Way Down in the Hole: Digging Deep With the Davo Dude

SPLASH! Thats the sound of the "splash" made this week when netizens the world over met Davo, the breakout star of the fresh-faced, blockbuster new podcast Rude Tales of Magic this week. But Davo, isn't really...Davo. He's made up, a character, fictional, wholly invented and portrayed by actor/writer Tim Platt. I caught up with Tim, appropriately enough, on a tiny sailboat in a little river (appropriate because earlier I said Davo made a "splash"). The sailboat element of our interview will not be mentioned again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taylor: Hi Tim, thanks for joining me here, today.

Tim: Thanks Taylor, I'm delighted.

Taylor: So it’s been 24 hours since Rude Tales of Magic debuted onto the world stage that is "online," and already the fans, or stans, have found their new favorite. Were you expecting Davo to be such a hit?

Tim: Absolutely not. Davo was a voice I forced into the mix during Bellow's fraternity scene. I regretted his voice immediately. I regretted what he said immediately. I was grateful when Branson told him to run out of the scene because then I wouldn't have to do his voice anymore. But then he fell in a hole and the rest is dumb history.
I had forgotten about Davo until you sent us the first edit of the episode and I was shocked he was allowed to stick around.

Taylor: Hahahaha, wow. So what was the idea that sparked Davo?

Tim: I just wanted to have fun with the extra voices Branson was allowing in the fraternity. I thought it would be funny to do a gross dude who wanted gross stuff, just to add some jokes in a scene already full of bro-ish characters. But once he got in the hole he grew into who he became: The Beer Guy. Also i think once you put a character in a hole that character cant help but communicate primal Wants. Because a character in a hole always Wants to be out of the hole. So once he got in there I thought it was funny that he Wants to get out of the hole...and also Wants beer.
He loves beer.

Taylor: Many actor/writers put a lot of themselves into their characters. Have you ever had beer?

Tim: Yeah. Recently I’ve been into the sour stuff. That's just the way it's been for me recently.

Taylor: What would Davo’s favorite beer be do you think? If he were real, and lived in our world, and country, and had access to brands that both you and I and our readers would recognize/have experience with?

Tim: Oh wow. This is a great question.

Taylor: Thank you.

Tim: It makes me think of the beer I like.

Taylor: Thats not what I asked about.

Tim: I love Dogfish Head. I like it when it's heavy (IPA) and I like it when it's playful (the flaming lips thing they do) and I like it when it's simple (Midas Touch)

Taylor: But I asked about what Davo’s favorite beer would be.

Tim: I'm from Maryland and dogfish head is from Deleware [sic]  so I always felt close to it.

Taylor: And what about Davo, what would his favorite beer be?

Tim: Similarly, I went to college near Cleveland so I like Great Lake Brewery. Hard to get that on the east coast though. A few summers ago i was really into Alagash white. One more thing about beer: I’m not obsessed with it. Davo is. So the fact that he LIKES beer came from me, the actor, but the fact that he is obsessed with beer came from the character/God. Oh i also like Peroni, haha. It's fun and simple.

Taylor: If Davo (the character, not you) could pick any beer to have which beer would he pick?

Tim: Fuck thats a good question. Probably one of those Game of Throne brand beers.

Taylor: Thank you.

Tim: Davo, i think, loves game of thrones stuff
so i think he likes the game of thrones beer that was on sale during the final season
i never tried it. I'm not a big beer guy.

Taylor: Is Davo on #teamdragon or is he a #sevenkingdoms kind of guy?

Tim: I think Davo likes it when Tyrian says "I drink and I know things. That's what I do"
He thinks that is bad ass. Me, personally, I'm a Riverrun guy. The Tully's. I'm from Maryland and the Riverlands seem like Maryland to me.

Taylor: So this is sort of an area where you and Davo split?

Tim: That's a good question.

Taylor: Thank you.

Tim:  I think we split in that his favorite beer is the game of thrones beer and I have never tried it. I'm not a big beer guy. I think Davo is team Stannis. I think he gets very intellectual about Stannis. "He's actually very responsible."

Taylor:  Many actor/writers can get very “into” their characters, even letting it effect their mental health. Heath Ledger, for instance, played the Joker so hard that he died from pills. Are you worried the same could happen to Davo/you?

Tim: Let me go back for a second. Davo is not team Stannis. Thats a dumb idea. I said that because I was sort of team Stannis before he killed his kid. But Davo and I are not the same. So to answer that question, I don't know what Game of thrones stuff Davo likes besides the beer. Oh wait, he likes Davos because their names are similar. And Davos likes Stannis, haha! Soo i take all that back, Davo probably does like Stannis.

Taylor:  So what now for Davo? What’s his future on the show?

Tim: He is dead and will only come back if Branson thinks it would be fun.

Taylor:  So maybe we haven’t seen the last of Davo?

Tim: Wait, to be serious, you know me, do you think Davo has changed me Joker-style? I'm not seeing it but you never know. I'm a really good actor and sometimes stuff lingers and I can't tell.

Taylor:  I just have to ask this, for all the…romantically minded folks out there, is Davo single?

Tim: That's a good question.

Taylor: Thank you.

Tim: Yeah he is single. He doesn't think he deserves love even though he is a cutey. Hey just want to bump my question from before. Do you think I'm different since Davo? Also to answer YOUR question from before. Davo is single but he has a crush on me.

Taylor:  Ok for real, yes. You have been drinking more, and last week you were just, like, not yourself when Ali asked you about the apple picking thing, but like one second before you were laughing and happy when you were telling the story. And let me say I don’t think it’s the alcohol, I think it’s something going on with you.

Tim: Riiiiiight. Hm.

Taylor:  Sorry if that comes off as judgmental, but you asked me, and that’s just honestly how I feel.

Tim: No I appreciate it.

Taylor: You’re welcome.

Tim: Yeah well I guess I'll say that's all true. I was happy about the story I was telling (it was about Game of thrones and i'm into that shit), and then Ali interrupted me and that hurt my feelings (made me feel like I was stuck in a hole with everyone walking around the top not helping me out). But I was drinking wine not beer so that's not Davo. Hahah i guess I'm kind of a fucked up in the head artist type haha.

Taylor: What's been the funniest fan reaction to Davo that you’ve seen? Who wore the cosplay the BEST?

Tim: The funniest fan reaction is that you kept him in the edit because you loved how he functioned in the story. I also loved that cosplay from Neil Gaiman. He dressed as Davo for Good Omens press tour and when he was asked about it he would say "I'm Drunkeness of the Endless....Davo for short, tee hee." I got to be honest I fucking loved that. Oh also there was a person who tweeted "Davo con carne." That was very funny to me and Branson, who loves it when people add "con carne" to stuff.

Taylor: Well thanks for participating in this interview...con carne.

Tim: holy shit!!!!

Taylor: Any last words for the Davo-heads out there?

Tim: You gotta show that to Branson!!!

Taylor: I will not.

Tim: Last words: I love a single beer. Two at the very most. By three I'm under the table. After four, I'm under the host. Please do show that to Branson, though.

Taylor: No.

Tim: Taylor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~