Mind if I brag for a second?

While this has little to do with Comic Books, I feel this overwhelming desire to tell lot's and lot's of different people about it.

There is a new magazine just out called Cult Cuts dealing with Horror movies, Science Fiction and 'B' movies. I am one of the 'official' staff writers on the magazine. Yay for me!!!!

Yes, I know. Big deal. Well, it is for me. {G}

I'm thinking about a party.....

Oh, some of my articles will deal with Comic Books from time to time.

LArry Stanley Editor PCU and now... A -REAL- writer.

Congrats on that Larry. So, lemme get this straight... You'll be getting PAID to write about comics, sci-fi, and related subjects?! Hmm. Need a personal assistant???

Thanks Kal. I'll keep you in mind. Hope you work cheap.

LArry Stanley Ultimate Fanboy and Writer

Think I'll have some business cards made up with that on it.

So no doubt you've met Forrest J Ackerman.

Actually, yes; I have. Had dinner with him one time at San Diego. Well, him and about 5 other people, but he did pass me the salt, and we talked about old movies for a while.

The man is a very cool person.

LArry Stanley

Absolutely. However he is not backward in coming forward. I sold his wife a painting once. Lovely lady.

I never got the chance to meet his wife. If she has even half the qualities of Mr. Ackerman, she has to be a wonderful person. What was the painting of? Painting about? Painting to do with... Oh, the heck with it.What was the picture?

LArry the Ultimate Fanboy

Well, ackshuley, it was a colour version of a lino print I had done in school that year. I was fifteen I think and had just waded through Pilgrim's Progress, had been weaned on C.S. Lewis, had read LotR three times and was starting on Lovecraft while still reading Michael Moorcock.

The First World Science Fiction Writers Convention was held in the Burlington Hotel in Dublin in '75 or 76 I think, and there was an exhibition of 'Science Fiction' Art in a little gallery called 'The Third Policeman' which used to be opposite the Gaiety Theatre. Its gone now, replaced by the Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, but it was a popular and somewhat bohemian little spot in its day.

The picture was a fairly trite piece of symbolism, with a guy sitting head down under a tree with lots of little creatures pawing at him and biting him, beside a road to a beautiful City in the distance. Its was yer basic life metaphor, where all your little demons pull you down and the goals you set seem beautiful, but far off and seemingly unattainable.

Mrs. Ackerman bought the painting for a whole five pounds Irish, which was a reasonable sum in those days, I paid the gallery my commission and walked away a happy man. I had had a pleasant chat with a nice lady and sold one of two paintings I had exhibited in my first [and last, so far] exhibition.

Later I saw Forrest Ackerman walking around, obviously a person of some standing [I didn't know who he was or that he was married to my newly acquired patron until later in our conversation]. He was wearing a trapezoidal orange jewel as a pendant and we got talking about it. He told me the jewel was specially made and there were only X amount of them in existence. I was fascinated by it because I couldn't see how it was powered [prolly something to do with the cords it hung on and a remote battery somewhere.

Then he made the mistake of flashing his watch. 'X number of jewels costing Y thousands of dollars and only Z numbers of them in the world'.

I was obviously meant to be impressed both by the exorbitant cost and its rarity, but while the jewel had held my interest because of its novelty, I've never traded in baubles, so I pointed out my picture.

'See that picture?' I asked.

'Ummm, yes very nice', he murmured.

'Well, your wife's just bought it from me for a fiver, and there's only one of them in the world...'

Exit, stage left, to spend the rest of the evening giving piggybacks around the gallery to the proprietor's six year old daughter.

And yes, he had a sense of humour. Nice guy. Nice lady. A good evening.

I was invited to attend the convention the following day [Sunday] and went to hear Harry Harrison [The Stainless Steel Rat and others...] speak. Plus I got their home phone number, in case I ever visited America and its acronym tempted me to suggest I would do a painting based on it.

I never did go to America and I've forgotten the number, but I still remember the acronym. Not that I'd post it in a public newsgroup. I saw a program recently [last year?] where Forrest Ackerman was showing his Sci-Fi memorabilia and it looked like he hadn't moved in years, so the number might still be current!

That link requires a password, as many ftp links do.

This link works without one: