Hello from beautiful, sunny, and exhaustingly cold Connecticut, USA. I've been up all night finishing up the final touches of RAB20 to comfortably make my self-imposed Monday mornin' deadline. I hope everyone enjoys this episode as much as the others & gets a kick out of all the various loose ends I attempt to tie up in this sweeping epic.

I thought I'd use this new flick as an excuse to post a general reply to a lot of the FAQs I get in my Newgrounds inbox on a semi-daily basis. Of course the biggest questions are about where RAB9 and RAB16 are, and it's a question one can only answer so many times over the years before feeling like a broken record. By now I'm sure you all know these two episodes are what makes the DVD something purchase-worthy; sticking everything online free of charge is just bad business. I have also put the first nine episodes, including the elusive RAB9, for sale as downloadable iPod-friendly MP4 files in my rough + ramshackle little Kagi shop too, for only a buck each. So now RAB9 is "practically" free, at least.

The next big question is "when is the next RAB coming out." I never know when installments will get made, and half the time I can't even tell you if they'll get made AT ALL. What I can tell you is that there is now another decent half hour of RAB material that's been made since the latest DVD (i.e. RAB17 - RAB20), and while that's not bad, it's also not enough to call a "second collection" for a 2nd DVD release. So basically, if I ever want to put out another DVD, I'm going to have to make more films.

When RAB first started, I was out of work, and had time & brain cells to BURN. I could just take three weeks & make an 11-minute episode like RAB5 without losing a minute of sleep. Now I've got to take off a week of precious vacation time (better spent on a white sandy beach, thanks) from my day job (making Flash) to work MORE (also in Flash?!), plus blow at least 4-5 weekends and DOZENS of hours of sleep to crank out one of these monstrous 200-hour productions! I'm not complaining at all because the resultant product is always its own reward (and not to mention an occasional sponsorship by Newgrounds which certainly helps), as well as all the good feedback from you guys. I'm just saying it's like pulling teeth sometimes, and certainly not something I can do more than 2-3 times per year (perhaps not even that often).

Here's another one: "How come your newer ones aren't as good as your old ones?" Or better yet, "it doesn't seem like you're putting in the effort." Heh... well, how it might seem is beyond my control of course, but believe me, each production seems to take longer than the last. I also work much harder on the scripts to keep things fresh. All I can say is that I am doing my very best, and every time I lose a fan, I seem to gain two new ones. I can live with that with no regrets!

Get a load of this one. "Are you really rich?" No, lads, no. In 1998 I would have been, yes. But today is the age of reason, gas money, and hard-ass work. RAB has been on TV twice; once for an overnight show on the BBC (for which I got completely stiffed of the $1200 they were going to pay), and G4TV for the "Happy Tree Friends and Friends" show, which amounted to about a hundredth what a normal TV show gets. The Weird Al video I did for my usual paycheck & a shiny gold record. Cool, but not "I'm gonna retire tomorrow" wealth. I also merely self-distribute my DVDs for a show with the word "retarded" right in the title. I can't even get posters distributed because of that damn word. But ah, it's that magical title that got me this far. So the only green RAB has brought me (and shall ever bring me) is the color of my skin when I get sick to my stomach thinking about this shit. So there you go... still wanna shoot for being a big-time internet animator? Or maybe hit those books instead? Choose wisely!

Here's a really super one: "When are you going to stop making those fuckin' YouTube videos and Daily Comics and just make the next RAB already?" This can roughly be translated as "WHERE'S MY FIDDLER'S THREE!" or perhaps "YOU THERE! SHINE MY FEET IMMEDIATELY!" :o) There are a lot of creative people that look forward to a time in their lives when they're receiving fan mail for the art they love to do. But something to remember is that most of the mail comes from demanding little shits that have decided they are going to tell you what's best (at least for THEM) to do with your time. Believe it or not, all your favorite actors, musicians, artists, and everyone else with a creative job... these people have hobbies too. So the next time one of you tells me I should be spending every waking moment on RAB, I'll counter-suggest that they spend every waking moment doing their homework, flipping their burgers, crunching numbers, sucking cock, or whatever other professional responsibilities they have, every single second they're awake. Shitty proposition, eh? I think so. Anyway, variety is the spice of life. If you really want more RAB films, it can't happen if I'm burnt out and/or suicidal. Thus, the side projects.

Speaking of variety, very very occasionally I'll get directed by fans of my other art shits to QUIT RAB and try something different. Let me tell you, there are many days when nothing would please me more. I love my little RAB characters & will always have new & different ideas for them, but it would be nice to dust off some of my other characters (Sci-Fi Guys especially) and take them out for a stroll again. But I must admit that I have serious doubts that I will ever primarily be anything but "the RAB guy." I mean... fuck. I could go out and cure cancer tomorrow, but my grave in 50 years will still just say "here liez the RAB guy LOL". You know it & I know it. So I dunno.

"What is Weird Al like in person." I've only met him twice backstage at concerts. I was work for hire and am not his bestest friend. He is tremendously generous with his time though & usually replies to emails that I send him. He also never sweats. He was wearing a VELOUR SHIRT after a concert last year... a show which lasted two hours under hot, roasting lights. And yet Al smelled like a fresh spring day. He's magical like Jesus. He's also very funny every second of the day. Some people are just like that. Meanwhile I can be a really cranky asshole which is probably why I can't keep a woman in my life.

Heh... sorry, too much info there? I guess that cleanly answers "hey man do you get lots of chicks when you're King of the Portal?" Not likely, unless you're a slammin' 30-ish single Connecticut chick with a hot rack reading this right now & getting ready to contact me for a free beej in the back of your car.

Yours truly,

Dave