Rock That Shock

Ahhhhh, conventions. If ever there was a playground for the kids that usually hid under bleachers during recess to play in, these would be it. This past Sunday, my dear friend Erica and I crashed Massachusetts’ Rock & Shock for some celebrity spotting, obscure DVD shopping, and confidence boosting due to the generous population of people less attractive and socially skilled than myself. Highlights included:

-Sharing NY bagels with Bill, Chris, and Mel of Outside the Cinema 


-Coming off like a giddy fangirl, then reining it in to have a genuine conversation with Jack Ketchum. The man who, in the past year, has pretty much become my favorite author was quite gracious and amiable about discussing his work and I’m supremely excited to read his latest collection of short stories, Closing Time. This anthology contains a few stories that appeared in a book I often rave about, Peaceable Kingdom, which is currently out of print. I'm thrilled to have these stories back and even more excited to read some new ones.

-Pitching new film projects for the awesomely good-humored Corbin Bernsen to tackle. Since The Dentist sequels are tied up in rights issues, Erica and I suggested the former Roger Dorn take on other professions in the medical field, such as The Orthodontist, The Chiropractor, The Podiatrist and The Proctologist

-Discovering that Malcolm McDowell sports a mean ascot

-Picking up a trio of DVDs: one I truly love (Tourist Trap), one I’ve been waiting for with great expectations (UK’s Dead Set) and one that will probably be awful, but having read the short story, could not be resisted by me (Rawhead Rex)

-Observing the fact that Tom Savini’s son is quite possibly the antichrist. This may be a cruel statement to make about a 6 year old, but the boy was literally sitting inside a garbage can and pointing to another which read “Photos: $3.” This was apparently following the sugar rush the day before, wherein I’ve been told the kid spent most of the afternoon stealing candy from the OTC table

-Chatting with the Crypt Keeper himself, Mr. John Kassir, who seemed genuinely (and deservedly) proud of his work on one of my favorite television shows of all time and shared some interesting tidbits about how the writers adjusted the character over time to suit his clever interpretation

-Being told that Jesus loved me by Jason Mewes, who was very sweet when he had to leave the show a tad early to smoke a cigarette

-”Interviewing” the one and only Kane Hodder for OTC, a 5 minute or so clip wherein I asked Jason VI-X what he learned from taking Manhattan and if he’d ever lost a fight to a short man. The recording should be available through OTC’s feed soon, so Terry Gross has a little time to up her game before I zoom in to seize her headphones. Note this will be done by brute physical force and not interviewing skills because on that front, I’m about as talented as Arsenio Hall. Still, enjoy the sound bites and the sound of me trying to figure out how to hold a microphone.

Overall, we had a blast and I send a giant round of thanks to Erica for driving and being such a hot date, Bill, Chris, and Mel for being such awesome company, and the Rock and Shock show for doing it right. Also, I’ll thank the tanks of tarantulas ($20 each, if you’re interested) simply to not make them angry at me should they ever escape. We’ll be hitting Jersey’s Chiller Theater up for Halloween weekend (in between a costume themed wedding and profuse candy corn consumption) so hopefully there’ll be another round of random conventionness in another two weeks. 

The world is truly a beautiful place.