First off, I should note that THE FIRST QUARRY has now received two nominations, for an Anthony and a Barry Award, both for best paperback. The fields of other nominees are tough but it’s nice to see the book noticed. It is frankly weird to have started back up a series I began in college in the ’70s…but fun. Both awards are given at Bouchercon, and I’ll be there.

Second, for eastern Iowa fans and friends: Crusin’ is playing July 4 on the Pearl City Plaza patio for the Underground restaurant. This is the same location where we played not long ago to a capacity audience. We’ll start around 6:45 PM and play up to and for a while after the fireworks (with a great view from the patio). We are doing a mix of originals and classic rock, leaning on bands we appeared with.

Fans everywhere should check out this review of G.I. JOE: ABOVE AND BEYOND at Bookgasm.

When I did that 4 favorites thing last week, I inevitably left some favorites out. There were many of ’em, but I should probably have included LI’L ABNER as one of the four musicals/comedies I could watch over and over. Can’t believe I left that out. It has my favorite exchange in any movie, when Abner (Peter Palmer) asks Appasionata Von Climax (Stella Stevens) about the arrangement with General Bullmoose:

“Does you get bed and bored?”

“Extremely.”

Among the many TV shows I listed, I should have included THE MATCH GAME, particularly the Richard Dawson years. Apparently he didn’t get along with Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly, but they were a great comic trio. You need to seek out THE LIFE OF REILLY, by the way, the wonderful one man show movie with CNR near the end of his life. Very talented and funny man.

Elvis Costello would have been among my favorite male singers but I am among those he continues to irritate with his non-rock ‘n’ roll albums. The current blue grass thing is listenable, at least, unlike the opera singer one (the woman sang horribly off-key) which I threw off the Centennial Bridge crossing from Davenport to Rock Island (the CD, not the female opera singer, though I would have if I’d had the chance).

The San Diego Con is coming up, and Seduction of the Innocent — my “comic book” rock band — is a guest. We aren’t playing, because the con doesn’t have the right venue for us. But we will be doing several signings (dates TBA), and will have 200 copies of an official bootleg of our 1999 gig at San Diego. It includes lots of garage band stuff and a few originals. If we bring any copies home, they will be available here.

I wrote liner notes, but eventually had to edit them way down. I thought you might like to see the longer first draft:

It started with my son Nate, in 1987 only five years old and listening to Dr. Demento. Which meant I was listening to Dr. Demento, too, and got interested in “Fish Heads” and “Party in Your Pants” and other great bad-taste tunes from Barnes & Barnes. I knew Bill Mumy was half of that duo, and approached him at a San Diego Comic Con dance honoring Jack Kirby. He signed something for me, we chatted, I got introduced to Miguel Ferrer, and (since I was a comics pro) got invited to hang out. I knew Steve Leialoha through cartoonist Trina Robbins, and he joined this informal gang as we stood taking in a band that none of us liked. I said to Bill, “We could go up there cold and do better.” (I knew Miguel had been a session drummer.) Bill agreed. Steve, in his low-key way, smiled and said, “I play bass.” Somebody from the con (Jackie Estrada?) eavesdropped all this, and by the end of the evening we had been invited to play at the next San Diego Con. Miguel named the band “Seduction of the Innocent” that very night.

My ‘60s revival band Crusin’, back in Iowa (still together!), had a list of garage-band stuff that Seduction built its set list around. Bill added in some very hip things, like “Cinnamon Girl,” “All Along the Watch Tower” and “Shake Your Hips,” and we practiced in his living room, blowing out all the speakers on his stereo (I don’t believe we ever reimbursed him). It fell together pretty easily and we liked each other’s company, and laughed a lot. That’s all it takes for a band to work.

Over the next decade, we played San Diego numerous times and had a few other assorted gigs (Wondercon, Charlotte Heroes Con, a private party at the Santa Monica Pier). Chris Christensen (who had produced a Will Eisner LP) offered to put out a Seduction CD. We wrote songs for it, recorded it at Bill’s (not using his stereo speakers) and it came out well. “Pussy Whipped” got some airplay, even back in Iowa (Crusin’ had to learn it). Around then, Chris joined the band (playing drums when Miguel sang out front, and guitar when Miguel drummed) and was a terrific addition. We made a music video of “The Truth Hurts” (with our friend Brandon Lee) and played the original stuff at cons. Finally San Diego got too big and unwieldy to find room for us, and this live performance was our last to date…although smaller cons are free to inquire about gigs. We are actors and artists, and can be bought.

Max Allan Collins

2009