Kirk Demarais's Blog, page 9
July 21, 2014
SPONGEBOB EPISODE: PRANKS A LOT
It was a plain ol' regular day, and I was watching SpongeBob Squarepants— suddenly a full page Johnson Smith comic book ad fills the screen! The unexpected familiarity was like seeing a family member on a national TV show, like your grandpa showing up on Breaking Bad and you never knew he auditioned. Then a couple minutes in, S.B.S.P. (my abbreviation for Spongbob Squarepants which is quicker to type than his full name.) visits the "Palace of Pranks." The scene is comprised of great painted backgrounds complete with hanging shrunken heads and a barrel of wind-up chatter teeth.
All of this got me really excited and I felt compelled to start taking screenshots, though certainly not for a blog post, because a few random images of cartoon pranks would make for a lousy entry. I guess the archivist part of me wanted to preserve these images in case the episode somehow gets erased from existence. However, keeping them on my hard drive is too risky, so I had to put them on "the cloud," so here they are. Whew. I guess I'll fashion this into a regular, albeit lackluster post now.
The twenty first episode of season three, called "Pranks A Lot" is a beautiful duet of SpongeBob and classic gags. The show peaks early as the protagonists visit a novelty shop run by an older fish named Frank. He pitches a number of jokes to the boys before they settle on Invisible Spray. That's when the story takes a turn for the worse by leaving the prank shop to advance the plot.
I've covered prank appearances on other TV shows, and though these aren't official S.S. Adams products I think it's worth the next fifteen seconds of your time to scroll through a dozen screenshots.
"Pranks, gags, and gross out toys as far as the eye can see."
"The grandaddy of all pranks, the Joy Buzzer."
"You don't have to get it. The prank is for the enjoyment of the prankster."
Whoppee Cushion
Fake Vomit
Invisible SprayThank you for looking at the screenshots. Please think about what you have seen.
July 18, 2014
MY NATIONAL TELEVISION DEBUT
I invite you to watch my first ever appearance on a nationally televised program on the CBS Network! To see it, either buy Evening Shade Season One on DVD, or set your DVR to record twenty five years ago.
Remember a sitcom where Burt Reynolds was a high school football coach? No, not Coach with Craig T. Nelson, that was college ball. Anyway, there was this show called Evening Shade and it was supposed to take place in a small Arkansas town because it was produced by an Arkansan who also did Designing Women, and they were hoping this show would piggyback on its southern style success.
In order to add some authenticity to the program, the creators decided to shoot the exterior establishing shots in actual Arkansas towns. You guessed it, one of those towns was mine.
One afternoon a film crew showed up and gave a talk and a Q&A to our entire high school. Since DVD commentaries didn't exist yet, it was pretty enlightening for me, and I remember learning some production techniques, like filming during the golden hour and such. They ended the presentation by handing out their shooting schedule and asking us to be extras.
The first shot took place that night and was meant to depict a Sadie Hawkins dance, which was said to be a popular Arkansan tradition, yet none of us had heard of one. So people showed up at the old gymnasium wearing prom leftovers, and the film crew captured this fake dance with much gusto. I had no formal clothes so I just went to watch. This seemed to work in my favor because they asked a few of us casuals to be in an unrelated shot where we acted like a group of football fans cheering our players after a game. However, I don't think that was ever used.
We were invited to come to school the next morning, more than an hour early (yes, during the golden hour) for the final shot. For this crucial scene we were asked to mill around in front of the nearby junior high as if it were a school morning in the fall. Well, it really was a school morning in the fall so we did an excellent job. I guess I'm a method actor.
Our days of filming were practically a forgotten memory by the time the shows actually aired. I missed the original airings, and at the time my family still didn't have a VCR, so it was decades before I finally saw my work for the first time via Netflix. I took some screen grabs that I would like to share with you now. Ladies and gentlemen, here I am on TV!...
Right over there!
How can I be sure it's me? First off, that's obviously my jean jacket. Also, I intentionally chose a spot where I wouldn't be standing in a blob of anonymous kids, and from that window there was a perfect line of vision between me and the camera. My plan was a major success! The girl in white pants was a friend of mine so as we waited we actually developed a brief back story for our characters, and decided that mine made a habit of hitting on hers before school, but she was reluctant. More method acting for me.
What I most remember about the filming sessions is that the camera and lights seemed less substantial than I imagined. I expected lots of high tech equipment, but these guys had a lean, almost chintzy looking setup. I also thought the whole thing seemed pretty run-and-gun. I know they must have done some prep work, but the shots were done very quickly, and that's two whole takes. I remember wondering if the entire event was some sort of ruse. Like after the shoot they might ask us to pay our actors guild fees before skipping town. I was halfway shocked when I heard that we really appeared on the show. I don't mean to disparage those guys, it's just a memorable "expectation versus reality" moment for me. In truth, that's a lot of work to go through to get shots that could have easily been grabbed near the studio, and I doubt the authenticity was even noticed by the audience. When I started watching more episodes I was surprised to find quite a few other shots they had picked up around town, so it's sort of neat that the place is immortalized on the program and will eventually reside in the Burt Reynolds wing of the Smithsonian.
So please watch my show. Remember, it's called Evening Shade and it airs Friday nights at 8 PM in 1990.
Remember a sitcom where Burt Reynolds was a high school football coach? No, not Coach with Craig T. Nelson, that was college ball. Anyway, there was this show called Evening Shade and it was supposed to take place in a small Arkansas town because it was produced by an Arkansan who also did Designing Women, and they were hoping this show would piggyback on its southern style success.
In order to add some authenticity to the program, the creators decided to shoot the exterior establishing shots in actual Arkansas towns. You guessed it, one of those towns was mine.
One afternoon a film crew showed up and gave a talk and a Q&A to our entire high school. Since DVD commentaries didn't exist yet, it was pretty enlightening for me, and I remember learning some production techniques, like filming during the golden hour and such. They ended the presentation by handing out their shooting schedule and asking us to be extras.
The first shot took place that night and was meant to depict a Sadie Hawkins dance, which was said to be a popular Arkansan tradition, yet none of us had heard of one. So people showed up at the old gymnasium wearing prom leftovers, and the film crew captured this fake dance with much gusto. I had no formal clothes so I just went to watch. This seemed to work in my favor because they asked a few of us casuals to be in an unrelated shot where we acted like a group of football fans cheering our players after a game. However, I don't think that was ever used.
We were invited to come to school the next morning, more than an hour early (yes, during the golden hour) for the final shot. For this crucial scene we were asked to mill around in front of the nearby junior high as if it were a school morning in the fall. Well, it really was a school morning in the fall so we did an excellent job. I guess I'm a method actor.
Our days of filming were practically a forgotten memory by the time the shows actually aired. I missed the original airings, and at the time my family still didn't have a VCR, so it was decades before I finally saw my work for the first time via Netflix. I took some screen grabs that I would like to share with you now. Ladies and gentlemen, here I am on TV!...
Right over there!
How can I be sure it's me? First off, that's obviously my jean jacket. Also, I intentionally chose a spot where I wouldn't be standing in a blob of anonymous kids, and from that window there was a perfect line of vision between me and the camera. My plan was a major success! The girl in white pants was a friend of mine so as we waited we actually developed a brief back story for our characters, and decided that mine made a habit of hitting on hers before school, but she was reluctant. More method acting for me.
What I most remember about the filming sessions is that the camera and lights seemed less substantial than I imagined. I expected lots of high tech equipment, but these guys had a lean, almost chintzy looking setup. I also thought the whole thing seemed pretty run-and-gun. I know they must have done some prep work, but the shots were done very quickly, and that's two whole takes. I remember wondering if the entire event was some sort of ruse. Like after the shoot they might ask us to pay our actors guild fees before skipping town. I was halfway shocked when I heard that we really appeared on the show. I don't mean to disparage those guys, it's just a memorable "expectation versus reality" moment for me. In truth, that's a lot of work to go through to get shots that could have easily been grabbed near the studio, and I doubt the authenticity was even noticed by the audience. When I started watching more episodes I was surprised to find quite a few other shots they had picked up around town, so it's sort of neat that the place is immortalized on the program and will eventually reside in the Burt Reynolds wing of the Smithsonian.
So please watch my show. Remember, it's called Evening Shade and it airs Friday nights at 8 PM in 1990.
July 16, 2014
MURRAY'S REC ROOM AND OTHER GREAT SETS FROM THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW
The familiar sets of a favorite sitcom can be as comforting as the sight of your own living room. The settings of The Mary Tyler Moore Show have always made my TV screen feel like home. True to many of our lives, most of Mary's time is spent ping-ponging between home and the office, but sometimes the story takes us out of Mary's entertaining rut and transports us into the homes, restaurants, and bars of a glorious fake 1970s Minneapolis. These locations are often comfy, den-like retreats covered in bold colors and wood veneer, where the lighting is low and the seating is grand.
I've captured over fifty of my favorite Mary Tyler places in the following pictorial. The program ran from 1970 to 1977, but the majority of these are taken from the first four years. That's because the production design of the later seasons shed most of its 1960s sheen. Well, and also because I don't own seasons five or seven.
The set that inspired this collection is my most beloved of them all, Murray's place. It's the embodiment of the mid-century basement rec room, the trend that emerged in 1950s suburbia and is far less celebrated these days for reasons I cannot comprehend.
It is the culmination of so many words that I like to hear: relaxed, split-level, freestanding cone fireplace, built-in bar, wood paneling with orange highlights, and yes, bumper pool. It is an entire room that is reserved not just for living, but for recreating. Its lack of windows means an extra level of privacy and security that can only be achieved with subterranean walls.
A closeup on Lou reveals witty placards, a novelty trophy, and other whimsical barware. All a reminder that this isn't a place for seriousness. "Welcome To Ulcerville," that's rich!
I'll let the rest of them speak for themselves. So please enjoy this self-guided journey through design history.
Bonus...
Exterior of Murray's house
Looking at View Masters
Rhoda gets a "Visible Woman" model for Christmas
Mary's Christmas desk
I've captured over fifty of my favorite Mary Tyler places in the following pictorial. The program ran from 1970 to 1977, but the majority of these are taken from the first four years. That's because the production design of the later seasons shed most of its 1960s sheen. Well, and also because I don't own seasons five or seven.
The set that inspired this collection is my most beloved of them all, Murray's place. It's the embodiment of the mid-century basement rec room, the trend that emerged in 1950s suburbia and is far less celebrated these days for reasons I cannot comprehend.
It is the culmination of so many words that I like to hear: relaxed, split-level, freestanding cone fireplace, built-in bar, wood paneling with orange highlights, and yes, bumper pool. It is an entire room that is reserved not just for living, but for recreating. Its lack of windows means an extra level of privacy and security that can only be achieved with subterranean walls.
A closeup on Lou reveals witty placards, a novelty trophy, and other whimsical barware. All a reminder that this isn't a place for seriousness. "Welcome To Ulcerville," that's rich!
I'll let the rest of them speak for themselves. So please enjoy this self-guided journey through design history.
Bonus...
Exterior of Murray's house
Looking at View Masters
Rhoda gets a "Visible Woman" model for Christmas
Mary's Christmas desk
July 15, 2014
SPOTLIGHT ON THREE 80s SUMMER COMEDY SOUNDTRACKS
My annual cycle of reminiscing usually puts me in the mood for 1980s comedies during the summertime. But when you're a hardcore past-dweller like myself, the law of diminishing returns means that watching them just isn't enough anymore. I'm "chasing the dragon" so I've got to layer on the nostalgia to even come close to the high the movies once gave me. Thankfully I've discovered the act of listening to vintage records of 80s summer comedy soundtracks. Now, while I relive the movie I can also speculate on the history of the used records I own, read Wikis on dead session musicians, contemplate Kenny Loggins, and I can ponder past pleasantries like visits to mall music stores and tower speakers on bedroom floors.
So let us now examine the merits of three soundtracks: Meatballs, Caddyshack, and National Lampoon's Vacation. All of them sun-filled features that came out in a four year span and have managed to retain at least some cultural pertinence. Incidentally, all of them are what they are because of the late great Harold Ramis (co-writer of Meatballs, and director of both 'Shack and Vacation.)
Meatballs (1979) This is definitely not a selection of music that can stand apart from the film. The same could be said for many soundtracks, but this is a melting pot of sounds that never quite melt together, with styles ranging from the nostalgic-yet-grating children's screamfest that is "Are You Ready for the Summer" to dreamy ballads, Elmer Bernstein instrumentals, disco, and a Rick Dees novelty song, all loosely strung together by a few lines of dialogue from the film.
It's a cultural stew that gets more interesting the closer you look. For instance the upbeat dance track "Makin' It" was the theme to a short-lived 1979 TV show of the same name that's performed by David Naughton who starred on said sitcom just two years before starring in American Werewolf in London (1981). The broad scope of the soundtrack makes for an effective snapshot of the era from which it came. An era it stayed in since it never made the jump to compact disc.
Even the cover art points to an unlikely source. The white background with the circular element is an homage to Norman Rockwell's Saturday Evening Post covers. Coincidentally, the Caddyshack album cover more blatantly borrows from the same place.
Here's even more Post inspired movie art...
If we're telling the truth here, I've never thought Meatballs was as funny as it should be. Like summer, it seems full of endless possibilities, yet never reaches my impossible expectations. In fact, my first viewing of the film was born of summer letdown. It aired on a June evening when I was stuck indoors with crazy-severe sunburn while my family all went out for pizza. Really, I think it's one of those movies that has been imitated so often that the source material now seems trite. But there are still some golden moments, and I still like it when those kids ask me if I'm ready for the summer.
Caddyshack (1980)
There were a number of 80s comedies that went all out in the the soundtrack department and included original songs beyond the musical score that were written specifically for the film. Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop, and Caddyshack are all examples. Hearing these soundtracks everywhere made already huge movies seem like monumental events.
Kenny Loggins was hired to write and record the vocal tracks for Caddyshack. The first of Loggins' well known soundtrack spree that included Footloose, Over the Top, Top Gun, and Caddyshack II. Loggins wrote the songs after seeing a rough cut of the film which allowed him to cater the songs to specific scenes, and write lyrics that are supposed to reflect the perspective of the main character, Danny Noonan.
Side one is like a Kenny Loggins EP, featuring three tracks made for the film, and "Mr. Night" which formerly appeared on his Keep The Fire album. The three originals are almost like three movements of a musical composition. "Make the Move" is practically an extension of "I'm Alright (Theme from "Caddyshack")" and its dreamy intro of choral loops closely resembles the outro of "Lead the Way." In the film this melody is seamlessly spliced into the beginning of "I'm Alright" (as heard here). With some slight editing these three tracks could be fashioned into an eternal loop of Loggins.
Side two is a grab bag of pop songs and instrumentals including Journey's "Any Way You Want It" from Dangerfield's insta-party. Just as the Looney Tunes did, Caddyshack uses familiar classical pieces as comedic enhancers. "Divine Intervention" is an amped up "Flight of the Valkyries" and "The Big Bang" is a take on "1812 Overture." Overall, the energetic and upbeat mood of the album makes it more cohesive than many soundtracks. Somehow it's got an aural smirk of 80s confidence which is important when you're mainlining the past.
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
I have to remind myself that "Holiday Road" by Lindsay Buckingham wasn't really a radio hit (peaking at #82 on the charts) because I've heard the song so many times while watching the movie. I've made a habit of playing this song and "Dancing Across the USA" during my own family vacations, and it perfectly sets the tone for fun. The inevitable traveling mishaps don't even seem as dire because it makes me feel like I'm living a Comedy.
Like the others, this soundtrack has a pretty broad mix of material, but in this case the distance between the styles appropriately resembles a musical road trip. Many of the tracks are fused with moments from the film. "Deep River Blues" by Ralph Burns is the wrong turn in St. Louis, "Mr. Blue" by The Fleetwoods is the shot of the entire family sleep-driving down the highway.
"The Trip (Theme from Vacation)" by Ralph Burns captures a wonderful moment in music history when certain early 80s film scores hadn't completely transitioned from the easy instrumentals of the 1960s and 70s. These tracks are so soothing to me with their warm brass and soaring strings. Another example is Marina by Johnny Mandel from the Caddyshack soundtrack which has more of a Latin, loungy sound. Also, the music from Mr. Mom comes to mind, but there are so many. I really should compile a master playlist of this style so I can bask in its blissful comfort.
The Vacation album cover is yet another parody of sorts, only this time it's not just imitating a known style, they actually hired the legendary fantasy artist Boris Vallej to illustrate. Another similarity between the three covers is women clinging to men.
I am of the mind that these films transcend the standard 80s sex comedy, though they certainly have that element. Either way, the art is designed to capitalize on the trend. Maybe Vacation gets a pass since Vallej is a known leg-clinger artist, but Meatballs in particular, with its four clingers (including one shirt-biter) is just gratuitous marketing, making a debauched romp out of a movie that's both PG, and Canadian.
In conclusion, I thank you for reading my writing about records about movies.
July 14, 2014
MY SCHOOL BOOK ORDER AND BOOK FAIR LIBRARY
Troll, Scholastic, Weekly Reader Book Club and the hallowed School Book Fairs Inc.— these are the fine organizations that enabled young me to curate my own closet shelf library. For anyone unfamiliar, every month or two (depending on your teacher) students were presented with a four page order form that offered a selection of books, posters, stickers, and school supplies, many of which catered to the upcoming holiday or season. (Many of these forms have been unearthed at Branded in the 80s.)
Once presented with this mini catalog, kids were forced to balance their desires and their resources. The ritual involved several steps: first, even the most casual "wants" were circled in ink (more experienced consumers used pencil.) The if-money-were-no-object subtotal was tallied and instantly deemed "unrealistic" by parents. Next, the child dove back into the catalog for a round of eliminations and a new total was presented to mom and dad. This step was usually repeated two or three more times. Once a successful negotiation was reached the student filled out the order coupon with the precision and care of a monk transcribing a sacred scroll. A check was written and the subsequent bus ride to school became a perilous payment delivery mission.
The weeks-long wait was a bittersweet mixture of grueling expectancy and the excitement of having something to look forward to. Once the window of possible book arrival was reached there was new motivation to get on the bus each morning. Then it finally happened— a new box showed up on the teacher's desk. One last anticipation-drenched wait occurred before the books were handed out, usually at the very end of the day to avoid distraction and jealous classmates.
Lastly, there was the reveal. In standard mail-order fashion there was almost always some discrepancy between expectation and reality. My very first book order caught me off guard when none of the books were hardcover. Posters weren't as large as the ones at the mall, and "patches" could've been accurately called "iron-ons." But once the dissonance passed you still had new books— books that you got to pick out, and books you never had to return to the library.
This sequence of events lasted throughout grade school and continues today. I take great pleasure in helping my son make the perfect book order selections, as well as sharing with him my perfect choices from yesteryear. Speaking of which, here they are, at least the ones that survived my childhood...
Move Monsters Giant Poster Book (1979)This came from the very first book order I participated in, and boy, was it a letdown. In my first grade mind the term "Giant Poster Book" described a publication that was three feet tall containing about a dozen massive movie monster photos. I envisioned myself holding it like a newspaper and flipping through them, much like I did at the gift shop's poster display racks, trying to decide which one to tear out and hang up this week. In actuality it's one rather large King Kong poster folded up into magazine size. The back is printed with photos and blurbs related to various classic monster movies. I eventually moved past the disappointment, embraced the poster for what it was, and tacked it on my wall. From that vantage point King Kong watched me grow up.
Here's the poster as seen in an ebay auction...
And here's the weird display of heads from "7 Faces of Dr. Lao" that shall forever dwell in my nightmares...
Zoophabets by Robert Tallon (1979)This also arrived with my first-ever order and it helped dull the sting of my "poster book." I was attracted to it because the word "monsters" was somewhere in the description. You may sense a pattern emerging. At the time I was way past my ABCs but here they had an appealing, semi-spooky blacklight poster-esque presentation.
Chameleon was a Spy by Diane Redfield Massie (1979)
This book seems to have fallen into obscurity, but by my standards it's a well written story that's driven by the many illustrations. I always liked how Chameleon's changing ability is used in clever ways, almost like a super power.
As I look back at my choices as a whole I notice that only a minority of my selections actually have a narrative, this being one of them. I was a sucker for books full of comics, jokes, quizzes, activities, pictures, games or choose-your-own adventures— short bursts of digestible content. Even then I was ready for the internet.
I Am Bootiful Scholastic promotional patch (1980)One of my early book orders came with this free patch though to me it was far more significant than a mere sales premium. Today it's hard to understand why, but I fiercely anticipated getting this thing easily as much as any book. It arrived smaller than I imagined at about a square inch and a half, but the elegant simplicity of glow-in-dark sheet-style ghosts will always win me over.
How to Care for Your Monster by Norman Bridwell (published 1970, purchased in 1980)
This was a big favorite of mine. The How-To manual format was appealing because it almost seemed real, putting me in a world where I could own my own werewolf. Bridwell is better known for his Clifford the Big Red Dog series, but this one has all the quality that made the Clifford books so successful. For more coverage see HERE and HERE.
The Empire Strike's Back Storybook (1980)
Before the days of home video, keeping favorite films fresh in one's mind was a battle that required a variety of mementos including trading cards, soundtrack LPs, View-Master reels, or in this case, a full-color storybook. Note the pre-style guide Empire logo. 1982 was still a graphic designer's Wild West.
Scholastic Haunted House Glow-in-the-Dark poster by Bernice Myers (1980)Many book orders included freebie posters, however this one required a dollar to cover the large format, the incandescent ink, and the pure awesomeness. While books may be more substantial, a poster is seen nearly every day which can leave quite an imprint on one's psyche. The amount of time that a great art scholar devotes to the study of a single piece is dwarfed by the hours that a typical kid invests examining a poster taped on their door as they lay each night waiting for sleep to come. The glowing ghosts always made this poster spring to life any time the lights went out. Incidentally, this art is the work of Bernice Myers who is known for her brilliant mid-century illustration.
Spooky Action Cut-Outs by James Razzi Illustrated by Bernice Myers (1980)
Wow, this is first time that I ever realized this book is illustrated by the same lady who did the haunted house poster (above)!! Oh, how I would have loved to know that when I was a kid. That explains why they came in the same order, and why they are both so wonderful. The wait for the epic order that contained both of them was perhaps the most agonizing of them all. My friend Tim ordered the same thing so we discussed our plans for our life-changing purchase every day. I wrote a post on this one here.
1000 Space Monsters Have Landed by Alan Benjamin with pictures by Sal Murdocca (1980)
This is a book where you cut all the pages into three separate panels and mix-and-match the head, torso, and feet to make new monsters. I, like a stupid, inpatient fool couldn't wait for parental assistance and butchered the cuts with my dull school safety scissors which caused jagged, uneven cuts and made the pages difficult to turn. This mistake never stopped tainting my enjoyment of the book, though it is still enjoyable.
One of the best elements is the mix-and-match text which is way more foreboding than most kiddie books. For example, one set of possible phrases is: I think terrible thoughts. I wait till you're asleep. Someone may get hurt. Whoa. Here's another one: I'm here for a reason. I'll see you tonight. Others are on the way.
The Haunted House by R.A. Montgomery (1981)
This came out near the dawn of the choose your own adventure craze. CYOA books first emerged by way of a small publishing house in the mid 1970s, but in '79 Bantam started putting them out on a huge scale. Like many kids, this was the first I'd heard of the concept, and when you've got a novelty book and a haunted house, well, you've got yourself a sale. I remember being a bit shocked that some of the endings were so bleak, like irreversibly turning into a giant rat, or even semi-death in a couple cases. That added so much weight to each decision, and it was delightfully video game-esque.
Ziggy Poster (1981)
As you may have suspected I had this hanging on my door for a time. Sometimes I would close the door and wait for a knock just so that I could say "I'm in... but I'm not coming to the door!" Having wiped away my tears of laughter I'd congratulate myself for being the comic genius of the century.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (1981 edition)
This is the first chapter book I ever purchased. Someday I'll finish it.
Sign In, Please! (1981)
This is an odd shell of a publication that's made for polling your friends about their favorite stuff. I thought, "Boy I'll sure get a kick out of reading my friends' answers when I'm a grown up!" I was wrong.
Monstickers puffy stickers (1980)
This was another monumental purchase. I could not have adored these any more than I did. The ones you're looking at came from ebay, the pack in the top left corner is the only one I got with my book order. That one's great, but the set on the bottom left with Creature is simply transcendent. I only recently discovered that the others exist. Good heavens, I don't know if child me could have handled the whole set! I would be a different person now— a better person.
Just the one sheet was nearly too much responsibility for me. I kept it untouched for eons trying to decide on worthy sticking surfaces. Keeping them on the page was not an option, it would have robbed the monsters of their ultimate purpose. It was determined that the mummy would adorn my window for maximum visibility, except that the sun stripped me of that joy when it destroyed it. The others were preserved in sticker albums or other books. But so help me I can't remember where the Frankenstein head went. This is a deeply disturbing thought because of all of them, that would have been the toughest and most memorable challenge! What devilry has plagued my mind?!
Grandpa's Ghost Stories by James Flora (published 1978, 1981 edition)
This one was a mind-blower. It's got great storytelling that can be genuinely frightening. Few kids books tap into such a sense of dread, and the unrelenting horrors manage to get progressively worse. The artwork is gorgeous. It wasn't too long ago that I realized James Flora is also Jim Flora who is one of my favorite mid-century artists.
One of the things that's always stuck with me is on the first page. We immediately see that the world is a harrowing place where even the sky is out to get you. Soon your eye settles on Grandpa's warm, well-lit, cozy refuge...
Grandpa relaxes with his pipe, paper, and a smile, totally unfazed because he's survived so much. For me this image has always embodied the concept of sanctuary. As a young reader I didn't want to turn the page and leave this inviting shelter, and as it turns out my instinct was correct.
You can see more here and here. There's even a youtube animation of the whole thing here.
The Littles and their Friends by John Peterson (1981)
This was a very pleasant surprise. What I thought would be a standard storybook turned out to be a detailed "cutaway" picture book that I loved to get lost in.
Garfield collection by Jim Davis (1982)
I was indeed among the legions of Garfield (and especially Odie) fans. These were released over a span of several years. The first two brought me chuckles and had pretty nice art, but by the time he visits space and the underground the quality drops significantly as indicated by the lifeless covers. This didn't stop me from throwing money at "The Book of the Seasons," an early sign of my completionists disease.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Storybook (1982)
Like the Empire Strikes Back one, the pages of these storybooks were dominated by stills from the films. Always a good time.
My Gripe Book by Keith Dayson (1982)
Yes, it's a book designed to document your complaints. I filled out the entire thing and ended up hiding it under a book shelf for years because I had revealed my meanest thoughts regarding friends and family. And now it serves as an ugly archive of all the hatred I harbored at age ten. Yay.
The Jedi Master's Quizbook compiled by Rusty Miller (1982)
This was actually written by an eleven-year-old, and yet many of the questions are fiendishly difficult, and were nearly impossible in an age before widespread home video.
How about: "What was the name of the freighter that Biggs Darklighter served on after graduating from the Academy?" or "What were the names of the two suns of Tatooine?" and "What was the code number of the trash compactor?" Some were only answered in the Star Wars novelizations. The book offered me the painful realization that I wasn't the super fan I thought I was.
More Pac-Mania by Haller Schwarz (1982)
We have now reached the video game age of my book buying. This first entry contains rudimentary Pac-Man related sight gags and puns, such as Pac-Man with donkey ears and it says "Pac Mule" or Pac-Man with an elephant foot sticking out his mouth with the caption "Very hungry Pac-Man." Staggering! A couple of my friends had the original Pac-Mania and I was so enamored with it that I borrowed theirs and re-drew nearly every gag in a crude act of piracy. When I saw this one in the listings I knew I wasn't about to be left out of the pac again. HaHaHaHaHa!
Scholastic Puppy poster (1982)
Classic!
Tron Mixed-Up Mazes (1982)
Congratulations Tron book people! You slapped together this thing and I paid for it.
Tron poster (1982)
This enabled me to look at and/or draw Tron anytime I wanted to. Well worth the dollar.
Tron The Storybook (1982)
The world of Tron has always been a feast for my eyes, so this book delivered. However, I always found it disturbing that the cover shows Tron and Yori on the lightcycle grid, and Tron's legs appear to be derezzing.
Vid Kid Newsletters (1982)These were four-page pamphlets of video game news that cost 75 cents apiece, I think. In those days of slow information these were actually quite informative.
The Kids' Video Scorebook and Diary (1982)Once again I was suckered into buying a book that is mostly blank pages. I filled out one page tracking my progress on Journey Escape for Atari 2600. I would have scanned it, but my spelling was just shameful.
Blips! by Jovial Bob Stine (1983)
I had a feeling I would like this so much that I ordered two copies, one as a backup in the event of some catastrophe. Years later my reading copy was somehow mangled and I was able to put my extra to use! I guess I need another backup now.
By the way, Jovial Bob Stine is another name for R. L. Stine of Goosebumps fame.
Video Game Joke & Puzzle Book by Ronald W. Lackmann (1983)
Just awful.
The Star Wars Question and Answer Book About Computers by Fred D'lgnazio (1983)These days it serves as an interesting look into early computing, but to young me it was a low point of the library. I was sore because I felt like the droids had tricked me into buying a textbook.
Advance Dungeons & Dragons storybooks (1983)If I'm being honest with myself, I liked the idea of these more than I actually liked the books. Though I was glad to finally own a piece of the D&D legacy.
Sign In Again, Please! (1983)
The sequel to "Sign in, Please!" as seen earlier. I loved sequels just for sequels sake. In my young mind, a sequel somehow justified the original. This one did top the first simply because the cover art is by Jared Lee, the guy who drew "Bummers" in Dynamite magazine. He was one of the first artists whose style I could recognize.
Dragon's Lair: The Rescue of Princess Daphne (1984)
This is a hollow account of the video game's storyline accompanied by screenshots. Sadly the "Marvel Books" factor gave it extra value in my mind.
Ghostbusters Storybook by Anne Digby (1984)
Movie photo books were so great for finally catching the details you missed in the theater. This one helped me perfect my Halloween costume that year. However, the "backward" ghost in the circle always bothered me.
Ghostbusters mini story book (1984)
Ah, proper use of the ghost in the circle.
Wizards, Warriors & You: The Siege of the Dragons (1984)
This is a fun series, but I was totally sucked in by the free promotional poster that came with any purchase. I didn't want to have the poster without knowing what it's all about.
Wizards, Warriors & You promotional poster Illustration by Earl Norem (1984)
BOOK FAIR BOOKS
Book fairs really deserve their own post, however I only have two that I can positively identify as book fair books by the rubber "sold" stamp in the cover, and I know I bought way more than that. So I've either placed some book fair books up there with the book order books, or I've lost a whole bunch.
More Than You Care To Know About Monsters by Dick Smith (1979)This is a monster fact book that goes well with "How to Care for your Monster" seen earlier. The illustrations are pleasing and Dick Smith went a step further by hiding a little bat-like creature in every picture. By the way, it seems that this is the only existing image of this book on the internet.
Dreadful Mazes by Dick Smith (1979)Dick Smith was dominating the book fair's spooky market that year. What's most remarkable about this one is that after covering the standard movie monsters and generic spooks the book turns to real life meanies like Al Capone, Stalin, and Hitler. Yes, I can thank "Dreadful Mazes" for my first grade introduction to the Holocaust.
OTHER SCHOLASTIC STUFF...
Love a Book Scholastic Premium Patch (1981)
May the Force Be With You Scholastic premium patch (1980)
Movie Monsters by Alan Ormsby (1975)
Dynamite Magazine (1981)
3-D poster from Dynamite Magazine (1983)
Supermag (1981)
EPILOGUE
The act of writing this retrospective brought to mind an unforgettable book order related memory. At one point I had noticed that there had been a lack of book orders offered to our class for a while, so I ask the teacher about it. She informed me that she received order forms nearly every month, but she only chose to issue them periodically. I was shocked by this betrayal, but my ill will was washed away when she handed me a full teachers' Troll book order kit. This resembled a thick magazine that contained a classes' worth of book orders stapled in the middle. The rest of the pages were like a deluxe full-color catalog with more in depth information and artwork for each listing. It also had teacher incentives and articles. I was humbled.
I was overjoyed when the afternoon bell rang. A bus ride home was all that separated me from uninterrupted time with my treasure, a treasure that was never meant to be seen by the eyes of a kid. Moments before stepping on the bus, a guy from my 4th grade class asked if he could see my prize. I let him flip through the pages when he abruptly turned around and bolted into the crowd of newly-dismissed students. My pending bus departure left me helpless. I had no choice but to ride home in a fog of angry tears.
Teachers nor parents were able to bring me justice in the next days. But about four years later this same creep jumped me while I was taking a whiz in an empty junior high bathroom. As a student of Taekwondo I was able to compose myself, assume a fighting stance, and smash his face exactly one time before he profusely apologized like some bully in a Disney Channel movie. It was real life revenge of the nerd.
Once presented with this mini catalog, kids were forced to balance their desires and their resources. The ritual involved several steps: first, even the most casual "wants" were circled in ink (more experienced consumers used pencil.) The if-money-were-no-object subtotal was tallied and instantly deemed "unrealistic" by parents. Next, the child dove back into the catalog for a round of eliminations and a new total was presented to mom and dad. This step was usually repeated two or three more times. Once a successful negotiation was reached the student filled out the order coupon with the precision and care of a monk transcribing a sacred scroll. A check was written and the subsequent bus ride to school became a perilous payment delivery mission.
The weeks-long wait was a bittersweet mixture of grueling expectancy and the excitement of having something to look forward to. Once the window of possible book arrival was reached there was new motivation to get on the bus each morning. Then it finally happened— a new box showed up on the teacher's desk. One last anticipation-drenched wait occurred before the books were handed out, usually at the very end of the day to avoid distraction and jealous classmates.
Lastly, there was the reveal. In standard mail-order fashion there was almost always some discrepancy between expectation and reality. My very first book order caught me off guard when none of the books were hardcover. Posters weren't as large as the ones at the mall, and "patches" could've been accurately called "iron-ons." But once the dissonance passed you still had new books— books that you got to pick out, and books you never had to return to the library.
This sequence of events lasted throughout grade school and continues today. I take great pleasure in helping my son make the perfect book order selections, as well as sharing with him my perfect choices from yesteryear. Speaking of which, here they are, at least the ones that survived my childhood...
Move Monsters Giant Poster Book (1979)This came from the very first book order I participated in, and boy, was it a letdown. In my first grade mind the term "Giant Poster Book" described a publication that was three feet tall containing about a dozen massive movie monster photos. I envisioned myself holding it like a newspaper and flipping through them, much like I did at the gift shop's poster display racks, trying to decide which one to tear out and hang up this week. In actuality it's one rather large King Kong poster folded up into magazine size. The back is printed with photos and blurbs related to various classic monster movies. I eventually moved past the disappointment, embraced the poster for what it was, and tacked it on my wall. From that vantage point King Kong watched me grow up.
Here's the poster as seen in an ebay auction...
And here's the weird display of heads from "7 Faces of Dr. Lao" that shall forever dwell in my nightmares...
Zoophabets by Robert Tallon (1979)This also arrived with my first-ever order and it helped dull the sting of my "poster book." I was attracted to it because the word "monsters" was somewhere in the description. You may sense a pattern emerging. At the time I was way past my ABCs but here they had an appealing, semi-spooky blacklight poster-esque presentation.
Chameleon was a Spy by Diane Redfield Massie (1979)
This book seems to have fallen into obscurity, but by my standards it's a well written story that's driven by the many illustrations. I always liked how Chameleon's changing ability is used in clever ways, almost like a super power.
As I look back at my choices as a whole I notice that only a minority of my selections actually have a narrative, this being one of them. I was a sucker for books full of comics, jokes, quizzes, activities, pictures, games or choose-your-own adventures— short bursts of digestible content. Even then I was ready for the internet.
I Am Bootiful Scholastic promotional patch (1980)One of my early book orders came with this free patch though to me it was far more significant than a mere sales premium. Today it's hard to understand why, but I fiercely anticipated getting this thing easily as much as any book. It arrived smaller than I imagined at about a square inch and a half, but the elegant simplicity of glow-in-dark sheet-style ghosts will always win me over.
How to Care for Your Monster by Norman Bridwell (published 1970, purchased in 1980)
This was a big favorite of mine. The How-To manual format was appealing because it almost seemed real, putting me in a world where I could own my own werewolf. Bridwell is better known for his Clifford the Big Red Dog series, but this one has all the quality that made the Clifford books so successful. For more coverage see HERE and HERE.
The Empire Strike's Back Storybook (1980)
Before the days of home video, keeping favorite films fresh in one's mind was a battle that required a variety of mementos including trading cards, soundtrack LPs, View-Master reels, or in this case, a full-color storybook. Note the pre-style guide Empire logo. 1982 was still a graphic designer's Wild West.
Scholastic Haunted House Glow-in-the-Dark poster by Bernice Myers (1980)Many book orders included freebie posters, however this one required a dollar to cover the large format, the incandescent ink, and the pure awesomeness. While books may be more substantial, a poster is seen nearly every day which can leave quite an imprint on one's psyche. The amount of time that a great art scholar devotes to the study of a single piece is dwarfed by the hours that a typical kid invests examining a poster taped on their door as they lay each night waiting for sleep to come. The glowing ghosts always made this poster spring to life any time the lights went out. Incidentally, this art is the work of Bernice Myers who is known for her brilliant mid-century illustration.
Spooky Action Cut-Outs by James Razzi Illustrated by Bernice Myers (1980)
Wow, this is first time that I ever realized this book is illustrated by the same lady who did the haunted house poster (above)!! Oh, how I would have loved to know that when I was a kid. That explains why they came in the same order, and why they are both so wonderful. The wait for the epic order that contained both of them was perhaps the most agonizing of them all. My friend Tim ordered the same thing so we discussed our plans for our life-changing purchase every day. I wrote a post on this one here.
1000 Space Monsters Have Landed by Alan Benjamin with pictures by Sal Murdocca (1980)
This is a book where you cut all the pages into three separate panels and mix-and-match the head, torso, and feet to make new monsters. I, like a stupid, inpatient fool couldn't wait for parental assistance and butchered the cuts with my dull school safety scissors which caused jagged, uneven cuts and made the pages difficult to turn. This mistake never stopped tainting my enjoyment of the book, though it is still enjoyable.
One of the best elements is the mix-and-match text which is way more foreboding than most kiddie books. For example, one set of possible phrases is: I think terrible thoughts. I wait till you're asleep. Someone may get hurt. Whoa. Here's another one: I'm here for a reason. I'll see you tonight. Others are on the way.
The Haunted House by R.A. Montgomery (1981)
This came out near the dawn of the choose your own adventure craze. CYOA books first emerged by way of a small publishing house in the mid 1970s, but in '79 Bantam started putting them out on a huge scale. Like many kids, this was the first I'd heard of the concept, and when you've got a novelty book and a haunted house, well, you've got yourself a sale. I remember being a bit shocked that some of the endings were so bleak, like irreversibly turning into a giant rat, or even semi-death in a couple cases. That added so much weight to each decision, and it was delightfully video game-esque.
Ziggy Poster (1981)
As you may have suspected I had this hanging on my door for a time. Sometimes I would close the door and wait for a knock just so that I could say "I'm in... but I'm not coming to the door!" Having wiped away my tears of laughter I'd congratulate myself for being the comic genius of the century.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (1981 edition)
This is the first chapter book I ever purchased. Someday I'll finish it.
Sign In, Please! (1981)
This is an odd shell of a publication that's made for polling your friends about their favorite stuff. I thought, "Boy I'll sure get a kick out of reading my friends' answers when I'm a grown up!" I was wrong.
Monstickers puffy stickers (1980)
This was another monumental purchase. I could not have adored these any more than I did. The ones you're looking at came from ebay, the pack in the top left corner is the only one I got with my book order. That one's great, but the set on the bottom left with Creature is simply transcendent. I only recently discovered that the others exist. Good heavens, I don't know if child me could have handled the whole set! I would be a different person now— a better person.
Just the one sheet was nearly too much responsibility for me. I kept it untouched for eons trying to decide on worthy sticking surfaces. Keeping them on the page was not an option, it would have robbed the monsters of their ultimate purpose. It was determined that the mummy would adorn my window for maximum visibility, except that the sun stripped me of that joy when it destroyed it. The others were preserved in sticker albums or other books. But so help me I can't remember where the Frankenstein head went. This is a deeply disturbing thought because of all of them, that would have been the toughest and most memorable challenge! What devilry has plagued my mind?!
Grandpa's Ghost Stories by James Flora (published 1978, 1981 edition)
This one was a mind-blower. It's got great storytelling that can be genuinely frightening. Few kids books tap into such a sense of dread, and the unrelenting horrors manage to get progressively worse. The artwork is gorgeous. It wasn't too long ago that I realized James Flora is also Jim Flora who is one of my favorite mid-century artists.
One of the things that's always stuck with me is on the first page. We immediately see that the world is a harrowing place where even the sky is out to get you. Soon your eye settles on Grandpa's warm, well-lit, cozy refuge...
Grandpa relaxes with his pipe, paper, and a smile, totally unfazed because he's survived so much. For me this image has always embodied the concept of sanctuary. As a young reader I didn't want to turn the page and leave this inviting shelter, and as it turns out my instinct was correct.
You can see more here and here. There's even a youtube animation of the whole thing here.
The Littles and their Friends by John Peterson (1981)
This was a very pleasant surprise. What I thought would be a standard storybook turned out to be a detailed "cutaway" picture book that I loved to get lost in.
Garfield collection by Jim Davis (1982)
I was indeed among the legions of Garfield (and especially Odie) fans. These were released over a span of several years. The first two brought me chuckles and had pretty nice art, but by the time he visits space and the underground the quality drops significantly as indicated by the lifeless covers. This didn't stop me from throwing money at "The Book of the Seasons," an early sign of my completionists disease.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Storybook (1982)Like the Empire Strikes Back one, the pages of these storybooks were dominated by stills from the films. Always a good time.
My Gripe Book by Keith Dayson (1982)
Yes, it's a book designed to document your complaints. I filled out the entire thing and ended up hiding it under a book shelf for years because I had revealed my meanest thoughts regarding friends and family. And now it serves as an ugly archive of all the hatred I harbored at age ten. Yay.
The Jedi Master's Quizbook compiled by Rusty Miller (1982)
This was actually written by an eleven-year-old, and yet many of the questions are fiendishly difficult, and were nearly impossible in an age before widespread home video.
How about: "What was the name of the freighter that Biggs Darklighter served on after graduating from the Academy?" or "What were the names of the two suns of Tatooine?" and "What was the code number of the trash compactor?" Some were only answered in the Star Wars novelizations. The book offered me the painful realization that I wasn't the super fan I thought I was.
More Pac-Mania by Haller Schwarz (1982)
We have now reached the video game age of my book buying. This first entry contains rudimentary Pac-Man related sight gags and puns, such as Pac-Man with donkey ears and it says "Pac Mule" or Pac-Man with an elephant foot sticking out his mouth with the caption "Very hungry Pac-Man." Staggering! A couple of my friends had the original Pac-Mania and I was so enamored with it that I borrowed theirs and re-drew nearly every gag in a crude act of piracy. When I saw this one in the listings I knew I wasn't about to be left out of the pac again. HaHaHaHaHa!
Scholastic Puppy poster (1982)
Classic!
Tron Mixed-Up Mazes (1982)
Congratulations Tron book people! You slapped together this thing and I paid for it.
Tron poster (1982)
This enabled me to look at and/or draw Tron anytime I wanted to. Well worth the dollar.
Tron The Storybook (1982)
The world of Tron has always been a feast for my eyes, so this book delivered. However, I always found it disturbing that the cover shows Tron and Yori on the lightcycle grid, and Tron's legs appear to be derezzing.
Vid Kid Newsletters (1982)These were four-page pamphlets of video game news that cost 75 cents apiece, I think. In those days of slow information these were actually quite informative.
The Kids' Video Scorebook and Diary (1982)Once again I was suckered into buying a book that is mostly blank pages. I filled out one page tracking my progress on Journey Escape for Atari 2600. I would have scanned it, but my spelling was just shameful.
Blips! by Jovial Bob Stine (1983)
I had a feeling I would like this so much that I ordered two copies, one as a backup in the event of some catastrophe. Years later my reading copy was somehow mangled and I was able to put my extra to use! I guess I need another backup now.
By the way, Jovial Bob Stine is another name for R. L. Stine of Goosebumps fame.
Video Game Joke & Puzzle Book by Ronald W. Lackmann (1983)
Just awful.
The Star Wars Question and Answer Book About Computers by Fred D'lgnazio (1983)These days it serves as an interesting look into early computing, but to young me it was a low point of the library. I was sore because I felt like the droids had tricked me into buying a textbook.
Advance Dungeons & Dragons storybooks (1983)If I'm being honest with myself, I liked the idea of these more than I actually liked the books. Though I was glad to finally own a piece of the D&D legacy.
Sign In Again, Please! (1983)
The sequel to "Sign in, Please!" as seen earlier. I loved sequels just for sequels sake. In my young mind, a sequel somehow justified the original. This one did top the first simply because the cover art is by Jared Lee, the guy who drew "Bummers" in Dynamite magazine. He was one of the first artists whose style I could recognize.
Dragon's Lair: The Rescue of Princess Daphne (1984)
This is a hollow account of the video game's storyline accompanied by screenshots. Sadly the "Marvel Books" factor gave it extra value in my mind.
Ghostbusters Storybook by Anne Digby (1984)
Movie photo books were so great for finally catching the details you missed in the theater. This one helped me perfect my Halloween costume that year. However, the "backward" ghost in the circle always bothered me.
Ghostbusters mini story book (1984)
Ah, proper use of the ghost in the circle.
Wizards, Warriors & You: The Siege of the Dragons (1984)
This is a fun series, but I was totally sucked in by the free promotional poster that came with any purchase. I didn't want to have the poster without knowing what it's all about.
Wizards, Warriors & You promotional poster Illustration by Earl Norem (1984)
BOOK FAIR BOOKS
Book fairs really deserve their own post, however I only have two that I can positively identify as book fair books by the rubber "sold" stamp in the cover, and I know I bought way more than that. So I've either placed some book fair books up there with the book order books, or I've lost a whole bunch.
More Than You Care To Know About Monsters by Dick Smith (1979)This is a monster fact book that goes well with "How to Care for your Monster" seen earlier. The illustrations are pleasing and Dick Smith went a step further by hiding a little bat-like creature in every picture. By the way, it seems that this is the only existing image of this book on the internet.
Dreadful Mazes by Dick Smith (1979)Dick Smith was dominating the book fair's spooky market that year. What's most remarkable about this one is that after covering the standard movie monsters and generic spooks the book turns to real life meanies like Al Capone, Stalin, and Hitler. Yes, I can thank "Dreadful Mazes" for my first grade introduction to the Holocaust.
OTHER SCHOLASTIC STUFF...
Love a Book Scholastic Premium Patch (1981)
May the Force Be With You Scholastic premium patch (1980)
Movie Monsters by Alan Ormsby (1975)
Dynamite Magazine (1981)
3-D poster from Dynamite Magazine (1983)
Supermag (1981)
EPILOGUE
The act of writing this retrospective brought to mind an unforgettable book order related memory. At one point I had noticed that there had been a lack of book orders offered to our class for a while, so I ask the teacher about it. She informed me that she received order forms nearly every month, but she only chose to issue them periodically. I was shocked by this betrayal, but my ill will was washed away when she handed me a full teachers' Troll book order kit. This resembled a thick magazine that contained a classes' worth of book orders stapled in the middle. The rest of the pages were like a deluxe full-color catalog with more in depth information and artwork for each listing. It also had teacher incentives and articles. I was humbled.
I was overjoyed when the afternoon bell rang. A bus ride home was all that separated me from uninterrupted time with my treasure, a treasure that was never meant to be seen by the eyes of a kid. Moments before stepping on the bus, a guy from my 4th grade class asked if he could see my prize. I let him flip through the pages when he abruptly turned around and bolted into the crowd of newly-dismissed students. My pending bus departure left me helpless. I had no choice but to ride home in a fog of angry tears.
Teachers nor parents were able to bring me justice in the next days. But about four years later this same creep jumped me while I was taking a whiz in an empty junior high bathroom. As a student of Taekwondo I was able to compose myself, assume a fighting stance, and smash his face exactly one time before he profusely apologized like some bully in a Disney Channel movie. It was real life revenge of the nerd.
SECRET FUN BLOG MINI RENAISSANCE
Hey Folks! As usual I've been reminiscing a lot lately, but these days my focus isn't the mid 20th century or the 1980s. Lately I've been looking all the way back to the year 2008, to my glory days of blogging! That's when I spent the bulk of my creative time sharing things, thoughts, memories, and stories that had been collecting dust for decades while meeting new like-minded bloggers and commenters, and feeding off their enthusiasm.
In time, other creative projects came along and derailed me from this place. Some came to be because of this place. I'm thankful for all of them, but I do miss the feeling of posting something that I think is great in the middle of the night, and waking up to find a wave of hits, and responses, or to discover that it's already been shared elsewhere. I miss having an excuse to dig through my old boxes, and rethinking old times with a new perspective. I've also been missing the simple joy of writing.
The blogosphere is far from dead, but many of my favorite blogs are on hiatus or shut down now, and I feel I'm partially to blame because when I'm too busy to blog I'm also doing less blog visiting. But I understand the need to stop. Once you get a site going and get a stream of regular traffic there's a funny realization of "So now I guess I just keep doing this until I die." And maybe I will! But neglect is more and more inevitable. For me it took a long time for that constant icky feeling of not updating to finally dull, though it's never left. Five posts in a year is just shameful. And I'm well aware that I really jumped the shark when I started inundating the place with my other projects, especially my art.
So to remedy all of this I've decided that starting now, for a limited time, I'm gonna blog like it's 2009! I've created a few new mega posts, I've finished some of my years-old drafts, and I've got some old fashioned filler ready. So get ready for some frequent updates. Sometimes I'm going to hit that publish button a couple times a day! So please join me for the next indeterminate period of time (at least a couple/few weeks) for some all new secret fun!
April 12, 2014
MY NEW TRIBUTE TO NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION
When Gallery 1988 opened in LA in 2004 they popularized pop culture based art shows like nobody had before. The notion was eye opening to me and I managed to get involved with them in 2008, and it's remained a treasured creative outlet for me ever since.Their format has been hugely successful, thus it's been imitated endlessly, and today pop culture art is ubiquitous. So for the gallery's 10th anniversary show they've opted for a different take on the trend with the theme "The Subtle Art of Pop Culture." The idea is to make the references less obvious even to the extent that the art could appeal to people who are entirely unfamiliar with the source of inspiration.
My contribution is this assembly of authentic vintage (and one not-so-vintage) postcards. The first eleven designs all appear in the opening credits of National Lampoon's Vacation...
The series is punctuated with an original colored pencil creation of mine...
I owe my postcard getting ability to ebay. I was thrilled to track down so many of them, and actually only about twenty of the postcards that appear in the credits really exist, the rest are fabricated specifically for the movie, made from photographs by author and photographer, John Margolies
.That combination of vintage graphics coupled with Lindsey Buckingham's song "Holiday Road" couldn't do a better job of capturing the spirit of the American road trip and priming me for the cinematic joyride that follows. This is my love letter— I mean postcard— to the film.
My piece is for sale here.
See all the artwork here!
December 13, 2013
PAINT BY NUMBER PEE-WEE
Gallery 1988's 7th annual Crazy 4 Cult art show is going on right now, and once again I had the honor of participating in it! This year I chose to celebrate one of my all-time favorite movies, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, with this paint-by-numbers style acrylic piece.Applying this look to Pee-wee's world made perfect sense to me. Not only does the fun, colorful, scenery translate to the format well, but both his movie home and his television playhouse are decorated with paint-by-number art.
I have a couple old paint-by-number pieces hanging in my bathroom too, which probably explains why this idea was inevitable.
This is actually the second artistic tribute I've made to the film. The first was my wallet-size portrait of the Buxtons which came with Pee-wee's wallet.
The painting will be for sale on Gallery 1988's web site. See below for more information about the show. I'll post a link as soon as all the art is viewable online.
December 10, 2013
RETURN OF THE LEGENDARY BATTLE FIGURES
Once again, fresh, warm plastic has filled decades-old molds, giving rebirth to another Tim Mee Toy figure set, The Legendary Battle series. This edition follows the classic Army Men, Cave Men and the often-forgotten-then-fondly-re-remembered Galaxy Laser Team which have all been reissued in the past couple of years.
The collection was originally released in 1986, undoubtedly intended to coincide with the Masters of the Universe craze. The He-Man influence on these is certainly appealing, but what's even more thrilling is the fact that each design is (quite noticeably) a retooled sculpt from a 1970s line of Marvel super heroes by Processed Plastic (Tim Mee's parent company.) This approach actually makes a lot of sense considering the sorcery-meets-superhero nature of He-Man, as well as the Marvel-in-the-70s fascination with mysticism, i.e. Doctor Strange and Son of Satan. But these characters are so overloaded with Marvel Hero DNA that the result is like a glimpse into a "What If..." Stan Lee and J.R.R. Tolkein were roommates, or perhaps something generated by a Mighty Men and Monster Maker toy.
I photographed them on a D&D rule book because to me their styling brings to mind the (often goofy) fantasy art of the 70s and early 80s that decorated vans and album covers, and filled an entire corner of the mall B. Dalton book shop. My young self was both drawn to it and perplexed by it, and now just the sight of it warms me up inside. The packaging actually suggests using them for Warhammer games. This alone could get me to play Warhammer.
Here's a look at each design, as well as its Marvel parent...
Note Doctor Doom's multinational accessories: Kabuki mask and Arabian sword (Sorry, this is the blurriest photo I could find of the Marvel version. If I locate a blurrier one I'll be sure to update...)
This former Human Torch seemed to receive some vampire Thundercat restyling. 
When Thor is denied his hammer he becomes a mere chipper viking.
This one went from Hulk to saber-toothed ogre, to caveman.
The super beard wizard (formerly (a mustached?) Falcon) is the most preposterous and my favorite of them all.
Someone (possibly Loki) got a Skeletor-esque facelift, er, face removal.
It's also worth noting that this line is more massive than the majority of the Tim Mee figures, which affords an extra level of hideous detail.
In many ways generic hordes of figures will always trump specific characters because they leave room for more imagination and big picture play. When placed in the hands of a kid, scenes like the one pictured below manifest quickly. Spider-Man or Darth Vader would never have reason to fight a giant wind-up chick, but for these little guys, it's just another Legendary Battle. (You can get them on Amazon)
October 31, 2013
BRITISH "GHOST TRAIN" FACADES FROM THE 1970s AND 80s
Dick Price photograph, Ramsgate Amusement Park, 1980
Dick Scott-Stewart photograph, Ghost Train artwork, 1974Thanks to my ongoing efforts to gain pleasure by looking at old dark ride facades, I recently discovered the National Fairground Archive of the University of Sheffield. Their collection of old carnival images is literally overwhelming. It's so overloaded with enjoyable images that I've actually found myself wishing that I could arrive at the end because it's just too much to take in. Though I have yet to explore the entirety of this mother lode of carnival eye candy, I'd like to go ahead and share some of my favorite dark ride photographs. Please enjoy (in moderation)...
Stephen Smith photograph, Kirkcaldy Links Market Fair, 1981
Jack Leeson photograph, Daventry Mop Fair, 1983
Jack Leeson photograph, Kettering Feast Fair, 1980
Jack Leeson photograph, Long Buckby Feast Fair, 1978
Jack Leeson photograph, Rugby Fair, 1986
Paul Angel photograph, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, 1980
Paul Angel photograph, Brussels Meli Park, 1977
Paul Angel photograph, Hereford Fair, 1983
Paul Angel photograph, Clacton Pier Amusement Park, 1980
Paul Angel photograph, Hull Fair, 1978
Paul Angel photograph, Hull Fair, 1979
Paul Angel photograph, Derby Fair, 1979
Paul Angel photograph, Morecambe Pleasure Beach, 1980 
Paul Angel photograph, Lincoln Fair, 1985
Paul Angel photograph, Nantwich Fair, 1980
Paul Angel photograph, Newcastle Town Moor Fair, 1989
Paul Angel photograph, Wednesbury Fair, 1975
Paul Angel photograph, Worcester Fair, 1980
Stephen Smith photograph, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, 1984 
Stephen Smith photograph, Newcastle Exhibition Park Fair, 1981
Stephen Smith photograph, Newcastle Exhibition Park Fair, 1981
Stephen Smith photograph, unidentified Ghost Train, 1981 Kirk Demarais's Blog
- Kirk Demarais's profile
- 8 followers
Kirk Demarais isn't a Goodreads Author
(yet),
but they
do have a blog,
so here are some recent posts imported from
their feed.
