Reflecting on MLK Day

I like to celebrate MLK day by listening to nothing but Public Enemy's "By The Time I Get To Arizona" (which I guess is a little inappropriate considering what just happend in that state) for 24 hours straight.

When I'm not doing that I tend to reflect on the day itself. What it means, why we celebrate it and wonder if people in these harrowing times actually know or care anything about the man besides soundbytes from his "I Have A Dream Speech".

The reality of the day is that nobody really gives a flying fuck about Martin Luther King Jr. or his legacy. If we do then we have a pathetic way of showing it. Infact I am willing to bet that the modern world looks nothing as Dr. King would have envisioned it (Yeah I know the Boondocks already made a similar statement). This day really only exist as a means of giving the illusion that things have progressed.

Truth is (as I see it) black folks would have been better off in the long term by siding with a much more militant position as opposed to the movement that won out. By rushing into integration black folks were just sort of forced into adapting to a world that didn't work in their favor and from what I can tell taken advantage of by an opportunistic political/business establishment.

But I'm gonna shut up...I might get in trouble if I say anything more...

Blast From The Past Collectibles Show!

- Me with Brooke McCarter of The Lost Boys fame and the upcoming The Uh-Oh Show!

- Me with THE KING OF B MOVIES! Joel D Wynkoop!

After a less then stimulating Friday evening of making small talk with hot lesbians (or she might have just told me she was a lesbian?) in the CD section of the Goodwill and meeting a guy on the bus outside of the Derby Lane dog track with a gambling addiction (and cocaine addiction) who had just lost all of his money playing cards, I was determined to make the most of my Saturday. Oh wait, after re-reading that my Friday night was actually pretty fucking awesome!

I awoke early on Saturday morning, ran downstairs and caught the bus downtown to The Satruday Morning Market which is actually a pretty nice weekly event in St. Petersburg. From there I hung out in Williams Park with the homeless and caught another bus which dragged me on a 20 minute detour through "the hood" to the Central Ave Goodwill (if you havnt noticed I have a thrift store addiction).

While on the bus I managed to weasal a ride from a friend to the Blast From The Past Collectibles Show being held at Clearwaters Ruth Eckard Hall. What a blessing that was, without a ride I would have had to of made two or three different bus changes. Not to mention Ruth Eckard Hall is damn near a mile off of the main street! But hell, it was something to do and sure as hell sounded like a better option then sitting at home watching pornography all day.

What I didn't quite expect was just how much of a "blast from the past" this afternoon would really be.

I had a suspicion that my old running mates from the PCR (Nolan's Pop Culture Review) would be in attendence but it was an experience that I was hoping to avoid. After a timultous year of decaying relationships and verbal back and fourths it had been close to 6 months since we had shared even the slightest bit of contact let alone being stuck in a confined space with one another. Had I had a little bit more of a warning I would have atleast downed a bottle of Night Train to subdue my nerves.

Anyways, after paying the outrageous $10 entrance fee (ok maybe thats not so bad) I had entered the building and was greeted by no more then maybe six dealers tables and virtually no crowd, with exception for PCR'rs.

It was a little annoying at first cause I really didn't want to have to spend my Saturday afternoon being stuck in a ackward situation, but it was worth it. I was thankful to be able to make peace with Chris Woods and congratulate Terence on finally getting a piece of trim, hopefully he understands now why the rest of us spend our free time chasing after it.

It occured to me as we were greeted by none other then former PCR contributor Andy Lalino that the real highlight of the show for fans should not have been Mary Anne from Giligans Island or the awesome toy collection upstairs. The real show was taking place on a uncomfortable bench between a nasty concession stand with week old hot dogs and a table full of bootleg DVD's. It was a mini re-union of sorts, a collection of colorful charectors that have made up one of the most unique stories the general public will probably never hear.

But I digress, much more was happening at the con. Per square inch I'd make the arguement that this show had more going on in six or seven dealers tables and celebrity appearances then the standard Tampa Comic Con (The Double Tree con). Every table had something I would have like to of bought. In the end I settled for a original theatrical poster of the film "Walking Tall" (I love that movie!), a paper weight with The Jaugernaut from X-Men (for a buck!) and a Bart Simpson Key Chain (also a buck!).

After wheeling and dealing I wound up upstairs in search of seeing my old pal Joel Wynkoop and meeting Brooke McCarter from The Lost Boys. Also upstairs were the daughter from "Lost In Space" and Dawn Welles aka Mary-Anne from Giligans Island. Who, btw...Is still smoking hot!

After some small talk with Wynkoop I was honored to have met and conversed a little with Brooke McCarter an actor from a movie that was so pivotal to my childhood. I'm pretty sure the first two films my father ever rented for me were Blood Sport and Nightmare On Elmstreet but somewhere shortly following that was The Lost Boys. It was a defining moment in my childhood (and life).

Brooke was also kind enough to give me a signed photo with all The Lost Boys on it. The picture itself is pretty damn sweet for a fan like me but the autograph makes it extra cool. I even talked him into signing one for my friend Mindy who sadly is a fan of the crappy sequals Warner Brothers throwed together to exploit the originals retro cult appeal. Hers reads "The original Lost Boys is the BEST!"

On a personal level this show was a blessing. The dealers selection and celebrity line up were great for such a small show. Hopefully the promotors will hold other events annually and get bigger with time.

So Long Brighthouse!

**disclaimer** this was written at 5:03 AM after a debaucherous evening of bar hopping.

Its kind of funny. All of my earliest memories tend to revolve around television. Whether it was watching Star Trek with my father or baseball with my great grandfather (Actually I think thats the only memory I have of him). Television has always been the dominate force that life seems to centralize around.


And yet, it is with no sadness or regret that I can proclaim myself to be almost entirely free of the comforting enslavement of television. Sure, I will occassionally catch a ball game in a restaurant or a pub, but besides that the only time the boobtube is switched on is when I am selectively watching the video cassette or dvd of my choice.

Thing is, I really do love the boobtub. But lately things just havn't been the same. Television has been poisoned by less then a handful of greedy corporate over lords who corrupt it's charm in the interest of selling garbage and manipulating political debate.

After nearly two months of television free living I was taken back a bit as I sat in a restaurant and noticed a debate taking place on CNN. There was a hard lined left winger and a hard lined right winger and a wimpy moderator stuck in between to help give the illusion that this was all just a perfectly normal everyday regular Joe American back and fourth conversation. And suddenly, just like that, a moment of clarity had occured. It was all bullshit. We are happily being herded into boxes.

It took two months of detoxing to realize just how stupid this whole thing actually is. Television really serves no purpose beyond scaring the shit out of idiots and peer pressuring their kids into buying things they don't really need.

I mean, I guess I already knew that. It doesn't take a genius to realize that if a handful of intertwining corporations are in cahoots with one another that something is up. I cheated my way to a high school diploma and I'm barely capable of holding down a minimum wage job with the least bit of responsibilities, so why is this so clear to me and not so much to everybody else?

Anyways, going television-less is something that I truely recommend everybody try atleast once in their lifetime. It is truely a liberating experience. Why should I give a shit about what's going in Egypt when I am sitting on a peaceful park bench eating a $1 double cheeseburger? Right, I shouldn't, I can care less becaue it will never effect me. The only reason I knew or cared in the first place is because television told me too. Have fun being a bunch of "informed" citizens.