This week’s artist’s spotlight is on @somecult

1. Tell me a little about yourself:

“Do you want the real answer or the fun answer? The fun answer is that we are a hybrid rock band/performance art troupe comprised of ten monsters, witches, robots and subhumans. We come from underground Altar City, the weirdest town in the west, and perform in cabaret-style settings mixing music, improvisational jams, comedy and multi-media magic.

            The real answer is that we are a rogue band of anonymous artists, musicians, technicians, vandals and thieves. Five members make up the musical core, while the other five work in concert to bring a Some Cult show to life. We are female-fronted, multi-cultural and fiercely independent.”

2. How did you come up with your band/troupe name?

“It’s actually a play on Charlotte’s Web – “some pig!” Our director came up with the name almost ten years ago when he was doing Warped Tour with another band. A cult is a group of individuals who share a strange belief and often blindly follow a strange leader. In this case, our strange leader is Mister Rabbit – and he is blind in one eye! It’s a tongue-in-cheek way of referring to our sinister but lovable gaggle of creatures who all share one vision. Since the members all function anonymously, it made sense to call it “some” cult, a nod to the unknown.

            In the children’s book, Wilbur the pig is a runt who is about to be slaughtered when Charlotte spins her infamous web, making him seem fantastic and larger than life. In many ways, that’s exactly what Some Cult is – the idea of taking broken things and making them something spectacular. It applies to both the band and the audience – taking something that could be an otherwise ordinary experience and turning it into something extraordinary.”

3. Can you talk about each costume and what each one represents?

“The costumes and characters all have roots in the Some Cult mythos, which began with our first book, A Jazz Funeral. It’s a story that begins in New Orleans and winds up in Echo Park, California. It’s far too much to explain in an interview, but we can give you some Cliff’s Notes on each member!

            DJ Pan X – introduced in A Jazz Funeral as Pandora, DJ Pan X is the daughter of a mystic medicine man and the granddaughter of the enchanted spirit living inside of Mister Rabbit. Over time she has become the band’s human force, wielding her guitar and primal scream like a weapon.

            Kaboombox – an enchanted ghetto blaster, Kaboombox is the henchman of DJ Pan X. Made up of multiple personalities, Kaboombox is also the band’s transmitter and walking light show, a virtual hype machine and the group’s silver tongue.

            Mister Rabbit – the Saint of Echo Park. A one-eyed toy rabbit otherwise known as Wilbur Corduroy, Mister Rabbit is a pure, unbridled spirit who revels in mischief and knows only love. A tattered performer of clumsy magic and vaudeville, his wind-up key controls most of the band – even as his soul inspires the rest.

            Glory, Birdman of Alvarado – the unreliable emcee (and self-declared manager) of Some Cult, Glory is an undead drag queen with an owl skull for a head and turntables for eyes. Often drug-addled and neurotic, Glory is an art thief and street prophet who foretold of Mister Rabbit long before he appeared.

            Banshee (The Big Dirty) – A faceless shadow-creature born of pure darkness, Banshee is the percussive thunder driving the band. When he’s not devouring souls or destroying the drums, Banshee enjoys cat-sitting and long walks on the beach.

            Bon Ridley Scott – also known as the Escape Goat, Bon Ridley Scott is Some Cult’s unstable genius. A voodoo doll with button eyes, Bon often wears a straitjacket – when he’s not playing bass like the monster he is.

            Buckingham Suede – the gentleman hive, Buckingham Suede is the group’s thinker and romantic. Dressed to the nines with a hornet’s nest for a head, Suede provides additional vocals and the tasty guitar licks that underpin the sound of Some Cult.

            Black Nymph – the Queen Mother of Some Cult, Black Nymph is part human, part insect. A piano bar performer (and half-sister to the Medium), the Nymph is Some Cult’s dark siren, luring unsuspecting visitors into the artistic underground. She is also the group’s lead vocalist and costume designer, crafting each creature by hand.

            The Medium – Some Cult’s fairy godmother, the Medium is an astrological wonder – albeit with an attitude. While she doesn’t care much for people, she loves monsters – especially Mister Rabbit. A dancer and seasoned stage performer, the Medium orbits Some Cult – interjecting in the show, interacting with the audience, and generally avoiding the Birdman.

            The Collection – a dark witch and time jumper, the Collection is an outside observer of Some Cult known to inject chaos and confusion at her fancy – a terrifying trait, since she is also the band’s stage manager. Her love for Mister Rabbit generally keeps the show going smoothly, though she has been known to throw show-stopping rage-fits of sorcery.

            The really amazing thing is that these characters were written in the book – just sort of tossed out into the universe – and then the perfect artists and musicians appeared to fill the roles. It took time – a few years of auditioning and hard work – but the performers have honed the characters and inhabited the costumes in a manner that far exceeds the initial story. If you want to know more you’ll have to listen, read and come play with us!”

4. What have been your top 3 performances or events that you would like to share?

“Some Cult has been in production for six years. Four of those years were spent in pre-production – writing the mythos, designing the costumes, and investing a lot of time and money into a crazy idea! The last two years have been spent putting the actual band together – auditioning members, writing the songs, recording the album, getting the characters on their feet and going out in public. We were scheduled for our debut performance and several industry showcases right when Covid-19 hit the States. Talk about timing!

            Some Cult is such an involved, nuanced project that we have really taken our time crafting it. We wanted to come out of the gate fully-formed and self-contained, and we have been patient in getting there. All of our members are professional performers, touring and recording with various talented artists – though we can’t tell you who (wink, wink)! While quarantine certainly stalled some momentum, we have used the time wisely and look forward to blowing minds as soon as safely possible! In the meantime you can check out music and videos on our website. We are designed to be a car crash between a rock concert and an off-Broadway performance, and we can’t wait to share that with the world.”

5.Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share?

“Some Cult is a community-oriented group, and service is a big part of our mission. When Covid-19 hit, it felt selfish to brazenly promote ourselves when so many people were struggling. The social and political unrest following the murder of George Floyd further fueled that belief. Since March we have been focusing on our community, promoting bands and local businesses and volunteering to help in any way that we can. We started an interview series called “Save Local,” in which we interview artists and establishments in our area to see how they are coping with the madness and hopefully bring them some additional attention. We helped facilitate a community event called “Save Melrose,” bringing together over a dozen amazing street artists to create works benefiting four independent Melrose shops that were completely destroyed by fire. Obviously we get some exposure from things like that, but that was never the point. The point is that we are all in this together, doing the best we can with our individual talents and gifts to create something special – the very essence of Some Cult.

            We have our first e.p. coming out on September 14, 2020. It’s called “The Arrow,” and we are super stoked on it. Some Cult is not a “singles” band – the songs tie together to create an overall experience. We will be releasing it on CD, cassette and download, along with a new book called Dungeons & Drag Queens: The Altar City Companion. It’s a full color, 150-page guide to the strange city we call home. It basically re-imagines Los Angeles as Altar City, a parallel universe of monsters and madness which is based on L.A.’s actual history.

            We will be releasing music videos and have a live show happening soon – obviously we have to ride the coronavirus wave and be responsible to ourselves and our audience, so we will not announce the performance until it is advertised. But keep an eye out – strange and magical things are afoot in Altar City!

            Thank you so much for the opportunity to do this interview – we are big fans of @lady.cult and love all the kitsch! We look forward to more of your work and sincerely appreciate your time.”

If you like to know more information on Some Cult. The following contact information is below:

https://www.somecult.com/

Instagram: @somecult

Thank you so much for the interview!

Until next time!

This week’s Welcome to the Insta-hood is on fellow instagram profile:

@tomatitojose !

1. Tell me a little about yourself:

“I’m Tommy José Stathes, a lifelong resident of Flushing, Queens, New York City. A somewhat quiet and reserved kind of guy, I would say I have a variety of cerebral and intellectual interests related to the arts and psychology—which I mostly enjoy in a personal and introverted way. Observing and listening are what I do much more so than speaking, when I’m not writing a bit more expressively. This all strikes me as a bit amusing and ironic, since a large part of what I do creatively and professionally involves interacting with public audiences and classrooms full of students, through my roles as a film exhibitor and college teacher.  You see, as a young child, I became very interested in the media, especially film and animation history. From an early age, I sort of definitively knew that I wanted to use those interests as a basis for some kind of work or career as a teenager and eventually an adult. After various trials and tribulations, and following a somewhat self-forged and unorthodox path, I’ve more or less made good on that childhood aspiration, and I’ll discuss some aspects of that here!”

2.  What is cartoon carnival?

“My monthly 16mm Cartoon Carnival is an ongoing film screening series through which I showcase a selection of films from my 16mm film archive, which I began building as a movie and vintage-collecting preteen. I began this series in June of 2009, when I was 20, and had built up a large enough collection at that point where I could regularly compile programs of different material to show on a regular basis. I’d become bored of watching films by myself at home, and was collecting a lot of material that didn’t circulate in other ways. So, I figured others in the New York City area would enjoy seeing this material, and regardless, watching films with an audience is a completely different (and much more fun!) experience than viewing alone at home. 
Back in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, local movie theaters would often compile packages of classic cartoons for Saturday or Sunday matinees, advertising them to children in the audience throughout the week or month, and these screenings were often dubbed Cartoon Carnivals. So, I felt it would be fitting to adopt that same moniker for my series as a way of paying homage to the history of dedicated animation screenings in mainstream settings. However, my Cartoon Carnival series is somewhat more esoteric.
In this series, we cycle between topical themes, holiday themes, and “just for fun” type themes which may center on certain ideas, objects, scenarios, news items, or anything else fun or timely that I can think of. It’s a somewhat esoteric series at this point for a few different reasons. First, I’m using archival 16mm prints that are anywhere from 5 to 95 years old, and screening them with a real 16mm film projector in the same room as the audience, rather than giving a digital presentation. ‘Reel’ film projection has become largely extinct in this century, and it’s always a delight to show the films this way, and have people be curious or admiring of the 16mm projector in the back of the room. It’s a very warm and organic way of watching films, in my opinion. Second, what I’m doing is mixing up a combination of some classic Golden Age favorites and audience pleasers of the 1930s and 1940s, featuring some well known characters, but also including some incredibly rare items from the silent era, the 1910s and 1920s, and some obscurities from later, which normally wouldn’t be included in screenings designed for general audiences. There are many films in my collection of which only 2 or 3 other copies are known to exist in other private or institutional archives, and many dozens or hundreds of others that simply do not circulate in open channels. I enjoy inserting these rarities into these programs occasionally and having that as part of the appeal or draw of the events. 

When pandemic quarantining began, I naturally lost the opportunity to put these events on in brick and mortar venues with physical crowds in attendance. I scrambled to readapt to an online format and after a crash course in learning some things about live streaming and investing in a couple pieces of equipment, I’m glad to say I pulled it off with the help of a few colleagues (as well as loyal and new fans!). This month, we’re up to the 94th Cartoon Carnival program. It’s been quite an eventful and fun decade plus with this particular project—and while it’s certainly an effort to keep it going on a monthly basis now, especially in a new format for a global audience, I also feel like we’re still just getting started. There are so many more themes, combinations, and revivals we can do with a series like this, especially when the sourcing can be done from an archive of something like 2,000 prints.”

3. What made you want to pursue in learning and talking about older cartoons?

“As a child, I grew up mostly around adults as opposed to other children.

The majority of my close family members and their friends and our neighbors were all born roughly between the period of 1920-1960, which necessarily meant that I spent a lot of time in the midst of aesthetics and discussions shared by people of those generations. I loved cartoons, like most young children do, but I also had an intense interest in history, and an inexplicable interest in collecting things from a very early age. While I was seeing a lot of classic ‘Golden Age’ cartoons as a toddler and beyond—think things like Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Popeye, Woody Woodpecker, Little Lulu, and so forth—and discussing them with all of these adults who grew up watching the same films themselves, I’d been able to see a few slightly earlier cartoons, such as some Felix the Cat and Mickey Mouse entries. These were older, black and white films, and those monochromatic images really struck me as being extra surreal and stunning to me. I also recall seeing some film footage of Charlie Chaplin here and there, and being mesmerized by the silent pantomime in monochrome. I really wanted to see and learn more about all this, and with the help of some of these relatives, I began finding and obtaining more examples on VHS video, and eventually acquiring some film and animation history books by the time I was 5 or 6 years old. 
This interest was so intense that I felt compelled to tell other people around me about what I was wondering about, admiring, or trying to learn about or find and obtain. I recall some adults listening to me quote facts from animation history books and showing them cartoons I had on VHS tape, and some of them exclaiming that I was professorial, even at such a young age! I wasn’t looking for praise or admiration over this; I simply really thought this stuff was so fun and interesting and wanted to share it. To this day, I really get a kick out of seeing others watch these films and enjoy them. It’s more meaningful to me than watching the films by myself, for my own enjoyment. In a possibly ironic twist, I rarely do that anymore, either, on my own, unless it’s preparation for some work related effort. 
In a more global sense, I’ve always felt historical films are an especially intriguing time capsule of sorts. It’s quite special to be able to see moving pictures and ideas in motion from the past, in a way that was not possible at all to capture or replicate just prior to the late 1890s. While the act of animating still drawings or illustrations predates motion picture filmings of live action subjects or events, it somehow didn’t ‘click’ (pun not intended) to the earliest filmmakers, of the 1890-1905 period, that there could be filmed drawings set in motion, even though stop motion photography of physical objects had been practiced. I’ll go out on a limb here and say that animating still artwork is a much more tedious and careful act than a lot of raw live action filmmaking can be, and so it’s extra special to have animated films from a still early period, from 1906 and onward, to study and enjoy today.
Long story short, all of this also factors into my work as a college level animation history teacher. For the past few years, I’ve been teaching multiple classes relating to all this at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema in Brooklyn, where I take great pleasure in sharing films and information with new and upcoming students from a variety of creative disciplines. Seeing and hearing their reactions to these historic films is a pleasure to me and is also insightful, as I learn a lot from them when their varied perspectives are shared. One other personal opinion I’ll share is that I believe historical animated films age a bit better than many forms of live action films do, and continue to be appealing on the surface as leisurely viewing material to a wider variety of contemporary viewers…which probably makes my teaching and exhibiting work a bit easier than, say, that of historians or exhibitors who specialize in other forms of historic films.”

4.  Who are your top 3 cartoon characters and why? 

“I’m going to say that my top 3 favorite animated cartoon characters were all incredibly important during the silent film era. Going in chronological order according to when the characters first debuted, they would be Bobby Bumps (1915), Farmer Alfalfa (1915), and Felix the Cat (1919). 

The Bobby Bumps cartoons, animated by Earl Hurd (1880-1940), were the first series to use what we call cell animation, which was developed by Hurd. In short, Hurd patented the process whereby clear sheets of transparent celluloid could be used in the process of animating a film. It’s similar to the concept of ‘layers’ in modern programs like Photoshop, where different moving or morphing elements can be sandwiched together and photographed without changing all of the artwork on one single level. Prior to this, the process of animating for motion pictures was far more limiting both aesthetically and technically, and the cell process allowed much more to be done in terms of design and also in speeding up production. As for the character itself, Bobby is a mischievous little boy with a small dog, Fido, who are always getting into trouble together. I find the humor to be subtle but very creative and amusing. Hurd apparently found inspiration in his own young son, and the character dates back to the earlier 1910s when it first appeared in a few different newspaper comic strip iterations with different names. Given the age of the artist, Hurd’s particular drawing style, and the early point at which this series appeared in production, I also view this series as a rare and unique form of a more Victorian era form of cartooning set into motion, which is fascinating to be able to watch more than a century later. The series has a decidedly more antiquated look than others that were in production at the same time, and looks nothing like what was made by other animators in the 1920s and 1930s. It truly is from another time. 
Hurd enjoyed some success with this series and with the financial returns on having his cel animation patent be part of a trust company that was formed with his 1916-1919 producer, J.R. Bray, which capitalized on the process and forced some rival studios to pay a royalty for employing the process in their films. If you look at some of the earliest Mickey Mouse cartoons, for example, the Bray-Hurd Process is credited at the bottom of the title cards, until their patents expired in 1932 or so. Hurd later worked on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) for Disney. I’ve always taken a particular interest in the Bumps cartoons, working hard to collect as many of the previously neglected and lost films as possible, and am proud to have produced a Blu-ray/DVD collection of fifteen of the original shorts, featuring brand new restorations. These films are now available in a volume called Cartoon Roots: Bobby Bumps and Fido. 

The second character, Farmer Alfalfa, was created by another newspaper cartoonist and early animator, Paul Terry (1887-1971). Farmer Al first appeared in a short cartoon called Down on Phoney Farm (1915), which I was delighted to help rediscover some years back in an untitled, unidentified print in the Library of Congress’ collections. Not long after, Terry was brought in to produce this character in a recurring series for the Bray Studios in 1916 (where Bobby Bumps was well underway!) and, after a few more independent stints, Terry finally organized his own studio and began releasing a quantity of films on a regular basis in 1921. 
Terry didn’t really develop any groundbreaking technical innovations for animation in the same way Hurd did, but, he was one of the first to release animated cartoons at breakneck speed, and was practically the largest producer of cartoons in the silent era and 1920s. His studio produced something like 450+ “Aesop’s Fables” cartoons from 1921 through 1929, many of which featured Farmer Alfalfa. I enjoy the character a lot because he’s a cranky old man who’s always getting into trouble in his farmhouse, on his property, or anywhere else he’s adventuring through…and the entirety of the animal kingdom (including most other humans) mostly hate the guy! It’s pretty funny to see how much he fails in getting along with others. Perhaps it gives comic relief to all the disagreements we come across in real life. Terry continued using this character heavily in the sound era, in many cartoon entries of the 1930s and 1940s, and many baby boomers remember seeing these older cartoons on early television in the 1950s and 1960s. It’s fun when they recall these early childhood memories and I tell them that I’m still showing them in my programs. 

Last, but certainly not least, is Felix the Cat. Felix first appeared in 1919 as part of the Paramount Magazine series of film releases. However, he wasn’t Felix at first! He was first known as Master Tom and lived in ‘Pussyville.’ No joke. Soon after, though, the character was aptly named Felix. The classic original Felix the Cat cartoons were produced in 1919 through 1930, animated by Otto Messmer and a team of assistants, and produced by early animator and studio owner Pat Sullivan.

I won’t go into too much further detail about Felix for a few reasons: there is much controversy, misunderstanding, and disagreement out there about Felix’s initial creation; and, more than anything, it’s a character that’s still rather well known and identifiable on sight to a wide variety of people. 
In any case, Felix was the first animated cartoon character to achieve worldwide super stardom, which many historians and critics would credit to his cute and appealing design, creative ways of problem solving, his knack for expressing a full range of thought and emotion, and having a sort of reliability where earlier or contemporaneous cartoon characters were sort of flat or lacking in such dimensionality. The classic original Felix films are very endearing and fun to watch as a result. And, Felix was also the first animated cartoon character to be merchandised heavily for toys and other sorts of sponsored products…which was groundbreaking for animation, and paved the way for Mickey Mouse to achieve (and surpass) those critical acclaim and profitability benchmarks not long afterward. I’ve also been working on producing some restorations of these silent Felix films, and hope to have more news on that project soon. “

5. What upcoming events or news do you have coming up that you would to share?

“Great question, as this is a somewhat special month in animation history! This coming Saturday, August 15th at 3pm eastern, is when I’ll be holding the 94th installment of my Cartoon Carnival series as a live stream. We’re paying homage to Betty Boop, as this August marks the 90th anniversary of Betty’s debut (in a more poodle-like form) in the Max Fleischer cartoon Dizzy Dishes (1930). Betty rocked the world of animation and film for so many reasons, and it’s difficult to believe she’s finally become a nonagenarian. This special Cartoon Carnival is going to be an extra long program with 15 cartoon shorts, a variety of archival behind-the-scenes clips to give some historical background info, our usual Q&A session, and possibly two brief intermissions instead of one. Whew! It should be a lot of fun, though, and while it will focus on one cartoon series instead of being a potpourri of characters and studios, I think it makes a great introduction to the Carnival series for anyone who doesn’t already know about the shows. A link to my site which gives further information and ticket & viewing link can be found here: http://www.cartoonsonfilm.info/online-carnival.html

Here is the trailer for the upcoming event:

If you would like to learn more about Tommy here is the following contact info:

Website: http://www.cartoonsonfilm.info/online-carnival.html

Instagram: @tomatitojose

Thank you so much for the interview!

Hello everyone! I have partner with Creem Magazine to help spread the word about there amazing documentary. Last year they celebrated their 50th anniversary and a documentary was release about the history of the magazine.

The trailer about it is below:

Link to purchase a online ticket to watch is below: https://watch.eventive.org/creem/play/5f2dc54a476fc9004c3b7356

Until next time!

Photo credit and trailer: Creem Magazine

Partnership with Creem Magazine

This week’s artist’s spotlight is on @austinwells_art

1. Tell me a little about yourself.

” My name is Austin Wells and I’m a freelance artist and hairstylist. I currently work at Chris Le Salon and Society Salon in Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona. I’ve been drawing since I can remember and I’ve been a hairstylist for 7 years. I’ve self-published a comic book in 2014 called “Phantom Street”, sold art at conventions for a little under 10 years, run several photoshoots and fashion shows, and dabbled in 3D animation and graphic design.

I got into cosmetology from my mom and older sister who owned a salon together. I was tired of being a starving artist and ended up falling in love with cutting hair. I also just got back from spending a year living in Sendai, Japan with my wife. “

2. How do you incorporate horror into your hairstyles?

“Even though I was raised in a strict religious household, I’ve always been drawn to horror movies and spooky old cartoons. Halloween quickly became my favorite holiday growing up. I incorporate horror into my hairstyles by capturing the attitude of Rockabilly and Halloween flair. It’s easy to only think of Goth or Elvira’s awesome Beehive when it comes to horror hairstyles. Horror has made a real comeback in popular media. Just like the genre, horror fashion reflects a large variety of styles. Stranger Things (I would totally rock Steve Harrington’s style), Bubble Goth, and Witchy Bohemian styles of clothing are great examples. Even taboo looks like Satanic fashion has been growing lately. I love all of it and my mission is to make everyday Halloween through fashion. “

3. Do you remember the first art piece you created?

“My first piece of art I remember making was a flipbook when I was probably 5-6 about “The Three Musketeers” finding a magic wand to fight an evil duke. It was crudely made in every way. I cut up construction paper and stapled it all together and drew on the pages with crayons. I still remember it because it’s the first time I felt inspired to make something. I think it was after I saw that ’93 Disney Musketeers movie on VHS.  I wasn’t able to fully write then so each page just had one big picture to tell the story. Which oddly enough attracted me to wordless storytelling that creators like Genndy Tartakovsky did with episodes of “Samurai Jack” or Stan Sakai with issues of “Usagi Yojimbo”. “

4.  If you have to make a top 5 movie list of movies that inspire your art. What would they be and why? 

“Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)” Easily takes the top spot, every time I watch it I see something new and it makes me want to draw. the amount of artistry required to make that movie is still mind-blowing for me. 

 “Evil Dead 2 (1987)” This movie is what really got me into horror. A perfect blend of horror and comedy. Keeping the danger real in a story while making you laugh is a tough tight rope to walk and Evil Dead 2 crushes it.”Fright Night (1985)” Another great horror-comedy! This one succeeds in making memorable and genuinely fun characters to set a horror movie around. Every actor plays their parts perfectly and there’s some excellent thrills to be had.”Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)” This movie gets a lot of flack for not being as good as Empire but I’d say it’s an excellent bookend to the trilogy. The growth you see the characters like Luke go through by the end is still satisfying to watch. 

“Conan The Barbarian (1982)” This movie is underrated. Another good example of great storytelling with limited dialogue. For an action movie, it’s very artistic in its presentation. The score, the cinematography, and even Arnold’s acting lend itself to the feeling of high fantasy sword and sorcery.”

5. Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share?

“Currently, I’m working on making a  vintage horror fashion show. It’s still in the design phase but I already have several stylists who are joining me on the project. I’ll post more information on my Instagram and Facebook pages @austinwells_hair and @austinwells_art. I’m also working on getting shirts made with some vintage horror designs up and running, with recent global events I’ve had to slow down on that project. If you’d like a dope haircut, come see me in Phoenix, Arizona at Society Salon and Chris Le Salon. I’m currently taking commissions and new clients, DM for more info! “

Thank you so much for the interview!

Until next time!

Hello! In June I wrote about some old Nickelodeon shows that I used to watch while growing up.( Link is here if you wanted to read part one: Old Nick shows: A Flashback! ) So I decided to do a follow up. Here is part two in no particular order:

The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994-1998) starring Larsia Oleynik, Darris Love and Meredith Bishop.

I remember being really sad when the show Clarissa Explains it all was over. I thought nothing to fill the gap of the show until I started watching the Secret World of Alex Mack. Alex was walking home from her first day of middle school when she was struck by a can that the truck was carrying a weird secret chemical. A chemical that completely drench and she gain weird powers

Such as making objects float in the air or making electricity come out of her fingertips. Or anything thing sci fi like she can practically do.

I secretly wish that when I was walking home that a weird secret chemical would spill on me so I can have magical powers just like Alex Mack!

You Can’t Do that on TV: (1981-1990 during the Nickelodeon years)

This was the first show I remember watching on the Nickelodeon channel. I don’t remember much about the show itself although the few segments that are burnt onto my mind was the slime segments. Where the people on the show would get randomly covered on a lime green goo,

This would be a show I would not mind the channel redoing especially if they kept the slime segments.

Double Dare (1986-1993, 2000, 2018-2019):

I always wanted to be on this show because of all the fun challenges that you have to do on it. I always wanted to be on the blue team because I felt like the red team won more and I wanted to see the blue win. I remember being impressed by the bigger than life props such as the big nose:

I know that Nickelodeon did a couple reboots of this show with the show co-host: Marc Summers.

However I am such a fan of the original ones that I feel like the new ones aren’t up to par just yet but I do hope to see newer versions of this live show in the future!

Doug (1991-1994 the Nickelodeon years)

I often found myself humming to the theme song of Doug quite often. I remember being such an avid fan of the cartoon series and continued to watch it during it’s run on ABC Saturday morning cartoons. My favorite character on the show was Roger because of his interesting haircut and sassy attitude towards Doug :

I remember that I actually did see the live show when I went to visit the Disney parks. I was kind of disappointed that it wasn’t the actual cartoon characters in the show instead it was live people being the cartoons. I was extremely confused by the whole show and was glad it only ran for two years.

AaaHH!!!!! Real Monsters (1994-1997):

Any cartoon that had monsters in it I was totally on board for and this cartoon was totally up my alley!

My favorite character on the show was The Gromble:

Any monster that could rock and wear four pairs of high heels deserves total props in my book. I remember watching a lot of the shows during the afternoons after I got home from school and would refuse to do any homework until after I watched my daily episode for that day.

What shows did you watch growing up? Comment below!

Until next time!

Source: Wikipedia and youtube

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing a great small business: @gayasstrology !

1. Tell me a little about yourself:

“We are a Queer Dance party that began in May 2018. We quickly grew into what some called “The Biggest Queer Dance Party in Los Angeles.” In February 2020 we debuted the party on the East Coast in NYC. Each month, we provided a safe space for the Queer community to socialize and celebrate their Sun Signs!”

2. How did you come up with your club name?

“It was a combination of our love of Astrology, the Queer nightlife community, and a funny email from our friend, Comedian John Early, which created Gay Asstrolgy Dance Party. “

3. How did you come up with this conception of a community dance party?

“We had been having monthly Full Moon parties in our backyard. We’d invite friends over and read from an astrology book and listen to music. We had always talked about doing something together, throwing a party of some sort. When the Satellite gave us the first Friday time slot, we saw it as an opportunity to take the three things we love so much (Dancing, Queer life, Astrology) and to provide a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community in East L.A. to dance!”

4. Can you talk about your go-fund me?

“Our GoFundMe started after the pandemic/Covid crisis as a way to generate funds for our DJs and Promoters etc who basically lost their source of income over night. We continue to host Gay Ass Parties online and are working on new ways to provide for the community. The GoFundMe still serves as our main source of financial support for all the parties.”

5. Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share?

“We will continue to host virtual Zoom dance parties and have community driven content via other social platforms. We are also working on building the Dreams Of L.A. Foundation to further provide a space for Queer voices, artists, activists, and charities. “

If you like to know more information about this great community. Their following contact information is below:

Instagram:

@gayasstrology

@dreamsofla

Zoom ID: 927 118 1315

Thank you for the interview!!

Until next time!!

This week’s artist’s Spotlight is on @valerie79 (Valerie and Deegan)

1. Tell me a little about yourself.

Valerie: “We moved from Madison, WI to Waterloo, WI in September of 2017 after casually looking for a place where we could have separate spaces for our creative endeavors. After seeing The Mode building online, we decided to have a look, and while it wasn’t exactly what I had imagined for myself (pastoral with room for a pet goat) it was a really cool property and too good to pass up.

The property comes with a separate building that had been a barbershop and is now my art studio, so it was basically perfect for us. I mostly do pop-style acrylic painting and odds and ends art–mainly gluing googly eyes or glitter on EVERYTHING, so it’s nice to be able to keep that contained.”

Deegan: “I’ve been playing in bands for over 25 years & have met a thousand musicians & rad people but never even thought of being a venue owner myself. i always saw myself being marginally successful at best as a bass player but when i walked in here i knew i was home. having a business was just a bonus to me. with that said, the space isn’t exactly perfect as my wife said. it is great in that we have space to play indoor badminton but you can hear EVERYTHING top to bottom & front to back in the main building. but at worst we need to be considerate of each other’s needs as it relates to sound & at best we own the coolest house in Wisconsin if not the world.”

2. What is the Mode Theater? How did it start? What kind of acts does it have?

“The Mode was an old single screen movie theater built in the 1930’s. it ran until the mid 1980’s when the multi-plex theaters took over,
and in the 90’s it was converted into a multi-use space. a second floor was created within the space adding living quarters upstairs, and the theater seating was removed & the angled floor was leveled. today it serves as our home & business. most recently we’ve done live music, comedy, art shows & event rental. Additionally, we have a screen printing press that we have used to make our own merch as well as products for bands and other acts.”

3.  Can you talk about the Wisconsin cultural art theme? How is it different than any other state?

“Wisconsin is surprisingly eclectic in its art offerings, you’re basically able to find anything you like, from felt and button crafts to more modern graffiti or pop-style pieces. We’re fortunate to be located between Milwaukee and Madison, so we have equal access to Madison’s more hippie-folk handicrafts and Milwaukee’s grittier, industrial aesthetic. How it might differ from other states is that winter is bitterly cold and summer is blazingly hot and humid, in either case, we drink a lot more here than they do in other places. That’s what we’ve heard anyway.”

4. What has been your favorite act that has been in the theater?

“Musically, Dead Rest, a 3-piece punk band from LaSalle, IL., for comedy we’ve really enjoyed hosting Tyson Purcell’s Show “Tragedy + Time = Comedy” which is equal parts dark & hilarious. Our friend David Mueller has done an excellent job with his Ace of Arts pop up show which features a variety of artists & makers from the area. Sadly, we had to postpone the show this year for a global pandemic.”

5. Do you have  any exciting news or events that you would like to share?

“We decided to shut down the physical space for the remainder of 2020 to keep performers, guests, & ourselves safe. We did a streaming show with 10 or 11 musicians at the start of the stay at home order and are looking to do more, but are researching equipment upgrades to make it a better experience. Keep an eye on The Mode Theater Facebook or Instagram pages for current info!”  

 

If you like to learn more info. These are the following contact information:

The Mode Theater

https://www.facebook.com/TheModeTheater/

Email: bookthemode@gmail.com

Instagram:

The Mode Theater

@valeriedeeganart