Interview with Norm Spencer
The voice of Cyclops from X-Men The Animated Series
Episode 6 — Norm Spencer
Trenton Larkin: Voiceover is everywhere and you hear it every day from radio… “number one for new country 96.3 Hawkeye in the morning”…to TV… “My name is, Lady Whistledown, You do not know me, but I know you”…to movies… “My name is Optimus Prime, Autobots, roll out”…to animation… “I am vengeance, I am the knight, I am Batman”,…and so much more… “Ba da ba ba ba I’m lovin’ it”. Welcome to Episode Six.
Announcer: Welcome to Who Did That Voice the show where we take an in-depth look at the world of voiceover including movies, TV, animation, and more. And now here’s your host, Trenton Larkin.
Trenton Larkin: Hey everyone and welcome back to the show. Today it is my distinguished honor to be bringing you the first ever podcast interview with the leader of the X-Men, Cyclops, aka Scott Summers from the 1992 X-men: The Animated Series which aired on Fox Kids, but don’t take my word for it. Stay tuned to the end of the episode to hear our special guest make that announcement himself. I’m super excited for you guys to join me on today’s X-Men Adventure.
Sentinel: Surrender mutant!!
Cyclops: Of course, NOT! Energy blast huh, Here’s one from a pro. You know that temper of his if he doesn’t get his way he’s gone. We can never depend on him. With hotheads like Wolverine, maybe we never will.
Jean Grey: Where’s Wolverine going?
Cyclops: His own way like he always does. I just hope his keen senses tell him not to take this thing on alone.
Trenton Larkin: Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of Who Did That Voice today on the show. I have Norm Spencer joining me, Norm thank you so much for coming on the show today, man.
Norm Spencer: Thank you, Trenton. I’m glad to be on your show.
Trenton Larkin: I really appreciate your time. You know, it’s always great to be able to speak with these amazing voice talents that have done shows that mean a lot to me and hopefully will become something that means a lot to my listeners if they aren’t familiar with what we talk about today. But the very first thing we always like to do Norm is to get to know somebody when they’re on our show for the first time especially. So tell us a little bit about little Norm when you were young boy and growing into the man…how did you?
Norm Spencer: Little Norm? (Laughs)
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, tell us about little Norm growing into the man you became and how did you get into acting? And how did voice acting become something that you got into as well?
Norm Spencer: Okay, well, I was born in BC, British Columbia, Vancouver. I always wanted to be an actor. And then you know, I would tell teachers that I’m going to be an actor. Yeah, I’m going to be an actor and go, Oh, really? Oh, well, you’re not good looking enough to be a leading man, but you’re not ugly enough to not make it. Okay. So anyway, so I you know, I was in plays in high school and stuff like that. And, and then I thought about theater and I thought, well, you know, I didn’t want to be a starving actor on the stage. So, I loved radio. I used to listen to you know, all the morning shows in Vancouver. And so I thought, well, I’ll go into radio and then parlay that into you know, an acting career. So I went to broadcast school called British Columbia Institute of Technology which means nothing probably to your listeners, anyway, two year course. You learn everything about radio. We had a radio station that we actually operated and everyone had a job and blah blah blah. Long story short, I, they discovered or whatever that I was a fine writer. At the end of the course they place you in a radio station and they said Norm you’re you’re going to Smithers BC people may know about Smithers because they’ve they’ve shot many movies up there. It’s uh…
Trenton Larkin: …it’s grown a lot since it. You know, it was very small, but it’s very known now actually in the film industry.
Norm Spencer: Oh, ya, tiny little town but beautiful. And so I said well, I and I said well, okay, so what am I going to be doing? Well, you are copywriter. I don’t want to write I want to be, you know, a morning guy. Um…like a announcer. So anyway, long story short, I drove up with this long haired guy with a cockatiel, and we drove up there, and you know, work there. And then I moved to Kelowna, and then I moved to Chilliwack. All these towns probably mean nothing to listeners. But anyway, worked my way to Victoria. BC. And along the way, I just started winning all these awards for my commercials, which I wrote and voiced myself. You see,…
Trenton Larkin: Oh, wow, nice.
Norm Spencer: I, I didn’t want to write something and then just give it to someone and let them…
Trenton Larkin: Get the credit. Yeah,…
Norm Spencer: Do it well, yeah. And too, I just had a vision of where I wanted wanted it to be.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, absolutely.
Norm Spencer: In short, I was a tyrant.
Trenton Larkin: If you’re a tyrant than I am, too, because I’m absolutely the same way, you know, you want to take care of your baby, when you create something, and you want it to come out the way you envision it.
Norm Spencer: Well, that’s right. So anyway, and then I got an offer from CFNY in Toronto, which is now 102.1 The Edge, and they did some really creative stuff. Man, you know, I just won more awards, went to New York and won a couple of Clios. And so an agency came to our table, and wanted a tape from me, and I gave it to them, and they, and they took me on. So I was able to sort of quit writing commercials, which were all just club spots, you know, like, so I would say, well, what’s special about your club? Oh, the lights, the music? Oh. Anyway, long story short, I just started doing voiceovers immediately. And in those days, when was that 80, you know, 86, 80, whatever it was. And I was a new kid on the block. And I really did very well from the very start and been doing it ever since. That, so that’s like, that was like 20, I don’t know 22 years, 23 years or something? Yeah,
Trenton Larkin: So you’ve been doing it since the mid to late 80s. So 90s. So almost 30 years? Almost.
Norm Spencer: Is it really?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: My sense of time. My sense of time is terrible. I always go. How long have you lived in that house? Five years, which is really 25. So anyway.
Trenton Larkin: Well, actually, it would be about yeah, about 30 years. Yeah, exactly.
Norm Spencer: Yeah, I guess so.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah. Wow. That’s a long time, man.
Norm Spencer: And in that time, I did start acting I did start got an agent, for on camera, and I just started doing a bunch of TV stuff. I don’t know if your listeners might remember Top Cops, which was a reenactment of, of actual stories. And…
Trenton Larkin: I do remember that show? Yeah.
Norm Spencer: Do you really?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah. Yeah.
Norm Spencer: And you’re 31?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, man, I watched all the classic stuff. My dad raised me on all kinds of stuff. And so my diversity and my background is very different for most people.
Norm Spencer: Good for you. Yeah. Well, that’s part of your business. Right?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah. Well, it’s part of my business, because it’s part of my childhood. And it’s part of how I was raised and grew up. And so I share these wonderful things with people now who may not have heard of them. And hopefully, they’ll learn some new things, too,
Norm Spencer: And I mention, Carol Burnett to people, and they go, Who? Carol who is she your neighbor? No, no. Because I forget, because I’m 59. And, you know, I’m talking to like to a 20 year old or a 30 year old and I you know, Don Rickles just died. They go Who?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: Is that your dad? No, no, no, no…
Trenton Larkin: Mr. Potato Head.
Norm Spencer: Anyway. Yeah. And so I did a bunch of those and Top Cops and Earth Final Conflict and ENG all those shows, right?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: Not a huge part, but just, you know, little stuff, and continue to do voice and the money. You know, I was making so much in voice that I didn’t need to concentrate. I should have concentrated more on the acting because that’s what anyway, that’s another another story. I’m rambling, I haven’t even let you get a word in.
Trenton Larkin: Hey, it’s okay. We’re getting to learn your background and your story. And that’s what I love to do with my actors Norm is to let them kind of give us a rich background on who they were and how they got where they were, you know, with getting into your career. How did the whole role of becoming Cyclops, aka Scott Summers on the X-Men, the leader of the X-men, how did that whole role happen for you?
Norm Spencer: Well, I got a call from my agent and for an audition for this show called X-men. And I’m kind of embarrassed to say I, I did not know what X-men meant. Who they were what it was da da da. I mean, my thing and when I was a kid was Batman. I used to watch the show, you know the series from 60 whatever it was.
Trenton Larkin: Adam West.
Norm Spencer: Yeah, Adam West and Burt Ward.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, love that show. The best Batman.
Norm Spencer: I did to
Trenton Larkin: Loved it.
Norm Spencer: And I had I had my own Batmobile.
Trenton Larkin: Oh, sweet.
Norm Spencer: Not the not the little model. It was an actual Batmobile. Cuz you know, I’m filthy rich. No, no, no, it was a model. No, it was just a tiny model that shot flames out of the back. So that’s what I liked. And, and that was it. I you know, I’m not I was never into comic books. I’m like Sidney Sheldon and, and all that kind of stuff. So, so I go to the audition. And they showed me a picture of Cyclops. So I’m thinking, Okay, he’s blue. He shoots fire, or an optic blast out of his eye.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: So I just went, you know, big with it. I’m just like, Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, look out for the…And the directors like, Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, stop. You it’s, it’s way too big. Okay, cuz we, you know, I’m thinking he’s a superhero. He’s this or that. I had no concept of mutants and that they’re actually you know, human and blah, blah, blah, blah.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: So I just kept I just kept going. Well my, One of my you know famous lines Jean get down, right?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: It was some episodes. That’s all I said, but anyhow. So I just kept doing it kept doing and he goes, No, no, and thank God, it was Dan Hennessy, who directed most of the episodes, because he was a friend of mine, and…
Trenton Larkin: …Also a Care Bear.
Norm Spencer: He said, yeah. So he said, Norm, just bring it down, bring it down. And I kept doing it. And then I was so frustrated. I said, Dan, like, I don’t know what you want. And he goes that, I want that. And I went what do you mean this. You want me? You know, basically, it was me. My own voice a little bit heightened. That was it. Right. So I got the part and, and off we went.
Trenton Larkin: That’s awesome. Well, to be honest with you, norm, I was not a comic book reader, or I had no knowledge of really what Marvel was until your X-men show came out. And really you guys were my introduction to the world of the X-men. And you were my very first Cyclops. So I, I understand that you came from a world where you didn’t understand it, but your portrayal of him is what I base everything off of. And when they did the movies, I was more fond of your animation character, Cyclops, Scott Summers, than I was of some of the feature film stuff we’ve seen.
Norm Spencer: That is very, very nice of you. No seriously…
Trenton Larkin: Well, you shaped my childhood man. I mean, you shaped what Scott Summers is to me and what Cyclops so responsibility. I mean, for those of us who grew up in that era, man, if we weren’t comic book readers in like you, I watched the black, the Adam West Batman show growing up and stuff. But until X-men and the animated Spider-Man show came out that you also got to be a part of in a few episodes, I had no idea what Marvel was. So you really were what helped shape that for me. So I thank you.
Norm Spencer: Oh, wow. That’s very nice. Well, I must say that, until the whole cast sort of got together, and we did we did one episode, a pilot, if you will.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: And it got sent to to LA and it was we all got word that okay, you’re all fired. You know, this isn’t working, there’s no relationship between each character and, and we’re all we’re all terrified. So the people from LA came up to Toronto and actually sat in and then kind of explained the relationship that they wanted to see between Rogue and between, you know, me and, you know, Professor Xavier and Beast and all that stuff, right?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, yeah.
Norm Spencer: Well, I mean, that they were in LA they how would we know? We were never really given any direction as to you know what I mean? So anyway, we did the episode again, and they were happy. And off we went. So man it was a time of my life it really was. Yeah. It was during the summer and it was fantastic. Those were the days.
Trenton Larkin: Well, what what is it like working with those amazing people? I mean, like working with Cal Dodd and Chris Potter and all the other amazing people like Lenore Zann.
Norm Spencer: Lenore, I have a story that, no, I can’t tell that. I can’t tell that story. When she when she and I went to a Blue Jays game, never mind. Okay. We ended up on the Jumbotron the thing is…and we and we were so because she had…oh god I’m telling way too much. Well she was in a relationship and and we looked up, to see ourselves on the Jumbotron, and we’re thinking shit, is this is this going across the network? It didn’t. Um no, Cal Dodd, oh I play golf with Cal. Do you want me to do an impression of Cal.
Trenton Larkin: Sure do it.
Norm Spencer: Have you talked to him?
Trenton Larkin: I haven’t, but I’ve been dying to.
Norm Spencer: Has he done your show.
Trenton Larkin: I haven’t been able to reach him yet.
Norm Spencer: Okay, well, never mind then Cal, Cal kind of talks like this. Each guy that sort of thing and talks about his golf course, his LinkedIn, a that third hole forget about it, it’s like, well, you’ll you’ll see, okay. So I don’t know how many episodes we did. I don’t know 63 or something.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, it was like 60 something I think I can’t remember the exact number off the top of my head but I just finished watching all of them and they are all excellent.
Norm Spencer: Wow. Do you, you don’t happen to know the actor Don Francks do you?
Trenton Larkin: Oh, gosh, that name sounds super familiar. Why? Why does it sound familiar?
Norm Spencer: Well, he’s just he’s a fantastic musician. A great actor. He was. He looks like a biker. He is he always wears a bandana anyways, bare feet when he works when he does uh…So you remember the episode where my dad and I were had a…
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, yeah.
Norm Spencer: Okay. And he’s got he’s got a voice that goes down like this.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, he was the pirate like the space pirate.
Norm Spencer: Yes. Well, God rest his soul. He he passed away, unfortunately. I think in the past year, but…
Trenton Larkin: Oh, no.
Norm Spencer: That was that was really, really nice. Because you know what, you know, we don’t work together.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: We did in the beginning. But you know, people’s schedules. They don’t work out. And so you’re kind of a lot of the time you’re in there by yourself.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: But him and I did our thing. And he came up after and he said uh, Man, that was one of the best experiences of my life. He was on he was on that series Gangland Undercover about the motorcycle gang.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah. Yeah. Well, he had an excellent voice to like, you guys paired really well as father and son vocally. So yeah, he was an amazing casting for that role. And it’s sad to hear that he’s passed, but he definitely left a lasting impression on us.
Norm Spencer: And it just an incredibly nice guy.
Trenton Larkin: That’s awesome. Well, and I, I checked real quick, Norm and y’all did 76 episodes.
Norm Spencer: Ah, Altogether.
Trenton Larkin: Altogether, the entire series was 76 episodes, in total.
Norm Spencer: Was it three years, I think, or two, two?
Trenton Larkin: Roughly I think it, over the course of two or three years it aired. I think it was from 93 to right at 95. Or it finished right before 95. But it was like through that era, so…
Norm Spencer: Okay. And it’s still going and, you know, I still get letters from kids all over the states. And it just floors me.
Trenton Larkin: Well, they have…Sorry, go ahead, man.
Norm Spencer: No, no, you and I were talking earlier, and they send a picture of Cyclops and they want an autograph. And I’m like, I don’t know. What do I sign my name do I sign Cyclops? I’m not sure. Because I’m, you know, I’m, I’m not used to…
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: You know, I make a living at it. But um, you know, I’m not. I’m not George Clooney, for God’s sake. I wish I was. I mean, I look like him. But I just don’t have the, I just don’t have his agent. I mean, I have gray hair. Okay.
Trenton Larkin: Well, you know, I mean, you got to voice Cyclops on several different projects. And I know, you know, working on so many different things in your career. It’s hard to keep things straight. But I just wanted to mention these so people know, you voiced Cyclops and Scott Summers because they’re one of the same on X-Men, US, X-men vs. Street Fighter. A video game.
Norm Spencer: Oh did I?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah. And then you did it on X-men, Children of the Atom. And then two other games Marvel vs Capcom, 2 New Age of Heroes, and then Marvel Superheroes vs. Street Fighter. So you actually got to be not only on the series, but in a lot of video games, too. So if people hadn’t originally heard you on the show, they may have heard you first on the video games, and I just wanted to mention those as well. Because your voice was pretty readily out there as Cyclops for a long time.
Norm Spencer: I should really get in touch with my agent because I don’t think I’ve received a penny from any of that. So, No, I’m kidding. No, I’m not it’s anyway, I don’t want to talk about money, but uh. Well, yeah, thank you for remembering all that stuff. I have no idea. You know, cuz cuz they can use it for whatever they want.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: You know, a bio…
Trenton Larkin: They say here, just read this and then you don’t have a clue what it’s used for.
Norm Spencer: Yeah, it’s not like Seinfeld. We’re I’m not gonna have to have to work ever, ever again.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: Because resids and royalties and all that stuff. But that’s, you know what? I’m not complaining it, it. That’s just the way it is.
Trenton Larkin: Absolutely.
Norm Spencer: And being in Canada, and I guess maybe this it’s a little different with SAG. I’m not sure. But we’re just really, really lucky to work and I and I feel really blessed to to have been part of that show. For sure.
Trenton Larkin: Well, aside from getting to play Cyclops, you also got to play on a show that was more geared towards young kids, maybe kind of into the pre-teen age range for Rescue Heroes when you played Billy Blazes. And what was that show like getting to work with those amazing cast members?
Norm Spencer: I did some other cartoons before this but or before um, Rescue Heroes, but but we’ll get into that later. But yeah, that was that was that was fun as well. Billy Blazes and they came, they had all these weird names for the guy. Well, you might remember. Cliff. Cliffhanger. No, no Cliff.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah I think it was Cliffhanger. I think Yeah.
Norm Spencer: Was it cliffhanger?
Trenton Larkin: Something like that. They kind of had names that were kind of like a play on what their specialty was.
Norm Spencer: Well, what they did.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: Yeah. So Billy Blazes, it was kind of, I’m not gonna say similar to Cyclops only in the sense that…
Trenton Larkin:…He was the leader.
Norm Spencer: Well, yeah, yeah, he was the leader. But again, it was I didn’t have to put on, you know, sort of a character voice or cartoon voice. You know what I’m saying?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, absolutely.
Norm Spencer: And it was just just a little bit heightened. And I’m not sure how many episodes we did of that. But then they came out with action figures. Which were really cool.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, I remember that.
Norm Spencer: Yeah, I went to Canadian Tire one time and, and saw one and I pushed the button and god there I was.
Trenton Larkin: You’re talking to yourself. That’s awesome.
Norm Spencer: No, I love that.
Trenton Larkin: And of course, as the name stipulates Billy Blazes was the firefighter on the team and the leader of all the…
Norm Spencer: The firefighter
Trenton Larkin: All of the safety professionals.
Norm Spencer: I loved, I loved our feet. Our feet…were like…
Trenton Larkin:…Were huge.
Norm Spencer:…Encyclopedias. And I, you know, these action figures and, and the cells that we got, I gave them away to, to kids in the neighborhood. I mean, I just and people go, why did you do that? Why? Well, you know, t-shirts. And I said, I don’t look there for kids man they’re not…What am I gonna do with them? Right?
Trenton Larkin: Well, if you ever go to conventions or something, then you have stuff to kind of put around you and people go, Oh, hey, you know?
Norm Spencer: Yeah, I suppose. I’m just not used to the whole celebrity thing that surrounds it, you know?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah. Yeah. I understand.
Norm Spencer: It was really just about, about the work and, and how much fun we had. And how lucky we were to, to do that.
Trenton Larkin: To be a part of that. Yeah. I mean, because you were a huge part of the legacy of Marvel. You know, those Fox Kids shows that came out really were the starting point for a lot of people, whether they were comic book readers or not, it really was the first time I think, I mean, they the characters had been used other times, don’t get me wrong, but I think the series that came out in the 90s really changed the whole format of what people expected and came to know and love from the Marvel Universe.
Norm Spencer: Hmm. Yeah, and the audience is very, you know, very, very savvy and very smart people.
Trenton Larkin: Absolutely.
Norm Spencer: You know, so the writing, the writing was really good. The writing had to be well accurate, because, you know, a lot of the audience, they were way ahead of them. So, if you weren’t, seriously, it was like, you know, well, that’s not right. No, he didn’t do that. Yeah. You know, all that stuff. So…
Trenton Larkin: All the comic book readers and stuff.
Norm Spencer: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah absolutely. Understand that, you know, because if you already love something, because you’ve had a perspective of it before, are you living up to what I’m already used to? kind of a thing? So…
Norm Spencer: Exactly.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: Exactly.
Trenton Larkin: Do you have any cool stories from behind the scenes working with the cast members when y’all did work together?
Norm Spencer: That I can say on the air?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: Let’s see. Well, I do have one actually. The, I think his name was Dave, the engineer, great guy. You know, that ran the board. Right?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: And that’s, that’s a job. You know, I mean, you can understand he’s, he’s got if there’s six actors in the room, you know, he’s got to let you know, do the levels and this and that know when to turn the level down on one guy and then to doing anyway. So, so we’re sitting outside after an episode and he says to me Norm. I have a son who’s he’s, I think it was like four or five.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: And he’s, he’s caught a cold. He’s not feeling well. Would you mind calling him as Cyclops and just say, you know, I hear you’re, you’re not feeling well. This is Cyclops, by the way. You’re not, feeling well, I just want you to know that I’m behind you. And I hope you get better soon. Right.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: Like that. And, you know, a couple of days later, I said to Dave, how did your son like the message and he says oh he was thrilled. And again, I’m like, wow, I you know, like, I don’t realize the how important and how personal it is for for so many people.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, absolutely. And I’m sure that meant a lot to him.
Norm Spencer: Oh, it meant…Yeah. And he got better, like, immediately so I…I don’t know I…
Trenton Larkin: It was all you. It was all you.
Norm Spencer: Did Cyclops have some sort of medical degree, No.
Trenton Larkin: Laughter and smiles are the best medicine it could have truly healed him.
Norm Spencer: Well, you know, I just don’t. I didn’t, I didn’t get it at that time. And I you know, probably if I did get it at that time, I’d probably get a swelled head and walk around, you know, as Cyclops it’s probably best that I that I didn’t.
Trenton Larkin: Do you know who I am? (Sarcastically Like an over the top Superhero)
Norm Spencer: Don’t recognize me I’m Cyclops.
Trenton Larkin: Sure, guy. Sure.
Norm Spencer: NO, you’re not Cyclops. Come on.
Trenton Larkin: That’s awesome.
Norm Spencer: We only know Wolverine.
Trenton Larkin: You’re like, Hey, wait a minute. I was the leader.
Norm Spencer: That was, Cal Dodd, Wolverine perfect.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, Cal Dodd was. I mean, you guys made just such a great team together, the way your voices interacted, and just the personalities that you guys brought to the show. It was just, you know, y’all had those moments of agitation, you and Wolverine. But then there was those bonding times where y’all teamed up because it was just that dire of a situation and whenever y’all weren’t fighting over Jean, of course.
Norm Spencer: Yeah, Jean and George Buzza, who played the beat who played Beast. I mean, he was I mean, no, he’s he’s like, He’s huge. He looks like a biker, George Buzza, have you had him on your show?
Trenton Larkin: I haven’t. You’re actually my first. Well, my second X-men, I’ve had Morph. But no, I mean, I would love to eventually speak with all of them, of course. So…
Norm Spencer: But, Cal Dodd, you know, the greatest guy, really terrible golfer, but, he uh…
Trenton Larkin: Are you saying that just because he beats you all the time?
Norm Spencer: No, no, in fact, he’s a nice guy. He invites me to his course his private course. So…
Trenton Larkin: Oh, wow.
Norm Spencer: He’s just, he’s the funniest nicest guy.
Trenton Larkin: That’s awesome.
Norm Spencer: In the world. Yeah.
Trenton Larkin: Well, Norm, I have a quick question for you. You know, there are a lot of fans like me who gravitated towards your character, Cyclops, Scott Summers, on X-men. And as the leader, you know, maybe some kid like me growing up, you know, really loved the show? And really, you know, just latched on to your voice and who you are, what kind of advice would you give to them? Or just anyone who’s interested in potentially pursuing an acting career? Or maybe a voice acting career?
Norm Spencer: Well, I get asked this quite often. Not specifically for animation, but, you know, just like commercials and all that sort of thing.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: Because they, you know, they’ve been told they have a great voice. And a lot of them do. Here’s the thing, you can have a great voice, whatever it may be, you know, straight voice or if you can do a bunch of characters and impressions, which are really not wanted anymore, like, I used to do, you know, I see Johnny Carson, I’d say, over there Ed. Ed where where is um where is Ed? I, Oh, Ed’s dead. Sorry. I didn’t know. Or Jack Nicholson I used to do that a lot, too. In Rodney Dangerfield, I get no respect at all. You know, I get no respect at all, you know, not much call for that. So what I tell people is people may have great voices, but they can’t read.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: If that makes any sense.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, absolutely.
Norm Spencer: For some reason, I’ve just always had the ability since grade school, to be able to…to read from a book and make it sound like I’m not reading it. Does that make any sense?
Trenton Larkin: Oh, yeah, totally. Because I do that all the time. Myself. Yeah.
Norm Spencer: Yeah. And I don’t know why. I have that skill. And I also really enjoyed it. So I guess I was you know, I was a class clown in school, and I was in the principal’s office more than the principal but I managed to graduate anyway. So yeah, it’s very difficult. Unless Well, here’s the thing back when I was doing it, you go to school, you go to whatever broadcast school they have in whatever city you live in. And start there. You see people today they just want to start immediately. You know, do a morning show in, in, you know what I mean? And…
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, they want to be famous instantly.
Norm Spencer: Well, yeah, yeah, exactly. And, and maybe maybe they can these days, I’m not sure it’s a different world today. But back then, when I went to broadcast school, I learned about news, I learned about how to do sports, I learned how to be a DJ, and I learned how to write commercials and, and all that stuff. So…
Trenton Larkin: You learned a lot of skills.
Norm Spencer: Well, yeah it’s like, Ted Baxter, was like, a 5000 watt radio station, and blah blah. If anyone remembers Ted Baxter, and that’s really what it was. And then I worked my way slowly to bigger stations and bigger stations. And but that’s, that was my journey. And I, I tell people I say, because theres courses everywhere. I say, if you want to do it, take this course and take that course, you’ll you’ll end up with a nice demo. And then you shop it around. And this the agency? Nope, nope. It’s extremely competitive as you just like being an actor, you know?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, defiantly.
Norm Spencer: It is, it is voice acting. It’s just voice acting. It’s not. I don’t think, I don’t think people should diminish. Voice acting from from acting.
Trenton Larkin: Because acting comes first. And you’re an actor before anything. So…
Norm Spencer: Exactly. So that was my point, when you may have a good voice, or you’re, you know, whatever. But you’re not. You don’t want to be Walter Cronkite. You don’t want to like what do you want to do? Like, what do you? You know?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: And that’s the way it is. You know? What was your question? Sorry?
Trenton Larkin: No, it was just kind of what advice do you have?
Norm Spencer: My advice to people?
Trenton Larkin: But you said, what people really, you know, like people say, I have a great voice, but it can you act? Do you have the acting abilities that you need? Are you able to read copy without stumbling over the words? And can you make them sound like your own words? And not like you’re reading off a piece of paper?
Norm Spencer: So, my Yeah. When when I said, make it sound like you’re not reading. And this doesn’t have to be playing a character in it in a animation. You could be doing a commercial for McDonald’s. And it’s very straight copy. And you’re you’re selling egg McMuffins that are apparently available, 24/7, like, well they aren’t. No, but I mean, I don’t know you have to. You can’t sound like Walter Cronkite. Just, you know, you can get an Egg McMuffin. No, and what they really want now is, don’t sound like an announcer.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, they want more natural sounding voices. I think now.
Norm Spencer: Exactly, so you know, and that was different than when I started back. You know, there was no don’t sound like, What do you mean? Well, they don’t want it to sound like, too professional and to kind of like the guy next door.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: You know you can get an egg McMuffin for like, $3.49. Almost throw it away. You know what I mean?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: No, like, sort of, you know what I’m saying?
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, just kind of like, let it come easy. Let it go.
Norm Spencer: Yeah, it’s, it’s really hard to convey that to someone who wants to do it because they hear things on the radio. And then I hear them read something. And I’m like, Oy yoy yoy, Like it’s stiff. It’s stiff. And as the, the tonality of their voice is good. They’re, you know, they have a very smooth, mellow sound in their voice. But can you act and that’s what people miss, because you are acting, but you’re only acting with your voice.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: As opposed to your facial expressions. That’s not big. But you do make facial expressions when you’re doing voice, and you use your hands and you move and, you know, to convey what you’re doing.
Trenton Larkin: It all helps get it out there the right way.
Norm Spencer: Yeah, but I mean, you know, if there’s, you know, people that really want to do it. It’s possible, it really is, but get some training, like go to a, take a course a really good course. And then of course, then you have to join the union. And then you know, all that kind of stuff.
Trenton Larkin: Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for giving us your advice on what people should do to you know, kind of reach their potential goals or their aspirations, kind of give people an idea of what it would take to do that if that’s something they do want to pursue or not. But, you know, I have one final question for you today Norm and we will wrap this interview up. The question is, what is the legacy that you want to leave behind?
Norm Spencer: Don’t do what I did, No. Uh, (laughs) the legacy I want to leave behind?
Trenton Larkin: Yes, sir.
Norm Spencer: Well, okay, I was lucky enough to find a career that I absolutely am passionate about, I love to go to work. I love to work. And I hope that and I think I’m pretty sure that I did not step on maybe one or two toes along the way, in 20–22 years, or whatever. And I’d like to think that people enjoy working with me, and that I enjoy working with them, and it’s a, it is an absolute privilege to still be in this business, you know, at 59. Because unfortunately, there you know, there’s a lot of friends of mine, from the old days that you just don’t hear them anymore and for, for whatever reason. So I’m, I consider myself extremely lucky. And I’m grateful, you know, to be able to do the job that I love, because a lot of people can say that you know what I mean?
Trenton Larkin: Oh yeah I understand.
Norm Spencer: You love your job. I love you. You love your job. And…
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: That’s a very, very fortunate thing to be able to, to say.
Trenton Larkin: Oh, absolutely.
Norm Spencer: And then I hope it carries on, you know, I mean, there’s people that work to live, and I live to work. I know that’s cliche, but just I’m just very, I’m very, very lucky.
Trenton Larkin: Absolutely. I would totally agree with you on that. You’re very, very lucky man. And it’s been a very big privilege to speak with you today.
Norm Spencer: Well, thank you, Trenton. It’s been a it’s been an honor and a privilege for me. This is my first podcast, so…
Trenton Larkin: Wow, I am honored for sure.
Norm Spencer: How’s my hair? How’s my hair?
Trenton Larkin: It looks fantastic.
Norm Spencer: Do you remember Piggsburg Pigs by any chance?
Trenton Larkin: That name sounds extremely familiar its a show isn’t it?
Norm Spencer: It was a…Yeah, animated series. It only lasted. I think one or two seasons?
Trenton Larkin: I think I do recall it. Yeah.
Norm Spencer: There was only 26 episodes. I think there were two wolves. And I played one of the wolves and I did sort of Reverend Jim from Taxi.
Trenton Larkin: Okay, yeah.
Norm Spencer: I was playing one of the wolves and I would say, hey you nincomwolf. That’s not where we’re going. We’re going to catch the pigs.
Trenton Larkin: I Love it. Well, Norm It has been an absolute honor and pleasure having you on the show today. Would you please give us a closeout today as Scott Summers aka Cyclops from X-men.
Norm Spencer: Our missions complete everyone into the Blackbird. And Jean, this may be the last time I tell you but get down.
Trenton Larkin: Hey, everyone, I know you thought the episode was over. But I have just a little bit more for you today. There was some behind the scenes talk where Norm and I discussed kind of how the 1992 X-men really kind of shaped and molded society’s opinion and thoughts on X-men as a whole. So this is just a little clip. I know we kind of talked about it some in the episode, but this was just really fun. And I thought I’d share it with you guys today. I hope you enjoy…Well, Norm it has been absolutely fun man.
Norm Spencer: It’s been fun for me to thanks, buddy.
Trenton Larkin: Hey, you are super welcome. I do man. I really do. I mean seriously man like listening to you guys on X-men and your character was always so I mean, he was just you portray a really great leader. And you know I love the confrontation between you and Cal when y’all were Wolverine and Cyclops and it’s just like, man, just such good memories you guys really created a, not just a great show, but just I mean there were good moral lessons and good just I don’t know you know, it was just it’s hard to explain the show’s back then we’re just uncomparable any you know that X-men series I’ve watched I think every one they’ve ever made. And every show tries to emulate your show because you guys set the bar so high that everyone else tries to mimic it. Even, Hugh Jackman, tried to be Cal Dodd because the animation seriously they actually used his audio for Hugh Jackman because that your show became so iconic, everyone based everything off of the 94, 92, 93 series for X-men. You guys really changed the world of Marvel.
Norm Spencer: Hope you mean it!! Wow. Now, now that you mentioned it when I do listen to Hugh Jackman Yeah, I do. I do get I think of Cal because you know…
Trenton Larkin: Yeah.
Norm Spencer: Of course Cal doesn’t have the six pack that Hugh has. And all that sort of thing, but no that’s that’s cool. Our missions complete everyone into the Blackbird and Jean, nice shoes.
Trenton Larkin: Hey everyone, and thanks so much for listening to today’s episode of Who Did That Voice. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please check us out online on all social media platforms at who did that voice? And on YouTube at whodidthatvoice24. Also remember to check out our website whodidthatvoice.org. Again, that’s www.whodidthatvoice.org Thank you to all my listeners out there. I just wanted to say if you want to partner with Who Did That Voice, just telling your friends and family about us is the best way to share the show with others and or leaving us a review on Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast from. The third and final way is by joining our patreon@patreon.com forward slash who did that voice.
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