In an attempt to understand the man that lurks beneath the façade of Bobby Fargo, "The Sensible Traveler", (catch Bobby’s illuminating travel tips on babelgum.com) I posed a few central questions.
So that I could comprehend the full breadth of Dave Foley’s obsession with safety (and hence Bobby Fargo’s words of warning) I posed the questions in a bunker just outside of Ottowa. Neither of us was drinking except for me because I don’t really care if I die or get hurt or embarrass myself, which will become, as you read on, rather evident.
Andrea: What inspired you to make Webisodes?
Dave: I was deeply affected by a near death experience I had while holidaying in France. It was summer. I ate a fromage baguette for lunch one day and was struck down with a horrible case of food poisoning. I was lucky to escape with my life, and, ever since that day, it has been my mission to warn others about the perils of travel.
Andrea: Are you a long-standing Web enthusiast, or were you lured into doing Webisodes?
Dave: I am a huge fan. I started that whole craze. Al Gore, who is not present, laughs. But no, everyone's turning to their computers and phones for entertainment. It seems like a logical place to have a show these days.
Andrea: Did you conceive this series with a group of friends and colleagues and then have it come together quite seamlessly, or did you follow a more challenging trajectory wherein you pitched an idea, sought funding, hired a staff, shot the series despite lots of obstacles and then are now working hard to distribute and market the series yourself? Aspiring filmmakers love to know these things.
Dave: The series was the brainchild of Stephen Hibbert and myself. It's silly, very awkward and a bit annoying - just like its parents. We took the idea to Fuel Industries who took care of the actual birthing. They are the fairy godparents for our bundle of joy - or the OB-GYN? It was all painless and with no epidural...Just like to milk the metaphor 'til it's dry, you know.
Andrea: I love to do that, myself. Pregnant pause. Will there be a Bobby Fargo movie?
Dave: There are certainly more travel tips to be dispensed. It could be like a cross between a National Geographic program and Taken.
Andrea: What inspired you to create the character Bobby Fargo?
Dave: I felt that people needed a sensible guide to help them embrace their fear of the world.
Andrea: Is there a bit of Bobby in you? Is there a bit of Bobby in me?
Dave: There's bit of Bobby in all of us. How else do you explain the obsession with hand sanitizer?
Andrea: How do you come up with ideas for episodes?
Dave: Basically, you just look at something, like a toothbrush, and ask yourself, "How could this kill me?"
Andrea: Are there other characters besides Bobby Fargo you would like to pursue through the medium of the Web?
Dave: Sure. I'd like to play Pacman one day. I think Pacwoman is hot, and I like cherries.
Andrea: I totally love cherries too. Except for maraschino cherries, which make me super regular. Andrea laughs, but not so hard as to spring anything loose. Are there any important words of either caution or enticement to potential viewers who have not yet seen your Sensible Traveler Web series?
Dave: Listen to everything Bobby tells you, and then do the opposite.
Andrea: OK, then, here is a question for Bobby. It is something I think about whenever I am on a long flight or a short flight and I have forgotten my Klonopin or my Valium.
What do you do when you realize that you have head lice and there are still eight hours left of your international flight?
Dave takes a Method acting moment and then becomes Bobby Fargo.
Bobby Fargo: You'll need a comb, four mini bottles of vodka, a strong sleeping tablet and a shower cap. Go to the bathroom and pour three bottles of vodka on your head to kill the lice, comb it through to make sure you got them all, put on the shower cap and go back to your seat. Next, down the rest of the vodka with the sleeping pill, wake up on the other side, and go to a pharmacy.
Andrea: Hopefully you’re not flying to Greece where pharmacy is spelled φαρμακευτικo and you might not know that it’s a pharmacy, or to a country where the pharmacy contains nothing but the blood of latent virgins. Nonetheless, great advice! Thanks, Bobby!
And thank you, Dave. I now feel even closer to you, which is funny, because how much closer could I get than when I was hiding, along with Andy Dick, in your walk-in closet? Not that you should be frightened or anything. It seems that you have enough to worry about. Toothbrushes. Lice. What to pack in order to avoid foot rot.
A pause that is pregnant only for Dave.
To experience "The Sensible Traveler with Bobby Fargo" visit babelgum.com/davefoley, and remember: "A prepared traveler need not fear the world." - Bobby Fargo
To subscribe to Andrea’s column, click on the appropriate button above, but do so with this cautionary message (intended for a different context, but it could apply here): "That's how you wind up with a fatwa on your head." - Bobby Fargo
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