Last week marked the two-year anniversary of the end of the Butch G. Cat project. A nine-year project killed dead in its tracks because two people on the team decided they didn’t like the direction it was going and instead of reaching out and fixing it as a team, they destroyed it. I’ve talked about it plenty and didn’t actually realize the anniversary had passed. It still stings.
I’d been archiving files off of my home computer and rediscovered the soundtrack and screenplay and spent some time listening to the songs and reading the script this past weekend. I was immensely proud of both the script and the songs. I still am. I have posted the lyrics in the lyrics section of this site if you’re interested. I think that is why it still hurts after all this time, the project was good. Really good. I now know how musicians feel when they record an album that never sees the light of day because of a label or studio. It sucks. It really sucks. So much time spent and nothing to show for it.
But more than that, the project failure cost me a long-time friend. Scripts you can re-write and create from scratch, but friends can’t be replaced. I haven’t spoken to Danny in two years. The last time I saw him was at his aunt’s funeral. We parted on good times. We hugged and he thanked me for coming. We spoke about the Butch G. Cat project with enthusiasm and excitement. We drove next to each other as we left and he turned at a light. It would be the last time I ever saw him. The downfall came via email barely two months later. I haven’t dwelled on this for a while, but the days leading up to Thanksgiving, Tera was putting our friend invite list together for dinner and the first name that popped in my head was Danny, then I realized that was not possible. Stupid right? Things haven’t changed. We still don’t speak. There is far too much unresolved drama that we can never get past. He moved on with his life and I moved on with mine. I’m creating again and enjoying myself doing it. I have great things on the horizon, but there will always be that part of me that wonders “what if?” How big could we have made this project if inner turmoil hadn’t ripped it apart at the seams. If we could have communicated better. Trusted each other. Trusted in each other. We could have conquered the world. Now I’ll just have to do it one project at a time.
I don’t look back with anger anymore. More disappointment and sadness really. I think this is one part of my life I won’t be able to get complete closure on. It’s like the divorce you didn’t see coming. You patch yourself up and soldier on. I’ve sent out “Don’t Make Me Come Down There” out for critical feedback and I have some edits to make. But the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s always terrifying putting yourself out there for the world to see. I wear my heart on my sleeve and this is the hardest part of writing. I’m on the right path. I need to wrap the first act up and put this baby to bed.
I’ll be honest, I’ve downloaded movies and music in the past, but on saying that, I also buy a LOT of movies and music. I support musicians, actors and directors I like and own thousands of Blu Rays, DVD’s, albums and CD’s. My house is crammed full of media I have legally purchased. So where am I going with this? Well, today I found “The Comicon and Convention Survival Guide” available for download on a torrent site. I’ve never had one of my books available on file trading before and I am torn. The goal of the book was to give Comicon attendees an insider look on how to get the most out of their convention experience. I was never supposed to make a million dollars from it. But, being paid for my efforts is not an unreasonable expectation. What sucks is only three people other than me have it digitally. Unless someone has taken the time to rip the book apart, scan in the pages and save it as a PDF, which I highly doubt, someone in my inner circle shared it.
The book has been downloaded over 4700 times in less than twenty four hours. I’m flattered people are downloading it, but shit, I haven’t even remotely sold that many physical copies. It might be time to rethink my strategy on how I distribute it. I can’t fight it. I don’t have the lawyers on my side. Time to join the digital revolution and hope that those given the choice to legally buy or illegally download will choose to buy.
When I joined the 501st Legion in 2014, one of the many, many reasons was the chance at the opportunity to be able to troop the “Weird Al” Yankovic show. If you don’t know, when Al performs “The Saga Begins”, he has members of the 501st on-stage with him and they dance during the song. The legion first performed on-stage with Al in 2003 during an encore performance of “The Saga Begins”. In 2007, the 501st provided on-stage support for multiple stops on the “Straight Outta Lynwood” tour. It is now a staple of his tour.
I’ve been a big fan of Al’s since 1984 when I first heard “Eat It”. My dad introduced me to him. I’ve loved his work ever since. Well, this year I was lucky enough to strike off another mark on my bucket list. In February, “Weird Al” announced the second leg of his Mandatory Fun world tour and Phoenix was on the list. I’d been bugging our commanding officer about the show as soon as I knew the date. It was going to be a long six months waiting for the sign up to open.
July 20th, 2016
Registration for the event opened July 20th and I knew a lot of the garrison were interested in going. We have almost 200 members now and only thirteen slots were open. Whilst I love my garrison, it was every man and woman for themselves. Luckily my laptop is a touch screen and I was able to have one finger on the refresh button and another where I expected the new thread to appear. At a few seconds after eight, I hit refresh one last time and the thread shows up. I frantically log in and select my Stormtrooper for the costume. Just a few seconds later, all eight Stormtrooper slots, one Darth Vader, three costume wranglers and a photographer position were filled. I was in. I did a few happy laps around the house. I was about to check off another bucket list item.
August 3rd, 2016
The big day arrived. I work two blocks away from Comerica Theater and left work a little early to scope the place out and figure out parking.
3:00 p.m. I arrive at Comerica Theater and am told to park next to Al’s tour bus. That was parking sorted out easily enough. I check in with security and am by handed my backstage pass.
3:30 p.m. The rest of the garrison arrives and we meet out the front of Al’s dressing room. We are moved to our own dressing room.
We are greeted by JW, Al’s ringleader for the VIP experience. He gives us a quick rundown of the events for the evening and we wait around for a rehearsal.
Al’s stage manager visits us and we practice the dance routine for the show. Afterwards, we go down to the stage and are given our marks that we need to hit when the performance starts. I was advised to get to the left of Vader to have the best position on stage, but I’ll get to that later.
The auditorium looks a lot smaller from the stage, but while there I am able to see the bands set up and get a really good look at the band’s setup. I knew I would never get another chance like this. As we leave the stage I see the table Al uses for “Foil” and just behind is his accordion. The holy grail of polka! I admit to being a complete fan boy at this moment. The crew didn’t bat an eyelid at me geeking out, so I doubt I was the first person to do so. They let all of us take photos and take everything in. In a few short hours, Al would be standing where I was standing and putting on a show. I doubt I’ll ever stand there again.
5:30 p.m.
Our passes gave us unrestricted access to the VIP section and we were able to watch the pre-show entertainment and look at the traveling Al museum of memorabilia. It was full of costumes and items from his numerous videos. It was wonderful being able to check everything out. I’ve been to over 150 concerts over the years and have done a lot of VIP shows and I’ve never seen a VIP section quite like this. This was most definitely done for the fans and it was great being allowed to be a part of it.
7:30 p.m. Showtime
Mike Prekup, a 501st friend of mine, gave me some advice while waiting backstage for the show to start. I won’t post it publicly, but 501st members are welcome to email me to get the details to make your experience even more enjoyable. “Weird Al” begins the show with “Tacky” from outside the arena and I was able to position myself where he starts. At a few minutes after 7:30, I hear Al singing from down a hallway, seconds later he comes striding past singing “Tacky” accapella while the band is playing in the auditorium. He storms down the hallway and enters the theater to thunderous applause. The show was on.
I join up with the rest of the group who are watching the show. Apparently I was on screen when Al entered much to the delight of the group. I was able to watch him perform “Lame Claim To Fame”, “Now That’s What I Call Polka”, “Perform This Way”, “Dare To Be Stupid” and “Fat”, but then I had to go get in my armor. What I saw of the show so far looked awesome. I really wish I could have stayed. Al’s band is exceedingly underrated. For a band to seamlessly switch between rock, rap, pop, country, metal and polka is just incredible to see. The show was fantastic, but what was to come was going to hopefully be even more exciting.
9:00 p.m.
After kitting up we wait backstage for our call. The hallway is covered in autographs of performers who have played at Comerica before us. I am a huge music fan and could have spent hours there looking at all the names. I spotted dozens of bands I’ve seen play there over the years. Axl Rose, Jet, Kasabian, Oasis.
Al’s set ends and as the encore begins, we are given the sign to walk out on stage and take our places. I was pitch black and I was terrified my moment of fame was going to go down with me tripping on a cable and face planting on stage. Fortunately I make it to my mark unscathed and wait. Al enters the stage between me and Vader and starts singing “We All Have Cell Phones”. And then “The Saga Begins”… er… begins. For the next five minutes we’re pointing our blasters in synch and dancing like lunatics. It was absolutely wonderful. I was grinning from ear to ear. I could never have imagined being able to do this in 1999 when I first heard the song. As a huge fan of both Star Wars and “Weird Al’, it was a once in a lifetime experience and one I won’t soon forget.
10:00 p.m. VIP Meet and Greet
After the show, over a hundreds fans were in line to meet Al. Kids and adults alike dressed in costumes representing Al through the ages. I stood as security behind Al while he signed every autograph and treated each fan as though they were the only ones there.
11:00 p.m. 501st Meet and Greet
After a long and exciting evening, it was finally our turn to meet the man himself. He had been at it for hours and you could tell he was tired. He had been there long before we arrived and left as I was leaving the venue, but to his credit, he stayed to the very end. I had a million things to say to him, but all I had time for was “thank you”. He smiled and shook my hand. That was enough.
I handed Al my blaster for the group photo and then took my photo with him.
The experience could not have been any more enjoyable. Great company, great show, great meet and greet. This is one very big item I am crossing off my bucket list. I have done so many amazing Star Wars events, I don’t know how I can top this. Have I peaked? If so, this is one heck of a way to do it. Mr. Yankovic, I doubt you will ever read this, but if you do, thank you. Thank you for years of music that have brought a smile to my face when I didn’t feel like smiling and thank you for this opportunity to meet you. It could not have gone any better.
Are you happy in your own skin? Are you completely comfortable showing the world who you are? I am. My name is Craig W. Chenery and I am a geek. There, I said it. Wedgies and screams of “nerd!” be damned. Now, had this been twenty years ago, I may have been less willing to be so public about it. I wasn’t any less of a geek back then, I just happen to have become far more comfortable in my own skin and less concerned about what people think about me. I am actually quite proud of my geekdom. I find it extremely liberating and I can be passionate about something and focus on positive things I enjoy. I love Star Wars, zombies, superheroes, robots, fantasy and monsters. I’m counting down the days until Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens and I will be there at midnight to see the first showing. I watch The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones and mourn the loss of popular characters at the water cooler the day after they have been unceremoniously killed off on-screen.
For the first time in my life, I can honestly say I like who I am. No, scratch that. I love the person I’ve become. My geekdom makes me who I am and it has defined me as a person. It makes me interesting and it has given me an almost limitless archive of topics to talk about. I am walking, talking encyclopedia of pop culture knowledge and trivia and a day seldom passes by where this trove of knowledge is not called upon. If I ever find myself without anything to say, pop culture is a great way to break the silence.
I’m not alone in my confession. Being a geek has never been so widely accepted. Chances are you know one or are indeed one yourself. It’s okay, you can admit it. Over the past decade, something wonderful has happened to pop culture and its fans. It has suddenly become cool to be yourself. It’s okay to be a fan of a film franchise, books series or T.V. show and show it to the world. It’s no longer considered childish to wear a Star Wars T-shirt in your 40’s. The social stigma of being a geek has all but vanished. If you need further proof, you only have to take a look at the number of conventions and comicons occurring across the world. In the U.S alone, there are five events with attendance of over 75,000 people. The largest of those, San Diego Comic Con, has capped at 130,000 people. 130,000 people all gathered under one roof to share their love of pop culture. New York, Salt Lake, Chicago and Phoenix are quickly catching up. If those numbers don’t impress you, 60,000 Star Wars fans recently gathered in Anaheim for the Star Wars Celebration event. 60,000 fans all comfortable sharing their love of Star Wars and not caring who noticed.
So what changed? After all, pop culture has been around for decades. Why is it now no longer considered disposable and mindless entertainment? In the 1970’s and 80’s, pop culture and in particular, how it was presented to the public, changed significantly. We didn’t just get movies, we got franchises. Star Wars wasn’t just a film, it was an entire universe of toys and accessories where children could role play and create stories far outside the established universe that George Lucas created. Television shows also had their own toy lines and accompanying movies. It wasn’t just limited to boys, this sweeping change affected everyone. Sure, we had Star Wars, Transformers, He-Man and GI Joe, but girls had My Little Pony, Care Bears, Rainbow Brite and Cabbage Patch Kids. Pop Culture followed us from the movie theater or television into our homes. We weren’t just given toys, we were presented the most amazing gift of all, imagination. We could create our own scenes that picked up where our respective television shows or movies ended. We were no longer shackled to the ideas filmmakers presented to us. We were encouraged to go out into the world and imagine our own stories. Luke Skywalker wasn’t just a farm boy from Tatooine or a pilot in the Rebellion, he was now a bodyguard to Teddy Ruxpin and fought off the giant Puppy of Doom on the remote planet of Livingroomfloorus. He had his lightsaber duel with Darth Vader two years before The Empire Strikes Back was even released. Han Solo could lift cars over his head and Chewbacca moved at the speed of light.
The imagination we were gifted as children has followed us into adulthood as we now create our own movies, books and television shows. Pop culture franchises are making billions of dollars in the worldwide box office and millions of fans tune in weekly to watch stories of zombies, superheroes and ancient warring kingdoms.
Since becoming a published author, I have immersed myself in my geekdom even further. I have also joined the 501 st Legion international Star Wars costuming club and taken my fandom to the next level. I create screen accurate costumes and visit children’s hospitals. I have become Phoenix Comicon’s ‘go to’ person for zombie panels and have been invited to present for the past fiveyears. I am now able to share my love and enthusiasm with a wide audience. My geekdom has been very good to me.
Am I comfortable in my own skin? Does Darth Vader carry a lightsaber? Are you? If not, poke your head outside, it’s a very different world out there and you may be surprised at how well you fit in.
It’s been a month since Comicon and I’ve hit the ground running. I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who came out to one of my panels. This year was my most successful zombie panel by far with the room at capacity with 100’s of attendees. I was humbled by the interest and interactions. I’ve already been in discussions with Phoenix Comicon staff to return next year. It will be my sixth consecutive year presenting.
The official Craig W. Chenery website 