Our next contestant in Ask Roger a Question, is Chris “Lefty” Brown:
1. A long time ago I had a 7th grade teacher appear on Tic Tac Dough, and didn’t win but came away with a case of Rice or something or other. Did you get any consolation prizes for your time on Jeopardy?
Lefty, didn’t you commit everything I wrote in my epic JEOPARDY! saga to memory? I’m shocked, SHOCKED! From my August 6 post:
“Oh, I can’t forget the parting gifts I received, over a two-month period: a case (12 large cans) of sweet potatoes (they were quite good, actually), OTC vitamins and other products including Centrum, a rather lovely lap blanket, a US Search coupon to try to find anyone in the United States, Pop Secret popcorn, and TWO hair curlers (!), which I didn’t need and gave away. I also got a home version of…Wheel of Fortune, not JEOPARDY!”
That J saga, BTW, I wrote every Saturday, starting on May 28.
2. Who have you seen the most in concert? What was your favorite concert? When & who was your first concert?
In the ’80s, I saw this group called the Ulstafarians a number of times, thanks in large part to the fact that the late, lamented Raoul Vezina of FantaCo’s Smilin’ Ed fame got me into the late, lamented J.B. Scott’s. It seems that there was a time more recently that I was always seeing Alex Torres y Los Reyes Latinos.
Oh, someone you’ve actually heard of?
I can’t think of anyone I’ve seen more than twice: Joan Armatrading, Pete Droge, the Temptations, Lucinda Williams
Favorite concerts:
1981: the Temptations at the Coliseum around Albany; there were 7 of them, including a returning Kendrick and Ruffin
1983: the Talking Heads at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center- it sttarted with Byrne alone on stage (doing Psycho Killer), then the trio, then the quartet (with Harrison), then full strength band. It was, how do you say…organic.
2000 or 2001: Newport folk Festival at SPAC: Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams, Marc Coh, Joan Baez, Bruce Cockburn, many others.
First concert that I recall, Nov. 12, 1971- Seals & Crofts in NYC. The opening act, which I BELIEVE was J. Geils, was booed, but I liked them better than the headliners, which was a favorite group of my girlfriend at the time. The date I remember, BTW, because it was the birthday of Bahá’u’lláh, a leading light of the Baha’i faith, which she eventually embraced, and which turned out to be a major source of tension in our relationship. (Seals & Crofts were well-known Baha’is.)
3. What music do you fear your daughter may take a liking to?
Polka music. And it’s in her genes. I heard it a LOT in Binghamton. You know how your parents think that everything you listened to all sounded the same? That’s how I feel about polka.
4. Let’s play favorites: favorite comic book series, character, artist, and writer. Were you a DC fanboy or Marvel Zombie growing up?
First off, I don’t remember reading ANY Marvels growing up. I read the DCs and the kids’ comics (Richie Rich, Archie, and the like). It was the dumbness of the DCs that cured me of comics. This would be 1964-66.
Then, when I went to college when I was 18 (1971), my new best friend Mark Klonfas turned me onto comics, mostly Marvels.
Favorite series: Warlock (Starlin), Warlord (Grell), American Flagg (Chaykin), the original Elfquest (the Pinis), X-Men (Claremont/Byrne), Hero for Hire before he shows up mixing it up with Dr. Doom and the FF, Hembeck (Hembeck). I had a soft spot for the Defenders. I’m sure there are others.
Favorite character: Spider-Man, hands down. Which is why I HATED the Spider-Man book that came out in the early 1990s. It wasn’t Peter Parker under the costume, it was…Spawn or something.
Favorite artists: Starlin, Grell, Howard Cruse, Byrne, Gil Kane, George Perez, probably others. If I had to pick one, it would probably be Starlin. I also have an abiding respect for those “workmanlike” competent guys (I do NOT mean that pejoratively AT ALL) who were never fan favorites, but did the job. Examples: the John Romitas, and Joe Staton, who is probably the sweetest guy I ever met in the comic book world.
Favorite writers: Before I answer that, I should note that, for me, good or great writing and OK art beats great art and lousy storytelling. OK, then.
The Steves Englehart and Gerber, Claremont, Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Denny O’Neil, Hembeck, undoubtedly others. One pick: Englehart.
Marvel or DC: all Marvel (except Elfquest and a couple others) until the “independents” (Eclipse, First, Pacific, etc.) came out. I did get Warlock and a couple books not in the DC universe, and I DID get New Teen Titans.
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OK, now I have a question. If someone were in the market to sell his vinyl collection, what price guide would you say is comparablee to Overstreet for comics?