All Apologies: Cecil Baldwin of Welcome to Night Vale

16 September 2017, 01:00

(Cecil Baldwin)

Cecil Baldwin, as Cecil Gershwin Palmer, is the voice of Night Vale and host of a radio show for the fictional town as part of the hit podcast Welcome to Night Vale. Created in 2012, Baldwin is the main character and mainstay of this wonderfully surreal show; a sort of mix between a Stephen King novel and NPR, community radio has never sounded quite like this. Baldwin took some time out ahead of the Welcome to Night Vale tour to take on our Q&A.

1

What's your present state of mind and being?

"Present state of mind is focused after recording a new episode of the podcast version of Welcome to Night Vale, answering the daily onslaught of emails that goes hand-in-hand with being a freelance actor/artist, and more than a little caffeine, nicotine and THC to keep it all in running smoothly."

2

What's the most overrated virtue?

"Of the seven classic virtues, the most overrated has got to be chastity. Come on... chastity? Really?! I think there's a huge difference between understanding our bodies and how our bodies fit with other bodies for recreation, and being afraid to acknowledge that sex is a natural part of the human experience. Also, maybe your neighbor likes to get funky in a different way than you, and that doesn't necessarily make it a scary or bad thing."

3

What one thing have you learnt from your parents?

"I love that my parents instilled in me a love for travel and respect for other peoples' cultures. Growing up in a sleepy suburb in Tennessee, the population was pretty homogeneous in a lot of ways. And so my parents would find unique restaurants for us, and seriously push us to try new things-- even if you hate what's on your plate, you never know until you try. My father traveled a lot for work and would always bring home objects and stories from other places in the United States and around the world. I loved listening to his stories about how different places and people were, and yet still the same."

4

What the most desirable quality you look for in romantic partner?

"I only have three criteria for dating these days:
Are you kind?
Are you smart?
Do you have a steady job?
Everything else is bonus."

5

What and where was the greatest meal you ever ate?

The restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barn in upstate New York was hands-down the best meal I've ever had. Everything on the menu was raised or grown on the farm attached to the restaurant. There was a great element of surprise to what each course was going to be, as everything was super-local and super-fresh, the menu was different every night. Hickory-smoked sweet onions, baby carrots and radishes in Green Goddess dressing. Turkey so moist it didn't need gravy. Also, before and after dinner you got to roam the farm and see the animals living their lives before, you know, becoming dinner later that season."

6

What's your most treasured possession?

"My passport holder is definitely one of my favorite items. It's so simple, but having a spot for my official documents, public transportation cards for 5 different world cities, and a couple different currencies on hand make all the difference when landing in foreign country. It's kind of sexy in a way!"

7

What was the last dream you had about?

"Strangely, I don't remember what the dream was about, but moments before my alarm went off, I could feel someone tap me on the back of the head, as if to get my attention. It was so realistic, it woke me up. Maybe a ghost? If so, definitely a very punctual one."

8

What's the biggest lie on your Wikipedia page?

"I don't have one, actually... should probably get working on that."

9

If you could say something to your 15-year-old self, what would it be?

"I've always been pretty driven to succeed, but have never been too great at discipline. Those late night, last minute cram sessions were super stressful, but usually got the job done. So if I could give 15 year-old Cecil some advice, it would be work a little bit every day, rather than fucking around till the last minute and waiting for adrenaline to carry you through. It may work for a while, but when it comes to exercise, learning a musical instrument, etc... it only gets harder to keep up as you get older. I know you wanna binge watch '70s horror movies, but put the bong down, get off the couch and do the thing!"

10

And finally, who would you most like to apologise to and why

"I definitely owe an apology to my high school chorus teacher, because teenage hormones mixed with anger issues and a lack of patience for close-minded people are not a cute look on me!"