Gen1 Tracks (Michael McConnohie) for NZ Cons.

[griffin]

Two conventions in NZ (Christchurch and Wellington) of similar style to Supanova here, has the TFs voice actor Michael McConnohie scheduled to be in attendance at both shows.

http://www.armageddonexpo.com/nz/

Christchurch is next weekend (27/28 March) and Wellington is the weekend after (2-4 April), for anyone here who is close enough to make it.

He worked on the RiD series, but is best known for his voice roles of Tracks and Cosmos in the original Gen1 cartoon.

[5FDP]

Why can't we ever get someone here for Supanova like Michael McConnohie I would love to meet the voice behind one of my fav G1 characters (Tracks that is)...

[Sky Shadow]

Why can't we ever get someone here for Supanova like Michael McConnohie I would love to meet the voice behind one of my fav G1 characters (Tracks that is)...

I wonder how many times he gets asked "is Tracks gay?" per convention.

[Zippo]

I'm heading up to the Chch show, though I will not be paying $30 and $45 for Autographs/Pictures (plus I left getting a spare Tracks too late)

[griffin]

At least autographs are free, so if you find other stuff there worth doing, the hefty entry fee mightn't be all bad. Would be a bit much for me though, with such limited possible exposure to him at that event.

[5FDP]

I wonder how many times he gets asked "is Tracks gay?" per convention.

Really??? You think that someone would ask this? The thought never crossed my mind.

On the Madman G1 boxset (special features that came with the fourth season) Michael McConnohie explains the method by which he came up with the voice for Tracks. He is a very talented voice artist and the character of Tracks is just plain awesome.

"A car that flies... how droll".

[Sky Shadow]

Really??? You think that someone would ask this? The thought never crossed my mind.

Are you serious? McConnohie has been asked it a lot, (he says Tracks is not) I just wonder how often he gets it.

Even Tracks' Tfwiki page is just one long double entendre:

http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Tracks

[5FDP]

Are you serious? McConnohie has been asked it a lot, (he says Tracks is not) I just wonder how often he gets it.

Even Tracks' Tfwiki page is just one long double entendre:

http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Tracks

Yeah, I am being serious. The fact that anyone would question the sexual orientation of a character from a fictional kids show is just ridiculous. Sunstreaker was no more vein than Tracks... maybe the two were having an off-screen love affair

This is right up there with Humphrey B Bear being banned for not wearing pants and Fat Cat's banning for being gender neutral and supposedly confusing children.

I wonder if the person asking the question was Michael Atkinson. I wouldn't be surprised one bit

Sometimes people forget this is a kids show / brand and that's just plain sad.

[Sky Shadow]

Yeah, I am being serious. The fact that anyone would question the sexual orientation of a character from a fictional kids show is just ridiculous. Sunstreaker was no more vein than Tracks... maybe the two were having an off-screen love affair

This is right up there with Humphrey B Bear being banned for not wearing pants and Fat Cat's banning for being gender neutral and supposedly confusing children.

I wonder if the person asking the question was Michael Atkinson. I wouldn't be surprised one bit

Sometimes people forget this is a kids show / brand and that's just plain sad.

There's no reason that there shouldn't be 'gay' Transformers though. Considering they're robots, they sure seem to have heaps of 'hetero relationships':

Elita-One and Optimus Prime, Elita-One and Sentinel Prime, Chromia and Ironhide, Blackarachnia and Silverbolt, the ironically-named Breastmasters and their WAGs, Skids and Charlene, Powerglide and Astoria, Wreck-Gar and Nancy, Seaspray and Alana, Botanica and Rattrap, Strika and Lugnut, Strika and Obsidian, Arcee and Hot Rod, Arcee and Springer, Arcee and Daniel, Wheelie and Megan Fox's leg (and many more).

And yet the only de-closeted Transformers seem to be the Japanese versions of Airazor and Tigatron, and Tidal Wave being gay for Galvatron in Energon.

It would be more interesting if a voice actor did pull a J.K.Rowling-Dumbledore / George Clooney-Batman and outed their character. Like... I can imagine Scott McNeill doing it: "Oh yeah, Dinobot was totally gay. You didn't get that?"

[5FDP]

There's no reason that there shouldn't be 'gay' Transformers though. Considering they're robots, they sure seem to have heaps of 'hetero relationships':

Elita-One and Optimus Prime, Elita-One and Sentinel Prime, Chromia and Ironhide, Blackarachnia and Silverbolt, the ironically-named Breastmasters and their WAGs, Skids and Charlene, Powerglide and Astoria, Wreck-Gar and Nancy, Seaspray and Alana, Botanica and Rattrap, Strika and Lugnut, Strika and Obsidian, Arcee and Hot Rod, Arcee and Springer, Arcee and Daniel, Wheelie and Megan Fox's leg (and many more).

And yet the only de-closeted Transformers seem to be the Japanese versions of Airazor and Tigatron, and Tidal Wave being gay for Galvatron in Energon.

It would be more interesting if a voice actor did pull a J.K.Rowling-Dumbledore / George Clooney-Batman and outed their character. Like... I can imagine Scott McNeill doing it: "Oh yeah, Dinobot was totally gay. You didn't get that?"

With what you just said, you have reinforced the point that I was trying to make. Sorry if I was a bit vague before.

Michael Bay films aside, from an adult POV, you are absolutely right. Transformers could be perceived as being gay or they might come across as being in hetero relationships. However, as a child watching the show, I don't think either sexual preference would be considered or even questioned.

I cannot imagine the sexuality of Tracks being questioned by a 9 year old; I know I sure didn't.

It's only when we become adults that we tend to over-analyse things and potentially take things out of context or perceive them as being something completely opposite of what we thought when we were kids.

As I said previously, Transformers is and always has been a children’s brand. It's disappointing that some attempt to trivialise and force it to be more than just pure and innocent entertainment (yes Michael Bay... I'm looking at you).