Ninja Protectors!

Hey, I’m throwing in the copyright infringement flag… Anybody listening? I didn’t think so, but hear me out all the same.

The other day I was reading that “Rain” (Korean pop phenom… whatever) is going to be starring in an upcoming film entitled Ninja Assassin. Well I’m here to assert that this film is little more than a thinly veiled re-make of an earlier cult classic — the definitive work of the genre! Check the record, buddy: Ninja Protectors! was shot 25 years ago and has just been taken out of the vault for remastering and re-release as a special, “silver anniversary” collector edition. See for yourself:

My people will be calling.

(larger version on Google Video)

Ghosts of former shipmates

While trawling around YouTube I came across this short clip of my ship, the U.S.S. Deyo (which now rests at the bottom of the Atlantic after having been decommissioned and sunk as a target by a younger vessel). This is the only video of Deyo I’ve ever seen; I certainly did not have a camcorder back in those days. There’s not much to see, actually: a couple of guys hosing down the fantail — yes, battling ice with water — and burning trash. (In my day we just threw it over the side…) The video was shot in Norway, 1995, so it’s possible there were still people I knew on-board at that time, but doubtful.

What’s more interesting is what happened after I left a brief comment. Not more than a day later I was contacted by LT(jg) Tompkins, a quiet but very likable guy who often felt more at ease chatting with the enlisteds than his own officer bretheren. The message was brief: remember me?, what are you up to?, this is what I’m doing, and that’s about it. Nothing special, but then YouTube isn’t exactly the place for rekindling old friendships.

You know, it’s funny: ten years ago I nearly gave up hope of ever reconnecting with any of my former shipmates (except Casey, of course). Then, as the Internet gradually became a part of our daily existence — yes, remember that? — I was actually found first (I think) by a couple of buddies from OD (my division: Operations / Deck).

It probably comes as no surprise that the virtual reunion was anti-climatic. Living and working on-board ship with someone creates true “had to be there”-type relationships: there’s often little to sustain them outside of the immediate context. Paco had found God somewhere along the way (which, in his case, probably saved his life) and for a while sent me a stream of “touched” email messages that gradually dried up altogether. Maybe he got the hint when I stopped replying. Frazee was still Frazee. Good guys, both of them; we just had our time and place on board a very special ship that now, fittingly, will never again be touched by human hands. I suppose Casey and I were lucky in that we worked to create new lives and stories together once our time on Deyo came to an end. It’s just a shame that we don’t get talk more these days, but that’s as much my fault as anyone’s.

Now, I’d better get that reply out to Lt. Tompkins, let him know that every thing’s OK over here.

“SCTV now begins its programming day…”

I see that YouTube now has some videos posted from season 6 of SCTV (though there’s no guarantee how long they’ll remain there). From 1983–1984, the final season of SCTV aired on Cinemax and went by (the rather awkward) “SCTV Channel”. Being that we were Cinemax subscribers at the time, my brother and I got into the show and taped a bunch of episodes (on Betamax tapes, no less). A healthy chunk of our inside jokes and cultural-references come from bits taken from these episodes, so it’s been fun watching them again. I don’t know if this season will ever see release on DVD or not, so for now this might be your best bet.

As an aside, I love the VCR tracking lines that show up on the vids. Feels just like I’m back home on the couch with that clunky remote in my hand. (link)

New World “Mash”

This one’s for all the solo jammers out there.

Last summer I came across a killer vid of some guy drumming along to Rush’s “New World Man” in his garage or basement. That find led to several others, and while they’re interesting to watch on their own, ever since I’ve been wanting to make a good thing even better by mashing them together into a single video. Well, this morning I finally got around to editing it. While the result is less than perfect, I had a lot of fun making it (and fun is what I needed at the time).

I found several other clips that would have worked nicely but I had to draw the line somewhere, so I just went with the original four I’d downloaded. This could be really habit forming… (link)

Parties in olden tymes

Hilarious video from funnyman Dave Hill. In this episode Dave takes us inside the Actor’s Movement Studio, illustrating the proper technique for rolling, bowing before a king, and taking a hit of snuff. Good stuff, indeed.