Talking Apes

Richard Woloski

I remember watching the Planet of the Apes CBS series in my grandparents kitchen on their 13″ black and white TV every Friday night from September to December 1974. I don’t know if I had seen the films at this point, if I did it may have turned this 5-year old off with all their heavy social themes. The series had a faster pace, and a MEGO toy line which was very important at that age. But the series served as a gateway to the films which were played just about every Saturday on WLVI-TV 56 in Boston. And the more I saw them the more I was beginning to understand that there was a message buried in the plot.  

But after Star Wars was released in 1977, all my other fandom took a backseat. Then in 1996, AMC ran a marathon of the classic films and I was instantly hooked again. Being much older I was able to see them in a whole new way and I as able to understand the social impact. and it was around this time I was meeting the actors and make-up artists at conventions and getting to know the filmmaking process the way I had dug deep into the making of Star Wars. I was even Linda Harrison’s pen pal for a while.

Fast forward to 2014. I knew the Apes TV series had been released on DVD, and I was afraid to watch it. As I’ve learned, some things are better left in the past. But I loved the series as a kid and I love nostalgia. But still I was conflicted. A year prior, my wife Sarah and I started up the podcast, Skywalking Through Neverland. Now, what if I turned my Apes rewatch into a podcast? There were other podcasts that had broken down and analyzed the films but none had done it with the TV series. It was all adding up. So I talked my friend Mark Oguschewitz into joining me in this “podcast miniseries” and we broke down the live action series. That lead into breaking down the animated series. That lead into an interview format show where we had guests such as Dana Gould, Bobby Porter, and the crew behind the documentary Making Apes. 

With my new co-host, Kevin Toft, we’ve talked with entertainment icon Paul Williams who shared exclusive stories from his Apes film, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, not heard anywhere else. Now we plan to keep the classic Apes era alive and build a fan community through Talking Apes.

Kevin Toft

From the very first Planet of the Apes movie with gorillas and rifles on horseback, I was hooked. I enjoyed the following movie sequels, which were each more impressive than the next, and the subsequent TV series. I love the design work involved in creating the Ape culture which has inspired my design and art over the years, and was instrumental in my decision to become a designer and graphic artist.

Continuing on my journey, I’ve held creative positions in advertising, stage crew and scenic painting with the Pageant of the Masters (in Laguna Beach, CA), video game production at Virgin Games and at Sony where I was a member of the launch team for the PlayStation. Currently, I am a visual designer focusing on UIUX. I have been fortunate to meet amazing people in the visual effects industry, including many of my heroes that have worked on major films with ILM (Industrial Light Magic). I assisted on the set of the film Wild, Wild West, was a production assistant with Kiefer Sutherland’s, and Deadman’s Party, an Oingo Boingo tribute band.

As a fan of Science Fiction and an admirer of fantastic design, I collect all manners of art, models, and books. I enjoy going to conventions, visiting with old friends, and making new ones! Now, as the host of the MAX EFX Podcast, Collect-Opolis and Talking Apes, I have the chance to explore fandom in an entirely new way! I am so happy to be doing this and am super grateful to Richard and Sarah Woloski for welcoming me into the amazing world of podcasting.

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