Trust Me, I'm Not Dismantling Your Childhood -or- Why is Ke$ha on the Radio?

Shameless tie-ins are a dime a dozen. Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, Addams Family Cereal, Jurassic Park Raptor Bits, Flubber Burgers...I could go on, and, as annoying as I find some of these products, I am not immune to giving into 'blockbuster' consumerism myself. Raise your hand if you own a Marvel Superheroes Monopoly Set. No one? Well, it was a gift! ...that I just hadn't got around to buying for myself. 

My first (memorable) foray into the pandemic was convincing my parents to purchase the 1990 Ninja Turtles' album 'Coming Out Of Our Shells,' which they did after hours of driving to three different Pizza Huts just to find a copy to purchase (Mom & Dad, I love you).


 The end result? Hours upon hours of jamming out to such hits as 'Pizza Power,' No Treaties (After The War), and Tubin'. It's as charming as it is embarrassing (no more embarrassing than recalling those Turtle jams from memory) for all parties involved, but I trust that we've all made similar mistakes. Which leads me into today's find...

Not to be outdone, the Dinosaurs (from TV's Dinosaurs) decided to release their own album in 1992. With such hits as 'I'm The Baby (Gotta Love Me)' and 'Be A Herbivore,' Big Songs screamed onto the music scene, offering us timeless melodies that we'll surely share with generations to come.

'We gotta turn this world around

They can't keep us down

These old dinosaurs who rule our lives

Have been in charge too long'

-Robbie & Spike Sinclair, I Wanna Be King

Sure, it's ridiculous. But I could plop some Ke$ha lyrics down right beside it and you'd never know the difference. And who knows? Maybe in a few years when Michael Bay decides to revamp Dinosaurs for the big screen, this little packet of liner notes may actually be worth something. AND maybe when Michael Bay pitches the idea for the big screen adaptation, Ke$ha's people can put in a bid to be on the soundtrack? AND maybe the soundtrack will only be sold digitally through iTunes during Dino-r(O)ck-Tober? AND maybe McDonalds' can offer download tickets at a fraction of their original cost if you purchase the Dinoburger: The-burger-big-enough-to-feed-a-TRex-(or small village)-but-since-there-are-no-more-dinosaurs-you-will-need-to-look-at-the-burger-as-a-challenge-to-finish-it-rather-than-part-of-a-meal?

I'm actually pretty good at this.

But I digress, some tie-ins are just...well, just great.

while others?

But, seriously, folks, let's all take a moment here to think about what we're buying into. Do you really want anyone else outside of a contemporary time frame to remember who Ke$ha is? Wait, what was I talking about again? Oh, yeah, tie-ins. There are product placements galore in her video "We R Who We R," and if you...what? I'm talking about Ke$ha again? Oh, nevermind...

Just Passing The Time

It feels like forever since I've updated, and, before I dive into a new post, I would like to welcome my new subscribers. I love coming back to find I'm being read by new faces. Thank you!

"I'm going to resist the urge to tell folks they are 'the bunk'."

Annotations can spell disaster for a collector. A year ago, I sold a 1st Edition of Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow that looked pristine on the outside but contained a full page of annotations on the title page. This, obviously, had an affect on the amount I sold the book for because, as charming as someone's else take on a story can be, thick blue pen marks--unless they're from the author--are considered a blemish. 

Personally, I enjoy finding annotations, and I enjoy it immensely if they have little to do with the content. My example, on the left, is not about a specific passage in the Everyman's Library edition of Cardinal Newman's Theology & Philosophy, but about Newman's writing as a whole. 

This limerick screams 'disenchanted freshman.' Can't you just picture it? Sitting in a lecture hall, listening to a professor wax intellectual about something you have absolutely no interest in. No? Well, I don't believe you. Everyone's had that one subject (or author/or theme) that they just could not get into. Mine was Mathematics (oh, how I wish that wasn't the case), but I am, and have always been, an Art geek. If I ever become famous, the possibility of Algebra books emerging with Eric Mowery artwork scribbled throughout remains great. 

A 'Firing Squad' of A Good Time!

"Oh, Hello. I didn't hear you come in. No, it's okay, I wasn't doing anything important...just sittin' here, reading the latest issue of Famous Executions. What? You missed the previous issue? Put down what you're doing and go read it, right now! The vintage article on witch burning is absolutely stunning; albeit, the lead-in--a short essay by Cotton Mather--was a bit, well, bland to say the least."



I'm now of the understanding that when my grandparents/parents/elders complained of my violence-dominated culture, they were just ignorant or ashamed of their own.

WWSD?

My friend, Laura, tells this great story about meeting Leonard Nimoy at a Convention and breaking down into hysterics. It would be a first-rate calamity to try and recreate this story, but I hold out the hope that if Mr. Nimoy releases another autobiography he may decide to mention her in one of the chapters. I'm sure he's spent years dealing with rabid fans; however, if Laura's re-creation was accurate, her 'fit' would lend itself well to a chapter about the goings on of the sci-fi convention circuit.

I'm not a big Star Trek fan, by any means, but I absolutely love the affect it has on its fans. Fan fiction, zines, conventions, Star Wars rivalries...fans fully embraced Trekdom and made it their own.

Take today's item, for example.

Vulcan Reflections contains essays about Spock originally published in Spockanalia.

Spockanalia. That's not a typo.

Haven't We Met Before?

 This, I believe, is not a shock to anyone who's a fan of Frank Kelly Freas' artwork or Queen albums, but I enjoy pointing these things out. I look at so many items daily, so it's nice to recognize and immediately know where you've seen it before. In my head, I imagine one of the Queen members saying, "You know what we should do for a cover? I have this really great issue of Astounding Science Fiction, and it's got this crazy robot on the front. We should use that!" 

It means that the members of Queen were into Science Fiction, and, subsequently, helped promote the genre. And, again, please recall my use of the word 'imagine' earlier, because I really don't know what I'm talking about. I just really like this cover.

Let's Start Something, or "How I Came To Fear The Metal Cop."

Sometimes I'll use this blog for my own agenda.

As you can see, there are just as many 'item find' posts on here as there are musings from yours truly. 

But we all laugh about them, right?

Despite this blog's infancy, when it began I vowed to keep it free of political agenda. The last thing I want is to upset someone and have them boycott the store because of my beliefs. However, I need to make an exception to this rule. Once. And know that I wouldn't do this unless I felt that it was absolutely warranted. This may seem like a joke. I assure you it's not.

With so much news to follow these days, it's hard to keep up with all of it. Yesterday, I came across an article about a proposed Robocop Statue being erected in Detroit. The article is here if you'd like to read it.

     I felt a little odd after I'd finished reading. I should think this is hilarious, right? It's a story about a group of people whose aim is to create a metal statue in the likeness of a fictional, crime-fighting Robot. So why am I not laughing?

There isn't a single day that goes by where someone doesn't come into this store and complain about the state of things. Gripes about the Economy seem to be the most prevalent topic, but, more specifically, the Economy of Buffalo, New York. And while I generally try to turn the conversation towards the positive aspects of this area, I can't help but agree. When you're surrounded by so many vacant buildings, it's hard to look someone in the face and say, "You're worrying too much." I worry about these things, too, but it has become so common-place that I'm dismissing opinions based not on their validity but because, deep down, I'm sick of hearing them. In truth: I have become disenchanted.  

    
     And this is how Robocop Statue's creep in.

     I spend my day pondering questions: What could I do to change things? Could one of these vacant buildings be turned into a charming Art Space? Maybe one of the various literacy groups could use this old storefront as a centralized hub? Should I, as a concerned citizen, focus more on the rich history and architectural beauty of this area to spike tourism? Or should I convince the working people of this area to donate a portion of their hard earned--and equally hard kept--money into erecting a statue of a fictional f****** character? 

     Because the impact of that is, what, going to revitalize that area? Showcase the resilience of the people living in it? Reflect the character of a population who has continually smacked around and sold out? These areas of American industry are dying, and in a time when we should be putting our heads together and trying to figure out the things we can do to create growth, the populace screams back to build a statue of Robocop?

F*** off.

I don't live in Detroit, but I care about what something like this says to people everywhere. It's says we've given up, and we're tired of trying. So, Buffalo/America/World, I'm going to make this pledge to you now: I'm going to change things. I'm going to get involved. I'm going to find a way to bring people together, to create things that celebrate diversity & adversity; I'm attempting to take great strides to make things better, but I can't do it alone. Let's hold meetings, let's form a group, let's get together, let's bounce ideas off one another, let's make a commitment and stick to it. 

I'm not claiming to be an expert at the revitalization of an area, but I am willing to learn. And if one group can put out the call to raise $50,000 dollars for the statue of a 80's Action Hero, then what can be accomplished when, educated, like-minded individuals come together and pledge to change things for the better? Anything. And I bet it's a hell of a lot better than Robocop.

Nothing To Offer.

The Class of '48

I have loads of High School regrets but being a lame yearbook signer is in my top 5. I know that sounds stupid (and, well, it is), but I signed so many yearbooks "Love life with no regrets" which is nothing like me at all. I'm not saying I don't believe in it, but it's not something I'd ever say to anyone in real life. If I could go back, I'd be much more cryptic. "Dear Steph, The keys will always hang on the mantel. I'm sorry the jeans didn't fit, but you're smile makes up for it. Stay Golden." Twenty years from now, when your kids go poking through your yearbook, they won't know what that means. Chances are you won't either, but you might laugh. "Oh, that, Eric Mowery. Always a kidder." 

Today's find comes from Pelham, NY's Class of '48 Yearbook.

"Dear Betty,
     Don't kill to many Boys with those big brown eyes while I'm aw away. Hope your House doesn't burn down
                  Love
                       Bob Peterson
                          alias
                            "Pete"


See? Either Bob was planning ahead for the joke or he was some kind of serial arsonist (also planning ahead).

Unfortunately, I could not find a picture of Betty anywhere in her yearbook. Based on what her classmates were saying, Betty was a stone cold fox and one of the 'swellest' underclassmen at Pelham.

*****************************************************************************

Special Nostalgia Section! 

A time traveling Eric tells High School Eric the things he will regret about his Senior Yearbook if he doesn't make an effort to correct them before it's too late:

1. Do not wear a Smashing Pumpkins T-Shirt while you have your Senior Picture taken
2. Do not have all your senior info revolve around Marilyn Manson quotes. 
3. Do not actually call anyone that writes "Gimme a call sometime!" in the back of your book.
4. Lose weight

Oh, Youth, you were so entertaining.