Comedy Zone: Erich, thanks for joining us. Do mind me calling you Erich?

Erich Voice: I think that would probably be best because my real name is too difficult to pronounce without a kazoo.

CZ: Let's start off with how wwwVoice started and why?

EV: I was making some computer presentations for a small company and everybody kept talking about the web. I figured I should have a webpage too (the exact reasoning escapes me at the moment), so I was looking to try and make something different from other websites I saw, "Cool Site of the Day", "Mirsky's Worst of the Web" and "The Useless Pages." I figured, "Hey, why not showcase some really old stale pages" (good thinking huh?) So I made Dead on the web. I was having such a good time I made another page, the Web I.Q.Test and then over the course of the next year or so I just kept making more and more pages and to my surprise, people started to visit the site and send in feedback and stuff. I feel sort of like "Forest Gump" with his running thing.

CZ: The biting question ... just who the heck is "Sparky?"

EV: I put a button on the page where visitors submit questions that said, "OK, Here You Go Sparky." Next thing you know visitors are calling me Sparky. I already had the floating "Sparky Head." So BANG... I'm Sparky. (... I just wanted to see how many times I could say "Sparky")

CZ: ... and Sparky's sidekick "Spanky?"

EV: That's my wife. The name? Welllll...

CZ: I detected a love-hate relationship between the two. What's your view?

EV: Hey, she made a torture Sparky page. What can I say?! ... I tried to sell her. It's just the way we show affection.

CZ: I understand "Spanky" has even started her own website on Geocities. What do you and "Sparky" think of the competition?

EV: I think maybe she's venting a little anger with the whole "Torture Sparky" thing. I could be wrong though. Her website has lots of energy and plenty of wacky things to do. I suggested she could add a Java© enhanced "Watch some grass grow" page, but she nixed the whole idea.

CZ: Much of wwwVoice appears to revolve around reader input from the poll and question sections. You must spend a great deal of time updating the site?

EV: Actually, the Schwans© guy has been doing all the work. I've been napping. The UPS© guy used to do it but we haven't seen him in a while.

CZ: Oh, come on! You've adopted quite a following, both nationally and internationally. What do you contribute to its success?

EV: Okay, in answer to the question just before this one, Jan (aka Spanky) and I spend about 5 hours every Sunday going through the mail and either answering each question, or rejecting it. Well, not actually rejecting it, I mean it is rejected, but we give a darn good reason why. Okay, maybe not a good reason but a reason nonetheless. Success? Energy. If you put a lot of energy into your website (and promote the piss out of it, read: beg and grovel) people will come back and see what you've been up to. The web is full of great pages that nobody touches anymore, so we fondle our site as much as possible.

CZ: With all the self-described "smart-alecky" content do you receive any "hate" mail?

EV: Well, I recently tried to sell Spanky at the site, and somebody called me a "cheaphead." Other than that, I've only gotten about a dozen flames from frame lovers and Bud Uglly gets one letter a month saying "Your site sucks." I don't get nearly as much feedback to "wwwVOice" as I do to "Bud Uglly Design" and the "International I Hate Frames Club." (The "International" was added later because I was getting a lot of European visitors.)

CZ: Out of curiosity ... what was the going price for Spanky?

EV: I put her up on the auction block and so far the the best offers are "Eleventy-Bagillion dollars, and a brand new roll of duct tape", "4 of my best sheep, 3 of my best cows, 2 hens, my best gal, along with 8000,000,000,000 dollars" and somebody else offered to cough up a kidney.

CZ: You're the founder of the "I Hate Frames Club." The club's logo appears on pages all over the web in English and other languages. What's the story behind the club and ... well ...why do you hate frames so much?

EV: I started hating them when they released Netscape 2.0. Without fail, every stinking time I visited a framed site my browser would crash and lose every bookmark from that "surfing" session. It was beyond frustrating. I don't understand why any site would even consider using them. From "day one" our site has said "wwwVOice is an official member of the I Hate Frames club." At first it was just meant as a joke but since I couldn't find a frame haters club, I went ahead and made one.

CZ: That was a fun feature of Netscape 2.0, but don't you use frames on some of your pages?

EV: Yeah, I think "Quick&Easy-Frame-Exit-Feature" was even listed on the side of the box. I should have read it more carefully. As far as using them at my site, there's a Page at Bud Uglly Design with some. I split the page right in half as a parody. Visitors kept saying "Add frames, add frames, they're ugly." I guess I felt it was my civic duty. However, the "official" I Hate Frames Club gif is jammed into one of the frames. And thanks for mentioning that Bill.

CZ: From reading your bio, I understand you are a part time brain surgeon ... what else do you do when your not working on the site?

EV: I like to bounce some Silly Putty© around.

CZ: That's always fun, but don't you also apply your talents to canvas?

EV: Before the web sucked me in like a Florida gift shop, I was doing some painting and showing in a few Chicago galleries. I thought I could maybe make some money here. Bwha ha ha ha ha! Although, Spanky did win four bucks at the "Bingo Zone."

CZ: Bud Uglly Design ... It's almost a separate site in itself and dishes out your site awards. Has anybody taken offense to having their site deemed a 'Bud Uglly Site of the Day?"

EV: Just about everybody. Spanky said I should change it to the "Budiful Award" but I like "Bud Uglly" better. Of course part of the problem might be Bud's congratulatory letter:

I think it might be a little over the top. Originally I wasn't going to do a "site of the day" but the guy at I Opener Links made me do it.

CZ: Bud Uglly is obviously meant as a parody, but do you get any serious requests for services?

EV: Only from crazy people.

CZ: Fair enough! ... When you hit the web, what sites do you frequent?

EV: Mine, why are there some other ones out there? Okay, Okay, I end up at different places all the time. The web is huge and I see something new every day. Of course the best site around is right here, at the Comedy Zone. (smooch, smooch) However, I really should mention some other sites while I'm here. I don't think I could live without the Netsurfer's Digest and nobody should miss Jeffrey Zeldman's site. Mr. Media is also pretty snarly. And of course who could forget the cea?

CZ: No need to butter me up, Erich ... we're doing the interview! The last site you "whispered" ... CEA ... One of my sources asked that I mention whips. Any comment?

EV: Better watch out Bill. I think she has one with your name on it too.

CZ: Where do you see wwwVoice going in the months to come?

EV: I'm not sure. Wacky I think, more wacky. Making fake client pages for Bud Uglly is a lot of fun as well as answering and rejecting the questions. We have some Shockwave© stuff in the works, but it probably won't be on-line until I learn how to use the stupid stuff. Spanky of course thinks we should have more Spanky stuff. She wants to call the site "Spanky Central" so naturally I haven't given her the password to the website.

CZ: I really got a kick out of your parody of "Gufus and Galiant" along with the "90% True" phone calls. Any plans to expand on those themes?

EV: Jeepers, are those at my site? The "commentary" section was sort of an experiment to see how to make text appear more exciting and readable. Thanks for checking them out, the counter says two now!

CZ: Now the big and final question ... with all the fame and fortune that wwwVoice has brought, how has it changed your life?

EV: I want to shoot myself almost every day. Wait, did you just say fortune? ... Thanks Bill, I think I should go home now.

CZ: And a thanks to you Erich, for taking the the time to be with us.

We've been with Erich Voice, of the wwwVoice Humor Zine Thing. Hope you enjoyed meeting the person, Behind the Page. We sure did!!

You can reach Erich by email at wwwvoice@concentric.net