We Met a Guy Named Joel

This photo represents the main reason we made the trek to Monster Bash. Joel Hodgson's "Mystery Science Theater 3000" has been a part of my life for over twenty years. It became "appointment viewing" for me and my Dad throughout my college years and a staple of seminary dorm life as well.

Somewhere along the line, I introduced MST3K to my son, and he has become a huge fan and a "riffer" unto himself. In fact, you could say that "riffing" has become a mode of existence for us, with verbatim MST quotes forming a code language that only we truly understand (much to my wife's occasional chagrin.) So the opportunity to meet the person who has influenced our lives to this extent was undeniably fun, yet it had an unspoken poignancy, at least for me.

Here's me, Andy, Tom Servo and Joel Hodgson. Keep circulating the tapes.

The Beauty of the Black Lagoon

On Friday, we had the opportunity to meet and obtain autographs from the many special guests of Monster Bash. At the top of our list was Julie Adams, who starred in "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," in addition to an number of high profile films and TV programs. She was wonderful to talk to, and she delighted Andy when she said, "How about if I just write, "Love, Julia"?" (Andy also had Ricou Browning sign the same poster/lobby card.) I purchased a copy of her book, "The Lucky Southern Star: Reflections From the Black Lagoon," which she told me she wrote out completely in her own hand. It's a lovely book, which is really no surprise.

Friday Fun at the Bash

We watched as these wax figures were added to the "McDougal's" set. 

We were front and center for Joel Hodgson's Q & A, and we learned that the Mad Scientist characters of MST3K were created only after the theme song was written! 

Signs of Monster Bash

Welcome to Monster Bash

This was our intro to Monster Bash: the Creature-mobile!

If you're a fan of Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein, you'll recognize the prop replica that greets Bash-goers at the entrance.

There's something special about watching A & C on 16mm film.

More to come!

We're Doing the Bash!

 



When this posts, we should be on our way to PA's renowned Monster Bash. It'll be our first time there, so I will be very interested to see how it compares and contrasts with G-FEST.

What tipped the scales and motivated us to give it a try is the appearance of Joel Hodgson, creator of Mystery Science Theater 3000, which, around M.O. headquarters, is not only a show to be enjoyed but has become a kind of worldview, at the very least providing us with a shorthand language of references and jokes that must seem pretty peculiar to "outsiders." Anyway, we're going to get his signature and hopefully a photo or two.

Other things we are looking forward to are the appearance of Julie Adams and Ricou Browning of "Creature from the Black Lagoon," a presentation by investigator Stan Gordon, and an Abbott and Costello tribute show. And, oh yeah, an allegedly gigantic dealer's room. We will hopefully post some photos on the fly to let you know how we're doing!

Entering the X-Plus Zone

Well, I've gone and done it. No turning back. I've entered the realm of the X-Plus collector.

I should back up a tiny bit. I've purchased a few X-Plus figures in the past, but mostly of the six-inch variety. Once upon a time I did acquire a loose (out of box) X-Plus Burning Godzilla from my buddy Jason (of Big Fun Columbus these days), and I did obtain a brand new yeti from Half Human at G-FEST, but that was about the extent of it.

So, we found ourselves at one of our favorite comic shops in central Ohio, Packrat Comics in Hilliard, and when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but one X-Plus GMK Godzilla box sitting high upon a shelf. I hemmed and hawed for a while, but finally decided it was time to take the plunge. I'm very glad I did. Not only is the figure incredibly detailed, but the kind folks at Packrat offered him at an extremely reasonable price. As you can see from the photo above, I'm pretty excited to have my favorite G-suit, rendered with such precision, as part of the M.O. museum.

To visit Packrat Comics' website, go here.

G-Fans, G-Friends

A few weeks back we had the pleasure of watching Godzilla on the "Ultrascreen" in Pickerington, Ohio, with kaiju artist and fellow Buckeye state resident Matt Harris. We originally met Matt at G-FEST, only to discover that we live about an hour away from each other. For personal reasons, Matt may not be able to make it to the Windy City this year, so this outing served as a mini-G-FEST, and we were honored to take part in it.

 

 

Here's just one example of Matt's work; his incredible art has graced the cover of G-FAN numerous times. But like almost every Godzilla/tokasatsu fan we've ever met, his personality outshines his great talent, and we're grateful to consider him a friend.