The Invasion Of ED Tucker
I had a feeling I shouldn't try to fight the terrible backlight in this photo--took everything I had to bring out the image. Anyway, William Moriaty, left, and Ed Tucker get into some appetizers at the Applebee's in front of the Marriott.
Last Tuesday night, May 18th, a fairly rare opportunity arose by which four crazed contributors to this ‘zine could actually co-exist under one roof, albeit for a brief amount of time. You know how I am about reunions. Anyway, Ed Tucker, author of the insanely popular Lost Interview of Dr. Paul Bearer and Monster Memories (to say nothing of being my co-conspirator of huge MegaCon reviews), contacted me regarding a business trip he was making to Tampa and was it possible to get a few of us together for food and drinks. I saw no reason we couldn’t arrange our schedules for any opportunity to shake the rafters of fandom! I was very fortunate to able to secure both William Moriaty and Andy Lalino for the 6:00pm meeting at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Oldsmar where Ed was staying.
Arriving only a few minutes later than intended, Will and I met up with the already-arrived Andy Lalino and Ed Tucker, already deep in conversation. After initial greetings and a brief once-over of several quick topics, we decided to go to the Applebee’s out front and secure some food and drinks. To say a good time was had by all would be an understatement. While William, Ed, and I have waxed eloquently before about our get-togethers, I’d like to turn over the reigns to Andy Lalino for his play-by-play of the evening, which is all the more interesting in that this is his first time joining us for one of these things.
FROM ANDY LALINO…
Andy Lalino listens to Ed and Will duke it out over Second City Television.
Last night I had the good fortune to hang out not just with my buddy Nole, but also with two familiar N’sPCR contributors who I met for the very first time: Will Moriaty and Ed Tucker. Needless to say, everyone present were seasoned Fanboys. Topics ranged from Dr. Paul Bearer (our favorite subject) to “Lost in Space” to SCTV, which both Will and Ed had astounding recollections of. Everyone brought to the table dusty memories and brain-teasing trivia questions that we had a ball trying to recollect.
We all initially met up at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel (where Ed was staying) at 6pm, and chatted for a bit about ’60s psychotronic icons Ted V. Mikels and Ray Dennis Steckler. We went on to chat about the “Night Stalker” and “Night Gallery” TV shows of the ’70s. After the conversation we realized that, hey, we were all hungry, and moved the action to Applebees, which was a hop, skip, and a jump away from the hotel.
Me doing what I usually do when I can't get a word in edge-wise: GET TOASTED! Well, that was my excuse anyway. Yes, 3 out of 4 of those giant Marguarita mixers are mine. Photo by Ed.
Drowning in a sea of apple margaritas, we all started up again like giddy 11-year-olds about genre fandom. All of us seemed very knowledgeable about not just classic sci-fi and horror, but exploitation, gore films, teenage sex comedies, TV, and a wide range of other related topics, including New Wave and ’70s album rock. One of my favorite stories of the night was Will’s recollections of watching the very first airing of “Creature Feature” in 1973 with his sister, who had introduced him to the world of sci-fi and horror. Now THAT’S a memory worth holding onto! I told the guys my early memories of “Creature Feature”, which was probably also in ’73, was watching “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers”, “The Giant Claw”, and “The Deadly Mantis”. I suggested researching old TV Guides from back in the ’70s as to what movies played on CF on what time/date. At the table, I got a chance to catch up with Nole and see if there was anything new in the world of Dr. Paul Bearer and other fan-related stuff.
After at least two chatty hours at Applebees, we went back to the hotel and took a seat within a gazebo near the pool (Nolan wanted to go skinny-dipping, but we all refused) (Lies! All lies! I was just a little inebriated.–N). The topic of the night was of course the good Dr., and it was great reminiscing about the good memories he left us. It’s reassuring to know that such a great person like Ed is the Keeper of some of his artifacts, which he has acquired over the years. They’re in good hands.
To everyone’s surprise I brought along with me some photos I saved of Dr. Paul Bearer throughout the years. Eyes widened as I showed off my DPB autograph, a picture of him at the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon back in the ’70s, and snapshots by his original hearse whichBuschGardensdisplayed at Howl-O’-Scream 2000. I will be providing these pictures soon on an upcoming edition of Oddservations.
After another marathon conversation about everything fantastic, it was time to call it a night. We said our farewells until next time we meet, which will hopefully be soon!
Portrait of the Crazed Fanboy Senior Council I playfully refer to as "The Tucker Group". Somewhat of a deranged parody of the founding fathers, our group portrait took on a rather historical air. From left, Ed Tucker, Nolan Canova, William Moriaty, and Andy Lalino. Photo by an employee of the Marriott.