Interview: That Guy with the Glasses

This is an interview conducted with That Guy with the Glasses, formerly of YouTube, though alleged copyright troubles with some of his satirical works have prompted him to move his videos to his own site. The videos are well worth watching, though several are definitely not safe for work.

The Nerd Report secured this interview via e-mail.

The Nerd Report: What got you started doing videos? What was the inspiration for Five Second Movies, the Nostalgia Critic, and so forth?

That Guy with the Glasses: 5 Second Movies came about when my brother and I were making fun of all the goofy lines from Star Trek 2. We were quoting “Kahn!” “Kirk!” “Spock!” and I just said “Hey, that could be the movie in 5seconds. So I decided to make it and put it on YouTube. Then Star Wars in 5 seconds jumped in my head, and then Lord of the Rings, and so on. I didn’t think it’d be quite as big a hit as it was.

Nostalgia Critic came out of my love for things I grew up with. I noticed a lot of people around me liked talking about old shows and movies they grew up with and how silly they are today. I thought it’d be funny if I created a character who used to love these movies, but then was somehow betrayed by his aging and change of taste. I thought it’d be funny if someone took it really seriously and wondered how he could like so many ridiculous programs and films.

Chester A. Bum of ‘Bum Reviews’ just came out of me trying to find an excuse to use that voice. I used it first in my Cloverfield Review and I just fell in love with it. I don’t know why, it’s just a really fun voice to do. So I just turned it into a weekly character who seems to like any film that’s shown in a warm building.

TNR: When you started, did you believe that your videos would turn out to be as popular as they are?
That Guy: I had a feeling Nostalgia Critic would catch on, but I had no idea about 5 Second Movies.

TNR: Did you anticipate the movie companies' and YouTube's response to your Five Second Movies?
That Guy: Yes and no. I knew there was a lot of controversy with copyright and YouTube videos, but after I read up on copyright law, I thought I was safe. Obviously not though.

TNR: Did you intend to get your own website before the troubles with YouTube, or was it purely a reaction to their deletion of your material?
That Guy: I did it originally just to give them a place where they wouldn’t get deleted, but since then, it’s slowly turning into it’s own strange business, which I very much enjoy doing.

TNR: How is running your own website for your videos, as opposed to using YouTube's service, working out for you?
That Guy: Good, though I don’t really put the videos on, somebody else does that for me. I love having the site, but if you were to ask me ‘How does it work?’ I would have no idea how to answer.

TNR: Out of your videos, do you have any favorites that really stand out to you?
That Guy: My Favorite 5 Second Movie used to be Scarface, but now I think that’s been replaced with Million Dollar Baby. As for Nostalgia Critic, my favorite is probably The Wizard, that Lucas kid just kills me.

TNR: Given your chosen hobby, one can only assume you like movies; do you have any particular favorites?

That Guy: My all time favorite is a film called Brazil. I guess others would include To Kill a Mocking Bird, Amadeus, Batman, Eyes Wide Shut, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Good Night and Good Luck, Sweeney Todd, and a ton of others.