DJ Ess : What were your influences behind the Assassin section?
Tom : I guess my only real influence was the Exploding Heads Page, which no longer exists. At the time I made Assassin, EHP was the only "interactive" anti-celebrity site that I knew of. You would click on pictures of celebrities to make their heads explode. It was great! Back in those days, the most interactivity you could get was clicking on a picture to load a new page. I used that same concept to make the early Assassin missions.
DJ Ess : Is there anyone you have removed from your Assassin section due to public pressure?
Tom : Nope. When Tupac died, I removed his picture for a few weeks out of respect. When he kept making music videos, I decided it was fair to put him back up. If he can keep making music videos for years after his death, he can keep appearing on Assassin!
DJ Ess : What is your favourite part of your site?
Tom : Usually whatever is new. It can get boring trying to pump out new stuff for the same old concept, so I like starting new games. Right now I am working on a side scrolling shooter, which people seem to really like so far. As far as my proudest work, it is probably Pico. I think I did a pretty nice job with that.
DJ Ess : What else is going on in your life at the moment?
Tom : My girlfriend is leaving for a 6 month internship in Israel, and I'm going back to classes at the end of March. This past six months has been my internship period, but I left my job halfway through to devote more time to NewGrounds.
DJ Ess : What do you say to people that complain about the nature of your site, due to the fact that it, along with any other site on the internet, can be accessed by young children?
Tom : I tell them to install the right software. There are tons of programs out there that block out NewGrounds and similar sites from peoples' computers. Still, if a child is properly raised and educated, he or she will know that the stuff on NewGrounds isn't meant to be taken seriously.
DJ Ess : Well said. Do you ever have any requests for Assassin which you would not put on, either for decency reasons or fear of legal action?
Tom : I always get requests for the president, but I don't do it because it can be considered against the law to make threats like that. As for decency, I dunno if that would ever stop me.
DJ Ess : Have you ever had legal action from any of the individuals featured on Assassin (i.e. Brittany Spears, Puff Daddy)?
Tom : The Jim Henson Company recently sent me a threat concerning my Assassin parody of Bear in the Big Blue House. I changed the artwork some more than it had already been altered, although they had no grounds for a real lawsuit. They were just bullying me because they knew they could. I hope they all get fired now that the German's have bought their company.
DJ Ess : What was your inspiration behind Pico?
Tom : I had started the Pico concept before Columbine, but had only made games for Nene and Darnell - I wanted Pico's to be the best, but none of the ideas I had that special spark. After Columbine, tons of people started emailing me about how games like Assassin inspire school shootings. I thought that was ridiculous, so I decided the best way to piss them off would be making a parody of the whole thing.
DJ Ess : What actually happened between you and the BBC? (Feel lucky you don't have to pay over £100 a year just to watch it.)
Tom : The BBC pressured me to remove Telebubby Fun Land, and I caved to the pressure. After getting some guidance, however, I put it back up. I also had netfreedom.org to thank for getting word out to the press. The BBC never contacted me after that.
DJ Ess : What are your feelings on Internet censorship?
Tom : I hate it. The Internet should be without limits - there should be total freedom of expression. No one country can attempt to govern something that is worldwide and it makes me sick when I see politicians thinking they can find a way.
DJ Ess : Do you have anything else to say?
Tom : Thanks for the interview, and keep on coming back to NewGrounds! The Portal will soon be automated, allowing users to vote on their favorite movies and win prizes for posting the best entries. It's gonna be crazy!
