Magic and Imagery #2

With his left hand he held both Mrs Harker's hands, keeping them away with her arms at full tension; his right hand gripped her by the back of the neck, forcing her face down on his bosom. Her white nightdress was smeared with blood, and a thin stream trickled down the man's bare breast, which was shown by his torn open dress.

 Magic and Imagery -- book covers, posters, art -- fondly-remembered icons that once evoked mysteries and emotions within my savage breast, and that still resonate with the echoes of tales wondrous and well-told.

Magic and Imagery #1

And the sight which met my eyes was that of a slender, girlish figure, similar in every detail to the earthly women of my past life... Her face was oval and beautiful in the extreme, her every feature was finely chiseled and exquisite, her eyes large and lustrous and her head surmounted by a mass of coal black, waving hair, caught loosely into a strange yet becoming coiffure. Her skin was of a light reddish copper color, against which the crimson glow of her cheeks and the ruby of her beautifully molded lips shone with a strangely enhancing effect.

She was as destitute of clothes as the green Martians who accompanied her; indeed, save for her highly wrought ornaments she was entirely naked, nor could any apparel have enhanced the beauty of her perfect and symmetrical figure.

Magic and Imagery -- book covers, posters, art -- fondly-remembered icons that once evoked mysteries and emotions within my savage breast, and that still resonate with the echoes of tales wondrous and well-told.

Fat, Drunk, and Stupid

Animal House is a movie of pure joy, and from the time I first saw the trailer in theaters in 1978, I knew I would love it. It's one of those movies guys quote all the time, because it meant so much to guys like me. It was the college we all wanted to attend, and Delta House was the fraternity that even guys who hated fraternities wanted to join.

No comedy has yet compared in sheer hilarity, wonderful moments of dark comedy, and true, human warmth. It was the first cinematic child of National Lampoon, and still the best; and since the day I saw the movie shining up on the screen, I've collected as many of the related books as I could lay my hands on.

This photo is NOT the exact photo on the dust jacket.

For this publicity picture, some anonymous flack Photoshopped all of their upraised middle fingers . . .

Fat, Drunk, and Stupid is, as the subtitle says, The Inside Story Behind the Making Of Animal House. This is the latest nonfiction book about the Deltas and their legacy, written by a guy who should know all about it: Matty Simmons, founder of National Lampoon, and right there in the middle of the events surrounding the fall of '63 at Faber College.

Simmons was an editor, but not much of a writer; so while this book is charming, moderately reflective, and certainly informative, it is by no means exhaustive or well-researched.  These are his reminiscences, 34 years later, and as such serve, basically, as his anecdotal, oral history of Animal House.

Not a problem.  There are other sources than can fill in what he's missed.  For the most part, this book is a fond and nostalgic look back at how a little movie got made . . . and suddenly became better and bigger than the sum of its parts.  It concentrates on the background of Lampoon's business deals with studio heads, the writing and all the script problems (The original treatment called for a beer keg in the parade, going into Kennedy's paper-mache forehead), and then the success of the movie and its cultural impact.  Don't expect a detailed examination of how shots were set-up and the script was dissected and interpreted.  That's not what this book is about.

This is just a bittersweet book about a sweet little movie, made by a sweet bunch of guys, who, sadly, Simmons (and I) miss a great deal.

This guy, you should know . . .

. . . and this guy not only co-wrote Animal House, but he was a huge contributor to National Lampoon . . . and he also played Stork.

The world is a better place because of Animal House.  Because it's not about a crazy fraternity.  It's about friendship, and about the kids we grew up with.

Write to Universal.  Don't you think it's time for a sequel?  You know what to do . . .

Order the book here.

A Bookshelf for your Bookshelf

Do you like reading? Is it the characters? The literature? The writing? The stories? Or . . . Do you love . . . Books?

Books, as physical objects, can approach Art. And if you're a biblioholic like me, you've probably bought at least a couple of books not for their contents, but because of their cover art.

And then, how to display these pieces of art in a manner worthy of their literary -- and artistic -- merit? The answer is here, in Bookshelf, a gorgeous, full color art book celebrating book porn at its finest...because it's not just about the books, but it's also about the sheer beauty of their physical forms.

This picture book is filled with bookcase after bookcase, each one stretching creativity and the standard form of the shelf into something new and fascinating.  Some are quite impractical, yet most are aesthetically gorgeous.

Beautiful.  Just beautiful.

Time to buy a saw and a glue gun and get to work.

Order it here.

The Dark Side of Disney

For those of who have sneaked flasks of booze into Disney's Magic Kingdom, or layered a six-pack at the bottom of a purse and have enjoyed a few cold ones at hidden spots in Adventureland, this book is for you.

The Dark Side of Disney by Leonard Kinsey is the guidebook that the suits in Disney's world don't want you to read . . . and that's exactly why you should read it.  It's perfect for the Disney lover who is more grown-up than kid-oriented -- those who have a rock and roll rebel (wearing technicolor mouse ears, of course) hidden in their souls.

Rumor has it that some Disney execs bought a few copies so they could plug holes in their security.  Good luck -- there are always ways around corporate blockades, especially if Disney fans are really determined to find the not-so-hidden entrances to the utilidors underneath the Magic Kingdom, or the best places to enjoy a little SOP (sex on property), where to find free food, how to sneak into the parks, and even how to bake pot-laced peanut butter crackers if you need to get high while you're talking with Goofy.

The Dark Side of Disney is a fun little book that will feed your rebel soul.

Just don't get kicked out of the parks, okay?

Order it here.
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