Rudy: First let's clear the air about the latest scandal. How long have you been getting away with lip-synching?
Don: ...All my life. Actually, it's a business arrangement I have with the person who actually has the voice - Gladys Fernman of Elephants Breath, Montana. For obvious reasons, she didn't want to perform in public. I think it's because of the facial hair, but no matter - it's worked out great for both of us.
Rudy: There's a caricature of your voice out there in the market place, but you actually have quite an extraordinary range. Tell me about performing on spots that require other dimensions of Don?
Don: The range developed over the years. I was fortunate in that my first dozen years in the game were spent reading copy that I had written, so I was able to work in all the various genres.
But doing so required that I learn all the many styles of delivery. It's been a long - and continuing - process.
Rudy: You are undoubtedly in a league of your own when it comes to voice over. I guess somebody has to be “the one.” But how do you perceive it all from your frame of reference?
Don: I view myself as a working Voice Actor who has been incredibly lucky. I have been in the right place at the right time with basically the right tools on more occasions than can be marked down to simple coincidence. Given the amount of microphone time that I have been afforded, I had better be pretty good at what I do - but I think my reputation is based upon my longevity in the business as much as it is on talent. That, and the stark, unreasoning fear that I engender in my enemies.
