Month: June 2016 (Page 2 of 4)

We are still in repeat mode this week on The AIR, as we wind down the beta version of our exciting new internet radio station in preperation for our July 1 relaunch. You can tune in at The AIR’s website or on this nifty little radio player doodad…

While we are busy producing new episodes of the programming you may have already heard, and creating and acquiring tons of other new internet radio shows, you can sample some of the cool stuff we’ve already done to get an idea of what you can expect when The AIR revolution happens on July 1.

Tuesday at 10 AM and 10 PM, you can listen to the second episode of the new Radio Free Charleston radio show produced for The AIR back in February. Wednesday at 10 AM and 7 PM, check out an encore edition of The Booster Pack. At 1 PM Wednesday, On The Road With Mel presents a replay of her very first show. That’s followed by a marathon of Word Association with Lee and Rudy.  Thursday at midnight, tune in for an encore of the second Radio Free Charleston International.

On Friday at 9 AM and 9 PM, you’ll be treated to an all new episode of Laugh Appalachia. That’s followed by our regular Friday night schedule, which will be “regular” for the last time, because on July 1, it all changes.

Saturday morning at 9 AM, you can catch replays of all of this week’s Radio Free Charleston family of programming.

July 1 will be a very special day on The AIR as we offer up brand new episodes and brand new series all day long, capped off with a live remote from The Empty Glass and the debut of Harrah’s Hard and Heavy. After that, all bets are off as The AIR hits the internet like a ton of bricks, and the world will never be the same again.

This week’s art takes us back to last month’s David Bowie tribute session of Dr. Sketchy’s. My imaginary daughter, Kitty Killton, recreated several of the Thin White Duke’s iconic looks, and for this one I gave it a poppity-artity look. The next Dr.Sketchy”s Anti Art School happens during the FestivAll ArtWalk, at, or in front of Tops Off Barber Shop on Hale Street. Click to embiggen.

In the 1940s, Max Fleischer’s studio produced seventeen full-color Superman cartoons. Fleischer had made his name as the producer of cartoons starring Popeye and Betty Boop, but this foray into a dramatic series of shorts was unlike anything that had been produced before.For many fans of the Man of Steel, this remains the definitive version of the last son of Krypton. Alex Ross based his version of Superman in the graphic novel, Kingdom Come on the Fleischer Superman, and Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, the primary designers of the DC Animated Universe drew their visual inspiration from him.

With a sleek look and incredible animation, Fleischer’s Superman set a standard that animators still strive for today, some 75 years later. Above you will find all seventeen Fleischer Superman cartoons, in one playlist.

After sitting out FestivAll 2013, Radio Free Charleston returned to Charleston’s annual arts explosion with a full-length episode devoted to music and an RFC MINI SHOW that covered the Art Parade. If you’re not living under a rock, then you know that FestivAll is happening NOW, and if you’re reading this early enough, you still have time to get to Capitol Street to see the parade.

Unless you’re in Wheeling at the Marx Toy Convention, like your PopCulteer, that is. Either way, there’s plenty of cool stuff to do. Don’t just sit around and mope.

The PopCulteer
June 17, 2016

It’s a huge weekend in Charleston with FestivAll happening and all sorts of cool things going on…and your PopCulteer will not be here for any of it.

I will be in Wheeling (and Moundsville) for the annual Marx Toy Convention. If you’re a long-time reader of PopCult you know that I’ve been making the drive to Wheeling each year for six or seven years now. The Marx Toy Convention takes place every June at Kruger Street Toy & Train Museum, and there’s an after-hours gathering at The Marx Toy Museum, just a few miles away in Moundsville.

This year will be the last for the after-hours get-together because, sadly, The Marx Toy Museum will be closing their physical location at the end of June. This is going to be a bittersweet convention, and many Marx Toy collectors are making one last pilgrimage to visit The Marx Toy Museum and see Francis Turner’s legendary Marx Toys collection. The Marx Toy Museum will live on as a virtual museum and a series of traveling exhibits, so it will still be performing its mission to remind the world of the majesty of Louis Marx and his amazing toy company.

And this is not going to be the last Marx Toy Convention. Kruger Street Toy & Train Museum will continue to host the annual event celebrating Marx Toys every June. It’s just that this one is going be a little sad.

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This is one of those weekends where everything happens at once in Charleston. FestivAll kicks off. It’s a long weekend for WV State workers due to West Virginia Day on Monday. And your loyal Popculteer will miss it all because he’s heading to Wheeling for the Marx Toy Convention (more on that tomorrow).

However, you probably want to steel yourself for a weekend of way the hell too much stuff to do. It’s all good. It’s all fun. It’s all over the place. For full details on FestivAll, check out the Gazette-Mail article.

We’re going to spotlight a few extra FestivAll events here, too, but to be honest, there’s just too much for one human to see this weekend. So you’d better get cracking on that cloning machine you’re building in the basement. You’re going to need it! And don’t forget your last two chances to see the latest KP production (seen at the head of this post).

Here are the highlights. If I missed your event, feel free to plug it in the comments. I’m really buried under Stuff To Do this weekend.

Thursday

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The PopCult Toybox

Wonderfest USA took place a couple of weeks ago, but we still have tons of photos to bring you.Today we’re going to look around the dealer room and see some of the special guests who showed up. Wonderfest is primarily a convention for model-builders and the big attraction is the huge model contest room. What’s cool about the convention is that you can find many of the raw model kits for sale in the dealer room, along with paints, modeling plastics, tools as well as toys, T-shirts, posters, magazines and tons of other cool things.

Next week we’re going to head back to the model contest room, but today we look at the dealers and guests rooms. You’ll find a few captions, but for the most part we’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Master artist and designer, William Stout. It’s an honor to meet this guy.

The table for Star Trek: The New Voyages was constantly besieged by fans.

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Wednesday, June 15th at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 520 Kanawha Blvd. W. Charleston, it’s a special pre-FestivAll event as Lady D returns to Charleston in The Lady and The Empress, her one-woman show based on the life and music of blues legend, Bessie Smith. This is a highly-acclaimed show and Lady D is a true treasure of the West Virginia music scene. You shouldn’t miss this chance to see one performing legend pay tribute to another.

Backed by a four piece band, Lady D takes you on a blues journey from the days of vaudeville tent shows through Jim Crow and the Great Depression. Hear some of Bessie’s most famous hits like “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” and “Gimme A Pigfoot.”

Just to get you in the mood, there will be a soul food dinner offered at 7pm, prior to showtime at 8PM.

“Dinner & Show” tickets are $25.00, while “Show Only” tickets will be $12.00. Call 304.222.2536 or email info@simplyjazzandblues.com for reservations. You can also purchase tickets online.

Brought to you in association with The Charleston WV Blues Society

This week on The AIR, we’re in the waning days of our beta mode and as such, our regular programming will all be reruns. You can tune in at The AIR’s website or on this nifty little radio player doodad…

While we are busy producing new episodes of the programming you may have already heard, and creating and acquiring tons of other new internet radio shows, you can sample some of the cool stuff we’ve already done to get an idea of what you can expect when The AIR revolution happens on July 1.

Tuesday at 10 AM and 10 PM, you can listen to the very first episode of the new Radio Free Charleston radio show produced for The AIR back in February. Wednesday at 10 AM and 7 PM, check out an encore of the “Creepypasta” edition of The Booster Pack. At 1 PM Wednesday, On The Road With Mel presents an encore of a show about riding the Amtrak Cardinal Line from New York to Charleston. Thursday at midnight, tune in for an encore of the very first Radio Free Charleston International.

On Friday at 9 AM and 9 PM, you’ll be treated to an all new episode of Laugh Appalachia. At 8 PM, it’s an encore of the Marx Toy Museum episode of Word Association with Lee and Rudy. We’ll be playing this episode all weekend in honor of the Marx Toy Convention, which is where your PopCulteer will be. At 9:30 PM, it’s a bonus repeat of Word Association with Lee and Rudy, followed by a replay of the very first Radio Free Charleston International.

Saturday morning at 9 AM, you can catch replays of all of this week’s Radio Free Charleston family of programming.

July 1 will be a very special day on The AIR as we offer up brand new episodes and brand new series all day long, capped off with a live remote from The Empty Glass and the debut of Harrah’s Hard and Heavy. After that, all bets are off as The AIR hits the internet like a ton of bricks, and the world will never be the same again.

I was horrified by the mass-murders at the Pulse nightclub when I heard the news.

I was horrified further when I spent too much time on social media discovering the almost instantaneous mad rush to spin this tragedy to further people’s political agendas. I had to log off the computer and go for a drive with my wife. When we got back, the nonsense had gotten worse. So I logged out of Facebook again, and made this digital painting. It’s simple, colorless and basically expresses my impotent rage, not only at the killer, but also at the people who refuse to do anything to even attempt to stop guns like the one used in this crime from falling into the hands of madmen.

I hate the fact that this seems to be all I can do about this horrible situation. We all need to do more, whether it’s voting to get money out of politics so that our elected officials would be forced to serve our best interests, or whether it’s just personally taking a stand against all bigotry and hatred. But for now I am numbed by the awfulness of the shootings, and this is all I can do. Click to enlarge.