Hello, Greetings and Welcome to my website. Feel free to browse as you like where within these pages you will find information on “Morn” “Quark’s Favourite Customer” at Quark’s bar on the smash hit television series STAR TREK: Deep Space 9 and yours truly Mark Allen Shepherd the actor who played character of Morn from Pilot Episode to Season Seven Finale.
You may also see some 24 works of Art by Mark that were used by the DS9 Art Department as Set Dressing on numerous sets including the Quarters of Jake Sisko, Jadzia Dax, Dr Bashir, Commander Kira as well as the Quarters of Guest Stars over the course of the Seven year run of the Show. Some of the same art pieces were used as set dressing on the Star Fleet Conference Room Set during the filming of The Borg CD-Rom.
Mark’s art work often works as set dressing on the sets of various Television Shows, Feature Films and Commercials and has been used on the sets of such TV shows as Seinfeld, Coach, LA Law, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Feature films like Galaxy Quest, Blown Away, Fight Club, Commercials like AT&T, Campbell’s Soup, Molson´s Beer and many others.
Since the Finale of Deep Space Nine, Mark has worked on various projects not the least of which has been working with long-time friend and collaborator JC Wegman on several Independent Animated Short Films of their own creation. “Just two guys in a room with two computers” The way Mark and JC jokingly describe the Highly Charged and at times Chaotic Torrent of Creative activity that was the studio they worked in over the coarse of over Two and a half years. A great deal of which happened out of JC´s home studio and the last almost a year happened out of a space rented off the edge of a trendy stretch of Melrose Avenue in Hollywood California and just down the street from Paramount Studios.
During that time Mark performed a number of jobs including Music Director, Sound Designer, Sound Recording Specialist and Editor, Digital Artist, Character Voices, Computer Tech and Trouble Shooter. We basically did everything ourselves and I think neither one of us had a life at that time. That’s ok, we loved doing it.
In 2003 recorded „Morn to be Wild“ a parody of „Morn“ to the tune „Born to be Wild.“ I first wrote „Morn to be Wild“ in 1996 at a convention I was at in Annaheim, CA. called a „Furry-Con.“(basically a convention for fans that love TV, Cartoons and other shows that have animal characters in anthropomorphic form.)
Very few people knew who I was or cared. Boy was I at the wrong convention. Anyway, I was sitting around on Saturday watching people dressed like Scooby Doo, the Pink Panther and looked at convention schedule saw they had a filk competion that night. I decided I was going to enter the competion and that´s when I wrote „Morn to be wild.“
To make a long story short I went to the filk competion, performed „Morn to be Wild“ before a live audience for the first time and won second prize in the competion! Since then I´ve performed „Morn to be Wild“ at almost every convention to cheering fans. I´ve had several fans tell me that I should record it and even had a few offers from people who had a band or a recording studio. I finnally did it myself starting around Christmas 2002 and finnished it in March 2003.
It became the title song of my new CD „Morn to be Wild“ which has a total of nine songs: „Morn to be Wild“, „Bridge Over Yonder“, „Warp Factor 9“, „I SCI FI“, „HoloDay“, „M.O.R.N.“(a parody of L.O.V.E. a song I burned my voice out for a few days trying to sound a little like Luie Armstrong). „OOU Dax“, „Jumja Stick.“
It´s an ecclectic mix and fusion of different styles including Classic Rock, Classical with a Dance beat , Techno, Jazz, Regae and a few other twists. Very listenable and currently only available at the conventions I attend.
In Fall of 2003 I recorded and produced „Burning Thing“ parody of „Ring of Fire“ which I got the idea for listening to „Ring of Fire“ on the radio the day I heard Johhny Cash had passed away. And some days later heard that the Galileo Space craft was going to crash land on Jupitor. I was scheduled to appear at the Galileo 7 Convention the following month and wrote the song for that occasion. It all seemed to fit together for a great idea. The cover art shows Morn riding the Galileo space craft(like some kind of cosmic motorcycle) burning up in Jupitors atmosphere.
„Burning Thing“ became the title song for a CD collection of four songs that I sing including „Morn to be Wild“ remix, „Morn to be Wild“ and „M.O.R.N.“ My wife Tanja sings backup vocals on „Morn to be Wild.“ „Burning Thing“ was first released at Galileo 7 Convention in Hagen, Germany November 2003 and is currently only available at the conventions I attend while supplies last.
Currently spending time writing two books, photography, a music video and working on my new music CD. Will have more news on that next time. Have a convention in Paris, France the end of May and a film project I´m working on in June… again I´ll have more news on that soon.
I wish you all peace and well being.
Mark Allen Shepherd