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Ready and Will-ing (Issue #2) was published in 1991 as a fanzine/newsletter devoted to Jonathan Frakes, specifically with a focus on his role as Riker. I've got a handful of these little newsletters lying around, and they're quick and easy to read/review, so I figured I'd do this one while I try to finish reading the longer ones on my list!

Since this one is so short, I'll mostly just transcribe and post pics of the interior. It's only about 6 pages long, but it's very cute and fun to flip through.

Note: If, like me, you can't remember what controversial thing Frakes said on Arsenio Hall in 1991, I rewatched the clip -- he says there are some bizarre folks at Star Trek cons XD

Since there are no photos on Page 6, I'll just transcribe the rest of the interview.

Q. We've seen photos of you and your wife with a black and white dog. Is that your dog? What's the dog's name? A. Black and white? We have a dog, but there's no white on it...maybe a few white hairs here and there. It's an Australian shepherd/mutt mix named Frasey.

Q. I know your wife is of Lithuanian descent. What is your ethnic background? A. I'm of Irish and Pennsylvania Dutch descent. What a combination!

Q. Would you ever move back to the East? If so, would you rather live in New York or in a place like your home town of Bethlehem? A. Yes, as soon as I possibly can. As soon as the Enterprise completes her mission. New York's the greatest city in the world.

Q. You sing the first few bars of Volare at every convention. Why Volare? Are you ever going to sing the rest of it? Or the rest of something else? A. I started singing Volare on the set. The rest of the crew sings back and we have a lot of fun with it. I use it to lift our spirits sometimes when we need it. I don't sing the rest of it because I don't know the rest of it. I've been known to sing at any given moment.

Q. Has there been any particular moment in your career that made you glad you went into this line of work? A. When Gene called me and said that everything was worked out and that I had the role of Riker.

Q. Any moments that made you regret it? A. In the middle of the night moving furniture with a hurt back because I had no work and I wanted to be an actor. (laughs)

Q. Do you ever get stage fright?
A. A little, but a little bit is healthy.

Q. You were in Shenandoah on Broadway. Would you like to go back to the stage? Do you prefer working before a camera or a live audience? A. Yes, I'd like to go back. No, I don't prefer the stage, but it's something I'd like to do. We all do.

Q. What one actor you've worked with impressed you the most? A. Max Wright. He's a comedian and a very good one. Q. Actress? A. Genie Francis (laughs)

Q. You labored in relative obscurity for years. What other role did you audition for and not get that might have been a career maker? A. Ted Danson's role on Cheers and Remington Steele. Those two come to mind.

Q. Is there anything you turned down that you now regret? A. No, not a thing. I didn't turn down much work then.

Q. As an actor, what director would you most like to work with? A. Woody Allen.

Q. As a director, who would you most like to direct? A. Robert Duvall. My episode airs this Wednesday, The Reunion. I hope to direct at least one more this season.

Q. When you directed The Offspring, did any of the cast members give you a hard time? Who? A. Constantly. All in good fun, though. It was basically a Brent and Patrick episode, so I spent a lot of time with them. But when it came to it, they had their acting shoes on.

Q. What would be on your "wish list" for a summer hiatus project? A. A summer project? A character role in a comedy film.

Q. What runs through your mind when you do a convention and see all those people who came to see you? A. I feel proud... privileged...and thankful. It's exciting.

After a few parting words, we said good-bye and my interview was over. It had seemed like we had been on the phone for hours, when in reality it had been a little more than fifteen minutes...fifteen minutes I won't soon forget.

The "Hot or Not" debate continues for the rest of the zine, but I won't transcribe it here today -- maybe in a separate post, because I find it genuinely interesting! I'll close out with these comics that run along the bottom of the pages:

And to wrap it all up, the credits:

Soapbox: written by Marianne Morici, editor
Will's Dining Guide:
A Different Perspective: by Shayne Wallesch
An Interview with Jonathan Frakes: by Shayne Wallesch
The Riker-Troi Romance: Hot to Trot?: by Carol Davis
...Well, Maybe Not: by Marianne Morici
Aggravation (comic) by Janet D'Airo

Photos, pages 3 and 4 by Shayne Wallesch
Photo, page 5 by Pat Neal
Cartoons, pages 2 and 3 by Janet D'Airo
Cover and drawing on page 7 by Ann Marie Leclerc
Cartoon in Updates, Dec. 90 also by Janet D'Airo

Ready and Will-ing
copyright January 1991, all rights reserved

edited by Marianne Morici
published by friends, fans, and followers of Jonathan Frakes

subscriptions are $16.00 annually ($21.00 overseas airmail) and are available from: (address redacted)

fffJF is an unofficial club serving the fans of Jonathan Frakes. fffJF and its publications are not for profit and are not intended to infringe on any copyrights or other rights of Paramount Pictures Corp.