Monday, April 21, 2014

Messing with the Lion

Back in October 2013, I messed with "the lion", William Pattison AKA Eric Morse. I wrote a bit about a podcast Mr. Pattison hosts -- The Wolf Pack Podcast -- and an episode that really troubled me. It was ostensibly about the Lianne Spiderbaby story and an incorrect "unveiling" of the source of the story. The show also reveled in some sexism about female directors and even meandered into the Chris Alexander "controversy" where Alexander used a nom de plume when writing for Fangoria. The irony of William Pattison AKA Eric Morse having problems with someone using a nom de plume seemed lost on the host and his crew.

As Mr. Pattison warned in a comment on the October piece, "Dont (sic) fuck with the lion unless you want the claws." I messed the with lion and found that the claws include a lot of internet grousing in the form of podcasts, Tweets, YouTube videos, Facebook updates, and blog posts -- the armaments of the internet.

In the comments to my original post, I swore to "Anonymous" (Wolf Pack podcast co-host Derek Young) that I would not be listening to the Wolf Pack any longer. Alas, my car crash curiosity got the best of me and I continued to listen to the show so I could "enjoy" the deficient ramblings of Mr. Pattison and experience the breadth and depth of his talents. I managed to turn on several other new listeners to The Wolf Pack. They found Mr. Pattison to be as fascinating as I did. For every few shows that Mr. Pattison scheduled about UFOlogy, paranormal research, and film discussions, he would also indulge in a "Hatchet" show or a "Don't Drink the Kool-Aid" show. Those were the most enjoyable as they often proved to be more freeform and often addressed matters that truly bothered Mr. Pattison. His unfettered passion would flow through the airwaves.

Mr. Pattison felt that his character was being disparaged though the same means as listed above. In order to quell this stream of negativity, he choose to address his detractors via his podcast platform in one of his "Don't Drink the Kool-Aid" shows on 3/21/2014. Here are the results:



Apparently, the hatchet was not buried with this broadcast as there was an episode of the Keep It Reel podcast that became something of an extension of the same conversation.



The host of Keep It Reel, Lucas Marlone, did an admirable job of trying to manage the circus that the show became. He had to deal with crying babies, horrible audio quality, and up to six fervent callers talking all at once. This is a marathon three hour session that's not for the faint of heart. Things really get intense in the last half hour when one of the callers, Josh Hadley, requests that Mr. Pattison speak for himself rather than allowing Mr. Young to speak for him.

What I find to be somewhat amusing (and a little unsettling) is that my name gets bandied about throughout this whole mess. I called out Mr. Pattison for the one show and highlighted a few other shows yet, I've been vilified for being the source of consternation rather than being a source of internet traffic and new listeners for the Wolf Pack podcast.

Am I playing the victim? No, not without my tongue planted firmly in my cheek. Rather than messing with "the lion" (the lyin'?), I seem to have stirred up a hornets' nest of people who take themselves far too seriously. I try not to. I'm "honored" to be the topic of conversation but find the whole thing to be a tempest in a teapot. These shows have devolved into something akin to listening to a party line at a trailer park.

I will continue to listen to Mr. Pattison but I probably won't post any more about him on this blog unless I continue to be a topic of conversation.

Keep listening to good podcasts...

Addendum:

Here's another fun podcast from Mr. Tom Gulley. I'm not that familiar with Tom but he sounds like the reasonable version of Hart Fisher.



Addendum 2 (4/20/2014):
It seems that Mr. Pattison has gone 'round the bend with his latest "Don't Drink the Kool-Aid" show. Without Derek Young to try and quell Mr. Pattison's rantings, we get to hear nearly 90-minutes (minus the full-length songs that bookend episode) of him telling off the world. We learn about his past and how he lost the loves of his life to "socials", to "horror socials" and to the cousin of Richard "The Night Stalker" Ramirez.

Mr. Pattison also indulges in quit a lot of hate speech, calling his detractors "faggots" and threatening to "fucking torch" at least one of the "horror socials" who he feels has wronged him.

It really doesn't get any more entertaining than this.



Well, let me clear this up. In California we call everyone faggots, just like we call everyone bitches. The way I was using it was to in other words call them low life cowards and asshole. We simply say "faggots". It is not a sexual orientation slur it is just the way we are in California. The fact that three of the people I blasted are gay has nothing to do with my choice of words, it was habit and culture...So get over it.

This is a very surprising to me. Could someone please verify if all Californians throw around "bitches" and "faggots" like Mr. Pattison claims Californians do?

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Cashiers du Cinemart 18 - Now Available

Cashiers du Cinemart #18 marks the 20th anniversary issue of the infamous Detroit film zine. Featuring reviews, interviews, and essays on films from the sublime to the obscure.

Regular contributors Skizz Cyzyk, Rich Osmond, Mike Malloy, Mike Sullivan, and I are back. Jim Donahue, Calum Syers, Scott Lefebvre, Andrew Leavold and Joshua Gravel have returned. This issue also features articles by first-time contributors Jay A. Gertzman, Heather Drain, Greg Goodsell, Marisa Young, Mike Dereniewski, Ryan Sarnowski, Jared Case, Joe "Woodyanders" Wawrzyniak, and David Bertrand.

This new issue features interviews with Eddie Romero, Anthony Matthews, and Earl Owensby along with essays on Thundercrack, The Killing, They're a Weird Mob, Tenderness of the Wolves, Eye of the Tiger, Fruits of Passion. Corrupt, The World's Greatest Sinner, Belladonna of Sadness, Dick Tracy, Lianne Spiderbaby, Patty Duke, and Harry Crews as well pieces about casting choices that almost were and "mock dubs" films.

Available in paperback and eBook formats via:
Lulu
Amazon
iBookStore


Thursday, April 03, 2014

Brag Me to Hell

I don't get too many opportunities to brag but, since I have a few, here goes:

Fangoria 332/333:
I was asked to pen a piece for Fangoria magazine after the episode that Rob St. Mary, Jeffrey Schwarz and I did about William Friedkin's Cruising on The Projection Booth.

The piece will run in two parts -- the first in issue 332 which is now available and the second, a transcription of an interview with Randy Jurgenson, will be in issue 333.

Order Fangoria 332
Listen to the Cruising Podcast

The Search for Weng Weng
If you've never heard of Weng Weng, you're missing out. And, if you've never heard Andrew Leavold wax poetically about Weng Weng, your life is not complete. Leavold is the director of The Search for Weng Weng, a documentary about the 2'9" action star from the Philippines. I'm very proud to be listed amongst the producers of the film which is heading towards its European premiere.

Keep up with the film via its official site.

The Projection Booth
We've got some really fun podcasts coming up this year. We've got our shows schedule out until December along with special episodes that will drop as they're available including interviews with director John Badham and producer Stephen Scarlatta.

We're still working on locking down some guests for this year. Here's hoping!
See everything we have planned so far.

Beard-Os and Badasses:
I've been invited to be a part of the upcoming documentary Beard-Os and Badasses: The Punks Who Took Film News Underground. For this one I'll be in front of the camera as an interview subject. To keep up with the film, like it on Facebook.