SplatterTribe.TV Life:Interview Robert Villanueva

"The Mainstream Media Really Isn't A True Representation Of The Majority. The Majority Is Who They Leave Out, Forget About & Overlook."

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Robert Villanueva

'The Villan'

kybard660.tripod.com

(Roberts Website)

thebardscorner.tripod.com

(Local Writers)

The News Enterprise.com

The Splattered!@%#! Q & A

WEEK 7 - 02/08/2010

Robert 'The Villan' Villanueva

This weeks Splattered!@%#! Q & A is with a visionary. A leader in the promotion of creativity. A groundbreaker in the breaking of Music, Entertainment, Art & Life ground. A man that is fearless. A man with a last name, that is often mispronounced!?!

This is a man that had the guts to go to the editor of the newspaper he works at and present the SplatterTribe as a 'features' idea. Knowing that The SplatterTribe is a little bit more edgy than what the newspaper normally covers, he understood that the more people you can get Splattered, the better!

Who is this man? This man is Robert Villanueva and Robert is the man responsible for the fine piece of literature known as 'A tribe called Splatter' (which can be viewed HERE!)

What is 'A tribe called Splatter' you ask? Well, hopefully you already know, but if not, it is only the best article written in probably the last 20 years of existence! It's riveting! It's groundbreaking and it's more action packed than a Bruce Willis movie! You must check it out if you haven't already. It will change your entire outlook on the world as it is!

OK, OK, Truth is, any dude that will present the Tribe to his editor and then write a feature piece on the Tribe has to be a little wacky and definitely deserves to be immortalized in the Ranks of The Splattered! Along with being a writer for The New Enterprise in Elizabethtown, KY, Robert is also a member of P.A.S.T. of KY (Paranormal Activities Search Team of KY), has his own writing group and is a pretty cool guy, even if he is.....The Villan!

So check him out & show his some respect because on February 15, 2010 & Week 7 of our Splattered!@%#! Q&A, Robert is now & forever Splattered! Who's Next?

Interview By

All Photo's where supplied by Robert, for photo credit information, please ask him!

Writer & Auther.... Robert Villanueva. The man brave enough to write about The SplatterTribe & the man we call...(for mispronunciation purposes only)... The Villan!

WEEK 7-The Splattered!@%#! Q & A with 'The Villan'

SplatterTribe: Introduce & compare yourself to something in the snack aisle
at a grocery store and explain why the comparison.

Robert: I'm Robert Villanueva. If I had to compare myself to something in the snack aisle, it probably would be Crunchy Cheetos. It's "cheese that goes crunch," so there's that contradictory nature thing going on. Plus, it leaves that awkward, yet tasty, orange residue on your fingers.

SplatterTribe: For anyone who has no idea who you are please give them some insight.

Robert: I'm a features writer for The

News-Enterprise as well as a published fiction writer and poet, facilitator/founder of The Bard's Corner Writer's Group and editorial assistant for The Heartland Review.

SplatterTribe: So did you always want to be a writer and how did you end up writing for 'The News Enterprise'?

Robert: Yes, for as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a writer, specifically a novelist. In fact, I started writing my first novel in the eighth or ninth grade. It was about that time I decided the career field that was closest to what I wanted to do was journalism, so I knew that's what I would major in when I went to college.

After graduating from Western Kentucky University, I worked at the Meade County Messenger and then answered an ad for a reporter/photographer for The Greensburg Record-Herald. Within weeks of being hired there I became general news editor.

Prior to that I had applied to The News-Enterprise, but I was told by editor Ben Sheroan that I needed more experience.

While at the Record-Herald, Ben called and congratulated me and told me I was getting the experience I needed and that he was keeping tabs on me. About six months later I received a job offer from The Kentucky Standard in Bardstown (which is owned by the same company that owns The News-Enterprise). Shortly after I started working there, Ben called to congratulate me and tell me he was still keeping tabs on me.

About two years later, Ben called me at The Kentucky Standard. I said “Okay, where am I going now?” I figured he knew everything about my career before I did. He offered me a job at The News-Enterprise. I accepted and worked as a staff writer from 1989 to 1993, but I got to where I wanted to focus on feature writing.

At that time they didn’t have a features department, so I left to pursue other opportunities and worked at home on my fiction, which resulted in several publications. In 2008, I saw an ad for a features writer at The News-Enterprise and applied.

On April 12, 2010, it will be two years since I returned. Wow, that was a long explanation. Sorry about that!

(Tribe Note: Just curious, because I don't think I know to many Ben's, did you ever pick up the phone and go, "How ya been, Ben?" I'm just curious...)

SplatterTribe: I know you write stories and short stories as well, how many stories have you written and how much time do you get to write outside of the Newspaper?

Robert: I truly don't know how many short stories I've written over my lifetime, and that's mainly because some of them I'd rather forget and many of them I have. I've written short stories since high school or earlier. If I had to estimate, I'd say it's probably in the range of 50-75 that I still have tucked away here and there. I try to make it a point to do some kind of writing work on my short stories each week, but that amounts to what time I can squeeze in at night and on weekends. It varies but generally ends up being about 3-5 hours a week.

SplatterTribe: Define the following words.....

Robert:

-Music- The heartbeat of life.

-Entertainment- The joy of life.
-Art- The representation of life.
-Life- Opportunity.

SplatterTribe: Make one combined sentence using the following words or phrases.

-News
-Splattered
-Fish Tank
-Tiki
-Snow
-Glasses

Robert: Viewed from a fish tank, a tiki torch in the snow can look like the sun and stars while devastating news splattered on a television fades to a blur that becomes indiscernible to even those wearing the strongest glasses.

(Tribe Note: I think that was the most touching sentence anyone has ever wrote! It brought....what's the word I'm looking for????.... MEANING...... That's it.....It brought 'meaning' to this question....It really did...Took it to another level......It really did...)

The Villan & his accomplice Rebecca

SplatterTribe: We both are members/associates of P.A.S.T. of KY (which you can learn more about HERE!), what led you to being so interested in the Paranormal?

Robert: Growing up, I used to watch all the old horror movies and T.V. shows. My interest in the macabre grew from that, and I found myself drawn to the subject of the unknown and the unexplained. I remember reading books on the paranormal and

ghost stories as early as middle school. My fascination only grew over the years.

SplatterTribe: Why do you think the idea of the Paranormal is so controversial to a lot of people?

Robert: The idea of the paranormal, I believe, is controversial to some people because it conflicts with established ideas and belief systems. It suggests a number of alternate possibilities in our realm of existence, much more than some people would like to deal with or accept.

SplatterTribe: So I know you believe in Ghosts, but do you also believe........

Robert:
-in UFO's?- Technically, yes. All a UFO is is an unidentified flying object, so if I don't know what I'm seeing flying across the sky, it's technically an unidentified flying object. That doesn't necessarily mean it's unidentifiable. But I sense you're more interested in whether or not I believe in aliens, so in answer to that, I say yes, alien life forms probably exist. Not like forms that have been depicted in movies and TV., though.

-in Sasquatch?- Uncertain.
-that the world is going to end in 2012?- No. Then again, for some people it will, like it does every second of every day. Bummer.
-in conspiracy theories?- Not generally.

SplatterTribe: What come to mind when you hear the word SplatterTribe?

Robert: Raw, primal expression, maybe involving blood. (It's the "splatter" part that's responsible for the blood thingie.)

(Tribe Note: Raw, Primal Expression! Now that's an answer!)

SplatterTribe: Are you expecting to win any awards for your piece on SplatterTribe in The News Enterprise?

Robert: I'm thinking Pulitzer. Perhaps a Nobel Peace Prize for encouraging understanding and brotherhood amongst the inked and uninked through heartfelt prose. Maybe not. Seriously, as great and enjoyable as it was to talk with you and Angela and as cool as the story was to write, I generally don't ever expect to win an award for any of my writing, which makes it that much more pleasant when it happens. And it has happened more than a dozen times for everything from fiction and poetry to feature writing and photography.

SplatterTribe: Finish the following sentences for me.

Robert:
-If you don't like Robert, you can......... cope in your own way.
-I can not stand........ to hear a child crying from sadness or grief.
-There is nothing cooler than....... being with my sweetie, Rebecca Ricks, and laughing with loved ones.
-What in the........ world makes this particular thing so difficult?
-I have never understood....... bigotry.
-Right now I should be......... fishing.
-That was really funny when........ I imagined myself fishing in February just now.
-I wish I had written......... something much more enlightening or at least more entertaining.

SplatterTribe: In the long run, do you think the print world can survive the digital world?

Robert: Yes, but only if it embraces and incorporates the digital world.

SplatterTribe: I ask everyone I interview if have a good random question to ask a future interviewee. The question can be about anything, serious or in this case, not so serious. This question comes from the Gypsy, Punk, Country, Grumble, Boogie wonder from Shreveport, LA known as 'Dirtfoot' and their question is.......

-What is the sound of one hand clapping?

Robert: The silent sound of determined approval. Either that or “whoosh!”

SplatterTribe: Do you have a good random question I can ask a future interviewee?

Robert: What movie or literary character are you most like and why?

SplatterTribe: This is where I usually ask if you have a question you would like to ask me. It seems kind of odd to ask now since you recently interviewed me, but um..........Do you have a question you would like to ask me?

Robert: Yeah, that does seem a bit odd ... but it’s not really. As I’m sure has been your experience, it’s easy to feel you’ve only scratched the surface when interviewing someone. My question for you is this: What is your favorite literary work and why?

(Tribe Note: Uhm, well, I'll be honest, some of the best written works ever, in my opinion, are all those autobiographies that famous people write. Why?

Because I've always been a true fan of fiction!)

SplatterTribe: If you could start your own Musicians Hall Of Fame (individuals, not bands...) who would be your first 5 nominees?

Robert: Billy Joel, Madonna, Robin Wilson, Dave Grohl, Billy Corgan (I consider songwriters and vocalists musicians, and as you can tell, I’m pretty eclectic musically.)

(Tribe Note: Shortly after sending the interview back, Robert sent this in.....

"I just realized I left out two of my favorite musicians for that interview question. If it's not too late, my revised answer would look like this:

Billy Joel, Walter Becker, Donald Fagen, Dave Grohl, Billy Corgan.

If it too late to get it in there, no problem. I just had a difficult time thinking of musicians I listened to consistently, and though I listen to them in spurts, I do have the entire Steely Dan collection." )

SplatterTribe: Songwriting Time! I write 2 lines to a verse and you write 2 more. When completed we will have the first verse to brand new song!

Me: I'm looking out a new window
but the view remains the same

Robert: My own opaque reflection

Trapped within a lifeless frame

(Hey...That's, that's pretty good!)

SplatterTribe: Any closing comments concerning anything you want said, known, printed or shown?

Robert: Free the hamsters! No, wait, that’s not what I meant ... check out my Web site: http://kybard660.tripod.com. Yeah, that’s what I meant. And if you’re a writer looking for a place to meet with other writers in the Hardin County, Kentucky area, check out

http://thebardscorner.tripod.com. And you can free the hamsters if you’re feeling the love.

(Tribe Note: Welcome to the Tribe Robert!)

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