She was born during the First World War when Woodrow Wilson was the President. In the time since then, she has seen most of the 20th century and ventured into the 21st. And during those 97 years, she experienced more than her fair share of setbacks and infirmities. But today, my grandmother's time on earth came to an end. She was tough and resilient. For the last couple decades, she battles with macular degeneration which left her practically blind and in the last several years her hearing went so she could hardly hear as well. Some days she suffered from such pain that she couldn't walk down the stairs. However, other days she would get around just fine. In fact, it was only at the end of last year that she finally decided that she could no longer make it to Senior Care which, until then, she had gone to three days a week. She was a fighter.
My grandmother has been a major part of my life every since I've had a life. I've talked many times about my childhood visits most weekends when I'd stay at my grandparent's huge old house in Pennsauken. There I would sit at the kitchen table with the old Bakelite radio on it while my grandmother cooked dinner or did the dishes. We'd always take the long walk up Westfield Avenue past the Walt Whitman Theater (which my great-grandfather built) all the way to Thor's Drug Store where I would get my comic books, Black Jack Gum and other sundry items a kid lived for back in the 70s. When my great-grandfather died in 1978, my grandparents had to give up the house in Pennsauken and move to an apartment which was only a couple blocks from our house. I would still go over there many weekends as well as being able to hop on my bike and ride over anytime I wanted since they were so close. We would often take walks around the neighborhood and up to the Wawa convenience store. By January 1981, my grandfather died and my grandmother came to live with us; and that's where she's been ever since. She moved in the same year that MTV started up and she loved watching the music videos -- particularly Journey because she really liked Steve Perry. In the 80s and early 90's, she and I would watch Britcoms on the local PBS station; GOOD NEIGHBORS (aka THE GOOD LIFE) was a particular favourite and, later, ARE YOU BEING SERVED? And oh boy, did she love her chocolate! In the last couple decades, she's been able to do less and less due to her age and her ailments; all of which she took in stride with good humour. Not able to do much for herself, my parents and I have taken care of her in recent years. When my parents went away, I would be in charge of looking after her and cooking her meals (which she loved). She lived long enough to see all of her friends pass away but she still loved meeting new people and being the center of attention. She would get down from time to time but she never gave up or gave in. It was only her heart which gave out on her a couple weeks ago but she still hung on. Until today when she couldn't fight any more. I hope that wherever you are you are at peace and free of pain. I love you so much and I will miss you all the days of my life.
Every fan of classic horror, as well as every fan of cinema in general, has reason to mourn this week as we learned of the death of Sir Christopher Lee.
I specifically, while at the moment going through the terrible trial of having a grandmother who is dying, felt the loss particularly hard. I’ve told the story many times of how I’d stay at my grandmother and grandfather’s huge old house in Pennsauken during my 70’s childhood and often would watch the weekend horror movies there. Down in the basement with my grandfather, I first saw the original DRACULA with Bela Lugosi on the old B&W television down there in the area which used to be a licensed taproom. My grandfather has been gone since January of 1981 and ever since then my grandmother has lived with us. About two weeks ago, she suffered a heart attack which has seen her go from intensive care to hospice with very little hope of recovery. So, it was with my already raw nerve-endings in place that I learned last night of Christopher Lee’s death; also heart (and respiratory) related. I suppose the shock was double because I’ve been waiting for my grandmother’s death and this other news came completely out of the blue to knock me further off-balance.
Anyone who knows me or who has visited this blog knows full well my enduring love of the horror genre and Christopher Lee was particularly important to me as the last of the titans. Lee was the last who could be mentioned in the same breath of the indelible icons of my “monster kid” youth: Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., Vincent Price and Peter Cushing. This Mt. Rushmore of Classic Horror is only completed by Christopher Lee; and he has sadly now joined these and more horror greats who have awaited him in whatever filmic Valhalla they all reside. But instead of Norse warriors and Valkyries, this classic horror film afterlife will hopefully find Christopher Lee awakening to the outstretched hands and back-slaps of Conrad Veidt and Michael Ripper, Peter Lorre and Michael Gough, Evelyn Ankers, John Carradine, George Zucco and Lionel Atwill, Ralph Bates, Edward Woodward, Hazel Court and Basil Rathbone, Michael Reeves, Val Lewton and Joyce Jameson, Colin Clive, Dwight Frye and Elsa Lanchester among many many more. And before he takes his place seated with the immortals – the Chaneys, Lugosi, Karloff, Price – Christopher Lee will imitate the voice of Yosemite Sam or Sylvester the Cat as he gets a great big bear hug from his dear friend Peter Cushing who tells him, “Why, my dear boy, we’re all here to greet you!”
ALWAYS A DAY LATE & A DOLLAR SHORT, I THOUGHT I'D LISTEN TO A MASSIVE PODCAST ON THE FIRST WORLD WAR A YEAR AFTER IT'S 100TH ANNIVERSARY. So I'm not a follower! Whatevs!
Anyway, as I sit here suffering through a terrible cold during a particularly trying time in my personal life as well as an extremely difficult time at work (resulting in my being the only person now working on 3rd shift), I have found myself totally engrossed in this thing called DAN CARLIN'S HARDCORE HISTORY. I'm sure many of you already know about this history podcast but, as I say, I'm not first out of the gate here. Dan Carlin, former radio host, son of Academy Award-nominated actress Lynn Carlin and unabashed history nut, has been doing a history podcast for about a decade now called HARDCORE HISTORY which I must say makes for absorbing listening. Carlin, not an official historian himself, is more of a storyteller and that's what makes his history podcast refreshing, interesting and entertaining. He takes a particular topic of historical interest and speaks about it as if he's telling a story around a campfire; and that's exactly what hiSTORY is supposed to be. Carlin has a B.A. in history as do I and I think we both became fascinated in history early on for the exact same reason: it's full of incredible interesting stories!
Now, when he started HARDCORE HISTORY, Carlin's podcast would last about a half hour but nowadays he frequently takes a topic and spends 3-4 hours talking about it. And that's not including his series in which he takes a particular subject and does a multi-part podcast on it with each part a few hours long. Now, you'd think that would be an enormous trudge but instead listening seems to fly by. This is because at no time does this sound like a "history lecture"; instead, Carlin sounds as if he's speaking to you one on one and not as if he's standing at a lectern at the front of a classroom. For example, the First World War series Carlin has just finished last month is called BLUEPRINT FOR ARMAGEDDON; it's in six parts (each part about 4 hours long) and it's immensely compelling to hear. Carlin does an enormous amount of research to prepare for these podcasts (which he releases about once every three months) and this current series on the First World War he began at the end of 2013. I don't really know if he writes out a full script ahead of time but it sure doesn't sound like it; it sounds like he's speaking off the top of his head and the podcast is conversational and, as I said before, in the best tradition of the storyteller who can grab the listener's interest and never let go. The First World War is certainly not unexplored territory for me but BLUEPRINT FOR ARMAGEDDON brings it to life more completely than any book or movie I've previously encountered.
And for such a complicated and intertwined narrative, Carlin makes it all incredibly understandable as well. I'm told he does a "current events" podcast called COMMON SENSE as well but I haven't heard that. I have, though, heard quite a few HARDCORE HISTORY episodes and I've found them all just as absorbing. On Dan Carlin's website, you can listen to the last year or so's episodes FOR FREE and get the older ones for a small price; the older episodes are available on iTunes for a slightly more expensive price tag. I can particularly recommend the episodes STEPPE STORIES (about the nomadic warriors of the Steppes), JUDGMENT AT NINEVEH (about the downfall of the brutal Assyrian Empire) and THE AMERICAN PERIL (about the Spanish-American War) and PROPHETS OF DOOM (about the bizarre and freaky 16th century Anabaptist takeover of the town of Munster) which you can still listen to for free! And after BLUEPRINT FOR ARMAGEDDON, I plan on listening to Carlin's previous multi-part epic tale of THE WRATH OF THE KHANS (also available for free). If you're the slightest bit interested in history, you owe it to yourselt to give DAN CARLIN'S HARDCORE HISTORY a listen.
ONCE AGAIN, AS PART OF OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY, WE PRESENT THOSE WONDERFUL MARVEL & DC COMICS CALENDARS OF THE SEVENTIES!
Firstly we have the Fantastic Four (with Medusa of the Inhumans standing in for the Invisible Girl . . . unless she's there too but just . . . you know . . . like . . . invisible . . . ) from Marvel's 1975 calendar with artwork by . . . could it be Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott???
Secondly we have Aquaman aswim in sea green by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano from DC's 1976 calendar
Thirdly we have Marvel's whack at the Bicentennial with the Amazing Spider-Man seemingly helping out John Paul Jones with artwork by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito.
Fourfally we have what seems to be a pattern of June being King of the Seven Seas month as DC's monumental 1977 calendar features Aquaman battling Black Manta as Aqualad and Mera float along with artwork by the immortal Jim Aparo.
Fivefully we have DC's "Disasters" calendar from 1978 with the Metal Men battling the Ocean Master with art by Walt Simonson and Joe Staton.
