Digging for an Oak Island interview

... and like so many seekers in the past, I thus far have hit nothing.

But I completely understand given how the current season of The Curse of Oak Island has gone so far. The season opened with the tragic news that Craig Tester's teenage son Drake passed away. Rick Lagina was diagnosed with Lyme's disease. And the Money Pit appears to have been found. Lots to digest. Lots more to come.

I sent this interview request to Rick and Marty immediately after the season premiere, as I originally planned to, with very mixed feelings. I am a parent. I cried when we all learned about Drake's death. Yet, the Fellowship (as Marty calls them) was on the Island continuing the hunt, and what I was watching had actually happened many months earlier. Still, I almost didn't send it. I received a reply back stating the request was forwarded to the History Chanel. And that's where is stands and will likely continue to stand. But! You never know. So here's the interview I imagines before the start of the season. As you can imagine, I would make changes if a chance to secure the interview happened. read and enjoy the interview which one day will happen!

Hello Rick and Marty, 

First off, my family sends its condolences to the Tester family. I drafted this interview request prior to Tuesday’s premiere and the episode brought my wife and I to tears. We had no idea about Drake. I am a Dad and I cannot imagine what Craig is going through. We wish the Tester family and you all strength and peace. If there is anything we can do let us know. 

My name is Sam Girdich. I am a writer, blogger, history & science buff, and co-founder of the sequential art/graphic novel project Strongarm Labs. I would like to interview you for my blog.

I understand your time is valuable, so my interview format is quick and easy. I pose three questions, and then perhaps one or two short follow-up questions if your replies lend to them. And that’s it. I do not edit your replies. Not a word is touched. Plus, I will send you a full copy of the interview before posting it so you see exactly what the readers will see, as you have the final word to publish it or not. My goal simply is to have fun and provide an avenue for myself and others to learn something new.

I invite you to visit my blog (Lab Work) to review my work and Facebook page. In fact, I interviewed Robert Clotworthy, your show’s narrator, earlier this year. Find that interview here. I want you to know you can be comfortable having your names on my sites.

Here’s what I have for your interview intro and your questions:

One more attempt. Just one more push. What if it takes just one more try…and we don’t take it. If there is a stronger motivation behind the efforts of brothers Rick and Marty Lagina, then I can’t figure it out. They were children in the late 1960’s when an article in Reader’s Digest on Oak Island, its treasure seekers, and the Money Pit staked a claim on the young Michigan natives. Decades later they made the leap from daydreams to binding contracts by joining the business entity that controlled most of the island, thereby becoming the modern faces of the Island’s mystery. What have they found? What are they hoping to find? Is there anything to actually discover? Watch The Curse of Oak Island on The History Channel to find out. 

Sitting off the Eastern coast of Canada is a dollop of land called Oak Island. While many aspects of its recent past are known, such as who owned land where and when from the early 1800’s forward, the activities on the island even until relatively recent times is quite another story. For example, Google alone yields over 900,000 hits for “Oak Island Nova Scotia”. I gave up keeping track of the all the different versions of how the treasure hunt began and what it could be! Like the idea of Spanish treasure? The island has hints of that. Like the idea of Templar treasure or the Holy Grail? The island has hints of that. Like the idea of a conspiracy to hide the truth of who really wrote the works of William Shakespeare? The island has hints of that. Like the idea nothing of value is there? The island has hints of that, too. You simply have to know how to look for the signs. It is like a Stanley Kubrick film in that way; it is what it is at face value until you poke a little. Except, of course, that even Kubrick films have an ending. There comes a time to leave the theatre, ticket in butter stained hand as proof for all the world to see. Oak Island, however, is like a Kubrick film where you suddenly find yourself driving home emptyhanded wondering what happened and what you missed. Come back, calls the island. I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for next time. Therein lies part of the undying interest in the place. It is part Rorschach test, part Clickbait.

So, let’s start with what is generally agreed upon as the timeline of the mystery as graciously found here: https://www.oakislandtours.ca/educate.html. (Enjoy this timeline and virtual tour. Rick and Marty’s partnership -along with a few other backers- with the work and lifetime experiences of Dan and Dave Blankenship formed Oak Island Tours in 2007. Oh yes, YOU can go there.) 1795 is the year thought of as the starting point of our tale. While I want to be as specific as possible, we honestly have little information on what actually happened in what I think would have been the Summer or Fall of that year. Three men of undetermined age named McInnis, Vaughn Jr, and Smith rowed to Oak Island. Some accounts say they saw lights on the island and went to investigate like Scooby Do-esque meddling kids. While there they discovered an odd, round depression in the ground located beneath the remains of a tackle or pulley. Thinking perhaps something was lowered into the ground they started digging only to find a barrier of logs. They removed the barrier and dug deeper only to strike another. And then another. Word eventually spread of their discovery and a mystery was born. But how? you may ask. Keep digging and mystery solved! You would think so, but no. Various parties took ownership of the land and the Money Pit over the years and dig deeper they did. Tantalizing clues were found, such as a stone tablet with coded writing. Yet in true Oak Island fashion, as greater progress was made the tunnel suddenly flooded with sea water from what might have been a trap. Thus, began a cat and mouse game with the island which crept across its surface and continues to this day. The story is much more detailed than this summary, remember. Men have died in the quest for the assumed treasure. Odd circumstances abound and I don’t say that lightly. Just ask a young Franklin D. Roosevelt what he thought of Oak Island. Oh yeah, that’s him on Oak Island. Time for YOUR research to begin.  

So here we are in current year. The History Channel has premiering the fifth season of its reality series The Curse of Oak Island chronicling the most recent attempts to crack a mystery which refuses cracking. Cutting edge technology, blood, sweat, and millions of dollars have yielded only more hair pulling questions. Table scraps, some might say. Tastes of something but nothing concrete like the aforementioned movie ticket. Will this season be the final season in the true and real sense? Is the treasure tangible or will the curtain be pulled back to reveal only the imagination of the human mind? Honestly, I cannot wait to find out. An answer is a treasure in and of itself.

Let’s begin our own dig.

    

Dan

1. Regarding Dan Blankenship and Fred Nolan. These men, and their families to be fair, poured their lives into the uncovering the past of Oak Island. The scope of their work cannot be understated. Is there a lesson or example to take away from their efforts, and if so what is it?

Fred

      2. There is a line of thought called the Law of Unintended Consequences. It is a warning against the unanticipated results of actions. Have you ever considered the ramifications of solving Oak Island? Is there a downside or a theory you’ve heard you hope is NOT the answer?

  
3. You were inspired by an article. Kids today have several seasons of television plus the well of the internet to draw from. What examples might you have set for future generations of mystery seekers and delvers into the past?

Many thanks to Rick and Marty. Life is busy and complex enough without added mysteries to wrestle with. And while you dive into rabbit hole of oak Island, perhaps vino will grant you much needed insight. Visit their vineyard and select a bottle to match your taste. For as Martin Luther said, “He who loves not wine, women and song remains a fool his whole life long.” https://www.marivineyards.com/winery

And that’s it!

Like I said, fun and quick. I will draft the summary based on your answers to place a nice bow on the package. Thank you again for your time. I have enjoyed your work much more than I can express.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Have a great night.

-Sam

Robert Clotworthy, You Know His Voice.

I am a fan of both mainstream and alternative academia. The dance between interwoven yet contradictory ideas is fascinating. From my first episode of In Search Of as a wee lad in high britches I was hooked on ufology, the paranormal, metaphysics, and cryptozoology as much as I was on "mundane" mainstream topics. Run forward to 2010 when I happened upon a commercial for some new History Channel program called Ancient Aliens. It tugged at all the right nostalgia strings. I crossed my fingers in the hopes it would yield quality couch time as its predecessor of the late 1970's did in my youth. It did not disappoint. It still doesn't. Presented in a documentary format, the program features researchers and interviews interspersed with regular ‘narrator recaps’ highlighting points from the individual segments. Over time my wife and I built a game around predicting the recap narration due to the narrator’s pleasurably distinct cadence and inflection style. Those snippets of dialogue became as enjoyable as the subject matter of the program, much as listening to Leonard Nimoy used to.

(Speaking of games, we heard some daring individuals turned the show into a drinking game with the word “alien” as the elbow-bending trigger. We tried it. Once. Holy Bender, Batman. Wow. But I digress...)

A few years more down the road of life gifted us all with a new History series in 2014 entitled The Curse of Oak Island. It centered around two brothers dedicated to illuminating an enigmatic island off the coast of Canada that may hide a vast, frustratingly elusive treasure. I'd read about this place. The island (for those unfamiliar with it) is the physical incarnation of Click Bait: each clue, each "Eureka!" looks more promising than the last. It has consumed time, money, and lives for over two centuries. Imagine the internet, only older. Sign me up! I was immediately interested. To my surprise, a few minutes into the premiere episode I realized its narrator was the same as on Ancient Aliens. Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit! Cool! 

 

So, who was this guy behind the microphone? Who was this unseen mystery man of mysterious television mysteries? Was he merely a voice actor? Did he have ties to the presented subject matter? And, philosophically speaking, how long can someone talk about fringe research before it influences their world view? 

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the multi-talented Robert Clotworthy. 

 

 

All images (C) Robert Clotworthy.

Robert has an impressive body of work to his name. He has acted in popular television soap operas, dramas, and comedies throughout the seventies, eighties, nineties and beyond. He has acted in feature films. He’s voiced characters in some of the most popular video games today. Ponder this for a moment: his IMDB page lists 162 credits. That’s pretty amazing. From Remington Steele to Star Wars. From Kingdom Hearts to Marvel. That’s a substantial career, with much more to come, in an industry not typically known for longevity. I invite you to explore his work for yourself and follow him on social media. He’s not just another pretty voice.

http://www.robertclotworthy.com/ 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167139/

https://www.facebook.com/realrobertclotworthy/ 

https://twitter.com/Rob_Clotworthy

Let’s begin:

Sam: Robert, I would wager that even diehard viewers of The Curse of Oak Island or Ancient Aliens don’t know that you are part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. How did this role come about and how does it compare to your award-winning role of Jim Raynor in the StarCraft video game series?

 

Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier

StarCraft 2

Robert: I was part of the ADR group that was working on Captain America: The Winter Soldier. That’s where a group of actors go in and fill in the “vocal Blanks” if you will in a scene. The producers needed a voice for Nick Fury’s car. I auditioned and they picked me. It started out as just a couple of lines but they kept adding to it. I came in and recorded a couple of additional sessions for them. I think it turned out pretty good. It’s not my only experience in the Marvel Universe however. I played Captain Fantastic in the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 video game as well Captain Stacy, Spider Gwen’s father in the Disney XD series Ultimate Spiderman

As far as Jim Raynor is concerned, it doesn’t compare. I have played him since 1997. That’s a long time for an actor to play a role. Voicing Jim Raynor has been one of the best and most satisfying experiences of my professional life.

Sam: You have a long and distinguished list of roles to your name, both in front of the camera and the microphone. Because much of your work is off-camera, does it afford you with more privacy in public, or has the internet made that a challenge?

Robert: I like to work and am blessed to have been able to make a living as an actor since the age of 15.  I’ve also had the pleasure of working with some of the most talented directors and actors imaginable both on screen and off.  I love working on camera because it allows you to interact and create a scene. It’s tough to beat performing a scene with Bradley Cooper and being directed by Clint Eastwood. That was amazing and surreal. The negative side is that you can loose your anonymity, which can be very difficult. I was on The Young and the Restless for several years and it was difficult for the viewers to separate Robert the actor from the role I was playing. I got a lot of hate mail. As a voice performer it is easier to avoid the limelight. Because of social media however, it is important to have a footprint: i.e. followers on Twitter and Facebook. That’s how a lot of the casting decisions are made. So please follow me. I promise not to bite.  

Sam: In your work on Ancient Aliens, have you ever read a line of narration and thought to yourself, “I call bullshit on that.” only to later learn the idea or theory had some validity? Despite some rather herculean leaps of logic the viewers are asked to make, even critics have to admit that every now and again they do hit upon an interesting anomaly.

Robert: I approach each job (narration, on camera, animation etc.) as an actor. The most important element is serving the story. With Ancient Aliens I see my role as being an interested and curious traveler. I don’t know the answers. I am the audience. I do not read the script in advance because I want my initial reaction to the information I am saying to be my guide. Sometimes I am amazed, sometimes shocked, sometimes even skeptical but always willing to ask the questions and listen to the theories. I love learning and each episode teaches me something I did not know.  

Sam: That’s interesting. In your role, you’re not an apologist or proponent for what we see and hear along the journey, but rather our trusted companion experiencing the unknown right alongside us. What’s new to us, is new to you. I never thought of it that way. I appreciate the glimpses behind the curtain you shared, Robert, especially some of the ups and downs of a life in the entertainment world. I have a lot more questions, but I know your busy with studio work for the new season starting so soon so I think this is a good spot to stop on. Thanks again, Robert!