DragonCon 2017

Back in September, I had the honor of Privilege of attending DragonCon for the first time in my life. I was sent on behalf of The Regular Guys show which you can hear on 106.3FM/1230AM The Fan 2 from 2pm-5pm Monday-Friday. Now for those of you who may not know I am The Director Of Fighting, Conflict and Drama for the show which means I cover Wrestling, Boxing and MMA as well as do Man On The Street segments for the show.

Now because The Regular Guys didn't come back to the air until the end of July 2017 and because Larry and the gang didn't decide to send me to DragonCon until Mid August and I didn't get approval until about a week before DragonCon started I didn't have the pleasure of interviewing some of the big names that were there this year.

Although I did get the chance to meet WWE Hall Of Famer Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, David Yost and Jason David Frank from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and legendary gamer Billy Mitchell. However, I was not able to interview them because one of the rules for me at DragonCon stated that I wasn't allowed to interview celebrities at the autograph tables.

But then while I was at DragonCon talking to girls and trying to get numbers like TRG wanted me to, I met a woman named Meg who was dressed as Sailor Venus and she told me about The Armory that was downstairs in the Hyatt.

So I went down there and took a look at all the weapons from the guns to the explosives to the swords in the other room and during the tour I met a woman named Teresa Patterson who noticed my badge and asked me if I would be interested in talking to Kevin about The Armory. I explained to her the rules that DragonCon laid out for me and I said I can't impose.

But Teresa said that it was no imposition at all and they would love to have the publicity for their exhibit. So Teresa took me to the back corner of The Armory where Kevin was sitting and she introduced us and after some nervous awkward small talk, I summed up the courage to turn on my recorder and commence with the interview.

So sit back and enjoy as The Booch goes one on one with Kevin Dockery.

I can honestly say I learned a lot about guns and weaponry and I think its awesome that celebrities as well as historians and game designers actually use that place for research and to bring authenticity to their respective projects.

Because even though video games and movies aren't real and most historians don't plan on actually firing the weapons they research, it makes the historians look smarter and the movies and video games look more entertaining if they all know what they're doing and talking about.

Also there was a lot of interesting topics that we got into off the record but sadly I can't talk about it because he requested that I keep that info confidential and as a ethical journalist, I want to respect his wishes. Especially since he was generous enough to talk to me despite the fact that I didn't make any plans in advance.

Then after the conversation with Kevin, Teresa Patterson came to the back corner of The Armory and she agreed to come sit and chat with me after dealing with multiple issues throughout the exhibit. Now my interview with Kevin mostly revolved around the guns and explosives. This time around Teresa and I talk about the blades and medieval weaponry section as that is her area of expertise.

I can honestly she is a true rennasiance woman. From Directing the Armory to being an author to making giant balloon designs to supervising actual battles between knights.

So after the interview Teresa inviting me to Knight battle competition. It had two knights battling one on one with armor, swords and shields in a UFC like battlefield. Then at one point there was a bunch of Knights damn near killing each other in a free-for-all. It was without a doubt one of the coolest things I have ever seen and was definitely my favorite event of the whole DragonCon experience.

Also in addition to seeing the fights, Teresa also gave me permission to interview some of the knights who competed in the competition. At the time, only one person was available for an interview and it happened to be Sam, the Knight who became the point's champion.

So sit back and enjoy as The Booch goes one on one with Teresa Patterson.

Also I am amazed at how serious they take these fights and how they go out of their way to make sure the fighters are protected and that the rules are enforced. And if I may be so bold to say, these fights make UFC fighters look like giant babies.

I highly recommend going because I can 100% guarantee you will not see ANYTHING at DragonCon more intense or exhilarating than men AND women battling on the same playing field with no political correctness or liberal snowflakes getting in the way. Especially with deadly weapons in hand.

Also if you have never been to The Armory before I highly recommend going because it is an informative and enjoyable experience. And what makes it both those things is Kevin Dockery and his team.

After I left the Knight battle competition I sent a text message to Meg. You see after I got her number I told I had some media stuff that I had to do but wanted to meet up later. She said "ok just text me."

So I sent her a text saying "I'm done with my interviews, where are you?" She told me she was at a Godzilla panel. So I find out where it is and I make my way to the Godzilla panel.

Now just for the record as much as I like Godzilla and as big of a fan as my grandmother God rest her soul was of Godzilla, I really had no interest in going to this panel. But since Meg was there and at the time I thought I had a shot at getting laid I went to see Godzilla and sat through the panel.

And for the most part it was pretty informative and if you love Godzilla I recommend checking it out but at the time I wasn't in the right mindset to enjoy it so I just basically sat there waiting for it to end.

Then once it was finally over Meg and I made our way out of the room and as were trying to decide where to go next, we see room for the screening of the movie. And as we are reading the sign we meet Angelique who encourages us to come see the movie and Meg is a huge fan of Star Trek and I like it to a certain extent so we both agree.

And then Meg tells Angelique that I work for a radio station and she on my behalf without me asking or telling her to, asks Angelique if I can interview her. She says "I'm not sure if we'll time for it, but come back around 8pm and I'll see what I can do."

So Meg and I go up to the bar and we have a few drinks and I'm sitting there with my phone researching this movie trying to come up with some solid questions to ask so I can look professional despite the fact that I'm starting to feel a little buzzed from all the drinks.

Finally at 8pm we go back to the room where they are screening the movie and Angelique tells us that one of the reporters cancelled so they let me take their pplace as Angelique gets her husband and Executive producer Paul Lisak to join her and then the fun begins.

So sit back and enjoy as The Booch goes one on one with Archangel Films.

I saved this one for last not just because it was the last interview that I did but also because it was my favorite interview from DragonCon.

By the time I got to this interview, I had already gotten the hang of doing interviews with very little to no prep work and also the cameo appearance by Bonecrusher the rapper was also an awesome and unexpected treat.

Then after the interview, Meg and I went in and watched the movie and I can say with full sincerity it was one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. Gilbert Gottfried was fantastic as the villain and The Captain Kirk Team America puppet was everything Angelique said it would be.

Now I can't say for sure if this movie will be screened again at DragonCon. But if it is, I highly recommend ya'll go see it. If it doesn't come back, then go to https://www.archangelfilmsllcla.com to find out when it will be available.

In Conclusion, my first visit to DragonCon was an experience I will never forget. I now know why so many people love this event and come from all across the country to experience it. I hope The Regular Guys will let me go next year as they're are so many other guests I would love to interview and other exhibits I would love to check out.