Vito Delsante is a writer you should know

I posted this on Facebook, and I think this is something I might do every Friday.

So, Kurt Metzger is a local comedian, and he’s quite possibly the funniest person on Earth. His facial expressions and his delivery make me double over. Check it…

I was thinking that I wanted to put some content on here once a week, even if it has nothing to do with me or my projects. This is where my site really becomes a blog and less of a “hey, check out what Vito’s got coming into stores now!”

So, as you can tell by the title of this post, this is about John Coltrane. Many of you who know me well know that I’m a huge Coltrane fan. I personally discovered Trane in college, as a Freshman (SPOILER ALERT: this anecdote might show up in a later volume of FCHS, actually). I was in a band, so to speak…it was more like 5 of us meeting in the lounge on the 9th Floor and just jamming. I was supposed to sing, but we ended up just playing, so I was playing percussion (on whatever I could get my hands on). Our bassist was this phenom by the name of Ian. He was unstoppable…a real force of nature. Anyway, Ian introduced me to Coltrane. I had an affinity for Jazz, having listened to Big Band with my grandfather and then catching Branford Marsalis in Sting’s first two solo albums. A friend made some David Sanborn tapes for me, and I enjoyed them and at that point, yeah, just like everyone else in America, I liked Kenny G. But when I got to college (University of Pittsburgh), I discovered Miles Davis and it kind of opened my eyes to what Jazz really was. Ian and I listened to Kind of Blue and he pointed out Coltrane and then he dug out Blue Train, one of the greatest Jazz albums of all time. It was at that point that I realized what Kenny G and David Sanborn lacked and it was soul. They might have had heart, but they didn’t have that extra ingredient that made Jazz transcendent. So, after this, Ian and I bonded on music. We would go over to a Jazz club at Carnegie-Mellon and he’d sit in with the band (I wasn’t much of an instrumentalist, so I just hung out and listened). The one area where Ian and I disagreed was on drugs; he felt that using heroin made him a better musician and sited that Charlie Parker, Miles and yes, even Coltrane, all experimented with it. I hope that he’s out there somewhere, still playing, but cleaned up…just like Coltrane did.

Anyway, as your Friday (Weekend) Distraction, here are a few Coltrane videos from when he was at his peak. For more on John Coltrane, visit the following links:

Wikipedia Entry
Official Site

By the way, the image above was painted by my good friend, Mark Chiarello.

20 Years Ago…

That’s how this should start, right? Because 20 years ago this month (eight days ago, in fact), ABC aired Twin Peaks, a show that was way before it’s time and still stands as one of my favorites. It remains a cult favorite, due to it’s quirky characters (some of the best in fiction) and it’s compelling murder mystery. However, if you’re like me and you’re around my age, you remember Twin Peaks for one specific reason:

Audrey Horne. Or, as she’s known in real life, Sherilyn Fenn.

Not having the benefit of an IMDB back when the show was out, Sherilyn Fenn appeared as if from nowhere, from some magical land where Jane Russell and Veronica Lake had mixed their DNA together. Looking at it now, she might have caught my eye in 21 Jump Street or maybe Just One of the Guys…but unlikely. I noticed her when she did this:

I also, very vividly, remember this:

When she asks, “Isn’t it just too dreamy?” I just about melt.

Here’s more of Sherilyn and Sherilyn as Audrey.

And just so you don’t think I’m painting this in retro-spectacles, here she is recently, still gorgeous at 45:

Dreamy…

Don’t forget to order FCHS!

Or, maybe I should use the monicker that he is better known by: Stymie.

I love the Little Rascals (or rather, Our Gang).  My childhood was probably shaped by a lot of the mischief that these kids experienced.  I bought the Complete Collection DVD a little while ago, and something occurred to me: Stymie Beard was a great comedic actor, and keep in mind, he started doing the shorts when he was FIVE years old.  He was really quite phenomenal, and while there are some blatant racist overtones, Beard’s charm wins you over every time.  I don’t think that even the most racist of supremacists could deny that the kid was, truly, funny.  But I’ve never been one to wonder what a racist thinks, so let’s move on…

He had a rough life, post Our Gang.  According to his Wikipedia entry, he had a heroin habit and was in and out of jail throughout his teens.  He did eventually kick the habit and would show up on both Sanford and Son and Good Times.  He died in 1981, seven days after his 56th birthday, and what a tragedy to have died at such a young age.  He definitely had more to give.

So, let’s take a second to remember one of the greatest child actors of the 20th Century:

Finally, I present to you the greatest moment in children’s television:

Finally, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t tell you that you can order FCHS right now via ComiXpress!

Normally, when I do these Divert Your Attentions, I get the inspiration from earlier in the week. Something happens, or someone says something, and I say, “I love that!” and realize I can write a thousand words on the subject and see if there’s some kind of collective admiration for that very topic.

This week, that didn’t happen. If it did, pffft, long gone now.

So I was in the midst of figuring out what today’s post would be and I just looked up at my computer and saw this:

I have a borderline idiotic love for Aquaman. He’s not my favorite character, by any means. That distinction goes to Dick Grayson and any of his noms de guerre. Or Ted Grant, the ever-loving Wildcat. Blue Beetle, Starman, the Question, Hawkman, even Doctor Fate all come before Aquaman, not to mention any of the characters I’ve created myself(ie, with super talented folks).

And yet, I feel bad for the character. He gets an incredibly bad rap. No one really likes Aquaman.

So, I went about collecting Aquaman, trying to find the great in the good. And what I found was a goofy character with an awesome costume, unreasonable powers, and a devoted following. Waid made him cool in JLA Year One. David made him edgy in his run on the series. Grant made him regal in his JLA. And Ross did him “justice” in his maxi-series. These are four of the top writers in the field, and each one found something about him that made him cool. Why couldn’t everyone else see this?

One of the hardest parts of creator owned comics, specifically, the creation part of it, is the process of making folks care about a character they’ve never heard of before. Think about Aquaman. Everyone has heard of him, and yet, no one cares about him. How hard of a process is this? Truly, if you aren’t in love with Aquaman, who has been on tv shows, cartoons, and DVD’s, how will I get you to love my characters?

The answer is simple. By embracing it. Hence my over-the-top acceptance of Arthur Curry, Orin of Atlantis.

So, I invite you to join us, the few, the proud, the Aquaman fans.

First off, visit the Aquaman Shrine, one of the most comprehensive Aquaman sites on the web. If you don’t like ‘im after this, give up. ‘Cause it’s gonna get goofier.

Adam P. Knave, editor of Popgun, took this ridiculous picture of me for his blog:

Aquaman Dance Party?

Aquaman, as referenced by Dave Chappelle:

Late Late Show host, Craig Ferguson, gets in on the act:

So does Jimmy Kimmel:

Aquaman PWNS in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK6ls__DY9I

Finally, my friends at iFanboy (specifically, Conor) tell us what is wrong with Aquaman (wow, why didn’t I watch this first?) and tell us why he’s cool:

See? He ain’t all that bad!

Do me a favor and order FCHS Volume 1. You’ll love it! So, really, you’ll be doing yourself the favor!