Greetings, SWAU! We are back with our second feature/interview with Kevin Fucile (FEW-CHILI). Since his local news station beat us to the punch, we let this breathe for a bit before publishing. I interviewed Kevin a week ago about in-person graphing, Star Wars and tiki bars. Kevin is a super-nice guy, so be respectful and don't ask him where he eats fried chicken. - Tom
Note: This is a transcript of an interview I conducted on February 26th, 2017, with Kevin Fucile. The transcript below has been edited for content and clarity.
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| Kevin Few-CHILI (Fucile) at the TFA Premiere |
T: Digging right into
it, you got into collecting on the prospect of meeting Evel Kinevil, right?
K: Yeah, exactly. As
a little kid when his wind-up toy came out, he was doing a promotional tour of
Toys ‘R Us. My mom heard about it, and knew
I liked Evel Kinevil. Man, it was a long
line on Harbor BLVD in Anaheim. It was a
long line, outside of the building….when we finally got inside, the line
wrapped around the walls. We were
getting close and I could see him at the table.
As we got close, he started walking toward me. I was thinking, “Oh my gosh, he’s coming to
talk to me!”. And then he just walked on
by. It was kind of crushing, but my mom
did buy me that wind up toy. It was a
badass toy.
T: He (Evil) was a
hair before my time, but he was the original daredevil, the original
stuntman. People underestimate how
popular he was, you know with the whole Snake Canyon thing. He was such a big celebrity. So how old would you have been at the time?
K: I was a small kid.
T: So you were young,
but that was the moment….
K: A young, impressionable kid.
T: So it wasn’t the autograph as much as it was the
interaction with the celebrity?
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| Snoke/Gollum/Apes/Kong |
K: Yeah, exactly. I
knew who he was. To be honest, it wasn’t
about getting the autograph. That was a
part of what’s going to happen. They
just sign those generic photos, with a generic Toys ‘R Us logo at the bottom,
right?
T: So you’re a kid,
and you had your first swing and miss, I’m sure the first of many throughout
your in-person career. We’ll talk about
some of that later. So what was your
first autograph, and was it in person?
K: The first
autograph I got that was in person was a Reggie Jackson signed baseball when he
came to the California Angels. I
remember running to the first base side, with a bunch of other kids, and he
tossed a few balls and I remember getting a baseball. And then a little bit later he came over and
was signing. I put out my baseball…I
wish I still had that. I don’t even know
what happened to it. I remember getting
that autograph, and I was just…wow. It
was really cool. That’s what started the
addiction.
T: I think most kids
have been involved on that first baseline scrum, fighting to get an
autograph. That’s a great place to get
started. So sports…you’re young getting
started and continuing to collect. So,
tell me about Star Wars in general…where did it get you?
K: You know, that movie, growing up,
trading the trading cards…at recess reenacting scenes with friends, playing
with the toys. Just phenomenal. It wasn’t until I’d say early 20s when I got
one of my first Star Wars autographs.
And that was David Prowse.
T: I don’t want to
date you, but I want people to understand some of the origins of Star Wars
autograph collecting…you know. I’m in my mid-30s. I think my parents may have taken me to see
the re-release of Jedi in 1985, and I would’ve been four. You saw the original release in 1977. Then you got bitten with the autograph, so
your first in-person experience wouldn’t have been until the late 80s?
K: I think it was
right around, 1989.
T: Where would you
have met Dave Prowse in 1989 to get an autograph?
K: My mom worked for Hughes aircraft and
there was some kind of event that she went to and they had people to meet
there. An artist from Mad Magazine, and
Dave was there.
T: There wasn't a big
convention scene, to my knowledge, back in the 1980s.
K: Right.
T: So, where did you
go from there?
K: Well, I grew up in Anaheim, and my
uncle was Don ‘Red’ Berry, and he was like a ‘B’ actor. He was in the Batman serials as a
henchman. His most famous role was the
cop in, ‘Hooper,’ the Burt Reynolds movie.
I remember going into his office, and this was after my Reggie Jackson
autograph. And I saw all these western
8x10s, like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood.
So he’s one my first autographs.
It’s faded pretty bad, though…
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| Brad and Angie |
T: Yep, and framed in a K-Mart frame with the signature
pressed right up against the glass?
K: (Laughs) Exactly.
T: So you’re in California, how did you know where to go to
seek graphs at the time?
K: Back in the day you’d get two things:
You’d get the Hollywood Reporter on Wednesdays, and you’d go to the
licensing department over on Hollywood Boulevard and buy access to the list of
permits, as to where crews were filming.
It was a buck or so. Then you’d
take the two and match them up, and then figure out where they were
shooting. In the Hollywood Reporter
you’d figure out who was going to be there.
T: Wow.
K: The season finale
of Melrose Place, the first series, was going to be filming on a street with a
hotel. So that was the first time I
loaded up with 8x10s. It’s not like you
printed back then, you’d go into these shops on Hollywood Blvd that aren’t in
existence anymore, and you’d buy the 8x10s from studios and stuff. So I stocked up on this Melrose Place stuff,
and went there seeking autographs. That
one was successful, I got almost everything I brought signed. That was a pretty big rush.
T: So you put in a lot of detective work. You’ll hear folks now, everyone is always
trying to find out how to meet celebrities, and it sounds like at least you
had to put in work to figure this stuff out.
It seems true to this day. You’re
having to spend time, work and opportunity cost and literal money into putting
yourself into a position to potentially be successful. So when you were doing this for the Melrose
Place run, were there a bunch of other people there with you?
K: I was the only one. I was the only
one there.
T: And now…
K: Now it’s just such
big business that it’s very rare for you to go to an event and not see somebody
else graphing. I’ve met a lot of
graphers that way. I met Devon Whitehead
graphing. We were both staking out Tim
Allen at the Laugh Factory. The great
things about graphing are just the interactions with people. One of my first celebrity interactions that
didn’t involve an autograph was with James Kahn. I would’ve been 11 years old. My brother had a summer job with a
landscaper, and we went to the Beverly Hills area, and I was told don’t leave
the truck. They were working on James
Kahn’s yard where they were installing a putting green and irrigation and all
that sort of stuff. I remember seeing
him (Kahn) come home with groceries and he’s carrying Coca Cola and Frosted Flakes. And I’m like, “Hey, I eat Frosted Flakes! I’m just like him!” That’s what made me realize that celebrities
are just people.
(Laughs)
T: Yeah that’s
cool. So did you meet James Kahn?
K: Yeah, he came towards the end when we were all wrapping
up and loading the trucks. He came with
a six pack of beer…so my brother got his first beer from James Kahn and he
wasn’t even old enough to drink. And I
got one of those Coca Colas he was carrying.
So that was badass.
(Laughs)
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| Jennifer Lawrence |
T: Yeah I love James Kahn. So you
mentioned that you also do conventions and IP graph, from Colorado, which we
will talk about in a minute. Now, the
difference for you between cons and IP graphing…does it mean less if you’re in
the convention line, paying your fee, vs. chasing someone down on the street?
K: I wouldn’t say it means less. There’s of a thrill when you’re at a premiere
and you’re strategically putting yourself in a spot where you’re there
first. I have the reputation of having a
lot of patience and I have no problem waiting.
To me, people take a vacation to go on a hunting trip. I take vacations to hunt for autographs. For Avengers and even for The Force Awakens,
I worked in California the week before the premiere and the week of the
premiere. Then I took vacation…I started
watching the set-up and scoping things out, and started to see the line-up for
the movie. I slept in the courtyard of
the Chinese Theater. That was the first
time they ever allowed that. So that was
a cool experience.
T: Wait, like, a Marriot Courtyard or THE courtyard of the
Chinese Theater?
(Laughs)
K: No, the actual courtyard of the Chinese Theater. So when I did the Force Awakens, they allowed
the people to stay in the area. We put
up tents, chairs…it was cold! I put a
bunch of time into just trying to gather intel.
I wasn’t in that line to see the movie.
I was putting in the time to have a cool experience. By doing that, I met more people, including a
guy with Disney. He’s the one who said,
“Geez, Kevin, you’re a pretty die hard fan.
How many friends do you have coming?”
I should have said a higher number, but I just picked one. “Seven”
“Are you going to be there the day of the premiere?” “Yep”
So he was in the line looking for me. So I got to walk the red carpet with some
friends, which is amazing.
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| Premiere Badge Signed by JJ Abrams |
T: Wow.
See, that explains everything perfectly.
Not only did you make the physical trip, but you spent your personal
time, your PTO and braved the elements to put yourself in a position to
potentially do something cool. You were
like someone waiting outside of Best Buy on a Black Friday. That’s what I don’t think people understand
about folks that do IP graphing. It’s
not just about knowing where Harrison Ford likes to eat waffles…
K: Or fried chicken…
Laughs
T: It’s meticulous
and thought out. I would assume, Kevin,
that even though that story you just told was very successful, it could’ve
easily have been a waste of time and a complete failure.
K: Yep, it could’ve
easily have been a strike out, considering how high security was. The carpet was a majority enclosed. Unless you were in the 501st, you
weren’t going to have a chance. There
was almost no graphing before the event due to the weather and where they put
the fan pit. Even though they did
background checks for you to get into that section. So we walked the red carpet, got to go the
after party because of the Disney rep. It would’ve been great to
just enjoy it and not think about graphing.
We left all our stuff in the car, I mean we had stacks of 11x14s and
16x20s and posters and stuff. We
absorbed the experience, then when the movie was over, we got our phones out of
the phone check and enjoyed the after party.
At about an hour, when people started leaving we knew exactly where the
exit was. We ran, grabbed our stuff and
did well on the exits. It looked like an
impossible event, and it was really successful for us. I got some small stuff done, I had some
baseballs in my pockets, which are my go-to item…I got JJ to sign my lanyard on
the red carpet.
T: So let’s go back
in time a bit, and that was all great stuff we were going to get to, so tell me
a little bit about through the mail (TTM) collecting…it’s not like there was an
America Online or an internet to get your addresses from. How did you go about finding out where to
send items to be signed?
K: I used to get the
Star Maps, you know, like they sell on the street. I would try to find out where stars lived,
and then I don’t know when Autograph Magazine came out, but they would list
addresses in the back of the magazine where you could get some success. Then I’d send out to agencies and stuff. But it wasn’t really a thrill for me. You know it was cool when mail came in. There’s nothing like an IP rush. Like, at a con. I would never ask Peter Mayhew to sign
something for me for free. That’s how he makes his living. It’s not like I’d go up to the dentist and
go, “Hey, could you take a look at my teeth real quick?” You know, have some respect.
T: Sometimes I don’t
want to ask Peter for his autograph even when I am paying.
Laughs
K: Exactly. But you know, with the Rogue One premiere. We were in the fan pit. I was the first one to know where the fan pit
was going to be. I was the first one on
Hollywood Boulevard. Anthony Daniels was
at the premiere. I was prepared for
anyone. I had a 16x20 OPIX and I said,
‘You know what, I’m going for it.” He
kind of skipped it, and I had to jump over a few sections. I made good eye contact with him and said,
“Mr. Daniels, could you please sign this and make it out to Kevin?” And that’s when he tagged it. Otherwise, he would’ve skipped it.
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| Anthony Daniels signed IP (NOT AT A CON) |
T: You could’ve wiped
the personalization, but we had the thing with Frank Oz where the vendor blew
us up in the street. Kevin, you don’t
sell stuff, right? I’m not judging, because without those guys I wouldn’t be
able to get a lot of stuff, but you’re collecting just for you.
K: I’ve traded my
stuff for a long time. My friends offer
to buy something, but I’d rather trade.
I’d rather have them trade me an Outback giftcard rather than cash. But
some of these signatures are getting crazy in price, you know? Like Felicity at Celebration. I’ve bought three so far, and will probably
get two more…and my wife will ask me why don’t I sell some things because
she’ll see my friends do it. It’s ok,
but what I don’t want is to try to make a living off this or make money off of
it, because then I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. No disrespect to the dealers, but I want to be
able to enjoy it…and I’m sure they do enjoy graphing, but I wouldn’t be if I was stressing
about it.
T: But when you’re
out there doing it for you. I don’t want
to disparage our IP vendors who sell, because people we interact with like K9,
or Andy…those folks do it the right way.
And I’m not here to disparage our guys because without them, I wouldn’t
get anything done because I live in Houston, TX. So that’s not what I’m saying. You might have a situation where you have a
celebrity, and you’ve done all of your legwork and prep…and then you have Joe
Blow in the corner who’s got his wagon full of stuff to be signed...
K: It’s about being
likeable and caring. In the Hollywood
area, there are a lot of cliques and groups and they don’t all get along. But I seem to get along with all of
them. Sometimes you have to tell people
that you’re graphing to unwind and relax…you don’t need people trying to push
you out of the way. There’s been times
at the same time, where I’m holding out my item and the celebrity is about to
stop signing and they’re not going to get to me. Some of the graphers further up will hold out
my stuff to get signed. So it goes both
ways. You can always get more autographs
when you work together.
T: So when you’re out
you’ve got all of your pens and markers and different colors…are you concerned
with that stuff, like placement and color when you’re in a scrum?
K: I am.
There’s many times when I pass on getting items signed because they
didn’t have a metallic in their hand and they aren’t switching. I’ve get images that I want to be done
particular. There’s the one of JJ and
Kathleen (Kennedy) in the Millennium Falcon cockpit. I’m only gonna get that one done in
gold. JJ was signing and I wasn’t going
to throw it out because he wasn’t switching pens. I waited until it was wrapping down and I’m
risking maybe not getting that image signed, and I asked, “JJ, would you mind
signing this in gold, please?” “Sure,”
he says. So then he runs with the
metallic for a bit and other people are getting their images done, the darker
ones. He’s a great signer. If he’s got a metallic, he’s looking for the
right spot to sign.
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| Falcon Cockpit shot with JJ and Kathleen |
T: Then there’s the
people that look to intentionally sign dark in the darker spots…
Laughs
K: Oh yeah.
Exactly. So after the Force
Awakens premiere, I didn’t know that Kathleen has a twin sister. So I see her sister, just standing there and
I ask her to sign. She says, “No, that’s
my sister.” So, I say, “So you have some
pull to make sure she’ll sign for me?”
“Oh yeah, we’ll get you taken care of.”
I’m toward the end of this, and I missed a few coming out of the
exit. Kathleen was getting ready to
leave, and her sister says, “Oh no, you’ve got one more to sign here for my
friend from Colorado.” So Kathleen has
the black pen in her hand, and I don’t know who it was, someone reached into
her hand, pulled out the black pen and I handed her the gold pen. He sister
says, “You have to sign in gold, right here, next to JJ.” It turned out great. It’s one of the best Falcon shots I’ve seen.
So I will continue to try and get stuff done. I’m popular at Christmas, because I give away
autographs as gifts. I also donate a lot
of my extra stuff to local charities. I
think I had Peyton Manning sign the same image five times before I got it the
way I wanted. So I donated all of those
to a children’s charity.
T: So, tell me a little bit about your best Star Wars
graphing interaction…obviously the Force Awakens premiere, but aside from that,
your best autograph experience.
K: Yeah, so I have a
16x20 award ceremony shot, signed by everyone in blue sharpie. I got some good intel on where Harrison Ford
was going to be just before the Force Awakens premiere. I went there, and there maybe six of us
there, and everyone had dark images. So
did I. But my number one thing to get
signed would be the 16x20, not that much dark on it. He started running with a silver paint pen
that was flowing just great. So I ended
up getting my Force Awakens poster signed, and then I was like, ‘Man, I need
this 16x20, too.’ Harrison saw it, and
smiled. It was because he appreciated
the photo and could see that everyone had signed in a very specific spot. He gave me the best graph that he’d given
anyone that morning and he signed it in only the spot you could see a silver
signature. It just came out
phenomenal. I remember calling my wife
afterwards, and I was all excited and stuff.
She thought I was in a car accident.
Laughs
T: You’re
hyperventilating…
K: I told her, “Nothing’s wrong! Harrison for just signed and was really
cool! This was awesome!” To me, that was my favorite and most impactful
in-person Star Wars autograph.
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| Completed Ceremony Shot |
T: He (Ford) took the time, but even in
an in-person, one-on-one, looked at your picture, appreciated it and knew what
he was doing and gave you a good, quality signature where it needed to be. That just goes to show you, that sometimes
they are aware…”Hey, screw this guy, I’m going to sign this in the dark spot
where you can’t see it.” But Harrison
paid attention, and that’s a great story.
What’s your biggest miss? Do you
have a big, outside of Star Wars even, maybe a one-on-one when a guy shut you
down.
K: Hmm…
T: Or are there
any? I mean, if not, good for you, but I
know that’s not normally the case.
K: Well, there was
Felicity in California for the Rogue One premiere. There was the Inferno premiere. I think I invested 72 hours trying to get an
autograph at multiple locations, like Kimmel, to airports, to hotels to the
actual premiere. All struck out. It’s maddening, going to that many events and
spending time…I was trying to work the numbers and work the odds. It just didn’t work. My biggest in-person is Scarlett
Johansson. I’ve only gotten her once at
the Age of Ultron premiere. I was pretty
fortunate there. I’ve invested a lot of
time going to other premieres or other events to try and get her, and she
either didn’t show up or didn’t sign at all.
T: Tell me about the
Tiki Bar. I was looking at your
collection…
K: The tiki culture
is on a big comeback. Once again, it’s
all about the atmosphere. You can go to
a sports bar, or any bar. It’s either
people complaining about work, or complaining about a spouse or a meat market
and people trying to hook-up. The true
tiki bars, the people are on a vacation for however long they’re there. I go to a lot of tiki bars. I travel a lot for work, and will take
different jobs in different cities just so I can experience a specific tiki bar
or autograph event.
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| To Kevin's Tiki Bar - COMING SOON |
T: I wanted to ask
you if there’s something out there that you’re chasing…
K: Tom Hanks.
T: Or anything you
want to buy or anything…so Tom Hanks?
He’s your guy, huh?
K: Tom Hanks is who I’ve been chasing a
lot. I’ve heard he signs well sometimes,
and not so well in others. I’ve got a
League of Their Own project I need done.
It’s the school bus team shot from A League of Their Own. I need Tom on it in blue. I was hoping that the Inferno premiere would
be a great score, but it didn’t work out.
Ron Howard came over and that was it.
If I lived there, I’d probably have him by now. I see a lot of my friends post and stuff, and
they live there and they do it all the time, so the numbers are in their favor.
T: Ok, getting ready
to wrap-up, here. What’s a piece of
advice you have for someone wanting to get started in IP graphing.
K: The main thing is,
be courteous and respectful to everyone.
From the celebrities to your fellow graphs…everyone does better when
we’re nice about it. I’ve had situations
when celebrities stop signing and then the graphers or fans start cussing them
(celebrities) out…that’s not going to help us next time.
T: Kevin, man…thanks
so much for taking the time.
K: No problem, Tom.
It was fun.
Check out more of Kevin's collection on Instagram at FucileinHD!
Autograph send-ins aren’t like dusting crops (boy). For Monstermania, Anthony spent 3 hours to
sort and prep 50-60 pieces. Mayhew took
days. Everyone agreed to let the Wookiee
finish the signing at home in Dallas, but Anthony and Teddy made sure to get all
of the high-end stuff done at the con itself.
