First, as there are lots of phantom fans that haven't been around these webpages for long, could you introduce yourself briefly?

The phandom in general knows me as "Raphael," although that's only my screen name. I'm a fun-loving Taurus that enjoys musical theatre, Argentine tango, genre entertainment and edged weapons. I have a background in graphic design, filmmaking and animation and have been known to spontaneously break into song -- usually a Barry Manilow tune. Is that more than you wanted to know?

How did you get interested in the Phantom of the Opera? What was your first encounter with it?

My first exposure to the Phantom of the Opera was back in the summer of 1990 when my sister and I bought the Original London Cast recording. I remember having seen a station identification ad on the MovieTime channel (now known as E!) that featured Robert Guillaume, who was then starring in the Los Angeles production of the musical. The cassette's black cover with the stark white mask and vague memories of some scenes from the show on television were appealing, so my sister and I decided to pick it up. Well, actually *she* bought it. I just wound up listening to it a lot more.

When we got home, I popped the first cassette into the stereo and went about my business while I half-listened. The moment those descending organ blasts blared out of the speakers, I was interested. When Michael Crawford's voice boomed, "Insolent Boy!", I was intrigued. By the end of "Music of the Night," I was a completely hooked. The mystique of the pictures in the inserts also fascinated me, and I listened to the OLC many times in those early days, but it would be a little over a year before I saw the show itself. Not long after listening to the OLC, I bought the original novel which deepened the story for me beyond what the ALW musical offered. I also recall seeing the animated version on cable around that time as well, along with the NBC miniseries starring Burt Lancaster and Charles Dance, all of which fed my interest in the story.

What in the story do you think made you a Phantom fan? What touched you?

Personally, I feel a degree of identification with the Phantom on various levels: his isolation, his creativity, his unrequited love for Christine. Those elements carry on through most of the versions of the story. As far as the ALW musical goes, I loved the music, and Maria Björnson's costumes and sets. And when the performers are good singers and actors and have chemistry, I can really buy into the story as they tell it.

Has being a phantom fan changed your life? How?

Well, being a phan has certainly widened my interests and broadened my scope of friends. With PotO as an introduction into musical theatre, I've seen many more shows and loved quite a few of them. The internet brought me into contact with phans around the world, many of whom I consider good friends. My interest in Phantom has also led me to spend bundles of cash that would probably be better spent on other things, so you might consider that the down-side.

You have beautiful phantom related art on the web. How long have you been doing it and how long has it been online?

Thank you very much! My website has been online since late 1999, I suppose (I've never been very good at record-keeping) My first piece was "Erik in Repose", which I did around the last months of the San Francisco production of PotO. Valentine's Day 1999 brought about "A Phantom Valentine" and it sort of snowballed from there.

Do you have a philosophy in regards to your phantom based art? Where do you get your inspiration from?

Is there a philosophy to my work? Hmm, I haven't given it much thought, really. I'm probably more well-known for my "cartoony" Phantom illustrations, so I suppose whatever ellicits a laugh is fair game. I certainly have more ideas for those than the more classic illustrations. Concepts tend to come unimpeded into my head, so much so that I have quite a list of ideas that may or may not ever see the light of day. At times I'll just do one so they don't take up space in my brain. And when the environment precludes me from drawing, my mind will shift gears into literary creativity -- such as when I wrote five ABBA-inspired Phantom song parodies during a drive from San Francisco to LA.

What kind of feedback have you recieved?

I receive emails from visitors to my site, which I always enjoy reading and do my best to reply whenever I can. Occasionally there are suggestions for new works or requests for certain things. And on a really good day, a job offer comes in!

As a phantom fan yourself, what kinds of people do you think become phantom fans? Are there any common traits? What in Phantom intriques people so much? What do they relate to?

Well, I can't speak to everyone's interest in Phantom since everyone comes to it their own way. The story is a classic one, though, and its "beauty and the beast" elements certainly resonate across the board. The Phantom's unrequited love for Christine, his ostracization by society, the theme of looking past surface appearances to see the true person beneath; there are many angles in which a person could relate to the story and it all depends on what experiences they bring to the table.

A large number of phantom fans are creative people in arts, literature etc. Why do you think this is, or do you disagree?

From the people I've met online, I'd agree that a great deal of the phans are involved in the creative arts in one way or another, be it music, writing, or visual arts. It's been my experience that people of this sort are sensitive by nature and very often isolated so that may account for identification with the title character. Just a theory, anyway.

Your personal goals, as far as life and fandom comes? :) For example, any plans for the upcoming 20th anniversary of ALW's musical?

I'm currently hoping that the 2-D animation industry doesn't vanish completely or I'll need to look for another line of work! As far as goals concerning the phandom, there's a big convention planned for the 100th anniversary of the Gaston Leroux novel -- and consequently, all the permutations of Phantom since then -- to take place in Las Vegas that I'm hoping to participate in. The plans are still tentative, so I can't really say much about it.