Rigor Tortoise

The RT Year in Review: Dustin Sterling

We asked Rigor Tortoise to answer some questions about 2009.  We’ll be posting the answers throughout the week.

Answers from a man who needs no introduction, Mr. Dustin Sterling:

Write one sentence that sums up your 2009.

The year I will refer to in the future as “The one before I built my Robot Best Friend.”

What was your favorite memory on set with Rigor Tortoise this year?

I think the combo shooting day of Wing Men and the Prop election commercial was my favorite day on set.  It was all of us in the Rigordome living room on some Saturday morning.  We were crammed onto couches and chairs on the side of the room to keep out of the way of the green screen in the center.  I just remember us all pitching in ideas and cracking each other up from the sidelines.  And that’s what it’s supposed to be about, right folks?

What was your favorite memory on stage with Rigor Tortoise this year?

It’s hard to pick one favorite memory of treading the boards with the RT boys this year.  If I had to choose it would probably be the show where Paul and Adam were my ninja sons (How many times have we seen that one?) and they were in a locked bedroom.  When my father character (also trained in the martial arts) couldn’t open the door he decided to kick it down.  Meanwhile Adam is having the same idea on the other side.  It happened so fast (Group mind!) that we had to play it off and ended up exploding the door into tiny pieces due to the fury of our kicks (Not really. In our imagination.)

What was one of your favorite personal memories from this year?

That’s personal.  Just know that it was VERY memorable.  Which is why I favor it above the others.

What is something from pop culture (books, movies, songs, etc.) that inspired you in 2009?

It’s funny that something that inspired me this year was something that first inspired me back in 1994.  The State DVDs finally came out this year.  This was a show that really influenced me back when I was a high school freshman.  They were like a group of cool older kids that were doing the kind of comedy that I wanted to be doing.  I had been making home movies with my friends for a few years by that point, but once I saw what The State was doing I started copying aspects of their style and wanted to be a part of a show like that.  So to rewatch those old episodes now, some of which I hadn’t seen in years was like being that eager kid again.  Also to listen to their commentaries gives some perspective to how they made that show and interesting to see some parallels to how we do things with RT.

Favorite mistake/lesson learned from 2009?

Those graphs with the overlapping circles are called Venn Diagrams.

Favorite live show you saw in 2009?

Wilco at the Wiltern!  Also Okkervil River opened for them.

What are you most looking forward to in 2010?

Meeting my Robot Best Friend!