The ghoul goes west, part two.

Well, ol' Uncle Forry is officially on his way.


Westward Fo'.


In two fair-sized but otherwise unassuming boxes, he is heading (get it?) to Burbank, CA. as you read this, unless you're reading after 2 pm PDT Friday because in that case it's already there and you are sort of time traveling now. Send me some racing forms.

To be more accurate, it's going to Northridge, CA., then to Burbank. Just so we're all clear.

I tried as best I could to pack tightly, durably, and with enough foam, packing peanuts and bubble wrap to make a fall from a fifth story window feel like a gentle recline on a feather bed.

I hope.

Nothing I can do now but wait to hear from the receiver...

Of course, you have to take precautions when you're packing up an animatronic talking skull that's supposed to look like a dead Forrest Ackerman but often looks like Vincent Price and in a parcel inspector's x-ray machine might at this moment look surprisingly like Del Moore after a long bender.

I wonder what all those parcel-post-mail people make of this sort of thing...

(Berni Wrightson artwork for the mail pages of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine)

It's not that I'm worried about anyone thinking it's a real skull or anything so unlikely (and stupid). It's more about the box of wires, metal tubes, servos, power supplies and batteries... I placed a giant note, quite readable by their x-ray machines, atop the mess just before I taped it shut:

DEAR PACKAGE DELIVERY PEOPLE-

THIS IS NOT A BOMB.

THIS IS NOT A WEAPON OF ANY KIND.

IN FACT I DON'T THINK IT COULD HURT ANYONE

UNLESS YOU THREW IT AT THEM REALLY HARD

AND EVEN THEN ONLY IF IT SCRATCHED THEM

AND THEN IT GOT INFECTED.

I then placed a note in the second box:

P.S. THERE ARE NO INFECTIOUS DISEASES

IN THESE BOXES EITHER.

Just trying to cover all the bases. I'd hate to have them tear open something and then not be able to put it back right because I really used every square millimeter of space.

And it still cost me $13,732.97 to ship. I suppose I didn't need to insure it for half a million dollars, but paranoia strikes deep.

At any rate, it will be awaiting my arrival the day before MONSTERPALOOZA opens, and then... well, I'll cross that particular creaking, treacherous suspension bridge when I get to it.

I am very excited, very nervous and completely baffled that just a week or so ago I had been planning to stay home this year.

Now I'm boxing up and sending one of my Hallowe'en hobby creations to what amounts to a three day museum exhibit to be displayed alongside the work of the best and brightest in the business, to be seen and enjoyed by the best and brightest in the business, all the while sitting among personal items from the Ackermonster himself.

I'm so there.

Who says traveling's never any fun...?

DDSP, everyone!

New tunes coming for April... but as it's still March:

O'ZOM-beeee!