too much gunk in there. I just stick with a Wispa. Why was it ever not for sale? I genuinely don't understand. It's delicious and easy, and the obvious go to for anyone wanting a chocolatey treat but unsure of what to go for.

Which is your bestest Simpsons character?
Early Homer is untouchable, though I have a soft spot for Krabapple. She's a fox.

What is your bestest Simpsons episode?
Easily the Treehouse of Horror ep with The Shinning in it. The best 8 minutes of entertainment television there has probably ever been...No TV and no beer make Homer something something...

Mr Burns or Smithers?
In what context? Smithers infuriates me. You can't let love blind you to evils.

What are your bestest books and movies and bands?
Books...I don't read much fiction anymore, though War and Peace, Anna Karenina and The Idiot are all astoundingly complex, thought-provoking works with worlds that take over your own. 1984 is the king too of course, for I am a liberal male under 35. And it got me an A in Higher English. It's all about the non-fiction now, and Davies, Galbraith, Rose, Werner, Sagan, Ehrman and others. Any book about God is usually a good read.

Movies...Lots of films annoy me, mainly for limited characterisation, and confused narrative. I do love Powell and Pressburger though and everything they did. A Matter of Life and Death is especially close to my heart - any film with a court scene in heaven is going to be fantastic. And it has the line "Ah, here comes June. She walks in beauty like the night, only she's cycling and its daytime". Mallrats is brilliant too, for a very rare depiction of American teenage life I can understand and find amusing and isn't annoying. Brief Encounter, Back to the Future, Citizen Kane, The Third Man, Casablanca, Memento, LA Condidential, Ghost World, Wall-E, No Country For Old Men, Fargo and lots of others too.

Bands...The Smiths are a stalwart, as they should. And the obvious ones like Beach Boys, Beatles, Jackson 5, Sam Cooke, Aretha and so on. Modest Mouse and Magnetic Fields are the ones I have the most of on my hard drive though I think. Wonderful bands.

What was the last book you didn't bother finishing?
Probably one I tried for my dissertation but couldn't get through. Or Catch 22. Now there's a book that needs less people going on about it.

What song gets you dancing?
Macarena. Or 5,6,7,8. Or This Charming Man. I used to dance to How Soon Is Now a lot. Not so much anymore.

What song makes you cry?
Johnny Cash, Bille Holliday, Bessie Rogers and Neil Young have good voices for the emotions. The Wicked soundtrack too, but more for the memories it conjures.


Please can you tell everyone a secret secret about you?
My favourite 90s boyband were 911, and I performed Bodyshaking at a primary school talent shot. That's not really a secret though. Also, I have NO idea how the English school system works.

What was your most bestest thing about New York?
The people there wanted to be 'someone' rather than 'something', which is an unfortunate state I see a lot of in the UK. People are too scared to be themselves, so latch onto fads and fashions to carve some identity, and it's all a bit depressing.

What other places do you really want to go to too?
Alaska would be amazing. Somewhere cold and epic. Russia too - from west to east. China, and as close to North Korea as I can. Venezeuala too. Not Australia or Japan though.

Do you want to be an astronaut?
No. Never. Hate confined spaces and the sharing such a small place with someone who would probably be very serious and strict in their routine.

Do you think it is more likely penguins could take over the world or that elephants would?
Penguins could do it with subtlety. Everyone loves a penguin, so nobody would think anything of it if seven managed to sneak into your room and raid your fridge. Then by the time you realised their true intentions, it would be a Morgan Freeman narrated hell on penguin earth.

What would you do if there was a zombie apocalypse?
Sit it out and play Rollercoaster Tycoon.

Who do you want to be Prime Minister out of Boris Johnson, Jeremy Clarkson, Optimus Prime and Galdalf the Grey?
My hatred for LOTR and apathy for Transformers is so built, I think I'd have to go for Clarkson

Who do you *really* want to be Prime Minister?
Some re-incarnation of Thomas Paine. Jeremy Hardy maybe. Or someone of that ilk.

If you were God, what seven changes would you make to everything?
Everything? Christ. That's a lot of things. Erm...
1. Universal education for everyone - and no private/public (still get confused by that) schools.
2. A decrease in population by a few billion (over generations through controlled birthrates, willfully maintained by offering the right education rather than a mass cull)
3. Far fewer restrictions on border crossings, and, you know, everyone having a desire to learn about everyone else, rather than hate/attack other sorts.
4. Getting rid of any thoughts that just because something is 'easy' it's the best thing to do.
5. No such thing as mental illness.
6. The only cause of death to be old age.
7. For people to not have a need for me, nor belief in my existence (as God, not as a person).

How many times do you look in the mirror every day?
Not enough. There's always a bit of toothpaste left.

Which historical figures do you most identify with?
Not really identify with, but admire...Marcus Garvey (the dude started a religion and paved the way for MLK, though in a more black and white way), Thomas Paine (key part of two revolutions, and changed the course of history), Che Guevara (for the obvs), George Orwell (never been a finer journalist) and Johannes Gutenberg (most important inventor ever).

Have you ever been attacked by an animal?
I was chased by a dog in Portugal. I wanted to punch it. Hate dogs.

Why should you use all your superpowers for evil?
To be famous, innit.

What superpowers do you really want?
Reading minds would be wonderful. Time control too. With that, you have everything.

Do you have any nicknames?
Never had one. Nothing fits.

If you were a sandwich filling, would what you be?
Jam.

If you were to appear on Jerry Springer, wah would your episode be called?
The man who has never done anything outrageous or thought about getting a sex change or having an illicit affair with a man or taking up stripping. Just what is he?!

If aliens asked you to live on their planet for five years, would you go?
Of course, If I could breathe and things.

Do you eat apple pips? Are you scared apple trees will grow in your tummy?
I used to collect them in a little phone pouch. Which I probably still have somewhere. Never eat them though.

Would you watch a public execution on TV?
Any participation in watching it could be considered to condone such an abhorrent, disgraceful action, so no.

Name something really popular that you hate.
Muse, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, talking, any clothes shop, cars, most sports.

Name something really hated that you like.
I admire Coldplay, and the first two albums have some great moments. Dr. Who? I suppose anything classed as 'popular' can easily be classed as 'hated' as well, purely for the amount of people affected by it, usually throwing up both opposing viewpoints as gramscian in some way.

What's your favourite leaf?
Brown ones.

What's your favourite word for 'thank you' from any language?
Je sais seulement le francais, ainsi merci. Ou grazie! J'adore les italiens.

Which 'Ziners do you really want to meet...
i) to get drunk with? Dan would be good I think. The Martins too, and Mark.
ii) to discuss the state of the enviroment? I don't really know. Who here could teach me things? Or I could teach?
iii) to eat cookies with? Alice seems like a cookie liker. Yes, cookies and tea with Scott and Alice.

£16,000...deal...or no deal?
Always deal. The greed in that show is horrible.


*Word Association. (Please can you think of a word to describe everyone).
- ANBY...CAPITALS.
- Apologetic Breadstick...Sorry.
- Davord...Figment.
- DeLorean that got struck by lightning...Japan.
- Elden Ray...Bones.
- emma-the-'lil-angel...LITTLE.
- Farmer Jack...Abs.
- Freshly Squeezed Cynic...Scotch.
- Griffplar of Doom...McFly.
- Insane Jam Sow...Bringertogetherer.
- Junior Minister...Mandelson.
- Little Blue Fox...Jolly.
- Lilac Leopard...Purpleh.
- Menome...Neck.
- One Winged Angel...Bunches.
- Pablo Marmite...Barat (as in Carl).
- Paddy Irishman...Dentist.
- Smashed Strawberry, Hector's House...Spam.
- Spiky Stuy...Nngh.
- Topper...Amusing.
- Vigilante Maelstrom...Paper.
- WLW...Gone.

Quote: Claire, Jun 2009

Why have you posted the interview twice? It's good, but twice? Confused!

The first one says *An interview with The Silent Majority* at the top. Presumably, instead of editing it, DJ accidently posted it again but changed it to Mancomb Seepgood

Quote: James T. Kirk, Jun 2009

You ever find yourself reading something you've written and thinking "Sh*t! I'm cleverer than I thought I was."

Then discover that it wasn't you, wasn't you at all?

Whenever we get 'Word of the day' toilet paper

Feel free to have cookies and tea at any time of your choosing

Although a 5 minute warning would be nice!

Don't be sorry DJ, it's OK.