I am David Firth, creator of Salad Fingers AMA

You have caused me many nightmares, I see no way for you to redeem yourself.

(loved your cartoons man)

What is wrong with nightmares? They're like good horror films that you actually believe are real, and then you wake up unharmed with something to think about.

What is wrong with you? I am fascinated by your distorted imagination.

I think I am bored with the shit-stream of bland culture that is being crammed down my throat from every angle. I think that is why I make the stuff I make.

How do you feel about the fact that people have made porn of Salad Fingers? - NSFW

I've been sent quite a few. Don't know why I am hosting them:

http://www.fat-pie.com/fanstuff2010/saladfingersboner.jpg - NSFW

http://www.fat-pie.com/fanstuff2010/sala88d.jpg - NSFW

Sweet, I'm gonna borrow the first one since it's the closest I would imagine of getting an autograph from you.

Btw, I see your account is over two years. What made you decide to do an AMA now?

I joined here a few years ago because I was sick of Digg, though I never really investigated the AMA section before. Someone asked me very nicely to do this, so I did.

Your series destroyed my innocence as a child. What is it that you do for a living?

I am a freelance life-destroyer.

The names of the finger puppets Salad fingers has...amazing. Are those names of people you know? How did those come about?

I am naming my dog Hubert Cumberdale.

We sat and thought of stupid names that made us laugh. Cumberdale was actually from an episode of the Simpsons where they got a swimming pool and the house was filled with random children. One of them calls Marge "Mrs. Cumberdale". It made me laugh and it still makes me laugh.

...we?

My friend Crust and I. We came up with Salad Fingers together.

Have you ever seen a ghost before?

Never.

Has a ghost ever seen you before?

I dreamt about a ghost in a cellar the other night. At first it was just opening doors and moving things, next thing we knew it had killed a kid in a wheelchair. (not sure who or how but it happened) So a bunch of us went down to confront it with hammers and a cross (for some reason). It was completely invisible. Just a force. It was getting angry and moving stuff about. It picked up a huge metal hammer and threw it right at me. Then the dream cut to something else and I was walking through Doncaster town centre with a friend of mine, who was much smaller than usual.

So my answer is maybe.

Where did you get the idea for Salad Fingers?

From my fingers. Apparently I have funny looking fingers when I play guitar.

I know you used to use some Boards of Canada music in your cartoons, do you think that due success of Salad Fingers that the band may have seen your cartoons?

I have no idea. Boards of Canada are a bit reclusive. I heard a rumour that Aphex Twin has seen the Milkman cartoon though. I hope he has.

Your twitter feed says your working on a film called The Meadow Man. What's it about? What's the suspected run time? Did you tone it down a little compared to you series? You realize that most human beings watching a full length David Firth film may be rendered impotent and insane?

It won't be toned down, it will be toned up. Maybe. It will have a semi coherent story due to the length, but also contain waves of warped mystery. It's not specifically a horror, but it may be a little nightmarish.

Coud you please verify this on twitter?

Dunnit

Have you seen this Betty Crocker commercial where the boy sounds like salad fingers?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5igcSkoDTA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Lots of kids sound like that in the North of England.

how long does it take to animate an average salad fingers and burnt face man cartoon?

Between 2 weeks and 2 months.

I absolutely love your cartoons, but where did you come up with the idea for them? I mean, they're hilarious, but pretty fucked up?

Ideas come from:

Dreams. Things that happen around me. Things that could happen. Things that I'm glad aren't happening. Things that I wish would happen.

What were your thoughts on the Banana Fingers spoofs when they came out?

I liked it. People got the wrong idea thinking it was some idiot trying to Americanize Salad Fingers, but that was the joke. Made me laugh anyway.

Also, I've just now decided that I am going to make a Salad Fingers birthday cake:

1. Make a cake base
2. Cut out space for a balloon and put a balloon on top of the cake
3. Frost the balloon to look like Salad Fingers

When an unsuspecting chump goes to cut the cake, Salad Fingers will explode all over his/her face.

Also, Gabe says 'sup.

I don't know Gabe, but I'm sure he's a heck of a guy.

Did you get to meet Charlie Brooker when you animated for Screenwipe? If so, what's he like in person?

Yes. We met up in London at some bar. He is probably as you would imagine him to be from seeing him on TV, still angry but in a warmer, friendlier way.

are you a wizard?

Nope. I was tried as a witch but I sank, so they let me off.

Can you help get me off?

That should be your girlfriend's job.

lol. what happened to jerry jackson? his stuff was so funny

He made something a few months ago. The most recent update on fat-pie.

Do YOU like to caress rusty spoons?

No. All my spoons are smooth.

The Jerry Jackson cartoons are god damned brilliant. You must have seen a lot of bad flash in your day.

When did you start working in Flash? Was there an awkward stage à la Jerry Jackson?

My cartoons looked way worse than Jerry Jackson when I started. It isn't so much based on bad animation, but internet idiots in general. When I see writing in all caps, spelt wrong and making no point whatsoever, that is the voice that comes into my head.

when is the next salad fingers going to be ready??

Soon

What are your favorite cartoons, and why?

Tom & Jerry, Beavis & Butthead, Ren & Stimpy,

Because they all have "&" in them.

What prompted you to do the Devvo stuff?

How did you meet the actor who played Devvo? Also, what is he like in real life?

We've been friends since school. We decided to make some pretend video responses to our fat-pie series. I did an angry hooligan type that was supposed to be on drugs, then Crust did a similar thing but miles better.

are your characters based on real individuals? and is Devvo really as fucked up as he seems?

My characters are usually massively exaggerated, distorted versions of real people or people I imagine exist somewhere. Devvo isn't my character, he's Crust's, but he is the same; a collage of many different people, exaggerated.

Who is your favourite animator? PS. I like it when the red water comes out.

I don't think I have one particular favourite. Here is a list of favourites: Jan Svankmajer, The Brothers Quay, Priit Pärn, Tex Avery, Terry Gilliam, Jonas Odell, Phil Mulloy, AlanTheBox, Jim Ether, Kol Belov.

1) What's happening with the Meadow Man?

2) What other film stuff are you working on?

3) Was it true you helped with the scripts for Two Pints of Lager, and have you done any other writing for any other shows/films/adverts?

4) I love you and you are brilliant.

1. It is taking years and will continue to take years.
2. A few short animation ideas are building up. Salad Fingers 9 is almost done.
3. That is not true. I have not written anything for anyone else.

Woo! :D

Also if you don't mind me asking, what do you do for a day job? Do the BBC cartoons pay much?

My job in the day is the same as my job at night. I make stuff, I put it online, people watch it and sometimes buy t-shirts. Sometimes people say "hey, make something for us and we'll pay you" and sometimes I say "OK". Sometimes youtube lets me put adverts at the bottom of my videos so I can get paid for putting stuff on youtube. Sometimes Newgrounds pay me for making stuff for their site and putting their logo on it. So there are many little tiny streams of revenue that help me pay my way.

3) Was it true you helped with the scripts for Two Pints of Lager

Of course not. If he had, Two Pints wouldn't have been shite.

I think it would have taken a lot more than me "helping with the scripts" to save it from being shite.

Are you going to leeds this year, and if so are you going to get MORTALLY HAMMERED?

I saw the line-up, so probably not.

What flavour toothpaste do you prefer?

It's usually mint isn't it? I think I tried strawberry once. It was shit.

how would you classify your animations and the work you do?

I don't really think about that. It's up to the viewer to decide where they fit. They're animated. They might make you happy or sad, they might annoy you, they might make you think, or laugh, or feel something. They might just stop you being bored for a few minutes or they might just bore you.

YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay. Queshun: How do your friends + family react to your movies? PTIKOBJ was just... I don't even know.

My mum thought the latest Jerry Jackson was a bit much. I don't think it was enough.

Do you have any words of advice for other aspiring digital animators?

Put your stuff on Newgrounds first. Youtube will swallow them up.

Do you have a younger brother named Michael (I think)? About six years ago my brother made a Flash animation with him, saying it was your brother.

EDIT: The animation was about a company closing down, and all everyone cares about is the fact that the water cooler ran dry.

He did.

Personally, I prefer Burnt Face Man to Salad Fingers.

Good. They take half as long to make and about a quarter of the effort.

Mr. Firth - first off, you are awesome and so are your comics. I have one question for you - a while back I did a Google search and found an old website you owned and it said something along the lines of "David Firth's LSD dungeon..." or something like that. I always suspected psychedelics perhaps played a role in the Salad Fingers comics and was wondering if that were true? I had some fantastic trips to watching Salad Fingers fried with my buddies!

The "acid dungeon" is a joke. It's just to get people worried.