While at Wizard World Chicago, The Pullbox crew got to meet quite a few media celebrities and geek stars, but none quite as personable as the stars of last season’s The Amazing Race Kynt and Vyxsin.
You can link up to their myspace here!
Eric, Greg, Kynt and Vyxsin get a few minutes to talk…
E: How did you guys decide to enter or get involved with The Amazing Race
K: Vyxsin and I have always been road trip junkies, all the time I would see something about a sci-fi convention, or a music festival or a fashion show going on, you know states away, I would be like there’s a great event going we have to be there, let’s leave in ten minutes, and I’m like Lets go! Lets go! Lets go! So, we are very adept at travel on the fly and when we saw the chance to do the Amazing Race, we saw they were casting another season, I thought let’s go for it and I asked her if she wanted to do it
E: Very nice, since then what have you been up to?
V: We get this question a lot and we joke that we are still racing. We have been running around, still doing lots of traveling, we’ve had great opportunities to do live and personal appearance stuff. Like, one of the things we did before the Race, is we would host Goth nights and interact with the band or DJ and emcee the dance and things like that, so now were are still doing that but in a much bigger scale. The Race has really opened doors for us. We actually just came back from Alaska and we spent a week there doing Goth stuff
K: Can you believe it, Anchorage Alaska
G: It’s all daylight there now, isn’t it?
V: yes it is, you know I was thinking Alaska was going to be like the Gothest state ever, you know it cold and Siberia, icy and night, Land of the Midnight Sun and all that, but we get there and you’re right and it’s like all sunny all day every day.
*laughter*
V: The other thing we have gotten to do that was real cool was model recently for Hot Topic
E: I saw that on your Myspace
K: That was like our teenage dream come true, seriously I used to look at that website and be like Hot Topic models are so cool, and so hot, and I wish I could be one so bad. And the chance to work with them and modeling brands like Hello Kitty was great. They even shot a music video of us, if you can believe it, it’s on their website and our Myspace. We are so proud to be affiliated with the brand of clothing; we have been fans of the clothing for so long, and now we have the chance to model, very cool.
G: I think one of the great things about the Amazing Race is that you guys having that Goth / alternative style. When people watched the show, they went “oh, here some Goths that are real people and they are likable”. You don’t have to be afraid; you don’t have to cross the street when you see them when you see them in a small town. You guys were saying earlier you are from Kentucky, not a lot of people dressing with your style down there, but now you have fans everywhere and you are really getting out who you are and being a model for the younger kids who say that they want to dress with a certain style but are afraid of what reactions might be or might happen to me socially and you guys have made that cool in the public eye
V: I was really excited when I found out we were going to do the show, obviously we wanted to win and get the money, but our bigger goal was win, lose or draw, to get on there and do our best to represent the Gothic culture in a positive light. Unfortunately, the press it gets in the mainstream is either non-existent or not so flattering. When we look around at our friends in the Goth scene, they are so creative, so playful, so intelligent, and we wanted to show that off. The Amazing Race was our ticket to do that.
E: You had mentioned before that you two are not new to the convention scene and here you are being two of the friendliest media celebrities here, and I am hearing that from a lot of the fans here. You are approachable, you let people take all the pictures they want and you are ready to do this. Sometimes you get some media people at cons who is all “I’m not going to talk to you, I’m over here and you’re over there” and you guys aren’t like that at all
K: Everyday, since the Amazing Race has occurred in our lives I wake up and think about what a blessing this is and how lucky we are because as you mentioned; I have been to Wizard World five times with a huge laundry bag of comics and statues as a fanboy and now to be back here as a guest with Vyxsin, it’s like life coming full circle in a way, I never expected any of this. We love interacting with fans, all and every sort of people, we aren’t just here for the Goth scene. Our main take-home message has always been whatever your style or scene is… Emo, Goth, Punk, Hip-Hop, Country… whatever is it, just do it. Be the most comfortable in your skin you can be and rock it out!
E: So, a year from now, where are we going to see you two?
K: Well, we hope to just keep doing what we are doing and we are in the current issue of Gothic Beauty
E: Very nice
K: Yes! We have a centerfold! *devious smile*, but seriously we hope to just keep the momentum going and I like to joke with her that the Pink and Black Attack will never stop racing.
V: Even though it corny, you know they say “aim for the moon and even if you fall short you will still land amongst the stars”, so I guess for me, so a big dream for me, and it’s appropriate to share here at this event is I would love to get to be a cartoon. You know or an action figure, I think that would be so cool!
E: That would work
V: No, seriously!
E: You guys would rock as a Saturday Morning cartoon!
V: We were thinking it was so funny, there are many things about our aesthetic that would lend itself to and is influenced by anime
K: Oh yea!
V: That’s definitely something we have incorporated into our style, so it would be a fun reversal of fate for that to happen. I would love to do that. If that was something that would get to happen, I would die a happy gal
K: What’s funny is one of the lines about us on the first episode of the Amazing Race was “they are like real life cartoon characters” and after hearing the statement from the commentator, I have to admit I always wanted to look like a cartoon character, I never wanted to look like a real person
E: Well, mission accomplished *laughter*
K: We just shot a special for the Travel Channel; it’s a Halloween special that’s coming in October.
E: Sounds like fun, I look forward to that
V: We feel so fortunate, I mean it’s not even been a year since we ran the race and we’ve been buried in press and we really feel like each day always brings wonderful new people, adventures and travels… you know, whatever comes in the midst of the year, I guess as long as I am hanging out with this guy I will happy and I’m pretty sure we won’t have a dull moment
K: You know, getting to come to Wizard World for free is awesome
E: Isn’t that great!
K: Yes, I’m not waiting in line anymore
*laughter again*
E: Thank you for your time, I know you two have really livened up the con this year and that all the fans just love you guys.
V: That’s so awesome, this is my first visit to the con here in Chicago and we have had a great time, thank you guys for visiting with us
K: There is so much excitement and energy here, this one of the best cons I have been to!
