ERNIE CLINE CLASSIC GAME FEST

Author Ernie Cline (Ready Player One) will be a special guest at Classic Game Fest this summer! The festival will be held the Palmer Events Center in Austin July 29-30. "Classic Game Fest is excited to welcome acclaimed author and screenwriter, Ernest Cline, back to Classic Game Fest! Cline will be signing autographs and a meet and greet on Saturday, July 30th from 12-2pm ONLY! You’ll have an opportunity to purchase a book or bring your own copy to have signed." More info here. See my Ernie Cline image archive on Pinterst. 

LABYRINTH LP

David Bowie's wonderful soundtrack to Labyrinth (1986) has finally been reissued! After years of seeing the original pressing fetch high prices on the collector's market, fans can now pick up the 2017 remastered edition for around $24. Also includes Trevor Jones' instrumental tracks. Great songs to a great movie! Can't go wrong with Jim Henson, David Bowie, Terry Jones, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Kenny Baker, Brian Henson, George Lucas, and Gates McFadden! Find the LP at Amazon and local music stores. The film also had a 4k restoration and Blu-ray release recently, though I must say I prefer the original Blu-ray edition- looks more film-like and natural to my eyes. Enjoy!

THEREMIN PAGE

I was raised on old records by Blues greats such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and John Lee Hooker, so I never really got into Led Zeppelin. At the time it all sounded like too much borrowing and noodling on the guitar. But I explored the band as an adult and came to enjoy how they expanded the form. I was especially intrigued by Led Zep's commitment to interaction between the voice and guitar. My ears were finally ready for their brand of electric experimentation. It's been some years now since I listened to them, so I revisited The Song Remains the Same film last night. Sure, lots of swagger there, but I did enjoy this Theremin sequence from Whole Lotta Love. I admit, I even enjoyed seeing Plant's fantasy bits filmed in Wales. I've become a regular Wales traveler in the past couple of years, so just soaked in the landscape and didn't mind the sword-quest story too much. If anyone saw the recent doc It Might Get Loud, you'll get that I kept thinking of an elderly Page over his Theremin- still grinning like a kid. Here's Plant and Page working the Theremin-voice improv in the 70s. Enjoy! 

YO-YO

Curiosity is such is funny thing. I never know where it will lead me. I got a bit nostalgic recently about the blue Duncan Imperial Yo-Yo I had as a kid. I really enjoyed it, although I was never that into complex tricks. I just loved the motion of it, which I found kind of meditative. My local Toys R Us has a Yo-Yo section, so I went over one night about a month ago and picked up a new blue Imperial. I guess Yo-Yos are kind of like riding a bike, and it was a blast to rediscover. I even picked up a 1950s-style wood model on-line and a modern one that's great for some tricks. I then checked out current Yo-Yo competition videos on Youtube. Man, those people are really serious about it these days! In contrast, it's pretty charming to go back to this 1978 doc about the history and science of Yo-Yos. I've also included a video about the world's most incredible Yo-Yo collection- totally awesome! If you are interested in Yo-Yos, I suggest these websites: Yo-Yo tricks, Yo-Yo Play. Enjoy!

HEARTS FOR HARDWARE

I recently ran into an artist at a local convention who has found his muse- in vintage game hardware. Inspired by old systems, Randy Gallegos has created a cool portfolio of paintings that pay tribute to the designs of Atari, Nintendo, Macintosh, and others. You can see his work and order prints via HeartsForHardware. Gallegos also works as an artist/illustrator for commercial clients and publishing companies. Check out his website. Enjoy!

SPIDEY SUPER STORIES

I was a huge Spider-Man fan when I was a kid. I was the kind of boy who walked around humming the cartoon theme song and swung my Mego doll around on a thread until his arm fell off. I collected old Silver Age comics at tag sales and flea markets and regularly checked the local pharmacy magazine rack for current issues. Peter Parker's life as a nephew, photographer, and superhero had me in constant suspense. Collecting was super fun, but also something I took seriously. So when my hero appeared on the Electric Company TV show and in tie-in books, I dismissed it all as too "kiddie". After all, I was reading the "real" Spider-Man! But these vintage covers caught my eye recently. They hold a certain charm. The people in the scenes look like the people I knew back then. And the whole project now seems like a loving tribute to Spider-Man as a universal -and relatable- hero. I can finally embrace this iteration of Spidey for what it was: honest, inclusive, and fun! Here is a sampling of covers and ads for the Spidey Super Stories comic (1974-1982). Enjoy!

ULTRAMAN 50TH TOYS

Bandai and S.H. Figures celebrated the 50th anniversary of Japan's iconic hero, Ultraman, in a really cool set of detailed toys. Not only did they pay close attention to costuming and articulation, but they even added miniature buildings so fans could stage their own kaiju battles. Cue stop-motion enthusiasts! Here is a badass animation spotlighting the set. Enjoy! More toy info at Amazon. 

MAN OR ASTROMAN

Man Or Astroman? started in the early 1990s with a fun cocktail of blistering surf-punk guitar and frequent nods to classic sci-fi. Fans of MST3K might remember the band's cover of the main theme, not to mention many of the group's recordings begin with sound samples from cheesy MST flicks. Here's one I always enjoyed called Maximum Radiation Level from Deluxe Men in Space (1996). Seems like the Cold War is heating up again, so maybe it's timely. Duck and cover (and enjoy)!

SPIDER-MAN JAPAN

Spider-Man holds a special place in the hearts of fans of live-action Japanese classics (tokusatsu). Supaidaman was Spidey on Turbo! The series even included a giant robot, which appeared in Ernie Cline' awesome Ready Player One. I sure hope Steven Spielberg will be able to license all the cool references in the novel for his current movie adaptation. Here's the intro to the Japanese show. Enjoy!

READY PLAYER ONE NEW EDITION

My favorite book of the last few years has been Ernie Cline's Ready Player One. Not only is it a fun sci-fi take on the Willy Wonka premise, but all of the trials and riddles the protagonist must solve are steeped in 1980s pop culture. Ernie, who also wrote the Star Wars-inspired movie Fanboys, struck gold when he sold the book (his first novel) and Steven Spielberg snatched it up as his next project. They are filming right now! And if that's not awesome enough news, John Williams will be scoring the film! I've been so excited for Ernie. And as a huge fan of the book, I've collected editions from all over the world (Space Invaders are a common cover design motif). I even have a special copy of the first edition that has been signed by many people referenced in the novel- my own personal quest to celebrate the book and connect with the culture of my youth. Now that I finished writing my 1960s spy novel,  I'm inspired to write my next book about the late 1970s and 1980s. Meeting up with my heroes through RPO has been super fun and good preparation to write. So why bring this up now? Ready Player One was just released in a new Large Print edition this week. Check it out at Amazon. Congrats to Ernie Cline on the continuing success of his badass book. Enjoy!