Sure, there’s lots of great stuff in VDB’s mighty long interview with Peter Shumlin. But here’s the most important part…

VDB: First things first. Recently our satirical team Audio Dream Theater went live with a piece called “Crouching Douglas, Hidden Shumlin,” in which you were portrayed as an all-powerful martial arts expert who had been secretly raised in a temple high in the mountains of Putney. Did you manage to listen to the piece, and did it ring true for you in any way?

Shumlin: I did listen to it. And it did ring true.

VDB: [Laughter] In what way?

Shumlin: [Not even a hint of a smile] Well, you know, I live on a ridge. I have a 220-year-old farm house that has the only — I suspect — the only top-loading underground cave, made of stone. This is true. And there are a number of theories on it.

Some people think it goes back to really early mankind, when the United States was attached to places that we’re no longer attached to, because of rising sea levels. Which you’re going to see because of global warming, again. Others think it was a place to hide slaves during the exit to Canada. Others think it’s a root cellar. But it’s actually [Lets the smile break] my cave.

VDB: Now what does “top-loading” mean?

Shumlin: It means that when you see traditional root cellars in Vermont, you usually go through a small door. This just looks like — from the exterior you’d never notice it except that the earth looks slightly mounded. And as you move toward it, if you remove three rocks, you literally drop down into the chamber from the top.

VDB: This is almost exactly like the moment in Batman Begins with Christian Bale, when he discovers the Bat Cave.

Shumlin: Exactly. So I did hear the piece, and I thought it was right on the money. And the Governor’s running for cover [Laughing].

VDB: Okay. A follow-up: we spent hours working on your voice, all three of us cutting audition tapes — and it got a little competitive I have to say — but it’s a very distinctive voice, and it just seemed like it was going to be so easy. Any tips on getting it right next time out?

Shumlin: [Considers it] I think you have to mumble.

VDB: Okay. And I can hear now that there’s a lot more gravel there than we thought.

Shumlin: There’s a lot of gravel. And, you know, it’s just the way it was created. No, I thought it was a great piece, and I laughed like hell.

Competition for the voice work? Well, let’s just say I was pretty sure I had the most gravel. And perhaps the most gravitas, as well.