Meeting George Romero

[thehefner]

George Romero looked at the drawings of Bub and Johnny Go. Just before I showed them to him, I quickly told him about my deep love of Bub and my story idea of a delusional lounge singer who was convinced that the Rat Pack was waiting for him in Vegas. Then I told him that I had an epiphany and I showed him the drawings. He just sat there, looking at them for about five seconds.

Then he burst out laughing, pounding his fist on the table.

He instantly lamented that the rights for Bub were not his to give away. Those belong to the distributor, Taurus or something like that, the company that released the crap-tastic DAY OF THE DEAD sequel that had jack to do with the original. He and his assistants made it sound like getting those rights would be nigh-impossible. Regardless, he said (and I'm gonna underline here to illuminate the point):

"This is such a wonderful idea! If the rights were mine to give away, you and I would be doing this tomorrow!"

So, um. Yeah. I don't have the rights. But I am fucking walking on AIR right now.

Next on the agenda? First, figuring out how to set up a webcomic to post the first issue online. If I can't get the rights for Bub, I'll reluctantly change his name.

But first, I gotta print out mock-ups of the first issue of THE ADVENTURES OF BUB AND JOHNNY GO and sending it to him. Maybe trying to keep in touch with the dude.

He called after me, "Hey, if you changed it to Big Daddy, we might be able to do something with that!" I laughed; Big Daddy is hardcore, no doubt. But he's no Bub!

Holy shit. George A. Romero loves BUB AND JOHNNY GO.

I... need to collapse.

Comments

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

No rights but still pretty awesome that he loved it, man!

[little-dinosaur.livejournal.com]

That's fucking awesome.

[musyc]

Wild amounts of applause, man. That's some severe kudos right there.

[skalja.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, congratulations! Even though I barely know who Romero is, much less Bub

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

The writer/director of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, DAWN OF THE DEAD, and DAY OF THE DEAD. The man pretty well invented the zombie genre (before him zombies were just reanimated corpses through voodoo, but they never ate human flesh, shambled, or groaned.)

Bub is the greatest character in his films. A loveable zombie. Totally endearing.

[skalja.livejournal.com]

Ah, that would explain why I only had the vaguest idea - I do watch some horror on rare occasions, but avoid zombie films like the plague XD.

But you make this sound interesting and ground-breaking enough that I may try renting one if I can find someone who'll suffer through two hours of my cringing and hand-holding.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Romero's whole thing is that not his movies are all RICH with social satire and vicious commentary. They're damn smart films.

Is gore your problem? DAWN is gory, but the whole movie is very comic-book-colored; for some reason, all horror movies in the 70's determined that blood should look like melted crayons. DAY, the one with Bub, has the nastiest, most realistic and deliciously done gore effects I've ever seen in a film. Tom Savini is the man.

I don't consider DAWN or DAY to be scary at all, really. NIGHT is probably the scariest, but only if you can not be a jaded 2006 movie-goer and can get yourself into the experience of *when* this movie came out. Kinda like one might do watching PSYCHO today.

[skalja.livejournal.com]

Wait, people have to work to be scared by PSYCHO, these days? I couldn't sleep for three days straight! Admittedly, this was when I was 14, we were staying for part of the summer in a villa where I had to go outside to get to my bedroom, and then there were no curtains on the windows ... but still. Great movie, but I am never watching it again, ever. Agh.

Hitchcockian eeek aside, it usually is the gore that gets me. Cartoon gore is sort of borderline - like, apart from a few moments where I just looked away, I was fine throughout Kill Bill 1, but I almost threw up watching Sin City.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Hey, I honestly don't know how scary your average uninformed jaded film-goer would find these movies.

Kill Bill? Hmm... then I think you might be ok with DAWN and NIGHT... really with NIGHT there's only one scene I can think of where one might wanna turn away, and you'll probably figure it out pretty quickly. DAY OF THE DEAD is my favorite, mainly for the gore and Bub, but yeah, you'd probably want to avoid that one.

If/when you see DAWN, it's very important to keep in mind that it's a satire, so there's lots of humor in it. It gets outright absurd in places.

If you see DAWN and like it, I *wholeheartedly* recommend watching the european edit of it, which in many ways is a *totally* different movie. I still don't know which I prefer!

[skalja.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Sounds like a plan. Heh, it might actually be easier to find a European edit, since I'm ... in Europe!

Thanks for walking me through all this stuff; it was extremely helpful of you. I don't know when I'll be able to watch any of them (we're having TV problems, as it happens), but when I do, I'll let you know!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

The European cut is called ZOMBIE: DAWN OF THE DEAD. The music is entirely different, and the way it's cut it's a more suspenseful movie, but it lacks the absurd humor and biting satire of American consumerism that the American cut has. I really wish I could combine the two movies in some way, to do my own cut.

My distinct and absolute pleasure! Please let me know when you do!

[skalja.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm definitely doing this now, because it sounds like a really interesting comparison to do. 'Course, first we need to repair the TV... thanks again!

[kali921.livejournal.com]

...how can someone not know who George Romero is?

*boggles*

For shame!

[suburbfabulous.livejournal.com]

'S all you, man. Props!

[gnort.livejournal.com]

when you said he burst out laughing I was worried that you were going down the road of him not liking it and finding the idea ridiculous or something. Cursed legal snafu, still it has Romero's blessing, that's pretty badass

[spacechild.livejournal.com]

that is so fucking cool, man.

i'm just sitting here thinking about all the nights sitting with you in bars and poring over the rough drafts.. i'm really happy for you. you got the man himself backing you.

i am so pissed that i'm not there today. i'm at work and missing HF AGAIN!

so pissed.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

What're you doing tomorrow? Still working, probably? I'm gonna go again bright and early (starts at 11) again so I can actually GO to the convention this time, instead of waiting in line for three hours. Totally worth it, but still... seeing Ken Foree, Tony Todd, and even Bub himself from afar was kinda painful.

[spacechild.livejournal.com]

looks like we'll be there. bitches.

[kali921.livejournal.com]

Right on, babe!

I want to hear ALL ABOUT IT.

Now, for the unitiated, tell us all about Bub and Johnny Go?

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

One is a walking corpse who is remembering what it was like to be alive, a creature who is evolving even as he is decaying.

The other is a swingin' showman of a bygone era, a Vegas Vagabond, dispensing songs and quips with a martini in one hand and a mike in the other. (That's the source for the character, not the character himself)

Riding in a beat-up 1957 Chevy Belair through the post-apocalyptic wasteland that once was America, these two unlikely friends must defy the odds if they are ever to reach the promised land, where the gin flows freely and luck is always a lady, or two. To the legendary Summit with Dino, Smokey, and the Chairman himself, in the mystical paradise known as Las Vegas... if it even exists.

So wise up and buckle up, pally, cuz these are...



It's gonna be coo-coo, baby. Real coo-coo.

[skalja.livejournal.com]

Oh, good lord. That's brilliant!

[jellied.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I'm pretty damn envious.

[seangrimm.livejournal.com]

congradulations even on such odd cicumstances.

Dude ...

[treyhawk.livejournal.com]

Way to go. Now you need to follow-through and get it up on the web.

And you might as well track down Taurus and see what it would take to get the rights to Bub. At minimum, just to know that you went through all legal means possible, and perhaps even mamage to snage the rights to Bub for pocket change.

Re: Dude ...

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I've printed up a copy at Kinkos and am gonna hand it to him tomorrow, if he's still there. I'm gonna write a cover letter for it too, explaining who I am and where this came from.

As for getting it on the web... well, I just need to know where to bloody well start with that, as I haven't the faintest clue. I'll likely post on LJ soon: "Help, peoples!"

And yeah, I'll check with Taurus soon as well. Couldn't hurt.

[dame-ratcliffe.livejournal.com]

That's fucking awesome!!! Congrats. Definitely get him engaged with that first issue...maybe he can help you get this off the ground, even under a different zombie name...that would be amazing.

[adaptor.livejournal.com]

Love. I'm feeling love.

I am so. dang. happy for you!!!! Hering this news just made my day!!!

That just rocks!!!!!!!!!!

[gore-whore-5.livejournal.com]

OMGWTFBBQ THAT IS SO FUCKING AWESOME I AM IMMENSELY JEALOUS HE IS ONE OF THE COOLEST GUYS AROUND I AM GEEKING OUT LIKE CRAZY I WISH THE RIGHTS WERE UNDER HIS CONTROL SO YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO CHANGE A THING IF I HIT THE EXCLAMATION POINT I'LL NEVER STOP NEXT TIME I SEE YOU, YOU'RE GETTING A GIANT MOTHERFUCKING HUG THAT WILL COLLAPSE YOUR LUNGS HOLY SHIT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I kinda figured you'd explode at the news, aye. ;)

Next time I see you, I'll try to bring padding.

[gore-whore-5.livejournal.com]

I really am so happy for you. This news was the perfect thing to top off my day. I just can't stop smiling now.

[tazira.livejournal.com]

Wow, that is seriously nifty. Careers have started in much stranger ways; now that you've got this in, pursue like the wind, mighty one.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I've given him the book and sometime this week I'm gonna write on LJ inquiring how to make a website. Not just for the webcomic, but really, I need one. For writing, acting, Hefner Monologues, everything. I've got a million projects! And of course, the web comic version.

Funny thing is, I think my path of persual is kinda limited as this is, for all intents and purposes, basically fanfiction and therefore kind of impossible to publish. But we'll see.

[fiveseconddelay.livejournal.com]

If the name is giving you grief, how about Bob instead of Bub? You know, "Johnny Go and Bob Zombie". Does it swing?

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I'd considered that, but I'm currently leaning toward "Chuck," being short for "Charlie," which is Rat Pack lingo for a good guy, someone who's "in" with the group. As opposed to being, say, a "Harvey." I could logically see how it would happen when they'd meet:

BUB: Rruh.

JOHNNY: Heya, Charlie!

MAN: Wait, how do you know his name?

JOHNNY: Look at him! He's a Charlie!

BUB: Arruah?

JOHNNY: ... Well, maybe more like a "Chuck."

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Although actually calling him "Bob Zombie" as opposed to just "Bob" or "Bob the Zombie" does have a nice ring to it, now that you actually put it that way...

[fiveseconddelay.livejournal.com]

Rob Zombie

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Aye, that just sunk in earlier today. Was that your intention or was that an accident? I had thought your last response was surprisingly straight-forward and Duda-humor-free in nature.