In the Santa Barbara media-scape, no mustache is more beloved than that of John Palminteri, who works from the crack of dawn until way past bedtime most days of the week as a broadcaster for KjEE, KCLU, and KEYT. His salt-and-pepper coif, aforementioned ’stache, and exaggerated expressions are now also sported by a foam-filled, handheld, hilarious work of caricatured art. Palminteri the Puppet was born last month and will be one of the most recognizable faces to find during PuppetPalooza, which takes place Thursday-Sunday, March 1-4. We talked last week, and what follows is an edited version of our conversation.
Did you ever aspire to being puppetized? I’ve never had a problem spoofing myself, so John Palminteri in the third person is often in my conversation. To actually have a character created that can be part of my own conversation or hit me with a comeback is a welcome addition to my array of news and personality and comedy.
When did you first learn that you’d be a puppet? Somewhere right in the middle of covering one of the two disasters, I received a phone call from Rod Lathim. He ran the idea of John Palminteri the Puppet by me as part of the PuppetPalooza Festival, which, at the time, did not make that much sense to me. I was on my 25th hour in a 24-hour day. But because I know that anything Rod Lathim has his hands on is going to be fun, positive, community-oriented, great for kids, great for families, and showcased in the spotlight, I said, “I’m in. I’ll do whatever you want.” I didn’t really know what he was saying, but he put a smile on my face, and I said, “Let’s go for it.”