Do you have photos of moments in your life that make you cringe? I have a handful of them, particularly from my early 20s, when I was searching for a path out of Texas. I had moved beyond my flashy New Wave days of makeup and big hair into a strange hybrid uniform of 1940sContinue reading “The Naked Time”
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The Hunger – Bauhaus and the Endless Void of Teenage Depression
I. I peer into the depths of a black tarp, loosely stapled across a makeshift wall. There is a constant hustle of people shuffling past as they rush to cobble together a haunted house for this elementary school carnival within 24 hours. By my side is David Johnson, a great neighborhood friend. I’d invited himContinue reading “The Hunger – Bauhaus and the Endless Void of Teenage Depression”
Super 8 Home Movies Project #1
On a recent trip to Texas, I returned with a suitcase overflowing with Super 8 films from my childhood. Most of this footage ranges from the late 1960s through the 1970s. My goal is to regularly post about a random film, along with related memories prior to watching it. I will follow this with myContinue reading “Super 8 Home Movies Project #1”
Summit Bars and Other Strange Things
I was recently digging through a few old storage boxes when I discovered a package I had sealed away in 1983. At the age of 15, inspired by an article about time capsules in the Houston Chronicle, I placed a Summit candy bar into a Ziploc bag, which I then wrapped in a bundle ofContinue reading “Summit Bars and Other Strange Things”
Episode 11: Shore Leave – Nerdy Spring Breakout
I. “There’s a call to adventure. It’s something in the inner psyche of humanity…” Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons I’m slowly crawling down a dark hallway, flat against the pristine beige carpet while attempting to move silently and hide in the shadows. I hold my breath as I slide towards the door ofContinue reading “Episode 11: Shore Leave – Nerdy Spring Breakout”
The Devil in the Dark – The Story of David Gregg, part 1
After brushing my teeth, I walk out of the bathroom and cautiously peer down the dark hallway. Peeking out from around the corner, I see a huge butcher knife, gleaming in the darkness. A hand wearing a black glove holds the weapon tightly aloft, slowly twisting the knife so I will see the glimmer inContinue reading “The Devil in the Dark – The Story of David Gregg, part 1”
Episode 8: The Mallternative Factor – Parachute Pants vs. Capes
FADE IN: EXT. SHOPPING MALL – DAY The bland, overbright facade of a mall on the outskirts of Houston, Texas on a hot day with an unbroken, cloudless sky and cars but no people. A seagull slowly circles the lot. JEFF (Voiceover) For many suburban teens in the 80s, the mall provided a mini-vacation fromContinue reading “Episode 8: The Mallternative Factor – Parachute Pants vs. Capes”
Episode 6: Spectre of the Gun – Hunting, Gathering, and Reading
“Rise ahnd shine! Rise…AHND…shine!” I woke every school morning to my mom’s southern voice abrasively carrying through the house. I dealt with it by imagining her as a Pterodactyl, and I’d mimic her catchphrases with dinosaur screeches as I flapped my arms and ran around the house like a scene in a Ray Harryhausen film.Continue reading “Episode 6: Spectre of the Gun – Hunting, Gathering, and Reading”
Episode 5: Mirror, Mirror – The Path to the Nightcage
I move in slow motion, trapped in the crowd after a concert at Music Hall in downtown Houston. My friends, Michael and Steven, slowly move in syncopation as we awkwardly descend the steps of the balcony, taking tiny steps to assure we don’t kick or trip someone else. I am wearing grey parachute pants, aContinue reading “Episode 5: Mirror, Mirror – The Path to the Nightcage”
Episode 4: Amok Time – Triggering my Trekkie Sleeper Cell
“After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true.” – Spock in Amok Time. In June of 2001, I lived in a loft space in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. Bushwick hadn’t yet become the art and fashionContinue reading “Episode 4: Amok Time – Triggering my Trekkie Sleeper Cell”
Jeff Gauntt-Quiceno 