Start spreadin’ the news. Monsters at Dusk is now alive on audiobook!
To celebrate the big release, I interviewed the book’s narrator, Darren Roebuck. He’s a talented, funny, and interesting guy—but don’t take my word for it. Read the interview below! You’ll find my questions in italics and Darren’s answers in regular text. Enjoy!
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Welcome, Darren! Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for having me, Kyle!
How did you get into the field of voice acting?
Looking back, I think it started when I was about seven, and I got into an argument with my mom as to whether or not Bugs Bunny was a real person. I was staunchly supporting the fact that he was real, and my mom said no, he’s a cartoon character voiced by Mel Blanc. The next day, I saw Mel Blanc’s credit on a cartoon and thought, “Wow, he has the coolest job!” I promptly forgot about it for a number of years, and then later as a teenager I became interested in music and audio recording.
Eventually as an adult, I bought a house and built a studio in the basement. Then, randomly, I met a woman playing the game “Words With Friends” on the phone and she mentioned that she was a DJ at a pirate radio station. She agreed to do a live interview with me and a bandmate, and at some point during the show I made a comment about how I wanted my own show. The producer was standing there, and right on the spot gave me a Saturday morning slot.
I did that show for about a year and a half (unwittingly getting some valuable mic time in) when some other friends mentioned web sites where I could get VO work. Since I already had a studio, I thought why not give it a go? I started getting booked right away, and within a couple of years I started doing it full-time. It’s my dream job, and I believe that it found me as much as I found it.
Very cool. In addition to audiobooks, you’ve done voiceover work for video games, commercials, radio, and more. How does your approach differ for different mediums? Or does it?
I look at it all like it’s character acting. My process of finding a character voice for any particular project is pretty much the same no matter the genre. There are different physical demands across genres, however. If I have a video game or animation session coming up, I’ll treat that like I’m getting ready for a sporting event with plenty of sleep, proper food, and hydration before hand. Audiobooks are similar. Both require a lot of stamina. Commercial reads or a typical day of auditions really just require a good vocal warm up session and that’s about it.
What’s your process for developing character voices?
Of course, gender, age, and location make a lot of choices for you right off the bat. Typically, though, I read the script and see what pops into my head naturally without thinking about it, especially for lead characters. After that, I try to give secondary characters the opposite pitch of the main characters. If one character is high pitch, I’ll make the other one lower. I also tend to make lead characters a bit more down to earth, and secondary characters a bit wackier.
I see you made some big additions to your recording booth last summer. How has it changed your business?
It’s helped in a few ways. The audio is better due to it being much quieter in there. It looks better on zoom calls, which is really important these days. It’s also more purpose-built than my last recording space, so I just like to be in there more. It’s really become a sort of safe space where I can really cut loose.
I’m sure that’s important, especially in the early stages of recording. So, what made you want to work on Monsters at Dusk (aside from the cold hard cash)?
Pretty much just the cash. Haha!
Actually, when Abby Thymes said, “Dear Satan,” in the beginning of the first story, I was sold. I glanced through a few more stories, and seeing the humor and the interesting array of characters, I knew it would be a fun project.
Glad you enjoyed it! During our collaboration, you mentioned that Americans do notoriously lousy British accents. Any other voiceover in-jokes we should know?
I think the biggest one is the random person that upon finding out I’m a voice actor says, “My friends say I have a great voice. Can you get me voiceover work?” This is so common that it’s truly a cliche amongst voice actors.
Yikes, that sounds awkward. I read on your website that you toured the U.S. and Europe as a lighting designer for a band. Any fun stories from the road come to mind?
Certainly, but I’m not sure I can tell them here. Haha!!!
Actually, I toured with one band that liked to make little video skits during down time. We were in a cavernous club in Milwaukee just after sound check when the club was quiet. The lead singer asked if I would play a role that was supposed to be a kind of stressed out dream sequence. He had me walking around all of the back stage rooms and hallways shouting, “Where is everybody!? Where is everybody!!!?”
I did this four or five times total, and after the first one or two the local crew guys started poking their heads in the room asking if I needed anything. I politely said no, then went on to the next “Where is everybody!?”
The crew guys poked their heads in again asking if everything was okay, and if they could do anything for me. Once again I smiled and said everything was fine. “Where is everyboddyyyy!!!!?”
The guy pops his head in again saying, “We’re right here!” Turns out, they didn’t realize that we were making a movie, and they thought I was upset with them for not being around when I needed them. They must have really thought I was off my meds!
Hah, that’s great! You definitely had dedication to the bit. I understand you were also a radio DJ for a year-and-a-half. What was that experience like?
I had just left a 12-year career and didn’t really know what I was doing with my life at the time, so it was kind of like therapy for me. It was pirate radio so I could do literally anything I wanted. I got to play all of my favorite music and talk about what ever came to mind. I’d have guests on a lot. My mom would even call in on occasion and I would play our conversations on the air. It was a lot of fun.
Shoutout to Darren’s mom. Since you’re a musician, who are some of your favorite recording artists?
I’ve always been a Zappa fan. Of course, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and Pink Floyd were all masters in the studio, and their recordings are still some of my favorites to listen to in headphones. My very favorites, though, are the Funk Brothers from Motown, The Swampers from Fame Studios, and the Wrecking Crew from L.A. They were all responsible for hundreds of #1 hits, and most of the top recordings for a couple of generations. They also did most of their recordings live in the studio as a complete group, and not relying on individual tracking. True masters.
Excellent. And now for our final question…what story from Monsters at Dusk did you have the most fun narrating?
Tough question. I can’t pick just one. “Several Letters from Abby to God” was really fun. I mean, I got to play God, Satan, a little girl, a demon cat, and Jesus all in the same story! That’s what acting dreams are made of. At least mine, anyway. Not to mention the format of the story with all of the letters made for some rich comedy. I laughed a lot recording that one.
My other favorite was “The Megrim.” It was a challenge. Coming up with a voice for a large warrior woman that I could sustain for a long time was not easy. Then there were so many characters, and the setting was fictional, so I couldn’t rely on regional accents to differentiate the characters. Then there was the wide range of emotions to portray. It was tough to put it all together in one cohesive unit, and I really felt good about the final result.
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Thanks so much, Darren! If you want to hear his incredible work, grab your copy of Monsters at Dusk on audiobook today!
Darren Roebuck is a voice actor, audio producer, and musician residing in Colorado. Learn more about Darren and his work on his website, www.djrvoiceover.com.
Kyle A. Massa is a comic fantasy author living somewhere in upstate New York with his wife, their daughter, and three wild animals. His published works include two books and several short stories. When he’s not writing, he enjoys reading, running, and drinking coffee.
