2001 UPDATES
 
OCTOBER UPDATE 2001
Well...I'm no politician. I'm not a military expert or a diplomat. I'm just a middle aged guy who writes songs, plays a few instruments and memorizes lines and tries to hit my mark and deliver them honestly, and like everyone else on this troubled planet. I'm very saddened and concerned about the current state of the world.

Sometimes I write comic books about super heroes. But none of those characters, Spider Man, The Flash, Green Lantern, etc. are any greater than the real life super heroes in New York like the firefighters and police who acted so bravely and selflessly. Same goes for our military people and emergency workers everywhere. I salute them all and urge you to support them with donations. Hey, instead of buying something like one of my CD's or an autographed picture or comic book this month, send the Red Cross or the Firefighters the money instead.

Some of you know me from my work in Science Fiction... Well, I feel like we've all entered the Twilight Zone now... and if I had "Anthony Fremont's" unlimited mutant mental powers, I'd wish all the evil into the cornfield...believe me!
If only we had the Minbari Rangers to help fight this hard to define battle we're struggling through... it's worse than the Shadow War. But we will get through it. We must.

And sometimes when it's just too hard to take, I wish I could be lost in space... away from our sorrowful planet for a while.
But that's all just wishful fantasy thinking...letting my imagination run. And...that's something I think we ALL should be doing now... Using our imaginations to create a better world. I once read a statement that has stuck with me for many years... "Thoughts form blueprints for reality". So I suggest we do that. Because what else CAN we do at this point? Hate our neighbors? That won't accomplish anything. And EVERYONE on this planet is a neighbor. Just read through all the wonderful (and sometimes not so wonderful) postings in this website's guestbook. I receive emails from all over the planet! We can't think tribally, we need to think globally. We're all just humans.  And we need to look at the big picture and see the not so easy truth. In my opinion, the truth is a multi-sided, sometimes shifting cube.
 
Now, let me clarify something before I continue here, I was born and raised in the USA, and this country has been wonderful to me and my family. I firmly believe that our founding fathers were brilliant men who created a plan for the best government this planet has ever seen. We are blessed to live and work in a land where we can say what we feel, worship how we choose, pursue any career we want to, and truly embrace multiple cultures. Why, in the last update I shared with you how I was honored to play and sing our national anthem "The Star Spangled Banner" at an Angel's baseball game... Believe me, I appreciate, support and love the United States of America.

But...not everyone appreciates and loves this country. Many people in the Middle East downright hate America. And despite the fact that propaganda has a large influence on how any of us anywhere think, there must be a reason for some of them to hate us so much. Of course the USA doesn't hijack jumbo passenger jets and commit mass murder on innocent civilians. And just writing that last sentence and thinking about the events that happened on September 11, chills me to the marrow...

But... all we hear 24 hours a day here is that this is a simple battle of good versus evil. And I think we need to take a harder and more objective look at some of our governments past foreign policies, and possibly admit that we have made some mistakes. The USA has supported some rulers and governments in the middle east over the past several decades that have been horrific, oppressive, murderous monsters. Osama Bin Laden himself was once trained and equipped with weapons that the US gave him. Even more importantly, hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians have died in Iraq since we initiated sanctions against that government. That is certainly one reason why many in that part of the world feels so negatively about America.

Now, I'm not saying we were wrong to initiate those sanctions, and I'm not saying any of those decisions were easy calls for anyone to make, but I think we need to admit that there's more to the picture than we've been hearing on our news lately. And I hope through communication and humanitarian efforts we can stop this awful cycle of violence and death. Having said that, I also want to add that I support our president, and I agree that now we must stay the path and continue to root out the terrorist groups that plague our planet and bring them to justice.

Like I said, I'm not a politician or a military expert... I just want to see our children live in peace. All of our children. Regardless of what language they speak or what religion they practice.

Okay... moving on... Since the last update I've been working as a voice over artist, doing various projects. I actually had to work on September 11th. I did a Farmer's Insurance commercial that afternoon. It was like being in a weird dream... hard to focus... it seemed so strange to be in a recording studio that day...

The TVography series was a success and I'm happy to say I'll be narrating more of those in the future.

The Jenerators have been gigging and having a blast. As a matter of fact we performed last night, and it felt great to plug my sunburst Les Paul into my Vox amp, crank it up and play. It was a much needed way to release some stress and anxiety.
Well, that's it for now. I felt the need to communicate, and I've spoken my mind. Which is something wonderful we can do here in the good old USA, and we must make sure we never lose that right.

Peace,
Bill
Laurel Canyon,
October 14, 2001
"What the world needs now is love sweet love, no not just for some but for everyone..."
Hal David & Burt Bacharach
 
AUGUST UPDATE 2001
August tumbles in like a welcome flatulent from a giggling juvenile family member... Hello, Mumy here... Writing this August update as the sun is setting in Laurel Canyon... I've spent the day recording an old Redwood song in my studio, but I took a break to go bowling with the family... Eileen, Seth, Liliana, and I plus Seth's friend Jonathan, and my in-laws who are visiting from Michigan. Well, all I can say is: I was a much better bowler in the 70's!

Anyway, Lots of new stuff to chat about... I'm doing a NEW SERIES... that's right. I'm narrating a new series for A&E called "TV-OGRAPHY"... (I don't think that's how they type it though... looks weird to me...) Anyway, the series debuts around Labor Day, so make sure to check it out. It's basically hour long biographies of... TV Shows! So far we've done, Cheers, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Love Boat, and That Girl. Tune in to get the inside scoop on the history of these shows as told by your Mumy... or not...
  A few shorts weeks ago I did something interesting... Along with my good friend and oftimes writing partner, Dewey Bunnell from the pop band "America", I sang (and played guitar... a Martin D-42K for those who really have to know,) "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Angel's baseball game at Anaheim Stadium in front of 27,000 people. It went really well. Dewey and I were prepared for that big "slapback" echo, and we did a rootsy,folky version of the anthem in two part harmony, and it was pretty cool. We also sang "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" for the seventh inning stretch... kinda weird... anyway, It was an interesting day! Eileen, Seth and Liliana were there... we got an autographed baseball and some Angels caps, too. It was swell. 

I recently did an on-camera interview with the BBC for a documentary they're making on sci fi... robots specifically, I believe... it was smashing. Brilliant. Lovely.

My Babylon 5 buddy Claudia Christian came by Mumy Manor to sing 3 Mumy songs in my studio to include on her new solo CD. Claudia's great, and in swell voice. The three Mumy tunes she cut were: "In A Beige MG", "Gone Today, Here Tomorrow" and "All Wrapped Up". I sang harmony parts and played all the instruments on the tracks. Be sure to pick a copy up when it becomes available. There's a link to Claudia's website in my links section here at Mumy Central.

The Jenerators have been gigging. The sets have been sold out, and the audiences have been great. We've added some new tunes and we're having fun playing loud. Dave Jolliffe is back in the band after a few years in the Twilight Zone, and it's sounding fuller and better than ever. If you're out on the west coast, check it out. We've been playing at Rusty's Surf Ranch, a cool club, on the Santa Monica Pier... A beautiful place to be on a warm summer night... 

Guy Williams, received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, on August 2nd, and I was there along with several Lost in Space alumni. It was Guy's dynamic performance on TV as "Zorro" that inspired me to go into acting when I was a very little boy, and the years we spent working together on Lost in Space will always be special memories to me. I was proud and happy to be there for the ceremony. 
 
Other than that... still shopping my pilot and novel projects around Bigtime Showbizland... and trying to roll with the flow...
Hope all's swell with you. Take care of each other. 
Peace, 
Bill Mumy

"And he was told but these few words, Which opened up his heart, 
"If ye cannot bring good news, then don't bring any." 
Bob Dylan

 
JUNE UPDATE 2001 
 
Here's an early summer report from Mumy Manor. 

Lately I've been waking up at 5:30 am to talk on the phone with various radio stations all over the country to promote my new CD, "After Dreams Come True". I've done so many radio interviews in the past few weeks, I've lost count. Hopefully it's bringing more awareness to Mumy music, and will help create a little buzz for the new CD. 

I've also been working quite a lot in the voice over arena lately. I just completed narrating a two hour special for The Learning Channel called, "Inside the Playboy Mansion". Hmmmm. Interesting. And I've also been doing a whole bunch of new Farmer's Insurance commercials for both radio and television. I also just recorded two radio spots for Vanguard Airlines. 

My longtime good friend and old "Redwood" bandmate Paul Gordon has a musical adaptation of Jane Eyre, "Jane", running on Broadway right now, and it's nominated for 5 Tony awards, including Best Musical. Go see it! Paul wrote all the music and most all the lyrics and has spearheaded this massive production for almost a decade. That's an amazing accomplishment. Anyway, he and I collaborated together a few weeks ago and we wrote two theme songs for two new 20th Century Fox TV series that are scheduled to start airing in Europe soon. The shows are titled, "Hollywood Backstory" and "Studio Portraits". So... if you're in Europe watching TV and you hear those theme songs... you'll know they were written and recorded by the Mumy-Gordon team!

I spent Memorial Day Weekend in the lovely town of Atlanta, Georgia. I flew there to join my buddy and writing partner Peter David as he married his lady love, Kathleen O'Shea. It was a great ceremony and a really nice reception after. The Weather was perfect. I was there with friends George Takei and Harlen Ellison among others. Then I managed to spend Sunday afternoon as a guest at Vulkon where I met lots of nice folks and had an enjoyable time onstage answering questions and just babbling on...
Most of all I've been passionately watching the basketball games! Man, the Lakers are amazing! Awesome. Unbeatable. 
It's almost summer time and my kids are wrapping up the school year. My son Seth is graduating elementary school and heading on to middle school in September. Daughter Liliana is moving up to the second grade. TIme sure flies. 

All is well in Mumyland. Our two new pups Hurley and Bucky are madly in love with each other and spend all day romping around our yard and hill. I love to watch them play together. I've also been enjoying some quality springtime planting in the gardens. My father used to love to work in the garden, and I never understood it until recently. (I suppose that's a "getting older" thing!) 
I'm still pitching my pilot, feature and novel projects and I'm holding only positive thoughts regarding them becoming reality one of these days. (Hopefully sooner than later) 

I had a nice time with the entire cast of Lost in Space in Cleveland in April, and hope we all get a chance to get together again soon. As time goes by, I appreciate those rare events more and more. I was glad I found time to visit "Lennon - His Life and Work" at the Cleveland Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Angela and Veronica.  

Looks like I'll be making some new music with Babylon 5 alumni, Claudia Christian very soon. More on that later. 
Well, that's about it for right now. I wish you all a healthy and happy summertime, and I'll report back with a new update as soon as I've got info to share.

Peace, 
Bill 

"Darlin' companion, come on and give me understanding, and let me be your champion, the hand to hold your pretty hand in. Darlin' companion, I tell the mountains and the canyon, long as I got legs to stand on, I'm gonna run to you." 
John Sebastion
 
March UPDATE 2001  
"Lost in Space" 84 episodes 1964-1968, "Space Cases" 26 episodes 1994-5,"Inside Space" 13 episodes 1992-93, "Babylon 5", 110 episodes 1993-98, "Apollo 13: The Untold Story" 1995, "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" 1999, "Overload" 2000, "Buzz Lightyear: Star Command" 3 episodes 2001, plus the "Outpost Omega" pilot script and the "Comet Man", "Lost in Space" and "Star Trek" comic books I've written...add 'em all up and I've spent a LOT of time working as an actor and a writer in the entertainment reality of outer space. However, the 12 hours or so that I spent at the Kennedy Space Center this month was time spent in reality prime, and it was amazing!

I've always thought it insane that astronauts, paramedics, police officers, firemen, school teachers, etc. get paid much less than entertainers. Successful working actors, screenwriters and singers receive huge salaries in comparison and they don't put their lives on the line to get it. (The flip side being they put their souls on the line and also entertainers work very sporadically, and they do provide a sorely needed window of fantasy escape for others) Hey, I've made peace with the issue.

    Anyway, after years and years of struggling with being on the lucky side of that odd reality, I have also come to accept the fact that there are some "doors" that "celebrity" can open that are not usually open to the population in general. Case in point: NASA. Turns out that quite a few of the talented, hard working, passionate, brave people who work in the space program watched Lost in Space when they were kids, or have enjoyed Babylon 5 in the recent past. Some of them were actually inspired to go into that field of work because they watched Lost in Space so much when they were growing up.  
 
So, when Angela Cartwright and her son Jesse, Marta Kristen, and my son Seth and I were being given a very special tour of their Florida facilities this month, many of them were genuinely excited to meet us, and they generously spent extra "sharing" time with us showing us the amazing details that go into creating and maintaining our incredible space program! We were treated like royalty. It was so cool.

I could babble on (no pun intended) for pages here recalling the highlights of the two days I spent at the Kennedy Space Center, from sitting in the cockpit of a shuttle trainer on a runway just a few hundred yards from the space shuffle Atlantis, to the awesome wonder of sitting in the front bleachers at Banana Beach surrounded by astronauts, their families and government officials, watching the sun rise as the space shuttle 'Discovery' launched perfectly on schedule with a deep rumble more powerful than any synthesizer I've ever heard and a display of pyrotechnic beauty that outdazzled any special effects I've seen in a film. Man, that was something!

Like I said, I could babble on and on about it, but luckily for you the wonderful, and always ready with her camera, Angela Cartwright recorded the events on film. So, enough words. To take a look at more of her most excellent photographs click here, and you'll experience the wonder we did. It's the next best thing to being there.

 I would like to add a few special thanks one more time to Charlie Justiz who flew a T-38 in from Houston just to hang with us, (and kudos to his better half, ex-rock DJ Dayna Steele, for making it all happen in the first place!), to Louis Garcia for hosting the 8 hour "Super Schmooze" tour that went way beyond anyone's expectations, and last but certainly not least to the fabulous Kathleen "Kandy" Warren for driving out to rescue us, pre-dawn launch morning when we were stranded... You guys are the best! Godspeed and Keep 'em flying!

Peace, Bill
Laurel Canyon, California
March 21, 2001

 

 

JANUARY UPDATE 2001
"Ain't the years gone by fast? I suppose you have missed them..."   f
"Sandman" by Dewey Bunnell of America. 
 
Just a quick one to ring in the new Millennium. To celebrate the event, I was onstage at the Universal Amphitheater here in Southern California with my old friends, "America". I sang "Auld Lang Syne" with them, and then picked up a guitar and sang and played a solo on "Horse With No Name". It was just like old times. My wife Eileen took a few pictures of the event and I've posted them here for your entertainment pleasure. 
 
Besides that, as I mentioned last update I've been writing and recording a lot of new songs lately... Well, turns out I produced a whole CD's worth. I played it for the good folks at Oglio Records, (they've released the last three Barnes & Barnes CD's) and they liked it so much they've decided to put it out. SO... coming hot on the heels of last year's "Pandora's Box", look for the fourth Mumy solo CD, "After Dreams Come True" in May. Of course you'll be able to find it here through the Mumy Mall if it's not ordered by your neighborhood CD store. The album is definitely a departure from the last one. It's a largely acoustic album, although it includes a few rockers, and it's definitely not whimpy. But it's got a folky stripped down feel that I'm happy with. I recently acquired a 1948 Gibson Southern Jumbo acoustic guitar that I fell in love with, and it demanded that I write and record! So, that guitar is largely responsible for much of this new album. As usual, I'm happy to report that Angela Cartwright will be supplying the photographs and designing the package. We've already had a few "sessions" and she's busy with her ideas.
 
Maybe some of you caught the "Fish Heads" video when it aired on "The Tonight Show" a few weeks ago? Jay Leno played it to surprise Bill Paxton, who starred in and directed the film over 20 years ago! That was cool.
 
Also, the Mumy family recently added a new member to our ranks, "Hurley" is a tan little 4 month old spaniel mix puppy that we rescued from the pound. She's great. Chewing up all our shoes though... gotta work on that... 
 
And... I'm headed to Orlando to be a guest at Megacon March 2-4. Rumor has it, the entire cast of 'Lost in Space' will be there, plus writer Peter David and some fine folks from Babylon 5 like Richard Biggs and Jason Carter. It should be fun. Then it's back here for a Jenerators gig and who knows what else? 

The rest of my showbiz projects, (movies, pilots, the novel, etc) are all moving forward and I'm confidant that this will be a very productive, prolific, and profitable year. So, let's all do the best we can with the cards we've been dealt and try to make the world a better place as we go along. 
 
Peace, 
Bill
Laurel Canyon,
January 18, 2001

"You who are on the road, must have a code that you can live by, and so become yourself because the past is just a goodbye" Graham Nash "Teach Your Children"