Addiction

So, I've mentioned before how much of a SciFi/Horror movie junkie I am, right? With the biblical rains we received all weekend, I had some time to indulge my addiction. And I heard some great news (this may be old news to some, but I still feel it's important to let the world know...)

Han shoots first. About fucking time! The love I have for the Star Wars movies knows almost no limits. That said, even my love is not enough for me to stop hate George Lucas for tampering with the original three. For a time there it seemed that Ole George was never going to release the original movies in their original, unaltered, un-digitally remastered states. This weighed heavily upon Doctor Zombie’s sci-fi loving heart. Especially when I started having little zombies of my own. I felt anguish that The Zombie Boy (who is a chip of the old man’s sci-fi block!) would never get to see the original Star Wars movies in the version I did when I was his age. He’d never get to see Han get the drop on Greedo like the bastard he is, or to hear the original “Chub Chub” song the ewoks sing at the end of Return.

Now though, he will. And it is good.

Speaking of The Zombie kids, The Zombie Girl is not a sci-fi geek like her dad. She’s my little horror movie fan. I suspect that, when she hits high school, she'll become my little vampire Goth princess. She has this fascination with vampires and, while her friends want to play dolls and dress up, she always wants to play superheroes. Her unsuspecting playmates agree and say things like, “I want to be Wonder Woman,” or “I want to be Starfire from Teen Titans,” or “I want to be Lavagirl!” My daughter smiles sweetly; says, “Fine”; and then howls, pouncing on them with snarls and chomping teeth. You see, my 5 year old daughter is convinced that she is a werewolf superhero named Wolfgirl(!). We’ve had a few parent teacher conferences, and a few complaints from other kids’ parents about this; but I say it’s just Zombie Girl being creative and expressing herself. My wife blames me and says that I’m an evil, sociopathic bastard who’s turned her once lovely children into little monsters.

MY response is: “You knew what you were getting when you married an evil, undead scientist with plans for total world domination. This surprises you?!?”

BTW – it was a great weekend of further child corruption as it rained nonstop. Wolfgirl watched The Lost Boys with me. It was on the SciFi channel and it was pretty heavily edited so her fragile 5 year old mind won’t be damaged by bad words or excessive violence. There will be plenty of time for that later in life. She loved it and I fear for the two little girls who live behind us because I heard her telling her favorite doll (Sally, from The Nightmare Before Christmas) that she was going to be just like Star with the pretty brown hair from Lost Boys. You know, I forgot how much I loved this movie. I know, it has the Coreys in it, and I know it is soooo a late 80’s thing, but damn if this movie isn’t a snapshot of my high school years. I wanted so badly to get a mullet, a dirt bike, and an earring like David, or Michael in this movie. My friend Kristin and I watched this movie endlessly when we were in high school, and played the soundtrack everywhere. I actually went out later that day and bought the soundtrack on CD because I’m that much of a geek. You should have seen the weird looks the pimply faced, seventeen year old, minimum wager at the used CD shop gave me when I bought it. Yes, I’m an old geek, minimum wager! Careful or I’ll bite you…

Also, my new latest SciFi fixation has been Doctor Who. I LOVE THIS SHOW. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love it. If you haven’t had time to catch it, do so at your earliest chance. This is a great filler for the lapse between new episodes of Battlestar Galactica. Sure, the BBC still uses special effects that would have been at home in an original Star Trek episode (I’m exaggerating, but not by much). But that doesn’t matter. You know, it’s funny really - - being an American, Doctor Who wasn’t part of my Sci Fi education like other shows. At least not like it is across the pond. Doctor Who is Britain’s favorite sci fi show and is a cultural phenomenon over there. This depresses me because it is such a great concept and great show. I remember the first time I saw Doctor Who and it left an indelible impression on me. I was at a kid named Vince Barwidi’s house when I was 8 or so. I was there for a cub scout meeting that was eventually cancelled because of a snow storm. I remember sitting in his living room, on a couch beneath – I swear to god – a velvet Elvis painting, and watching tv with Vince and another kid. Vince’s dad was watching WVIZ (our local PBS channel) and this show came on. I remember being fascinated by the English accents, the special effects, and these wickedly cool and inexplicably terrifying garbage cans with lasers that buzzed “EXTERMINATE!”. Mostly though, I was struck by the really, really cool theme. It resonanted with me. It was haunting. I was hooked then and there, but the only problem was, I was only able to catch the Doctor once or twice a year because it was so sporadically shown in the 70’s and 80’s in the U.S. Midwest.

Flash forward to college - - and my roommate Stephen trots out video tapes of his favorite television show. I had since forgotten about Doctor Who (besides getting the Timelord’s Doctorin’ the Tardis. It was a one hit dance wonder that mixed the haunting Doctor Who theme with Gary Glitter’s Rock n’ Roll II.). But, Stephen was a Doctor Who fanatic. (His bank, school, and computer PIN’s were all the Gallafreyen Presidential Code.) I suddenly rediscovered the Doctor and it was cool.

Funny coincidence by the way. My roommate Stephen’s middle name was actually Elvis. Believe it or not…

Now, the Doctor’s back on and I am much pleased. And I especially like Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor. And I REALLY like Billie Piper, who plays the Doctor’s companion Rose. I have such a soft spot for hot British chicks.

So, if you like the SciFi as Doctor Zombie does, I would highly recommend the Doctor.

By the way – I still love the Doctor Who theme, especially in its current incarnation. If anybody has the capability of copying it and getting it to me, I’ll remember you when I take over the world. How does President of Australia sound? At the very least, I’ll send you your choice of a Doctor Zombie shirt from my new Café Press shop. (I was bored at work the other night and threw it together. I don’t expect to make any money off of it, but I do like being able to bribe people with my own swag.)

Unpleasant dreams, dear readers...