tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71265236824653897642024-03-17T23:44:24.257-04:00The PorPor Books Blog: SF and Fantasy Books 1968 - 1988SO....what's a PorPor Book ?
'PorPor' is a derogatory term my brother used, to refer to the SF and Fantasy paperbacks and comic books I eagerly read from the late 60s to the late 80s.
This blog is devoted to those paperbacks and comics you can find on the shelves of second-hand bookstores...from the New Wave era and 'Dangerous Visions', to the advent of the cyberpunks and 'Neuromancer'.tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.comBlogger2062125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-36512707865182310582024-03-16T11:47:00.000-04:002024-03-16T11:47:31.294-04:00Book Review: Shadrach in the Furnace<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Book Review: 'Shadrach in the Furnace' by Robert Silverberg</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdfHoDgXK7w5alZCmzcmfbnEgV5wHKSQQQbCEkVtkMUiYONTMVDlERCwZo3D_3QHoebSNNHI8iMj8_WL8eVgxTB9Gd5DqbyuNIMwRGkLLyYg5OTY56YmviTr7dJ5jO4AlhXxGlyNOuZ-bqOsHXtN7TiryctLXCQ1Hy65fp60mx-X-2j4JnZ-UD4KC1g/s2519/shadrach%20in%20the%20furnace.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2519" data-original-width="1648" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdfHoDgXK7w5alZCmzcmfbnEgV5wHKSQQQbCEkVtkMUiYONTMVDlERCwZo3D_3QHoebSNNHI8iMj8_WL8eVgxTB9Gd5DqbyuNIMwRGkLLyYg5OTY56YmviTr7dJ5jO4AlhXxGlyNOuZ-bqOsHXtN7TiryctLXCQ1Hy65fp60mx-X-2j4JnZ-UD4KC1g/w261-h400/shadrach%20in%20the%20furnace.jpg" width="261" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: arial;"><b>1 / 5 Stars</b></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">'Shadrach in the Furnace' (247 pp.) first was published in hardcover in 1976 by Bobbs-Merrill, with a cover illustration by Fred Samperi. A mass market paperback edition was released by Pocket Books in February, 1978.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgG506_r9L7Fb_215_A1Hjtu1sV44g_cq9VzEnecMPW88gN7sbyvoH3S-MLpxPqaaGEo0M793Omfjik8QAaUYAos_EIL29gdzeynB5990GEdLrh2BHlkfUzycdpY03FNeqakrLMAGbyIA_EBvFLpY4VuFH_DSrZYexTnkPe3ay1nmIEjrPHZ6EDsAwIw/s600/shadrach%20paperback.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="352" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgG506_r9L7Fb_215_A1Hjtu1sV44g_cq9VzEnecMPW88gN7sbyvoH3S-MLpxPqaaGEo0M793Omfjik8QAaUYAos_EIL29gdzeynB5990GEdLrh2BHlkfUzycdpY03FNeqakrLMAGbyIA_EBvFLpY4VuFH_DSrZYexTnkPe3ay1nmIEjrPHZ6EDsAwIw/w235-h400/shadrach%20paperback.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">'Shadrach' is set in 2012. A series of geological catastrophes, and the Virus War, have caused the downfall of the West and allowed a Chinese Communist Party apparatchik, the Mongolian Genghis II Mao IV Khan, to install himself as a global despot.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">From his complex in Ulan Bator, Genghis Mao Khan - who is ninety years old - surveils events all over the world from a network of CCTV cameras. Dissent from his rule is negligible, hampered by the fact that most of the global population slowly is succumbing from the disease of 'organ rot', with treatment offered only to those in the Khan's inner circle. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The eponymous Shadrach Mordecai is the Khan's personal physician. A black American man, Shadrach is personable, skilled, and utterly affectless about the disastrous state of the world. Living a life of privilege, sheltered in the complex in Ulan Bator, Shadrach attends to the increasing medical needs of his patient, who requires regular transplants of organs procured from the viscera of comatose rebels and dissidents interned at the 'Organ Farm'. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">When not providing care to his autarch, Shadrach enjoys dalliances with two female scientists on the Khan's staff, who are working on methods to increase the longevity of their employer. Shadrach also enjoys frequent trips to the pleasure city of Karakorum, which offers a variety of recreational delights to the Khan's bureaucrats and functionaries.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm not spoiling anything by revealing that Shadrach's idyllic life soon is to be disrupted by the discovery that the Khan hopes to extend his life, and regain his youth, by having his consciousness downloaded, as it were, into the body of one of his subjects. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And it is Shadrach who has been chosen for this peculiar 'honor'.............. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">So 'Shadrach in the Furnace' would seem to have an intriguing, inherently gripping premise: our hero knows he is in a metaphorical furnace, so what will he do to save himself ? Unfortunately, with this novel, Silverberg's approach to plotting is so anemic that the novel never achieves much in the way of drama or excitement.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Indeed, Shadrach doesn't learn he's been selected to be the repository of the ailing Khan's consciousness until page 123, and despite that revelation, Shadrach eschews any sort of urgency. We are treated to expositions on the use of woodworking as a meditative tool. There are phantasmagorical excursions into Virtual Reality (as it was envisioned in 1976). Shadrach has melodramatic exchanges with his girlfriends. And in the closing chapters of the novel, Silverberg has Shadrach indulge in travel to places around the globe, this serving as a mechanism to advance Shadrachs' personal growth, and empathy with the masses of humanity suffering under the Khan's despotism. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">These divagations ensure that, when it finally arrives, the novel's denouement is underwhelming and contrived, and failed to justify the investment in time I had made for the preceding 242 pages.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The verdict ? Like most (all ?) of Silverberg's New Wave era novels, 'Shadrach in the Furnace' suffers from a preoccupation with characterization over plotting, and an emphasis on discourses into humanistic themes, discourses that can't help but seep momentum from lethargic narratives. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">It's interesting to note that after the release of 'Shadrach' Silverberg published no new works for four years, and when he did resume publishing, it was the combined fantasy / sci-fi novel 'Lord Valentine's Castle'. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">'Valentine's Castle' was considerably more energetic and plot-driven than Silverberg's New Wave entries, and as a result, also was more commercially successful.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I am comfortable with a One Star Review for 'Shadrach in the Furnace', as it is only for those readers with the patience for a dilatory narrative that exemplifies the New Wave ethos.</span></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-43431266042868099882024-03-14T10:20:00.001-04:002024-03-14T17:39:40.449-04:00Penthouse March 1976<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Penthouse</i> magazine</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">March 1976</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjr7002wF5kwTAbSlcTyC6sq7ZilxPV6rXzjdwqGyitUXYMeTUnzy8c3AQKV5R7ctmjrxEOjjdCYKRA5vAbme4yJkqYE3oTAQNgUD0rMMU6PPTHWnR5fRJPioYtE3C2pWK1e7NWc8su1xmqcFK_6MGfNPjYMx4GEm-KvEALhYWODrP5cJKvFYYlgbMzb_8/s3267/cover0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3267" data-original-width="2550" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjr7002wF5kwTAbSlcTyC6sq7ZilxPV6rXzjdwqGyitUXYMeTUnzy8c3AQKV5R7ctmjrxEOjjdCYKRA5vAbme4yJkqYE3oTAQNgUD0rMMU6PPTHWnR5fRJPioYtE3C2pWK1e7NWc8su1xmqcFK_6MGfNPjYMx4GEm-KvEALhYWODrP5cJKvFYYlgbMzb_8/w313-h400/cover0001.jpg" width="313" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">March, 1976, and the Billboard Hot 100 of pop singles indicates that 'Oh What A Night', by the Four Seasons, is the top-selling song in the USA. At number 2 is the late Eric Carmen, with the weepy 'All By Myself'.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1_EXqJKloZaYaRUGhEJjAufNJh7p0cC6KAlE80sAAy2NaRjgW8wVYPj1kKGdKo5ufQENO7Fi0zYtdGopU6M3o4L5nEYLAveg3woVlqZdUCohB9ckYfE-DxWLK0rLZlcurwrLy6Z6J2g64AFbD0gmTLdveOzPazjQVdw0ZD3fg2VIhxz2kLYDsHE42snz/s902/billboard%20march%201976%20top%205.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="902" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1_EXqJKloZaYaRUGhEJjAufNJh7p0cC6KAlE80sAAy2NaRjgW8wVYPj1kKGdKo5ufQENO7Fi0zYtdGopU6M3o4L5nEYLAveg3woVlqZdUCohB9ckYfE-DxWLK0rLZlcurwrLy6Z6J2g64AFbD0gmTLdveOzPazjQVdw0ZD3fg2VIhxz2kLYDsHE42snz/w400-h290/billboard%20march%201976%20top%205.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The latest issue of <i>Penthouse</i> magazine is on the stands. Let's take a look inside, shall we ?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The cover subject, and this month's Pet, is a lissome, twenty-six year-old English girl named Joann Witty. Joann coyly discloses that flying is her passion: '...the only thing I've ever found that excites me as much as making love.'</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(According to PorPor Books Blog reader Lawrence, Joann, using the stage name 'Priscilla Barnes', starred as 'Teri' in the sitcom <i>Three's Company </i>!).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe2iorQnkOBy-ITql3EAs4jTkb_nDeXUwc3svg1SKS9YdzSMHCGF-JRnwy-AVB6Mfg-xZaa134PsUgqM6yWjWy66kHMYUw0eVpbH3FgvbAApnDe1HOArWtoZrmac3VFxYnYOzjDqg4_FnEY6dA1lmnJtsmwsiojhxwzE4qvBkAeXMvRal1riDdGxr1mCeR/s2927/interior0004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2927" data-original-width="1913" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe2iorQnkOBy-ITql3EAs4jTkb_nDeXUwc3svg1SKS9YdzSMHCGF-JRnwy-AVB6Mfg-xZaa134PsUgqM6yWjWy66kHMYUw0eVpbH3FgvbAApnDe1HOArWtoZrmac3VFxYnYOzjDqg4_FnEY6dA1lmnJtsmwsiojhxwzE4qvBkAeXMvRal1riDdGxr1mCeR/w261-h400/interior0004.jpg" width="261" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1492" data-original-width="1058" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCbxM51pOOFJH0SupbazfaxwhxHjuI5CTHr0-z3KHgKo6y8hyWTJyD__Vjia34kqU_O0nDUnRJJRLbXQb49ar4TI2jso-AiFU-bgBXdujtSgU10FZsX88BFloyxTjp_jYV0sXOT1H1jKdRn0YbXeZ964KmJzQuRQdhB7gbJnkHiL5Uy-yGWkf9LDFSokt/w284-h400/interior0008.jpg" width="284" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqR0D9aPHURintAyDvyjxwOIXIEHYPKtI7m19vheCjueF13NXlCFHqkcQ-opytjs3zM3Z0BNCTRJFh97BcHaI1bO3QSw0-sLn2d0tws9kQlpyk6Kedj0COMKMXuJJPlxpM5UWDJ5pmkx77a6Sk7Qm4uAgPyh5uQaMnJt9APcyMCmO3VJKhGKEeKDAar7j/s2319/interior0009.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2319" data-original-width="1789" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqR0D9aPHURintAyDvyjxwOIXIEHYPKtI7m19vheCjueF13NXlCFHqkcQ-opytjs3zM3Z0BNCTRJFh97BcHaI1bO3QSw0-sLn2d0tws9kQlpyk6Kedj0COMKMXuJJPlxpM5UWDJ5pmkx77a6Sk7Qm4uAgPyh5uQaMnJt9APcyMCmO3VJKhGKEeKDAar7j/w309-h400/interior0009.jpg" width="309" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRozsLhKgMARb281aN8ePAZTMkbdmvDZKOvG7ry6xCPfVM6oQZai30TKK9kK9X6RYhquBHEwEtP-g5is2de_8zuCPFB37sQ6LvRUDz3fPra_Ahe0yTfHLEen97amNpufmQQLIju9jJbuwhewwtHJj4Fqgv966aa5wKrgVV8sK62wXU-JvsQPdVMCV_VV_/s3261/interior0010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3261" data-original-width="2328" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRozsLhKgMARb281aN8ePAZTMkbdmvDZKOvG7ry6xCPfVM6oQZai30TKK9kK9X6RYhquBHEwEtP-g5is2de_8zuCPFB37sQ6LvRUDz3fPra_Ahe0yTfHLEen97amNpufmQQLIju9jJbuwhewwtHJj4Fqgv966aa5wKrgVV8sK62wXU-JvsQPdVMCV_VV_/w285-h400/interior0010.jpg" width="285" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzT9Gwfa9sgC2ICGYIQ8rGOhDvFXswBkdhilfznwhStQbYrMLa1ZnevG1gkbr1zMsWhOzIeSTxuIzpr5CCxErLFFPv0qMxYlXrdjCKtBrWoDoXR6hAlr-cOd0C8TCs_6rxFiDGQYUk9amX408S2kcDWwVZYbYH1oovUEu0ACnSMkeEtChccw_Tps69JEHS/s3266/interior0011.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3266" data-original-width="2171" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzT9Gwfa9sgC2ICGYIQ8rGOhDvFXswBkdhilfznwhStQbYrMLa1ZnevG1gkbr1zMsWhOzIeSTxuIzpr5CCxErLFFPv0qMxYlXrdjCKtBrWoDoXR6hAlr-cOd0C8TCs_6rxFiDGQYUk9amX408S2kcDWwVZYbYH1oovUEu0ACnSMkeEtChccw_Tps69JEHS/w266-h400/interior0011.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS9yItihTlkaXx_VKVR0URW470dyaiKRbwfQNYVWaoJaQH8jzgLnjPsgQavuETQ5YlEGwsHTQuZkVmALG0enLgIDotNE_MBDQwBAZ0Lkw95kYy9u13fUtF5rQ9MwHsqoB6GG3HbmCZoyS2eMbaJFDUR2VSJhnoinSFT7wH3EL9Vfa5vCEnsRJZ5VhR70Gp/s3268/interior0015.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3268" data-original-width="2308" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS9yItihTlkaXx_VKVR0URW470dyaiKRbwfQNYVWaoJaQH8jzgLnjPsgQavuETQ5YlEGwsHTQuZkVmALG0enLgIDotNE_MBDQwBAZ0Lkw95kYy9u13fUtF5rQ9MwHsqoB6GG3HbmCZoyS2eMbaJFDUR2VSJhnoinSFT7wH3EL9Vfa5vCEnsRJZ5VhR70Gp/w283-h400/interior0015.jpg" width="283" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_uWMRiVzmNNOCr9auwNc29lm0RbAePm64K1E-xm-Bs0ygXPpb0KGceI4Y2MmeSqHRwjYiGzdEEWaSxzCVH37A-SnxVI1OL4aVG63fFjPFDJrQ-BS3tIctMotGxGHphgcJ03gkT4nvZTJL_yz8-b0HzfLn-dE8EAZu3TvytJERSy01fCRay8TVI07vQu4/s3265/interior0017.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3265" data-original-width="2241" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_uWMRiVzmNNOCr9auwNc29lm0RbAePm64K1E-xm-Bs0ygXPpb0KGceI4Y2MmeSqHRwjYiGzdEEWaSxzCVH37A-SnxVI1OL4aVG63fFjPFDJrQ-BS3tIctMotGxGHphgcJ03gkT4nvZTJL_yz8-b0HzfLn-dE8EAZu3TvytJERSy01fCRay8TVI07vQu4/w275-h400/interior0017.jpg" width="275" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">In the advertisements, we see yet another pitch for 'Hair Dimensions', a New York City medical office that got away a 'restoration' procedure that involved implanting plastic sutures into the scalps of balding men. Tufts of hair then were attached to the sutures. The procedure invariably led to infection of the scalp and loss of the attached hair. Victims of this 'breakthrough medical implant technique' required surgical removal of the sutures, with resultant scarring and disfigurement. </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5ncGTH3UyxzbEu_qCCr9Gmo7a4Us0Wksq1QK4TNaNNktsCMH37PZXEFkVfko-lci-RrUcvKk5TdRepobRb49KadU9i8E0iooI8td3O7eL9gA3I7Fn1R0F44gNyKDwwaX9p8o31m1bQNjeqFFqPj7EXUAv8azJt2jrUVthoJRyoL-wvq_X07mLaeaRuov/s1071/interior0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1071" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5ncGTH3UyxzbEu_qCCr9Gmo7a4Us0Wksq1QK4TNaNNktsCMH37PZXEFkVfko-lci-RrUcvKk5TdRepobRb49KadU9i8E0iooI8td3O7eL9gA3I7Fn1R0F44gNyKDwwaX9p8o31m1bQNjeqFFqPj7EXUAv8azJt2jrUVthoJRyoL-wvq_X07mLaeaRuov/s320/interior0001.jpg" width="306" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Elsewhere in the March issue, we get an advertisement for an exploitative book called 'The <i>Viva</i> Rape Letters', a sleazy publication that no major magazine publisher would issue nowadays, in the 21st century. But things were different 48 years ago.</span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZm1g7X2RJW51GNXVlgbPXI6lBe2Kx10h2XBADiG4UjTZP2OXo_M-XYJ7QrBsPc8RBrxj9N_7hsRRh6XxRzXiu_-LNJrOk2RwhrSQpMWiRLMMP25uD4idqMwArKbs3PeBAVuj6PEx6LiXD-nicOhM8G_cL_A5ywPBR5KToi4CJ4JZeQYkGcqha3NHtEuD/s2845/interior0014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2845" data-original-width="2222" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZm1g7X2RJW51GNXVlgbPXI6lBe2Kx10h2XBADiG4UjTZP2OXo_M-XYJ7QrBsPc8RBrxj9N_7hsRRh6XxRzXiu_-LNJrOk2RwhrSQpMWiRLMMP25uD4idqMwArKbs3PeBAVuj6PEx6LiXD-nicOhM8G_cL_A5ywPBR5KToi4CJ4JZeQYkGcqha3NHtEuD/w313-h400/interior0014.jpg" width="313" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The music column for this March issue highlights a New York City band called Television, who are adamant that they are not a 'glitter' band (the term 'New Wave' was still some years in the future).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCpzpN4JmheOaftq9b0nU1Oxn95_QK_sL4Deyf0HPMeUcj_fJ19qPg-3HeDZKIeAs70gdRGVOMIsLLDO0DUscqka8m_Mrxmd8qSDn0ArclxVeHv0kLJOaDZxQZX4Z-b64QZneo2-ZNjOjt68Sa1M3HYBoqnyivq27C7d2VlIhhzZ71NGJ0HiGJPLLyYHM/s2653/interior0003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2653" data-original-width="1716" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCpzpN4JmheOaftq9b0nU1Oxn95_QK_sL4Deyf0HPMeUcj_fJ19qPg-3HeDZKIeAs70gdRGVOMIsLLDO0DUscqka8m_Mrxmd8qSDn0ArclxVeHv0kLJOaDZxQZX4Z-b64QZneo2-ZNjOjt68Sa1M3HYBoqnyivq27C7d2VlIhhzZ71NGJ0HiGJPLLyYHM/w259-h400/interior0003.jpg" width="259" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">We have a cartoon that also would not pass muster nowadays........</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vKIwHBF__K9h-pJwkbKuXI7VdxsT8a-er0KPPuHMnYmS0l9ZBcvCr6EfjiY09Zrjt0hPT8a5m-VFv0kJ6Zf4_27c4l7EIoHGEsxPGBdXbzIQEuTyNYQgdUUCy4mbTGsb_7Zp6xmpsMsrNhwS9fsO3yM4I-XbnoiN7z0h-pBeJqy_Sbt87A69H7bPmGhT/s1060/interior0002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1019" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vKIwHBF__K9h-pJwkbKuXI7VdxsT8a-er0KPPuHMnYmS0l9ZBcvCr6EfjiY09Zrjt0hPT8a5m-VFv0kJ6Zf4_27c4l7EIoHGEsxPGBdXbzIQEuTyNYQgdUUCy4mbTGsb_7Zp6xmpsMsrNhwS9fsO3yM4I-XbnoiN7z0h-pBeJqy_Sbt87A69H7bPmGhT/s320/interior0002.jpg" width="308" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The Interview in the March issue is with <i>Star Trek</i> producer and creator Gene Roddenberry. Roddenberry goes to considerable effort to present himself as a Humanist of rare and powerful insight, as well as a Deep Thinker: towards the end of the interview he expounds on his theory of the 'socio-organism', a new 'species' that has come to dominate the planet.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Roddenberry is reticent about the status of the <i>Star Trek</i> film that he is working on at the time of the interview. Of course, we now know, from Harlan Ellison's lengthy footnote in the 1981 Stephen King book 'Danse Macabre', that conflict between Roddenberry, his ego, and the studio, was complicating development of the film:</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Paramount had been trying to get a </i>Star Trek<i> film in work
for some time. Roddenberry was determined that his name would be on the writing
credits somehow….the trouble is, he can’t write for sour owl poop. His one
idea, done six or seven times in the series and again in the feature film, is
that the crew of the </i>Enterprise<i> goes into deepest space, finds God, and God turns
out to be insane, or a child, or both.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaDSfK-pwXKZu5yyVzfR_m9rD1tMRuhZd9A0lJ_TKzSpQ01JTHSoLbuFKWmhqmtXDVZFwFFOBE7hnBDBsEvAlo5yqR4c5abon69Tw0nkQq26kqOpDwS2bUg8JJq_47HC258dwQ7uRp8kyGWoSorA0CGrDFlhwy-HOsmQi0Be8VfoEO117gVQmduGlreUW/s2174/interior0012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2174" data-original-width="1542" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaDSfK-pwXKZu5yyVzfR_m9rD1tMRuhZd9A0lJ_TKzSpQ01JTHSoLbuFKWmhqmtXDVZFwFFOBE7hnBDBsEvAlo5yqR4c5abon69Tw0nkQq26kqOpDwS2bUg8JJq_47HC258dwQ7uRp8kyGWoSorA0CGrDFlhwy-HOsmQi0Be8VfoEO117gVQmduGlreUW/w284-h400/interior0012.jpg" width="284" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXvGbmcOuB1_IcPX1BgBD8wEnlIe96ZuzJ3BtN_H2AM9NVgzBbtdTmATsx8MBTIfOMQtH2lZa7yfzHtYTj6Rx188Ug7Idq6YDWmKGlcimRq9p6-1e5rDqPP3ErYvTTyThMhm_uTefK8MbnE3jOQxGFN9jPuVj0-Kc7gxxeansrTQvD0JxS8mqRzcTb1Hb/s2061/interior0013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2061" data-original-width="1528" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXvGbmcOuB1_IcPX1BgBD8wEnlIe96ZuzJ3BtN_H2AM9NVgzBbtdTmATsx8MBTIfOMQtH2lZa7yfzHtYTj6Rx188Ug7Idq6YDWmKGlcimRq9p6-1e5rDqPP3ErYvTTyThMhm_uTefK8MbnE3jOQxGFN9jPuVj0-Kc7gxxeansrTQvD0JxS8mqRzcTb1Hb/w296-h400/interior0013.jpg" width="296" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">For a review by Ellison of <i>Star Trek: The Motion Picture</i>, <a href="https://mystartrekscrapbook.blogspot.com/2014/10/harlan-ellison-reviews-sttmp.html" target="_blank">readers are directed to this blog</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I hope you have enjoyed this excursion into pop culture, as it was 48 years ago.............</span></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-78847695091015768222024-03-11T12:57:00.001-04:002024-03-11T12:57:52.710-04:00<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">'Bloodtide' (1982)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokNvGVK3YRp0id4rSjuJfQVaLvrgxwdy5dx-ga0WK6R5NBuuD_ner4-POSQLdOEBTtWgotu9irtAsj7YzrNnT8_3dtRqrbG1VckkfFuf_4XA_NXW1P3jjOvIVpdLOi4zgtsUxOvuZPsJK2zRqYIQgIP96CGukhp6XHzJu0r8pZUYtcLBurLdM1SQT71Gc/s1528/bloodtide%20bikini.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1528" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokNvGVK3YRp0id4rSjuJfQVaLvrgxwdy5dx-ga0WK6R5NBuuD_ner4-POSQLdOEBTtWgotu9irtAsj7YzrNnT8_3dtRqrbG1VckkfFuf_4XA_NXW1P3jjOvIVpdLOi4zgtsUxOvuZPsJK2zRqYIQgIP96CGukhp6XHzJu0r8pZUYtcLBurLdM1SQT71Gc/w400-h224/bloodtide%20bikini.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Lydia Cornell (left) and Mary Louise Weller (right) in the 1982 film 'Bloodtide'</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></b></div><p><br /></p>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-12879785519581068072024-03-09T11:45:00.001-05:002024-03-09T11:49:31.547-05:00Book Review: The Face of the Waters<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>Book Review: 'The Face of the Waters' by Robert Silverberg</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-okxPpDMZFDP5nDMtaEDZZ0H9ncbbrGw6X0wHuRJ0VPep8okeCp8xfOKhJF25yrcgc_Erz2ZDsBb2OHtKesOB5ukQTG5bNBJFgxywLs9NPeonlNTJWXFU7bQ_ILCNfAt5-oiM5R6ArgUvf0mkgp_PA0cmCvyNA6RiekWwnzyvu7lfY9-LDlPW-Kh3WA/s1345/the%20face%20of%20the%20waters0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: arial;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="1345" data-original-width="837" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-okxPpDMZFDP5nDMtaEDZZ0H9ncbbrGw6X0wHuRJ0VPep8okeCp8xfOKhJF25yrcgc_Erz2ZDsBb2OHtKesOB5ukQTG5bNBJFgxywLs9NPeonlNTJWXFU7bQ_ILCNfAt5-oiM5R6ArgUvf0mkgp_PA0cmCvyNA6RiekWwnzyvu7lfY9-LDlPW-Kh3WA/w249-h400/the%20face%20of%20the%20waters0001.jpg" width="249" /></b></span></a></div><b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: arial;">3 / 5 Stars</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">'The Face of the Waters' first was published in hardcover in 1991. This Bantam Spectra paperback edition (436 pp.) was published in November 1992 and features cover design by A.I.R. Studio, Inc.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The planet Hydros is a 'water world' completely covered in seawater. The indigenous 'Gillies', a race of humanoid salamanders, have erected artificial islands constructed of sea plants. Anchored to the sea bed by the plants' roots, these islands are the only abovewater platforms on the entire planet.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hydros supports a small population of humans who, either voluntarily or involuntarily, have chosen to migrate to the planet despite the knowledge that there are no mechanisms for off-world transport; those arriving on Hydros are destined to stay there till they die. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Gillies reluctantly allow humans to erect small settlements on Gilly islands. The humans, devoid of much in the way of technology and weaponry, are obliged to observe the strictures imposed by the Gillies.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lead character Valben Lawler is the physician of the human colony on the island of Sorve. In his early forties, Lawler is by nature a solitary individual, whose main concern outside of medicine is the legends and history of Earth, the quasi-mythical Home of Mankind. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the opening chapters of 'The Face', a crisis confronts the humans on Sorve. A transgression against the Gillies has led them to order the humans into exile. With no hope of forcibly defying the Gillies' ultimatum, the 78 humans on the island are obliged to seek shelter elsewhere. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lawler is traumatized by the abandoning of the only home he ever has known, but he joins the other 77 exiles, dispersed aboard six sailing ships, on the dangerous trek across the ocean to find another island that is willing to accept them.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But as the Sorve Island refugee flotilla is to discover, the dangers awaiting them among the waves and spray of Hydros are unlike any they ever could imagine............ </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">'The Face of the Waters' is at heart a horror novel, one that will tell you "who will survive, and what will be left of them !" The opening chapter makes this clear, and after reading that chapter, I was poised for an action-centered tale of the survival (?) of the Sorve flotilla against all manner of hostile sea-creatures. And indeed, throughout the book Silverberg does relate life-and-death encounters between the humans and the fauna and flora of the seas of Hydros. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Unfortunately, Silverberg, as he does with many of his other novels, dilutes the narration of 'The Face' with regular, and lengthy, philosophical ruminations by Valben Lawler and his acquaintances among the ship's complement. Silverberg even arranges to have a doubting Catholic priest aboard Lawler's ship, so the two men can have deep conversations about metaphysics and eschatology. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Silverberg's prose style is as smooth as ever, but as chapter after chapter unfurled, the denouement seem artificially delayed by the presence of so much narrative padding. And while I won't give anything away, the novel's final chapters were a letdown, delivering to the reader a confrontation between Humanism and Pantheism, that made the privations of the flotilla and the Sorve refugees seem more than a little contrived.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Summing up, 'The Face of the Waters' is a Three-Star science fiction novel. It would have benefitted from being at least 100 pages shorter, and being more focused, plot-wise. Those with the necessary degree of patience many find the book rewarding, but if patience isn't your strong suit, then 'The Face' probably is not for you.</span></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-27987521873964005442024-03-06T10:09:00.001-05:002024-03-06T10:09:52.871-05:00Rolling Stone Cover to Cover: The First 40 Years<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Rolling Stone</i> Cover to Cover: The First 40 Years</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Bondi, 2007</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: red; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDIlbwnqdMphs20IpQ3x33juC5M4R1qg3YsAFfGA5dMookg-GXxjTZDmyQKAPx0HtCdzPl77U1cT4nGtZmgU-9qO1PSEed522CBwMgnDf4mKSEt9Zg0jXkTiIJPe4SQTDMWwumIdtr4x7RApXIMByRBPMy7wHkS49Za7UH6GznFzaJxqsw27lt6lc5pqZ/s3408/IMG_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3408" data-original-width="2670" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDIlbwnqdMphs20IpQ3x33juC5M4R1qg3YsAFfGA5dMookg-GXxjTZDmyQKAPx0HtCdzPl77U1cT4nGtZmgU-9qO1PSEed522CBwMgnDf4mKSEt9Zg0jXkTiIJPe4SQTDMWwumIdtr4x7RApXIMByRBPMy7wHkS49Za7UH6GznFzaJxqsw27lt6lc5pqZ/w314-h400/IMG_0001.jpg" width="314" /></a></div>Bondi Digital Publishing was a firm founded by David Anthony and Murat Aktar in 2004 as a producer of DVDs of archived magazines, releasing these DVDs in a higher-end, boxed set format. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In 2007 Bondi published <i>Rolling Stone</i> Cover to Cover, <i>Playboy</i> Cover to Cover: the 50s, and <i>Playboy</i> Cover to Cover: the 60s. Alas, that was it for Bondi Digital Publishing; while <a href="https://personanondata.blogspot.com/2007/09/five-questions-with-bondi-digital-and.html" target="_blank">in a 2007 interview</a> Anthony hinted at additional magazine archiving projects, the company later suspended operations. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In 2022 a firm <a href="https://www.pugpig.com/products-and-services/archive/?" target="_blank">called Pugpig announced they had acquired Bondi Digital</a>. Pugpig makes digital archives of content for publishers (such as <i>High Times</i>, <i>Esquire</i>, and <i>Creem</i>), so they can sell access to this content as part of their subscription model.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's possible to get the <i>Rolling Stone</i>: Cover to Cover DVD set for very affordable prices. The item is packaged in a study gateway box that has magnetic closures. There are four DVDs, one with the installer program / Bondi Reader app, while the other three cover select intervals in the publishing history of the magazine (1967 -1983, 1984 - 1995, 1996 - 2007)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPbl7FS41aCo6jbkHf98NOtz2VGXd6iNtHJS_YAtBtZBYKd6eu7AvIQmcee89PG9Baup_9WInNGIaNVYBWdqIVC_zGq3ilN0SmLnMRDCIFIyH6X_NaM40IgfuFYogfALD81bWVf3XWcg6qGmvdALWW4zRL7l38JUzFM0CfZzjoL39hh2v3E6EsUxkQGdl/s5520/IMG_0003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3794" data-original-width="5520" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPbl7FS41aCo6jbkHf98NOtz2VGXd6iNtHJS_YAtBtZBYKd6eu7AvIQmcee89PG9Baup_9WInNGIaNVYBWdqIVC_zGq3ilN0SmLnMRDCIFIyH6X_NaM40IgfuFYogfALD81bWVf3XWcg6qGmvdALWW4zRL7l38JUzFM0CfZzjoL39hh2v3E6EsUxkQGdl/w400-h275/IMG_0003.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">I use Windows 10 on my PC, and while I could install the Bondi Reader app, it wouldn't work. So I <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160208184817/http://www.covertocover.com/support/patches/BondiReaderRollingStonePatch.exe" target="_blank">downloaded a patch that is available at this link</a>. After installing the patch, I could load a content DVD and access it without any problems. Further information on troubleshooting the <i>Rolling Stone</i> set<a href="https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/question-about-rolling-stone-cover-to-cover.750910/page-2" target="_blank"> is available here</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Along with the DVDs you get a trade paperback book that provides a chronological overview of the high points in the magazine's history.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21MFClqOuBvWKjHKNc-aw3rTXXktv8Md54TaYw7_R9YbNaFXY4MNVi0KmJkBCq8S0kvOUdRHt2QruhYoTfCCR5OXQlcgK8xVgtWpT6BHQjvDfyme9v55Zf6pSZY0JsM4Iw5uriekKNLTyMD7fXL7oxRP6XEhP8aGoCksgsh3DjfIIshDvRvNulq2sDIkS/s2997/IMG_0004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2997" data-original-width="2295" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21MFClqOuBvWKjHKNc-aw3rTXXktv8Md54TaYw7_R9YbNaFXY4MNVi0KmJkBCq8S0kvOUdRHt2QruhYoTfCCR5OXQlcgK8xVgtWpT6BHQjvDfyme9v55Zf6pSZY0JsM4Iw5uriekKNLTyMD7fXL7oxRP6XEhP8aGoCksgsh3DjfIIshDvRvNulq2sDIkS/w306-h400/IMG_0004.jpg" width="306" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0dK4URJA5a2zpSOpKeZt-ECnoa057Pd7wSBkKUDmEyOVt_7OstgTJgwuXRmhR4plrbPc05Juq-FzNZQO9opqyxJTnnU6tYvl17ERGGOdFxRVbJcOynF1VivcIYPR1KvMPTeh4KYGwx1rwND3O8HB6jakOKtZeIVgXci29Ho4zIqV2QyJYfC07Mp3Tkg5/s3032/IMG_0005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3032" data-original-width="2294" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0dK4URJA5a2zpSOpKeZt-ECnoa057Pd7wSBkKUDmEyOVt_7OstgTJgwuXRmhR4plrbPc05Juq-FzNZQO9opqyxJTnnU6tYvl17ERGGOdFxRVbJcOynF1VivcIYPR1KvMPTeh4KYGwx1rwND3O8HB6jakOKtZeIVgXci29Ho4zIqV2QyJYfC07Mp3Tkg5/w303-h400/IMG_0005.jpg" width="303" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGLvNYC0A3gNdqoYBp2k7yxoKcz10KBJSxrrZocbt4LM1Le4CxqOqOQyavxOc23_vGLl15v5TBoTKFX5oPdic8lYoCzd8s6J2JQ-4MU4BsR3-6vHB1JRGmaVQwgZ_eUflckDwX8CbnJXjhf-bZmTPaaSpZ0kRRWKugKjebinwt3vHlCRH_iwD4Tr90wyx/s2849/interior0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2849" data-original-width="959" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGLvNYC0A3gNdqoYBp2k7yxoKcz10KBJSxrrZocbt4LM1Le4CxqOqOQyavxOc23_vGLl15v5TBoTKFX5oPdic8lYoCzd8s6J2JQ-4MU4BsR3-6vHB1JRGmaVQwgZ_eUflckDwX8CbnJXjhf-bZmTPaaSpZ0kRRWKugKjebinwt3vHlCRH_iwD4Tr90wyx/w135-h400/interior0001.jpg" width="135" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpy3ja0ebVQ5bJP61RB0vVUoim4IxdPXt7fshyphenhyphen3-P_UysFy4qlgfx_x2j3-eQDU53o9wSVHMEuUfeKknvyQI3foHGULYH6IfTpcM7K5-yFSReNrfwqWOdNFzph2JHGw8HsLzMmguFfd85aa7CGkDR-JxgoWKUzVzGsS3G6NkjC59twrwXQt5OmyCtShcU/s3510/interior0002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3510" data-original-width="1547" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpy3ja0ebVQ5bJP61RB0vVUoim4IxdPXt7fshyphenhyphen3-P_UysFy4qlgfx_x2j3-eQDU53o9wSVHMEuUfeKknvyQI3foHGULYH6IfTpcM7K5-yFSReNrfwqWOdNFzph2JHGw8HsLzMmguFfd85aa7CGkDR-JxgoWKUzVzGsS3G6NkjC59twrwXQt5OmyCtShcU/w176-h400/interior0002.jpg" width="176" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFyUF-NqggdVLhaY5zFsolzxgbS3iUcVs4X3FhS170gMXtpyJVYqSi5uK0CZb6Bk0HOY9uxPVempubEPSZoC0-BNwuky4BuEPoAoX3mDzIumaegokDQMtNLWhA0wq26r9zjQBLYVSMR2iqH1Rhs6GbEize2LzsIfMOxBGM-35u3DNrVfbpmqTmXKDnNUo/s3405/interior0003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3405" data-original-width="2157" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFyUF-NqggdVLhaY5zFsolzxgbS3iUcVs4X3FhS170gMXtpyJVYqSi5uK0CZb6Bk0HOY9uxPVempubEPSZoC0-BNwuky4BuEPoAoX3mDzIumaegokDQMtNLWhA0wq26r9zjQBLYVSMR2iqH1Rhs6GbEize2LzsIfMOxBGM-35u3DNrVfbpmqTmXKDnNUo/w254-h400/interior0003.jpg" width="254" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6L7yHIjpUWePwilqh34qI7ykkzjbuEEf-Mrftms07CubwVeZKjsy1UGs4ybeh-2FV3wq5QR3q4yvOvcORusYrQEG3PBsMNeQHW6A5-0lvspIvBYXuPJAvd89MWo71KPiFOUpDNB8nNR1XlqVtGh92g9lmQEKIpJ59u7Vk0MsHwacIIMYUaB4CWc6lcX06/s3491/interior0004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3491" data-original-width="2102" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6L7yHIjpUWePwilqh34qI7ykkzjbuEEf-Mrftms07CubwVeZKjsy1UGs4ybeh-2FV3wq5QR3q4yvOvcORusYrQEG3PBsMNeQHW6A5-0lvspIvBYXuPJAvd89MWo71KPiFOUpDNB8nNR1XlqVtGh92g9lmQEKIpJ59u7Vk0MsHwacIIMYUaB4CWc6lcX06/w241-h400/interior0004.jpg" width="241" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3o3INj40iBeL69GTyJWl8hfqEYDJBSd6Cxzf9DAGxXICsfqayJIGiuHCXCR5lkC1S1X2XBMRH_FRbtFrERH0o4_VnQUOGZi5VQn3yWgzdXeIHv3_nwni_PWY02ZaR-_V8cXIjCQgm9m1ONkozo9fFjKDLkNOWyvHu3w7g3B2cYUq4yE6FtYYrikeMYEG/s3476/interior0005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3476" data-original-width="2245" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3o3INj40iBeL69GTyJWl8hfqEYDJBSd6Cxzf9DAGxXICsfqayJIGiuHCXCR5lkC1S1X2XBMRH_FRbtFrERH0o4_VnQUOGZi5VQn3yWgzdXeIHv3_nwni_PWY02ZaR-_V8cXIjCQgm9m1ONkozo9fFjKDLkNOWyvHu3w7g3B2cYUq4yE6FtYYrikeMYEG/w259-h400/interior0005.jpg" width="259" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">As for the DVD content, well, it was generated using scanning technology as it was in the mid-2000s, so it's not going to be very crisp or legible. Indeed, looking at the magazine pages on my 32-inch monitor takes some fiddling and zooming in, particularly with the older issues from the 60s and 70s and early 80s. Things improve as the 80s progress. But with no file, will the DVDs provide what nowadays is considered 'high resolution'. </span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yrVhcNHld2-PScVz_QgCfE5eO2wO_OpKig1TrV_AKtoaWUZUb5ypg2P4eSQar5SpPMBzvxnmnd6-jogfxrwELLT5LkddIuLxhJt9ABinlbAVItrN5-8w6p7lgtDgW-eGJK5C5IK8_w9VtyNXbYNXMJD10QjnfEb3vL1acoEsVGjwu2txpGgqNLLn8rVJ/s874/cover%201972.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="656" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yrVhcNHld2-PScVz_QgCfE5eO2wO_OpKig1TrV_AKtoaWUZUb5ypg2P4eSQar5SpPMBzvxnmnd6-jogfxrwELLT5LkddIuLxhJt9ABinlbAVItrN5-8w6p7lgtDgW-eGJK5C5IK8_w9VtyNXbYNXMJD10QjnfEb3vL1acoEsVGjwu2txpGgqNLLn8rVJ/w300-h400/cover%201972.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtZJj8vn36FK75hXrIj4ENyzZYx8TXV9pmPdOlqePqZbgm3txVG6rZ8zN7LfUCsXnCct9hU7ZiKfZ_Zr5VezsRlbTl9Ahgw2PmtD7JqI8DovJFO0JYvVeQuRIvZIzlFVeQU0XlHL1oBpzibmkGXb3YrUwdoRL2UhnrE0wscToUPCnTMImwKiKJaZdcttF/s876/random%20notes%20rolling%20stone.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="585" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtZJj8vn36FK75hXrIj4ENyzZYx8TXV9pmPdOlqePqZbgm3txVG6rZ8zN7LfUCsXnCct9hU7ZiKfZ_Zr5VezsRlbTl9Ahgw2PmtD7JqI8DovJFO0JYvVeQuRIvZIzlFVeQU0XlHL1oBpzibmkGXb3YrUwdoRL2UhnrE0wscToUPCnTMImwKiKJaZdcttF/w268-h400/random%20notes%20rolling%20stone.JPG" width="268" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9fj5NnYYtBNL7HXXn016Uy1fzAWsKiorFB1ckl7I2OEusDwdWzCW4Q_kMziSkAGbmP-bl6tK_JzCpEHf6H5uZGW_ua98Sn-BzR770m3wZ4m4YFwoI29GMKkP9oGKZgbjAW8uabCgqCLZ5zOxxM-HzTJf2THMIdbe75GdNEWsxoym_9pUiAeS7bCAsVQgE/s856/the%20zevon%20case.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="681" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9fj5NnYYtBNL7HXXn016Uy1fzAWsKiorFB1ckl7I2OEusDwdWzCW4Q_kMziSkAGbmP-bl6tK_JzCpEHf6H5uZGW_ua98Sn-BzR770m3wZ4m4YFwoI29GMKkP9oGKZgbjAW8uabCgqCLZ5zOxxM-HzTJf2THMIdbe75GdNEWsxoym_9pUiAeS7bCAsVQgE/w319-h400/the%20zevon%20case.JPG" width="319" /></span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZ9eq6wv3KCFA3SoNKi4lrQysfStcOpBxmNizb7T_d3_K4dQZz0HHQMC_vGFFJJB3kpvDYWYQyrGrS-0Nsi0BmZw6tRRwXeUDHq_-GtUhtgLYK1hUja57fHJ2fNAKnKfMn1L7iUMe8eOuSaNZ7dT-yqwv0mfoYFr0pg0xyLCCpjPKZURX5IO8wkRfj8l8/s848/william%20gaines.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="712" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZ9eq6wv3KCFA3SoNKi4lrQysfStcOpBxmNizb7T_d3_K4dQZz0HHQMC_vGFFJJB3kpvDYWYQyrGrS-0Nsi0BmZw6tRRwXeUDHq_-GtUhtgLYK1hUja57fHJ2fNAKnKfMn1L7iUMe8eOuSaNZ7dT-yqwv0mfoYFr0pg0xyLCCpjPKZURX5IO8wkRfj8l8/w336-h400/william%20gaines.JPG" width="336" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHvXB8-zX0wpUKHDULA6XKnnDAdJuq-eYeu07Nu-JL3ygtJaYklaYMV3B4irMoq92Ti5GyIWh3PLFb6zh85ljWyx1D3LtY86qX5gtpV0I9En3sQhtLw4IO7pa3W-ItHqTVAyIhEraSCxNulL7eSOB0TQM8BMevH3JQAHrr227FA042cDnOmj9UJM6Gwb4/s1471/voodoo%20lounge%20gear.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="1471" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHvXB8-zX0wpUKHDULA6XKnnDAdJuq-eYeu07Nu-JL3ygtJaYklaYMV3B4irMoq92Ti5GyIWh3PLFb6zh85ljWyx1D3LtY86qX5gtpV0I9En3sQhtLw4IO7pa3W-ItHqTVAyIhEraSCxNulL7eSOB0TQM8BMevH3JQAHrr227FA042cDnOmj9UJM6Gwb4/w400-h244/voodoo%20lounge%20gear.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqR8-IBG4bFRlxITjL2qYs-ew4beWmwFwZ_nh9cWHKKeFj77sYpSaACASo_CbLAnxypNR9bJVlWDu879dZOnylSPKqYq7_dlObua7Ya6cAo5uhKv6HQGhYp6qIaF4jof9rlK_-33glGNhP9SSX8pgf6BrfPrnKl9IuiUjdV7U3Jg4E-xKl-NPxWyBOv0oV/s888/march%201987.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="732" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqR8-IBG4bFRlxITjL2qYs-ew4beWmwFwZ_nh9cWHKKeFj77sYpSaACASo_CbLAnxypNR9bJVlWDu879dZOnylSPKqYq7_dlObua7Ya6cAo5uhKv6HQGhYp6qIaF4jof9rlK_-33glGNhP9SSX8pgf6BrfPrnKl9IuiUjdV7U3Jg4E-xKl-NPxWyBOv0oV/w330-h400/march%201987.JPG" width="330" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Scrolling through the files on the DVD, I recognize why I was never a big fan of <i>Rolling Stone</i>. I couldn't stand the magazine's deification of people like John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Hunter Thompson, Bruce Springsteen, Bono Vox, old black bluesmen.........its willingness to jump on the superficial and trendy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">That said, there are worthy articles in every third or fourth issue. Those published in the 70s and 80s, before there were internet-based protocols for vetting content, are likely to have more than a little specious content. But that's how it was in those long-ago days, when you couldn't simply sit down and fact-check a story using the internet.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Summing up, Baby Boomers who are nostalgic for the pop culture of their youth are going to be interested in <i>Rolling Stone</i>: Cover to Cover. It's not the most accessible package in terms of compatibility with modern technology: you can't read it on a tablet, or a smartphone, and reading it on a laptop's smaller screen is going to be tiring. But if you're willing to access the content on the larger screen of a PC, then investing in the box is a worthwhile idea.</span></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-2254879013297354482024-03-03T11:44:00.000-05:002024-03-03T11:44:00.246-05:00Book Review: The Book of Skulls<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>Book Review: 'The Book of Skulls' by Robert Silverberg</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLOmUBtmWdjXnK8vDxcJci-ApZ9WcVyCOAopguLGTF5N7ehn_cLH8jMqul41zP05fnP7HzuO7ZNMYMmTosgp8wHrC19ONX7P-HYJlzav7Oc_3taptgYycGV-es2YQ5ua9L2JV25gxnBzQ6fte1LU8qiKfWtGKRcBWxNpbE4QG8N7-pjga8-iVNKy-gKfe/s1361/the%20book%20of%20skulls%201983%20edition.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1361" data-original-width="839" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLOmUBtmWdjXnK8vDxcJci-ApZ9WcVyCOAopguLGTF5N7ehn_cLH8jMqul41zP05fnP7HzuO7ZNMYMmTosgp8wHrC19ONX7P-HYJlzav7Oc_3taptgYycGV-es2YQ5ua9L2JV25gxnBzQ6fte1LU8qiKfWtGKRcBWxNpbE4QG8N7-pjga8-iVNKy-gKfe/w246-h400/the%20book%20of%20skulls%201983%20edition.jpg" width="246" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: arial;"><b>1 / 5 Stars</b></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">'The Book of Skulls' first was issued in hardcover by Charles Scribner's Sons in December, 1971. Numerous paperback editions have been published since then, including this Bantam Books edition (196 pp.) from January, 1983, which features a striking cover illustration by Jim Burns.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">‘The Book of Skulls’ represents an effort by Silverberg to access the mainstream novel readership as it stood in the early 1970s, namely, the people who belonged to the Book of the Month Club and the Literary Guild, rather than the people who belonged to the Science Fiction Book Club. With ‘Skulls’, Silverberg plainly hoped to emulate the tales of youthful misadventures that proved so successful for Larry McMurtry with ‘The Last Picture Show’ from 1966; Jules Feiffer’s play ‘Carnal Knowledge’, made into a 1971 film; and the novels of Philip Roth (Eli Steinfeld, a character in ‘Skulls’, is essentially a younger version of Roth’s frustrated, self-conflicted Jewish males).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">‘Skulls’ is set in the early 1970s. In the opening chapters we are introduced to the four characters: Eli, Oliver, Timothy, and Ned. All are students and roommates at an unnamed Ivy League university in New England. We learn that while poking around the dustier shelves in the basement of the university library, Eli came across a medieval manuscript titled <i>Liber Calvarium</i>, i.e., The Book of Skulls. According to the manuscript, by completing the Trial of the Skulls it is possible to achieve immortality. There is a catch, however: four people must apply for the ritual, and one of them must die at the hands of the others, and one must die by his or her own hand.</span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43MTxv4lDH882JYKMVyiOH2NmOR99Ea6LPvFx-JwtA6VsFqoG4emVJyjL6jGcsfMTV2w5qPq3NXcaxhrpCICBZQLyzmeGFt1rW-HyWd3i5twiQeJeMe0v6JIfZDtGhvkKvTznw1wadp7sxkdNKKrxbc5jGgmfShDdljURPzahop-mTeWLxHOyiRp5ocRW/s1398/the%20book%20of%20skulls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1398" data-original-width="846" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43MTxv4lDH882JYKMVyiOH2NmOR99Ea6LPvFx-JwtA6VsFqoG4emVJyjL6jGcsfMTV2w5qPq3NXcaxhrpCICBZQLyzmeGFt1rW-HyWd3i5twiQeJeMe0v6JIfZDtGhvkKvTznw1wadp7sxkdNKKrxbc5jGgmfShDdljURPzahop-mTeWLxHOyiRp5ocRW/w242-h400/the%20book%20of%20skulls.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signet edition, 1972</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Would you be willing to wager your life for a 50:50 chance at immortality ? The four boys think that, yes, they would, so as the novel opens, they are on a Spring Break road trip from their university to a remote location in the Arizona desert, where they hope to find the House of Skulls. Once there, Eli, Ned, Timothy, and Oliver will proceed with the Trial, each hoping it’s someone else who winds up with the shorter end of the stick…………. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">‘The Book of Skulls’ has an intriguing premise but sadly, Silverberg doesn’t do much with it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The narrative is rather awkwardly constructed around revolving first-person discourses by each of the four protagonists. Silverberg adopts this procedure in order to expend considerable text on internal monologues, which inform the reader that the boys only are partially convinced that the House of Skulls, and the Trial of Skulls, even exist, but intend to satisfy their curiosity on the matter. When, on page 94, the boys finally do reach the House of Skulls, the remainder of the novel soon exhausts itself in chronicling the boy’s innermost fears and desires over the cost-benefit ratio of their eschatological enterprise. This temporizing simply pads the narrative, and doesn't do much to advance the storyline.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The novel’s prose style is dense and overwritten, couched in a kind of breathless hipster argot marked by run-on sentences that are compacted into paragraphs that can approach two and one-half pages in length. Readers will have to negotiate phrases in Latin, allusions and expositions on all manner of highbrow topics, and words like: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">muniment: an archived document or record</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">uncial: medieval script</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">geniza: the area of a synagogue or cemetery where manuscripts or documents are stored</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">incipit: the opening words of a medieval text</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">circumvolutely: referring to rolling around or encircling something. While 'circumvoluted' is listed by Merriam-Webster online, 'circumvolutely' isn't listed....?!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">By the time the denouement of ‘The Book of Skulls’ finally appeared I was so fatigued from plodding through all the verbiage that I observed the fate of Oliver, Timothy, Ned, and Eli with indifference.</span> </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The verdict ? 'The Book of Skulls' fails to engage, neither as a mainstream novel, nor as one of Silverberg's more adventurous excursions outside the sci-fi genre. </span></div></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-76905397222044981962024-03-01T09:09:00.000-05:002024-03-01T09:09:17.341-05:00National Lampoon March 1974<div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>National Lampoon</b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>March 1974</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAiTVw67mlj8n4mF-L9Kw5atfNvC7JzmbzccNHgGFeEaCmPGDoENedhgyeYTcCaPUBtbQX2aIINTrbPkkH2s_SCyLE33xAWLiztX3ZFQIfgC2Al2euElEBL7iPyM-pJ9BrslxlQZFkOy7ObP-ljHtzI1pcc3hfzLxyic9VSbv9DGtvKLc7M-8PDvpmcSC/s3317/cover0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3317" data-original-width="2401" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAiTVw67mlj8n4mF-L9Kw5atfNvC7JzmbzccNHgGFeEaCmPGDoENedhgyeYTcCaPUBtbQX2aIINTrbPkkH2s_SCyLE33xAWLiztX3ZFQIfgC2Al2euElEBL7iPyM-pJ9BrslxlQZFkOy7ObP-ljHtzI1pcc3hfzLxyic9VSbv9DGtvKLc7M-8PDvpmcSC/w290-h400/cover0001.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">March, 1974, and according to the Billboard Hot 100, the single atop the charts is 'Seasons in the Sun' by Canadian folkie Terry Jacks.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbk7nheb7wn1MKU7v_RNaDJ6L3dtyWa2aSwMPj5cWxdTYHceWzH2NIniftym9eXgFP_5pwlz34geoF7V1i55-NLr4QUkDRC0gkdmBNKshuWDoYhPS3JUwicIUv0CJeI9ldXWR1MMH7vz7AwZuMo6mz_5-biRiIjXBLbMSBuOpqQaSNQYqNY-dsBje0Cbz/s910/Hot%20100%20March%201974.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="910" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbk7nheb7wn1MKU7v_RNaDJ6L3dtyWa2aSwMPj5cWxdTYHceWzH2NIniftym9eXgFP_5pwlz34geoF7V1i55-NLr4QUkDRC0gkdmBNKshuWDoYhPS3JUwicIUv0CJeI9ldXWR1MMH7vz7AwZuMo6mz_5-biRiIjXBLbMSBuOpqQaSNQYqNY-dsBje0Cbz/w400-h288/Hot%20100%20March%201974.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Looking through the pages of the March issue of the <i>National Lampoon</i>, we see advertisements for various LPs: </span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Puzzle was a progressive rock / fusion band from Chicago who signed to Motown in 1972, and released two albums: <i>Puzzle</i> in 1973, and <i>The Second Album</i> in 1974. Their second album is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTviZcq0QQQ" target="_blank">available for listening here</a>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-lLV6B0K8VjI2yiM-DtkKqSvGgB2xOrFNRddaIHwWYpOIiSZCMGIVr0zDApnyikXOTTXRU-QSAkmyJOnzG0jCBA6w4S0-dyYRcAr5dF-aguWBfGqgtoKHoxOvJhIwZWjoXBn6ZHzC-PLA-xtt6_Eu7VH5cTAj0saHCrKijnE_ngvuje9Jv4Fuf2yRxmc/s600/puzzle%20the%20second%20album.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-lLV6B0K8VjI2yiM-DtkKqSvGgB2xOrFNRddaIHwWYpOIiSZCMGIVr0zDApnyikXOTTXRU-QSAkmyJOnzG0jCBA6w4S0-dyYRcAr5dF-aguWBfGqgtoKHoxOvJhIwZWjoXBn6ZHzC-PLA-xtt6_Eu7VH5cTAj0saHCrKijnE_ngvuje9Jv4Fuf2yRxmc/s320/puzzle%20the%20second%20album.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Their single, 'Mary Mary', <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn0LBQIFkEI" target="_blank">is a nice little pop song</a>.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Carly Simon strikes a pose in a maternity dress for her album <i>Hotcakes</i>, from which the single 'Haven't Got Time for the Pain' was a major hit.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDiuuIZM_MsyWjfaELcPGPIk8MKAzzMhTUjwmA-vfaK7nwynT1zYm98tM-0zDtPvZL4wtNU5jaZEoe2jn9WKSz2dUa9a1W6dHGrFFLehLdOfJIlugAcuakxy5zQ2JAbbjNCinJiV_u6dlnzFRwV9gVdMeDu-ZF90RgAsbAPbjXtinFmsJ5VehVogDl8MDx/s1934/interior0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1934" data-original-width="1474" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDiuuIZM_MsyWjfaELcPGPIk8MKAzzMhTUjwmA-vfaK7nwynT1zYm98tM-0zDtPvZL4wtNU5jaZEoe2jn9WKSz2dUa9a1W6dHGrFFLehLdOfJIlugAcuakxy5zQ2JAbbjNCinJiV_u6dlnzFRwV9gVdMeDu-ZF90RgAsbAPbjXtinFmsJ5VehVogDl8MDx/w305-h400/interior0001.jpg" width="305" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSmqAoTPCcBg1CM3WjeI7od82qkS0hhSszMcxa4aLWIjdMVWuENry-DlbJQsm65m9TA3o3GAx-vn8Wrg0G6Q23UTOSW8WHj1iS8AOAWPAlu8qG-69VszZnITsTlyVj69AUXahE42AKyW8LgY0fbMahU3OIzFLqdHhyphenhyphenDUzQTRWWh8suLlVdyjHDkjxTEEE-/s3211/interior0003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3211" data-original-width="2257" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSmqAoTPCcBg1CM3WjeI7od82qkS0hhSszMcxa4aLWIjdMVWuENry-DlbJQsm65m9TA3o3GAx-vn8Wrg0G6Q23UTOSW8WHj1iS8AOAWPAlu8qG-69VszZnITsTlyVj69AUXahE42AKyW8LgY0fbMahU3OIzFLqdHhyphenhyphenDUzQTRWWh8suLlVdyjHDkjxTEEE-/w281-h400/interior0003.jpg" width="281" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcRCAOQFR9qUXAmu2ky3_mQq7fa3Aq9J0qSaY8ABvwu0pVxQWFQbomY1YGD9HVzoTk1s2KJQ1SMTeZZ810QZm-nQtcwpLktEhEF7E_oJzaNgSqE1tkXpB3M49WICo_MQTnTXCG8GdBIWnL6mSeivwwlgdAEE5_4c92c2UycopxQvVGMd8nWyI71DInMmp/s1448/interior0004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1039" data-original-width="1448" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcRCAOQFR9qUXAmu2ky3_mQq7fa3Aq9J0qSaY8ABvwu0pVxQWFQbomY1YGD9HVzoTk1s2KJQ1SMTeZZ810QZm-nQtcwpLktEhEF7E_oJzaNgSqE1tkXpB3M49WICo_MQTnTXCG8GdBIWnL6mSeivwwlgdAEE5_4c92c2UycopxQvVGMd8nWyI71DInMmp/s320/interior0004.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Panasonic provides an ad for a proto-boombox called the 'RQ-448S Cassette Tape Recorder with FM/AM radio'.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThn_xAM4RguAcDDL-4nHMlt4RxrBowmi6PikGHHTboTghcInM5pRFdIs6UOiREzgiVBME63nl7iKvOuxxDpM_LjrZgYACmtodbdH4t784ALA3ra-i-eOcCRJgDlv_mGKcFE_dMVY-iP-p7bK-nSGo9y1y5UqjGT8WhphOUnukCEe-5TK-gNzIdrVbcA9M/s2197/interior0014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2197" data-original-width="1562" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThn_xAM4RguAcDDL-4nHMlt4RxrBowmi6PikGHHTboTghcInM5pRFdIs6UOiREzgiVBME63nl7iKvOuxxDpM_LjrZgYACmtodbdH4t784ALA3ra-i-eOcCRJgDlv_mGKcFE_dMVY-iP-p7bK-nSGo9y1y5UqjGT8WhphOUnukCEe-5TK-gNzIdrVbcA9M/w285-h400/interior0014.jpg" width="285" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The March issue of the <i>Lampoon</i> is not very good. It's theme is the 'Stupid Issue', but the humor is too Henry Beard, and too highbrow, to really connect with the reader.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The comic book parody takes aim at an easy target, <i>Classics Illustrated</i>, and Plato's 'The Republic'. The parody is one long, rather dull wink-wink joke about Plato's followers......dainty dudes, all.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKD0Jtk2mKZGZb2DEdHu3A4qe7t672MMfw3ceg0IOqaXwHfOJ5HiQhkP1ezHbs_6PgNUzXnctlpeQB43OLVP7jAe4NSiGkUgarjJoRaPLN88IHSvgZGhZNzgpCH3w0dW0POE6CrU0HrNJNAzjlhe_Mjr6ZngJoaeYKlArmelxG5owznRK2H_ZatP2JBidc/s3312/interior0005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3312" data-original-width="2382" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKD0Jtk2mKZGZb2DEdHu3A4qe7t672MMfw3ceg0IOqaXwHfOJ5HiQhkP1ezHbs_6PgNUzXnctlpeQB43OLVP7jAe4NSiGkUgarjJoRaPLN88IHSvgZGhZNzgpCH3w0dW0POE6CrU0HrNJNAzjlhe_Mjr6ZngJoaeYKlArmelxG5owznRK2H_ZatP2JBidc/w288-h400/interior0005.jpg" width="288" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGxJrh1xy08EqoNDLEoHjjF1tKSgoplgaroXey-oVhnyWCXVaqiGFvGJOf6EMsbx-QFcr78sK_kDel2Qz_J0P9kajIZNOQHfF8ePNzugiKIm7G7gkXaPvFBG3oMzg0JibKZRafCDo71JZcMi35QGbc0vTmKoeNE2R5pjvoCc7pMmfhBvIRwjF8yLkG1LU/s2124/interior0006.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2124" data-original-width="1553" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGxJrh1xy08EqoNDLEoHjjF1tKSgoplgaroXey-oVhnyWCXVaqiGFvGJOf6EMsbx-QFcr78sK_kDel2Qz_J0P9kajIZNOQHfF8ePNzugiKIm7G7gkXaPvFBG3oMzg0JibKZRafCDo71JZcMi35QGbc0vTmKoeNE2R5pjvoCc7pMmfhBvIRwjF8yLkG1LU/w293-h400/interior0006.jpg" width="293" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LwHNoCyLRHeiJ_QYWNt_gb65BJGfE1KSxLSDMnPC7LpG3FV3EPK6kQyN-PgqgkO2qXildm1_XSGYayiv7SC4MoV3RJ-0P67wl8WNokdAVXMmXpGZU8YKBu6vj1yjH5s30LvXtfT1PbBtaAv2nqperphLbpTjoVEqocJQLNbKfSsNEhw5FtI-muvyedu9/s3145/interior0007.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3145" data-original-width="2241" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LwHNoCyLRHeiJ_QYWNt_gb65BJGfE1KSxLSDMnPC7LpG3FV3EPK6kQyN-PgqgkO2qXildm1_XSGYayiv7SC4MoV3RJ-0P67wl8WNokdAVXMmXpGZU8YKBu6vj1yjH5s30LvXtfT1PbBtaAv2nqperphLbpTjoVEqocJQLNbKfSsNEhw5FtI-muvyedu9/w285-h400/interior0007.jpg" width="285" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_AHJoWjyTpikg3fAnleFZua99wu4qJ_vJCAHg0S6Fi9mQ0isE-88_ZBF0z3-LxjXZdhy4h8xvfymMPw-K6-_bD-BoGZ3hu7j28_VTDdxjG6PZjQjHFSjtnqIhyphenhyphencE3fkJm3f86js0bU9juecYiBOyKHPEWatpH2q6Dq1-a3V8EpRDpYp4S-JIzWsXA27-/s3149/interior0008.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3149" data-original-width="2233" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_AHJoWjyTpikg3fAnleFZua99wu4qJ_vJCAHg0S6Fi9mQ0isE-88_ZBF0z3-LxjXZdhy4h8xvfymMPw-K6-_bD-BoGZ3hu7j28_VTDdxjG6PZjQjHFSjtnqIhyphenhyphencE3fkJm3f86js0bU9juecYiBOyKHPEWatpH2q6Dq1-a3V8EpRDpYp4S-JIzWsXA27-/w284-h400/interior0008.jpg" width="284" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwInwuze4mvwFrBTWG8jPLnu6fJsAlp9EfkVMlTUTa_DqnsHJXP-2vo9O2_FBw6KnH8n0blnI6rhyphenhyphenjf1twLuCkgBRxMFtAUyvdCBIMqlh6KGUExoEuRluT0DsC-CbdddxG0u8MqdUdtQ0rZovHhRtwyBEKU5TAmac9hT3_4K2X_e0CKnvEEFjQsqLD6EaK/s3258/interior0009.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3258" data-original-width="2215" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwInwuze4mvwFrBTWG8jPLnu6fJsAlp9EfkVMlTUTa_DqnsHJXP-2vo9O2_FBw6KnH8n0blnI6rhyphenhyphenjf1twLuCkgBRxMFtAUyvdCBIMqlh6KGUExoEuRluT0DsC-CbdddxG0u8MqdUdtQ0rZovHhRtwyBEKU5TAmac9hT3_4K2X_e0CKnvEEFjQsqLD6EaK/w273-h400/interior0009.jpg" width="273" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyY2uDODHtup3VWOOA_SqPUz_gUHG-rtBt4FoqIrlSN5azmAQoTduAPI3PFbVVX-d8QbnlklhphyphenhyphenRxIePJGHyDOVRMeaJPb1EAcwwFTTazUGt7mFbe-tEx1cAj0iOD6KgjzCL1ScYjCJb7jZVEAAYkowigkAOGTJtIsrvoE3O2HxwKxRsCSJ2cDUJLNBsm/s3266/interior0010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3266" data-original-width="2311" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyY2uDODHtup3VWOOA_SqPUz_gUHG-rtBt4FoqIrlSN5azmAQoTduAPI3PFbVVX-d8QbnlklhphyphenhyphenRxIePJGHyDOVRMeaJPb1EAcwwFTTazUGt7mFbe-tEx1cAj0iOD6KgjzCL1ScYjCJb7jZVEAAYkowigkAOGTJtIsrvoE3O2HxwKxRsCSJ2cDUJLNBsm/w283-h400/interior0010.jpg" width="283" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">At least we have.....boobies !</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQsobGag9jnstqJSG0f_s4dI78O1VTz9S1auJfpn2Zy_AnF6R4I3c1ktAn75yOtOU3DXNKpIGb1J1c0Fsx9KCkcIZzn0mM8Wxa6xhKnOmNbfgkrdQ06xhtJBxUPYSqY5vNAZppqa7NzCDCGsDjerdATNueMHqecrjO4sLgSzXcKtID5hEH3aE1Lr2qEvJN/s2560/interior0011.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="2229" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQsobGag9jnstqJSG0f_s4dI78O1VTz9S1auJfpn2Zy_AnF6R4I3c1ktAn75yOtOU3DXNKpIGb1J1c0Fsx9KCkcIZzn0mM8Wxa6xhKnOmNbfgkrdQ06xhtJBxUPYSqY5vNAZppqa7NzCDCGsDjerdATNueMHqecrjO4sLgSzXcKtID5hEH3aE1Lr2qEvJN/w349-h400/interior0011.jpg" width="349" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyj7bU_nlG3ir5-iROOX3QVeWbt7eT5LyQSOVx6y_NaFqVNY4IQMDMVfnErbT3MDVK5cuma2WQw5yFlF1xi57C6rXFJyTcZT-ZR3VITDRU8nPgV8VbOOTqRxjvc_xWywcnTFJGycR5I6alv4sb1TulVt9rwSlsOXjFAofjsZBxKypM4Uw2EhyphenhyphenhuMrUGeKk/s3262/interior0012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3262" data-original-width="2202" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyj7bU_nlG3ir5-iROOX3QVeWbt7eT5LyQSOVx6y_NaFqVNY4IQMDMVfnErbT3MDVK5cuma2WQw5yFlF1xi57C6rXFJyTcZT-ZR3VITDRU8nPgV8VbOOTqRxjvc_xWywcnTFJGycR5I6alv4sb1TulVt9rwSlsOXjFAofjsZBxKypM4Uw2EhyphenhyphenhuMrUGeKk/w270-h400/interior0012.jpg" width="270" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahOzJVoZnSeQwx5I3GYjaqZIXzA87Ehxp7bLzsYaoJtF4rE1fXjAMPkAhjWIBXEYqJi9pSnEwImguQszFF_LmzhXfev7Bo6MvFuWzCozzB5cH5kZaNVcQzX7NNnF6bONGBsHnGfB6nfV0GKn5VuQ0dI3HO2PI9jfNnyOfGkl7Z7j9TNWYNUrg_uWjAtzT/s3226/interior0013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3226" data-original-width="2219" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahOzJVoZnSeQwx5I3GYjaqZIXzA87Ehxp7bLzsYaoJtF4rE1fXjAMPkAhjWIBXEYqJi9pSnEwImguQszFF_LmzhXfev7Bo6MvFuWzCozzB5cH5kZaNVcQzX7NNnF6bONGBsHnGfB6nfV0GKn5VuQ0dI3HO2PI9jfNnyOfGkl7Z7j9TNWYNUrg_uWjAtzT/w275-h400/interior0013.jpg" width="275" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The black-and-white comics lodging in the back of the magazine are competent, if not overly inspiring, here in the March issue.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCn_oUk96D6cLcIiFTBIzkqkltUTaPHwsXNvoCD6J-d41zdwSirQy0dHRMki7zpNICnhm_BHWn7d5sq9hZtquEFWdqM4li9y71o4PkI4yCU-AlXV0IpWnN9QMQVfFN8FOvA8-lis3OJv8or-J8uAxDZfEQknWqPwT16V9TdN68ho__2kRE6qlJJpldU-N1/s2132/interior0015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2132" data-original-width="1461" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCn_oUk96D6cLcIiFTBIzkqkltUTaPHwsXNvoCD6J-d41zdwSirQy0dHRMki7zpNICnhm_BHWn7d5sq9hZtquEFWdqM4li9y71o4PkI4yCU-AlXV0IpWnN9QMQVfFN8FOvA8-lis3OJv8or-J8uAxDZfEQknWqPwT16V9TdN68ho__2kRE6qlJJpldU-N1/w274-h400/interior0015.jpg" width="274" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQPvJUm0WyzIhrh3UolaBZmJK6pp-mZzvt6Izd5ShUSsRp5kWl7caep99jsdm9E5iAVtuGFjrokLj64R18kFAN4vkfgSZ014QZ_mMI4A5Iap-UP53i1nRadrEFJ7Hl3C1aDjme3MdjUFnOIdJoDYueALnz95swdtvb8EfHlMUEy2XLZc7PyJcF8OCOgBhr/s2081/interior0016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2081" data-original-width="1510" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQPvJUm0WyzIhrh3UolaBZmJK6pp-mZzvt6Izd5ShUSsRp5kWl7caep99jsdm9E5iAVtuGFjrokLj64R18kFAN4vkfgSZ014QZ_mMI4A5Iap-UP53i1nRadrEFJ7Hl3C1aDjme3MdjUFnOIdJoDYueALnz95swdtvb8EfHlMUEy2XLZc7PyJcF8OCOgBhr/w290-h400/interior0016.jpg" width="290" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFb1EhRCiadT3FEgTI3cp1CtoZI3DWs9lOA0ktnVn5zqKJO9YqLSut__G-vyR8Hn-SjGm6ZWJaJVzRGvIHitvc5J2QKmhk2ltigxNLGAYmf2VPX3ySU0IxMgDGAASaxP1Nyj4Z7OW6Bi45cHFKwpQ7M9JclYKAHrjHwi-1AIZTPKSYUTxueCA8XS7ra9F5/s2119/interior0018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2119" data-original-width="1482" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFb1EhRCiadT3FEgTI3cp1CtoZI3DWs9lOA0ktnVn5zqKJO9YqLSut__G-vyR8Hn-SjGm6ZWJaJVzRGvIHitvc5J2QKmhk2ltigxNLGAYmf2VPX3ySU0IxMgDGAASaxP1Nyj4Z7OW6Bi45cHFKwpQ7M9JclYKAHrjHwi-1AIZTPKSYUTxueCA8XS7ra9F5/w280-h400/interior0018.jpg" width="280" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7bkj30Wfq6vT1Inhab1_Hykf38WoTxlBzi8qEqH0jYLo61DBfwJfmtdOLsYS-O-yoeDcLgrV1kX0Bff1xwlw437CUBL8gibFJAkddbigAXqDv5rCuF8Bx7QQuPDxdimjdzTMC2GugLwQqi7T72809QIMkVEHYHdwF1xwDP6xboSYUpFzz0bAeUd4MgN2/s2151/interior0019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2151" data-original-width="1481" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7bkj30Wfq6vT1Inhab1_Hykf38WoTxlBzi8qEqH0jYLo61DBfwJfmtdOLsYS-O-yoeDcLgrV1kX0Bff1xwlw437CUBL8gibFJAkddbigAXqDv5rCuF8Bx7QQuPDxdimjdzTMC2GugLwQqi7T72809QIMkVEHYHdwF1xwDP6xboSYUpFzz0bAeUd4MgN2/w275-h400/interior0019.jpg" width="275" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJPgLddtIwbnhxgK6UrUXFB2MhJdqJjIoih2m7OwZmyT7usMTAdi7aXSnSEkRcbg3Ve1ExvM7tVc5traNVLU3J03915asOMpfU-s8SkOq7xa-JrKrWRXyWHMqP7bhPsHMYE3qiVgGlPMnJySTNOZYGBu84MDORM21QIIsZ-ZFD7wjzMns9IGveZ4nFUaH/s2132/interior0020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2132" data-original-width="1487" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJPgLddtIwbnhxgK6UrUXFB2MhJdqJjIoih2m7OwZmyT7usMTAdi7aXSnSEkRcbg3Ve1ExvM7tVc5traNVLU3J03915asOMpfU-s8SkOq7xa-JrKrWRXyWHMqP7bhPsHMYE3qiVgGlPMnJySTNOZYGBu84MDORM21QIIsZ-ZFD7wjzMns9IGveZ4nFUaH/w279-h400/interior0020.jpg" width="279" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">All in all, the March, 1974 issue of the <i>Lampoon</i> was not all that special. </span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And that's how it was, fifty years ago.............</span></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-70900844376078967032024-02-27T11:31:00.002-05:002024-02-27T11:31:31.033-05:00Byron Preiss appreciation<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>Byron Preiss Appreciation</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcYiwwePPirVA2kY7uev7Cb9fmg4ERGRU78YtJ0TnpKWvcEyuNWBykKQTpDsnkRWhlAvE17_sPaY_UXX835hoWlWAuf31vlYq7M5Zi6cFvE1l44LqieBGIKg4-GIDUVYtNYeAACh9xhlm9jmmZmhD5PEZTv-8UeYwOmwA1f5U9KoGQJ3MjsiWbQjedA/s771/byron%20preiss%20appreciation.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="771" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcYiwwePPirVA2kY7uev7Cb9fmg4ERGRU78YtJ0TnpKWvcEyuNWBykKQTpDsnkRWhlAvE17_sPaY_UXX835hoWlWAuf31vlYq7M5Zi6cFvE1l44LqieBGIKg4-GIDUVYtNYeAACh9xhlm9jmmZmhD5PEZTv-8UeYwOmwA1f5U9KoGQJ3MjsiWbQjedA/w400-h94/byron%20preiss%20appreciation.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISxmL-jYbXFVtt7-Uzp0j3yTIuAz2ZOSwgXO0RhTEdSGaUoXFrBEELq8Zk-NXiMnEiV5fJ5lYpzT8n7r8WsWgIQpoYYKjcuKYlg2oMUnpaGt_KvHquFYuqDHqwaCKZMJ4JHJYuOKJG161nekclxriU72gDm8AvJfwq-ee_31yjgcIlP8-9dgEl-6X9g/s500/00_WeirdH.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="500" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISxmL-jYbXFVtt7-Uzp0j3yTIuAz2ZOSwgXO0RhTEdSGaUoXFrBEELq8Zk-NXiMnEiV5fJ5lYpzT8n7r8WsWgIQpoYYKjcuKYlg2oMUnpaGt_KvHquFYuqDHqwaCKZMJ4JHJYuOKJG161nekclxriU72gDm8AvJfwq-ee_31yjgcIlP8-9dgEl-6X9g/s320/00_WeirdH.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Byron Preiss (1953 - 2005) was a major influence in the effort to persuade publishers to pair science fiction and fantasy content with graphic art, back in the 1970s and 1980s.</span><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CLzoN4MzX6NQWhAN3X5SI6ydPSRBoyW8B0tRv8mWKvT3t1q3QNRZDHsePExbYOnofzuRnabjssHQDxGXbrcJTwKNqZ-Zo2YkpmkLLhq_L-FLVimOAZXE4rFHgnzkTe0LmHPS4Ig1RkJRq2JjR73EiuTrJjScodCe_n_fyZsLkkhBSvHPnDlV9vlCmCmy/s2048/byron%20preiss%20bookshelf%20from%20travis%20t%20shuler.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CLzoN4MzX6NQWhAN3X5SI6ydPSRBoyW8B0tRv8mWKvT3t1q3QNRZDHsePExbYOnofzuRnabjssHQDxGXbrcJTwKNqZ-Zo2YkpmkLLhq_L-FLVimOAZXE4rFHgnzkTe0LmHPS4Ig1RkJRq2JjR73EiuTrJjScodCe_n_fyZsLkkhBSvHPnDlV9vlCmCmy/w400-h225/byron%20preiss%20bookshelf%20from%20travis%20t%20shuler.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><i>photo by Travis T. Shuler, from https://www.facebook.com/groups/byronpreiss/</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's <a href="https://atomicjunkshop.com/byron-preiss-an-appreciation/" target="_blank">an article by Edo Bosnar</a> about the impact Preiss's books had on genre publishing, back in the days when the sci-fi enterprise just was starting to become the commercial juggernaut it is today. </span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Not all of Preiss's efforts were overly memorable; much of the 'Weird Heroes' franchise turned out to be too cheesy to appeal to me neither back in the 1970s, nor when read nowadays. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">But there were more than a few Preiss productions, such as 'The Complete Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination', 'The Illustrated Harlan Ellison' and 'Empire', that were real assets to the field of fantastic literature. They ensure Preiss's place as an innovator in genre publishing.</span></div></div></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-6428696592151696972024-02-24T14:34:00.001-05:002024-02-24T14:34:38.863-05:00Book Review: The Encyclopedia of Horror<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>Book Review: 'The Encyclopedia of Horror' edited by Richard Davis</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UlK94jks4TNIUoTdGbUPiX-nQ0ZBE8nMTRrD_9gXqUB4Vh5Tty_mLsCNDJ6y9ldO78XdTk2eEFQJCBWSmIzKr2zmzhj0GNCDeHKuFXHbnp-2GFYncV4Yp-0X6bxRIamuAvTD05vFISviJvEET_AVeE85fLcEOeLxSfTCNKgKy4E06hydA3NrfS-8log3/s3510/fr%20cover0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3510" data-original-width="2515" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UlK94jks4TNIUoTdGbUPiX-nQ0ZBE8nMTRrD_9gXqUB4Vh5Tty_mLsCNDJ6y9ldO78XdTk2eEFQJCBWSmIzKr2zmzhj0GNCDeHKuFXHbnp-2GFYncV4Yp-0X6bxRIamuAvTD05vFISviJvEET_AVeE85fLcEOeLxSfTCNKgKy4E06hydA3NrfS-8log3/w286-h400/fr%20cover0001.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: arial;"><b>2 / 5 Stars</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">'The Encyclopedia of Horror' first was published in 1981 by Octopus Books. This large trade paperback edition (192 pp.) was issued by Hamlyn in the UK 1987.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVL-MPKzWeSFAxlLAdnLccJrjhGb33wKIcn9AqfPOJ1hSkn4iCrR3hVx7s7p2R0W4R_IcW57EmhLHMZBygIzUIcCiOJXVnF3vWGMopMOrTlCi49KyCJ6fUp11R03MTiJI6UmUbP5_arqzY9RgIvRiodi15pnyWOJ601hvou1PdMc6J8qUVtipN_zYoKGB0/s3510/fr%20cover0002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3510" data-original-width="2523" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVL-MPKzWeSFAxlLAdnLccJrjhGb33wKIcn9AqfPOJ1hSkn4iCrR3hVx7s7p2R0W4R_IcW57EmhLHMZBygIzUIcCiOJXVnF3vWGMopMOrTlCi49KyCJ6fUp11R03MTiJI6UmUbP5_arqzY9RgIvRiodi15pnyWOJ601hvou1PdMc6J8qUVtipN_zYoKGB0/w288-h400/fr%20cover0002.jpg" width="288" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Richard Davis (1945-2005) was a major editor and advocate for horror fiction in the UK, editing the seminal 'Year Best Horror Stories' series in both Britain and the U.S. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I had high hopes for this book, as usually these UK volumes on pop culture feature high quality illustrations, and tiny-type, informative text written by acknowledged experts in the field. Unfortunately, 'The Encyclopedia of Horror' falls short of its aims.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOK3Rl3iE4YrE_zh-L3fTWn2g5VFCHWk1QKmhK5ZK-pRXcm58C4BkRGgezpHWR24-2jWUMyvUMSIy_BzFpYpcpgKF1XqbZlU-R2g3d4a5eozxVG32TDdDhq0JzH2murlFEAfvSqZkVxz6vhwmontueulw8BYZ6h3kdBbsU1DEeP4evWD8JSDYoV__moUQf/s2521/interior0003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2521" data-original-width="2272" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOK3Rl3iE4YrE_zh-L3fTWn2g5VFCHWk1QKmhK5ZK-pRXcm58C4BkRGgezpHWR24-2jWUMyvUMSIy_BzFpYpcpgKF1XqbZlU-R2g3d4a5eozxVG32TDdDhq0JzH2murlFEAfvSqZkVxz6vhwmontueulw8BYZ6h3kdBbsU1DEeP4evWD8JSDYoV__moUQf/w360-h400/interior0003.jpg" width="360" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While some of the illustrations indeed are of high quality, many of the black and white movie stills used in the book have been tinted with pink or red colors. Others have selected features retouched (below). All of this is distracting and gimmicky.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfUG1zvQvbm8u2p1xUAMUDZypHJFYQXQzXhyphenhyphenI6g0l0O7u7cNQr65jecLs0LC_xjGpjF5ce3vlCgfUzbbhQ8rGk3hZHee5X9GFV_l3-oBUageeVj_7_gi8wctN3HmJMWesobt5liwDV60xwidq9_JJFIp5_RhyphenhyphenGkKIPLX1JncEljAL8GSHaQ2eKQOjE6mL/s3219/interior0008.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3219" data-original-width="2237" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfUG1zvQvbm8u2p1xUAMUDZypHJFYQXQzXhyphenhyphenI6g0l0O7u7cNQr65jecLs0LC_xjGpjF5ce3vlCgfUzbbhQ8rGk3hZHee5X9GFV_l3-oBUageeVj_7_gi8wctN3HmJMWesobt5liwDV60xwidq9_JJFIp5_RhyphenhyphenGkKIPLX1JncEljAL8GSHaQ2eKQOjE6mL/w278-h400/interior0008.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgSr0mW82gQZa_t9ZwnG79nQqiCyYewKX3r3WRYuil7PByr-ObfCQ-rlOlT6NSi6qwUmJtkJQYSzVglMmoAhcIAK_cuNHUxR2n9HAkUkcjoXJZVFRY_pc4TzDtFbh_SILEJS8WcbXhBHceezWfZ26K-z8K8KJ2cHAXMQRgbfcJgSpCEZYK3i5WOmYbkyj/s2242/interior0010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2030" data-original-width="2242" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgSr0mW82gQZa_t9ZwnG79nQqiCyYewKX3r3WRYuil7PByr-ObfCQ-rlOlT6NSi6qwUmJtkJQYSzVglMmoAhcIAK_cuNHUxR2n9HAkUkcjoXJZVFRY_pc4TzDtFbh_SILEJS8WcbXhBHceezWfZ26K-z8K8KJ2cHAXMQRgbfcJgSpCEZYK3i5WOmYbkyj/w400-h363/interior0010.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The book is made up of chapters devoted to prominent aspects of horror media, as it stood in 1981. Thus we get Frankenstein; vampires and werewolves; the Devil and Satan; ghosts ('The Supernatural'); and zombies ('The Undead'). A final chapter, 'Travelling Beyond', covers sci-fi.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeYYbpbxoux_Bn7UPK2B22ylPjXIYevLFBkYBL4f5Lc9jvJKTr2ixP2U3Ki5DAxy7GGGfVutPw0CCD8OIfIzM8lBzD6RACXUkNd6rAVU0c9lBtMNoBI0x1oGyDyB7jaP5sM6e-eYTzGzUj8SQLHzbhvBzehFNjQpudKmpKMp8nDiUM6tXmo71nzGukImK/s3510/interior0009.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3510" data-original-width="2090" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeYYbpbxoux_Bn7UPK2B22ylPjXIYevLFBkYBL4f5Lc9jvJKTr2ixP2U3Ki5DAxy7GGGfVutPw0CCD8OIfIzM8lBzD6RACXUkNd6rAVU0c9lBtMNoBI0x1oGyDyB7jaP5sM6e-eYTzGzUj8SQLHzbhvBzehFNjQpudKmpKMp8nDiUM6tXmo71nzGukImK/w382-h640/interior0009.jpg" width="382" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Inevitably, the contributions to the Encyclopedia suffer from the overly wide scope of the book. There is only so much space that can be devoted to each topic, and thus the contributors are pretty much left to shape their chapters according to their own attitudes about what is noteworthy. Thus, the book is something of a hodgepodge in terms of depth of coverage.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofCWDZtTbhdXqf4vA_HJ9k9rkWBtmvlkA4LE-_UyxgrH2GYeNOnX7_73PHwhF-cxbqKNAWELLtTgsasTU85YC4HbEBNshO1F-6QsbfWt14nMHj0spfmAn8MLfEb_mFJJYZ0nv7lTrZ8Q2oNSsYuxQGUmhKgh7In5Pl47zq11drCXKvA7C3690pdS_jcMJ/s2190/interior0002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1774" data-original-width="2190" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofCWDZtTbhdXqf4vA_HJ9k9rkWBtmvlkA4LE-_UyxgrH2GYeNOnX7_73PHwhF-cxbqKNAWELLtTgsasTU85YC4HbEBNshO1F-6QsbfWt14nMHj0spfmAn8MLfEb_mFJJYZ0nv7lTrZ8Q2oNSsYuxQGUmhKgh7In5Pl47zq11drCXKvA7C3690pdS_jcMJ/w400-h324/interior0002.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As a result, Tom Hutchinson in his chapter on 'Evil Monsters', which is intended as an overview of the phenomenon of horror, winds up expatiating on the trope of the monster from the era of Western mythology, up to the movie <i>Alien</i>. His overview focuses too much on philosophical and psychological analyses to be effective.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgshk-hRLBFA9hJaRlsdKuvGP1ynwI0k5R8OUiw-AoKfhPN5hlOdidEkqYrRp1vgxL1JzrVT4M5v_lmQ4iDMz8piGJ_LKh9S4U9YBMTIccMqk-Yxxq-wieBgxoeoivDF1YN7xuDC6bzJBT4HxHJQdxi1a4xDF-Y19YxjCtRcGBH6OtToDDQaaGNmRjZpx/s2340/interior0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="1661" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgshk-hRLBFA9hJaRlsdKuvGP1ynwI0k5R8OUiw-AoKfhPN5hlOdidEkqYrRp1vgxL1JzrVT4M5v_lmQ4iDMz8piGJ_LKh9S4U9YBMTIccMqk-Yxxq-wieBgxoeoivDF1YN7xuDC6bzJBT4HxHJQdxi1a4xDF-Y19YxjCtRcGBH6OtToDDQaaGNmRjZpx/w284-h400/interior0001.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The chapters on Frankenstein, and vampires and werewolves, are a bit more engaging, but their authors (Michel Perry and Basil Copper, respectively) can really do no more than provide a superficial recitation of the vast body of books and films dealing with these subjects.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzqNQPIiiZkcUHLme7QXNf3YVDJsPmX0bszSLfcMtx2N24rYnceatfrmhTKmJs7F6qSdj40worSZEhj4OqHL3aGeyMHmo0RnlxGaOikSUO1NI6DRjj2Lc8mbY3IX1aUCWfaTmSz9Fu6idyyiOIUVzjl-2cQndSY1e04RvQiwvl9pd-_tAe9IUHoVp0Bxy/s3503/interior0006.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3503" data-original-width="2312" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzqNQPIiiZkcUHLme7QXNf3YVDJsPmX0bszSLfcMtx2N24rYnceatfrmhTKmJs7F6qSdj40worSZEhj4OqHL3aGeyMHmo0RnlxGaOikSUO1NI6DRjj2Lc8mbY3IX1aUCWfaTmSz9Fu6idyyiOIUVzjl-2cQndSY1e04RvQiwvl9pd-_tAe9IUHoVp0Bxy/w264-h400/interior0006.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">'The Supernatural', by Michael Ashley, is perhaps the best chapter in the book. Ashley wisely decides to concentrate on something manageable, and that is supernatural fiction from Geoffrey Chaucer all the way up to the late 1970s, and the works of Robert Aickman and Ramsey Campbell. While there probably isn't much here that will be new to aficionados of the genre, newcomers will find this chapter to be informative. </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7KJDcdkTEeLcYDr1X-Rhs0pmG83RVkegclcqSeC1XeeT3ceWf279_irXdOoFaOitpbwyc3A9tlLsezaaTrd3eqXisMtveHHs2ABsjXPr1FIt6xXXFmF2Ia-vYdi_Cee8CRZXQpUYGOWvldIQfOLfLcQ4YCXBzq9ebDD_WcTDQkAaccwhK7Bi227cjDyu/s2237/interior0004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2237" data-original-width="1526" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7KJDcdkTEeLcYDr1X-Rhs0pmG83RVkegclcqSeC1XeeT3ceWf279_irXdOoFaOitpbwyc3A9tlLsezaaTrd3eqXisMtveHHs2ABsjXPr1FIt6xXXFmF2Ia-vYdi_Cee8CRZXQpUYGOWvldIQfOLfLcQ4YCXBzq9ebDD_WcTDQkAaccwhK7Bi227cjDyu/w273-h400/interior0004.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Douglas Hills' chapter on horror in science fiction, 'The Beyond', is competent, but like much of the other contributions to the Encyclopedia can't do much more than provide a skimming of the large amount of relevant media.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEzFWFERu9hTcUXMy9VF1Y45zHyGnFTbHrFT5S6nx489Rm6ru_VHOePenzEZH3DNnF1FmI76VX6WSMaaf823PVN-I0X4g3ncKNsSSWkGMRUY5Bhc1WyLuMkcuSi-eTx-N_ge1R3O9y_k8AsOhmnd_xoVzqleHHq9fF0LJT3NgLsbyeqz1RtBmmFN1pneP/s2266/interior0005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1595" data-original-width="2266" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEzFWFERu9hTcUXMy9VF1Y45zHyGnFTbHrFT5S6nx489Rm6ru_VHOePenzEZH3DNnF1FmI76VX6WSMaaf823PVN-I0X4g3ncKNsSSWkGMRUY5Bhc1WyLuMkcuSi-eTx-N_ge1R3O9y_k8AsOhmnd_xoVzqleHHq9fF0LJT3NgLsbyeqz1RtBmmFN1pneP/w400-h281/interior0005.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>'The Encyclopedia of Horror' concludes with two appendices. One provides an essay on horror comic books, most of these published in the USA. There is a comic book cover gallery and a listing of titles. The second appendix lists the more prominent horror films issued up to 1980.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYMEttjMhqDfvgd9l3ziEJ6pwLh1WDpMcTr6WpiFz6X7eVOpqbeecwA6XIw3ZluUebFCPfSOLXYZ_Pj3VD69LfAVIppZX4-LfQLpLWS0IJEA0NtSU-zhBwvRZqageq5pxJlMb2mscT8-VJSvFqfG_Euru6DpqUAMqmGSmok5h2jl6pX5x56ytHa_tTPwr/s3421/interior0007.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3421" data-original-width="2280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYMEttjMhqDfvgd9l3ziEJ6pwLh1WDpMcTr6WpiFz6X7eVOpqbeecwA6XIw3ZluUebFCPfSOLXYZ_Pj3VD69LfAVIppZX4-LfQLpLWS0IJEA0NtSU-zhBwvRZqageq5pxJlMb2mscT8-VJSvFqfG_Euru6DpqUAMqmGSmok5h2jl6pX5x56ytHa_tTPwr/w266-h400/interior0007.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Summing up, 'The Encyclopedia of Horror' is one of those volumes that by its very nature arguably was predestined to fail. I can't see it offering enough novelty and insight to be of value to the serious fan of horror in films and print media. I do think it <i>could</i> be of value to those new to the horror genre, albeit with an acknowledgement that its 1981 publication date makes it necessarily dated. Accordingly, I'm fine with assigning the book a Two Star Rating.</span><br /></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-9132207268697510822024-02-21T11:44:00.001-05:002024-02-21T11:44:45.336-05:00Glug by Harlan Ellison<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">'Glug' by Harlan Ellison</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">from <i>Adam</i>, July 1967</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIJGM1W4ZvJIri7UYj14YJq8SNuX_SOH-0S55Fdj-_EpoH540b8w0XP1nprRoCGJ3yTYtROVdz_U0Fgjir2SXtwyN3fcr_TerD0Q8vfoL_bxt26BwI0dsOBUD9r-2Vrfio77zSxmYW4ZTw2mM4JFGN1FW3kyGwlpbg5rXFyrUbJ7vG0NVeQk9PPcRniy0/s2285/Adam%20V11%20%237%20July%201967%20-%20Page%201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2285" data-original-width="1710" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIJGM1W4ZvJIri7UYj14YJq8SNuX_SOH-0S55Fdj-_EpoH540b8w0XP1nprRoCGJ3yTYtROVdz_U0Fgjir2SXtwyN3fcr_TerD0Q8vfoL_bxt26BwI0dsOBUD9r-2Vrfio77zSxmYW4ZTw2mM4JFGN1FW3kyGwlpbg5rXFyrUbJ7vG0NVeQk9PPcRniy0/w299-h400/Adam%20V11%20%237%20July%201967%20-%20Page%201.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>courtesy of </i>vintage girlie scans</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Adam</i> magazine was one of a number of publications that came in the wake of <i>Playboy</i> and, as compared to that magazine, featured somewhat more risque exhibitions of female beauty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULts9jzDplmO5hEmzHmxtnNsdCTGRX4wyA5pFFA3feAteOGjJUfsnG1mjO8qNbPDUmeuTjD-6smLy4kthW5vFmwWOsEagHuiUz_VJzPf-KAGCNeHSUHguLduhmjRv9kSHtVX1_3gWtaae8qjuyOpDtRp5_WYv4hYaCRchtDF09o21oR3laB0WfNbs7k_N/s2289/girl%20in%20a%20harem%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2289" data-original-width="1697" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULts9jzDplmO5hEmzHmxtnNsdCTGRX4wyA5pFFA3feAteOGjJUfsnG1mjO8qNbPDUmeuTjD-6smLy4kthW5vFmwWOsEagHuiUz_VJzPf-KAGCNeHSUHguLduhmjRv9kSHtVX1_3gWtaae8qjuyOpDtRp5_WYv4hYaCRchtDF09o21oR3laB0WfNbs7k_N/w296-h400/girl%20in%20a%20harem%201.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbvTAyqzhsFZkvzImTbb4iI8Le7P3blOYWxf8DskwJc50448dT4QVYeFrvpOMbCsNpVZMU-8U76S4TNckyISRXC76_lslcWBYPx_iuhugUTO0CsAfCRuXuOtB5TZfMC7fm63pF3N7QvFRLQkppSbiifDSLbXkZjGusCM1OGzwquXR3cwOZ6vHL-M25U58/s3350/girl%20in%20a%20harem.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2272" data-original-width="3350" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbvTAyqzhsFZkvzImTbb4iI8Le7P3blOYWxf8DskwJc50448dT4QVYeFrvpOMbCsNpVZMU-8U76S4TNckyISRXC76_lslcWBYPx_iuhugUTO0CsAfCRuXuOtB5TZfMC7fm63pF3N7QvFRLQkppSbiifDSLbXkZjGusCM1OGzwquXR3cwOZ6vHL-M25U58/w400-h271/girl%20in%20a%20harem.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixn1XXzkWIW3U3pUDMDssboOWMqYVnt0Ai8yNZwWn3Id763zHgXukfxvfAvBc9xF6V7mlxmLdEwGdXvNwgt56yCsB7Oysv0JgmxPqEmRe_wRih3c8X0oEJQxJbosCQ957_EpeBh6Cl2TIg2XPEZu6jZEpp5kxsfm6CKEz2owR0G6GKEl2ub0v-OYosb8DN/s2289/girlm%20in%20a%20harem%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2289" data-original-width="1685" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixn1XXzkWIW3U3pUDMDssboOWMqYVnt0Ai8yNZwWn3Id763zHgXukfxvfAvBc9xF6V7mlxmLdEwGdXvNwgt56yCsB7Oysv0JgmxPqEmRe_wRih3c8X0oEJQxJbosCQ957_EpeBh6Cl2TIg2XPEZu6jZEpp5kxsfm6CKEz2owR0G6GKEl2ub0v-OYosb8DN/w295-h400/girlm%20in%20a%20harem%202.jpg" width="295" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The girls posing in <i>Adam</i> were more down-to-earth, and the advertising a little more louche.....</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIEI1PQUIpksyhjATDpHIMcBMV9kR5VMiagcEPfOhUdcDYEqh5n1rg8hKUul2c0zsNcZjj4g-vqZggjCz-yVHXw3vWABxBWE659PjTXl5T07UwTler6h4HUok2ZlmZvL76avrVgC9KFliJTli3aMGMYuVTOtHPHJFQ2qxhKtY1xpQW0kDXR-JsJKETs20/s2280/little%20blue%20girl.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2280" data-original-width="1693" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIEI1PQUIpksyhjATDpHIMcBMV9kR5VMiagcEPfOhUdcDYEqh5n1rg8hKUul2c0zsNcZjj4g-vqZggjCz-yVHXw3vWABxBWE659PjTXl5T07UwTler6h4HUok2ZlmZvL76avrVgC9KFliJTli3aMGMYuVTOtHPHJFQ2qxhKtY1xpQW0kDXR-JsJKETs20/w298-h400/little%20blue%20girl.jpg" width="298" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYFPhgCW3CVjqw5RWl4ENZbIlmWgPXmMYuLW2sV5olK4Qm_8T-w1v7jyDADT12LIpO9QVq7opkqy8xoUCwiH2mAxiUs-UhURpVWEpXV_hpZEu38GRlMSFKcFXUoJDrNMMIuDLLa73aLaM24PCoa_mjyb51-7LApetW5_DEynY3IUndtAYWMj9da94ztINn/s2267/Adam%20advertisement.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2267" data-original-width="1092" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYFPhgCW3CVjqw5RWl4ENZbIlmWgPXmMYuLW2sV5olK4Qm_8T-w1v7jyDADT12LIpO9QVq7opkqy8xoUCwiH2mAxiUs-UhURpVWEpXV_hpZEu38GRlMSFKcFXUoJDrNMMIuDLLa73aLaM24PCoa_mjyb51-7LApetW5_DEynY3IUndtAYWMj9da94ztINn/w193-h400/Adam%20advertisement.jpg" width="193" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Adam</i> always had quite a bit of fiction pieces interspersed with its portfolios. Either under a pseudonym, or using their actual name, quite a few high-profile authors were contributors of these pieces.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So it was, that in the July 1967 issue, were have 'Glug', short story from Harlan Ellison. Accompanied by a photograph of a well-endowed young woman !</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSiaA3UB4wJ07ny5e2k0jJVBW2j3ssNN1kCXpubYjbRK40X6CrHeu94uI4dMJDFNeGkKg48RcGJk4XL-WMdx5nGd1ROE2Dl6Nb6piv845GxQivfDkG4vcjbefOVjMjnES6b3msSwsjRII3n4rHmQDahB73PNHefklrhd9L9zeecxfbw5cENIm5Ztfluifp/s3378/glug%20by%20ellison%20Adam%20V11%20%237%20(1967)%20-%20Page%2058.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2276" data-original-width="3378" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSiaA3UB4wJ07ny5e2k0jJVBW2j3ssNN1kCXpubYjbRK40X6CrHeu94uI4dMJDFNeGkKg48RcGJk4XL-WMdx5nGd1ROE2Dl6Nb6piv845GxQivfDkG4vcjbefOVjMjnES6b3msSwsjRII3n4rHmQDahB73PNHefklrhd9L9zeecxfbw5cENIm5Ztfluifp/w400-h270/glug%20by%20ellison%20Adam%20V11%20%237%20(1967)%20-%20Page%2058.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Tn2Uq4c9ddeYc5gMTYGac9EDxeieKwUqhg-WOqHBQZW4eSNF5tibGRuoOKab0JX3deMbT7P31u-83_BVBn_PlFuZDi98brmETHfozdlei-3rvxHBQKCUsqR3pykFL5-4ZVPTtpTorm2QFPj7N9IQqQvmaANJpFBwfZ7TJ3VrQM5Q5W9vVVtUop68Yyo9/s2280/glug%20Page%2060.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2280" data-original-width="1693" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Tn2Uq4c9ddeYc5gMTYGac9EDxeieKwUqhg-WOqHBQZW4eSNF5tibGRuoOKab0JX3deMbT7P31u-83_BVBn_PlFuZDi98brmETHfozdlei-3rvxHBQKCUsqR3pykFL5-4ZVPTtpTorm2QFPj7N9IQqQvmaANJpFBwfZ7TJ3VrQM5Q5W9vVVtUop68Yyo9/w298-h400/glug%20Page%2060.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT53No9JQtEbNwcuJpbf94jSP0fWDiAfESwQwKoUT8JErBk0CkX-u58BweDN-jnxRxTIttje4MU5jspo1YqxbywP3yLXFWtpdhBcs5MNnLySWI2mNZVibzZAAgBNJQmt2y437ZpWFPaLGjh4GXOnZ_Sy_tiExgclmg7wmw8fRDYYsKNZ69luxf0gUF90rQ/s2237/glug%20Page%2091.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2237" data-original-width="1069" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT53No9JQtEbNwcuJpbf94jSP0fWDiAfESwQwKoUT8JErBk0CkX-u58BweDN-jnxRxTIttje4MU5jspo1YqxbywP3yLXFWtpdhBcs5MNnLySWI2mNZVibzZAAgBNJQmt2y437ZpWFPaLGjh4GXOnZ_Sy_tiExgclmg7wmw8fRDYYsKNZ69luxf0gUF90rQ/w306-h640/glug%20Page%2091.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2fumjAGKWLRQdH4FBax8R8RRz7AhGotE2ABwvA4n-sE5LL4oR07hxfRrCIrsPgZ5s4afMJtIQ4HYXPzJa6NXUUQuRet1Hh77nPm8iXyFAqz8dU4zguE336ANXSuibN6tYo-UrMPk7FoB8JJ7o_TJeApWu6X77NO31Mv4XE1Wy85ecka0F6Xtn0pgY448/s2209/glug%20Page%2092.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2209" data-original-width="1616" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2fumjAGKWLRQdH4FBax8R8RRz7AhGotE2ABwvA4n-sE5LL4oR07hxfRrCIrsPgZ5s4afMJtIQ4HYXPzJa6NXUUQuRet1Hh77nPm8iXyFAqz8dU4zguE336ANXSuibN6tYo-UrMPk7FoB8JJ7o_TJeApWu6X77NO31Mv4XE1Wy85ecka0F6Xtn0pgY448/w293-h400/glug%20Page%2092.jpg" width="293" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">But....just wait a minute.........</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It seems 'Glug' actually is a reprint of a story that Ellison first published in the science fiction digest <i>Imagination</i> in August, 1958 - !</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTUfegZa_FJA8EjRbIp9NCa9yl3LTsuzPJqkwWzx_uRzoSdiOg7Na1V_UkTVPiGrpxrFkOT-79RQS6NrbBRQwHYnevxs0w36Lyi9gduwtLLSf0xcD6iUvFv51nfbOctrQlTsY_cFWtHP8v-SIh3Fe89aqAXA5fyHUc8yD2puhW8Y14FkV7wvMV96EK5mu/s758/imagination%20august%201958.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="566" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTUfegZa_FJA8EjRbIp9NCa9yl3LTsuzPJqkwWzx_uRzoSdiOg7Na1V_UkTVPiGrpxrFkOT-79RQS6NrbBRQwHYnevxs0w36Lyi9gduwtLLSf0xcD6iUvFv51nfbOctrQlTsY_cFWtHP8v-SIh3Fe89aqAXA5fyHUc8yD2puhW8Y14FkV7wvMV96EK5mu/s320/imagination%20august%201958.jpg" width="239" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">So a story that <i>Adam</i> readers might well consider to be a contemporary tale from one of the hottest writers at work in the US in 1967, was in fact a reprint of a nine year-old story. What a ripoff ! </span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">But then, no one bought <i>Adam</i> for the stories..........</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Sadly, according to the ISFDB, the only way you can access 'Glug' either is from <i>Adam</i> or <i>Imagination</i>. The story didn't make its way into any of the 5 billion Ellison anthologies that have been issued over the decades.<br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Interestingly, <i>Imagination</i> was published by William Hamling, who during the late 1950s founded an empire of sleaze paperbacks, among the editors / authors of which was none other than Harlan Ellison. Inevitably, Ellison had a confrontation with Hamling, and was expelled from Hamling's enterprise (the whole sordid story is available <a href="https://efanzines.com/EK/eI11/index.htm" target="_blank">here</a>; warning, Harlan comes across as a self-centered, nasty little shit). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Adam</i> went on to be retitled <i>Adam Film World</i> in 1969, and experienced success well into the 1990s.</span></div></div></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-66237506158129587952024-02-18T10:59:00.002-05:002024-02-29T12:12:44.856-05:00Book Review: Beyond the Occult<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>Book Review: 'Beyond the Occult' by Colin Wilson</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZjekOODVkwrIlvZZ1ylFFPzSBp09FsbO-COmCnAS7VHN3RfRr4pq5urMyhrpmPFxvo6Zh84linHWBGZkaTTgA6HxjFOxZdjTc2kwVwYye1kWTJqlwy6udpDwwizYy1O_y6ePI0_IaAoVKu1os5JZ3L5dNUFNYVcO4XefHwV72tKdaYkTSJ2JipRH9Ag4/s2771/beyond%20the%20occult0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2771" data-original-width="1792" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZjekOODVkwrIlvZZ1ylFFPzSBp09FsbO-COmCnAS7VHN3RfRr4pq5urMyhrpmPFxvo6Zh84linHWBGZkaTTgA6HxjFOxZdjTc2kwVwYye1kWTJqlwy6udpDwwizYy1O_y6ePI0_IaAoVKu1os5JZ3L5dNUFNYVcO4XefHwV72tKdaYkTSJ2JipRH9Ag4/w259-h400/beyond%20the%20occult0001.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: arial;"><b>1 / 5 Stars</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">'Beyond the Occult' (381 pp.) was published in hardback in 1989 by Carrol and Graf.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In his Introduction, Wilson states that his interest in the occult began in the late 1960s when he was contacted by a publisher eager to capitalize on the success of the book 'The Morning of the Magicians', by Pauwels and Bergier. 'Morning' was a bestseller upon its release in France in 1960 and it went on to do equally well with its English-language translations. Wilson was sufficiently intrigued by the topic of the occult to agree to write a book about it. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That book was 'The Occult', and upon its publication in 1971, it was very well received, coinciding as it did with the rise in the early 1970s of interest in supernatural phenomena.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpDFuMKG3Czt2JjQWisNjxlHIFIk0XF8LT_GYlvMV8fJBG1S3HMiQs2zeXs_-y43md3JtvjA7rgt9FQgcGgHYnvjf5WXMDhs_dn4avM4VAL7i32ymIx4XWLCoZ-eLZygTRU-Pf5xaImQl7rM39_LSaVQTHM-NxyXkIfyEbqnEDJ-oxh0lSqIPR7LiZw2d/s2058/interior0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2058" data-original-width="1448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpDFuMKG3Czt2JjQWisNjxlHIFIk0XF8LT_GYlvMV8fJBG1S3HMiQs2zeXs_-y43md3JtvjA7rgt9FQgcGgHYnvjf5WXMDhs_dn4avM4VAL7i32ymIx4XWLCoZ-eLZygTRU-Pf5xaImQl7rM39_LSaVQTHM-NxyXkIfyEbqnEDJ-oxh0lSqIPR7LiZw2d/w281-h400/interior0002.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>advertisement from a 1974 issue of </i>National Lampoon</span><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For Wilson, 'The Occult' was not a catalogue of spells and instructions in magical practices, but a recounting of the 'scientific actualities' that constitute supernatural activities. These 'actualities' confirmed his belief that man possesses 'hidden powers', lumped under the rubric of 'Faculty X', which are otherwise unavailable to the great, unwitting mass of <i>Homo sapiens</i>. </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGnxJHIZtoaxAWErOWZ4bl3gggOvaggNo8hQ5koRJSvOprQnUTdJh_TUs27L_FTSCoofrxkuFZ1XopqV3jRv8An2J6AAi70643A2goF3H2P_nEBBoxT4hbH5ZhmTNHIAaQseqwCE6RJ0HP2o5kmkLcRo-g_VG29HMe57npA9RFurzGLmoF2Eq002Ibgwx/s1121/occult%20duo%20Jan%202024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1121" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPGnxJHIZtoaxAWErOWZ4bl3gggOvaggNo8hQ5koRJSvOprQnUTdJh_TUs27L_FTSCoofrxkuFZ1XopqV3jRv8An2J6AAi70643A2goF3H2P_nEBBoxT4hbH5ZhmTNHIAaQseqwCE6RJ0HP2o5kmkLcRo-g_VG29HMe57npA9RFurzGLmoF2Eq002Ibgwx/w400-h309/occult%20duo%20Jan%202024.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wilson saw 'Faculty X' as a component of his philosophy of 'New Existentialism', which he introduced in 1966 in a book titled 'Introduction to the New Existentialism.'</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>'Beyond the Occult' is simply a recapitulation of the ideology of Faculty X, as it was outlined in 'The Occult', using examples from what is known as the 'paranormal'.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the first two-thirds of 'Beyond the Occult' Wilson chronicles - primarily using examples from the 19th and 20th centuries - paranormal phenomena such as (among other things) psychometry, clairvoyance, precognition, astral bodies, 'second sight', multiple personalities, possession, and synchronicity. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The book's closing chapters are a rather labored manifesto for the world to acknowledge the existence of Faculty X, which will, in turn, expedite the movement of the world's peoples into a sort of humanistic Singularity. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">From the opening chapters it will be very apparent to the reader that in his zeal to collect anecdotes about the paranormal to support his thesis of Faculty X, Wilson exaggerates and misleads about all manner of alleged psychic phenomena and practitioners. To give two examples from the many presented in 'Beyond the Occult':</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">•</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>On page 165, Wilson alludes to the novel 'The Wreck of the Titan, or, Futility', published in 1898 by the American author Morgan Robertson, as an example of 'precognition', in that Robertson's novel deals with the lethal collision of an 'unsinkable' ocean liner, christened the <i>Titan</i>, with an iceberg. Wilson remarks that Robertson claimed to be an 'automatic' writer who composed his novels while in something of a trance-like state. This state, Wilson claims, allowed Robertson to subconsciously open his mind to the 'information universe', which in turn imparted to him knowledge of the sinking of the liner <i>Titanic</i> in 1912. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However, Wilson does not disclose that throughout his life Robertson strenuously denied that his novel was an example of precognition, insisting that his familiarity with nautical matters gave him insight into the circumstances of a hypothetical disastrous accident at sea.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">•</span> On pages 231 and 232, Wilson alludes to the Fox sisters of Hydesville New York, who in March 1848 claimed to a neighbor that a spirit had invaded their house, and was communicating via knocks and raps. The sister claimed the spirit was the ghost of a peddler who had been murdered by the home's previous occupant, and buried in the basement. By late 1849 the sisters and their encounters with the supernatural had triggered a national frenzy of interest in 'mediums' and 'spiritualism'. Wilson references the discovery, made in 1904, of human bones in a secret room in the basement; this discovery was deemed proof of the murder, and interment, of the peddler. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wilson fails to mention that in 1888, Margaretta Fox publicly declared that the rappings were fraudulent, the product of the sisters cracking their ankle and foot joints. And a physician who examined the bones in the secret basement room concluded that the bones (which included chicken bones) were nothing more than a prank.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Well before the halfway point of 'Beyond the Occult', Wilson's habit of assigning credulity to these and all manner of paranormal phenomena began to pall. No anecdote or experience was too preposterous for Wilson to endorse in the name of 'Faculty X'. Indeed, in the chapter titled 'Visions', Wilson breathlessly relates the antics of one Stylianos Atteshlis, aka 'Daskalos', a Cypriot 'magus' who, in July 1979, claimed to have telepathically persuaded 'flying saucer entities' to alter the orbit of the Skylab space station so that it crashed into the southern hemisphere rather than the (more populated) northern hemisphere !</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I finished the book more out of a sense of duty, than enthusiasm. In my opinion, only the most fervent of Wilson aficionados will enjoy 'Beyond the Occult'. For everyone else, it has some slight value as a compendium of observations of some of the most 'woo-woo' entries in the global catalogue of paranormal phenomena. </span></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-22264361650475728662024-02-15T10:17:00.002-05:002024-02-16T11:21:54.104-05:00<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>Paul Neary R.I.P.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: red; font-size: xx-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUunDN5wEjVzfK7ikX03Bz35oJc9I6_29v4GIeCeuVd-djiAWPXnlNrwBJvAdKXEhJ7CR9jwmMXn8MHMGHLlyUBSnQ8tp3RX0X3E_qYY_-UgAOIVj2g-dMKlRtvv6duebTun_0lIG83xwXICsJniCyONSXa1OfRdutGIRSLJcmz3dUi08D0OS4Ukgplaf/s3330/fr%20cover%200001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3330" data-original-width="2542" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUunDN5wEjVzfK7ikX03Bz35oJc9I6_29v4GIeCeuVd-djiAWPXnlNrwBJvAdKXEhJ7CR9jwmMXn8MHMGHLlyUBSnQ8tp3RX0X3E_qYY_-UgAOIVj2g-dMKlRtvv6duebTun_0lIG83xwXICsJniCyONSXa1OfRdutGIRSLJcmz3dUi08D0OS4Ukgplaf/w305-h400/fr%20cover%200001.jpg" width="305" /></a></div>The U.K. artist Paul Neary passed away on February 10, at the age of 74, after a long illness.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Neary was a well-regarded penciller and inker in the U.S. and U.K. comics enterprises. In the early 1970s he illustrated the 'Hunter' series in <i>Eerie</i> magazine. Neary's artwork was imaginative and carefully crafted, and represents some of the best black-and-white art to appear in a comic format.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChobsHXAYzPBrDZ0KO5TExkgzOjiBmoQQNXiXdDwHp7EoW_ecQkcGO_CtgYtj8_mBQ6Ci79PBkNDgqA1zGSypBz-ahYqFNevt9akcOVeaJGB2a_FAeKMUHEXpVAt-7M9J_pxNhHN7ztDPSpKC-GN6HxZVmKbIG7TQ5iPR6inCPMpxnTwFOHofBivqe5YL/s1663/Eerie%20Presents%20-%20Hunter%20V2012%20%231%20(2012_4)%20-%20Page%209.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1663" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChobsHXAYzPBrDZ0KO5TExkgzOjiBmoQQNXiXdDwHp7EoW_ecQkcGO_CtgYtj8_mBQ6Ci79PBkNDgqA1zGSypBz-ahYqFNevt9akcOVeaJGB2a_FAeKMUHEXpVAt-7M9J_pxNhHN7ztDPSpKC-GN6HxZVmKbIG7TQ5iPR6inCPMpxnTwFOHofBivqe5YL/w308-h400/Eerie%20Presents%20-%20Hunter%20V2012%20%231%20(2012_4)%20-%20Page%209.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>As Mike Richardson of Dark Horse comics states in his Forward to the 2012 volume 'Eerie Presents: Hunter', </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The strip was made memorable by the striking artwork of Paul Neary. Combining pen-and-ink with heavy doses of Zip-A-Tone, Neary made sensational use of the black-and-white format, creating a unique look that separated </i>Hunter<i> not only from the magazine's other features, but also from the competing comics of the day.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Neary did <a href="https://theporporbooksblog.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Time%20Eater" target="_blank">additional, memorable work</a> for <i>Eerie</i>, <i>Vampirella</i>, and <i>Creepy</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sadly, '<a href="https://theporporbooksblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/hunter-from-eerie-magazine-warren.html" target="_blank">Eerie Presents: Hunter</a>' is long out of print and those copies that are available have high prices, but there is a Kindle version available. Anyone with an appreciation for graphic art will want to take a look at Neary's work for the Warren magazines.</span></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-52702562177683011072024-02-14T09:44:00.000-05:002024-02-14T09:44:20.777-05:00Joys of Fantasy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXZVISjyQYsosiNnvbxtQifudwearmTDd2auaT6fe25C-mP1brYg5obIiRj8WtBsIKr-A9DZDzxDo0HTvYuWWH5mqRJB0PRPYRSejgWj2EBCAB0v0VcLclkr7uVSMhIgMFBh7eM0mj1IuU2YDPtznBHiR36_s_-2xhSWn6-nK24jEbDtqiKkhE_8a1cQ=s1000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXZVISjyQYsosiNnvbxtQifudwearmTDd2auaT6fe25C-mP1brYg5obIiRj8WtBsIKr-A9DZDzxDo0HTvYuWWH5mqRJB0PRPYRSejgWj2EBCAB0v0VcLclkr7uVSMhIgMFBh7eM0mj1IuU2YDPtznBHiR36_s_-2xhSWn6-nK24jEbDtqiKkhE_8a1cQ=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Celebrating Valentine's Day 2024 !</b></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>Joys of Fantasy: The Book for Loving Couples</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">by Siv Cedering Fox</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Stein and Day, 1977</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijUFZ7ekD_EW0IeMMbrtDvbGRyjcpBxudHp5hD9cGmHXil3_T4FE3mFPwj1Hmmkgc8nCPqZDH0CyxxeUO8ICErL9Jka4mUKoVFqaZ02gfFgaKFWtp9OZq9YjiiGTIuMmdNv_gFUYzIoqcBE6rk1ZFrd8juskqFys5OD-vxHgGZ3tt8nUkgvg-XAUtsfw=s2175" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2175" data-original-width="1645" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijUFZ7ekD_EW0IeMMbrtDvbGRyjcpBxudHp5hD9cGmHXil3_T4FE3mFPwj1Hmmkgc8nCPqZDH0CyxxeUO8ICErL9Jka4mUKoVFqaZ02gfFgaKFWtp9OZq9YjiiGTIuMmdNv_gFUYzIoqcBE6rk1ZFrd8juskqFys5OD-vxHgGZ3tt8nUkgvg-XAUtsfw=w303-h400" width="303" /></a></div></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here at the PorPor Books Blog, we like to celebrate Valentine's Day by showcasing a book (fiction or nonfiction) that deals with love. For Valentine's Day 2024, we're looking at a quintessential work of 1970s 'erotica'.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the Summer of 1976, film producer and editor Ed Rothkowitz and photographer Joseph Del Valle arranged for some of New York City's best-known porno actors and actresses to pose for a series of photographs, taken in the studio of 'adult film' film director Toby Ross.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbM_tm3z6H8zj0uj_1pngF0ksiqeazz-BLV0-VlZ5hGkcVXCSYR31e1WltttQ7oT9nYjK_i3WEO5AFLZEVz0r4EnfgO3SD0DeGTEVv88ni6zBmIdLVwywwfJ3PvdfJPSCpONmN6rW6YY2j3SITcElCymcb_sdUT6eezYntxK28tykFupiXlEtoJTjPTw=s1713" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1713" data-original-width="1118" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbM_tm3z6H8zj0uj_1pngF0ksiqeazz-BLV0-VlZ5hGkcVXCSYR31e1WltttQ7oT9nYjK_i3WEO5AFLZEVz0r4EnfgO3SD0DeGTEVv88ni6zBmIdLVwywwfJ3PvdfJPSCpONmN6rW6YY2j3SITcElCymcb_sdUT6eezYntxK28tykFupiXlEtoJTjPTw=w261-h400" width="261" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Rothkowitz combined the photos, which epitomized the soft-focus 'erotica' of the 70s, with various 'sensual' poems and prose pieces, most of which were authored by a woman named Civ Cedering Fox. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cedering Fox (1939 - 2007) was born in Sweden and later moved to San Francisco, where she grew up. She gained notice as a poet, novelist, children's book author, artist, and songwriter during the 1970s and 1980s.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTSMBZSao_SaTX1PFH3-OxbDVvP1knmHEHKoVsHXeEqCXGKICBRkhZun93zVWd2cbtWHPSb_uYxqd6dKG1mAycPO9o6tI2fZkF2vkiP52lkPhfttJYKo1-Gs6W4dzAqVN6_NrntaoA58y5wkj26OhMgOh6vZGzEXlp1ZCGChbE-ZpWLZtThFM12Iz8Vg=s494" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="486" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTSMBZSao_SaTX1PFH3-OxbDVvP1knmHEHKoVsHXeEqCXGKICBRkhZun93zVWd2cbtWHPSb_uYxqd6dKG1mAycPO9o6tI2fZkF2vkiP52lkPhfttJYKo1-Gs6W4dzAqVN6_NrntaoA58y5wkj26OhMgOh6vZGzEXlp1ZCGChbE-ZpWLZtThFM12Iz8Vg=s320" width="315" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The photo and poem combination, titled <i>Joys of Fantasy</i> to channel the runaway success of <i>The Joy of Sex</i>, was published by Stein and Day in 1977 in both hardcover and softcover editions.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQ4I-YFdg5s2BXgvq7aZEoiJRKPWs6SuN5in6hig_2zryvtTzdaVMtJT1qZzHUFLAGQ8Nu24VC7g4UOQX-m3eYC1gIz5QC4JChJEDjlkCC4EwCzba3u2SPs9Ve0cKfdaUsMmnZ2dIrJL0u5r3CTb4nTDX7jW-pEi1-DYm5WLQMOKWUFilVHv5RU_079A=s2028" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2028" data-original-width="1350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQ4I-YFdg5s2BXgvq7aZEoiJRKPWs6SuN5in6hig_2zryvtTzdaVMtJT1qZzHUFLAGQ8Nu24VC7g4UOQX-m3eYC1gIz5QC4JChJEDjlkCC4EwCzba3u2SPs9Ve0cKfdaUsMmnZ2dIrJL0u5r3CTb4nTDX7jW-pEi1-DYm5WLQMOKWUFilVHv5RU_079A=w266-h400" width="266" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">There are products of the 70s that are so cheesy and kitschy, or so sublime and transcendent, at the same time and point in space that any attempt to analyze them is futile; so it is with <i>Joys of Fantasy</i>. I'll simply present selected, carefully cropped photos from the book and let readers come to their own conclusions.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTlEmm7nQrwXLwGJKkyrqLZ7E-0vAZBJgovwSCBDU5n5oWOxoB5ULBC8YCRvOU6hX0BYbxnVYxluWEaKn5y6XXtDSpT7VqwRZeEMBS6vFoUIXViF2S5ttF6sS4rse_xlMA8CHrl7Np7jjEG5D3BDN6t35gg4N0rsH6kIxscFAn2Iy6s1RqnDb0eiCeYLP/s3202/joy%20of%20fantasy%20interior0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3202" data-original-width="2266" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUTlEmm7nQrwXLwGJKkyrqLZ7E-0vAZBJgovwSCBDU5n5oWOxoB5ULBC8YCRvOU6hX0BYbxnVYxluWEaKn5y6XXtDSpT7VqwRZeEMBS6vFoUIXViF2S5ttF6sS4rse_xlMA8CHrl7Np7jjEG5D3BDN6t35gg4N0rsH6kIxscFAn2Iy6s1RqnDb0eiCeYLP/w283-h400/joy%20of%20fantasy%20interior0001.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTu7TZspMp-WImCvy11BIdDzbzEN9x288wsbCys85nRp4Bz-7NKJfabyjbQ7h32v30bk9M-4CwuFNRsR2V_Vkl9aoHLhyphenhyphensS5SUU-YkWsCyJnlmzUyTJko3tYxv8VmhNPD2gDJTq3uatvuLdnHGoMxi3WJP9GECr9nkXOPGgLx2vl-0MHdYhwfbjc4n9ONo/s2983/joy%20of%20fantasy%20interior0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2983" data-original-width="2253" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTu7TZspMp-WImCvy11BIdDzbzEN9x288wsbCys85nRp4Bz-7NKJfabyjbQ7h32v30bk9M-4CwuFNRsR2V_Vkl9aoHLhyphenhyphensS5SUU-YkWsCyJnlmzUyTJko3tYxv8VmhNPD2gDJTq3uatvuLdnHGoMxi3WJP9GECr9nkXOPGgLx2vl-0MHdYhwfbjc4n9ONo/w303-h400/joy%20of%20fantasy%20interior0002.jpg" width="303" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Of note is the fact that one of the male models used in the portfolio is none other than Dennis Posa, aka 'Dennis Parker', <a href="https://theporporbooksblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Like%20an%20Eagle" target="_blank">whose 1979 LP 'Like An Eagle' </a>is one of the touchstone records of the disco era ! Can you get any more Seventies than that ?!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2T0aBot9PDY9JAgGedtfuKmZ1K5LCfViXjt_aTo_Uz-aPYh_s_uDCwoHh5SDsT4u5uJXP8o5m3b-LRQngFbT10ryxgUl-biwutG6CPTSP-weVf11t6UFucp7av7MmKUSpv6lqVVgU9o6pVHnJns-n4mNXurguzl71m3TQX13TMxOPVXoHUI7vYXmWpQ=s2136" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2136" data-original-width="1507" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2T0aBot9PDY9JAgGedtfuKmZ1K5LCfViXjt_aTo_Uz-aPYh_s_uDCwoHh5SDsT4u5uJXP8o5m3b-LRQngFbT10ryxgUl-biwutG6CPTSP-weVf11t6UFucp7av7MmKUSpv6lqVVgU9o6pVHnJns-n4mNXurguzl71m3TQX13TMxOPVXoHUI7vYXmWpQ=w283-h400" width="283" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although it's long out of print, copies of the paperback edition of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Joys of Fantasy </i><span style="font-family: arial;">can be had for affordable prices</span><i style="font-family: arial;">. </i><span style="font-family: arial;">I recommend perusing it accompanied by a bottle of Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill, incense, an Emerson Lake and Palmer record, and shag carpeting........in an Earth Tone.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNshkGo2MHoIXQCNBGB1fvLxmqxHDzw1wMDO-B-xXYsxBZiQq8NIJOgMhXimLeEhPQj9s7Moz87Qd_dwovJLpPF1uhGRWS-KnA-HgsA0BfEli0L8LlGP1LSmPElcstrX-OnCmpVcHPuo0vReK298jrFSydLiAat7njl0XEGY-sHW1Y9R4qNq_tRAZ0sQ=s1987" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1987" data-original-width="1451" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNshkGo2MHoIXQCNBGB1fvLxmqxHDzw1wMDO-B-xXYsxBZiQq8NIJOgMhXimLeEhPQj9s7Moz87Qd_dwovJLpPF1uhGRWS-KnA-HgsA0BfEli0L8LlGP1LSmPElcstrX-OnCmpVcHPuo0vReK298jrFSydLiAat7njl0XEGY-sHW1Y9R4qNq_tRAZ0sQ=w293-h400" width="293" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgokjPPtewnVDpLNE8hq47nbVsa3Bdv6fxC-luWKMRXdom6DmqFULCXahCojK8cIrwGAM5Qnk9llDL6F_65g5SBLmVLxGOukfGTD6gZZoMhVzW2k9e9W22G9B2r2KBRe3CoPLNJA11GQbL9awEREWifxPZuuoWqPPbMhR_42UQ_tPzKnbi5lgf-DhLuCA=s2014" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2014" data-original-width="1548" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgokjPPtewnVDpLNE8hq47nbVsa3Bdv6fxC-luWKMRXdom6DmqFULCXahCojK8cIrwGAM5Qnk9llDL6F_65g5SBLmVLxGOukfGTD6gZZoMhVzW2k9e9W22G9B2r2KBRe3CoPLNJA11GQbL9awEREWifxPZuuoWqPPbMhR_42UQ_tPzKnbi5lgf-DhLuCA=w308-h400" width="308" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvIrkgsucJSHLEvtUfxnZ05bXadQON_Oyc4ZfapM1YqgSo5jHxbezpXHKpZIwFUmYH5PDrY3YZbzjA0yShZhR40bIP000YY9aYGcP6v9UrsO8xmAmlS56pAwyLSyVId-8WvqiPt-iKaVVp9v-XgZzuKD3uErR9Es3mjCmT9hjSt8n2CMvLQJ4KfwAXvQ=s2007" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2007" data-original-width="1475" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvIrkgsucJSHLEvtUfxnZ05bXadQON_Oyc4ZfapM1YqgSo5jHxbezpXHKpZIwFUmYH5PDrY3YZbzjA0yShZhR40bIP000YY9aYGcP6v9UrsO8xmAmlS56pAwyLSyVId-8WvqiPt-iKaVVp9v-XgZzuKD3uErR9Es3mjCmT9hjSt8n2CMvLQJ4KfwAXvQ=w294-h400" width="294" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh39ZKHMfQUVbxOsnk6CXdoCC5x0a7GuUVr47l-LOfHPWHhncbDZZTQPjTrcgwdakA8v8bt16leeFf9gryk8bSAAQNWgSweWH-QQ4733v3HYckV5my6qHCsI-BWagQQzD4WPJPUfPQ_dZmNtx-fFari1exmPY63TqBEm6IZfy5iKNemP5DF-8ao0-JWiw=s1356" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="1341" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh39ZKHMfQUVbxOsnk6CXdoCC5x0a7GuUVr47l-LOfHPWHhncbDZZTQPjTrcgwdakA8v8bt16leeFf9gryk8bSAAQNWgSweWH-QQ4733v3HYckV5my6qHCsI-BWagQQzD4WPJPUfPQ_dZmNtx-fFari1exmPY63TqBEm6IZfy5iKNemP5DF-8ao0-JWiw=w395-h400" width="395" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFgMX_r0h1_spnZfY8UnWFWoZVcyzmg09TiCkvGfIYR6KXWLFlBJm8OsYNOjPtJh2cyG1Fld6hCW518UUj-lv6n_XcLBXrta65ZdKJH9L4nrJUtXTs4hul3JmGspEEZn5pewa5T3CtBm8YRcI0ekrjgfcsVgq5U7GFGy9iutGA70mx57S420HUKA4N9Q=s1368" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="1363" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFgMX_r0h1_spnZfY8UnWFWoZVcyzmg09TiCkvGfIYR6KXWLFlBJm8OsYNOjPtJh2cyG1Fld6hCW518UUj-lv6n_XcLBXrta65ZdKJH9L4nrJUtXTs4hul3JmGspEEZn5pewa5T3CtBm8YRcI0ekrjgfcsVgq5U7GFGy9iutGA70mx57S420HUKA4N9Q=w399-h400" width="399" /></a></div></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-48541667159215873052024-02-12T12:48:00.000-05:002024-02-12T12:48:54.037-05:00National Lampoon February 1975<div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>National Lampoon</b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>February 1975</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: red; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqipNlLnOIcW2PPmWhQ_qSM_pE6e74UirXVI3KHbw1zfCe16SjxY75v2Jv0NZkTBb7mUNwTbP06IjXc25-vuaT5rCZQaZJeoVZjTUCnRWWmnca44sgJ5dUe7lgy8p6LqURHIZ3QqNCcvC1QtpPUXZIggeQ4N5MElbPT4WiW07MlpsfJB04edkzoIWTGSCd/s3305/interior0022.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3305" data-original-width="2397" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqipNlLnOIcW2PPmWhQ_qSM_pE6e74UirXVI3KHbw1zfCe16SjxY75v2Jv0NZkTBb7mUNwTbP06IjXc25-vuaT5rCZQaZJeoVZjTUCnRWWmnca44sgJ5dUe7lgy8p6LqURHIZ3QqNCcvC1QtpPUXZIggeQ4N5MElbPT4WiW07MlpsfJB04edkzoIWTGSCd/w290-h400/interior0022.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>February, 1975. On the Billboard Hot 100, the top-selling single in the USA as of February 15 is 'You're No Good' by Linda Ronstadt.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4j9NhK1JQwBeJJFgULqfRv-CidjgQ5bIzwP3WM6joQ7NGBGbywTuhHwYwDIVdYUJVxHCc80cdNcwDVKcrxQ1wU2-lvumcOOsJGjA3O5ENmv0errZC_Rj22vOLnxoqlQQzwUzZIi_Rq1i69m8UNM3HevlDiilbkWRbNS5wjAujUYed7ruBd-X8DLQuYStO/s902/hot%20100%20Febr%2015%201975.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="902" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4j9NhK1JQwBeJJFgULqfRv-CidjgQ5bIzwP3WM6joQ7NGBGbywTuhHwYwDIVdYUJVxHCc80cdNcwDVKcrxQ1wU2-lvumcOOsJGjA3O5ENmv0errZC_Rj22vOLnxoqlQQzwUzZIi_Rq1i69m8UNM3HevlDiilbkWRbNS5wjAujUYed7ruBd-X8DLQuYStO/w400-h288/hot%20100%20Febr%2015%201975.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Let's open up the latest issue of the <i>National Lampoon</i>, which has a 'Love and Romance' theme. This is one of the better mid-70s issues of the magazine.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The letters column offends with faux missives from bigoted rednecks, and serial killer Juan Corona (!).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7xLwT1Oflnbd7BHyuEMXlUKwTX5K6tgnyczODK7OVpw-eEmi-SRjvWxhaa-oYqZdMJGii-N10n_o8PMQO35TLSwZPqYwmNTnsg-Vu6SRWIEME9bSza0tTbGh0tH1xj6a8loV_gzQqrSlYYMhm_VXGNuXbfrHRceYju2SM0mkhT6DNv8i9Xp-KQtKTUtl/s2169/interior0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2169" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7xLwT1Oflnbd7BHyuEMXlUKwTX5K6tgnyczODK7OVpw-eEmi-SRjvWxhaa-oYqZdMJGii-N10n_o8PMQO35TLSwZPqYwmNTnsg-Vu6SRWIEME9bSza0tTbGh0tH1xj6a8loV_gzQqrSlYYMhm_VXGNuXbfrHRceYju2SM0mkhT6DNv8i9Xp-KQtKTUtl/w276-h400/interior0001.jpg" width="276" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The advertising in this issue includes Earth Shoes (<i>very</i> 70s), and a new Yes album, which is accompanied by bad poetry. </span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Other album advertisements include an LP from Kenny Rankin (a YouTube video of <i>Silver Morning</i> is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8duOoYiBab4" target="_blank">here</a>). I can't say Rankin's album is all that impressive - rather tame 70s singer-songwriter stuff (folies should <i>not </i>scat-sing, and what folkie didn't, at some point in his / her career, do a cover of Paul McCartney's 'Blackbird' ?!). </span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">There's also <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F63qFfgEG0&ab_channel=GeorgeCarlinCentral" target="_blank">an album from George Carlin</a>, whose brand of comedy was thriving in the mid-70s. I can't say that the Carlin catalogue has aged well, but then, not much from the mid-70s really has, when you think about it...........</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7fqF8_MRmT7CDcTXP5m56LC9-GVPh6p65nyBAPPSN7pKhwZfQp-Ahor3m3HaYWWiWzVO9ly0vpnRWB2hlUyMM9YxRu7Asu3svN73OuhHItV-oDy-WnZ3aynXM1htIFaLElKXt6B5NsTbrCCivm_KT5JMMCLHRM9WQt1IpZhLWoPraY3CWfYooqGADEpx/s2081/interior0002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2081" data-original-width="1474" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7fqF8_MRmT7CDcTXP5m56LC9-GVPh6p65nyBAPPSN7pKhwZfQp-Ahor3m3HaYWWiWzVO9ly0vpnRWB2hlUyMM9YxRu7Asu3svN73OuhHItV-oDy-WnZ3aynXM1htIFaLElKXt6B5NsTbrCCivm_KT5JMMCLHRM9WQt1IpZhLWoPraY3CWfYooqGADEpx/w284-h400/interior0002.jpg" width="284" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2DCZFUmJk8ndDg4RjEG8oRFZWXU2eQ-hhxuioNNdzxG3-gwqP8lZw6bQAFnOg6Na534c1mxU5MgdApVuKI4ehgquPH299aimJvXd13PS8GHDg-_vAzMINnau4aWyB-60g_BMNeM3dO6WVCfTJ8J2xkcwzsDJIcvHkscvKCV5EWUM83Hw6jgjvK3K_NMr/s3250/interior0003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3250" data-original-width="2249" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2DCZFUmJk8ndDg4RjEG8oRFZWXU2eQ-hhxuioNNdzxG3-gwqP8lZw6bQAFnOg6Na534c1mxU5MgdApVuKI4ehgquPH299aimJvXd13PS8GHDg-_vAzMINnau4aWyB-60g_BMNeM3dO6WVCfTJ8J2xkcwzsDJIcvHkscvKCV5EWUM83Hw6jgjvK3K_NMr/w276-h400/interior0003.jpg" width="276" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewjmICQj-1xKyjoKqAfetQ-9lk39zX8fyKSLn46RNp-zOnplUvZgyU5XesQaFz0yHI2o2Ad1ZvdyfPIorkLtENDhTHH3-1_MSLQGp4iYr0RF_RXAckiWjN-FLkd8erebnkLArWV4cgOnTXJLDSfQh3Iee0Dke97b6yO79NtnvMRLSoA-ts6tyXuOzYDtk/s2174/interior0011.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2174" data-original-width="1526" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewjmICQj-1xKyjoKqAfetQ-9lk39zX8fyKSLn46RNp-zOnplUvZgyU5XesQaFz0yHI2o2Ad1ZvdyfPIorkLtENDhTHH3-1_MSLQGp4iYr0RF_RXAckiWjN-FLkd8erebnkLArWV4cgOnTXJLDSfQh3Iee0Dke97b6yO79NtnvMRLSoA-ts6tyXuOzYDtk/w281-h400/interior0011.jpg" width="281" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">An ad for something called the 'Great American Song Festival' features the late, great, Suzanne Somers, adorned with some strategically placed sheet music !</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoUz8OfEGxL6-mBQZ7NyfIZWfJ1aMHku0zdDdcXuzsLbUEQwetYtfEhadvV3J9akmgOEk-h0S4C_8jVOQWJyW6axyqqY6_YKqE06_lWZt46tBcQM0rObotADWNmcGljm3oP8rOFxouThyySbIgVvmHuhvZEMWGViJ5og3iiLbm4MxeP9zOhgXgJP3VGNU/s2203/interior0010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2203" data-original-width="1531" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoUz8OfEGxL6-mBQZ7NyfIZWfJ1aMHku0zdDdcXuzsLbUEQwetYtfEhadvV3J9akmgOEk-h0S4C_8jVOQWJyW6axyqqY6_YKqE06_lWZt46tBcQM0rObotADWNmcGljm3oP8rOFxouThyySbIgVvmHuhvZEMWGViJ5og3iiLbm4MxeP9zOhgXgJP3VGNU/w278-h400/interior0010.jpg" width="278" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6VpErgkLWV84OYXa90hh7PlFeTE7APJtB1oVTN5OljPOcoO8n67Ap6KPXxvwCVDlC68kJLJBKFJahBd__uJhZEIsAgKI0de_dAtOaCK_sUvAVpfYG-XpxVoHTcPG2aRs5c91iyzWcGjsKbnieSz_iyqNtwdAO-XdJSVPNrAR4pmXKrbNjgb_7sf_clyt/s1020/suzanne%20somers%20closeup.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="757" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6VpErgkLWV84OYXa90hh7PlFeTE7APJtB1oVTN5OljPOcoO8n67Ap6KPXxvwCVDlC68kJLJBKFJahBd__uJhZEIsAgKI0de_dAtOaCK_sUvAVpfYG-XpxVoHTcPG2aRs5c91iyzWcGjsKbnieSz_iyqNtwdAO-XdJSVPNrAR4pmXKrbNjgb_7sf_clyt/w296-h400/suzanne%20somers%20closeup.jpg" width="296" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The color comic in this issue is a satire of romance comics, featuring.....Nazis ?! Yep, this sort of thing probably would <i>not</i> be allowed nowadays..........</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKYUPUHv3Cp0UVI6SDoIx8FVSqc0upuGfkkbrIYadMCX-pecVZR1t8hrb7sX8FDBALD-8lSzRlpcro1Q-rJr7joquX_4FGXA8yjrmMAm_gaV1wHcMYopRzRbaebqx9yvjDXQjHf87Pe3ZpUO41RC3HOJ3CCu9vK_tLFrcNWfIrtZOhldS5chj_2q4f9FA/s3308/interior0004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3308" data-original-width="2292" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKYUPUHv3Cp0UVI6SDoIx8FVSqc0upuGfkkbrIYadMCX-pecVZR1t8hrb7sX8FDBALD-8lSzRlpcro1Q-rJr7joquX_4FGXA8yjrmMAm_gaV1wHcMYopRzRbaebqx9yvjDXQjHf87Pe3ZpUO41RC3HOJ3CCu9vK_tLFrcNWfIrtZOhldS5chj_2q4f9FA/w278-h400/interior0004.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmkqGysPpSfz9th4PYOsNFx8WSiDxImNJpk9u4ehXNwp6SBHdD1GLIjuZzh7FcXh366igp15O20hVJOkYjR6rbDjPwsy1psbwQ9cFTZFWO7KWW-NQ2gziXKx3k7GUEiHqIjRc7bCgUJrvuol84QkP5x7k99Hlo6Bes5wO54KLhmHTheR7QTgF0wk4LT0a/s2176/interior0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2176" data-original-width="1534" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmkqGysPpSfz9th4PYOsNFx8WSiDxImNJpk9u4ehXNwp6SBHdD1GLIjuZzh7FcXh366igp15O20hVJOkYjR6rbDjPwsy1psbwQ9cFTZFWO7KWW-NQ2gziXKx3k7GUEiHqIjRc7bCgUJrvuol84QkP5x7k99Hlo6Bes5wO54KLhmHTheR7QTgF0wk4LT0a/w283-h400/interior0005.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkVJjxtyj-6ASk75gy-eOJheSAJJcwZ6NDKh_kdWInjhqWqWLktGvNZrcewq9zs-GKsQCe_-y18iF1BQa8c4omgjeCwPDy8tSteNOidF11zby5iWftL4NW0CxXcEa5inCdnUjDLIEg66jo-9W-fsR6ks5ZWt82tE67SBgtezM0DMaWXt3xnU3r0FoZS4T7/s3242/interior0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3242" data-original-width="2253" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkVJjxtyj-6ASk75gy-eOJheSAJJcwZ6NDKh_kdWInjhqWqWLktGvNZrcewq9zs-GKsQCe_-y18iF1BQa8c4omgjeCwPDy8tSteNOidF11zby5iWftL4NW0CxXcEa5inCdnUjDLIEg66jo-9W-fsR6ks5ZWt82tE67SBgtezM0DMaWXt3xnU3r0FoZS4T7/w278-h400/interior0006.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hR6HwkiGFGha9jzaKlM-oL4LlF6UUtAVDwoAoPXnB5Hh9qFcNeL4UGlEECA6ezClN_yl34fyBlgGrlmzpkhdp9_aB6IyZE-jay-ps87cBBDxh7LT1Rsrhg6B_Hiux1v0tSJtm409_4J4-tEk2U5NjOs79n4EXIc4em0p1kL9LzJGEpDAJRJmBycfGD-l/s3222/interior0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3222" data-original-width="2195" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hR6HwkiGFGha9jzaKlM-oL4LlF6UUtAVDwoAoPXnB5Hh9qFcNeL4UGlEECA6ezClN_yl34fyBlgGrlmzpkhdp9_aB6IyZE-jay-ps87cBBDxh7LT1Rsrhg6B_Hiux1v0tSJtm409_4J4-tEk2U5NjOs79n4EXIc4em0p1kL9LzJGEpDAJRJmBycfGD-l/w273-h400/interior0007.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8ihtrrpggbbnvaXzfH3VOV-ATJ-BCeYTQhZ_eUfZQxLUd8_FjBDgFVqJLyMG7tbyeykrjJ2qnyAtpKrsV2N4HoeDNzrpbcIMkEAJ0KQUlX6f6XDypXwc7Z2zAr2gNkkJPA4t8aCetOj-SLrVh9wIrfC0Fy0O_wP1KEUtVxg3AQOj3j8Hg_m9NyJCIVqE/s3223/interior0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3223" data-original-width="2175" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8ihtrrpggbbnvaXzfH3VOV-ATJ-BCeYTQhZ_eUfZQxLUd8_FjBDgFVqJLyMG7tbyeykrjJ2qnyAtpKrsV2N4HoeDNzrpbcIMkEAJ0KQUlX6f6XDypXwc7Z2zAr2gNkkJPA4t8aCetOj-SLrVh9wIrfC0Fy0O_wP1KEUtVxg3AQOj3j8Hg_m9NyJCIVqE/w270-h400/interior0008.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxSFxTy3_CoVCxrWvOPnRjqNCGFmwXJ18In1gf9Jsn2rtdWnt6dztfUqFRbSkhsCzvInufhpwaMuwTG3TdojqMJUFMfgOJwGZSVLq8kzm-jb4ABnicKZ9FtGQllGXVT5OgrqiCnMZigjFMsqRIF-xmOZ7Szk009pRvwn-210maD_stErN4V36C6EsNFbW/s3196/interior0009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3196" data-original-width="2195" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxSFxTy3_CoVCxrWvOPnRjqNCGFmwXJ18In1gf9Jsn2rtdWnt6dztfUqFRbSkhsCzvInufhpwaMuwTG3TdojqMJUFMfgOJwGZSVLq8kzm-jb4ABnicKZ9FtGQllGXVT5OgrqiCnMZigjFMsqRIF-xmOZ7Szk009pRvwn-210maD_stErN4V36C6EsNFbW/w275-h400/interior0009.jpg" width="275" /></a></div></span></div>One of the funniest features in this February issue is a parody of <i>Modern Bride</i> magazine. </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheODc76uIBTKtKqFcwF4_ISuGw94tgUPVtjcqdcFEDzaYX02M2bY_8eNUXF-kn4SGZJSJO5v1Xtw4VYbXHAydo1yp8W58N0-wFTWt5IuY2YVq4gxpsYYqg-_FLebJ_C8OWxjlmBETMbpanj_kOJEQU3XE0tg6ABDJ-flyLjadpO_NqOtVrgBParWhcV7EI/s3298/better%20american%20bride.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3298" data-original-width="2325" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheODc76uIBTKtKqFcwF4_ISuGw94tgUPVtjcqdcFEDzaYX02M2bY_8eNUXF-kn4SGZJSJO5v1Xtw4VYbXHAydo1yp8W58N0-wFTWt5IuY2YVq4gxpsYYqg-_FLebJ_C8OWxjlmBETMbpanj_kOJEQU3XE0tg6ABDJ-flyLjadpO_NqOtVrgBParWhcV7EI/w283-h400/better%20american%20bride.jpg" width="283" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjltS8IxGbOHOtQKHOEeUF43pt2QQpD2Jwo-nj_h73ybyV8IW85oc5KhKvmte2x7EiJ3hQGQtaRkFhBFcZZ_TJWCbFjHimEXhN1OTJ9_vV9XA-8Xgc3QphQq17dTusaAjhg4UQuNaCJMo-S2raG__-tvV9vRu62qnal8vyJHeh32MqzmfA6Mpk1hySYCbAH/s2119/triumph%20and%20torment%20front%20cover0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2119" data-original-width="1477" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjltS8IxGbOHOtQKHOEeUF43pt2QQpD2Jwo-nj_h73ybyV8IW85oc5KhKvmte2x7EiJ3hQGQtaRkFhBFcZZ_TJWCbFjHimEXhN1OTJ9_vV9XA-8Xgc3QphQq17dTusaAjhg4UQuNaCJMo-S2raG__-tvV9vRu62qnal8vyJHeh32MqzmfA6Mpk1hySYCbAH/w279-h400/triumph%20and%20torment%20front%20cover0001.jpg" width="279" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9p8w2wqbm0ZqsdXDS67sqebULhbnoQYXieZ_hyG_osQS4MvyT7RlvTaMxQFVVHC_hbbt_ST66F3r9gc0ANVnwJYY9zt6dDkPArsq1DO0JxxCWAboa0i1fDf7z0OIyUenjMlY4qa-fDUmmJGYQsTsp4kSKq5minRb2yAHXMxEBBaI0YAJvWsNnLLp-jsG_/s3261/interior0013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3261" data-original-width="2231" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9p8w2wqbm0ZqsdXDS67sqebULhbnoQYXieZ_hyG_osQS4MvyT7RlvTaMxQFVVHC_hbbt_ST66F3r9gc0ANVnwJYY9zt6dDkPArsq1DO0JxxCWAboa0i1fDf7z0OIyUenjMlY4qa-fDUmmJGYQsTsp4kSKq5minRb2yAHXMxEBBaI0YAJvWsNnLLp-jsG_/w274-h400/interior0013.jpg" width="274" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This 'Lake Innuendo' spoof of the advertisements for the Poconos honeymoon suites (like the Birchwood) that were common in the 70s, is spot-on:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgg_YRbB2Bf7y1fslbYmYNAx3FUS0wxlOXSmMImYUemamuQ8BCC98RQK70EodUDJj_dBuZ789T_72khcmABoG3hV6xOruOiUz0dAjNeswuEoy9IeImoQgzbswkxess8XHAoE8Wm0beUBO6Sqqu3OpK48Bs5dSbKRWjZ_GQwa3LGtNldBueDI4TbvIMvsT/s796/birchwood%20poconos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="461" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgg_YRbB2Bf7y1fslbYmYNAx3FUS0wxlOXSmMImYUemamuQ8BCC98RQK70EodUDJj_dBuZ789T_72khcmABoG3hV6xOruOiUz0dAjNeswuEoy9IeImoQgzbswkxess8XHAoE8Wm0beUBO6Sqqu3OpK48Bs5dSbKRWjZ_GQwa3LGtNldBueDI4TbvIMvsT/w231-h400/birchwood%20poconos.jpg" width="231" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRd1uWD6XSOfTU8IZ9pIkHlkg2OOtELHz770TxnHMYG0mJfSrCmQaovCJpmTrk3P0NF8GsmbXq4xxa4P0TBQHkJf6rp2L9QLqsj2STHL8-cAequO1X5i01w_0BkgSOZiY2riwK6oSZQ_JJ0PZYCdGP8t8Yg1u8hyphenhyphenQe8Z8fE4s-Lsvr-zwLfg-OZb-owFc/s3300/interior0014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2301" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRd1uWD6XSOfTU8IZ9pIkHlkg2OOtELHz770TxnHMYG0mJfSrCmQaovCJpmTrk3P0NF8GsmbXq4xxa4P0TBQHkJf6rp2L9QLqsj2STHL8-cAequO1X5i01w_0BkgSOZiY2riwK6oSZQ_JJ0PZYCdGP8t8Yg1u8hyphenhyphenQe8Z8fE4s-Lsvr-zwLfg-OZb-owFc/w279-h400/interior0014.jpg" width="279" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtQ2Rynkga7HY-DsckRszEUZOO-fe4xrb_rXwGZAzziwOQlMxHRKQbgcQTwXBig3Mp85qQKLnkV-eITpPsUutMZTexVlxbuJ-6tqOGiaDlaSIyCzWTq3HarbYntaZ4-j95_W8oNgxyErV2vqBugVrs-PK2UZXOgKQgaTv28cdCtWaMo5hXtzHVoj851RD/s2172/interior0015.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2172" data-original-width="1502" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtQ2Rynkga7HY-DsckRszEUZOO-fe4xrb_rXwGZAzziwOQlMxHRKQbgcQTwXBig3Mp85qQKLnkV-eITpPsUutMZTexVlxbuJ-6tqOGiaDlaSIyCzWTq3HarbYntaZ4-j95_W8oNgxyErV2vqBugVrs-PK2UZXOgKQgaTv28cdCtWaMo5hXtzHVoj851RD/w276-h400/interior0015.jpg" width="276" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VYtXbNCpuHjw6Yp2PEE1dKA8iM5pu96WM4LAfnd7UHooEjZe7d1F9zA1b2mlMjAjJOu99clTXJgX25syIq4L1vxETDlq6wMoNYyciQWNJVJLIgbzl0sHXWbkUAzgdrJdzo7xb3i0eNPOvZ-HdiZt20xWBgeOnLhsDCdm_PxCxAuCo3ZIEPUmgEe5Z08V/s2153/interior0016.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2153" data-original-width="1461" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VYtXbNCpuHjw6Yp2PEE1dKA8iM5pu96WM4LAfnd7UHooEjZe7d1F9zA1b2mlMjAjJOu99clTXJgX25syIq4L1vxETDlq6wMoNYyciQWNJVJLIgbzl0sHXWbkUAzgdrJdzo7xb3i0eNPOvZ-HdiZt20xWBgeOnLhsDCdm_PxCxAuCo3ZIEPUmgEe5Z08V/w271-h400/interior0016.jpg" width="271" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The comics section has the usual strips. Because this section of the magazine was printed on newsprint rather than 'slick' paper, even at 300 dpi, the scans are not crisp and require much fiddling in order to be legible.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSeW4p7iwaLamLgpmL3_nOJofW7nNU7TO5L9PKQ5r807sbagETAicbBysYCQnctdq-jbvfqqpTM0VU07QwMqAsox6JGZi4kI-0pnqCM65xDaQYrbpEGq7DN0iMcCHlOOcPf7CHbDosUDe6fASYcY_8odX0PMPBcGPgpYmHJwYmM8nhDoayUvDmcU8xG-D/s2105/interior0017.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2105" data-original-width="1578" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSeW4p7iwaLamLgpmL3_nOJofW7nNU7TO5L9PKQ5r807sbagETAicbBysYCQnctdq-jbvfqqpTM0VU07QwMqAsox6JGZi4kI-0pnqCM65xDaQYrbpEGq7DN0iMcCHlOOcPf7CHbDosUDe6fASYcY_8odX0PMPBcGPgpYmHJwYmM8nhDoayUvDmcU8xG-D/w300-h400/interior0017.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr88Iox8nAUGzjGNkes6RXsb9punEVKprVxJ-i7PiJowuIwPosy9lTa_RqNTWy_QUXSUbpnHfodt8NfaGMKNParNcurlWSmcIjYtw3uS98Dr1BqPU5kvhzmQi1UUq9qb-FUHXdnrZUk4EgFZjdvbkGMgcgHtBFUcsgEEFePljXZh-E3eI9OgfiYh1nTeUp/s2161/interior0018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2161" data-original-width="1464" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr88Iox8nAUGzjGNkes6RXsb9punEVKprVxJ-i7PiJowuIwPosy9lTa_RqNTWy_QUXSUbpnHfodt8NfaGMKNParNcurlWSmcIjYtw3uS98Dr1BqPU5kvhzmQi1UUq9qb-FUHXdnrZUk4EgFZjdvbkGMgcgHtBFUcsgEEFePljXZh-E3eI9OgfiYh1nTeUp/w271-h400/interior0018.jpg" width="271" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Ok4F40iUOQrJ2skQHedfamsxHGjCjRUQ0fA48J5vJLjiUinyii_gKHIzZ95BGIEeAvTyRibaYsZU9z3nau-mFWRoIdydHqoCUhYn0monEMkwxJAMh6n8bOyJdzAd9wAKIKwZUXyC0W3UagYP5_plNIbR7BR2yPGzby29TtALeMHTfGz9TjVC1KdDSkju/s2148/interior0020.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2148" data-original-width="1510" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Ok4F40iUOQrJ2skQHedfamsxHGjCjRUQ0fA48J5vJLjiUinyii_gKHIzZ95BGIEeAvTyRibaYsZU9z3nau-mFWRoIdydHqoCUhYn0monEMkwxJAMh6n8bOyJdzAd9wAKIKwZUXyC0W3UagYP5_plNIbR7BR2yPGzby29TtALeMHTfGz9TjVC1KdDSkju/w281-h400/interior0020.jpg" width="281" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ltRp1yVld_mGuUjrVzJDvR99diJTqJd1XuLgYpAMC2ZNdETw66QeukZfCNrYR_lZ10zGegPJBKQzL8uW6wLCuHUiZ3rfkGBxltXKstcIJWS-78BGPpSnxqZsM4ZB4yJoBzLsB-20W-MCbJezFQn5M1Ls35lfIy-Um9BRAFQMi_MQeu7eKRJ2qibXXV-r/s2156/interior0021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2156" data-original-width="1479" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ltRp1yVld_mGuUjrVzJDvR99diJTqJd1XuLgYpAMC2ZNdETw66QeukZfCNrYR_lZ10zGegPJBKQzL8uW6wLCuHUiZ3rfkGBxltXKstcIJWS-78BGPpSnxqZsM4ZB4yJoBzLsB-20W-MCbJezFQn5M1Ls35lfIy-Um9BRAFQMi_MQeu7eKRJ2qibXXV-r/w274-h400/interior0021.jpg" width="274" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">And there you go with <i>Lampoon</i> humor, as it was early in '75............</span></div></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-81579742474537168442024-02-09T09:53:00.004-05:002024-02-09T09:53:53.191-05:00High Times February 1986<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>High Times</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>February 1986</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: red; font-size: xx-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6F_YzW1ClLuE7NfT0UsKmLRUVOQa59ECuQigvOtdoC7IUrJogx2P6TqKHJUenrqrZ-anAoazsLrshohLYhAL5NW2JHUp_15tXJvTTi3IVDGNXarfdlQGIrZOMyuC41aApCK5y7BLybxV5DcAwUqkAZqjnRGUaohqycGc_qqKOmZDt8nz3l9OueiW6Gn86/s3258/fr%20cover0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3258" data-original-width="2409" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6F_YzW1ClLuE7NfT0UsKmLRUVOQa59ECuQigvOtdoC7IUrJogx2P6TqKHJUenrqrZ-anAoazsLrshohLYhAL5NW2JHUp_15tXJvTTi3IVDGNXarfdlQGIrZOMyuC41aApCK5y7BLybxV5DcAwUqkAZqjnRGUaohqycGc_qqKOmZDt8nz3l9OueiW6Gn86/w296-h400/fr%20cover0001.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>February, 1986. The single at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 is 'How Will I Know' by Whitney Houston.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx36aVoOBZVvNJcXRc3K5wB6hYm81WhLDEnxvGZAZjswFvTm3VIBz2E-u3M9pRe1KmS4v-Vhpp_CUpELYE2O04UnaNc-PHDyADgQPkdWLOKEt2GpLpkCd6McuyPvp6FSu271Frp4SSDFUk5gB6WLnHeuzYNuSpJTk-nUZc9-SGbEeX59KWNGeh8oA_kvnz/s921/billboard%20hot%20100%20February%2022%201986.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="921" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx36aVoOBZVvNJcXRc3K5wB6hYm81WhLDEnxvGZAZjswFvTm3VIBz2E-u3M9pRe1KmS4v-Vhpp_CUpELYE2O04UnaNc-PHDyADgQPkdWLOKEt2GpLpkCd6McuyPvp6FSu271Frp4SSDFUk5gB6WLnHeuzYNuSpJTk-nUZc9-SGbEeX59KWNGeh8oA_kvnz/w400-h286/billboard%20hot%20100%20February%2022%201986.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let's sit down with the latest issue of <i>High Times</i> magazine !</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This issue has some genuine highbrow content: an interview with French film director Jean-Luc Godard, and a feature on the UK author and philosopher Colin Wilson.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGB0gey8Qn_vhrsYDfFaEyuIxSI0zG84KcDO0kidV2PcMFxXN1IPJ1p0p9klqWU6VdYmzuRurL4UZoZp9HW_31A6oqOVmts-UTFaE_tzaMeYlW0MasuNq9YJPqjxJZsx8zM763VpDL8E5soHUQ8zL_iKMouuXUz0WgGpXLORatiA3odKARyz4UM72ARZM/s3208/interior0002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3208" data-original-width="2306" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGB0gey8Qn_vhrsYDfFaEyuIxSI0zG84KcDO0kidV2PcMFxXN1IPJ1p0p9klqWU6VdYmzuRurL4UZoZp9HW_31A6oqOVmts-UTFaE_tzaMeYlW0MasuNq9YJPqjxJZsx8zM763VpDL8E5soHUQ8zL_iKMouuXUz0WgGpXLORatiA3odKARyz4UM72ARZM/w288-h400/interior0002.jpg" width="288" /></a><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoWtdLr4b-jkJAt1WoPEef2OqAT5u7Py3rk5ZlQ0HIblY945A0oRyF5VsMuH_gamZPuhZHjV4lLYtHRqGIBqYFTprs8L_jlZ8jkw81yHLUShdt71TDi1IrYMVu7rJcoJeep_iMZMCBvWhIb5Gn0-3_bCArY3zNLCzejzhhaWJ6PJlf3Fbs_KniG5OlMqk/s3253/interior0006.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3253" data-original-width="2298" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoWtdLr4b-jkJAt1WoPEef2OqAT5u7Py3rk5ZlQ0HIblY945A0oRyF5VsMuH_gamZPuhZHjV4lLYtHRqGIBqYFTprs8L_jlZ8jkw81yHLUShdt71TDi1IrYMVu7rJcoJeep_iMZMCBvWhIb5Gn0-3_bCArY3zNLCzejzhhaWJ6PJlf3Fbs_KniG5OlMqk/w283-h400/interior0006.jpg" width="283" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPBOSqQnmo2C8lWOuinj7KA82Zegbjm0dGQTWwGpi73vbtGtoIG0jdef4eMFf9yvup-Na3MZsDkPBKaU50E6Z4w87negX_GbeOHk1WD7qDkkp0C9TnB7wtLXKqqU5Uxm9E6I2YdP33F9iEFrnBWtMTQ2_V54Sjt0Lh70Jj4inMCAnN13SOXeoWLch0ZNd/s2141/interior0007.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2141" data-original-width="1586" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPBOSqQnmo2C8lWOuinj7KA82Zegbjm0dGQTWwGpi73vbtGtoIG0jdef4eMFf9yvup-Na3MZsDkPBKaU50E6Z4w87negX_GbeOHk1WD7qDkkp0C9TnB7wtLXKqqU5Uxm9E6I2YdP33F9iEFrnBWtMTQ2_V54Sjt0Lh70Jj4inMCAnN13SOXeoWLch0ZNd/w296-h400/interior0007.jpg" width="296" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There's a music article on up-and-coming folkie, and geek girl icon, Suzanne Vega. Her song 'Luka' would be a breakout hit in 1987.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_BAPx168zNX6ruRPMvf2JJFBQdyhuaGFXIevaARO83kGYr0Fe2j1mgdETuVZZ31FXOFzljF2bn0StkLg6FtWU5Lbt6I_gzWK0Ty8yLCiPm93JS28puDJ4vTKgnYJam6KoOLL7xunIKbgH8hL1Vp1b23EPQoc2Y00hxbpxRrjalMmBzaOM9yApGCNHNs3/s3360/interior0008.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3360" data-original-width="2350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_BAPx168zNX6ruRPMvf2JJFBQdyhuaGFXIevaARO83kGYr0Fe2j1mgdETuVZZ31FXOFzljF2bn0StkLg6FtWU5Lbt6I_gzWK0Ty8yLCiPm93JS28puDJ4vTKgnYJam6KoOLL7xunIKbgH8hL1Vp1b23EPQoc2Y00hxbpxRrjalMmBzaOM9yApGCNHNs3/w280-h400/interior0008.jpg" width="280" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyU0bScb9xXUZyWHHfbQCH1bv4dzBKoWt1Iq27ZY7DsVP8k_iva5gnWAFnqBfRxZG2yXwmh-fDO6fWSFnbBEMNP3ZT6GvfINvNEhQv7ekuYBys2T-e_a2DRLGwUC1I0MFZMxww1eD1gTFMuMNvPdSyxG_-BBVcyFgMgZiytmvzVCD8C_3kpRqPAGP2P4Ho/s3249/interior0009.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3249" data-original-width="2291" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyU0bScb9xXUZyWHHfbQCH1bv4dzBKoWt1Iq27ZY7DsVP8k_iva5gnWAFnqBfRxZG2yXwmh-fDO6fWSFnbBEMNP3ZT6GvfINvNEhQv7ekuYBys2T-e_a2DRLGwUC1I0MFZMxww1eD1gTFMuMNvPdSyxG_-BBVcyFgMgZiytmvzVCD8C_3kpRqPAGP2P4Ho/w283-h400/interior0009.jpg" width="283" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Indicating the editorial board's greater emphasis on promoting not just marijuana-related issues, but all left-of-center political causes, there's a lengthy article on anti-abortion politics.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2HuJ3bVIUYIdRagb0AsZdz5_ZsR58TtoBOKLuqB0rllTMwzuS5htR2J6JSy29ccmFQ-7IAom-uQz4L4PT-nzZBUN4ZSZLNSpQyNOEsWRHumt3jwXwYTbHHFhwmXi-ged5z9iO5uoPPAOn9F8ZOTWR_pveedpoWHpmQqBOv5VvmVmAtQeIeBUSd0q9DRu/s1124/abortion%20composite.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="1124" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2HuJ3bVIUYIdRagb0AsZdz5_ZsR58TtoBOKLuqB0rllTMwzuS5htR2J6JSy29ccmFQ-7IAom-uQz4L4PT-nzZBUN4ZSZLNSpQyNOEsWRHumt3jwXwYTbHHFhwmXi-ged5z9iO5uoPPAOn9F8ZOTWR_pveedpoWHpmQqBOv5VvmVmAtQeIeBUSd0q9DRu/w400-h284/abortion%20composite.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The magazine does stay true to its roots with the traditional columns and features from botanical guru Ed Rosenthal. Kids, can you believe that back in 1986, it was a big deal to send in photos to <i>High Times</i> of you and your plants, all in a clandestine fashion ? Quite a change from how it is nowadays, where you can stroll into your fave dispensary and select from an impressive array of legitimate 'product' !</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR65JRKT0xnXLLc04zkuwLAg6wx3GTELgF2c8Yayl6o2xqMa1k1y5eHqiqc6L4Mv_pQ1971HH-xJ5RrCNnY_IwWGor8ZZQSBrhlrjEhUJqft7Knhs3jCwqnGnP_V9L51oJsoh46XjbtxqdBNsAtASSirEh-OiQCyhHhrPa0NTw4WbMFAPu-0rLsq5Y5dw4/s3249/interior0015.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3249" data-original-width="2295" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR65JRKT0xnXLLc04zkuwLAg6wx3GTELgF2c8Yayl6o2xqMa1k1y5eHqiqc6L4Mv_pQ1971HH-xJ5RrCNnY_IwWGor8ZZQSBrhlrjEhUJqft7Knhs3jCwqnGnP_V9L51oJsoh46XjbtxqdBNsAtASSirEh-OiQCyhHhrPa0NTw4WbMFAPu-0rLsq5Y5dw4/w283-h400/interior0015.jpg" width="283" /></span></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSu1IzsocYt8uEl1UzFqnlhBILbQtuHfI-rmstzuagDFV1hedL_epqOaHrnjk8MA1X0zXgZ-FLK3zc9BHJ53PDP40h0NN9o3jbnpG9zKHJPkqhU5i_RSiSq8-36RCUWOzlWaPbjFUvq2BpDGhFg3PNFUz-byXeBmHQ3lyvwrvB8OufIZLTbZhccWDyMU1L/s3255/interior0012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3255" data-original-width="2350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSu1IzsocYt8uEl1UzFqnlhBILbQtuHfI-rmstzuagDFV1hedL_epqOaHrnjk8MA1X0zXgZ-FLK3zc9BHJ53PDP40h0NN9o3jbnpG9zKHJPkqhU5i_RSiSq8-36RCUWOzlWaPbjFUvq2BpDGhFg3PNFUz-byXeBmHQ3lyvwrvB8OufIZLTbZhccWDyMU1L/w289-h400/interior0012.jpg" width="289" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8slKXVU-4Ra1Aua1rW74LBI9q9ZjbwxwR3jOSN99B_ix41Rma5XflY1nC-u73en0yJ1hf-6l6FFmg0RmW88QZfWo8iP1-rcsh8cHCZ3h8U4qgBNooeE5cufTwNgYgrpukoZeNNBkVKaUUrHImg_62mn9a_vAo7-U0CpuQQhWgftuSlwvAz2A7BP1szVHC/s3248/interior0013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3248" data-original-width="2302" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8slKXVU-4Ra1Aua1rW74LBI9q9ZjbwxwR3jOSN99B_ix41Rma5XflY1nC-u73en0yJ1hf-6l6FFmg0RmW88QZfWo8iP1-rcsh8cHCZ3h8U4qgBNooeE5cufTwNgYgrpukoZeNNBkVKaUUrHImg_62mn9a_vAo7-U0CpuQQhWgftuSlwvAz2A7BP1szVHC/w284-h400/interior0013.jpg" width="284" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The advertisements showcase a 'dope' board game, various formulations of 'food supplements' (gotta cut that coke with <i>something</i> !) and pot growing paraphernalia. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I never bought any of those mushroom growing 'kits', as my understanding was that even if you were able to grow the <i>Psilocybe</i> spp. mushrooms in the first place, the yield was so tiny that you weren't going to catch a buzz.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LkOCkcD1EdnXL-lQilxOkP0PwOyajWDVAfWdEkUN_0yvUAC9W4eMhNMmug3RrGtZbcnm-sdVygT8cbQzX_BgeBtU55HnzCyhT8czt7JoV9-Nv7PCVypNO87XrqfCMJDOeNRQ5v-gDUTOpWxOBSLCuhyphenhyphenyOm6KzQRG48dSCIxk7cMTU3TsrDOnzMJCRjuk/s1028/interior0004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="936" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LkOCkcD1EdnXL-lQilxOkP0PwOyajWDVAfWdEkUN_0yvUAC9W4eMhNMmug3RrGtZbcnm-sdVygT8cbQzX_BgeBtU55HnzCyhT8czt7JoV9-Nv7PCVypNO87XrqfCMJDOeNRQ5v-gDUTOpWxOBSLCuhyphenhyphenyOm6KzQRG48dSCIxk7cMTU3TsrDOnzMJCRjuk/w291-h320/interior0004.jpg" width="291" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iGduUMTc6iFidTwCPr15vJOVyyMqjTwVvSwOyiCiRSxyD6J53YDwr-aZY4d_vStOVRU5dPFNkOvJSqvfkcNeMB3x6b0gMWXWHt7QFd0juRCJYY8lHmIIjQFFbywnu_jmPFf7ycOKrZKKGhE3RZvliAzI64AbJhfMxOFFylE5Dmql2aRWDmDIibPi3pei/s3096/interior0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3096" data-original-width="2276" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iGduUMTc6iFidTwCPr15vJOVyyMqjTwVvSwOyiCiRSxyD6J53YDwr-aZY4d_vStOVRU5dPFNkOvJSqvfkcNeMB3x6b0gMWXWHt7QFd0juRCJYY8lHmIIjQFFbywnu_jmPFf7ycOKrZKKGhE3RZvliAzI64AbJhfMxOFFylE5Dmql2aRWDmDIibPi3pei/w294-h400/interior0001.jpg" width="294" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGH6ej_IOkcSJM0GD0kRI1cllxPBA2-kegddOKx3G-XnSTYxuuHLs2nm_4vxKhpWK18qHIS2lJ5nX50zbIQEqbJN89hxR9OH7VxLE_zCzEIz5xL89zXBot3HgLyC6-BQuzkGRFr0bzgVsQXO4LwZxVQg80kBlFcx0tO07pc7ztyueHe8EaoYWO9BFAtMFy/s2147/interior0003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2147" data-original-width="1520" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGH6ej_IOkcSJM0GD0kRI1cllxPBA2-kegddOKx3G-XnSTYxuuHLs2nm_4vxKhpWK18qHIS2lJ5nX50zbIQEqbJN89hxR9OH7VxLE_zCzEIz5xL89zXBot3HgLyC6-BQuzkGRFr0bzgVsQXO4LwZxVQg80kBlFcx0tO07pc7ztyueHe8EaoYWO9BFAtMFy/w284-h400/interior0003.jpg" width="284" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Harkening back to the days of yore, we get a reminiscence of how it was in the early 1980s to make dope-buying trips down into Mexico. But in the mid-80s, things were becoming <i>very dangerous</i>..........</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGn9HoTadsA6jRxVlSmiXlp1FNNiDagPiZ5kdGLwPFPtyOucegYOC7HfuJ821oz5uiomPRyKSyvQov4dJ0zNVw2ud0NoerAbsTZZxxfpR-l1QqSdckCWpnknjGGu_31Xmrdl53fMIqNH_BlnRLthT3qh3wRA6OJY89xGmJ2Qawlow731Li9a_gKeBFJvG/s2173/interior0005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2173" data-original-width="1572" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGn9HoTadsA6jRxVlSmiXlp1FNNiDagPiZ5kdGLwPFPtyOucegYOC7HfuJ821oz5uiomPRyKSyvQov4dJ0zNVw2ud0NoerAbsTZZxxfpR-l1QqSdckCWpnknjGGu_31Xmrdl53fMIqNH_BlnRLthT3qh3wRA6OJY89xGmJ2Qawlow731Li9a_gKeBFJvG/w289-h400/interior0005.jpg" width="289" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">And on the pop culture front, well, the <i>High Times</i> editorial staff aren't all that happy with those <i>Death Wish</i> films and their glorification of vigilante violence.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRisETe8Epc8gvE-2S7N7NgBIgLKjf1i4e6KeaKKlHxs_4MW5HF1fFKZMtbUdlqpGLbxJltdQWM8CtqDGmm1-MZ0blUK56CyMC_V5LGvMw1EMWOKiKosU9p9V9BtcY0B6UasdlPgjiG5VcHRlfs4ATmwUkIbYt6BnDaYuptAfg-RhJFyIrN24EDVNy-QF/s2133/interior0014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2133" data-original-width="1522" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRisETe8Epc8gvE-2S7N7NgBIgLKjf1i4e6KeaKKlHxs_4MW5HF1fFKZMtbUdlqpGLbxJltdQWM8CtqDGmm1-MZ0blUK56CyMC_V5LGvMw1EMWOKiKosU9p9V9BtcY0B6UasdlPgjiG5VcHRlfs4ATmwUkIbYt6BnDaYuptAfg-RhJFyIrN24EDVNy-QF/w285-h400/interior0014.jpg" width="285" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">That's how it was, folks, 38 years ago, in the pages of <i>High Times</i>. Truth be told, I read this issue with some disappointment. The goofy, hippie / Cheech and Chong / counterculture vibe that made the magazine resonate so well with the stoner culture during the 1970s and early 1980s, was by the mid-80s replaced by editorial concepts and directions that considerably were more 'corporate' in attitude. Admittedly, this editorial strategy was increasing circulation, but at the same time, it felt like something of the original soul of the publication was leaching away............</span>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-27125204532437905402024-02-06T10:58:00.000-05:002024-02-06T10:58:07.707-05:00Hardboiled paperbacks February 2024<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>Hardboiled Paperbacks</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>February 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIe8J9tzGsIgMxB8R-FBTuAHgJBZ0yttX7xVseNKTOaqk7qJ6_RTQUOgtNsukZoaSfN9YcFzrBCXp1rNWgVEEj8hSlVY74EJZrp4dQhwY5owtgqzJM8j7FW31nBrVvfxQw3mDEdA99TBTQGJvbXo_DeYZmVPemunhGMS_a3Os-TUe8fAdLqKyIa3TOQjnJ/s4497/hardboiled%20lineup%20February%202024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3749" data-original-width="4497" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIe8J9tzGsIgMxB8R-FBTuAHgJBZ0yttX7xVseNKTOaqk7qJ6_RTQUOgtNsukZoaSfN9YcFzrBCXp1rNWgVEEj8hSlVY74EJZrp4dQhwY5owtgqzJM8j7FW31nBrVvfxQw3mDEdA99TBTQGJvbXo_DeYZmVPemunhGMS_a3Os-TUe8fAdLqKyIa3TOQjnJ/w400-h334/hardboiled%20lineup%20February%202024.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Looking to take a break from a steady diet of science fiction, fantasy, and horror paperbacks, I stopped in at a bookstore in downtown Charlottesville this past weekend and picked up a selection of hardboiled crime paperbacks. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have to admire the grasping way Fawcett Crest took old John D. MacDonald novels and novelettes from the detective fiction digests of the 1950s, and repackaged them for paperback publication in the 1980s. Hard Case Crime displays a similar sense of enterprise in reprinting Richard Prather's 1963 novel 'The Peddler' in 2006, with a nice Robert McGuiness cover illustration. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And who knew that sometime in the early 1970s, Roger Zelazny had written a spy / suspense novel ?! I'll have to see if it incorporates New Wave parlance, or sticks with a straightforward prose styling...........<b><br /></b></span></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-14475443576189791252024-02-03T09:29:00.000-05:002024-02-03T09:29:11.597-05:00Book Review: The Jones Men<div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZntpzyEf7tsbrFPUE_V5yNKap61YRuVffA1G50zctw9U2dwdu1612MSUKdkGCzfbnrZ7MaQL2W0zt-28Lv4b4J41JCMBWDXkYlN77d0rxJDK30d8Nn2b3oaoJHuYdMljMVqlyeJtu9UAUeFNqERrulNkAlV_ORfob0GrMZBzWVnhWU60UGrSNUbQPMKNh/s198/black%20history%20month%20insignia.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="143" data-original-width="198" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZntpzyEf7tsbrFPUE_V5yNKap61YRuVffA1G50zctw9U2dwdu1612MSUKdkGCzfbnrZ7MaQL2W0zt-28Lv4b4J41JCMBWDXkYlN77d0rxJDK30d8Nn2b3oaoJHuYdMljMVqlyeJtu9UAUeFNqERrulNkAlV_ORfob0GrMZBzWVnhWU60UGrSNUbQPMKNh/w200-h144/black%20history%20month%20insignia.png" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>Book Review: 'The Jones Men' by Vern E. Smith</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: red; font-size: xx-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WhFrtM6AKIzr67oKX1I2lcAZQ1kp5wEGmsshKXcjZCuAXnljZw9NH4v1e-fSVxgpg2UNP9d7X6gG7PGjtReVNYx2tP0KAuF0eZJbMiF_XjB0TMHagsv-qWDyJaL96ewDCcazJX3-0TUopin00XDaUbEu0M-0PcNGCeFXO3wnYZuIxi_CfnTdqK0NFPAL/s2462/the%20jones%20men.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2462" data-original-width="1642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WhFrtM6AKIzr67oKX1I2lcAZQ1kp5wEGmsshKXcjZCuAXnljZw9NH4v1e-fSVxgpg2UNP9d7X6gG7PGjtReVNYx2tP0KAuF0eZJbMiF_XjB0TMHagsv-qWDyJaL96ewDCcazJX3-0TUopin00XDaUbEu0M-0PcNGCeFXO3wnYZuIxi_CfnTdqK0NFPAL/w266-h400/the%20jones%20men.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><span style="color: #351c75;"><b>5 / 5 Stars</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here at the PorPor Books Blog, we like to celebrate Black History Month by reading and reviewing a book (fiction or nonfiction) that describes the Black Experience. For February 2024, we are reviewing 'The Jones Men' by Vern E. Smith.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">'The Jones Men' first was published in 1974. This Old School Books / W. W. Norton trade paperback edition (222 pp.) was issued in 1998.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Vern E. Smith was born in Natchez, Mississippi, in 1946. In 1971 he joined <i>Newsweek</i> magazine as a reporter in the Detroit office, later serving as the bureau chief in Atlanta from 1979 to 2002. Although Smith has contributed pieces to nonfiction books (such as 'Charlie Company: What Vietnam Did To Us'), and written screenplays, 'The Jones Men' remains his only published crime novel.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">'The Jones Men' is set in Detroit in the early 1970s. The two protagonists, Lenny Jack and Joe Redd, are youngbloods looking to make it big as drug dealers - 'jones men' - in the city underworld. Lenny Jack intends to get his heroin inventory in a particularly dangerous fashion: stealing it from Willie McDaniel, Detroit's drug kingpin.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While ripping off Willie McDaniel is something of a death wish, Lenny Jack is living with a fatalism born in the jungles of South Vietnam, where, as a soldier in the American Army, he recovered from a serious wound. As far as Lenny Jack is concerned, he has nothing to lose. Either his heist works, or it doesn't.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But while Lenny is a reckless man, he isn't a stupid man. He's willing to pay top dollar to hire a team of gunslingers to protect himself. And he's taking all manner of precautions to avoid alerting the Detroit criminal enterprise to his plans.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As snow falls on the mean streets of the city, Lenny Jack and Joe Redd are about to pull off a robbery that will bring chaos and violence to Detroit. The question is, will they live to enjoy the proceeds ?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">'The Jones Men' is one of the best crime novels I've ever read.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The author uses a clean, clipped prose style that communicates a hardboiled sensibility. But it avoids the pitfall of getting so caught up in the hardboiled diction that the prose comes across as an unwitting self-parody.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The chapters are short and the plot unfolds with speed. There are subplots that contribute to the narrative without retarding it. The novel builds in a careful and deliberate way to a slam-bang climax of violence and mayhem, that leaves no plot threads dangling.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Author Smith fills the pages of 'The Jones Men' with descriptive passages communicating the street culture of the Detroit of the mid-1970s. These passages give the action an authentic sensibility. In your mind's eye, as you read the book, you can visualize the El Dorados and Fleetwoods cruising the ghetto streets under overcast skies, their drivers wearing the latest and greatest in Player fashion, listening to Marvin Gaye and Al Green on the dashboard tape deck.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Anyone who appreciates a well-written crime novel is going to want a copy of 'The Jones Men'.<br /></span></div></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-62834370717362368932024-02-01T11:12:00.001-05:002024-02-01T11:12:48.154-05:00Al Stewart LPs<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b> Al Stewart LPs</b></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT29SNY0-Up1-YrMTv3OqFQFyLNrundQd1SnmuMFa1BNlYfmyMN7Cr8ap0lUuSRz1JRLbSwB-7HcYBSsanMZBlRjkx_xIuZEabAnh8CoVI8ysPd4McqJRYptW0EklUIs5rblfU0kC6LydEQLH8v_geHUU852DvGTMpcK5LbVLtenxEz7WulUC946KNLLz4/s4160/al%20stewart%20lineup.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT29SNY0-Up1-YrMTv3OqFQFyLNrundQd1SnmuMFa1BNlYfmyMN7Cr8ap0lUuSRz1JRLbSwB-7HcYBSsanMZBlRjkx_xIuZEabAnh8CoVI8ysPd4McqJRYptW0EklUIs5rblfU0kC6LydEQLH8v_geHUU852DvGTMpcK5LbVLtenxEz7WulUC946KNLLz4/w300-h400/al%20stewart%20lineup.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">top: <i>Time Passages</i> (1978) and <i>24 Carrots</i> (1980), center, <i>Year of the Cat</i> (1976) and <i>Live / Indian Summer</i> (1981), bottom, <i>Modern Times</i> (1975)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial;">If you are a Baby Boomer than you undoubtedly are familiar with the music of Scotsman Al Stewart (b. 1945). While Stewart's first album, <i>Bedsitter Images</i>, was released in 1967, he really became prominent following the release of the LP <i>Year of the Cat</i> in 1976. Its eponymous track was perfectly made for the FM, Album Oriented Rock radio stations of the 1970s. </span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Successive albums saw heavy airplay for the tracks 'Time Passages' and 'Midnight Rocks'. Stewart released studio albums all the way up to 2008 and continues to tour the UK.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Stewart's albums from the 1970s and 1980s are readily available at used record stores and websites, for quite affordable prices. These LPs feature his distinctive lisping voice and impeccable musical accompaniment and production (check out the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCOQJjbX5-Y&ab_channel=pomluit" target="_blank">flamenco guitar on the track</a> 'What's Going On'). They are AOR at its most polished, and the musicianship is the antithesis of modern-day Algorithm Pop. Certainly well worth a listen to, now that vinyl firmly is back in fashion.</span></div></div></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-31709210887283551652024-01-30T10:45:00.000-05:002024-01-30T10:45:46.923-05:00Book Review: The Eye of the World<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>Book Review: 'The Eye of the World' by Robert Jordan</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcCO1ZEx64CDsz0htioXk8RcUMXfsMWgkoZ5xWXrJP72XRIAAb_5QI0ftSxFFGBP7P9iF-Q3opgc2yz9QQsEvC7Cenyxv5pdx6h4oIejNKttoX6qvav2lfoi6BuFpqimNNudznKvxENKvNtlJXaXfnFRLLs8FCujg3QfcEiiLGdzs4a6OZpXoHYS7Wi1Z/s2679/the%20eye%20of%20the%20world0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2679" data-original-width="1780" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcCO1ZEx64CDsz0htioXk8RcUMXfsMWgkoZ5xWXrJP72XRIAAb_5QI0ftSxFFGBP7P9iF-Q3opgc2yz9QQsEvC7Cenyxv5pdx6h4oIejNKttoX6qvav2lfoi6BuFpqimNNudznKvxENKvNtlJXaXfnFRLLs8FCujg3QfcEiiLGdzs4a6OZpXoHYS7Wi1Z/w266-h400/the%20eye%20of%20the%20world0001.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: arial;">3 / 5 Stars</span></b><div><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div>‘The Eye of the World’ first was published in hardcover by Tor Books in January, 1990. A mass market paperback edition was released in November of that year. In 2022, as a tie-in to the amazon.com series based on the ‘Wheel of Time’ franchise, Tor released 'Eye' as one of the volumes in a boxed set of trade paperbacks compiling the first five novels in the series.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLTCcWqeHMUaknoBkqSzEiAGpPB-ef2yp2w-5YJurYdhUOD8h_G7ymjrVWKWLlRuaW4KcPlqJWNlYRayCi8D_W3svzWHLCTKVbzXQw4PTgjb2iJvqipgMaC8AgJBjPbjsXmA-0melWqucwZZyH_8Ux8rvWZlEp4IRNbeyTA9-adUbVIeWW8GOvJcX4vEY/s5065/best%20wheel%20jpg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4522" data-original-width="5065" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLTCcWqeHMUaknoBkqSzEiAGpPB-ef2yp2w-5YJurYdhUOD8h_G7ymjrVWKWLlRuaW4KcPlqJWNlYRayCi8D_W3svzWHLCTKVbzXQw4PTgjb2iJvqipgMaC8AgJBjPbjsXmA-0melWqucwZZyH_8Ux8rvWZlEp4IRNbeyTA9-adUbVIeWW8GOvJcX4vEY/w400-h358/best%20wheel%20jpg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><div>Robert Jordan was the pen name of author James Oliver Rigby, who published the first 12 volumes in the Wheel of Time series prior to his death in 2007. Thereafter, based on notes from Rigby, Brian Sanderson completed an additional three novels. So the entirety of the Wheel of Time series consists of 15 novels. Most of the cover illustrations were done by Darrell K. Sweet. </div><div><br /></div><div>Some of these 'Wheel' novels are gargantuan, approaching 1,000 pages in length as mass-market paperbacks. The trade paperback edition of ‘The Shadow Rising’ is 955 pages long…………</div><div><br /></div><div>Back in the early 1990s I was aware of the Wheel of Time novels, but had no real desire to read them, mainly because the decade saw the advent of the practice by publishers of releasing lengthy novels that were components of multivolume series. I already had committed to David Wingrove’s ‘Chung Kuo’ franchise, and there was only so much content I could process.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTev9HSzKwL8LSOjN0kAmhX2iPBN-JBo1C1YuUfVXuxY1a25PtbrIpbkIIB_LSfarDlzuOr-l84kwmA4L4-NDtdiEe0GnId4UBZGWbiHCjmKS_rnCge1-IIf0FkO-7WUjOD8GZwnbNGn7guvMDxw9R6L40W0jxgzKy0TutZxICp4tqwOZ-tZkQtVM4ROa7/s1500/the%20eye%20of%20the%20world%201990%20edition.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="988" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTev9HSzKwL8LSOjN0kAmhX2iPBN-JBo1C1YuUfVXuxY1a25PtbrIpbkIIB_LSfarDlzuOr-l84kwmA4L4-NDtdiEe0GnId4UBZGWbiHCjmKS_rnCge1-IIf0FkO-7WUjOD8GZwnbNGn7guvMDxw9R6L40W0jxgzKy0TutZxICp4tqwOZ-tZkQtVM4ROa7/w264-h400/the%20eye%20of%20the%20world%201990%20edition.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><div>Having procured the five-volume box set at a discount from Ollie’s Bargain Outlet this past Fall, I decided I was in the proper frame of mind to approach the Wheel of Time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I learned that the initial volume in the series is ‘New Spring’, which was released in 2004 as a prequel. It was a digestible 299 pages. After that, I ventured into ‘Eye of the World’, which is a hefty 779 pages. So between them I processed some 1,078 pages of Wheel of Time content.......</div><div><br /></div><div>It’s no spoiler to say that the Wheel of Time franchise is modeled on Tolkien; indeed, anyone familiar with the 'Lord of the Rings' will recognize characters and themes that have been imported into ‘The Eye of the World’. </div><div><br /></div><div>The world in which the Wheel novels are set has no formal name, but fanboys apparently have designated it ‘Randland’. It is the standard-issue medieval landscape where magic is practiced, and the safety and peace of the world gradually are being threatened by a Dark Lord.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Xe9pIZnde2wrrjL5tZxS1ofobDX5-MPL6D7sncy15kSE0aRAdVg4NzTZ7b_EIqKaCkv9DdQBj18H9TRkd1GwtiOeQAkNj6kmPVVf1GcIkY2_i56YX7A5dhBhxuAwKbrX6mHiNKXO_hJjLOKfH04x7y7-BdkRHtODZbxZTH_4HlklU7YENIJcaYub4tfF/s2683/new%20spring0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2683" data-original-width="1795" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Xe9pIZnde2wrrjL5tZxS1ofobDX5-MPL6D7sncy15kSE0aRAdVg4NzTZ7b_EIqKaCkv9DdQBj18H9TRkd1GwtiOeQAkNj6kmPVVf1GcIkY2_i56YX7A5dhBhxuAwKbrX6mHiNKXO_hJjLOKfH04x7y7-BdkRHtODZbxZTH_4HlklU7YENIJcaYub4tfF/w268-h400/new%20spring0001.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>‘New Spring’ introduces us to two of the lead characters in the initial novels in the series, a female incarnation of Gandalf, known as Moraine; and her taciturn bodyguard Lan, who is an Aragorn clone. </div><div><br /></div><div>‘New Spring’ was a chore to get through, and I almost gave up on it numerous times. The novel, which is set in a kind of Hogwarts academy for sorceresses, is entirely devoted to exposition. Exposition about interior décor, furniture, fabrics and textiles, wardrobes, mess hall comestibles, student hijinks, student rivalries, student jealousies, enigmatic Prophecies of Doom, sorcery proficiency exams that can be fatal, and the political machinations of various nations embedded in Randland.</div><div><br /></div><div>After finishing ‘New Spring’ I took a deep breath and started in on ‘The Eye of the World’. The first 106 pages are more exposition, serving to introduce the reader to the large cast of characters, including Rand Al’ Thor, the Wheel’s counterpart of Frodo Baggins. Rand lives with friends and family in the placid hamlet (and Shire clone) of Two Rivers, where people live as they have done for centuries, vaguely aware of momentous events that took place far, far away and long, long ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>As it turns out one of the boys residing in Two Rivers is a Chosen One who, alone among the innocents of the world, can defeat the Dark Lord (aka Shai’ Tan, aka Ba’alzamon, aka Lord Foul, aka Sauron………….you get it). </div><div><br /></div><div>So, the minions of the Dark One arrive, with murder and mayhem on their mind, on page 106. Thereafter novel embarks on its main narrative, which is a Quest to the eponymous Eye and, hopefully, a resolution of the conflict with the Dark One.</div><div><br /></div><div>Inevitably with a novel of its length, ‘Eye’ can drag at times, but it must be said that the author does inject moments of suspense and action at regular intervals so the narrative is not as dilatory as it perhaps could be.</div><div><br /></div><div>I approached the end of the book aware that it was simply an opening installment in a franchise, but the denouement of ‘Eye’ does deliver some degree of resolution and is not simply a ‘continued in the next volume’ contrivance.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am comfortable with giving the tandem of ‘New Spring’ and ‘The Eye of the World’ a Three Star Rating. Those readers who have the patience and temperament for contemplative, lengthy narratives will find the Wheel of Time to be rewarding. Those preferring shorter works, with more compact world-building and characterization, might want to think for a bit before sitting down with 'The Eye of the World'. </div></span></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-57338634646379845482024-01-27T12:05:00.002-05:002024-01-28T12:15:36.920-05:00Robocop 2 comic adaptation<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Robocop 2</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Official Comic Book Adaptation</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Marvel, August 1990</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: red; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS2QazjbHkqZfjZRjepNw-9fXRVL7NnIMcxn5G-tRzinwx5nwQsXGEV5ouzBEUWAbiGSYrDbO_YjFwQyAS42A00y9QsChM8MgtAcGVENIkFJrh5jfj-ZCRV-XePMlLiFLA9fn6eT2y7sExtOZOMVuO1yShOg4uQ7xNjxL8wntcT6lTqk0b77K_zzy-XRNk/s3250/fr%20cover0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3250" data-original-width="2397" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS2QazjbHkqZfjZRjepNw-9fXRVL7NnIMcxn5G-tRzinwx5nwQsXGEV5ouzBEUWAbiGSYrDbO_YjFwQyAS42A00y9QsChM8MgtAcGVENIkFJrh5jfj-ZCRV-XePMlLiFLA9fn6eT2y7sExtOZOMVuO1yShOg4uQ7xNjxL8wntcT6lTqk0b77K_zzy-XRNk/w295-h400/fr%20cover0001.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>The official comic book adaptation of the movie <i>Robocop 2</i> was published by Marvel in August, 1990 and is 61 pages in length. The book was adapted by the script by Frank Miller and Walon Green by Alan Grant, and Mark Bagley provides the pencils.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChybt6cYSh_MwsG8bI85TqwHoBdwTvYrmksu-PeBjYs79LIYvUff1TLYqd_ux0ov3rdbAA7MDYn-1zCeBJ7ecp7qn1V5XDHFXWzOKNfhpo-UIrOG0gAwvgVMfzMNcblxmzWWRK-bp3yDSdhLWgy1RBcihyphenhyphenwtYtg12bk_KirAGiQ_9l982hVBqVEiOeVu8/s2113/interior0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2113" data-original-width="1585" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChybt6cYSh_MwsG8bI85TqwHoBdwTvYrmksu-PeBjYs79LIYvUff1TLYqd_ux0ov3rdbAA7MDYn-1zCeBJ7ecp7qn1V5XDHFXWzOKNfhpo-UIrOG0gAwvgVMfzMNcblxmzWWRK-bp3yDSdhLWgy1RBcihyphenhyphenwtYtg12bk_KirAGiQ_9l982hVBqVEiOeVu8/w300-h400/interior0001.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>The comic book adaptation adheres pretty closely to the script, so there are no surprises in terms of including scenes that were present in initial drafts, but cut from the shooting script.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizodf53JEwtWE6x-oVs92fKNCQzUUg3n11zsi7FQ27GC9c5FrQj4s0fIiUb6s9UGEKMhRiYoNgsxleNV8S1EA6N4tD3iyp4TKzG0WyZ1CUIJuuHYOxqHjh_XyQ1m9SkCUNeBM2ed4w4wVXkn0ghimppT-E5w2P3zraAskM5yIQKnLe8-3PBWra66fEQV60/s1421/interior0002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1421" data-original-width="556" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizodf53JEwtWE6x-oVs92fKNCQzUUg3n11zsi7FQ27GC9c5FrQj4s0fIiUb6s9UGEKMhRiYoNgsxleNV8S1EA6N4tD3iyp4TKzG0WyZ1CUIJuuHYOxqHjh_XyQ1m9SkCUNeBM2ed4w4wVXkn0ghimppT-E5w2P3zraAskM5yIQKnLe8-3PBWra66fEQV60/w250-h640/interior0002.jpg" width="250" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Presumably the licensing deal for the comic book did not include the rights to the likenesses of the major actors, so Bagley's art renders the characters in a generic fashion. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWUjRu2-jN_-_1_ryXC5OzqFwKWBK3hdLg31mWj3h42H6eEiSJmEe1ZY-WQOBOv94VkuZnfawOKNFrsYuXjVbBSt9SSpS0i2RzLGQv9Q76Nm3gg05kJYsE93J4W1XOZrAomNYAgo09W9TK9Q3K9hk7QNpDGEivKE0hsSz0zS5UbGP1I6j2cCHvIX6WhtE/s1407/interior0003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1407" data-original-width="1379" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWUjRu2-jN_-_1_ryXC5OzqFwKWBK3hdLg31mWj3h42H6eEiSJmEe1ZY-WQOBOv94VkuZnfawOKNFrsYuXjVbBSt9SSpS0i2RzLGQv9Q76Nm3gg05kJYsE93J4W1XOZrAomNYAgo09W9TK9Q3K9hk7QNpDGEivKE0hsSz0zS5UbGP1I6j2cCHvIX6WhtE/w393-h400/interior0003.jpg" width="393" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Bagley's art is serviceable, but not very impressive. I will say that reading the book, when I hadn't seen the film in some 10 or more years, had me laughing and brought back an appreciation of the sardonic humor that Frank Miller suffused in almost every scene in the movie. In my opinion, <i>Robocop 2</i> was a sequel that surpassed the original.</span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUY7AtW4S4MZ_icauUVl2tty2jSnxvVhT9i60RxmDx-nVJiLz4_FJ-VsfO8gi5Hgf6Lh_pe8W7UDkNu2nEdCF1Tygm-xwqA4Uxg6qK0lOWA7YfP4L5FfvyWJlmZYD69F36bCXVdiyOqGd7kK1wCQsDQ-IkfNcl04DLo4nRZymAnCUr6VyuhQm0Koiwl6p/s1356/interior0004.jpg"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1003" data-original-width="1356" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUY7AtW4S4MZ_icauUVl2tty2jSnxvVhT9i60RxmDx-nVJiLz4_FJ-VsfO8gi5Hgf6Lh_pe8W7UDkNu2nEdCF1Tygm-xwqA4Uxg6qK0lOWA7YfP4L5FfvyWJlmZYD69F36bCXVdiyOqGd7kK1wCQsDQ-IkfNcl04DLo4nRZymAnCUr6VyuhQm0Koiwl6p/w400-h296/interior0004.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSTqMKnqoH7J0mtE1YC_8gyC7xQreaKWljiH4PaB_XuB7wNB87SjSYiSMefcoxExR9-xIYAvkNc_D5aFFsEBxCefk-Ob518-7K8A7npDy4FySMImjuahTREbsAlKQMBA1WTypYRQqTAULKYsveOzllkw2bvOUtCSfr_lr7hVW_6UMnI3UEczQZ2_Fkuka/s1351/interior0005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1351" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSTqMKnqoH7J0mtE1YC_8gyC7xQreaKWljiH4PaB_XuB7wNB87SjSYiSMefcoxExR9-xIYAvkNc_D5aFFsEBxCefk-Ob518-7K8A7npDy4FySMImjuahTREbsAlKQMBA1WTypYRQqTAULKYsveOzllkw2bvOUtCSfr_lr7hVW_6UMnI3UEczQZ2_Fkuka/w400-h268/interior0005.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Who will want a copy of the comic adaptation of <i>Robocop 2</i> ? Well, it's clearly a least-possible-effort by the Marvel editorial staff: they were looking to get something out to capitalize on a movie release, not to make a comic that would be cherished by fans for decades to come. If you are a hardcore Robocop fan and you just have to have Everything Robocop, then you'll probably want to grab this adaptation. </span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtu_Studc8_kFUoqcOM2Z2WDyr4z6EQr9C14B86UvP9sQdI1NIzw6A7mChbDY4NntoRDVEDGMX1sVcX3pT32pEnG3M0u3VvaCF_rzEW2ALWIgm5zyxvuabVLVZVJ1xAbqd5-dvjiQ_AzuB3AIeq9GJ77WqxNf-KvVfsNIqwaYqYUc4G3TO80ELORyAi0A/s1089/interior0006.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1089" data-original-width="801" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtu_Studc8_kFUoqcOM2Z2WDyr4z6EQr9C14B86UvP9sQdI1NIzw6A7mChbDY4NntoRDVEDGMX1sVcX3pT32pEnG3M0u3VvaCF_rzEW2ALWIgm5zyxvuabVLVZVJ1xAbqd5-dvjiQ_AzuB3AIeq9GJ77WqxNf-KvVfsNIqwaYqYUc4G3TO80ELORyAi0A/s320/interior0006.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">If you're someone who wants a good treatment of the second installment in the franchise, I would direct you to the 2007 Avatar graphic novel that compiles the issues of 'Frank Miller's Robocop'. Unfortunately, that graphic novel is long out of print, and used copies have exorbitant asking prices (i.e., $99 on up). So the 1990s Marvel version at least has affordability in its favor..........</span></div></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-81899318194824756322024-01-23T10:29:00.000-05:002024-01-23T10:29:30.028-05:00Book Review: The Dragons of Heorot<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;">Book Review: 'The Dragons of Heorot' by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcc6bDHpMXpZPYiWw_EDfkA6x4MQk0bEleE7nrWT9C_O0JT-q2XB640Gw41dsJ6nu7UjnSmCyK9l7kO6RDD8_jycTw1LUQBAOoaGTkEDPFhysHEmFTw9uP9oUTmLnnH0zPsudEhbnVorWdQ7Lr7_HoA6s8oR3cFOkQnwrFQojwuddbeRrCulrxVRQ107EK/s2081/the%20dragons%20of%20heorot0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2081" data-original-width="1269" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcc6bDHpMXpZPYiWw_EDfkA6x4MQk0bEleE7nrWT9C_O0JT-q2XB640Gw41dsJ6nu7UjnSmCyK9l7kO6RDD8_jycTw1LUQBAOoaGTkEDPFhysHEmFTw9uP9oUTmLnnH0zPsudEhbnVorWdQ7Lr7_HoA6s8oR3cFOkQnwrFQojwuddbeRrCulrxVRQ107EK/w244-h400/the%20dragons%20of%20heorot0001.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: arial;">1 / 5 Stars</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div>‘The Dragons of Heorot’ was published by Orbit Books (U.K.) in 1996. The cover illustration is by Fred Gambino. </div><div><br /></div><div>Given the title ‘Beowulf’s Children’ in the U.S., this is the second volume in the so-called ‘Heorot’ series, the first being ‘The Legacy of Heorot’ (1987), and the third being ‘Starborn and Godsons’ (2020).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVLOhwme-vuskR_qR1OPxzOZ_XmQy8Y09c9C7BPK8SPk0rOA4oudKCSnx84FKOqEsRc8plMPMEc-xZEvcmm6pwUo1f0xx1syDBHOkCribWn0R7fFb4SpUYAAd3Qu0MXqTb-fBgxDs9HmaH2wB8GkaEy3UjhYFTcFnThKYMg2vnr5Cq12jvm50UjgbCV1y/s640/beowulfs%20children%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="391" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVLOhwme-vuskR_qR1OPxzOZ_XmQy8Y09c9C7BPK8SPk0rOA4oudKCSnx84FKOqEsRc8plMPMEc-xZEvcmm6pwUo1f0xx1syDBHOkCribWn0R7fFb4SpUYAAd3Qu0MXqTb-fBgxDs9HmaH2wB8GkaEy3UjhYFTcFnThKYMg2vnr5Cq12jvm50UjgbCV1y/w245-h400/beowulfs%20children%20cover.jpg" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">[ My review of ‘The Legacy of Heorot’ is posted <a href="https://theporporbooksblog.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Legacy%20of%20Heorot" target="_blank">here</a>. ]</span></div><div><br /></div><div>‘Dragons’ is set twenty years after the events of ‘Legacy’. Having secured their island redoubt, Camelot, from the hostile life forms indigenous to the planet Avalon, our multi-ethnic, sexually liberated team of colonists have set up a safe and prosperous society that fulfills the dreams and wishes of everyone who agreed to place themselves in cryosleep for a one-way trip to colonize the stars.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, as the novel opens, discontent is rising among the 280 sons and daughters – known portentously as the ‘Star Born’ – of the colonists. Smart, physically impressive, and ambitious, the Star Born chafe at their elders’ prohibitions against setting up colonies on the mainland of Avalon. Whiling away their time with orgies, glorified boy scout camping trips, surfing, and pranking the old folks, is only increasing the impatience of the Star Born and their de facto leader, a golden boy named Aaron Tragon.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cadmann Weyland, the hero of ‘Legacy’ and the embodiment of the legendary Beowulf, now is older and a little wiser, but still the authority figure in the colony. Weyland is willing to allow the Star Born greater autonomy in setting up operations on the mainland, but the collective trauma the colonists suffered at the hands of the monsters causes them to overmanage these efforts, angering Tragon and his followers. </div><div><br /></div><div>But even as tensions between the Star Born and their parents threaten to give rise to overt violence, the wildlife of Avalon presents a new danger to the Earthmen who thought they had tamed an alien world………. </div><div><br /></div><div>‘The Dragons of Heorot’ is a mediocre book. I had to struggle to get through it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I gave ‘The Legacy of Heorot’ four stars, because it was a well-plotted, action-adventure sci-fi novel with touches of horror. I was rooting for the monsters all throughout the novel (which probably was not the authors’ intentions) and while the colonists won in the end, there was a sufficiently high body count that I was satisfied that the monsters got their due.</div><div><br /></div><div>‘Dragons’ suffers in comparison. Its length of 594 pages works against it, because the authors fail to provide a single, focused narrative as they did in ‘Legacy’. ‘Dragons’ is not an action novel but a world-building novel, meandering and scattered. </div><div><br /></div><div>For example, there is exposition on the cultivation, processing, and consumption of coffee on Avalon. There are lengthy passages describing efforts to convert the indigenous herbivores into the equivalent of pack animals. There are passages that provide ‘first person’ insights into the thinking and behavior of one of the monsters. And the presence of much bed-swapping triggers plentiful soap opera-style melodramas. </div><div><br /></div><div>The monsters don’t make an appearance until nearly 200 pages into the novel, and then, only in a brief and cryptic fashion. Afterwards, they primarily stay offstage, emerging every now and then to lend some brief momentum to an otherwise dull narrative.</div><div><br /></div><div>The book’s denouement, which commences on page 532, is lumbering, obtuse, and seemed to take forever to unfold, probably the result of being having to accommodate ingredients from three authors. It is gratifying in that the monsters finally get do so some crunching and munching on the colonists, but it seemed a thin reward for having to plow through the preceding chapters.</div><div><br /></div><div>For a book published in 1995, the prose in ‘Dragons’ reads as if it was composed in the 1970s. Dialogue is wooden, and segments detailing the emotional and psychological conflicts of the lead characters have a trite quality that indicates that Niven and Pournelle were not all that motivated to try and emulate the advances in the qualities of sci-fi prose brought about by the New Wave era and the cyberpunks.</div><div><br /></div><div>The verdict ? I finished ‘The Dragons of Heorot’ with no interest in pursuing the final volume in the series. </div><div><br /></div><div>‘Dragons’ mainly will appeal to those who are keenly interested in the fate of the protagonists in ‘The Legacy of Heorot’. All others can pass on this novel.</div></span></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-88074023508146538372024-01-20T11:08:00.001-05:002024-01-20T19:56:32.631-05:00'Disciples' by Gardner Dozois<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">'Disciples' by Gardner Dozois<br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">from <i>Penthouse</i>, December 1981</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: red; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzs6Bp1ajStx5loX2sg7oeDmBKLFw4gRKpX64XRMP0cqjlRXnKSIQRx4RL3b0Vz3upjr_WTBjsw3EOYupRfLKtn69_2eHeM08HpgMeWUfuO1b82s9iZhiNEfEYACXVheU9Cl3vUqxiaUFzBZ6lmeXNxHLTkIE25syuKRfFrDDy5qRApmzATyCimZOplU1/s1097/disciples%20two%20page%20spread.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1097" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzs6Bp1ajStx5loX2sg7oeDmBKLFw4gRKpX64XRMP0cqjlRXnKSIQRx4RL3b0Vz3upjr_WTBjsw3EOYupRfLKtn69_2eHeM08HpgMeWUfuO1b82s9iZhiNEfEYACXVheU9Cl3vUqxiaUFzBZ6lmeXNxHLTkIE25syuKRfFrDDy5qRApmzATyCimZOplU1/w400-h270/disciples%20two%20page%20spread.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Gardner Dozois (1947 - 2018) mainly published shorter fiction over the course of his career. In my experience his pieces written during the New Wave era were among the better such entries seeing print in digests and anthologies. Some of his stories were understated and humanistic, such as 'Strangers', while others, such as 'Flash Point', presented a much more acidic analysis of man and his actions.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I get the impression that 'Disciples' first was submitted to <i>Omni</i> before subsequently being forwarded to <i>Penthouse</i>. It got a nice treatment in the December 1981 issue of <i>Penthouse</i>, underscoring the role the 'slick' magazines played in sustaining science fiction in the print media during the 70s and 80s.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">'Disciples' is brief, only a little over three printed pages in length, but it's well-plotted and well-written. The story is set in wintertime New York City in the early 1980s, with the city in all its shabby, scabby glory. The protagonist is a professional panhandler, and quintessential New York character, named Nicky the Horse. Nicky has little regard for the other denizens of the gray and gritty streets that are his enterprise:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>........Occasionally a group of med students would go by or a girl with a dog or a couple of Society Hill faggots in bell-bottom trousers and expensive turtlenecks, and Nicky would call out, "Jesus loves you, man," usually to no more response than a nervous sideways glance. One faggot smirked knowingly at him, and a collegiate-jock type got a laugh out of his buddies by shouting back, "You bet your ass he does, honey." A small, intense-looking woman with short-cropped hair gave him the finger. Another diesel dyke, Nicky though resignedly. "Jesus loves </i>you,<i> man," he called after her, but she didn't look back.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As the panhandling day wears on, Nicky has an unexpected encounter with hot dog vendor Saul Edelman. Saul, it seems, knows something the <i>goyim</i> do not. And Nicky confronts a dilemma: what if you learned the Rapture was coming..........but it's a <i>Jewish</i> rapture ?!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In my opinion, 'Disciples' is one of the best sci-fi short stories of the 1980s. It's available in the 1994 Ace Books anthology of Dozois's short stories, 'Geodesic Dreams'.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHRJAHyg-zYSXQ0HD_m_GsTz72BMRGUp6aa6bekiSzEi4200jE2bYKHjUqfThx0k2yqthuqbKs7_5KBaDUbeOQY6r4lg3vogtbMroQEzlA6LoYVB-OFqF7QRSjVmMuY1szFV2RzapIwo0FoFC7z2ie3MR3lzexDQ2zRzw9pVyG3XmCUwOItZjLGL_dsqQ/s640/geodesic%20dreams.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="387" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHRJAHyg-zYSXQ0HD_m_GsTz72BMRGUp6aa6bekiSzEi4200jE2bYKHjUqfThx0k2yqthuqbKs7_5KBaDUbeOQY6r4lg3vogtbMroQEzlA6LoYVB-OFqF7QRSjVmMuY1szFV2RzapIwo0FoFC7z2ie3MR3lzexDQ2zRzw9pVyG3XmCUwOItZjLGL_dsqQ/w242-h400/geodesic%20dreams.jpg" width="242" /></a></div></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-16833878331976746232024-01-17T12:12:00.001-05:002024-01-17T12:12:45.687-05:00National Lampoon January 1981<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>National Lampoon</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>January 1981</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: red; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEUtsK-gHUMx7AyJsHhneXznja6iCeGWZM_mq-1rwFv-ICTtj32vLtI3HMcbPjAnLtIgNX3ryQ08f0DSMztxDGO3DOUNlxNuK01gONASjH0HOetCgOtd0HUBBQ52UDKrteVVjoAvA4O3D0h0BonXcv1m7cMi-DHk9yku2iqCw_ZdPBKpSXUJY_-PQqZNg/s3271/fr%20cover0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3271" data-original-width="2414" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEUtsK-gHUMx7AyJsHhneXznja6iCeGWZM_mq-1rwFv-ICTtj32vLtI3HMcbPjAnLtIgNX3ryQ08f0DSMztxDGO3DOUNlxNuK01gONASjH0HOetCgOtd0HUBBQ52UDKrteVVjoAvA4O3D0h0BonXcv1m7cMi-DHk9yku2iqCw_ZdPBKpSXUJY_-PQqZNg/w295-h400/fr%20cover0001.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>It's January, 1981, and the number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 is 'Starting Over', by the late John Lennon.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYH3UyJPhtPfz9Sn7jsND67QCtzAUrRy3d9f5wjJGyHm2oKGpbbq6deBSVzRinonvFMhRNIrNkUQVstnx5uUPLxu7QH4DduNBHtC0N9URzWzQCMY5WeiGYHIc1eREBk5NhW6eKNowyFOICiIQpSdEFhTep_3wihVtAdWCCuW4x3WKozmci7-q9TmKqBpI/s895/billboard%20hot%20100%20january%2010%201981.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="895" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYH3UyJPhtPfz9Sn7jsND67QCtzAUrRy3d9f5wjJGyHm2oKGpbbq6deBSVzRinonvFMhRNIrNkUQVstnx5uUPLxu7QH4DduNBHtC0N9URzWzQCMY5WeiGYHIc1eREBk5NhW6eKNowyFOICiIQpSdEFhTep_3wihVtAdWCCuW4x3WKozmci7-q9TmKqBpI/w400-h291/billboard%20hot%20100%20january%2010%201981.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Looking at the latest issue of <i>National Lampoon</i>, t</span><span style="font-family: arial;">he lurid cover promises more than the contents deliver. This usually was the case with these 'sexy' </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Lampoon</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> covers. Deceptive enticements !</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here, at the dawn of the 1980s, the magazine noticeably is thinner as compared to the glory days of the 1970s. Far fewer record album ads, cigarette ads, liquor ads, clothing ads, etc. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">P. J. O'Rourke now is the editor, and Matty Simmons, the publisher, is off on the West Coast, working on film treatments of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Lampoon</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> properties, such as the forthcoming <i>National Lampoon's Class Reunion</i> (which turned out to be a dud).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Letters page makes fun of people of Puerto Rican ethnicity:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6y4rA3fpEDyzCtLr228TOvNk05clrbvypsXnue3nMnn6e5FOCqIBWNAKyfoiio05bRdFal8la5IjnzkLDmqYzWyyv4V5hV3H5HgY0TQ2cdYMuQL_u-RoeqgHwu8k3qfUeLuZp7OkMGEud5DcU32I1yaRVDOjMmB3ETunrzDBlDrpgZzOZsnUUgUyOLRl/s535/interior0002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="533" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6y4rA3fpEDyzCtLr228TOvNk05clrbvypsXnue3nMnn6e5FOCqIBWNAKyfoiio05bRdFal8la5IjnzkLDmqYzWyyv4V5hV3H5HgY0TQ2cdYMuQL_u-RoeqgHwu8k3qfUeLuZp7OkMGEud5DcU32I1yaRVDOjMmB3ETunrzDBlDrpgZzOZsnUUgUyOLRl/s320/interior0002.jpg" width="319" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">We are alerted to the latest album from Stevie Wonder.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMThIsbhgIXofPFbYO0xQe4rGZo0-xG7_TYb8l4TLjUkCoN3qxUnPHT8HG3pxH9l0jkAZWlMnuUYKvdbQFBqjkHfplti4Lcjn5SY7s_-Znp_li2OfXHDECVunZInVxU0_llktzNfzx4utbEAdRLyS4lB0Wb0FITsiNPeQiQG1ZxwSj3_clk0arPVIueRij/s3275/interior0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3275" data-original-width="2325" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMThIsbhgIXofPFbYO0xQe4rGZo0-xG7_TYb8l4TLjUkCoN3qxUnPHT8HG3pxH9l0jkAZWlMnuUYKvdbQFBqjkHfplti4Lcjn5SY7s_-Znp_li2OfXHDECVunZInVxU0_llktzNfzx4utbEAdRLyS4lB0Wb0FITsiNPeQiQG1ZxwSj3_clk0arPVIueRij/w284-h400/interior0001.jpg" width="284" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">There is a cartoon. And an advertisement for a film, <i>The Idolmaker</i>, which I never saw and know nothing about.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXza-3Usb8opcFQIJH-efAkdEK93niBYwuhlmdI3q2KsmIgl1_Jisow2tJDAq2l2oMIKx7soCQcbe3TFZ4hceQ-XQ2yhyphenhyphenAp7-mxqcyblWA8TnIwBkKVAtU7ZX8egulDIf_wx5NmUz0NadOj94FH5NUi23prKpxMs2LebFFOlD1iipo1tgrVAQqilJ1G-aZ/s956/interior0003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="956" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXza-3Usb8opcFQIJH-efAkdEK93niBYwuhlmdI3q2KsmIgl1_Jisow2tJDAq2l2oMIKx7soCQcbe3TFZ4hceQ-XQ2yhyphenhyphenAp7-mxqcyblWA8TnIwBkKVAtU7ZX8egulDIf_wx5NmUz0NadOj94FH5NUi23prKpxMs2LebFFOlD1iipo1tgrVAQqilJ1G-aZ/w400-h368/interior0003.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4YbUTjhvWZufDyMTiFBz3BEi9xgTFwgpVjm1xtIVKGCr8Qn7mY85Tdwb0VpOEpTlXT2Axf5f8QPuuAnlJPN8Sgj9HIlGOW-0pET7Gx5O848lZSqYLlk5IoZ-tj5ZdUW1ARvPegvhEuK0_9fsns5t93pVlO218pidEnBN3dAt17YSQmExJjvmRuNPZqQgA/s3090/interior0004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3090" data-original-width="2188" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4YbUTjhvWZufDyMTiFBz3BEi9xgTFwgpVjm1xtIVKGCr8Qn7mY85Tdwb0VpOEpTlXT2Axf5f8QPuuAnlJPN8Sgj9HIlGOW-0pET7Gx5O848lZSqYLlk5IoZ-tj5ZdUW1ARvPegvhEuK0_9fsns5t93pVlO218pidEnBN3dAt17YSQmExJjvmRuNPZqQgA/w284-h400/interior0004.jpg" width="284" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">An ad parody takes presents urban wastelands as new venues for federal parks.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLAeDntPsQWJcfer_WX2B9Vf61_61Kd2pbXT4cfx_SIniux5DtKBaXKu7zQaOQeIutSy9jQuBTXycrrbU788BTnHfRvx0g7eoXsFvqqESi-2pj7XjX0CqQ61iVS8BaCe4rYL-H8M8CWuHvYvak8iSL0oPgfhK6x3XCijQ8FcI35JKdWoMRqV65gCjvfmZ/s2134/interior0005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2134" data-original-width="1496" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLAeDntPsQWJcfer_WX2B9Vf61_61Kd2pbXT4cfx_SIniux5DtKBaXKu7zQaOQeIutSy9jQuBTXycrrbU788BTnHfRvx0g7eoXsFvqqESi-2pj7XjX0CqQ61iVS8BaCe4rYL-H8M8CWuHvYvak8iSL0oPgfhK6x3XCijQ8FcI35JKdWoMRqV65gCjvfmZ/w280-h400/interior0005.jpg" width="280" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">John Hughes, on the cusp of fame for the movies <i>National Lampoon's Vacation</i> and <i>Sixteen Candles</i>, contributes a satire of 'The New Millionaires'.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0RrnMIQAQRLGY8Di4wl0PP0TuG8kES63dPK2YFyzhiR3xoOhv0np7jQFOxgdS2Ci5f-XDlQmtjG4s7zK1XDdr6-YUGuEoLiH785FD876UMaDnz0jjej_my5HLVfjYjE_Da768S3oMpz8u3B4ol8QyH8auJoPv_MGkOQgqbB2w3vo97qgHXv5oac-WuJZs/s2140/interior0006.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2140" data-original-width="1540" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0RrnMIQAQRLGY8Di4wl0PP0TuG8kES63dPK2YFyzhiR3xoOhv0np7jQFOxgdS2Ci5f-XDlQmtjG4s7zK1XDdr6-YUGuEoLiH785FD876UMaDnz0jjej_my5HLVfjYjE_Da768S3oMpz8u3B4ol8QyH8auJoPv_MGkOQgqbB2w3vo97qgHXv5oac-WuJZs/w288-h400/interior0006.jpg" width="288" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">There is quite a lot of comics content.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TnpmiEB6WKqrgVtgmO3MCIPvBsY8SDXTEypB6Gt8GEqOvj0myKTAxpDgGeFnzeR8CTUD1cl2XDzzsjX2n7nIoIUJz_50BgwmlOOcN4olW4Nvi6iBW0o9F4mPVRSVL_gK9w7Wc47MbUD0SHlHZuRJgziXVOTPYwD1uxs1Ndyvc_pBzKVsN2ndZZO-QenX/s2104/interior0007.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2104" data-original-width="1445" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TnpmiEB6WKqrgVtgmO3MCIPvBsY8SDXTEypB6Gt8GEqOvj0myKTAxpDgGeFnzeR8CTUD1cl2XDzzsjX2n7nIoIUJz_50BgwmlOOcN4olW4Nvi6iBW0o9F4mPVRSVL_gK9w7Wc47MbUD0SHlHZuRJgziXVOTPYwD1uxs1Ndyvc_pBzKVsN2ndZZO-QenX/w275-h400/interior0007.jpg" width="275" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpZfWKxNxfwMtxbcroqMHOpOLIeNA6sMuydG204JH_K2Pwf2xePxoDJ52VMZ1QXKv2kNc6-d5J3NES_OOmytTUZ37ii6SmmlA3YCsiCorMjc7S5uzUL6GFk7CBmP2cYNFqcVo5kXJ5n3Zk70bIriib-mhIlRjVjrucT72NWqd3a_oDE_hctPv3PZGkT9J/s3267/interior0008.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3267" data-original-width="2203" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpZfWKxNxfwMtxbcroqMHOpOLIeNA6sMuydG204JH_K2Pwf2xePxoDJ52VMZ1QXKv2kNc6-d5J3NES_OOmytTUZ37ii6SmmlA3YCsiCorMjc7S5uzUL6GFk7CBmP2cYNFqcVo5kXJ5n3Zk70bIriib-mhIlRjVjrucT72NWqd3a_oDE_hctPv3PZGkT9J/w270-h400/interior0008.jpg" width="270" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jxrCCMTzCAhx4cd14_kdJTxomPXRimAf6I-Mmh2X3bp5rzJTvWE6EoV3-hxqsFqs-i3rmNTceXUocbHFFkpv-rvNVGAcBjMFZFdduTWnYkmsYkvqfow5qpraSIyyMyXJiUru24d7aVEjYe-Cmkvd-CygwPgl6PxyXpSeLNJb5_0BYhZjSQzdArAU73SW/s3231/interior0009.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3231" data-original-width="2110" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jxrCCMTzCAhx4cd14_kdJTxomPXRimAf6I-Mmh2X3bp5rzJTvWE6EoV3-hxqsFqs-i3rmNTceXUocbHFFkpv-rvNVGAcBjMFZFdduTWnYkmsYkvqfow5qpraSIyyMyXJiUru24d7aVEjYe-Cmkvd-CygwPgl6PxyXpSeLNJb5_0BYhZjSQzdArAU73SW/w261-h400/interior0009.jpg" width="261" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbKGaX10GcGv_mh4vzmaJ7-qpAJ8RebSVnqPmYX88gE90KzsJZI30I3TmRQ1Lof-lCKq2xNv2kkChV9SjENwTcjYMaSw0QmjzSZkvzgnOVL7YenNhiMRSVx6oIIw_kyEEHrG9w_0Itz9zavt2USxUos8WFR7tpFS0zOq8-89u22WG5FZqsajZuk14kaCJ/s3154/interior0010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3154" data-original-width="2166" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbKGaX10GcGv_mh4vzmaJ7-qpAJ8RebSVnqPmYX88gE90KzsJZI30I3TmRQ1Lof-lCKq2xNv2kkChV9SjENwTcjYMaSw0QmjzSZkvzgnOVL7YenNhiMRSVx6oIIw_kyEEHrG9w_0Itz9zavt2USxUos8WFR7tpFS0zOq8-89u22WG5FZqsajZuk14kaCJ/w275-h400/interior0010.jpg" width="275" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBTnSEACqeDq1COVM9ZBxpfQBwO47FTD2_9QoHSmRMsSyhj_87xSxarBFbjazljiQm2ddqhfzmswCVi2La7STumWqS0WHc8Hkf4Hxwkga6SfBQZK-BDsWgvnWyzL_htvZbaetL__M9j1sJ9FxfEQWPOOppbpT-5TWziMN0v4gp84hNmXiyb32WWXI2zgp/s3086/interior0012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3086" data-original-width="2240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBTnSEACqeDq1COVM9ZBxpfQBwO47FTD2_9QoHSmRMsSyhj_87xSxarBFbjazljiQm2ddqhfzmswCVi2La7STumWqS0WHc8Hkf4Hxwkga6SfBQZK-BDsWgvnWyzL_htvZbaetL__M9j1sJ9FxfEQWPOOppbpT-5TWziMN0v4gp84hNmXiyb32WWXI2zgp/w290-h400/interior0012.jpg" width="290" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqx6ZV0OQzvTcO6x5x07nPmsbO23ZbNABiHNvySveg3L02O9zKrU52MDnElS4J4HMdCYrbFWEHuY4HtKSJ0c9TX2rKBm6BdoNG2Ver3pAqPF7NwdjpWtwwtqQw8xFmcytKJ9ZIXKJiWSA48U2WgiIkI62yqA1NJ0CxTKdvY0u35zari6mxgQM9LYXu3aF/s3190/interior0013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3190" data-original-width="2131" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqx6ZV0OQzvTcO6x5x07nPmsbO23ZbNABiHNvySveg3L02O9zKrU52MDnElS4J4HMdCYrbFWEHuY4HtKSJ0c9TX2rKBm6BdoNG2Ver3pAqPF7NwdjpWtwwtqQw8xFmcytKJ9ZIXKJiWSA48U2WgiIkI62yqA1NJ0CxTKdvY0u35zari6mxgQM9LYXu3aF/w268-h400/interior0013.jpg" width="268" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEzCn4YxB6Mu5FHxGU2e-TeXK4mUN5oVj1tbXqVHQmo6piBAc1sv5VRyLNoc7QRIC2-odOPkXg3ZX7VuOr2glvrfokJ8u6j4vwt0tWeaZnCBBegF6MbsqKM2tOzFiinxs9VY4MpJ77860kK2Zv8gAvGJXGdVY5QCh5fRTrreFhid9QhtL_Ozpq0T42bJK/s3012/interior0014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3012" data-original-width="2198" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEzCn4YxB6Mu5FHxGU2e-TeXK4mUN5oVj1tbXqVHQmo6piBAc1sv5VRyLNoc7QRIC2-odOPkXg3ZX7VuOr2glvrfokJ8u6j4vwt0tWeaZnCBBegF6MbsqKM2tOzFiinxs9VY4MpJ77860kK2Zv8gAvGJXGdVY5QCh5fRTrreFhid9QhtL_Ozpq0T42bJK/w293-h400/interior0014.jpg" width="293" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The Iranian Hostage crisis was ongoing early in January, and only when Ronald Reagan took office as President on January 20 did Iran release the hostages. The <i>Lampoon</i> imagines the crisis as a sales and marketing opportunity:</span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hlXG0kz5nmBkxuQNV8aOrlaV_3Z9RUyYnrhuM8G7T-b2vgeIUbca28YMmCsrvN7AQvDC1IgVND9abdsXezntnbvIOjWkIMSlPqSb5jfWlExh-ybjKYI_LO6YVeTkshvkVNxw_8gLffiAnbC_DfNoqbAY4ZZxqrGdGXtg3UEtOpY0dNBqIOAce4U3fnU9/s1152/hostage%20parody%20combo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="1152" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hlXG0kz5nmBkxuQNV8aOrlaV_3Z9RUyYnrhuM8G7T-b2vgeIUbca28YMmCsrvN7AQvDC1IgVND9abdsXezntnbvIOjWkIMSlPqSb5jfWlExh-ybjKYI_LO6YVeTkshvkVNxw_8gLffiAnbC_DfNoqbAY4ZZxqrGdGXtg3UEtOpY0dNBqIOAce4U3fnU9/w400-h283/hostage%20parody%20combo.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">There's an ad for comedy and rock record albums from Passport records. The ad uses the 'New Wave' color scheme: pink and black, that was popular in the early 1980s. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">All of these albums are available at YouTube, and they are not that special. The best-known track on the album <i>That's Not Funny, That's Sick</i> is the '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSMGUaxKb4E" target="_blank">Bass Player Interviewed by Mr. Rogers</a>' bit, featuring Bill Murray.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDqZtuy9n90qsvG8_dvslMlaJ4_h6xqYlsn11vyv_6O731fHRmLH2ITID1XI4EYuErAwk_yZGXOM5PBs2qPLofTW8xDrK3xKFDSIK0zrp2Sc5GNPhHCUTQd1pLzGisaiwjMCm2mX6LiupfCbWHwXLqGo6fULxCCrHoa1AZaqb_45vdi1T5GWeVVJ3UOGhb/s3075/interior0018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3075" data-original-width="2201" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDqZtuy9n90qsvG8_dvslMlaJ4_h6xqYlsn11vyv_6O731fHRmLH2ITID1XI4EYuErAwk_yZGXOM5PBs2qPLofTW8xDrK3xKFDSIK0zrp2Sc5GNPhHCUTQd1pLzGisaiwjMCm2mX6LiupfCbWHwXLqGo6fULxCCrHoa1AZaqb_45vdi1T5GWeVVJ3UOGhb/w286-h400/interior0018.jpg" width="286" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Let's close with a 'Foto Funnies' about kids and drugs.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQeArnJYTK1Jsw-Avx1fg3cVdJzBMqC7iEAOdfLB4Yg1E7nSLheFXjCdBc-NzwzhOHqJzyP12BAgFDOPC4heChaTTdHi5FqFzttwKws5Ivu0ht-5mrjui33JP5Dg-iUfWU5NgQ1hYnpyatMNQrSdFoKpU6Ory8rbNIaFuqajPgHSSDjw93H8yKy7g2YWx7/s3072/interior0017.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="2068" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQeArnJYTK1Jsw-Avx1fg3cVdJzBMqC7iEAOdfLB4Yg1E7nSLheFXjCdBc-NzwzhOHqJzyP12BAgFDOPC4heChaTTdHi5FqFzttwKws5Ivu0ht-5mrjui33JP5Dg-iUfWU5NgQ1hYnpyatMNQrSdFoKpU6Ory8rbNIaFuqajPgHSSDjw93H8yKy7g2YWx7/w269-h400/interior0017.jpg" width="269" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">And that's how it was, 43 years ago..........</span>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-72517459746132599962024-01-14T12:31:00.004-05:002024-03-04T11:39:41.027-05:00Book Review: Nothing's Bad Luck<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>Book Review: 'Nothing's Bad Luck: The Lives of Warren Zevon' by C. M. Kushins</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqRJK_QXLjJhgy2Jg9EN4Up_GXEGOOqJNwB5t-r3pfDywboxNc8_3JEhQcm-Eh2aPl3BAve1rCEcySfKLbDMe0hw71LSOt1jmgyrIQcKBxaYzGCscIlYqVsjrvYO1-UI1yO-adhZegmhJ2ObBvtXWtAK37WfozVknDGEQUQeuZrnlPGG1iqWlighXJUO0/s1851/nothings%20bad%20luck.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1851" data-original-width="1239" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqRJK_QXLjJhgy2Jg9EN4Up_GXEGOOqJNwB5t-r3pfDywboxNc8_3JEhQcm-Eh2aPl3BAve1rCEcySfKLbDMe0hw71LSOt1jmgyrIQcKBxaYzGCscIlYqVsjrvYO1-UI1yO-adhZegmhJ2ObBvtXWtAK37WfozVknDGEQUQeuZrnlPGG1iqWlighXJUO0/w268-h400/nothings%20bad%20luck.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: arial;"><b>4 / 5 Stars</b></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">'Nothing's Bad Luck: The Lives of Warren Zevon' (406 pp.) was published by Da Capo in May, 2019. It was the first published book for author Kushins, who in 2021 published a biography of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, titled 'Beast: John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin'.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">If you're a Baby Boomer, then the music of Warren Zevon likely is part and parcel of your memories of the 70s and 80s. I was in my senior year of high school when 'Werewolves of London' began heavy rotation on FM radio, and I later procured <i>Excitable Boy</i>, which remains one of the best rock albums of the 1970s. Zevon's followup albums, <i>Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School</i> and <i>The Envoy</i>, never achieved the chart and commercial success of <i>Excitable</i> but contained their share of worthwhile tracks.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Zevon positioned himself as a more eccentric member of the 'California' genre of rock that included the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, J. D. Souther, and Jackson Browne, among others. Zevon was as likely to sing about mercenaries, psycho killers, and werewolves, as he was to sing about failed love affairs and heartbreak. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">'Nothing's Bad Luck' covers Zevon's life and times from his birth on January 24, 1947 in Illinois; his childhood and adolescence in Fresno; and his initial forays into the music business. I was not aware that in 1966, Zevon joined White Whale records, the label best-known for having The Turtles on its roster. Performing with his girlfriend at the time, Violet Santangelo, as the folk rock duo 'lyme and cybelle', Zevon had a minor hit with the single 'Follow Me'.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGyHN1OmrbArVxOk8J7GJ4JHZcP9qKquYmvzd4jhpnv38V1BVkIunv4dPUUjeHMEKqlZZFSPZFjgkQ44_AAIXMBaXcHvR1u5KoArpIHUqpkd90LqP-vIb4tKJ94KsjMrXXUiSL7esZKpIQUwLgYI5pYJuN7qWQO1-_IFtHAp51SY5s0HP1BytUMWp_LTM/s252/lyme%20and%20cybelle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="252" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGyHN1OmrbArVxOk8J7GJ4JHZcP9qKquYmvzd4jhpnv38V1BVkIunv4dPUUjeHMEKqlZZFSPZFjgkQ44_AAIXMBaXcHvR1u5KoArpIHUqpkd90LqP-vIb4tKJ94KsjMrXXUiSL7esZKpIQUwLgYI5pYJuN7qWQO1-_IFtHAp51SY5s0HP1BytUMWp_LTM/s1600/lyme%20and%20cybelle.jpg" width="252" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Zevon spent the next ten years as yet another of the struggling musicians wandering L.A., making connections and bouncing from one never-realized project to the next, in the hopes of getting a recording contract with a major label. Zevon's 1976 album, titled <i>Warren Zevon,</i> attracted critical praise but didn't have much of a commercial impact. But <i>Excitable Boy</i>, recorded late in 1977 with the participation of the stars of the California rock world, was a major success following its release in January 1978, and made Zevon a rock star.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">'Nothing's Bad Luck' is at its best in chronicling the interval from 1978 to 1989, when Zevon saw his fortunes rise, then gradually fall. Like many singer-songwriters who prospered in the 70s, Zevon experienced difficulty in transitioning to the era of the music video and New Wave, and after the release of <i>Sentimental Hygiene</i> in 1987 and <a href="https://blog.adafruit.com/2020/09/04/did-you-know-that-warren-zevon-did-a-cyberpunk-record-cyberpunk/" target="_blank"><i>Transverse City</i> in 1989</a>, he was dropped by Virgin records.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhV2yW2kXIybLd1nRcgGWfX9PLmTotaZd-p5YiUdfmHm-Js3Xdli8qRG8jRT4igRlmZz-muQuV04zMkWRIg44PQ_LaxaW3mqBmLXzDEy3jeGjifsbn5tzhzHzVgXGymRPBFWbc1vPkuk2HNg-GbLrLKFEY_6oflXhIhDWQoQPmeVw5cSHcqkJMMpthkAUP/s853/zevon-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="853" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhV2yW2kXIybLd1nRcgGWfX9PLmTotaZd-p5YiUdfmHm-Js3Xdli8qRG8jRT4igRlmZz-muQuV04zMkWRIg44PQ_LaxaW3mqBmLXzDEy3jeGjifsbn5tzhzHzVgXGymRPBFWbc1vPkuk2HNg-GbLrLKFEY_6oflXhIhDWQoQPmeVw5cSHcqkJMMpthkAUP/s320/zevon-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The period from 1990 to Zevon's death at age 56 was one of reduced expectations, for Zevon's album releases and his tours. In his later years he branched into composing soundtracks and making <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeFVFz0XTa8" target="_blank">cameo appearances in television shows like <i>Suddenly Susan</i></a>, and remained a favorite guest on Letterman and other late-night programs. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The book's closing chapter describes the events following Zevon's diagnosis of lung cancer in August 2002, and center on his efforts to record a final album (<i>The Wind</i>, 2003). This chapter is poignant and imparts a redemptive quality to Zevon's last year of life. </span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQMMmkO24PCOM_MhIxD5O0-_hbtWi0eyKkp4L8kwxSdR89vDcomDPtxw_N0yo1UhZ_mpI-Fcv4eTQmxzhtzbMiGDmj8KSsbmTeCPE86dm5ZHZk-XDIuoZvcB-00n-w1me2IvM8JiKnpPmS02jpX7NKym88KbDj8yRbwtKh42E8Ti2gMO9mq7ahWOkGAlK/s856/the%20zevon%20case.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="681" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQMMmkO24PCOM_MhIxD5O0-_hbtWi0eyKkp4L8kwxSdR89vDcomDPtxw_N0yo1UhZ_mpI-Fcv4eTQmxzhtzbMiGDmj8KSsbmTeCPE86dm5ZHZk-XDIuoZvcB-00n-w1me2IvM8JiKnpPmS02jpX7NKym88KbDj8yRbwtKh42E8Ti2gMO9mq7ahWOkGAlK/w319-h400/the%20zevon%20case.JPG" width="319" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><i>review of 'Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School', </i>Rolling Stone<i> magazine, March 6, 1980, illustration by Robert Clarke</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">'Nothing's Bad Luck' is not quite a hagiography, nor is it an unbiased and objective biography. Kushins makes clear that throughout his life Zevon could be unpleasant to those around him, particularly in his years of rock-n-roll excess when he overindulged in drugs and alcohol. Zevon could be cruel and vicious towards his wives and girlfriends: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Only a few nights after the studio altercation </i>[between Zevon and] <i>Wachtel, Browne received a frantic phone call from Crystal </i>[Zevon's wife]<i>. Warren was on a drunken rampage. In fear - and at her wit's end - she pleaded for Browne's help. He immediately sped to their home in Los Feliz and spent hours calming Warren down. He later recalled, "I went over to his house because a bannister had been ripped off the wall. It was late when I got there, one or two in the morning, and he had no memory of doing this." </i> (p. 94)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Reading between the lines of Kushins' prose, it's clear that when Zevon dedicated himself to sobriety in 1986, he tempered his objectionable behaviors to some extent, but did not eliminate them. I finished the book with the conclusion that Zevon was one of those creative individuals whose actions regularly veered between the engaging and the intolerable, demanding considerable forbearance from those close to him in both personal and professional capacities.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Summing up, 'Nothing's Bad Luck' will be a recommended read for those interested not just in Zevon's music, but in the California sound of the 70s and 80s. The book also will direct the reader to some of Zevon's lesser known recordings, which certainly offer their rewards to those with a fondness for the singer-songwriter musicianship of past decades. </span></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7126523682465389764.post-66897365543183114312024-01-12T14:53:00.000-05:002024-01-12T14:53:00.753-05:00The Wild Wild West theme song by Neil Norman<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Wild Wild West Theme<br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Neil Norman and his Cosmic Orchestra</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">from the CD </span></span></b><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><i>Greatest Science Fiction Hits Vol. IV</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Crescendo Records, 1998</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEhxQHfuXQ9OedYBeZBDAtWzKrZiY0_gqrvZvsXXmuPF6SXlSeT2Ity6R2t6d4Txpabt6vc3tmH0h20ArLS9leFsa8bakGimRI_cr5BMWRxIGdSt5Tj9h7qzgXFYsJDH5etsWZkDPAmM3lywlZ3w8rl0IkYrCoOMGFk6SXzybEl1f97JPj1PeKJtH-7A2/s2504/wild%20wild%20west%20graphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1858" data-original-width="2504" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEhxQHfuXQ9OedYBeZBDAtWzKrZiY0_gqrvZvsXXmuPF6SXlSeT2Ity6R2t6d4Txpabt6vc3tmH0h20ArLS9leFsa8bakGimRI_cr5BMWRxIGdSt5Tj9h7qzgXFYsJDH5etsWZkDPAmM3lywlZ3w8rl0IkYrCoOMGFk6SXzybEl1f97JPj1PeKJtH-7A2/w400-h296/wild%20wild%20west%20graphic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: red; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGthFMdUVf1pvl8_Q5H4EZIuu-HzzZd2hs7-oB_qH6GeAkSO5W9gqkOSbGGHLO3M3QQ6mNDKdz6b4x4SCSs_RmC52cM8ffiruapkdl-n6XB4Kpfe2JBNYTO404xXaJULsKyOu_dwYUG6ZFKm-rea5AwQD9_dgcTb1e7ZZNuxwRvQGzyXJhmQBVOnG-Fjc9/s961/greatest%20science%20fiction%20hits%20volume%20IV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="961" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGthFMdUVf1pvl8_Q5H4EZIuu-HzzZd2hs7-oB_qH6GeAkSO5W9gqkOSbGGHLO3M3QQ6mNDKdz6b4x4SCSs_RmC52cM8ffiruapkdl-n6XB4Kpfe2JBNYTO404xXaJULsKyOu_dwYUG6ZFKm-rea5AwQD9_dgcTb1e7ZZNuxwRvQGzyXJhmQBVOnG-Fjc9/w400-h393/greatest%20science%20fiction%20hits%20volume%20IV.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It's not easy to take a theme song as iconic as that for the television show <i>The Wild Wild West</i> and rework it into something that stays true to the original, but at the same time, brings a new sensibility to the composition. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Neil Norman (and his Cosmic Orchestra) succeeds <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXEr9RzfjnU" target="_blank">with this interpretation</a>, from the 1998 album <i>Greatest Science Fiction Hits IV</i>. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(The Crescendo Records website is <a href="https://store.gnpcrescendo.com/2/product/greatest-science-fiction-hits-iv-neil-norman-and-his-cosmic-orchestra/" target="_blank">here</a>). <b style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></b></span></div>tarbanduhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08205251855147881113noreply@blogger.com0