R.I.P. Allen Lanier of Blue Oyster Cult

I first learned the news in the subject header a couple of hours ago, but I guess I've been trying to process it before putting it on the blog. Allen Lanier, one of the members of Blue Öyster Cult died today from complications of C.O.P.D. I can't say this was a huge surprise; Allen had effectively been retired since 2006. I took that as a hint that he was in poor health, and sadly, I was correct.

A Message to Sydney

I was debating whether I should post this here or not. I figure, why not? If I can live with seeing a video of myself on Twitter, I can deal with it on the blog, too.

From the description:

A few words to a brave young woman and her family.

(Please note that the text I receive during this video is her updating Twitter. Oddly appropriate.)

The Manor of Madness

Sean Moore is not only a kickass artist, but he's also a really nice guy. Check out this wonderful faux comic book cover starring Tregga the Tree Thing he recently did as a gift for me!

Kush

You know Seanbaby, right? I mean, he did invent being funny on the Internet! Well, I was reading this article by him the other night, and then I got to the end...



...I was only hoping to see if that dope who injured himself with a Q-Tip in the WaxVac commercial made the cut (SPOILER: he did). I had no idea a product this completely random and insane even existed.

My favorite part is that even the woman doing the voiceover can't believe it. She is on the verge of laughing at any given moment. "Anatomically contoured" indeed.

Now Playing At Hot Rails

I didn't post about this last week when it went live, did I? OK, there's a really extraordinary Blue Oyster Cult website called Hot Rails with the ambitious goal of "attempting to document every gig Blue Oyster Cult ever played as well as providing a complete gig, setlist and fan review resource archive." That will probably never be fully realized, but you can't fault him for trying!

As you may recall, I wrote about attending a BOC show. That particular gig wasn't listed on the site, so I decided to submit a report on it. You can read that under "May" on this page. It kinda bugs me that I can't give a more detailed picture of the show, but I had no idea it would turn out to be important. Plus, I wasn't exactly qualified at the time.

So check out the report and check out the site. Lots of cool things there for BOC fans!

Firegirl Surprise by Kennasaur

Look at what the wonderful Kennasaur dropped on me quite unexpectedly this past week! Yep, it's a lovely and slightly saucy portrait of my heroine Firegirl! I love it a lot, and you can tell Kenna you love it too!

Thanks Kenna! You're tops!

Who Made Who

It was December 1980, and I was 8 years old. My family was on our way for the Christmas visit to Ohio to visit's Mom's parents and that side of the family. We made that trek by car, and it usually took 2-3 days - remember, there were kids. We had stopped for the night at a local motel in a now-forgotten town. Dad was going to the local convenience store to get something, and since it was already dark, I wasn't allowed to accompany him. I asked him to pick up a comic book for me.

When Dad got back to the motel room, he had bought a copy of Marvel Premiere #57. I studied the cover with more than a little confusion. This sure wasn't a superhero! In fact, I didn't know what to make of this man in a strange outfit floating through space(?) with a telephone booth(?!?). I'll never know why Dad chose that comic book - if it was just a random grab or if something about it caught his attention. It surely wasn't because he had ever heard of "Doctor Who."

I reluctantly read that comic book, despite it not being something I would have gravitated toward myself, and found myself fascinated by it. The story was creative and clever and more than a bit dark, and the art by some guy named Dave Gibbons was very appealing. Further, as I studied the only comic book at my disposal that night, I learned that DOCTOR WHO was a science-fiction TV show with a long and colorful history. On the way home, I spotted a copy of Marvel Premiere #58 and snapped it up to see the conclusion of "The Iron Legion".

As luck would have it, 1981 would be the year my local PBS station began carrying DOCTOR WHO. It was a wonderful bit of serendipity that I was already familiar with the basics of it when I had the chance to see it. You can bet your bottom dollar I was there the first afternoon it aired, and made a point to watch it whenever possible (often on my black and white TV, which I still miss terribly).

I've never really been an active part of Whovian fandom. I gradually stopped following the show, though I still retain an affection for it and what it stands for. Ah, but nothing can take away the magic of reading those Marvel comic books on a long December car ride and discovering a whole new world of imagination.