First, I hope everyone is having a happy New Year. Second, I’d like everyone to know that I’m still alive and well and had a great 2024—my adult kids and I are all healthy, employed, and had plenty of fun experiences. I dropped off the blog this past summer because I didn’t feel like writing. Here are the highlights from the last six months. Continue reading
If you were casually perusing this blog, you’d be hard-pressed to decide if my focus was on Godzilla or Svengoolie. I’d argue that, like a Reesus Peanut Butter Cup, they’re also “two great tastes that go great together” which was recently proven when they harmoniously merged like peanut butter and chocolate at Music Box Theater . This historic Chicago site caters to independent, cult, and classic movies as well as the occasional film festival such as Noir City Chicago – something I’ve always wanted to attend. This month they featured a marathon of Godzilla flicks which they affectionately referred to as “Godzilla vs Music Box” and on Monday, June 10th, MeTV‘s national TV horror host, Svengoole, arrived to present Destroy All Monsters (1968) in addition to signing for fans.
Svengoolie’s second day at C2E2 promised to be a long one. In addition to his scheduled photo op and autograph signing, he’d also participate in a special “45th Anniversary of Svengoolie” podcast panel hosted by John Siuntress from Word Balloon. When Svengoolie and crew arrived, we quickly went through security and up the escalator to the main hall. It was fun watching people’s reactions to him – especially since many initially assumed he was just a skilled cosplayer.
My anticipation for C2E2 (Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo) was elevated this year thanks to my renewed interest in comic books. Last year’s hunt for the “Svengoolie: Lost in Time” variant covers led to excavating my old collection and now taking regular trips to the local comic book shop. Instead of being brand loyal to MARVEL (as I was back in the ’80s and ’90s) I’ve now started dabbling with other publishers such as Image Comics, IDW Publishing, BOOM! Studios, to name a few. But more on that later. The main draw for C2E2, for me, was Svengoolie whom I’d been brought on to assist. Continue reading
It’s been a while since I’ve attended a Days of the Dead horror con but after hearing Clive Barker was headlining their March 2024 Chicago show, I knew it was time to return. The legendary Horror/Fantasy author has been plagued with poor health and recently announced that he will no longer be attending conventions (I believe an upcoming appearance in New Jersey will be his last) with plans to focus on writing. I love Barker’s books, particularly his more fantasy-based stories such as Weaveworld and Imajica and look forward to adding more favorites to that list. Barker also wrote and directed one of my favorite weird, horror movies – Nightbreed (1990). Several other cast members from Nightbreed were also in attendance: Craig Sheffer, Doug Bradley, Simon Bamford, and Nicholas Vince. It was an opportunity I wasn’t going to pass up.
I’ve held off on this story as long as I could but wanted to share a fantastic experience I had late last year. It started back in October after I’d finished assisting the Svengoolie crew at their annual Volo Auto Museum appearance. Svengoolie’s alter ego, Rich Koz, thanked me for my assistance (as if I hadn’t enjoyed every minute of it) before asking if there was anything he could do for me in return. On several occasions, his producer, Jim Roche, has offered to pay me for my services but I’ve always refused on the grounds of it being a labor of love. I told Sven it wasn’t necessary but did put out there that if the station had lifted its tight COVID restrictions, I’d love to attend another taping – casually throwing in my desire to be his “hand at the door.” Seasoned Svengoolie fans know this refers to the show’s final skit which finds our frustrated host trying to share information about next week’s show only to be interrupted by his doorbell. After begrudgingly leaving his coffin to answer the door, he is then greeted by an expressive hand/arm that comes into view before telling a bad joke or two. I’m told this type of gag originated from an old comedian named “Soupy Sales” but he was before my time and I’ve only ever seen it performed by Svengoolie and the horror host, Zomboo, in Nevada. Sven told me he’d make it happen and, before the year was out, made good on his promise.
Terror from Beyond the Dave 