Carla's interview

I've been excited for this interview for some time now. I'm proud of every interview we've done, but I'll say that this is probably the most insightful interview I've read. And I'll be honest with you, just because she is my mom doesn't mean I especially like what she had to say. Even though I've known her all my life, I still learned a lot about her in reading this interview, so it was a lot of fun for me. The interview is actually so long that I will have to break it up into two sections. Today you get the first half of the interview, and I'll put up the rest next post. For all of you readers, this should be an insightful interview as well because you get to see where we get it from... For the pictures I thought I'd put up the ones from my SLUG article a year ago since the Bolts of Thunder article just came out today (read the last post if you haven't yet, it has a link to the interview). The first one is me just about to slip out on a rather large power box straight to my back on the ground. I need to thank Weston for being quick with his trigger finger and getting the picture right on time. I wouldn't have tried it again after taking all those slams... The second picture is me lurking on a man. I spotted the guy from the neighborhood watch sign, you know, black figure, pimp hat, and white, beaty eyes. Yeah, you know the man, I seen him! Weston captured that moment in time as I identified him in my neighbor's yard, peeking into their windows. We rounded up the neighborhood watch forces and dragged his beaten body into the streets. With torches in hand, we made our stand...  

(MrThunderBolt) Seeing as you are the mother of Bolts of Thunder's founders, how do you feel you have contributed to the establishment of this fine organization?

MB (MammaBolt):  Hmm.  I can think of a number of times when I taught you to rage against the man without my even my trying.  I guess it was by example. 

When you were little we lived around the corner from a boysenberry bush and I’d take you down there to pick berries.  I remember the city guys would come up in their little golf cart and say that we were breaking the law and couldn’t pick berries and I’d look at them like I was thinking of places other than their mouths where I’d like to shove the berries and I’d say something like “so”. 

One time when you and I were picking berries and they said they were going to call the cops on us and we’d both be taken away to jail I told them “go ahead.  Call the cops.  Throw us in jail.  I’ll make sure the newspaper gets word of it, that your pictures are on the front page and everyone in the city and your mothers know that you had a mother and her little boy thrown in jail for picking blackberries.  Yeah.  Go right ahead.”  Then I put a blackberry in my mouth and told you to go on picking. 

You looked like you had just inhaled one of the berries and couldn’t breathe you were turning so white, but you were too scared to do anything about it so you turned around and kept picking.  They eventually left and we left them with no berries. 

I think of things like that.  When I taught you, through example, how to stand up to stupid authority figures and piss on them with just a look or a few well thought out words.  Now, you have the words for yourself and Matt has taken the pissing to a whole new level.


Remember when you fell asleep on highway 18, and when you woke up, the entire highway was empty? Would you like to tell that story?

Not much to tell, really.  Ginger went to high school in Orange County which was 66 miles away.  She had to take the train to get there and because of all the construction on highway 18 we had to get in line for the escorted convoy down the mountain at 4:30 am to get to the train.  I took her down that day then we waited for the train.  When I went back up the hill, we had another escorted convoy but for some reason on that morning we had to wait on the highway for the construction crew or something.  We sat on the highway for about half an hour and I got tired so I turned off my engine and fell asleep.  When I woke up it was mid morning and it was so quiet and peaceful out.   I had no idea a highway could be such a peaceful place.  I just laid there for a few minutes trying to think of what happened, where I was and why was I there.  I vaguely remembered the car shaking.  Sort of like when you kids would try to wake me up and I would kind of hiss and hit the air with my arm or something.  That was all that I remembered.  When I started the car and drove up the highway these construction workers were pointing at me and laughing.  I was still so asleep that I didn’t realize they were laughing at me.  I don’t really feel ashamed of it or anything because I got one of the most restful sleeps I had gotten in a long time.

I learned most of my ninja skills from you. Under whose hand did you receive your training and where? 

I’m not really sure.  I think it’s probably a combination of great examples: My Dad had some pretty incredible Ninja skills.  I can remember so many times he could say the funniest things to someone and they wouldn’t even know what hit them till after we walked away and were too far for them to come out swinging at my Dad.

I also think of the late, great Bruce Lee and his part in the Green Hornet on TV when I was a kid.  When it was time for him to walk into a room, he couldn’t just walk into a room, he’d do a crescent kick combo with a spinning reverse roundhouse through the door or the wall on his way to Primetime Glory.  It was San Francisco, the mid 1960’s, a place of incomparable lust and chaos.  Plus, I come from a long line of clowns.

What do you see as the future of Bolts of Thunder? Be brutally honest, if you must. Just don't crush the young ones' dreams...

I actually see a long life for BOT.  Truly.  I think of Bolts of Thunder not as a commentary on life today but as life as it is, and should always be lived.  It is a way of thinking and being and therefore, timeless.  It is that space, time, and dimension that inhabits the vast expanses of our inner most dreams and encompasses and dissipates our primordial fears like bright sunshine on a foggy morning.  An idea that brings light and strength to weaknesses and lifts us to new heights.

Besides, it’s lots of fun.

Island scenario: Who would you be stranded on the island with? How would things work out with the natives? And since you are a mother figure to all Thunder Bolts the world over, you are not limited in the number of people stranded with you ie, you can have the entire crew with you. I know how much you love people... I just want to know how things would go down.

I’m so glad that you asked this question and you’ve given me free run of the island as far as who I invite.  I’ve thought about this one so many times and I pretty much know what I’d do. 

First of all, I’d have to have Matt there because I remember when he could shoot those obnoxious little gophers in the head from the balcony 4 stories up and he’d kill them first shot.  He can deliver the kill shot over and over when he’s hungry.  I know I’d always have someone who is seeking out ways to keep us alive.

Second, I’d like Sam Milanta there because he could do a pictorial commentary on our adventures and write it up for Slug magazine and that would be fun.  Dan is a necessity.  He’d come up with a way to build a houseboat out of palm and coconut trees and put a spa on the Lido deck so if the cannibals invade we’d have a safe get away.  Brian would have to be there.  He’s like a giant neon light and without electricity, he would come in very handy.  David McDonald because he can’t sleep at night and he’d be the perfect lookout. 

I could never leave you out.  You like to cook so if the cannibals got too nasty, Matt could shoot one and you and I could marinate him in a dry rub for a few hours then barbeque him.  And you could make some of your incredible cheese cake.  Mmmm, tasty!  Of course, there’d be too much for the few of us so all the Thunder Bolts would be invited to the barbeque and you could do a screening of your latest film.  Cool!