At 2003's AnimeIowa convention, our own Nathan Thorell had the opportunity to interview Greg Ayres, the up-and-coming voice talent from the Houston, TX talent pool. You may have heard Greg in recent hit series' such as Saiyuki, Full Metal Panic and Angelic Layer. Here, then, is the fourth and final installment in our series of interviews with the Squeaky Sensation himself, Greg Ayres-- as conducted by Nathan Thorell.
Last time, we talked with Greg Ayres about working with ADV and shows like Full Metal Panic and Super GALS. In this last installment, we ask him a few questions about his interest in anime and a couple questions about his thoughts on the voice acting profession.
Nathan Thorell (NT): You’ve been a fan of anime for a while now. What are some of your favorite programs?
Greg Ayres: I can’t say Saiyuki, because I’m working on that. (Laughs) My favorite series is Boogiepop Phantom. I can’t say why. The style of it appeals to me, the story is really cool, I think the character designs are really... I think the character designs are very interesting. It’s a show that just stuck with me the minute I sat down to watch it. All of a sudden, it was me in a dark room and Boogiepop Phantom and that was it. I’m also a big Fushigi Yuugi fan, a big Serial Experiments Lain fan, and a Dragon Half fan from back in the day. I think that was the first wacky show I’ve ever been exposed to. The amazing thing about anime is, as many shows I get hooked and leered into, there’s five-hundred others I haven’t gotten to see yet, and you can’t help but feel weird, because someone is the expert on each one of those shows, and you’re like, "Well, I really want to see that show!" I’m starting to get better about testing episode one of this and that, so that I don’t end up buying a bunch of stuff I don’t have time to watch right now. I really haven’t had nearly enough time to watch anime lately. I did this silly thing where every night before I went to sleep, I was going to watch one hour of anime, because I was getting upset that I was never getting to watch any of these shows anymore, and it basically turned into "Greg watches anime until he falls asleep," and I was making no progress in any series that way. So now I try to watch during the day, or after work or something.
NT: Do you have a favorite Boogiepop character or scene?
Greg: Ohh, actually, I couldn’t. I think... I could narrow it down to maybe an episode, there’s just so much I like about that show. It’s like trying to pick a favorite part in Lain for me. Boogiepop is so visually fascinating to me, and with the RightStuf mix that they did for the DVD’s, it’s so amazing sounding, that there are times when I just get so overtaken with by the show; so, I have a real hard time picking a favorite part. I love the sound, like every time you hear the choppy music (provides example). I know that’s not a favorite character, but its something that stands out to me.
NT: Are there any shows you would like to have a voice in that haven’t been dubbed yet, or a show you would love to be in?
Greg: Oh yes. I would’ve loved to have gotten a chance to do Haru in Rave: Groove Adventure. I was hoping ADV would get that title, and I have to love it that Mannen in Pretear, looks like a baby version of Haru, so I’m playing little Haru, I guess. And Mannen’s powers are very cool. And when finding out ADV had the rights to DNAngel, I was about to die to audition for Daisuke in DNAngel. Not just the obvious reason that Hoshi Souichirou, that does the voice of Son Goku in the original cast of Saiyuki, also does the voice of Daisuke in DNAngel; but, Daisuke is close to the type of character that I normally play, but he’s more sweet and innocent, than most of my spunkier, roughneck, little guys that I get to do. I think it’s a really sweet character that I’m really hoping to get a chance to audition for. So, Haru and Daisuke.
NT: Do you have any advice for people who would like to become a voice actor?
Greg: I sure do, go for it! This is a huge market and every single voice is different. If you really want to get involved in voice acting, there are several places on the internet that you can find information about and I’ve got a FAQ on my website, like several other voice actors do. But, get involved, start performing, and audition for shows where you live. If you’re in school, get involved with a theater group. Improvisation is just an invaluable exercise for spontaneous performance, which is what you do when you’re a voice actor. (Laughs) But go for it! You know, whether you’re a twelve-year-old kid or a sixty-year-old man, there are twelve-year-old kids and sixty-year-old men in anime! If that’s what you really want to do, start working towards it. I know examples of people that just wanted to do it and now that’s what they do. Maybe not for a living. I don’t know many of us that do it for a living, but they have actually gone for it and done it. You should always go for what you want to do. You should always shoot for your dreams. Go for it! I wish you good luck.
NT: What’s one of the hardest things about your profession?
Greg: Wow. Something that as a stage performer that I’ve always been aware of, but... (Cough) As I cough! Staying in good health. Sometimes we have just a ridiculous, tight recording schedule, and I, unfortunately, am a very allergic, sinus-type allergic-reaction-type guy and there are times when I don’t have any choice but to record at a certain time. Taking care of yourself and taking care of your voice are very important, and that also means staying in good vocal condition, not screaming my lungs out at an Alkaline Trio show, but singing whenever I get a chance to keep my vocal chords good. The hardest thing is making sure you take care of yourself and making sure your voice is consistent from performance to performance.
NT: And coolest?
Greg: The very coolest thing... there are a lot of things I would say are the coolest about my profession. Getting to go to cons and meet people who are into anime as much as I am, and getting to meet people in the industry. But, the best way to answer that is, and it kind of envelopes all of this is finally being a part of something that I’ve always had a really strong love for. And that really is, without getting choked up, that’s a really big deal, to be a big fan of something, to really... it’s like being a big fan of KISS and all of a sudden being asked to be the bass player of KISS. It’s a really big deal to know that something you think is really cool and you wake up one morning and... you’re in the band. That includes everything! That includes meeting people, going to cons, getting to watch more anime, that includes getting free DVD’s for shows that you’re in. It’s just everything. It’s a really good feeling to be a part of something you like so much and like to do a lot. Sounds like a corny answer, but that’s the truth.
We’d like to thank Greg Ayres for his time and graciousness in conducting this interview. If you would like to get a hold of him, please check out his website, GregAyres.com, where contact information is available.