Some history: I was born in Santa Monica; I "did time" at the Santa Monica Boy's Club in my youth where I was bullied by incipient thugs for nickels; I worked at Santa Monica College for five years; my wastewater currently flows into the Santa Monica Bay (as does most of LA's sewage, making it one of the most toxic stretches of beachfront in Southern California --if not for my waste alone).
So, Saturday night I was strolling around the area and saw an intriguing sign at a bar located on the Santa Monica Pier. "Playing Tonight: Bill Mumy & Band". Well, I immediately realized that this was Billy Mumy, or "Will Robinson" from the old Lost in Space series.
Mumy in his exalted stateMumy had a ubiquitous presence on many TV shows and commercials throughout the 60's and beyond. My favorite of his was the creepy Twilight Zone entitled: "It's a Good Life" where he's able to enact horrible consequences on people who don't think the way he'd like them to. I know many people who've been scarred for life by this singular episode --yes it's perhaps more nightmarish than Gumby being pursued by angry-faced pies in an oven.
Anyway, I watched a bit of the Bill Mumy band performing from outside because I was afraid that if I didn't like the show he'd wish some horrible fate upon me. You can see my comments on his own website's "guest book" for more on details, dated 11/11 at 10:48:39pm.. Nice of them to include my predictably sardonic greeting.
mumy can, via sheer will-power, shape-shift you into a humanjack in the box if you think objectionable things about his music
The following day, like a criminal returning to the scene of the crime, I came back to the celebrated bay of toxic sludge to set sail with my friend of many moons, Cap'n "T-bone" Tony. It was a good day to be afloat, eating string cheese and singing pirate shanties. Lucky for us, the weather was quite favorable and the noxious smell of the ocean semi-tolerable.
Cap'n T-Bone doing his beloved Talking Elmo impression
me, looking almost happy, trying to find my teutonic jawline
4 comments:
My traumatick Gumby moment was when ol Gumb opmd th hood o his car an stuck his head in, only t have th hood come down an th car take off, takin ol Gumbs head wif it, leavin his headless but still animatd ... ummm ... corpse a-wondrin where his friggin head went ta.
Yeah. Ill put THAT up against th Mumy moment on TZone ... ANYDAY!
Darning! Wanger! Wanger! Darning!
I liked Boris Karloff As the Mumy..
Oh Goddess, I'd forgotten the killer baked goods that almost got Gumby! That one seriously terrified me as a kid.
I wasn't attracted to Lost In Space as a lad, and Twilight Zone was just too scary. At my house, we revere Bill Mumy for his role as Lennier in the 1990's science fiction series Babylon 5. Never serve alcohol to a Minbari!
The sailing looked like fun. We had a sewage spill up here yesterday off of Ocean Beach.
Lost in MySpace,
South Bay Chuck
mumy touches many lives. it's just that most are not conscious of his influence. he's dancing in your cupboard; hiding in your cereal bowl.
i was not a big fan of Lost in Space either, except for laughs of the cheapest sort. i was always waiting for major robinson or don to kick dr. smith's ass every which way to sunday.
the trickster gumby, on the other hand, must be watched.
Post a Comment