INCITE VIDEO GAMING (April 2000, #5)
Pauley Perrette: No time to Crash
SHE'S ON TIME OF YOUR LIFE AND RUNS A RECORD LABEL. BUT PAULEY PERRETTE TELLS PAUL SEMEL THAT SHE REALLY WANTS TO DIRECT... CRASH OVER THE FINISH LINE.
You wouldn't know it to look at her, but Pauley Perrette gets more done before 5am than you get done all day. When not starring in the show Time of Your Life or doing voice-overs for TV commercials, Pauley's busy running her record label, Go Records, shooting pictures for the L.A. Times and L.A. Weekly, writing and performing spoken word (an album of which can be bought or downloaded at }http://www.mp3.com/pauley), and doing half a dozen other things that, if we listed them all, would just make you feel like, well, a lazy bastard.
But as busy as she is, Pauley still makes time for the truly important things in life: video games. She's been spending the hours you waste sleeping on the tracks of Crash Team Racing. "I sometimes have to force myself to do things that I don't have to do," she says, when asked when she finds the time for games. "Also, to just put focus on something other than my crazy life, video games are perfect for me."
What was the game that got you hooked? Frogger. And I think there's a reason behind that, and it's the same reason that I'm into Crash Team Racing right now. I'm horrified of cars, and I hate driving. I bought my car three y ears ago, brand new, and it has only three thousand miles on it. So Frogger was like the video version of my biggest fear, trying to run between all those cars. I use Frogger as an analogy for life all the time. "Oh, everything was coming at me from every direction, I felt like Frogger." But now I've got CTR, and I cannot stop playing it, it's just so fun.
Do you think you're also drawn to CTR because of what seems to be an obsession with leopard skin? Because you have leopard skin pajamas, blankets, leopard skin pillows, leopard skin candles... You haven't seen the sheets, the comforter, and the shoes!
So when you play Crash Team Racing, do you play as the little leopard? No, I don't play just one guy. But there's one girl that you race against, Coco Bandicoot, she has a really annoying voice, and she reminds me of, ugh!, girls I can't stand, cheerleaders and stuff. And that's my goal, to beat her.
Do you ever play realistic racing games? Yeah, if I'm in an arcade, that's what I go to, the driving games.
So you still play arcade games, then? I love arcade machines. The sound of the quarter going in, having a pocket full of quarters - that's just cool. There's a burger joint up on Santa Monica Boulevard, and they have a Ms. Pac Man machine in the back, and I sneak up there and play sometimes. I love Ms. Pac Man. Never liked Pac Man, though. Not for any reason, I just think Ms. Pac Man is way fun.
You have a wrist tattoo of three triangles. Is that because the triangle is your favorite button on a PlayStation controller? [laughs] God, I wish I could say yes. No, the triangle is the most fascinating geometric shape to me. Also, it's one up, one down, one up, and that's kind of how life goes.
One of your interests is crime... Yes. I studied criminology, sociology, and psychology in college, and then I started my masters in criminology at Georgia State University. I'm obsessed with forensic science.
So have you played any video games where there's crime involved? Yes, my sister just gave me this one for the computer where you're supposed to follow police protocol and find serial killers. And I was so excited, but I can't get it to play, I'm going crazy.
Speaking of computer games, you did the voice on the Blade Runner game. I did, I'm Lucy, the cool little girl. That was fascinating. I do voiceovers for a lot of commercials, but this was completely different. I actually want to be the queen of video game voices, but I also want to be a superhero. See, I have insomnia, and I think the reason I can't go to sleep is that if I do, who's going to save everyone? Somewhere in my brain, I honestly think it's my job.
If it was and there was a video game made about it, what would it be like? Oh, that's so exciting! She'd look exactly like me, since I think I look like a superhero, and she doesn't sleep at night, her whole life is spent seeking retribution for crime victim s. But only violent crime. Oh, and I don't like people who are rude to each other, so that would be part of her superhero thing. And my gang? All drag queens. Beautiful, crime-fighting drag queens.
And lastly, on the first episode of Time of Your Life, you flashed your boobs at a pizza delivery guy because you didn't have any money. Have you ever flashed a guy to get a free video game? Hell no. I don't think I've flashed anybody. But then, the show is owned by Sony, and after I flashed that guy, Sony gave me a PlayStation. So hey, maybe I did flash my boobs for a PlayStation. [laughs]
GAMER CREDENTIALS
Where you've seen her: The Drew Carey Show, Jesse, Time of Your Life
Where you've heard her: On commercials for Volkswagon, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and Starbucks
Where you'll see her next: Stillwater with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Fairuza Balk, and Jason Lee; and Coyote Ugly with John Goodman and Maria Bello
Cartoon character that most resembles her: Aeon Flux
Most hated video game character: Coco Bandicoot
Favorite superhero: "Oh, I just love them all."