RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK
Being both a “Wizard of Oz” fan, as well as a “Planet of the Apes” fan, this cartoon made me laugh out loud!
This past week when I was driving around with my young and talented pal Isaiah, who specializes in stop-motion animation, I told him about a song by Electric Light Orchestra that I’ve always thought would make a good stop-motion music video. I like to imagine it being done by the same folks who animated the British “Wallace and Grommit” show. It’s a song called “Jungle” from their “Out Of The Blue” album, and it tells a very fun tale about a guy who comes across a group of animals in the jungle coming together in peace and rejoicing in the fact that they’re all citizens of this big blue world. But there’s a surprise ending to the song! It’s pure brilliance from the genius that is Jeff Lynne! Just for reference, here’s a link to the lyrics so you can get the whole story.
https://genius.com/Electric-light-orchestra-jungle-lyrics
Monday the 20th – LOST FROG! – The day started with a last-minute audition, and then it was off to JoAnn’s fabrics to find some “suit”-able material for the Frogenstein costume I was having made for Monsterpalooza. The idea is to mash-up Kermit the Frog with Frankenstein for the upcoming Monsterpalooza convention the first weekend in June. I don’t want to take my 1:1 Kermit the Frog Muppet replica out of the house anymore, because it’s too valuable to me, and I don’t want something happening to it. It was made by a famous builder who’s not building any longer, and being a direct one-to-one replica of an original Kermit, I just don’t want to risk it. I would never get another one like it. I bought a new Kermit replica from a talented builder in Florida, and it was due today. The first one I bought from him a few months ago was too small to fit my hand, so I had to send it back. Now, I requested that this new one be enlarged so it’s closer to the measurements of the real Kermit. I sent him detailed and specific measurements of my 1:1 replica and luckily he was able to complete it in just under a week. But the shipping was standard US Mail which I try to never do if…1) the item shipped is particularly valuable, or…2) the item needs to be in my hands within a specific time. Hopefully it will arrive today, but the internet tracking isn’t very promising. I hope he’s not lost! I picked up some great twill suiting material that’s not-quite-black. It’s lightweight and should do very nicely! I stopped at my box to get my packages, and I got several other pieces of mail…but no Kermit. Rats! It was time for lunch so I stopped at Paty’s to have lunch with my talented young friend Isaiah Ferguson. He’s a terrific animator and cartoonist, and I’m engaging him to create a 1 minute stop-motion video based on a snippet from the first Christoween story. I’ll be releasing it this October! I’m very excited! He and I had a great time sitting at the table and storyboarding the video, and I was shocked at how like-minded we both were on the concept. This will be amazing! I’m looking for something that will really give the concept a boost to try and get it into the right hands for the next stage of development. I needed to drive to the auxiliary garage to do something with my Mustang. I had that wonderful cut-off switch installed on the negative terminal of my battery so I could disengage it when the car sat idle. However, when I put the Mustang to bed recently, I had forgotten to do that. I told Isaiah I would drive him to the train station if he didn’t mind a quick pit stop first. We drove over to the auxiliary garage and he marveled at all of the sweet vintage cars that are also parked up there. I unlocked the car cover, raised the hood, disengaged the power switch, locked her back up, and off we went. Since we were in the area we stopped over at Foster’s Freeze to get some ice cream. Then I dropped him at the train station so he could catch the subway to his house. I got home and did some work until it was time to meet up with my pal Officer Mark. He came over and we headed to Bob’s Big Boy for dinner. Then I came back home to relax, and later I did my nightly auditions, took my nightly WOG (walk/jog) and spent some quality time outside in my anti-grav chair. I like sitting outside in the quiet after my WOG; sipping an iced tea and relaxing/meditating/unwinding/decompressing. It was a warm night and not too cloudy. I watched a mostly-full moon set behind the trees. It reminded me a bit of being in Palm Springs at the Hyatt hotel, which I miss very badly. I came back inside to edit some music and write Wally’s Week. According to the USPS website, Kermit was stuck in Phoenix, with no indication when he’d be arriving in L.A.! THIS is the very reason I no longer use the USPS for anything of import. Horrible tracking protocols, late delivery, etc. Unfortunately the builder didn’t even send it Priority Insured, so who knows when Kermit will arrive; if ever. I made a salad and watched “Collector’s Call” recorded from last Sunday night.
Tuesday the 21st – #neverUSPSagain! – When I checked the USPS webpage for the tracking info on my lost frog it looked like he was still stuck in Phoenix for some reason. I imagined some knucklehead opened him up and took him home for his kid to play with. Ugh. I did some work around the house, did some editing, and then got a call from my pal Amanda who would be passing through the area later. She and her boyfriend are preparing to attend a huge music festival this weekend and she was passing through to pick up some items. So we decided we’d meet at Little Toni’s for dinner to catch up. All that pasta I ate at dinner was delicious, but it made me sleepy. So I got back home and slept for just a bit. I got up later and worked on making the Frogenstein neck bolts. They’re little pieces of ¾” diameter foam cord, with a silver flat button on the end as a cap. On the other end I attached a very strong magnet. The length of the neck bolt is covered with silver lame. An equally strong magnet (again about ¾” in diameter) will be placed inside the puppet’s neck and the bolts will be held on to the exterior of his neck magnetically. That way the fabric won’t get damaged with a more permanent attachment. Late at night I got an email that Kermit was finally leaving Phoenix and was heading my way. New destination date was this Thursday…THREE DAYS LATE!
Wednesday the 22nd – ANGI SURPRISE! – Since I had the afternoon open (I had reserved the days this week to work on Frogenstein, but so far no frog) I phoned my pal Edi to join me for lunch at Ernie’s Taco House. I wanted to get a better look at the new car she just bought. As I was getting ready to head over to Ernie’s my gal Angi called and said she was in the area. I invited her to lunch with us! We all had a lot of fun and Angi and Edi had lots to talk about. Since both Angi and I had the afternoon open, we spent the day together. I hadn’t seen her in a while so this was nice. Later I did some work around the house, and I checked the internet tracking for my lost frog again. Looks like tomorrow is definitely the target date of arrival! I recorded my nightly auditions, and did some more music editing. If I’m listening to music on one of my devices and I think to myself, “Gee…this song is pretty long,” I sit myself down at the computer and start slicing away to make it shorter.” I’ve been editing music since I was a radio DJ back in the late 70’s, but back then we had to edit it on tape with a grease pencil, a razor blade, and splicing tape. This is MUCH easier to do (not to mention easier on the fingertips when one considers the occasional slip-up with the razor blade!). I had taken a night off the previous night from my WOG, so I wanted to hit the trail again. I don’t like to take even one night off during the week, but sometimes I get busy and I’m unable to get out. The improvements I’ve seen in my blood pressure since I’ve been exercising have been very noticeable. I want to stick with it for sure! I’m sold! After my WOG I sat outside in the anti-grav chair (in the middle of the night, by the way) under an overcast sky and thought about how I was going to fabricate the Frankenstein head-piece for Frogenstein. I might need to call in the pros for help. I think my puppet pal Drew Massey would be a good candidate! I was also thinking about what I could use for the “monster boots” Frankenstein wears. I came back inside and made a salad and watched another episode of “The High Chaparral.”
Thursday the 23rd – CONFESSIONS OF A MONSTER SHOE COBBLER – KERMIT HAD ARRIVED! I sped over to my box to pick him up and he was gorgeous! Very well, made and a good size. This was going to be fantastic, and hopefully the appearance of Frogenstein at next week’s Monsterpalooza convention in Pasadena will be fun and funny! After taking possession of a very-late frog, I high-tailed it over to the studios of Alex in Wonderland (who would be making the Frogenstein costume). We’ve lost several days in the fabrication process, so time was of the essence. I’m just glad she’s not in the middle of a pressing job right now, and would actually have a few days to make this! We also discussed the “nose-job” on my Count Von Count replica. His new nose, monocle, and eyebrows will look pretty sweet when they’re finished. She measured my new Kermit replica so she could start fabricating the costume. I traced his feet for his boots, and she cut the soles out of 1” thick L200 (a rubbery fabricating material that can be used for most anything) on her band saw. They turned out amazingly well! They were way more precise that I could have done simply with a razor blade! I went back home and did my nightly auditions. Later I took my nightly WOG and spent some peaceful time relaxing afterwards in my anti-grav chair. I was pondering how I was going to make Frogenstein’s monster boots, and I think I locked into an idea how to do it. I came back inside, set up the materials I would need on my kitchen table, and started fabricating. The first boot turned out “just OK,” but the second boot turned out better. I redid a few aspects on the first boot to make it more like the second boot. I’m going to finish them up on Friday, but so far – so good.
Friday the 24th – BOOT SERIOUSLY…! – My maids stopped by early-afternoon to clean up Planet Wallywood, and when they were finished I started in on boot-making again. Both boots were finished, but the second booth now didn’t look as good as the re-done first boot (follow me?). So I tore the second boot apart from the sole and started again. I meticulously measured the re-done first boot (which I now quite liked) and replicated that on the second boot. Much like the good Dr. Frankenstein himself, it was a lot of trial and error. But after much scrutinization and work, it paid off. I had two really nice monster boots for Frogenstein! Now onto covering them both with the black faux suede I had lying around. I took tracing paper and made a pattern for the first boot. Then I cut the piece of faux suede and glued it onto the first boot. It worked very, very well. I also put on some Velcro attachments so once Kermit’s foot was inserted into the boot from the back, I could close the boot around his foot with Velcro. Because Kermit’s feet are so flat, and the boots are so deep, I need to cut a piece of thick foam rubber as “lifts” inside the boot to keep his feet from sliding around inside the boot. Satisfied with my progress thus far, I went to Denny’s to get some food. When I got back I threw on my jogging clothes and took my WOG, and then spent some time in the anti-grav chair thinking about life. I came back inside to get ready to eat my meal and watch another episode of “The High Chaparral.” I only have one episode left to watch after this one and then I’m done with season one. This has been a fantastic show in every conceivable way! I love it!
Saturday the 25th – THE PITTER-PATTERN OF LITTLE FROGGIE MONSTER FEET! – It was time once again for another trip to see my stylist Andie for a touch-up on my color. I walked over to her salon and got everything done I needed. I walked back home and started right in on patterning the second boot. Though the measurements of the second boot were taken from the first boot, I figured there would be minor differences in the pattern. But I was shocked at how minor the differences were. Only a few minor changes were needed! Sweet! But I cut the first piece of faux suede and it wasn’t quite a big enough piece to give me the size I needed. So I went downstairs to my garage and got a bigger piece of faux suede to cut from. The second piece, for some odd reason, wasn’t right at all. I’m not sure what went wrong, so I cut a third piece. VOILA! Perfect! I glued it onto the boot and the second boot was covered. I let the glue cure and set, and then I started attaching the Velcro closures. Frogenstein’s boots were finished, and they looked very nice. I love this character idea so much I may take him with me to some conventions in the future. I’m really looking forward to taking him to the Voices Against Cancer 605 Pop Culture convention in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in July! I think he’ll be a big hit! Now I just have to hope the head-piece turns out nicely, and he’ll be complete. That is, after he gets his costume finished from Alex In Wonderland. Because of the nature of a rod puppet (non-removable arm rods embedded in his hands) the costume will have to have open seams on the sides of his suit jacket and sleeves. Then the jacket will be placed over him, and stitched together over him. That means when it comes time to remove the costume, the seams will have to be torn open. I may have Alex sew in some Velcro on the side so it can be attached and removed from him whenever needed. Satisfied with the work I had done so far, I took my WOG and enjoyed the quiet, cool night air. I’ve been seeing a lot of coyotes running through our complex, but when they see me coming they run off. I hope someday I don’t run into one who’s more belligerent (or carrying a product from ACME)! My time afterwards in the anti-grav chair was wonderful; quiet and nice under an overcast sky. Since I’ll be at Monsterpalooza on the first official weekend of June I won’t get to enjoy my monthly “Laurel & Hardy Theatre.” So I decided to have it a week early. I did my usual, traditional things – baked a Chef Boyardee pizza, popped popcorn, got out my banana Twinkie, and filled my vintage Oliver Hardy mug with Diet Pepsi and got into bed. As I’m now in the process of randomly watching all 40 of their sound shorts in a “lottery” type of system, I dug out my magic fez (a Sons of the Desert fez) and pulled out the name of the first film I’d watch that night. I was very excited (it’s the little things in life I enjoy). The title I drew out was “Come Clean.” But when I brought the film up on my hard drive it gave me an error message that said “Unsupported Format.” What?! I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I suspected that because the source material came from a Blu-ray transfer, it was too big of a file for my system. I could have popped in the Blu-ray disc and watched it, but I chose to put the title back in the fez and try another one. But the second title I chose had the same problem. I was going to need to consult with my tech guy Scott Sebring to see if he had any ideas why this was happening. It kind of deflated my fun for that evening. But eventually I pulled the title “Blotto” from the fez and that film was OK. It’s hysterically funny. Then I pulled a second film called “The Laurel & Hardy Murder Case,” which despite a few really funny scenes, was never one of my favorites. But it was fun to watch. Since I had spent so much time trying to ascertain the issues with the “Unsupported Format” error message I decided to call it a night at just two films. I’m sure the problem will be fixed by the time July’s “Laurel & Hardy Theatre” rolls around.
Sunday the 26th – CRASH DAY, CODECS, AND CLEANING! – After sending an email to my pal Scott to ask about why some titles on my hard drive weren’t coming up on my system, he explained that the “codecs” for Blu-ray transfers are different than those of standard DVD transfers. Although the system through which I was running the hard drive was a Blu-ray player from just a few years ago, it didn’t seem to like the Blu-ray codecs. So we’re going to try and figure out what needs to be done in the future. Odd that in this day and age, I’d get a really nice player that couldn’t handle those different codecs. Technology. Bah. Though most of Sunday was my usual “crash day,” I did get some work done around the house. I put away all of the Frogenstein boot materials in their proper places. I did my nightly WOG and subsequent time in the anti-grav chair enjoying the quiet night and a cold iced tea. I prepped my home studio for a session on Monday. Yes, a session on Memorial Day. The producers were behind so they needed to record on a holiday to get the files they needed for this video game. And the fee they would be paying me was well worth working on a holiday, so I was happy to accept the gig.
And how was YOUR week?!!
PIX FROM THE WEEK
The magnetic neck bolts for Frogenstein will work out nicely, and not damage the fabric of the puppet.
Here are the monster boots I fabricated out of L200, and then covered with black faux suede.
I sent this concept sketch over to my seamstress to have the costume created.
While sitting at lunch, my pal Isaiah noticed a bus that was completely covered by the logo for the new Garfield movie. He snapped this picture with perfect timing. It’s haunting me!
