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June,
2001
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BIG
PICTURE QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
"If I had my life to live over again,
I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner."
- Tallulah Bankhead
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Howdy.
Here's to another birthday cake and yet another year of life experience,
maturity and wisdom. Uh..okay..another year of life experience. And here
on Boston's bootiful South Shore we're looking forward to hot summer days
and warm summer nights. All four of 'em.
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WHY ME,
INC.
Thanks to ALL
of you that supported my Annual Birthday Bash last month raising dough for
Why Me, Inc., a charity which helps kids with cancer and their families.
There are too many people to thank individually here but you all know who
you are from the bands to the club to those in attendance to those businesses
that contributed to the raffles to those who helped sell the merchandise.To
those that provided the sound and lights and equipment to those of you from
far away that couldn't attend but sent for t-shirts.It's the absolute best
cause I can think of to get behind and, as always, we'll try to do even
bigger and better next year.
The people
at "Why Me" do incredible work and the most recent news is that
the house is finished. "The house" being a house in Worcester
, Ma. which will provide a place to stay for the families of the kids being
treated at the nearby UMass Medical Center. Congratulations to Why Me Inc.
and congratulations to all of you who contribute to that cause. It is a
grass roots charity grown from the loss of a little girl some 10 years ago
and it continues to attract more and more attention through larger and larger
fund raising events, contributions, and celebrity endorsements. They provide
a variety of services to both the kids and their families from coffee and
donuts for weary parents to parties and trips for the kids as well as the
house just completed. Pretty awesome stuff.
If you'd like
more information contact:
Why Me, Inc
316 Main St.
Worcester, Ma. 01608
ph- (508) 757-7734
website-www.whyme.org
the website's
a bit dated (it's a volunteer outfit after all) but you'll get the idea.
For those of
you still interested in purchasing a Birthday Bash t-shirt, there is still
information posted at PlanetLennie.com.
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CLUTCH GRABWELL
IN N.Y.C.
Cuz, y'know,
if we "can make it there we'll make it anywhere"...
Go to grabwell.com
for info on the soon upcoming trip to New York where we'll play The Lions'
Den. We'll be there this Saturday, June 9th and will be playing our set
from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. It's looking like we're going to be there on a somewhat
regular basis so that'll be real nice. This will be our first time at this
particular joint in N.Y.C. and we plan on doing our usual ripping apart
of the place for the fans as well as the dopey record company muckitty mucks
that will be there checking things out. Feel the Clutch. BE the Clutch.
There are still
a few tickets available to ride the bus. Go to the website and Jeff will
hook you up. It's only like 30 bucks or something for the bus trip (round
trip even. Whoa! No hitchhiking!), a day in the Big Banana..I mean Apple...and
admission to the gig. Such a deal! On top of THAT (Y'mean, there's MORE
Uncle Lennie??) most of us idiots in the band are gonna be riding the bus
along with the fans! Woohoo! Now you can be stuck on a bus to New York with
us!! Ain't THAT a treat!! Hmmm. Maybe in that case, we shoulda priced this
at 5 bucks.
At any rate,
I know for sure that Mark, Johnny, Jeff, Ray (Ray M., that is), and I are
on that bus plus an assorted bunch of other characters hopefully including
Rich Eames, Fitzy, Joe Buck and the gang. Unfortunately, I'm not positive
the groupies that were back stage at Sunday's show will be with us much
to our dismay. Oh well. You know what they say about too much of a good
thing...
Again, the
info is at grabwell.com. There's a schedule there for other upcoming shows
as well. Like the Harpoon Brewfest tomorrow night. Always fun.
.....
CLUTCH IN
CALI.
Once this NYC
trip is over and done, our next move is to start planning on a fall swing
down the west coast. We'll keep you posted. But we're all for it. Any of
you folks with suggestions/ contacts for clubs and colleges to play and
park benches to sleep on, please contact Jeff@grabwell.com or me at cartoonboy@planetlennie.com.
We've got some places in mind but the more the merrier as they say. Plus
I might do a booksigning or two and maybe MAYBE (which would be awesome)
a fine art show up north with my surrealisms. I'd like that.
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FAREWELL
CITIZEN DOG
Would like
to say goodbye to the comic strip "Citizen Dog" created by Mark
O'Hare. After a successful run (five years I think) and 3 books, Mark's
decided to move on. I enjoy his strips and books immensely and I wish him
lots 'o happiness and prosperity. And that he's getting. He's part of the
team that creates the best, funniest and funkiest animated kids' cartoon
on television (Nickelodeon), "Sponge Bob Square Pants". Mark Campbell
from the band turned me on to this show long before I got to meet and hang
out a bit with Mark O'Hare or even knew he was the Citizen Dawg dood. Now
I have a Sponge Bob key chain and 2 t-shirts. Got addicted. Seeking help.I
always wave when his name scrolls by at the end. Anyway, on top of that,
the man and his lovely wife are expecting a newborn. Like any second. Today.
Like now.
If you want
to wish him well, you can send an e-mail to him at CtznDawg@aol.com. Tell
him I said "hey". His hands are a bit full so he may not get to
respond but he will definitely appreciate the gesture. Real good people.
I think UComics.com
still has the Citizen Dog strips posted for now. Plus his books are available
at Amazon.com if you like the strip.
.....
SPELLING
Yup. The e-mails
are pouring in about my misspelling of "HEINLEIN" as "HEINTEIN"
in today's Ginger quote (6/5).
Boy,what a
big stoopid dummy. I just recover from my misspelling of the word "pity"
on last Sunday's strip and now I misspell the name of one of our greatest
thinkers and SF writers. My editors and I send our most sincere and humble
apologies (okay, I do. I'm not blaming ANYone but myself on THIS one..)
and thank the gods of dopey cartoons that our readers are of the sharp variety
and actually give a rat's butt to write and point it out! Thank you all
for paying attention. I'm gonna go hide under my bed now. You DO know there
will be strips resulting from this agony! Must've been a rough week on Planet
Lennie the week I did those misspellings. So rough I don't remember...
I'm thinking
of making a goof a regular feature however. On purpose. Might be fun. Like
a monthly "Spot the Goof". Or something.
.....
UCOMICS.COM
UComics.com
now has a feature called "The Store" which will be offering all
kinds of merchandise related to the comic strips they carry. It just started
and so far there are only a few up there including one of my favorites,
"Bizarro". "T-shirts and mouse pads and mugs, oh my!"
Cool stuff. Keep you posted when guitar slinging Ginger is up and running
on a mug. Should be soon.
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KANSAS CITY,
MO.
Thanks to ALL
of you that made my trip there such a blast. Damn, you know how to treat
a cartoonist/ trombonist/Arteest geek in every way. Everybody. Thanks. For
some reason, most of you don't believe me (you must think i'm a good actor)
but I had a ball. Oh, and by the way, the personal "strips" you
did for me at that meeting there? I have plans. hang in there. They're coming.
I'm very busy and important, you know. Actually, I'm sitting on my ass drinking
coffee but you know how it is. And, no, I didn't leave THAT package on the
plane.
Thanks again
everyone. Besides the boost it gave me, it was great to put faces to names.
'Specially you, Lisa...
.....
BRAD PITT
By the way,
that "photo"in the last panel of this past Monday's (6/4) E-Mail
Monday is supposed to be a photo of Brad Pitt. It came out like a big ugly
blotch and kind of messed up the whole point of my um..gag. This is mostly
due to my ineptness (is that a word?) with the computer. The powers that
be did all they could to fix it but hey, y'know? Misspellings, botched photos
of Brad Pitt, wondering if "ineptness" is a word...What other
cartoonist or writer do you know that fesses up to such things? Oh wait..most
of 'em don't have to cuz they're careful not to screw up in the first place.
Nevermind then.
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INTERVIEWS
I did a two
part interview with J.R.Cook, creator of the on-line comic strip, "The
Normal Guy". I mentioned this in the last newsletter and part 2 is
posted now. If you wanna check it out, go to: http://normalguy.keenspace.com
You'll find it there.
The Cartoonist
Profiles Magazine interview with good 'ol Yours Truly should be out right
about now. I haven't seen it yet but i've been told they're running the
entire thing, no cuts, so that should be interesting to say the least. I
remember getting aggravated toward the end but it was only cuz I was in
the middle of one of my surrealisms and wanted to get back to it. And God
help the person who gets in the way of me and my surrealisms, know what
i'm saying.? Hopefully I didn't come across as the arrogant, pompous, thick
headed, egomaniacal jerk I really am. Sounds great, doesn't it? No doubt
a pleasant read before bedtime.
Anyway, I'll
mention this again in the next newsletter in case anybody wants a copy.
I might be able to work something out with the publisher dood that I can
just reprint the interview and send it to whoever wants it for the price
of postage. I'll get the info to order the magazine as well just to give
the dood a plug or if you want the whole issue. Or a subscription in case
you're one of those weird cartoonist types. That magazine helped me a lot
in my syndication pursuits and obsession.
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THE LENNIE
DOLL
You guys are
gonna DIE when you see what I got from "Lynne" in California.
Absolutely incredible. She sent it to me for my birthday. It's a hand sewn
cloth 18" poseable (is that a word? That's a word, right?) Lennie doll
that couldn't look more like me and/or the cartoon me. Right down to the
kinds of clothes I always wear. No doubt she's been looking in my windows.
It is SO funny. And the KILLIN' thing is that it's complete with suction
cups on the hands and feet. I am FINALLY a suction cup doll!! FINALLY my
dream has been fulfilled!!
So i'm going
to post that on PlanetLennie.com soon as I get some decent photos of it.
Oh...and the riot is to pull down the pants on the thing. I try to keep
my website FAIRLY "kid friendly" (as well as this newsletter.
Imagine...I'm protecting kids from seeing a doll with it's pants down on
the INTERNET. How's the lost cause in THAT? Talk about jumping in the ocean
to get out of the rain...) so, unfortunately, I won't take a shot of THAT
pose. Let's just say she has an um..."enhanced" ..."larger
than life"... "one can only hope"...impression of me. You
get the idea.
Thanks again,
Lynne. That doll has brought LOTS of fun and laughter to me 'n mine and
now sits proudly on the mini-bar. Great stuff. It'll be on the site soon.
And the "added accessory" possibilities are ENDless! Kitty, coffee
mug, trombonaphone, sketch pad, hot chick by my side. Oh wait. That's the
Ken doll with the hot chick by his side...
.....
'K...GOTTA
GO
'K. Gotta go.
As my ex father-in-law
used to say, God Rest His Soul, "See you in the funny papers"
(and little did he know). Thanks, everyone, for all your support. It means
a lot. And that stoopid gourmet -wicked- expensive- cat -food -for- aging
-old- fuzzbuckets which I can finally afford BECAUSE of your support means
a lot as well... The Queen of All Felines would thank you but I know she's
busy. I can hear her snoring from here...
Thanks and
Best,
Lennie, Ginger, and all of us at The Big Picture
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