Will Viharo's Blog, page 6

William Shatner, Pam Grier, and the alternate IT!

With Scott Fulks at Forbidden Island Tiki LoungePresented for your approval: artist Michael Fleming's amazing ALTERNATE front cover for my erotic tiki sci-fi epic (with Scott Fulks) IT CAME FROM HANGAR 18, which will be used for as many promotional purposes as I can think of, including posters, so stay tuned. By the way, my next scheduled Hangar 18 signing/reading event will take place Wednesday, May 30, 7PM, at Books Inc. in Alameda, the only bookstore where this novel is currently in stock (otherwise for sale online from Amazon) - and we will probably have posters of both covers for sale (or possibly as a bonus with book purchase) by then. Hosting Forbidden Thrills, March 19, 2012 (photo by Brian Miller)  A "Shining" star at the bar (photo by Mark Bowen)
At the new Original Joe's, San Francisco
As close as I will probably ever get to William Shatner -
and I got yelled at by the usher just for taking this picture

Within the past couple of weeks I had a couple of notable celebrity encounters - sort of. On Sunday, March 11, Monica Tiki Goddess and I caught William Shatner's one-man show,   Shatner's World (We Just Live in It) , at the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco. Since I couldn't afford the high price VIP ticket which would've allowed us backstage access and a chance to meet the man himself, I left without scoring an autograph. But as the creator of SHATFEST, I figured I had to make an appearance. The show itself did not disappoint - Shatner (who turns 81 this March 22) is still a cosmic ball of energy, regaling the packed house with sundry stories both personal and professional, spanning the scope of his life and career, where truly no man has gone before, or ever will again. Even though I felt let down I didn't have the opportunity to shake his hand and tell him about Shatfest in person, we did achieve another goal: dinner beforehand at the newly refurbished Original Joe's Restaurant, now relocated to North Beach since the original location in the Tenderloin burned down a few years ago. It's still a legendary landmark and a highly recommended destination. In fact, I recommend all the "Original" Joe's around the Bay, from San Jose to Marin, which, despite their declarations to the contrary, all boast the same basic menu, decor and old school Italian ambiance. The martinis and pasta are good at all of 'em.



Pam Grier's new autobiography At the Castro Theater for a hot date Dwarfed by entertainment giant Peaches Christ


And last Saturday, March 17 - St. Patrick's Day, incidentally - Monica and I again made the trek across the Bay Bridge, this time to actually meet the great Pam Grier in the flesh, the subject of a spectacular stage tribute at the Castro Theater, produced and hosted by the only woman man enough to handle her, local (and international) drag icon Peaches Christ. Pam is still as sassy, sexy, and smart as ever, ingratiating herself to the huge crowd with her passion, wit, and social savvy. When I finally got to shake her hand up in the mezzanine after the show, I told her what a great lady she was, and what an honor it was to meet her, and she was extremely gracious, warm, humble and appreciative. Once again, however, due to a strict managerial policy against taking personal photographs with the luscious lady herself, apparently due to the length of the line, I wasn't able to realize my dream of preserving myself into a picture with her, but Pam did suggest and allow Monica, wearing her mother's foxy 1970s coat, to poke her head into a quick shot as she signed her autobiography and a sizzling 8x10 still from that night's movie (Jack Hill's 1973 blaxploitation masterpiece  Coffy ), over the obviously displeased manager's objections. The resulting photo tells it all. All in all, a star-studded week to remember. Cheers.

It Came From the "Hangar 18" Book Release Party!

Special cocktail menu!



Here are some choice scenes from the successful book release party this past Thursday, March 1 at Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge in Alameda for my latest pulp extravaganza IT CAME FROM HANGAR 18 , with co-author Scott Fulks, cover artist Michael Fleming, and live surf music by The Tomorrowmen, hopefully the first of many such events to come, cheers & aloha!
With FI owner Michael Thanos (left) and Scott Fulks (center) With cover artist Michel Fleming (left) and Scott Fulks (center) Scott and Jenn Celebrating with Monica Tiki Goddess, my muse Space babes, left to right: Sara, Becca, and Lee Forbidden Island/Planet crew, left to right: Jarrod, Michael, Becca and Lee The Tomorromen blast off! Otto Von Stroheim digs the book trailer Monica, my favorite fan Monica, Tiki Goddess Jenn is mesmerized by the alien forces "This Island Earth" "Forbidden Planet" meets "Forbidden Island"

ALOHA!

Coming Soon in Forbidden Thrills at Forbidden Island, Monday March 19, 7:30, no cover: SUBVERSIVE CINEMA: DANGERS FROM THE DEEP!

IT CAME FROM HANGAR 18: the trailer & the interview

My co-conspirator Scott Fulks just edited a book trailer for our erotic tiki sci-fi epic IT CAME FROM HANGAR 18 , presented here for your viewing pleasure, just in time for our official book release party at Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge on Thursday, March 1. Scott narrates it as well. I think its murky, mysterious, malevolent mood perfectly captures the campy tone of the book, as well as whets the audience's appetite for the awesomeness within its pulpy pages.  With co-author Scott Fulks at Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge
At the same time, this interview by Pete Crooks for Diablo Magazine just came out, also timed in tandem with the book party. I discuss my fiction and Thrillville as well as my roles with Forbidden Island and The New Parkway, due to open this September. Enjoy. Cheers.
  






Coming Soon in Forbidden Thrills at Forbidden Island, Monday March 19, 7:30, no cover: SUBVERSIVE CINEMA: DANGERS FROM THE DEEP!
PLUS!

Parkway Pulp: The Maltese Falcon on Mars

I know that blog title sounds odds, but I couldn't think of anything more appropriate for this particular column, with so many disparate things going on in the Thrillville Zone. Let's just dive right in:
Co-author Scott Fulks and me at Forbidden Island First, I'm very happy and proud to announce that my latest and possibly greatest pulp extravaganza, It Came From Hangar 18 , is now available in print via Amazon. It's been downloadable from Kindle for a couple of weeks now, but to me, a book isn't really published till I can hold it in my hands...order yours today, or buy a signed copy directly from me and my co-conspirator Scott Fulks at the official It Came From Hangar 18 Book Release Party at Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge on Thursday, March 1, with live music by futuristic surf band The Tomorrowmen. 
This has already been a satisfactory year, from a literary POV. A couple of weeks ago, after a night in Noir City at the Castro Theater in San Francisco, our pal (and official Noir City announcer) Bill Arney took us for a private tour of his old apartment - which was also once occupied by an even more famous local personality, legendary detective writer Dashiell Hammett, now privately leased and preserved with period-specific props. It reminded me of some of the hovels I've lived in as a struggling writer. Let's hope some of the Black Bird's magic rubs off on me...

"The stuff dreams are made of..." Monica Tiki Goddess: femme fatale Then, strangest of all, last Friday, February 3, I attended the first open house for The New Parkway at 24th & Telegraph in Oakland, as part of Oakland Art Murmur's First Fridays festival. It's just a warehouse now, but the blueprints are spectacular, and the location in the revitalized Uptown district is ideal. New proprietor J. Moses Ceaser, who just hired me to be The New Parkway's publicist/special events consultant when it opens this fall, asked me to show up so he could film various prospective patrons and fans of the old Parkway sitting on a sofa with me, discussing what they'd like to see on the marquee, just like the infamous Parkway preview videos of yore. My role is basically to provide a familiar link to the beloved original institution. I have to admit, I felt a bit like a museum exhibit, and it was pretty disorienting, but I'm anticipating a mutually beneficial, lucrative, and creatively satisfying collaboration down the road. Stay tuned.







Meantime, I have plenty of B flicks to present back at Forbidden Island. My next Forbidden Thrills movie nite, on Monday February 20, 7:30, no cover, features two Martian masterpieces, the original Invaders from Mars (1953) and The Angry Red Planet (1959), among my favorite sci-fi flicks. They sum up how I'm feeling lately: completely spaced out. Cheers.


 

The Thrillville Video Jukebox: Greatest Hits

I recently uploaded a backlog of archival Thrillville footage culled from years of media exposure to my "MrThrillville" YouTube channel, to augment and complement my Thrillville Pulp Fiction Collection and Freaks That Carry Your Luggage Up to the Room book trailers already posted. It took me so long to do this simply because I didn't know how to convert DVD-Rs to MP4s, but when my pal Mark Bowen of Le Video in San Francisco hepped me to something called Handbrake, which I could download for free, the floodgates were opened. Below is a comprehensive compendium of videos that collectively relate the history of Thrillville, including my public relationship with my beloved wife and "lovely assistant," Monica Tiki Goddess. Without further ado, I'll allow this historical (hysterical?) visual documentation to speak for itself:
"Talkin' Pictures with Jan Wahl," discussing The Midnight Lounge and introducing favorite film clips, 1998: KTVU's Mornings on 2, promoting Elvis D-Day, August 2000:  KRON news coverage of my protest of the remake of Ocean's 11, 2001:Our segment of a 2001 French documentary, Viva Las Vegas?:Our infamous appearance in the "foot fetish" segment of HBO's Real Sex 24 2000: The greatest Thrillville gig ever: our epic wedding at the Cal-Neva Resort in North Tahoe, May 31, 2001:Discussing Thrillville on SF360 Movie Scene (our segment starts halfway in, at 15 minutes), May 2008:"Thrillville's Papapalooza," with guest star, my father Robert Viharo, Parkway Theater, May 2008:KPIX program Eye on the Bay, featuring Thrillville's debut at the Cerrito, February 2007:"Welcome to Thrillville" tribute montage by Sci-Fi Bob Ekman, featuring my theme "Thrillville"
by The Moon-Rays:"Ten-O-Win," short film by Christian Bruno using footage from Thrillville:
Thrillville on Creepy KOFY Movie Time, discussing my road shows, Oakland Mai Tai campaign, and Bachelor Pad Magazine column, September 2009:Plugging my new novel A Mermaid Drowns in the Midnight Lounge on Creepy KOFY Movie Time, September 2010:
The Best is yet to come. Cheers!

IT CAME FROM THE NEW PARKWAY! Plus! Tiki Goddess Meets Police Woman!

I had a feeling 2012 was going to be a landmark year for me, at least professionally, and so far that hunch is holding true. Within the course of a few days, I experienced three milestone events, two of which may prove life changing, and all of which were certainly life affirming.  At the site of The New Parkway, 24th @ Telegraph, OaklandFirst, I announced on Facebook last Friday that I was offered and have accepted the position of Publicist/Special Events Consultant for The New Parkway, opening later this summer or fall at 24th & Telegraph, at the remote end of Oakland's miraculously resurgent Uptown district, so it'll be a big part of the Oakland Art Murmur's First Fridays events (I'll be at the site on Friday, February 3, for an open house), plus it's accessible via public transportation, and right near a shimmering strip of hoppin' bars, restaurants and nightclubs, so it's already in good company. I look look forward to working with entrepreneur J. Moses Ceaser and his team, and infusing the converted warehouse with the spirit of the original Parkway, as well as the community still mourning its loss. I plan to bring back a lot of beloved programs while introducing new concepts, so it will be a healthy and hopefully successful mix of the best of the past with the potential of the present and the promise of the future. So far this news has been greeted with great enthusiasm by former patrons, and we won't let them down. (Read my Examiner interview with Moses here.) Just when I thought I was, they pull me back in...
Cover art by Michael FlemingLater that night, my friend and writing partner Scott Fulks informed me that our ambitious collaboration It Came From Hangar 18 just went live on Kindle (purchase here). The print edition is coming soon; he sent for some proof copies to check out before we approve a large batch for our official Book Release Party at Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge on Thursday, March 1, with live music by sci-fi surfers The Tomorrowmen. This is the fruition of a lot of hard work - I wrote most of the 500+ plus page epic from Scott's initial sketchy outline, fleshing out his skeletal crew of characters, then adding a massive cast as I developed the story, bouncing ideas off of Scott, who then infused his own highly complex original scientific theories, which I then smoothly integrated into the text. There's simply nothing else like it out there, and I have high hopes for it.
Tiki Goddess meets Police Woman! With Angie Dickinson, Castro Theater, 1/21/12Last but not least, last Saturday night, Monica and I attended our pal Eddie Muller's incredibly popular, world famous film festival Noir City where we met guest of honor Anyway, 2012 is off to a swingin' start. Hold on tight, it's gonna be an awesome ride.  Cheers.

SHADOW MUSIC and NEON ROSE: sonic blasts from my literary past

As many novels as I've published recently, there are many others I haven't (yet), and may never publish, for various reasons - too personal, too unpolished, too lazy, etc. You can get a taste of some of my early work, when I aspired to be a serious "literary" author like my former idol J. D. Salinger, with two radio programs adapted from unpublished material, now available for your listening pleasure, courtesy of Soundcloud. Both shows were professionally produced and broadcast by KPFA, based in Berkeley, CA.
First, there's Neon Rose, my painfully autobiographical 1989 novel written after I went to visit my natural mother in Brooklyn, New York. She suffered from schizophrenia, and was a virtual stranger to me. I also visited my high school sweetheart in New Jersey, now a nurse in Philadelphia, with whom I'd had a star-crossed affair when she came to visit me in San Francisco. This 45 minute segment captures both of these elements, which were later recycled for the Vic Valentine novel Romance Takes a Rain Check (now available). The live reading was part of KPFA's "Morning Reading" program, originally broadcast, as I recall, in January, 1990. The producer apparently thought the book was about to be published, though for various reasons, it remains buried in my closet, perhaps never to see the light of day. Except for this excerpt. Listen to Neon Rose online here. My first published short story, Berkeley's Daily Californian, 8/28/87

Next is Shadow Music, a more ambitiously executed radio play with music, sound effects, and several actors, produced by Vinnie Beachum, adapted from my 1992 novella, and broadcast on December 2, 1996, when I was working as a video clerk at Movie Image in downtown Berkeley. It's a much more mature work, I think, and echoes of the plot, about people who can hear celestial music coming from an unknown source, first introduced in a published short story of mine called "Night Notes," later resounded in my recent novel A Mermaid Drowns in the Midnight Lounge. In fact, "Night Notes," which appeared in a literary 'zine out of Arizona called Expression, was set at The French Hotel, where I worked as a desk clerk, and which served as inspiration for the setting of my recent novella Freaks That Carry Your Luggage Up to the Room . Anyway, this particular radio program, and the writing, really hold up, I think. You can check out Shadow Music online here.
The first "Thrillville"at the Parkway poster, when the show was called "The Midnight Lounge", 1997Listening to these shows again, digitally transferred from ancient cassette tapes, preserved for posterity and uploaded online for mass consumption, really brought me back to my literary roots, making me feel a bit melancholy, since my youthful ambitions have not yet been fully realized, but also making me feel like I've come full circle, finally pursuing and achieving my dreams. Anyway, I hope you take the time to appreciate these spoken word relics, created long before there was a Thrillville, or a Parkway. I really think you'll enjoy them. Cheers.

"It Came from Hangar 18": the back, and The Future

It's only the very beginning of 2012, which promises to be a very good year, dire predictions by the Mayans notwithstanding, and I'm already looking at it from the rear view: Here is artist Michael Fleming's back cover to my forthcoming sci-fi epic (co-written with Scott Fulks), It Came From Hangar 18, the front cover having been previously revealed, and as you can plainly see, this will be unlike any other book of its genre ever written. I completed the novel and turned it over to Scott this past December 29. Publication is pending, probably later this month, stay tuned for details as I'll be promoting the hell out of it. Scott and I will be doing several book signings together, including Tiki Oasis 12 in San Diego this summer. Watch the skies. As "El Santo Claus," Forbidden Thrills Feliz Navidad Fiesta, 12/19/11
With my Tiki Goddess, New Year's Eve Vegas Lounge Party at Forbidden Island (photo by Gabriel Hurley)
Meantime, my next Forbidden Thrills movie nite at Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge in Alameda on Monday, January 23, 7:30, features a cheapjack double chill-thrill-bill of sleazy tropical terrors, Horrors of Spider Island (1960) plus King of Kong Island (1968), with the usual leftover prizes and free popcorn. Be there, aloha.

Oh yea - the Parkway is finally going to reopen, at least in spirit, (with a different name, no doubt) in a new location (Oakland's resurgent Uptown district), by a new administration, sometime in the late Summer of Fall. I'm not directly involved, but still, that's good news for Oaktown.
Remember to check out Examiner movie column, my daily web series reviews at PlaceVine, and of course, please subscribe to Bachelor Pad Magazine. I write a regular movie column for that publication as well, so you can tell your girlfriend you read it for the articles. Happy New Year. Cheers.

Cheers to 2011; Aloha 2012

Overall, 2011 was a pretty good year - chiefly because I celebrated my tenth wedding anniversary with my beloved Tiki Goddess. I also published four books (including Lavender Blonde and the two Vic Valentine Double Features, Fate Is My Pimp/Romance Takes a Rain Check and I Lost My Heart in Hollywood/Diary of a Dick), and wrote two: the bizarro novella Freaks That Carry Your Luggage Up to the Room and, with Scott Fulks, a sci-fi pulp epic like no other, It Came From Hangar 18, which is due out in early 2012 (all the rest are currently available in various formats via my Thrillville Pulp Fiction page). But I also lost some dear personal pals to untimely death, most painfully longtime buddies Ben Putman and Rob Beckley, along with famous friends Tura Satana and David Hess, so I'm left with both a strengthened spirit and a broken heart. Still, even with these mixed emotions, I'm really looking forward to the new year. There are a lot of new movies I'm greatly anticipating, especially the unprecedented slate of superhero flicks (The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-man, The Avengers, Man of Steel and the latest 007 entry Skyfall; check out my list of the Top 11 of 2011 in my Examiner column here.) I also have some choice B classics lined up for my monthly movie nite, Forbidden Thrills at Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge. And of course I'll keep producing and pimping my own pulp. Happy Holidays to Thrill Seekers everywhere. Here's to a brighter future. Cheers. 

Attack of the Pulp Fiction Writer: more press, & more!

 

This great profile piece just came out in the East Bay Express, by Stefanie Kalem, describing my public evolution from "Will the Thrill" to "Will the Quill," and furthering my agenda to re-introduce myself to the people who know me only as "the Parkway Guy." 
This is exactly the kind of press I need, following hot on the heels of this San Francisco Bay Guardian article/interview about my pulp fiction. Hopefully, much more media exposure is in the cards. The Express piece also plugs my Forbidden Thrills movie nites at Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge in Alameda. Next up, Monday December 19, 7:30: I'm throwing a "Feliz Navidad Fiesta" featuring those festive Mexican B classics The Brainiac (AKA The Baron of Terror, 1962) and Curse of the Aztec Mummy (1957). Salud!
    Me with comic book legend Steve Englehart


Speaking of Forbidden Thrills at Forbidden Island, one of my childhood heroes, famous Marvel/DC comic book scribe Steve Englehart swung by my recent screenings of Attack of the Crab Monsters and The Flesh Eaters, and I had him sign some copies of " Captain America and The Falcon " I've been holding onto since 1973! It was quite an unexpected honor. He's a very nice, humble guy and it really made my night. My year, in fact.

Happy holidays, cheers.