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A Brief Exchange
With Bill Burnett

Ed, Edd n Eddy

1999-2009

Bill Burnett is a songwriter and composer who directed, co-created and produced and wrote songs for Nickelodeon's animated series, ChalkZone. Working in Frederator for 18 years, I finally talked to him on Facebook.

February 18, 2014

JXP: Hello Mr. Burnett. I am a big fan of your songs; especially your work on Nickelodeon's cartoon, Chalkzone which ran from 2004-2009. I have some questions for you to answer if that's alright.
   BB: Hi Ari/Mich...Thanks for the good words. ChalkZone launched in 2002 and ran till 2009. Here are some answers:

 

JXP: How did you get started in singing and animation?
   BB: I've been singing and writing songs since I was 16. I got into animation when I went to work at Hanna Barbera in 1994.

 

JXP: What was your first animation business for songwriting?
   BB: My first songs in animation were for Cave Kids, an HB show, and for Casper at Universal.

 

JXP: How did you create Chalkzone? How did it started?
   BB: ChalkZone was the combined brainchild of me and Larrry Huber. Larry wanted to do a thing about a kid with magic chalk and I made up the idea of the alternative world on the other side of the ChalkZone. I mean Chalk Board.​

 

JXP: You were a worker for Oh Yeah! on many shorts such as Hobart. Were you involved in animation in any way?
   BB: I was integrally involved with all decisions about how those shows looked but an not myself an animator. I can barely draw at all.

 

JXP: Did you do any voices for Chalkzone?
   BB: I sang on all the songs in ChalkZone and performed the occasional voice, such as the Praying Mantis in Big Blow Up.

 

JXP: What was your favorite song in the show?
   BB: My favorite song on the show...hmmm...Probably There You ARe. But I don't really do "favorites". I like so many things.

 

JXP: What was it like working with Jess Harnell [voice of Joe], who is another singer in the group unlike the veteran actors; Daily, Walch, Bumpass, Cait, Cummings and Milo.
   BB: Jess Harnell is a great guy and a great talent. All the performers were great and we had lots of fun.

 

JXP: How did you get guest stars such as Tim Curry [Jacko the Pumpkin Guy], Malcolm McDowell [Barney the Encyclocentepedia] and the Baha Men [the Haha Men]?
   BB: We would think of who we'd like to have in the show and Nickelodeon has a department that gets in touch with their reps and works out a deal with them.

 

JXP: How did you get the actors? Did it cost you any money? How did you pay them cash, check? Which actors did you know from the start that would be perfect for the characters?
   BB: Actors came and auditioned and we picked the ones we thought were best. Yes, they are paid union rates by check.

 

JXP: How did Chalkzone get canceled? Why did the show stopped airing in 2005 and started airing again in 2009 in the middle of the morning? Why change character designs.
   BB: Show stopped airing because Nick decided that. As far as I'm concerned we'd still be making ChalkZone. There are dozens of stories left to tell. The character design changed because we wanted Rudy to be older than he had been in the original cartoon.

 

JXP: I love the song "Teach you a lesson youll never forget", "Crack those books" and "Just Say Yes to Recess" even "Mr. Board" four songs sung by Betty Bombast in the episode "School of Destruction". Did you also sang parts of the song? Do you have an mp3 copy of it? If you do can you send it to me? At my email [email protected]?
   BB: Those songs by Betty Bombast were fun. Thanks for noticing. I don't think I do have mp3s but I'll keep an eye out for them.

 

JXP: Why a show about chalk drawings? That always got to me when I was young.
   BB: Chalk is real and earthy, and can be used on so many surfaces. Since any surface ever used for chalk, from a blackboard to a hopscotch course to a specials board in a restaurant could be a portal into ChalkZone, it seemed like a ripe opportunity for storytelling. I like chalk.

 

JXP: Who voiced bombast? [I remembered; it was Jess Harnell because of his Ozzy Osbourne impression for him]
   BB: I can't remember. There is info on all the epps if you google them.

 

JXP: I'm still pondering. I heard the song Insect Aside with Mosquito in the Ckze episode. I could of sworn I heard it before. Did you do the song before?
   BB: I thought it fit ChalkZone. Your teacher had one of my CDs? Where did you go to school? You don't have to answer that if you don't want. I'm not a stalker. I'm just amazed that you could have heard that song.

 

JXP: I'm not afraid of you dude. It's so hard to type while yelling at my brother. And it's PS#14 in New Jersey. I don't quite remember. But the line "Theres nothing special about meeee" always comes back to haunt me as well as a cheap knockoff of Christmas Time by the Chipmunks.
   BB: Yeah, it was the Chipmunks on Acid. Aristototle I have to go now. It's great talking to you. Please visit the FB Bring Back ChalkZone

 

JXP: Ok. I will. Possibly tomorrow if I have the chance due to interviews. Currently trying to sing one of your songs on YouTube. Thank you Mr. Bill Burnett.
   BB: You're welcome, Mr. Aristotle Michaelangelo.