I remember the first time I saw a nudie magazine when I was in third grade. Interestingly enough, I got more of a thrill out of the images of bare female flesh than the pal I was hanging out with, who would later go on to perform in drag for various charity events (we all had to feign surprise when he "came out" during our freshman year in college). There was something so utterly taboo about this kind of unashamed nudity on display that we both felt like we'd crossed some hidden barrier of grown-up-dom.
Much like young folks today aren't going to have that same kind of visceral experience, I regret the fact that I wasn't part of the Monster Kid generation. Too young to experience the wonders of teevee horror hosts, it was all about slasher flicks by the time I was of an appreciative age, and there was no way my folks were going to let me watch That Kind Of Film (I was the first kid in my entire extended family--I know: no pressure, right?).
So it's with a great deal of envy that I purchase mementos of this particular form of fandom, like this FUCKING AWESOME issue of "Castle of Frankenstein" magazine:
This 1967 "Fearbook" does what it says on the tin--it shows monsters in profusion, and it DOES, in fact, contain a portrait of Christopher Lee as Fu Manchu that is SO suitable for framing I could just melt into a puddle of gobsmackedness in the middle of the carpet RIGHT NOW:
Inside are articles on the history of Frankenstein's monster (including plentiful photos of the Edison "Frankenstein" as well as Karloff's iconic creature), a teevee guide of monster movie screenings, and a run-down of recent horror-themed releases. What makes me drool the most, however, are the ads:
IT'S MONSTERIFFIC! IT'S POP ART! A LOT OF FUN, SHOCK AND SURPRISE.
Really, I don't ask for much out of life, but I'd say that fun, shock, and surprise in the form of monsteriffic pop art certainly ranks at the top of my list.
13 comments:
The Olde Enuf Zone commiserates:
i fall under the designation of MonsterKid, but even having been *there* feels like he didn't enjoy EVERYTHING as well as he should of(never got that Horrible Herman Monster Bug Action Figure but did get the Talking Herman Munster Doll, par example).
That said: DRAG ME TO HELL (seen last night) had a 70s vibe running through it that was quite pleasurable--unless You put too much butter on Yer popcorn beforehand *chortle*
as far as the 60s go, wacky music & monster media was the only thing that got me through that decade, because everything else SUCKED! you do not want to know...
one particular piece of awesomeness was finding free stuff like this in your Frito-Lay Variety Pack-
http://thegalleryofmonstertoys.com/60swing/mpcwitchmummy.html
yep, got the whole set...
Castle of Frankenstein was a pretty rocking magazine. I mean, it never had Basil Gogos covers, but it had really good writing on horror movies. Well, better than what you found in Famous Monsters, anyway.
O.E. Zone rejoinders--
Professor G: Ya gotta post a pic of The Executioner from that set for Kate! (Ja--single ones of this set [i opt for those molded in black] gofer substantial buckar00$ on ebay)...
Doktor M: Would have bought more copies of CoF if distribution was better (Calvin Beck had *seminal* articles by Lin Carter and artwork by Hannes Bok in the mag as well :D). Still have a soft spot for FM tho' esp. issues with filmbooks on LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT and the silent (1929) MYSTERIOUS ISLAND...
FANGS A LOT for the posts! ;D
Kate, if you like Castle of Frankenstein, I would recommend seeking used copies of Calvin Beck's Heroes of the Horrors and Scream Queens.
Castle of Frankenstein was the better (read: more literate) magazine, but issues were few and far between. As for Famous Monsters, while it is hard to go back and re-read issues, at the time, a new issue of FM, CoF or the Monster Times was big news in my neighborhood. I grew up with a serious crew of Monster Kids on my block, two who moved to LA and work in the industry, one who is a fellow attorney on Long Island, his brother who is now one of the top hoteliers in the world, and then there was my best friend at the time, who turned to a life of drugs. Our parents all thought monsters were a phase, something we'd grow out of and something that would ruin us for life if we didn't. Well, we didn't grow out of it, except for my best friend who's dad probably wishes he didn't.
I never had a regular horror host (except for syndicated Elvia on Halloween) and our family went to the movies like, once a year. But there was a series of book on the Universal Monsters at the school library that I read the hell out of. So I suppose it's the school library we can blame for the path I followed...
(Next visit we'll have to watch some of the Monster Kid Home Movbies.)
I'm with ya on this. I loved the ads for monsterrific things I hoped would deliver what they promised, although I could rarely afford them and do more than drool over the ads. I experience this same kind of monster kid excitement today as an adult when I walk down the holiday aisle at Michael's in awe of the numerous Spookytown artifacts, or walk through the Spirit Halloween store. Ah, spooky youthfulness.
Joey Zone, that must've been frustrating! Good thing you're making up for lost time by amassing great quantities of weirdness now. How's that embalming table/dining table thing working out for you, for example? I still have to check out "Drag Me To Hell" (as I mentioned yesterday, sounds like it was MUCH better than "Dead Snow," my Friday Movie Nite Choice).
Prof. G, those Unbreakable Monsters beat out my own Frosted Flakes scavenged baking-soda-powered submarines by a significant margin. Super-sweet!
Doc M, I found a stash of "Castle of Frankenstein" mags recently and have to second your opinion there. In between the covers, there's some really interesting stuff!
Fred, I hear you on the "phase" thing. We need to make more noise about the Spooky Lifestyle Choice. "We're just BORN this way" ;)
Joan, I hear you on blaming the library! I read through *every* book on the "monsters" shelf, in order, when I was a kid. I was quite the armchair occultist by the time I reached second grade!
John, Halloween is DEFINITELY the happiest time of the year in the Tenebrous Empire as well! It's only by virtue of sharing a small, urban apartment with another human being that I haven't stuffed my home to the gills with plastic-molded monsters.
If you get a chance, hunt up a copy of Mark Walker's book Ghostmasters: A Look Back at America's Midnight Spook Shows. It's out of print and hard to come by, but it's worth the effort -- absolutely amazing. I think I ended up in a noise band because it's the closest I could get to doing this sort of thing without getting arrested.
DB, that book sounds astonishingly awesome! I have a (yet-unwatched, darn me) DVD put out by Something Weird that has a bunch of info on the Spookshow phenomenon. Seriously, I would have LOVED to be involved in that--it'd be like being a carny, only working at night. BONUS!
Also, your username always reminds me of DB Cooper. Like he's come out of hiding just to comment on my blog. Which, by the way, is AWESOME.
I am a tad young for the monster kid generation too [blushes] - but just barely. I remember a neighbor kid having a Lugosi-esque Dracula action figure (Mego-sized doll, really) That scared the piss out of me. No idea why.
I did love The Groovie Ghoulies and The Addams Family... Not to any nerd-appropriate level though.
Darius, when I discovered the concept of the Monster Kid as a phenomenon when I was in my late teens, I felt SO robbed by my own sword-and-sorcery flavored childhood. I mean, D&D is great and everything but... DUDE. DRACULA TOYS. I mean--come the fuck on! No contest ;)
I leave for a week or so, and miss all the fun stuff at the Empire. :) I was perhaps on the tail-end of the Monster Kids generation, staying up late with my older brother on Friday nights to watch whatever was showing on the Creature Feature, and in that way discovering plentiful old-school goodness (The Wolf Man, Frankenstein, all the greats), and grabbing FAMOUS MONSTERS and EERIE off the racks and tables at flea markets around Little Rock. That thrill of discovery you mention, when there were only 3 channels and you never knew what you'd get, was definitely something to cherish.
To say nothing of "finding your friend's dad's porn stash" and "keeping nudie mags behind the comics in your long box." Kids today, it's just a click away. Something gained, but something lost too.
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