On his new show, he collects collectors
Mark Hamill is a little tired.
Hes voicing the Joker in this summers highly-anticipated animated adaptation ofThe Killing Joke.
Ive been approached over the years to host this kind of show or that kind of show.
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Usually space-related, obviously, or about UFOs or paranormal activity.
Those are things that all interest me, but its not like Ive ever had a paranormal experience.
Id love to see a ghost, but Ive never seen one.
Id love to see a UFO, Ive never seen one.
Howard Kazanjian was the producer ofReturn of the Jedi, and he also producedRaiders of the Lost Ark.
Weve stayed friends over the years.
I said, I dont want to have to go visit my stuff in a garage!
This is really getting out of hand!
I stopped collecting the actual items.
This will give me the license to go and look at other peoples collections.
Even if its not something I collect specifically.
Theres a likeminded camaraderie that you have with other collectors.
He had this amazing Civil War memorabilia, was showing me all these vintage political signs.
It was as thrilling to me as looking at all the things I personally collect.
To use a Dick Van Dyke term, Im a pathological snoopy-nose.
I love seeing what other people collect, and I think its gonna be a lot of fun.
Were gonna do a dozen of these [episodes], and see where it leads.
Im just gonna have a lot of fun, and hopefully the audience will, too.
Is each episode focused on a specific collection?
Theres no real marching orders.
The shows will be anywhere from a minimum of a 11 minutes to a maximum of 18.
I am going up to Stratford-on-Avon here in England.
A friend of mine owns a comic book store up there.
I thought we should get some local color in there.
We might even go to theSgt.
This is all tentative.
Its hard for me to focus on two things at once, and withEpisode VIIIgoing on, its overwhelming.
I forgot how involved these kinds of movies are.
Or even get into esoteric stuff.
But thats the fun of it.
Im gonna be exploring.
Cereal boxes, lunch boxes!
Theres just so much out there!
I love boardgames, I have a pretty good collection, and the goofier the better.
I wasnt particularly a fan of, say,Green Acres, but Id love to havetheGreen Acresgame.
One of my favorite things is TV memorabilia.
Thats my era, you know, 60s and 70s television.
But Im also a huge fan of the black-and-white era.
So Im gonna use this show to vicariously collect through other peoples collections.
I always ask, Can I look in your refrigerator?
Most people say yes.
I think you learn a lot about people from looking in their refrigerators and their medicine cabinets.
Some of the oddball Beatles things, likethe Beatles nylon stockings, girls hose.
The pattern on them is the four moptops.
Ive never actually seen them on a person.
Theres always a Holy Grail of whatever collection it is.
I dont even have the Beatles Talc, which is in a metal tin with their faces on it.
It was like Talcum Powder.
I dont have that.
Its out there somewhere.
Thats what Im gonna find out.
I want it to be eye candy.
And part of the fun of collecting is meeting the people.
The people are as interesting as the collections.
They have an eccentricity thats fun to be around.
This is debuting on Comic-Con HQ.
Do you have plans to bring this series to Comic-Con this year?
I dont get back until the third week in July.
Id love to see it with an audience.
But it doesnt look like my schedules gonna allow it this year.
My major obligation right now, obviously, is toEpisode VIII.
It sounds like you may be saying something in this movie, then!
I cant confirm or deny.
