My sister Denise and I went to see the new Justice League movie Monday night. The day after, she mentioned how much she used to love DC's Metal Men comic book in the '60s. I specifically remember her reading Metal Men # 16 to me when I was a kid; I practically squealed with delight as The Metal Men battled an invasion of hostile robot insects, prompting the Metal Man Mercury to quip "You're not going to throw ME into an antipasto!"
Much later, Denise also gave me my first KISS album, Rock And Roll Over, as a high school graduation gift in 1977. I had seen my first KISS concert the previous December, but never got around to snappin' up any KISS records until Denise started me off. This album will eventually be the subject of further discussion in a future edition of my occasional series Groove Gratitude (A Gift Of Music).
I fell in love with the cover and concept of this 1941 comic book Daredevil Battles Hitler # 1 a few years before I had a chance to read it. I believe my first glimpse of the cover came via comics dealer Bill Thailing's mail order catalogue in 1972; I purchased a black and white reprint of the book around '75 or so.
I started hitting the flea market when I was a teenager in the '70s, on the hunt for comic books, paperbacks, pulps, girlie magazines, and rock 'n' roll records. I was a fan of The Monkees, but really only knew the group's first two prefab albums, plus whatever odd song might turn up on reruns of the TV series. I scored copies of The Monkees' Headquarters and The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees on one productive flea market visit around...'76, I think? It was the start of a grand expansion of my appreciation of a group I already adored.
I was a teenaged boy; of course the buxom, scantily-clad Vampirella caught my attention. I'll be writing more about our Vampi in the near future. Vampirella # 19 was either the first or second issue I owned, purchased as a cover-compromised discount item at World Of Books in North Syracuse.
My A-Z series The Everlasting First is a mere two entries away from the story of how I first discovered and fell madly in love with Suzi Quatro. After I'd already completed that swoon, Suzi's eponymous debut album was my first Quatro record, a cutout purchase rescued from the budget bin at Gerber Music in North Syracuse.
Was Judo Master # 96 my first Charlton Comics book? Possibly. I think I found it well after the fact at Sweethearts Corner grocery store in North Syracuse; it wasn't even on the spinner rack, but laying on top of something else displayed nearby. I may have bought an issue of Blue Beetle or Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt before this, but it's just as plausible to suggest my interest in Charlton began here.
I won a free copy of The James Montgomery Band from Utica's WOUR-FM on January 17th, 1977, the same day--fun fact!--that killer Gary Gilmore was executed. It was my 17th birthday, wintery weather had cancelled school, and this LP was my reward for being the first caller to correctly identify Cleveland as the first American city to have a traffic light. Then, as now, I knew so much useless crap. A cool story, I guess, but I never developed any interest in The James Montgomery Band.
Marvel Comics expanded its line dramatically in 1968, as books that had previously co-starred two different characters--Iron Man and Captain America in Tales Of Suspense, Sub-Mariner and The Incredible Hulk in Tales To Astonish, and Dr. Strange and Nick Fury, Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Strange Tales--split into solo titles. But Iron Man and Sub-Mariner got held back a month before graduating, with the one-shot Iron Man And Sub-Mariner # 1 using up what would have been the half-length Shellhead and Subby tales originally intended for the cancelled final issues of Suspense and Astonish respectively. I've always been fascinated by this book and its cover, but not sufficiently fascinated to cough up the twelve cents necessary to buy it at the time. It now sells for a little bit more than cover price, leaving this poor boy behind, empty-handed.
In Phonograph Record Magazine, writer Mark Shipper described Blondie's look as "Marilyn Monroe backed by The Dave Clark Five." Sold! My teenage crush on Debbie Harry remains undimmed.
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Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes,Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here.
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