A Moment with Danny James

by Russell Matthews

I had a chance to catch The Tribe’s Danny James today between autograph signings and track sessions and we talked for a few moments about his career, his experiences at Dragon*Con and the Tribe fandom here in the United States.

Danny is best known by fans of The Tribe as the deceased leader of the Locos named “Zoot,” whose appearances in the seasons following his character’s death kept his face in the eyes of those who love the show. However, Danny has been working with the show behind the scenes for several years, as a member of the art department at the production company, Cloud 9. When asked about his career plans, Danny expressed that he is looking forward to continuing his path as a professional builder in New Zealand. “There’s just something about being able to get with your friends in a car, drive past a house and be able to point at it and say, ‘I built that!’” he explained with a grin.

I asked Danny how Dragon*Con was treating him, and he said that he was having a wonderful time here at the con. “It’s so wonderful to see people who are so enthusiastic about their passions,” he said. “You can walk around and see everything from stormtroopers to wookies to people in anime costumes. It’s really, really fantastic that people have a place that they can express themselves in this way.”

“The Tribe fans here in America are really great. They’re as committed as the fans in Europe.” Danny chuckled and added, “They’re pretty much the same, except the accents are different. But their support and dedication is wonderful. I really appreciate the people who come out and support us and the show and display how much they love what we do.”