Marc Graue Interview
For Marc Graue recording the character voice overs for a certain cd-i game back in the mid 90s was business as usual. With over 25 years industry experience, and now with his own studio Marc had no idea that years later he would getting an email asking about the time he provided the voices for Hotel Mario!
First off, about the people who made the game, what was it like working with them?
The Hotel Mario game developers and directors were great to work with..most video game directors are easy to work with and the good ones know what they want so they will usually have you do the scripted version and then let you do a version with lots of ad libs.
How did you get the part of voicing Mario & Luigi?
I got the VO gig for Hotel Mario the old fashioned way..Audition and wait for the call. The normal process is to send voice actors “sides”( the script with some character descriptions) and then you read a couple of different ways and hopefully the client & director like what they hear!
Have you ever used those voices (or similar) in any other videogames? If so, then please state.
I’ve voiced games from “World Of Warcraft” to the latest “Ratchet & Clank” game “Future Tools Of Destruction but hopefully the voices are pretty different than Hotel Mario!
You have your own website, “Marc Graue Recording Studios”; do you still do voice-over work? How much do you charge?
I’ve been lucky enough to own and operate the oldest voice over recording studios in Burbank, CA for the last 25 years so I’ve been involved with some very cool projects both as voice talent and as a producer. To see some of our current projects you can visit our website at http://www.fixinthemix.com
So we know you did the voices of Mario & Luigi and Jocelyn Benford did the voice of the Princess but who did the voice of creepy Bowser’s laugh?
I remember recording alot of takes including a bunch of “creepy” laughs but I don’t know whether they ended up using them or not..
Are you aware that several thousand YouTube videos are using Mario & Luigi’s voice for their comedic video collages?
I think it’s very cool ( and flattering ) that something that was recorded in 1993 has found new life on a completely new platform! During a recording session you almost always have alot of fun but you’re not usually aware of how big, successful or how much impact a project will have.
Do you know that said videos have resulted in a major schism about aesthetics in an online community?
My dear friend, Robb Paulsen, had the best quote about the voice over business I’ve ever heard…”how serious can we be about a session when we are all getting paid alot of money for stuff we got in trouble for in the 7th grade”.
Is the line “Hey you, get off of my cloud” actually a reference to the song sung by The Rolling Stones?
The cutscene where Mario says “Hey, you! Get off of my cloud” was made up during the session and was indeed a reference to the Stones song.!
Speaking of lines from the game, what would you say your best and worst lines were?
Best Line…. from the director..”That’s a wrap..I think we’ve got it all covered, here’s your check” Hopefully there were no “worse” lines and if there were…Hey the writers are still my friends!!
Are there any lines that cut you had to cut from the game? What were they?
Being a voice over guy with a sense of humor and NO taste means there are always going to be lots of really bad out takes..Nothing is sacred so needless to say Mario and Luigi found themselves in some very compromising positions….VOCALLY!!
And finally, what is your overall honest opinion of Hotel Mario?
The down side to being a voice actor on a project is that well you’re a voice actor on the project so very rarely are you privy to any of the actual workings or levels in a game…I remember walking through a mall and seeing a huge display of “The Undead”, a character I voiced on World Of Warcraft, the person I was with pointed it out loudly enough that I was approached by a couple of gamers who wanted to know what happened at a certain level. After telling them I had no idea as I was only the voice talent they proceeded to tell me I was full of S*%T ahhh the glamourous life of voice over!
Considering Hotel mario was released in 1994 I’m thrilled to see it take on a new life as a parody of itself…or anything else you can think of! I don’t think the Academy will be calling me anytime soon and I really dont feel it was “My Finest Moment As A Thespian”….but hey’ we had alot of fun….AND someone is still listening!!!
Thanks very much for taking the time to do this interview
Man, there is an incredible amount of creativity and talent on your website….AND IT’S FUN!!! YOU GUYS ROCK
interview conducted via email by ThePspImp with questions provided by members of the forum. 10 Jan 2008
