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Archive for the ‘Cool Stuff That Doesn’t Fit Anywhere Else’ Category

​Apparently, somebody -- make that quite a few somebodies -- wants VH1 talking head and master of the bizarre tweet, Paul F. Tompkins, to come to Dallas. So much so there's a Facebook group specifically for that purpose. Just today I've gotten three e-mails and two suggestions to join the group, started by Shannon Albert, and support the mass persuasion efforts to get Tompkins' comedic ass to Big D. What gives? Why a Facebook page and not just traditional letters of longing, lust and begging? Well, the page reads: "Paul F. Tompkins has said if a city gets up to 300 people that he'll come to that city to perform. Let's find 300 North Texas fans and get PFT to Dallas!" That's pretty clear, I suppose. And based on a recent tweet, it appears that Tompkins is aware of the demand: "Dallas the American city! I would like to meet you."So far, 110 members. Wait, make it 111. I couldn't help myself.

Famous Dog Walker by David Soams​Yesterday, good Friend of Unfair Park IgnoreLander shot me a link to the Flickr photostream of one "davidfromdallas." He also included this note: "Not sure if Dave really is from Dallas, but I came across this guy during some random Web surfing. Might be someone to watch out for in the future, as his designs are pretty cool. Thought Unfair Park should be aware." I then spent the next way too long sifting through davefromdallas's work -- a sharp, clever rearranging of pop-culture totems.But is he from here? Sure is. This sketch on Page 2 gave it away.So I sent David an e-mail. He replied with his phone number. I called him. We had a brief chat. His name is David Soams. He's a Dallas native, a recent UT Texas Creative grad and in the advertising bidness. So happens, we discover, his parents live exactly one block away from me. He also makes brilliant T-shirts, some of which you can buy through Woot or Threadless. Like this one. Or this one. And he's moving to the West Coast within the month.This piece, Good Guys in Bad Games, is his most recent. He posted it to his Flickr page earlier this week, and it made its way rather quickly to the gamer sites and Reddit. David says he's especially fond of his Frankenstein piece. And this piece, among the few to be sold separately:

​... I present to you the story of one Richard Jordan, a local man whose tale of traveling cross-country in a Lamborghini Gallardo has become a smash hit over on Jalopnik since it was posted yesterday. Friend of Unfair Park The Big Guy sent it my way late Thursday, along with this summation to explain its appeal here and, clearly, elsewhere: "From Dallas, sells his business, buys a house for girl, they break up, chucks it all, sells all his shit, buys a lambo, drives the lambo all over the place, gets 54 tickets, loses house, blows up car engine, returns to Dallas to build motorcycles." That, right there, that's poetry.

SpyHunter007Back in 1982, Ben Gold was the greatest Stargate player of all time, setting the world record in Richardson.​Thanks to this brief heads-up on the NBC5 Web site, I just spent the last little while researching Ben Gold, the local man set to be inducted into the brand-spankin'-new International Video Game Hall of Fame in Ottumwa, Iowa, on August 7. Hard to believe I didn't know anything about Gold till now: He was a member of the very same U.S National Video Game Team in 1983 that featured Billy Mitchell, star of the Donkey Kong doc The King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters, which sits firmly among My Favorite 12 Movies of All Time (though Gold has some issues with it).And, way back when, Gold was featured on That's Incredible, profiled in the Dallas Times Herald and written up in a massive Life magazine spread on the National Video Game Team. More recently he showed up in the doc Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade -- and, as Gold mentioned when we spoke moments ago, he was on Bob Sturm and Dan McDowell's Ticket show last Friday.Gold says he's known since March or April that he was being inducted into the Hall of Fame, but it became official about a month ago. He's among an estimable debut class -- not only is he among such famous players as Mitchell and rival Steve Wiebe, but also console creator Ralph Baer and Atari creator Nolan Bushnell. And though he's longtime pals with the hall's organizers, Gold is honored to be included amongst the class."In 1983, when I was in Life magazine, for a six to 12-month period, I was 'famous,'" he says. "I got phone calls from time to time from the media, and when I went to video-game functions there was a lot of interest. And then when video games became less popular, there was almost nothing for 20 years. Then, in 2005, there was a rebirth. I guess it was when competitive video-gaming became a big deal ,and that's when Chasing Ghosts happened, in '05 they came to Dallas, And then in '07 it premiered at Sundance, and then King of King came out. Chasing Ghosts fizzled, and King of Kong made Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe household names. But now, all of the sudden, with the hall of fame, I started getting a lot of inquiries, which is weird."Which is why Gold just posted several flashbacks to YouTube, including footage from his That's Incredible and PM Magazine appearances. Those are on the other side. I'll have more with Gold before his trip to Iowa. We're grabbing a beer in a couple of days. And we might just play some Stargate. Because the HR rep says he doesn't play much these days, but he's "still reasonably good at Millipede."

​My wife and the 7-year-old who lives in our house happened to be downtown close to 12 sharp and stopped by Thanksgiving Tower for Project Bandaloop's noontime show, which went off a little earlier than originally announced; hence they missed the whole thing, then opted not to stand in a looooong line for a taco and a Popsicle (besides, their meter was running out -- ahem). But several very-impressed Friends have submitted their thumbs-up recaps, and our Nick Rallo got there just in time for the wrap-up, which, truth told, doesn't look a heckuva lot different than yesterday's sneak preview. Which is why it's on the other side. Still, though -- impressive.

Click to embiggen Kevin and Kerry's action figures. Use The Iron Claw, if you must.​Long story short: Upon learning from Zac Crain this morning of the death of Jimmy Wehba -- that's Garland's own Skandor Akbar to you and my grandfather, who spent every Saturday night tuned to wrestling on Channel 11 so way back when -- I spent way too much time stumbling down Amnesia Lane. Which, long story shorter, led me to the website of Kevin Von Erich, who I cover-storied for the paper version of Unfair Park years ago. And it was there I learned that Mattel's coming out with Kevin and Kerry Von Erich action figures sooner than later.Turns out, they were introduced at Comic-Con in San Diego a few weeks back. Mattel's introducing its first installment in the WWE® Legends Hall of Fame Series next weekend at Kmarts (none in Dallas, alas), but no word on when Kerry and Kevin surface. I've left word for Mattel's L.A. PR reps. For my kid, you see.