*Band plays the opening theme and TameWolf enters the stage, under audience applause*

Hello, fluffy viewers around the world. How are you? We’re back with “The Tame Talk Show”, here at Felin Brazilian furry forum. It’s your Tuesday night talk-show here at stage “A”. And tonight, with the presence of a nice and famous international guest.

He’s a wolf very known by his taste for the “macro” subjects in furry fandom, and he received a lot of pictures of himself, made by numerous talented artists. He loves macro art, yiffy or not, and he’s here to explain more this ramification of the furry fandom.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome…

*applause from the audience, as the band plays and Cashew Lou enters the stage*

TW- The name "Cashew" remind us of a fruit easily found here in Brazil, which we call here "Caju". Is this name inspired on this tropical fruit? And how came the inspiration to create the name "Cashew Lou"?

CL: *blinks with surprise* Really?

Actually, I didn't know there was a fruit called a 'caju' until just now. The origin of my character name is actually a way of making fun of a writer named H.P. Lovecraft. My player has always considered his work kind of silly, and one of Lovecraft's characters was an elder god by the name of Cthulu. Some of the roleplaying gamers out there might have heard of a game called "The Call of Cthulu;" that's the same character. As a lampoon of that name, the name 'Cashew Lou' popped into my player's head--and the rest is history.

TW- The cap you use denotes you are from Canada. Am I right? Is the Canadian furry community very large as the American one?

CL: *chuckles a little bit, reaching up to touch the maple leaf on his cap*

Well, there has been some confusion because of this. My *character* is Canadian, but my *player* is American. My player grew up loving Canada and all things Canadian, so he decided to make me a Canadian wolf.

The Canadian furry community is quite large, especially around the Toronto area; some of the very best friends I have in furry are from there. Some of them have even dubbed my player an Honorary Canadian--a title I am very proud of.

As for my player, he was born and raised in a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere called Nevada, Iowa.

TW- About your canadian cap, Cashew, how came the idea of wearing it and having it as a recognized marking of you? And do you have one of these in real life too?

CL: Well, I realized that the furry community has *hundreds* of wolves; they are one of the most popular species in the furry fandom. I realized that if I was to stand out and be unique among all those wolves, I would have to have something that was one-of-a-kind about me, uniquely Cashew Lou. My player's love of Canada therefore made me a proud Canadian wolf, with the Canadian maple leaf insignia on my toque (that is a Canadian term for the stocking cap I wear).

Back in the early 1980s, there was a Canadian comedy show called "Second City TV," or "SCTV" for short. There was a segment of that show called "The Great White North," with cast members Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas playing brothers Bob and Doug McKenzie, respectively. These characters were created to be *totally* stereotypically Canadian; the producers had been pushing for more purely Canadian content. The McKenzie brothers became quite popular both in Canada and the US, and I was hooked for life. They made a film in 1983 called "Strange Brew," oddly enough based on William Shakespeare's "Hamlet," and it is a wonderfully silly film. By the way, if you see the current Disney film "Brother Bear," Moranis and Thomas play their McKenzie brother characters as two moose named Rutt and Tuke.

Anyway, I am loosely based on Doug McKenzie, Dave Thomas' character. If you want to imagine my speaking voice, it is his. o(:o)

Unfortunately, I don't have one of those toques in real life--but it isn't for the lack of looking for one. And I am *still* looking.

TW- When came your inspiration for you to become a furry? Did somefur dragged you into the community?

CL: Heh. Dragged. You make it sound like I was pulled in kicking and screaming! *laughs*

Well, I wasn't *dragged* into the community; really, I have been a furry all my life--I just didn't know about the fandom until 1997. I didn't get my first computer until November of 1997, and I surfed a lot of animation sites then (I have always loved the art of animation). Eventually, I was steered toward the artwork of Al Jones (aka Jedd Marten) and Bob Drake (who used to go by the nickname of Huskee). I loved their artwork, and I corresponded with them via email for quite a long time. Bob suggested I create a character on FurryMUCK, so we could all talk real time, as opposed to emailing one another. Thus Lou was born.

TW- I was looking at your very well-built site ( www.macrophile.com/~cashew/art.html ) and saw you like a lot to write Stories. What kind of story do you like most to write? And what's your most famous or favorite one?

CL: Actually, the URL is http://www.macrophile.com/~cashew/--that way, folks get access to the whole site. o(:o) I do enjoy writing stories, although I had been in a writer's block for around three years. It wasn't until lately, when I took on some writing assignments and deadlines, that I got myself back into the flow of writing regularly again.

I don't know if any of my stories are necessarily famous, really; it is hard to tell, because I hear so little feedback on the stories I have posted to my page. Basically, I write to please myself, and if the folks out there like what I am writing, that is a nice bonus! I like to write stories about giant furs, obviously; I like to challenge myself and try to do things I have never tried before. Sometimes, that works really well, sometimes I fall on my face. But hey, at least I am out there *trying* again. That is something I couldn't have said even a year ago.

The two stories I have heard the most feedback on are "Furry on the Outside" and "Gaining a New Perspective." So far, I would have to say "Furry on the Outside" is my favorite and most personal story, though I have some projects I am currently working on that I am pretty happy with. So keep an eye out; there is more to come.

TW- Cashew Lou is known on the furry fandom as a wolf who loves biiig furries. Macrophile at heart. How came your liking for huge furries? :)

CL: *grins* Heh. Why not?

Really, that is hard to answer. Ever since I was a youngster, I have had a great fondness for giants. It isn't something I can really explain; it is just something that was always *there.* When I became a member of the furry fandom, I discovered that I wasn't a freak and that there were others out there like me, with an attraction to giant creatures. That was a *huge* relief to me.

TW- Do you imagine yourself as one of these very huge furries too? Or do you prefer being yourself as a normal sized fur who have a thing for the macro ones? And why? :)

CL: Hmmm....

Well, I do have natural size magic; I was born with it. I can grow to gigantic size—or conversely, shrink to a very tiny size--but I prefer being the little guy. My 'normal' size--the size I am 99% of the time--is 6'5". There is something very attractive to me about a gigantic creature who has almost unlimited strength and power, but has the restraint to be gentle with a smaller creature like myself. Macrophilia has a great range of tastes, from those with paw fetishes (whom we jokingly call "pawsluts") to those who like the power of being giant, in total control, who can take out their real life frustrations by destroying an entire city online. I have good friends in all areas of macrophilia--but I, myself, prefer the gentle giants. Macrophilia is a very personal fetish, and it is rarely the same for any two people.

TW- Is the macro furry community wide at North America, Cashew?

CL: With furs that big, I guess it would be *very* wide--and tall!

Seriously, though, there are quite a few of us. Judging from the membership counts on macrophile forums online, I would make an educated guess that the total count of furry macrophiles range from 500 or so to 1,000. The majority of them are in North America, sure, but there are macrophiles all over the world. In North America, the highest concentrations of macrophile furs seem to be in the Philadelphia/New Jersey area and in Toronto. But we are everywhere. o(:o)

TW- Do you draw a lot, Cashew? What kind of drawing do you like most?

CL: *lowers his head for a moment, blushing* Ummm....

Actually, I don't draw at all. A lot of folks take a look at my page, and even though I do all I can to give credit to all the wonderful artists who have contributed to it, some furs still think that *I* have drawn all the artwork on my page. I wish I had one-hundredth the drawing talent I have displayed there! Unfortunately, I don't--and can't--draw to save my life.

What drawings do I like most? Drawings that show creative talent--dynamic poses, control of line and shading. Pictures by artists who know what they are doing, and enjoy what they are doing. I love pictures that set a scene, tell a story.

TW- In your site, we see you have a huge number of art contributions from many artists, from Braford to Ferris, from Guppy to LunarWolf. How is the key to get so many commissioned arts of your fursona from so many famous furry artists?

CL: Well, lots of work and patience doesn't hurt. I tell everyone who asks me about my page the same thing: that I am *extremely* lucky and blessed to have all the incredible artwork I have on my page. Art is a very personal undertaking, and takes a lot of hard work and creativity. This is where I tend to lecture a little bit--but it is something that needs to be said.

I have seen furry artists treated horribly in the six years I have been a fur. There are folks (the overall negative term for this type of fur is "fanboy") who seem to think that the furry artists owe them somehow. I have never understood this mindset, but I have seen furs approach artists and dictate to them what they *must* draw for them. These furs seem to believe that since they buy prints and art CDs from artists, the artists in turn must draw to their wishes. This is rude, unspeakable nonsense.

Artists owe the furry fandom *nothing.* They are kind enough to share their talents and bring to life graphically an online culture that is basically text-driven. They take written descriptions of characters and situations and bring them to life; as a writer, I envy this, in a way. I paint my pictures with words--and when I am done, if I haven't done an adequate job, my readers are confused as to what they are meant to see. An artist, however, can take those words and translate them into line, ink and color. The old saying, "a picture says a thousand words" can be almost literally true. Artists take our words and give them graphic life.

In short, here are my rules to live by. Artists are people, with lives, concerns, hobbies, pleasures and sorrows just like any of us. They are *people.* They are not here to do our bidding; they are doing us a favor by sharing their talents with us. Treat artists with dignity, respect, and take interest in them as human beings. What seems to me to be common sense doesn't seem to be common enough in the furry fandom.

I am honored to count among my friends in the furry fandom many talented and spirited artists. A drawing from a friend means a thousand times more to me than a drawing from a stranger. And the majority of work on my page comes from friends. I am very proud to be able to say that.

Picture courtesy: Cirrus Kitfox

TW- Do you usually ask for a paid commission too, Cashew? Did you spend a lot of money getting custom pics from artists who makes only paid commissions?

CL: The majority of the works I collect are paid commissions, yes.

*squirms a little bit in his chair*

I will be honest with you. I never talk about how much money I spend on furry art. I have had several folks approach me asking me what I paid for a specific drawing, or which artist charges how much. Sometimes artists who are close friends will charge me less than they would a fur they didn't know. It happens. Some of the artwork I have gotten--not a lot, but some--I have gotten for free. But I don't want to put artists or other art collectors on the spot by discussing specific money amounts. I don't think it is fair to anyone involved. I hope you understand.

TW- One of these artists listed on your site is Supai Inu (Spy Dog), a Brazilian furry as me. Do you still have contact with him? Do you know other Brazilian furries too, Cashew?

CL: *smiles* To be totally honest, the only reason my name is known at all in Brazil is because of Spy Dog. I am still in contact with him, but only once in a great while, I am afraid; I only had contact with him on ICQ, and I no longer use that service. Maybe I can find him on AIM sometime. Beyond Spy Dog and Zorro Re, I am afraid I really don't know many other Brazilian furry artists, personally. I hope perhaps this interview will change that.

TW- What funny or curious criticism did you receive about some story or pic you created, Cashew?

CL: Heh. Unfortunately, I really don't receive all that much feedback on my writing from the furry public. Generally, what I do hear is positive, so I guess that is a good thing.

Back when I wrote "Furry on the Outside," I got a really enthusiastic and positive response from a fur who had read and *really* enjoyed the story. I thought that was pretty cool, until they started telling me what I should write in a sequel to the story--and that their character should be the main character in the story. Basically, they wanted the same story all over again, with their character as the star. Well, I don't do story commissions, and I try not to rehash the same story lines over and over again. So I imagine I lost a fan out there due to disappointment. Ah, well; five years later, I still remember that.

TW- Do you receive some anti-macro or anti M/M criticism because of your likings, Cashew?

CL: Nothing really negative, no. Every once in a while, there will be someone mumbling and calling myself and my fellow macrophiles 'freaks' because we like giants. I already knew I was a freak, so that doesn't bother me. o(:o) Really, though, I haven't heard anything strongly negative.

TW- Have you been in a Furry Convention, Cashew? If yes, how did you like? And does Canada have furry conventions like the american ones?

CL: I have gone to several furry conventions, yes; I have attended eight of them since 1998. Every July, I make it a point to attend Anthrocon in Philadelphia (http://www.anthrocon.org/). It is one of, if not *the,* biggest furry conventions in the world, and I always have a wonderful time there. Most of my friends in the furry fandom attend Anthrocon, so I can catch up with them, and most of the great macro fur artists attend, as well. I am always running around, circulating four or five sketchbooks at Anthrocon--it is where I collect probably 40% of the art I collect in a year.

Canada does have at least one furry convention that I know of, called Feral! (http://www.campferal.org/). It is held every August just north of Toronto, I believe, kind of in a summer camp setting. I haven't had the honor of going to Feral! yet; my vacation schedule won't allow me. But hopefully I will get to it one of these years.

TW- What are your big projects inside and outside the furry community for the future?

CL: Inside the furry fandom, I am a member of an Amateur Press Association (APA) called Megamorphics (http://www.macrophile.com/~mm/), where furry artists and writers perfect their craft and are critiqued and reviewed by their peers. It is a macro-furry-oriented APA, and I joined it to basically get my butt in gear. Thanks to Megamorphics, I am now back on a regular writing schedule.

I am also working on doing some writing for an online comic series that I stumbled across about a year ago. It is at http://www.squirrelworks.com/ and it is called "Coz/Effect." It is a fun, dynamic comic, illustrated by a very talented artist by the name of Chris Moujaes. The two series I am writing for now are "Coz/Effect" and the related daily strip called "Good Gravy." Both can be found on the front page of SquirrelWorks.com. Beyond that, I take the future as it comes.

TW- What species do you like the most, Cashew? And why?

CL: Wolves. Without a question. I have felt a very strong affinity toward canines in general, and wolves specifically. It is almost a spiritual link for me; I believe wolves are noble, beautiful creatures.

TW- Are you found often in some mucks? What mucks to you like to hang around the most?

CL: Generally, I can be found hanging around on FurryMUCK, usually in a macro-fur-themed area called the Giant's Club. Real life has been keeping me pretty busy, but I try to find some time to pop in there and visit with my friends.

TW- At your site, we see you like a lot the yiffy themes too. Do you consider yourself a very yiffy wolf, Cashew? Do you roleplay yiff-style a lot too?

CL: Not too long ago, my answer to this would be a very enthusiastic, "yes!" Actually, I guess I do carry a reputation of being a fairly yiffy wolf; I do love sensual and sexual roleplay. I am not nearly as bad about it as I used to be, though; there was a time when I would pounce pretty much anything that moved. I have mellowed quite a bit in that regard--and again, real life business keeps me offline more often nowadays.

TW- If you become a macro one..a reeeealy big wolf. What would be the first thing you'd like to do?

CL: Well, my standard giant size is 140 feet tall--and that is pretty big. But, as I said before, I am rarely giant; I prefer to be the little guy.

I guess the first thing I would do at my giant size would be to find a willing little fur to play with. o(:o)

TW- Now the "rapid-fire"...few words as questions...few words as answers:

Being furry: I love it. I have made great friends, and have collected wonderful artwork from artists I love to support.

Being yiffy: Not bad, but not *nearly* as nice as the real thing.

Favorite music: Classic rock and classical--but no opera, please!

Favorite food: Chocolate. o(:o)

Favorite drink: Pepsi

Favorite color: Green

The best trip you made: Down to Austin, TX last year, to visit a good friend. I had a blast.

What makes you laugh: Pretty much any well-thought-out humor that isn't degrading or bigoted.

What pisses you off: Being lied to. Being conned. False friendship.

Canada: Beautiful. Big. American money goes a *long* way there. o(:o)

General Furry community: Has its rough spots, but mainly good.

Macro community: Wildly, wonderfully creative.

Your RL job: No comment. It pays the bills.

RL friendship: An honor and a treasure. I value friendship *very* highly.

Your strangest habit at home: I love sleep. If I could be paid to sleep, I would be a millionaire.

Favorite TV program: The Simpsons, Seinfeld

Favorite cartoon: The Simpsons (again), South Park, Home Movies, Family Guy

Favorite movie: Citizen Kane

Your usual temper: Generally laid-back. Not nearly the temper I used to have.

Single or married? Single

Age: 38

Your hobbies: Reading, writing, collecting tons of furry art. o(:o)

Your favorite quote: The day after tomorrow is the third day of the rest of your life. My quote. o(:o)

Your philosophy of life: Try not to take it all so seriously. No one gets out alive.

TW - Cashew Lou, thanks so much for being here at "The Tame Talk Show". It was a pleasure to have you here on the stage.

*hugs the nice wolf and turns to the audience*

TW- CASHEW LOU, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...^_^

*standing applause*

CL: *blushes a bit and bows*

It's been an honor to be here. Though I think I pale in comparison to the *real* talent you have had on this stage. I am flattered, Tame Wolf; thank you.