Sometimes dreams do come true. And that was made very apparent for us when we were given a chance to chat with Amy Vorpahl about her upcoming music album, Behold Her Dreams. The incredibly creative Lady Wizard is a household name within the Dungeons and Dragons community. But she is much more than that. Vorpahl is a skilled musician who has already put out an album featuring nerdy songs like my absolute favorite, The Dungeon Master’s Lament. During our chat, we talked about creating her new album during quarantine, what the process has been like and what she hopes to do next!
This interview is edited for length and clarity.
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Amy Vorpahl
Julia Roth: Let’s kick this off! We love backstories here at GGA, so tell us, who is Amy?
Amy Vorpahl: I wear many hats. Actor, writer, singer, songwriter and D&D person. I was a theater nerd from age four and did theater and little school plays forever. Then I majored in acting. On the first day of my freshman year, I started playing D&D. I didn’t start playing until I was 18 and there have been people who ask, “how do I do the things you do?” And I have to tell them not to follow my path because my advice would be not to play D&D until you are 18.
JR: Just drop everything you are doing!
AV: You’ve already failed! You are playing and you are only 14. But seriously, don’t follow my path. Play now and play often. But back on track, I was reading tons of fantasy novels. Books were my escape and friends. While I was cultivating who I was as an actor, I was cultivating who I was as a D&D player. At the same time, I moved to Los Angeles and learned that writing was very fun and did tons of comedy theater and paid all the improv schools tons of money to become very funny. I got to experience a lot that shifted to internet nerd stuff with Buzzfeed making videos which turned into playing D&D online.
That was a six-year experience and throughout, I’ve been acting in various commercials and tv shows. And then, with my writing, I sold Hulu a half-hour comedy show that surrounded nerds being honest and jokes about Dragon Age Inquisition and Skyrim. All of that has really launched this nerd internet persona that I have become. Over COVID, I got published into D&D hardback books. Plus, all throughout, I have been singing and I wrote my first album, Songs in the Key of D&D, for fun. This current one has been a little bit more intentional and I knew what I wanted the songs to be and the album to be about.
JR: I have been in love with you since The DM’s Lament and all of the other work you have done over the years. But this album is different from Songs in the Key of D&D, but how?
AV: The whole reason I did it was because I have been an employee for a very long time. I wanted to know if I could create something on my own but at the same time not go in the red. That was it. It started with a question. Could I be my own boss? I’ve been an employee for so long and every hobby and music video I’ve done, I have paid for by myself. I wondered if I had enough of a support system that would even want what I would make. I know I can make an album, but this was an experiment to see if I had it in me to be my own boss. Honestly, I didn’t even know what I was going to make at first. It finally landed on the album because it was the easiest form of art that I could make.
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JR: Behold Her Dreams is going to be the first album from your very own production company Snicker Snack, which is a name we absolutely love.
AV: Yes! It’s Snicker Snack Productions! I had to lean in on Vorpahl Sword and when it was time for a name for my freelance gigs, I knew exactly what to name it. I had to honor the lineage of Vorpahl Sword and who I am on the internet is linked to that Jabberwocky poem. My tax account just calls it Snicker and that in itself is a fun word. It means candy and laughter. And snacks are equally wonderful and delicious. So when you tell people it’s Snicker Snack, they will be happy and won’t ask you how to spell it. It’s the chef’s kiss.
JR: You’re exactly right. You say it and then you smile because it’s such a fun name! Do you have any plans after Behold Her Dreams? I assume you aren’t starting this entire production company just for one album. Is there something you are really interested in doing?
AV: Yes! The songs from Behold Her Dreams are all linked together but feature different music genres. I would love to prove my worth by putting together a TV comedy musical like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend or a narrative film comedy musical. I have a couple of scripts ready to go. So my goal is narrative TV or film comedic musicals. The songwriting is always the most fun part of it and adjustable. No one has to read a long script; they just need to listen to lyrics and songs. This is the bigger vision, but right now, I just want to finally finish the album and then reevaluate what comes next.
JR: What has been your favorite song on the album that you can talk about right now?
AV: The first favorite is a secret power-pop anthem, but it will be getting a music video. I have a pretty good feeling that my fans are going to love it. I spent a lot of time researching for this song and finding cords and lyrics that worked well together. I wanted something that hit the same way as The DM’s Lament but made me feel powerful. Then my producer helped add in all of the additional changes to bring it to life. Typically, my songs start with my ukelele and fun lyrics and blossom from there. But this one, I put in a lot of research and built something that fit my theme and vibe while also being unique.
My next favorite song is a surprise to me. It is the Schools of Magic and this was my second most intentional song. I knew I wanted an Animaniacs style song like their countries song. It was a way to help dungeons masters remember what schools of magic there are whenever someone casts detect magic. So now, I have a song that can also help me remember the schools when someone casts that spell! As I wrote it, it became this mix of ska, punk and reggae that is another earworm. I also sent my producer the Weird Al song Your Horoscope for Today, where he yells the signs. So, you can hear my producer yelling the schools of magic in the song. This is a gift for me and the community.
JR: Let’s chat about your producer, Maxi Morales! How did that partnership come to be?
AV: This is actually a really easy question to answer! Maxi is my sister’s partner in Argentina! He loves music so much and he is self-taught. If I want ska, country, reggae or any other tons, I just ask him and Maxi can make everything happen. I send him me and my ukelele and he crafts the entire thing. The only one I sent differently was the secret pop-anthem because of how I went about it. Maxi also pitches me on melody changes and ways to help take the song to the next level.
JR: Let’s take a few steps back and talk about your creative process. Before the song even hits Maxi’s hands, what goes through your head?
AV: It normally starts as a titular line in the song that becomes a quick voice memo to myself with ideas for melodies. From there, I focus on lyrics and melody. I spend a lot of time singing to myself, starting back at the beginning, going over what I have, and figuring out where the song wants to go. Once I have that in my mind, I start to think about the chords and what will work well. This album has been a mix of D&D-style songs and others that I felt were calling me.
JR: Amy awesomesauce Vorpahl, it has been such a pleasure to chat with you! Thank you for sharing this piece of yourself with us!
AV: It’s been wonderful! I can’t wait for everyone to finally get to her Behold Her Dreams and what comes next!
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/mary-chieffo-interview-star-trek/
Who I Am: A nerd by the strictest definition. I enjoy diving straight into my favorite fandoms without a care in the world. I live on video/board games, fantasy movies and TV, and all things geeky.
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