One man's favorite Berserk songs on video
I was doing some Fall cleaning on my computer last night and dug up these videos gathering dust in my hard drive. They represent my favorite songs by Dave Cawley, erstwhile bassist in my favorite Baltimore band from the '90s, Berserk. Giant robots! Ultra 7! These are the songs that defined a generation of otaku pop-punk-purists - at least in Dave's Cawley's mind.
Watch the Berserk - "Giant Robots" music video.
Baltimore's Berserk play their classic '90s anthem, "Giant Robots" - Dave Cawley's love song to a boy's best friend.
Now watch Berserk play "Giant Robots" live at Ottobar (2005).
Grand finale number from Berserk's Reunion Show at Ottobar, February 7, 2005.
Watch the Berserk "Ultra 7" music video.
Unfortunately, this great song is only available on a Go Kart records compilation record, Go Kart Vs. the Corporate Giant. Forget Wall Street - Occupy the Corporate Giant and seek it out!
Now watch Beserk play "Ultra 7" live at Ottobar (2005).
Dave Cawley continues his love letter to Japan ("How do I love thee, let me count the ways...") with his sonic celebration of Ultraman (and, for vegan Brent, burritos that contain no meato). From the Berserk Reunion Show at the Ottobar, February 7, 2005.
Showing posts with label baltimore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baltimore. Show all posts
Friday, October 28, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Shonen Knife Cuts Thru Baltimore
Cutting Edge J-Poppers Finally Take a Stab at Charm City
Believe it or not, Shonen Knife had never visited or played in Baltimore in the course of their 30-year career. Like most big name J-pop bands touring the U.S.(Pizzicato Five, Puffy, even Kahimi Karie), they made the obligatory stop in the nation's capital, typically at the 9:30 Club, before bypassing Charm City to traipse up the East Coast to Philadelphia, New York, and other major ports of call. In fact, the last time I saw them was back in 1997, when they performed at the 9:30 Club in support of their album Brand New Knife (Baltimore's powerpop trio Splitsville opened for them).
That all changed October 24, 2011 when founding guitarist Naoko Yamano and the "new" Shonen Knife girls - drummer Emi Morimoto (2010-present) and bassist Ritsuko Taneda (2006-present) - visited Atomic Books in Hampden to sell their new all-Ramones-covers CD Osaka Ramones (Good Charamel Records, 2011), sign memorabilia, and hang out with fans, before jumping in their tour bus to motor down the street and rock out later that night at the Ottobar as part of their 30th Anniversary North American Tour. And so, "Baltimore, the city that reads" officially became "Baltimore, the city that bleeds" - for Shonen Knife!
Watch Shonen Knife arrive at Atomic Books.
Shonen at Atomic: a rendezvous with history?
As an added bonus, Naoko's sis Atsuko (Shonen Knife's original drummer) was also on hand to roadie for the band; though Atsuko left the band in 2006 when she got married and then moved to Los Angeles, she filled in during band's 2007 tour and, being Naoko's sister, continues to be involved with the musical family she created with Naoko and Michie Nakatani in Osako back in 1981. (Original bass player Michie Nakatani left the band in 1999, with Atsuko moving from behind the drumkit to replace her on bass guitar.)
Dave Cawley, Ichiban: "The early bird catches the worm," Dave smirks as he informs latecomers that the line forms BEHIND him. "Watch me and learn, minions - and please, DO envy me!"
Dave Cawley was the very first fan to arrive at Atomic Books (all the better to genuflect before his idols), which is somewhat fitting, as Dave used to correspond with Atsuko Yamano dating back when he was in Baltimore's pop-punk band Berserk. (Dave poses with Atsuko Yamano in pic at right.) Amy and I were the second to arrive and Atomic Books owners Benn Ray and Rachel Whang were greatly amused to see that Dave and I were both wearing the same 1997 Shonen Knife Tour shirts, the ones we got when last we saw the band at the 9:30 Club and interviewed them for Atomic TV (as seen on ATV's "Turning Japanese, Part 1" - check 'em out at the 54-minute mark of this episode). Rachel Whang captured the "Misfits-in-Matching-Outfits" photo op, below:
Tom: "Dave, this is kinda gay!" Dave: "Ya think?"
Dave and I loved Shonen Knife from the moment we discovered them - he first, of course, via his Pan-Asian Pop Cultural Studies (an ongoing obsession), me rather late in game thanks to Sassy magazine's championing of "Twist Barbie." We both agreed that they were the nicest band we'd ever met, and regretted that we hadn't seen or listened to Shonen Knife in a long time; in fact, 1998's Happy Hour album (my personal favorite and the last to feature original bass player Michie Nakatani) was the last CD either one of us had purchased. We decided it was time to make amends for that criminal oversight, and we looked forward to meeting the new "Brand New Knife." We learned that the first cut may be the deepest, but the new Knife cuts a pretty sharp figure as well!
Meet and greet the Brand New Knife!
First-in-line Dave Cawley strikes a Kamen Rider pose with Shonen Knife
Dave Cawley gives Shonen Knife his personal seal of approval
The fans behind Dave "I was first!" Cawley wait their turn at Atomic Books
Tom Warner makes peace with Shonen Knife
Amy had never heard Shonen Knife, but bought their "Fun! Fun! Fun!" LP as an introduction to the fun, fun, fun
Amy enjoys Shonen Knife's autograph doodles: Emi (cat), Naoko (bunny), Ritsuko (dog)
Shonen Knife's cute critter doodles
Our Facebook pal Gary Razorpop poses with The Knife
Shonen Knife really seemed to enjoy looking through the shelves at Atomic Books - where Naoko's book Shonen Knife Land was also available for purchase; they also explored the vinyls bins at Celebrated Summer Records next door (who splurged for donuts and other edibles).
Emi lets the cat out of the bag at Atomic Books
Just as fitting as Dave Cawley being first in line at Atomic Books was Shonen Knife's decision to release an all-Ramones song album, for Shonen Knife is basically an all-girl Japanese version of the Ramones. Both work from a foundation of simplistic punk rock buzzsaw guitar and lyrics celebrating everything that's good dumb fun in life - whether it be sniffing glue, getting kicks and scoring chicks for the Ramones or eating all that food ("Cookie Day," "Banana Chips," "Hot Chocolate," "Brown Mushrooms," "Froot Loop Dreams," "Ice Cream City," "Gyoza") that Naoko sings about in countless Knife songs. Osaka Ramones contains all the classic Ramones songs you'd expect to hear championed ("Blitzkrieg Bop," "Rock 'n' Roll High School," "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker") as well as an inspired surprise cover of "Scattergun," a rockin' tune written by Dee Dee's replacement C.J. Ramone (Christopher Ward) and taken from their last studio album ¡Adios Amigos! (1995). And it's not just Naoko handling all the vocal duties: Ritsuko lends her voice to "Sheena," while Emi gets to sing "The KKK Took My Baby Away." The album was recorded in Osaka and Buffalo, NY, with Goo Goo dolls bassist Robby Takac producing five tracks at his GCR studio in Buffalo and mixing the final album. (Attention collectors: The US album features a Road To Ruin-style drawing by Miyoka Hayakawa, while the Japanese release features a black-and-white photo of the band that mimics the first Ramones album.)
Watch Ritsuko sing "Sheena is a Punk Rocker."
Watch Emi sing "The KKK Took My Baby Away."
I enjoyed meeting the new (to me) Shonen Knife rhythm section. I quickly learned that sexy long-haired bassist Ritsuko Taneda used to sing and play guitar in the J-Pop bands Keihan Girl and Denki Candy (where her nom de stage was "Marilyn"). And I discovered that super-kawaii drummer Emi Morimoto (whose Louis Brooks-style haircut reminded me of Scott Pilgrim's girlfriend "Knifes Chau" from Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World), used to bang the skins for Ni Hao!, Ultra Jr, mamastudio, and NASCA CAR.
But I really enjoyed chatting briefly with Atsuko Yamano, Naoka's sister who helped set up the merchandise table and assisted with other tour details as needed.
Atsuko helps set up the merchandise table
"Excuse me, aren't you Big Dave Cawley?" Atsuko (far left) asks a bespectacled fanboy
Atsuko now resides in Los Angeles, where she has plenty of time (and sunny weather) to indulge in her latest passion of tennis. Both of us are Federer fans, and I told her I was equally impressed with Kei Nishikori who, at age 21, is currently the highest-ever ranked Japanese player (#30) on the ATP Tour. Alas, like Kei, Atsuko also favors a two-handed backhand, though I tried to convince her of the benefits of the one-handed slice. (Maybe next tour?)
Tom Warner bonds with Atsuko over tennis and their shared adulation of Roger Federer and Japan's own Kei Nishikori
I can't say enough about how sweet and friendly these gals are. They even indulged me when I went back for yet more merchandise for them to sign - and they signed everything, for everybody. Benn Ray joked that I had forgotten to get my '97 tour shirt signed, but I'm too much of an anal-neatnik (as far as fashion, at least, if not housekeeping!) to go that far.
Tom's Shonen Knife cache: Sign here, please!
"OK Mr. Warner, last one - our hands are cramping now!"
Alas, Amy and I did not join Dave Cawley later that night at the Ottobar show, as the prospect of having to wait through three opening bands on a Monday night (doesn't anybody in this town work?) didn't gibe either with our schedules or our aging bones. (Yes, we're old!) I'm sure somebody will post some video of the Ottobar show shortly, but in the meantime, here's what the girls looked like live when they brought the "Blitzkrieg Bop" to London's Windmill club back in August:
Watch Shonen Knife play "Blitzkrieg Bop."
And here they are rocking the Asia Society in NYC with non-Ramones ditties back in September 2010:
Watch Shonen Knife rock the Asia Society.
Shonen Knife's first-ever trip to Charm City, coming less than a week before Halloween, was definitely a treat for all Baltimorons!
***
Postscript (10-26-2011):
As anticipated, videos of Shonen Knife's show at the Ottobar turned up a day later. Herein is what went down as recorded by serenab4 and motionrotarytoad.
Watch serenab4's "shonen knife @ the ottobar (10/24/11)"
Watch motionrotarytoad's "The KKK Took My Baby Away/Rock 'n' Roll High School"
Watch motionrotarytoad's "Blitzkrieg Bop/Beat on the Brat"
Watch motionrotarytoad's "Konnichiwa/Bear Up Bison"
Watch motionrotarytoad's "Banana Chips"
Watch motionrotarytoad's "Devil House"
Believe it or not, Shonen Knife had never visited or played in Baltimore in the course of their 30-year career. Like most big name J-pop bands touring the U.S.(Pizzicato Five, Puffy, even Kahimi Karie), they made the obligatory stop in the nation's capital, typically at the 9:30 Club, before bypassing Charm City to traipse up the East Coast to Philadelphia, New York, and other major ports of call. In fact, the last time I saw them was back in 1997, when they performed at the 9:30 Club in support of their album Brand New Knife (Baltimore's powerpop trio Splitsville opened for them).That all changed October 24, 2011 when founding guitarist Naoko Yamano and the "new" Shonen Knife girls - drummer Emi Morimoto (2010-present) and bassist Ritsuko Taneda (2006-present) - visited Atomic Books in Hampden to sell their new all-Ramones-covers CD Osaka Ramones (Good Charamel Records, 2011), sign memorabilia, and hang out with fans, before jumping in their tour bus to motor down the street and rock out later that night at the Ottobar as part of their 30th Anniversary North American Tour. And so, "Baltimore, the city that reads" officially became "Baltimore, the city that bleeds" - for Shonen Knife!
Watch Shonen Knife arrive at Atomic Books.
Shonen at Atomic: a rendezvous with history?
As an added bonus, Naoko's sis Atsuko (Shonen Knife's original drummer) was also on hand to roadie for the band; though Atsuko left the band in 2006 when she got married and then moved to Los Angeles, she filled in during band's 2007 tour and, being Naoko's sister, continues to be involved with the musical family she created with Naoko and Michie Nakatani in Osako back in 1981. (Original bass player Michie Nakatani left the band in 1999, with Atsuko moving from behind the drumkit to replace her on bass guitar.)
Dave Cawley, Ichiban: "The early bird catches the worm," Dave smirks as he informs latecomers that the line forms BEHIND him. "Watch me and learn, minions - and please, DO envy me!"
Dave Cawley was the very first fan to arrive at Atomic Books (all the better to genuflect before his idols), which is somewhat fitting, as Dave used to correspond with Atsuko Yamano dating back when he was in Baltimore's pop-punk band Berserk. (Dave poses with Atsuko Yamano in pic at right.) Amy and I were the second to arrive and Atomic Books owners Benn Ray and Rachel Whang were greatly amused to see that Dave and I were both wearing the same 1997 Shonen Knife Tour shirts, the ones we got when last we saw the band at the 9:30 Club and interviewed them for Atomic TV (as seen on ATV's "Turning Japanese, Part 1" - check 'em out at the 54-minute mark of this episode). Rachel Whang captured the "Misfits-in-Matching-Outfits" photo op, below:
Tom: "Dave, this is kinda gay!" Dave: "Ya think?"
Dave and I loved Shonen Knife from the moment we discovered them - he first, of course, via his Pan-Asian Pop Cultural Studies (an ongoing obsession), me rather late in game thanks to Sassy magazine's championing of "Twist Barbie." We both agreed that they were the nicest band we'd ever met, and regretted that we hadn't seen or listened to Shonen Knife in a long time; in fact, 1998's Happy Hour album (my personal favorite and the last to feature original bass player Michie Nakatani) was the last CD either one of us had purchased. We decided it was time to make amends for that criminal oversight, and we looked forward to meeting the new "Brand New Knife." We learned that the first cut may be the deepest, but the new Knife cuts a pretty sharp figure as well!
Meet and greet the Brand New Knife!
First-in-line Dave Cawley strikes a Kamen Rider pose with Shonen Knife
Dave Cawley gives Shonen Knife his personal seal of approval
The fans behind Dave "I was first!" Cawley wait their turn at Atomic Books
Tom Warner makes peace with Shonen Knife
Amy had never heard Shonen Knife, but bought their "Fun! Fun! Fun!" LP as an introduction to the fun, fun, fun
Amy enjoys Shonen Knife's autograph doodles: Emi (cat), Naoko (bunny), Ritsuko (dog)
Shonen Knife's cute critter doodles
Our Facebook pal Gary Razorpop poses with The Knife
Shonen Knife really seemed to enjoy looking through the shelves at Atomic Books - where Naoko's book Shonen Knife Land was also available for purchase; they also explored the vinyls bins at Celebrated Summer Records next door (who splurged for donuts and other edibles).
Emi lets the cat out of the bag at Atomic Books
Just as fitting as Dave Cawley being first in line at Atomic Books was Shonen Knife's decision to release an all-Ramones song album, for Shonen Knife is basically an all-girl Japanese version of the Ramones. Both work from a foundation of simplistic punk rock buzzsaw guitar and lyrics celebrating everything that's good dumb fun in life - whether it be sniffing glue, getting kicks and scoring chicks for the Ramones or eating all that food ("Cookie Day," "Banana Chips," "Hot Chocolate," "Brown Mushrooms," "Froot Loop Dreams," "Ice Cream City," "Gyoza") that Naoko sings about in countless Knife songs. Osaka Ramones contains all the classic Ramones songs you'd expect to hear championed ("Blitzkrieg Bop," "Rock 'n' Roll High School," "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker") as well as an inspired surprise cover of "Scattergun," a rockin' tune written by Dee Dee's replacement C.J. Ramone (Christopher Ward) and taken from their last studio album ¡Adios Amigos! (1995). And it's not just Naoko handling all the vocal duties: Ritsuko lends her voice to "Sheena," while Emi gets to sing "The KKK Took My Baby Away." The album was recorded in Osaka and Buffalo, NY, with Goo Goo dolls bassist Robby Takac producing five tracks at his GCR studio in Buffalo and mixing the final album. (Attention collectors: The US album features a Road To Ruin-style drawing by Miyoka Hayakawa, while the Japanese release features a black-and-white photo of the band that mimics the first Ramones album.)Watch Ritsuko sing "Sheena is a Punk Rocker."
Watch Emi sing "The KKK Took My Baby Away."
I enjoyed meeting the new (to me) Shonen Knife rhythm section. I quickly learned that sexy long-haired bassist Ritsuko Taneda used to sing and play guitar in the J-Pop bands Keihan Girl and Denki Candy (where her nom de stage was "Marilyn"). And I discovered that super-kawaii drummer Emi Morimoto (whose Louis Brooks-style haircut reminded me of Scott Pilgrim's girlfriend "Knifes Chau" from Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World), used to bang the skins for Ni Hao!, Ultra Jr, mamastudio, and NASCA CAR.
But I really enjoyed chatting briefly with Atsuko Yamano, Naoka's sister who helped set up the merchandise table and assisted with other tour details as needed.
Atsuko helps set up the merchandise table
"Excuse me, aren't you Big Dave Cawley?" Atsuko (far left) asks a bespectacled fanboy
Atsuko now resides in Los Angeles, where she has plenty of time (and sunny weather) to indulge in her latest passion of tennis. Both of us are Federer fans, and I told her I was equally impressed with Kei Nishikori who, at age 21, is currently the highest-ever ranked Japanese player (#30) on the ATP Tour. Alas, like Kei, Atsuko also favors a two-handed backhand, though I tried to convince her of the benefits of the one-handed slice. (Maybe next tour?)
Tom Warner bonds with Atsuko over tennis and their shared adulation of Roger Federer and Japan's own Kei Nishikori
I can't say enough about how sweet and friendly these gals are. They even indulged me when I went back for yet more merchandise for them to sign - and they signed everything, for everybody. Benn Ray joked that I had forgotten to get my '97 tour shirt signed, but I'm too much of an anal-neatnik (as far as fashion, at least, if not housekeeping!) to go that far.
Tom's Shonen Knife cache: Sign here, please!
"OK Mr. Warner, last one - our hands are cramping now!"
Alas, Amy and I did not join Dave Cawley later that night at the Ottobar show, as the prospect of having to wait through three opening bands on a Monday night (doesn't anybody in this town work?) didn't gibe either with our schedules or our aging bones. (Yes, we're old!) I'm sure somebody will post some video of the Ottobar show shortly, but in the meantime, here's what the girls looked like live when they brought the "Blitzkrieg Bop" to London's Windmill club back in August:
Watch Shonen Knife play "Blitzkrieg Bop."
And here they are rocking the Asia Society in NYC with non-Ramones ditties back in September 2010:
Watch Shonen Knife rock the Asia Society.
Shonen Knife's first-ever trip to Charm City, coming less than a week before Halloween, was definitely a treat for all Baltimorons!
***
Postscript (10-26-2011):
As anticipated, videos of Shonen Knife's show at the Ottobar turned up a day later. Herein is what went down as recorded by serenab4 and motionrotarytoad.
Watch serenab4's "shonen knife @ the ottobar (10/24/11)"
Watch motionrotarytoad's "The KKK Took My Baby Away/Rock 'n' Roll High School"
Watch motionrotarytoad's "Blitzkrieg Bop/Beat on the Brat"
Watch motionrotarytoad's "Konnichiwa/Bear Up Bison"
Watch motionrotarytoad's "Banana Chips"
Watch motionrotarytoad's "Devil House"
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Shakin' All Over, East Coast Style
A Shake, Rattle & Rollcall
"If it bleeds, it leads," goes the time-tested axiom about news headlines, to which I would add, "If it quakes, it also rates." Yesterday's 5.8-scale earthquake at approximately 1:51 p.m. was a shock, to be sure, but mainly because we just don't expect these sort of things to happen on the East Coast.
When I felt the tremors and saw the Enoch Pratt Central Library's walls shake, I was sure it had something to do with all the downtown infrastructure construction going on (especially on torn-up Franklin Street), thinking maybe workers had hit a gasline that exploded. Only later, upon closer inspection, would I learn the full impact of the quake on the library - several videos were knocked off their vertical axis and fell to the horizontal plain (as shown below)!
"Roots" was uprooted by the quake!
Up in Towson, my girlfriend Amy freaked out, thinking she was gonna die.
"I'm freaking out here!!!"
As at the Enoch Pratt Central Library, her building was evacuated and no one was allowed back in until inspectors could survey the building for structural damage. (Poor Amy had left her apartment and car keys inside, so it was a traumatic day for her, to say the least; she tried calling me, but it seems everybody was on their cell phones, resulting in connection problems for most people. See "Cell Phones Useless During East Coast Quake.")
Unable to reach my girlfriend, I called to see how my dad was holding up at Blakehurst retirement home in Towson. My dad reported that when he noticed his coveted silver service set start rattling and moving about, he immediately called housekeeping - he thought mice had gotten into the apartment and were using his silver service as a habit trail!
Pratt Library sent everybody home and as I drove home, heading north on Howard Street, I encountered a wild, reckless force of nature infinitely more dangerous and unpredictable than any earthquake: dirt-bike kids.
Unsafe at any speed
These are feral urban "wild childs" like something out of Lord of the Flies or a post-Apocalyptic sci-fi novel...they remind me of Sierra Leone's "Child Warriors" in that they obey no laws (traffic or societal) and have no respect for the lives of others. They basically took over Howard Street around the light rail stop near Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., two cycles side-swiping my car while others weaved recklessly between cars and lanes, racing through red lights and causing both pedestrians and vehicles to stop in their tracks. Wearing expensive, gaudy Polo shirts, some riders (many looked like they were between 10 and 12 years old) popped wheelies, while others defiantly shook their fists in the air at (terrified) motorists. These gangs (with names like The 12 O'clock Boyz, Wheelie Boyz, B-More Outlawz) make Marlon Brando's "Black Motorcycle Club" gang look like well-respected pillars of the local community. What they rebelling against? Whaddya got? I hereby pledge my support to any Baltimore City mayoral candidate who introduces "Dirt Bike: Shoot on Sight" legislation. (OK, I'm being facetious here.)
Before I arrived home, I made a pit stop at the Roland Park Video Americain store, half-expecting to see manager Scott Wallace Brown reshelving scattered DVD and video cases. But instead, a non-plussed Scott (who's no stranger to 'quakes, having lived in Alaska for many years) said he barely noticed the earthquake. When I asked him what impact the 5.8 quake had on his stock, Scott said, "Oh, maybe four DVD boxes fell off the shelf. So you could rate this earthquake as a four-boxer." OK, a new video store scale (5.8 quake = 4-boxer damage). Scott commented that former Video Americain co-owner Michael Bradley had already called to see what effect the quake had on the store's stock. Ah, you can take the Video Americainers out of Video Americain, but you can't take Video Americain out of their hearts!
And speaking of videos, some people were quick to capitalize on the day's events, with Evil Angel rushing out the new DVD title Earthquake Booty 3:
An Inconvenient Truth: For the record, no scientific evidence links yesterday's earthquake with any surge in big booty activity.
"If it bleeds, it leads," goes the time-tested axiom about news headlines, to which I would add, "If it quakes, it also rates." Yesterday's 5.8-scale earthquake at approximately 1:51 p.m. was a shock, to be sure, but mainly because we just don't expect these sort of things to happen on the East Coast.
When I felt the tremors and saw the Enoch Pratt Central Library's walls shake, I was sure it had something to do with all the downtown infrastructure construction going on (especially on torn-up Franklin Street), thinking maybe workers had hit a gasline that exploded. Only later, upon closer inspection, would I learn the full impact of the quake on the library - several videos were knocked off their vertical axis and fell to the horizontal plain (as shown below)!
"Roots" was uprooted by the quake!
Up in Towson, my girlfriend Amy freaked out, thinking she was gonna die.
"I'm freaking out here!!!"
As at the Enoch Pratt Central Library, her building was evacuated and no one was allowed back in until inspectors could survey the building for structural damage. (Poor Amy had left her apartment and car keys inside, so it was a traumatic day for her, to say the least; she tried calling me, but it seems everybody was on their cell phones, resulting in connection problems for most people. See "Cell Phones Useless During East Coast Quake.")
Unable to reach my girlfriend, I called to see how my dad was holding up at Blakehurst retirement home in Towson. My dad reported that when he noticed his coveted silver service set start rattling and moving about, he immediately called housekeeping - he thought mice had gotten into the apartment and were using his silver service as a habit trail!
Pratt Library sent everybody home and as I drove home, heading north on Howard Street, I encountered a wild, reckless force of nature infinitely more dangerous and unpredictable than any earthquake: dirt-bike kids.
Unsafe at any speed
These are feral urban "wild childs" like something out of Lord of the Flies or a post-Apocalyptic sci-fi novel...they remind me of Sierra Leone's "Child Warriors" in that they obey no laws (traffic or societal) and have no respect for the lives of others. They basically took over Howard Street around the light rail stop near Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., two cycles side-swiping my car while others weaved recklessly between cars and lanes, racing through red lights and causing both pedestrians and vehicles to stop in their tracks. Wearing expensive, gaudy Polo shirts, some riders (many looked like they were between 10 and 12 years old) popped wheelies, while others defiantly shook their fists in the air at (terrified) motorists. These gangs (with names like The 12 O'clock Boyz, Wheelie Boyz, B-More Outlawz) make Marlon Brando's "Black Motorcycle Club" gang look like well-respected pillars of the local community. What they rebelling against? Whaddya got? I hereby pledge my support to any Baltimore City mayoral candidate who introduces "Dirt Bike: Shoot on Sight" legislation. (OK, I'm being facetious here.)
Before I arrived home, I made a pit stop at the Roland Park Video Americain store, half-expecting to see manager Scott Wallace Brown reshelving scattered DVD and video cases. But instead, a non-plussed Scott (who's no stranger to 'quakes, having lived in Alaska for many years) said he barely noticed the earthquake. When I asked him what impact the 5.8 quake had on his stock, Scott said, "Oh, maybe four DVD boxes fell off the shelf. So you could rate this earthquake as a four-boxer." OK, a new video store scale (5.8 quake = 4-boxer damage). Scott commented that former Video Americain co-owner Michael Bradley had already called to see what effect the quake had on the store's stock. Ah, you can take the Video Americainers out of Video Americain, but you can't take Video Americain out of their hearts!
And speaking of videos, some people were quick to capitalize on the day's events, with Evil Angel rushing out the new DVD title Earthquake Booty 3:
An Inconvenient Truth: For the record, no scientific evidence links yesterday's earthquake with any surge in big booty activity.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Gaia: Stick Up Artist
Though I abhor graffiti and most invasive street art, I have to admit liking the paste-up poster art I've seen around town on abandoned, ghost buildings. Every day, on my way to work, I walk past examples of it on Franklin Street between Park and Howard Street. These images enliven what is otherwise a depressing urban blight eyesore - all those boarded-up, decaying buildings that look like potential Factory Records album covers or post-war Europe circa 1945. I think street artists themselves describe their actions as "co-opting urban space" in order to make a statement or communicate something/anything to passersby. I recently posted a query asking if anyone knew who was responsible for these posters (shown below)...
...and I think I've found my mystery man. Could it be Gaia, the classic mythology named (after the Greek Earth Goddess) former MICA student whose work was profiled last year in Urbanite magazine? To quote the Magic Eightball: "Signs point to yes."
In an October 2010 piece entitled "The Oracle," writer Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson tracked down and interviewed the artist whose art frequently depicts creatures that are half human, half-animal —people with the heads of bears and birds reflecting the what the artist sees as a connection between the wild and civilization.
Cock blocked by street art
"Baltimore's been a fantastic canvas, which is sad because ultimately my work wouldn't exist if there wasn't any neglected space," Gaia was quoted as saying. "What that neglected space allows for is a certain freedom and grassroots, democratic, public space. The artist has full agency, and there aren't any boundaries or obstacles for an artist to produce work besides the law of posting on property."
The artist at work
This one's funny: the New York Fried Chicken joint on Charles Street and North Avenue.
Read the full Urbanite article here: "The Oracle" (Urbanite, October 1, 2010)
Click here to see a map of where Gaia's pieces can be seen around the city.
Related Links:
"Street Art @ Franklin & Howard Street" (Accelerated Decrepitude)
"The Oracle" (Urbanite Magazine)
gaia.streetar's photostream (Flickr)
"Gaia Plasters Baltimore" (lostaeminor.com)
...and I think I've found my mystery man. Could it be Gaia, the classic mythology named (after the Greek Earth Goddess) former MICA student whose work was profiled last year in Urbanite magazine? To quote the Magic Eightball: "Signs point to yes."
In an October 2010 piece entitled "The Oracle," writer Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson tracked down and interviewed the artist whose art frequently depicts creatures that are half human, half-animal —people with the heads of bears and birds reflecting the what the artist sees as a connection between the wild and civilization.
Cock blocked by street art
"Baltimore's been a fantastic canvas, which is sad because ultimately my work wouldn't exist if there wasn't any neglected space," Gaia was quoted as saying. "What that neglected space allows for is a certain freedom and grassroots, democratic, public space. The artist has full agency, and there aren't any boundaries or obstacles for an artist to produce work besides the law of posting on property."
The artist at work
This one's funny: the New York Fried Chicken joint on Charles Street and North Avenue.
Read the full Urbanite article here: "The Oracle" (Urbanite, October 1, 2010)
Click here to see a map of where Gaia's pieces can be seen around the city.
Related Links:
"Street Art @ Franklin & Howard Street" (Accelerated Decrepitude)
"The Oracle" (Urbanite Magazine)
gaia.streetar's photostream (Flickr)
"Gaia Plasters Baltimore" (lostaeminor.com)
Monday, August 30, 2010
Comic Con 2010
11th Annual Baltimore Comic Con
Baltimore Convention Center
August 27 & 28, 2010
MTV film crew interviewing artists at Comic Con;
we waited to field their questions, but they ignored us
I know nothing about comics, but my otaku friend David Cawley sure does and, both of us having nothing better to do, we went down to the Baltimore Convention Center on Sunday to look at comics and rub elbows with comic artists at the 11th Annual Baltimore Comic Convention. For some reason, I thought there would be more Japanese manga and graphic novels at this event but, as Dave pointed out, that audience had already been sated by the Otakon Convention held here less than a month before (July 30 - August 1, 2010), so this would be mostly American comics and merchandise.
That wasn't the only difference from Otakon, as the $15 admission price for today's event was a much better value than the $65-75 it costs to attend Otakon. Admittedly, the Comic Con organizers could have employed better logistics at their box office. Dave and I took our places in a long, serpentine line that snaked its way across the ground floor lobby, then stopped right in front of the dealer's room entrance where staff held you back to allow people with tickets through, like you were waiting for a parade to pass. In a word: idiotic!
Road to Nowhere: line logistics for tickets was an issue
(Note crossing guard in red t-shirt.)
But at least Dave got to get his picture taken with Darth Vader and some starship troopers.
Dave asks Darth if it's OK to butt in front of him in line
We also took in all the festive fans and staff dressed as "cosplay" comic book characters.
Homeless guy fools fans into thinking he's Batman nemesis The Scarecrow
And then, we were off to the comic bins...after making a crucial pit stop for Dave to get his caffeinated coffee fix, which became problematic when Dave discovered to his horror a dearth of non-dairy creamer at the condiments station. While we waited for refills, I took pics of some of the festively adorned comic book fans walking past.
Zombie Mommie (stroller not shown)
Red-faced fanboy
The Tim Burton-look Alice
Cosplay gal
Tom's makes a plea for peace with cosplay model
Along the way, we ran into a number of friends, including Kiss/Devo/Metal/Comics fanatic Tim Finnerty, Kevin Perkins (who was MC'ing that day's Costume Contest), and manga fanboy Chris Schatz and his George Harrison-lookalike buddy Sean, who rode their scooters down to make the scene. (Wait - or did they ride mopeds? I always get the two confused!) And speaking of comics and motorized cycles, Sean's cherry-orange scooter/moped was featured on the cover of that weekend's Washington Post Magazine - with comic book artist Frank Cho (and some anonymous top-heavy hottie model) sitting astride it ("Frank Cho's World," WP Magazine, August 29, 2010). You can even see Chris and Sean building the set for photographer Andrew Cutraro in the Post's "behind-the-scenes making-of" video.
Me (right) with Biker Boys Chris (left) and Sean (center)
We later ran into Stephen and Pingzheng Blickenstaff - the latter couple having a table in the Artists Gallery, where Steve was selling his zany monster and ghoul gals art and accessories (also available online at www.stephenblickenstaff.com).
Stevie B. and the missus, representin'
Spotting a bloody ghoul girl magnet that looked strikingly like my girlfriend Amy, who that week had cut or mangled every finger on her right hand except her little pinky (that'll teach her to attempt cutting up still-frozen salmon steaks from Trader Joe's!), I knew I had to get it to remind her of her Worst Week Ever, Digitally.
The Amy Linthicum Magnet highlighting her bloody hand
While waiting for Dave to get his coffee cream-on, I talked to Denis Kitchen of Kitchen Sink Comics. Kitchen, who was signing copies of his latest book - the career retrospective The Oddly Compelling Art of Denis Kitchen (Dark Horse Books, 2010) - was a pioneer of the underground comix scene, and his table was full of underground merchandise, including lots of my favorite underground artist, R. Crumb. We talked about Crumb for a while and I proudly told him that I had R. Crumb's "Tommy Toilet" poster hanging over my hopper - a poster that my plumber Chris Jensen always tries to steal whenever he makes a house call.
Dave finally arrived with his coffee and before we were ready to browse the comic bins, we decided to check out the celebrity artist guests on hand so I could take advantage of bringing my camera and capture precious photo ops of Dave with his cartooning idols. Almost immediately we ran into one of Dave's fave Batman artists, the man they call The Living Legend...Jerry Robinson!
Dave genuflects before his idol, Jerry Robinson
Jerry Robinson worked on Batman in the 1940s and claims to have created the Joker character based on Conrad Veidt's crazed performance in Paul Leni's 1928 silent film The Man Who Laughs.
Conrad Veidt's "Man Who Laughs" begat The Joker
Curiously, in later life Robinson created an original manga series, Astra (1999) with the help of Shojin Tanaka and Ken-ichi Oishi. I didn't know this at the time, of course. I only knew this 88-year-old man was gracious and charming - and made Dave's day when he signed a Joker card for him.
Next, Dave paid homage to Ramona Fradon, one of the few women working in the comics medium and best known for her work on Brenda Starr and Aquaman. She also co-created Aqualad and Metamorpho. Her husband is New Yorker cartoonist Dana Fradon.
Dave and Ramona Fradon
Then Dave was starstruck by the larger-than-life (literally - the guy's like 6-4!) "straight-shootin'" Jim Shooter, who ran Marvel Comics in the 1970s.
Dave and Tom flank big Jim "Straight" Shooter
Jim Shooter said the only other comics industry person as tall as him was Bob Schreck, who was taking part in that day's panel discussion with Paul Pope. "When I met Bob," Shooter explained, "I told him, 'Finally, someone I can look up to!'"
Yessir, the 3 most beautiful schnozzes @ Comic Con!
OK, so much for the celebrities...time to let our fingers do the walking and our orbs the absorbing as we checked out the comics on offer!
Now besides being able to identify virtually any artist by looking at just one panel (an amazing ability, admittedly), Dave is also one of the most fiscally conservative (pronounced "cheap") people I know, so he mostly confined himself to the $1 and $2 comic bins on this day.
Bargain Bin Boy Dave Cawley, researching
I followed his lead. One pit stop in particular was a favorite. Right around the corner from a way-overpriced vendor table (where I spotted a much-coveted Sam Hill detective comic - although only seven issues were ever published of this 1950 series, $16 for Sam Hill #6 was still too much for my financial reserves!), we found a 2-for-$1 bin that had such treasures as Little Lulu, Andy Panda, Killdozer (later scored by an elated Tim Finnerty!), and even the ultra-rare Gold Key comic Mr. and Mrs. J. Evil Scientist (happily scored by Dave!). I was jealous of Dave's Mr. and Mrs. J. Evil Scientist score because, like Sam Hill, this was a limited run comic - Gold Key only published four issues of this Addams Family rip-off that was based on the arguably the most obscure Hanna-Barbara TV cartoon series of the 1960s.
But I got over it as soon as Dave handed me a dog-eared copy of King Leonardo and His Short Subjects - my score of the day!
King Leonardo and Odie Cologne go mod on a scooter
I loved King Leonardo and His Short Subjects! I had the game! I had the toys! (I even had a doll of King Leonardo's trusted skunk companion who spoke with a Ronald Coleman accent, Odie Cologne!) I had the cherished childhoohood memories! This comic from 1962 was based on the popular TV show (created by a company called Total TV), which debuted in 1960 and ran until 1963, with Leonardo's friends "Tooter Turtle" and "The Hunter" later being being incorporated into other Total TV shows like Tennessee Tuxedo and His Friends and Underdog. King Leonardo ruled over a land called Bongo Congo whose main export was bongos that were sold to beatniks in America; besides his trusty assistant Odie, he had a flea-ridden evil brother named Itchy, who was always plotting with villain Biggie Rat to take over the throne.
Anyway, I liked this issue even more when I discovered that it included a strip called "The Case of the Empty Bookcase," in which The Hunter solves a case about stolen library books. (See, I work at a library - so stupid things like this actually thrill me.)
The same issue had a Tootle Turtle adventure. Tooter Turtle would always ask for help from his pal Mr. Wizard, who would bring him back from his time-traveling adventures by reciting the incantation "Drizzle drazzle druzzle drone, time for this one to come home" - a line famously name-checked in The Replacements song "Hold My Life" (Tim, Sire Records, 1985).
I also picked up an issue of the DC comic The Adventures of Jerry Lewis (full disclosure: I used to love DC's "comics about comics" - y'know, tie-ins with out-of-favor Old School comedians, from The Adventures of Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis to the Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen comics that featured "Goody" Rickles - Don Rickles' cartoon alter ego!)...
Jerry, Bob & Don: comics' comics
...and a copy of the Catholic Church's parochial school-distributed series Treasure Chest (1946-1972) because...well, because I have no taste.
Of the latter, I couldn't resist a publication that attempted to entertain (and further indoctrinate) kids with such "exciting" comic adventures as "Saul, Why Dost Thou Persecute Me?" and "Acts of the Apostles: The Conversion of St. Paul" (especially thrilling to me, a graduate of St. Paul's School for Boys), as well as an advice page entitled "Talking It Over with Father John." Even the ads were pious; instead of ads for plastic soldiers or other toys, Treasure Chest offered a set of posters for "The Seven Sorrows of Our Blessed Mother" (free with a subscription during the 1959-60 school year!).
It's hard to imagine that Dave doesn't have a particular comic in his massive archives, but apparently Gorgo was one such title that had eluded him over the years, so he was overjoyed to find five or six Gorgo comics for a buck each at one vendor's table. I think these comics, based on the British monster movie Gorgo (1961), were published sometime in the 1960s by Charlton. Later, he passed a vendor's table where a single Gorgo comic was listed for $70! Shop and compare, I thought. Well played, David Cawley - well played, sir!
Gorgo, Monster of the Deep
At three o'clock, we went upstairs to catch a panel discussion featuring Dave-fave artist Paul Pope (who, like Neil Gaiman, looks like a rock star - dressed in all black with long, just-rolled-out-of-bed unkempt hair like a still-breathing Jim Morrison) and his editor Bob Schreck. (The event was billed as "PAUL POPE VS. BOB SCHRECK - A CAGED EVENT.")
Paul Pope and Bob Schreck
While we were waiting, another panel discussion was wrapping up. This was the one called "SPOTLIGHT ON CUBA: MY REVOLUTION" that featured artists Dean Hespiel and artist/colorist/photographer Jose Villarrubia (who's worked on Alan Moore's Voice of the Fire and Promethea). God I'm such a dummy! I've met Jose before and didn't even realize he and the illustrator were one and the same! He's a nice guy! He's the current chair of MICA's Illustration Department, but it wasn't until I saw his photo in a program guide that it hit me - I had met him several times at my friend (and fellow MICA instructor) Laurence Arcadias' parties. I remember Jose being impressed that I knew who adult film star Jeff Stryker was. (Hey, I may not know a Matisse from a Monet, but I know my porn stars!)
Dave couldn't stop talking about how great Pope's Batman: Year 100 was (colored, incidentally by Jose Villarrubia!), though I was more interested in his non-superhero work that I had read about previously in a New Yorker article. I just remember some reviewer comparing a Pope graphic novel to Blade Runner - always a good thing in my book! But for Dave, it's superheroes when it comes to comics, and monsters when it comes to Japanese sci-fi movies (that's why we disagree on Godzilla movies - Dave can never accept Godzilla Vs. Hedorah because there's not enough monster-destroying-Tokyo footage).
Pope talked a lot about how much his art is influenced by music (he's similar in that regard to Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, and both Pope and Schreck cited Jerry Goldsmith's Planet of the Apes score as influential), film (he mentioned Kubrick), and even TV shows like The Outer Limits.
Paul Pope feels at home in the Outer Limits
Later, during the Q&A, Dave excitedly asked Pope what his favorite Outer Limits episode was and was disappointed when Pope named two - The Inheritors and Soldier (written by Harlan Ellison and later part of the inspiration for The Terminator) - that didn't meet his sci-fi monster criteria.
"But there's no monster in those ones!" Dave cried, incredulous. Startled audience members turned around to see who emitted such a high-pitched objection. "I know," Pope continued, "Maybe that's why I liked them best." Ah, Dave; must it always be about the monsters and alien creatures?
Next door the big Costume Contest ($1,000 prize for top honors!) was reaching its climax. I stuck my head in to check out the 13 & Up Girls Division and was pleasantly surprised to see a young "Cammy" with eye-catching gammies attracting a crowd of camera-toting horndogs. I quickly joined the crowd.
Cheeky cosplay gal as Cammy from "Super Streefighter 2"
Cosplay Cammy, upon closer inspection
Ms. Cammy and Mr. Hammy
"Gee miss, you sure are purdy!" a fanboy spurts
as Cammy realizes she has become a sex object
After getting my cheesecake pics in the Costume Contest room, we headed back down to the dealers room for a final walk-through, hoping to find end-of-convention close-out deals. We weren't disappointed when we passed by Motor City Comics, where the sassy-tough comic chick behind the counter chatted me up while we browsed the racks of $1 comics.
I think this sassy comic vendor chick liked me
If you like Jack Kirby, this spot was certainly Shangri-La. I picked up a bunch of his DC titles like Demon, The Dingbats of Danger Street, and the one-issue run of Atlas, and almost picked up a slew of Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth issues until I decided to hold off for a Kamandi collection. Alas, no sighting of my favorite Kirby creation, the punky mohawked OMAC (One Man Army Corps)! I liked Atlas; I wish there had more of this "1st Issue Special."
Atlas: is he legend or man?
While there, Dave spotted his comics buddy Larry, on whose recommendation I picked up the Witchboy ish of Kirby's Demon.
Dave Cawley's comics buddy Larry
Then we wended our way back to the table where Paul Pope had been signing books hours earlier, but there was only his new THB comic for sale, disappointing Dave - who wanted me to get Pope's Batman: Year 100. We eventually found the fourth and final issue of the Batman: Year 100, but I decided to hold out for the collected story edition.
And the only manga-themed books I saw on this day were something called Ax: A Collection of Alternative Manga ("Too pricey, in my opinion," Dave opined, accurately) and Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater, which Dave practically forced me to buy (he should get a commission from the publisher!), and I did - with no regrets, as it's a pretty awesome book about a fairly obscure art form (kamishibai literally means "paper drama"), one that was the forerunner of Japan's modern manga industry.
Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater
by Eric P. Nash
Publisher's description:
And while I didn't pick up Ax, both Dave and I agreed that the last story in it, "Six Paths of Wealth" by Kazuichi Hanawa, looked intriguing - and not just for its weird drawings of ants crawling over naked women (hmmmmm...what does it say about us that the lone story that caught our eyes involved insects and naked women?).
Panel from Kazuichi Hanawa's "Six Paths of Wealth"
No, it was the detail and the creepy-macabre tone. This was a beautifully drawn story. Apparently he is best known for doing cult horror manga, and his real life is just as bizarre. (In 1994 he was arrested and put in jail for possession of illegal firearms. He collected his experiences in the manga Doing Time, which was first published in Ax in 1998 and now is available as a graphic novel.) Mental note: check out works by Kazuichi Hanawa in future!
And that was that. It was 5 o'clock and the vendors were packing up, so off we went, Dave grabbing a handful of complimentary Hershey kisses on the way out (his only food of the day!) to sustain him on the long drive home...where our colorfully illustrated literature awaited our perusal!
Baltimore Convention Center
August 27 & 28, 2010
MTV film crew interviewing artists at Comic Con;
we waited to field their questions, but they ignored us
I know nothing about comics, but my otaku friend David Cawley sure does and, both of us having nothing better to do, we went down to the Baltimore Convention Center on Sunday to look at comics and rub elbows with comic artists at the 11th Annual Baltimore Comic Convention. For some reason, I thought there would be more Japanese manga and graphic novels at this event but, as Dave pointed out, that audience had already been sated by the Otakon Convention held here less than a month before (July 30 - August 1, 2010), so this would be mostly American comics and merchandise.
That wasn't the only difference from Otakon, as the $15 admission price for today's event was a much better value than the $65-75 it costs to attend Otakon. Admittedly, the Comic Con organizers could have employed better logistics at their box office. Dave and I took our places in a long, serpentine line that snaked its way across the ground floor lobby, then stopped right in front of the dealer's room entrance where staff held you back to allow people with tickets through, like you were waiting for a parade to pass. In a word: idiotic!
Road to Nowhere: line logistics for tickets was an issue
(Note crossing guard in red t-shirt.)
But at least Dave got to get his picture taken with Darth Vader and some starship troopers.
Dave asks Darth if it's OK to butt in front of him in line
We also took in all the festive fans and staff dressed as "cosplay" comic book characters.
Homeless guy fools fans into thinking he's Batman nemesis The Scarecrow
And then, we were off to the comic bins...after making a crucial pit stop for Dave to get his caffeinated coffee fix, which became problematic when Dave discovered to his horror a dearth of non-dairy creamer at the condiments station. While we waited for refills, I took pics of some of the festively adorned comic book fans walking past.
Zombie Mommie (stroller not shown)
Red-faced fanboy
The Tim Burton-look Alice
Cosplay gal
Tom's makes a plea for peace with cosplay model
Along the way, we ran into a number of friends, including Kiss/Devo/Metal/Comics fanatic Tim Finnerty, Kevin Perkins (who was MC'ing that day's Costume Contest), and manga fanboy Chris Schatz and his George Harrison-lookalike buddy Sean, who rode their scooters down to make the scene. (Wait - or did they ride mopeds? I always get the two confused!) And speaking of comics and motorized cycles, Sean's cherry-orange scooter/moped was featured on the cover of that weekend's Washington Post Magazine - with comic book artist Frank Cho (and some anonymous top-heavy hottie model) sitting astride it ("Frank Cho's World," WP Magazine, August 29, 2010). You can even see Chris and Sean building the set for photographer Andrew Cutraro in the Post's "behind-the-scenes making-of" video.
Me (right) with Biker Boys Chris (left) and Sean (center)
We later ran into Stephen and Pingzheng Blickenstaff - the latter couple having a table in the Artists Gallery, where Steve was selling his zany monster and ghoul gals art and accessories (also available online at www.stephenblickenstaff.com).
Stevie B. and the missus, representin'
Spotting a bloody ghoul girl magnet that looked strikingly like my girlfriend Amy, who that week had cut or mangled every finger on her right hand except her little pinky (that'll teach her to attempt cutting up still-frozen salmon steaks from Trader Joe's!), I knew I had to get it to remind her of her Worst Week Ever, Digitally.
The Amy Linthicum Magnet highlighting her bloody hand
While waiting for Dave to get his coffee cream-on, I talked to Denis Kitchen of Kitchen Sink Comics. Kitchen, who was signing copies of his latest book - the career retrospective The Oddly Compelling Art of Denis Kitchen (Dark Horse Books, 2010) - was a pioneer of the underground comix scene, and his table was full of underground merchandise, including lots of my favorite underground artist, R. Crumb. We talked about Crumb for a while and I proudly told him that I had R. Crumb's "Tommy Toilet" poster hanging over my hopper - a poster that my plumber Chris Jensen always tries to steal whenever he makes a house call.
Dave finally arrived with his coffee and before we were ready to browse the comic bins, we decided to check out the celebrity artist guests on hand so I could take advantage of bringing my camera and capture precious photo ops of Dave with his cartooning idols. Almost immediately we ran into one of Dave's fave Batman artists, the man they call The Living Legend...Jerry Robinson!
Dave genuflects before his idol, Jerry Robinson
Jerry Robinson worked on Batman in the 1940s and claims to have created the Joker character based on Conrad Veidt's crazed performance in Paul Leni's 1928 silent film The Man Who Laughs.
Conrad Veidt's "Man Who Laughs" begat The Joker
Curiously, in later life Robinson created an original manga series, Astra (1999) with the help of Shojin Tanaka and Ken-ichi Oishi. I didn't know this at the time, of course. I only knew this 88-year-old man was gracious and charming - and made Dave's day when he signed a Joker card for him.
Next, Dave paid homage to Ramona Fradon, one of the few women working in the comics medium and best known for her work on Brenda Starr and Aquaman. She also co-created Aqualad and Metamorpho. Her husband is New Yorker cartoonist Dana Fradon.
Dave and Ramona Fradon
Then Dave was starstruck by the larger-than-life (literally - the guy's like 6-4!) "straight-shootin'" Jim Shooter, who ran Marvel Comics in the 1970s.
Dave and Tom flank big Jim "Straight" Shooter
Jim Shooter said the only other comics industry person as tall as him was Bob Schreck, who was taking part in that day's panel discussion with Paul Pope. "When I met Bob," Shooter explained, "I told him, 'Finally, someone I can look up to!'"
Yessir, the 3 most beautiful schnozzes @ Comic Con!
OK, so much for the celebrities...time to let our fingers do the walking and our orbs the absorbing as we checked out the comics on offer!
Now besides being able to identify virtually any artist by looking at just one panel (an amazing ability, admittedly), Dave is also one of the most fiscally conservative (pronounced "cheap") people I know, so he mostly confined himself to the $1 and $2 comic bins on this day.
Bargain Bin Boy Dave Cawley, researching
I followed his lead. One pit stop in particular was a favorite. Right around the corner from a way-overpriced vendor table (where I spotted a much-coveted Sam Hill detective comic - although only seven issues were ever published of this 1950 series, $16 for Sam Hill #6 was still too much for my financial reserves!), we found a 2-for-$1 bin that had such treasures as Little Lulu, Andy Panda, Killdozer (later scored by an elated Tim Finnerty!), and even the ultra-rare Gold Key comic Mr. and Mrs. J. Evil Scientist (happily scored by Dave!). I was jealous of Dave's Mr. and Mrs. J. Evil Scientist score because, like Sam Hill, this was a limited run comic - Gold Key only published four issues of this Addams Family rip-off that was based on the arguably the most obscure Hanna-Barbara TV cartoon series of the 1960s.
But I got over it as soon as Dave handed me a dog-eared copy of King Leonardo and His Short Subjects - my score of the day!
King Leonardo and Odie Cologne go mod on a scooter
I loved King Leonardo and His Short Subjects! I had the game! I had the toys! (I even had a doll of King Leonardo's trusted skunk companion who spoke with a Ronald Coleman accent, Odie Cologne!) I had the cherished childhoohood memories! This comic from 1962 was based on the popular TV show (created by a company called Total TV), which debuted in 1960 and ran until 1963, with Leonardo's friends "Tooter Turtle" and "The Hunter" later being being incorporated into other Total TV shows like Tennessee Tuxedo and His Friends and Underdog. King Leonardo ruled over a land called Bongo Congo whose main export was bongos that were sold to beatniks in America; besides his trusty assistant Odie, he had a flea-ridden evil brother named Itchy, who was always plotting with villain Biggie Rat to take over the throne.
Anyway, I liked this issue even more when I discovered that it included a strip called "The Case of the Empty Bookcase," in which The Hunter solves a case about stolen library books. (See, I work at a library - so stupid things like this actually thrill me.)
The same issue had a Tootle Turtle adventure. Tooter Turtle would always ask for help from his pal Mr. Wizard, who would bring him back from his time-traveling adventures by reciting the incantation "Drizzle drazzle druzzle drone, time for this one to come home" - a line famously name-checked in The Replacements song "Hold My Life" (Tim, Sire Records, 1985).
I also picked up an issue of the DC comic The Adventures of Jerry Lewis (full disclosure: I used to love DC's "comics about comics" - y'know, tie-ins with out-of-favor Old School comedians, from The Adventures of Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis to the Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen comics that featured "Goody" Rickles - Don Rickles' cartoon alter ego!)...
Jerry, Bob & Don: comics' comics
...and a copy of the Catholic Church's parochial school-distributed series Treasure Chest (1946-1972) because...well, because I have no taste.
Of the latter, I couldn't resist a publication that attempted to entertain (and further indoctrinate) kids with such "exciting" comic adventures as "Saul, Why Dost Thou Persecute Me?" and "Acts of the Apostles: The Conversion of St. Paul" (especially thrilling to me, a graduate of St. Paul's School for Boys), as well as an advice page entitled "Talking It Over with Father John." Even the ads were pious; instead of ads for plastic soldiers or other toys, Treasure Chest offered a set of posters for "The Seven Sorrows of Our Blessed Mother" (free with a subscription during the 1959-60 school year!).
It's hard to imagine that Dave doesn't have a particular comic in his massive archives, but apparently Gorgo was one such title that had eluded him over the years, so he was overjoyed to find five or six Gorgo comics for a buck each at one vendor's table. I think these comics, based on the British monster movie Gorgo (1961), were published sometime in the 1960s by Charlton. Later, he passed a vendor's table where a single Gorgo comic was listed for $70! Shop and compare, I thought. Well played, David Cawley - well played, sir!
Gorgo, Monster of the Deep
At three o'clock, we went upstairs to catch a panel discussion featuring Dave-fave artist Paul Pope (who, like Neil Gaiman, looks like a rock star - dressed in all black with long, just-rolled-out-of-bed unkempt hair like a still-breathing Jim Morrison) and his editor Bob Schreck. (The event was billed as "PAUL POPE VS. BOB SCHRECK - A CAGED EVENT.")
Paul Pope and Bob Schreck
While we were waiting, another panel discussion was wrapping up. This was the one called "SPOTLIGHT ON CUBA: MY REVOLUTION" that featured artists Dean Hespiel and artist/colorist/photographer Jose Villarrubia (who's worked on Alan Moore's Voice of the Fire and Promethea). God I'm such a dummy! I've met Jose before and didn't even realize he and the illustrator were one and the same! He's a nice guy! He's the current chair of MICA's Illustration Department, but it wasn't until I saw his photo in a program guide that it hit me - I had met him several times at my friend (and fellow MICA instructor) Laurence Arcadias' parties. I remember Jose being impressed that I knew who adult film star Jeff Stryker was. (Hey, I may not know a Matisse from a Monet, but I know my porn stars!)
Dave couldn't stop talking about how great Pope's Batman: Year 100 was (colored, incidentally by Jose Villarrubia!), though I was more interested in his non-superhero work that I had read about previously in a New Yorker article. I just remember some reviewer comparing a Pope graphic novel to Blade Runner - always a good thing in my book! But for Dave, it's superheroes when it comes to comics, and monsters when it comes to Japanese sci-fi movies (that's why we disagree on Godzilla movies - Dave can never accept Godzilla Vs. Hedorah because there's not enough monster-destroying-Tokyo footage).
Pope talked a lot about how much his art is influenced by music (he's similar in that regard to Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, and both Pope and Schreck cited Jerry Goldsmith's Planet of the Apes score as influential), film (he mentioned Kubrick), and even TV shows like The Outer Limits.
Paul Pope feels at home in the Outer Limits
Later, during the Q&A, Dave excitedly asked Pope what his favorite Outer Limits episode was and was disappointed when Pope named two - The Inheritors and Soldier (written by Harlan Ellison and later part of the inspiration for The Terminator) - that didn't meet his sci-fi monster criteria.
"But there's no monster in those ones!" Dave cried, incredulous. Startled audience members turned around to see who emitted such a high-pitched objection. "I know," Pope continued, "Maybe that's why I liked them best." Ah, Dave; must it always be about the monsters and alien creatures?
Next door the big Costume Contest ($1,000 prize for top honors!) was reaching its climax. I stuck my head in to check out the 13 & Up Girls Division and was pleasantly surprised to see a young "Cammy" with eye-catching gammies attracting a crowd of camera-toting horndogs. I quickly joined the crowd.
Cheeky cosplay gal as Cammy from "Super Streefighter 2"
Cosplay Cammy, upon closer inspection
Ms. Cammy and Mr. Hammy
"Gee miss, you sure are purdy!" a fanboy spurts
as Cammy realizes she has become a sex object
After getting my cheesecake pics in the Costume Contest room, we headed back down to the dealers room for a final walk-through, hoping to find end-of-convention close-out deals. We weren't disappointed when we passed by Motor City Comics, where the sassy-tough comic chick behind the counter chatted me up while we browsed the racks of $1 comics.
I think this sassy comic vendor chick liked me
If you like Jack Kirby, this spot was certainly Shangri-La. I picked up a bunch of his DC titles like Demon, The Dingbats of Danger Street, and the one-issue run of Atlas, and almost picked up a slew of Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth issues until I decided to hold off for a Kamandi collection. Alas, no sighting of my favorite Kirby creation, the punky mohawked OMAC (One Man Army Corps)! I liked Atlas; I wish there had more of this "1st Issue Special."
Atlas: is he legend or man?
While there, Dave spotted his comics buddy Larry, on whose recommendation I picked up the Witchboy ish of Kirby's Demon.
Dave Cawley's comics buddy Larry
Then we wended our way back to the table where Paul Pope had been signing books hours earlier, but there was only his new THB comic for sale, disappointing Dave - who wanted me to get Pope's Batman: Year 100. We eventually found the fourth and final issue of the Batman: Year 100, but I decided to hold out for the collected story edition.
And the only manga-themed books I saw on this day were something called Ax: A Collection of Alternative Manga ("Too pricey, in my opinion," Dave opined, accurately) and Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater, which Dave practically forced me to buy (he should get a commission from the publisher!), and I did - with no regrets, as it's a pretty awesome book about a fairly obscure art form (kamishibai literally means "paper drama"), one that was the forerunner of Japan's modern manga industry.
Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater
by Eric P. Nash
Publisher's description:
Before giant robots, space ships, and masked super heroes filled the pages of Japanese comic books - known as manga - such characters were regularly seen on the streets of Japan in kamishibai stories. Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater tells the history of this fascinating and nearly vanished Japanese art form that paved the way for modern-day comic books, and is the missing link in the development of modern manga.
During the height of kamishibai in the 1930s, storytellers would travel to villages and set up their butais (miniature wooden prosceniums), through which illustrated boards were shown. The storytellers acted as entertainers and reporters, narrating tales that ranged from action-packed westerns, period pieces, traditional folk tales, and melodramas, to nightly news reporting on World War II. More than just explaining the pictures, a good storyteller would act out the parts of each character with different voices and facial expressions. Through extensive research and interviews, author Eric P. Nash pieces together the remarkable history of this art and its creators. With rare images reproduced for the first time from Japanese archives, including full-length kamishibai stories, combined with expert writing, this book is an essential guide to the origins of manga.
And while I didn't pick up Ax, both Dave and I agreed that the last story in it, "Six Paths of Wealth" by Kazuichi Hanawa, looked intriguing - and not just for its weird drawings of ants crawling over naked women (hmmmmm...what does it say about us that the lone story that caught our eyes involved insects and naked women?).
Panel from Kazuichi Hanawa's "Six Paths of Wealth"
No, it was the detail and the creepy-macabre tone. This was a beautifully drawn story. Apparently he is best known for doing cult horror manga, and his real life is just as bizarre. (In 1994 he was arrested and put in jail for possession of illegal firearms. He collected his experiences in the manga Doing Time, which was first published in Ax in 1998 and now is available as a graphic novel.) Mental note: check out works by Kazuichi Hanawa in future!
And that was that. It was 5 o'clock and the vendors were packing up, so off we went, Dave grabbing a handful of complimentary Hershey kisses on the way out (his only food of the day!) to sustain him on the long drive home...where our colorfully illustrated literature awaited our perusal!
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