My Blog

My Birthday Plans!

Zorikh — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:31:09 GMT

Hi Friends. It’s hard for me to believe it’s been a whole year since my last birthday, but here I am again, 39 and holding, and realizing that I have been so busy with my movie and job and other bits and pieces of my life that I have not though much about September 6 as special day. But I have a plan anyway! I will be having three “Events” to celebrate my birthday, two involving music, two involving movies. One will be a personal, just-cause-I-want-to thing, the other a big, fantabulous, blow-out that will be shot for inclusion in my movie “Redemption,” and the other other the latest edition of a bi-monthly blast! The first will be on Sunday, September 6. I have sort of made it a habit to invade an open mike on my birthday for the past few years, so I figure I will keep up the tradition. I will head down to Pete’s Candy Store, 709 Lorimer St. in Williamsburg (directions below), where the open mike starts at 5 PM. I will get there around 4 and will be leaving around 7:00, and I invite all of you to come, hang out with me and help me celebrate this milestone year for me. Then on Saturday, September 12, I will be playing a gig at Otto’s Shrunken Head, 538 E. 14th Street in Manhattan (directions below) from 6-7 PM. Two songs in this set will be backed up by a band composed of some members of the cast of “Redemption” and will be shot as part of a scene in the movie. Anyone who wants to be in the movie, and wants to help me celebrate my birthday again, is invited to come on down and be a part of what is sure to be an amazing event! Afterwards we will hang out, get something to eat, and enjoy all the warm and fuzziness that comes from the magic of motion picture-making! And finally, on Sunday, September 13, Captain Zorikh’s Bi-Monthly Movie Madness will occur, also at Otto’s Shrunken Head. This time around we will be showing an all-new episode of Zombie Hunters by Patrick Devaney, the short film “Loss of Hope” by Scott Goldberg, and of course, more new footage from “Redemption!” It’s going to be an amazing afternoon of zombies, wrestling, and nuclear terrorism! The excitement is scheduled to begin at 4 PM (but usually starts a little later) and will probably run to about 5:30. There will be much hanging out afterwards, though. Here’s all the vitals: Pete’s Candy Store: 709 Lorimer St. Take the L to Lorimer or the G to Grand/Metropolitan. Walk down Lorimer under the BQE, then go 1 ½ blocks and there you are, between Frost St. and Richardson. You can see a map at http://www.petescandystore.com/petes_map.html Otto’s Shrunken Head: 538 E. 14th Street. Take the L train to 1st Ave, walk 1 ½ blocks east and there you are, between Ave’s A & B Captain Zorikh zorikh@juno.com 917-865-1214 http://www.captainzorikh.com DISCLAIMER: You are getting this message because I want you to help me celebrate my birthday.

Captain Zorikh's New Glasses Benefit CD!

Zorikh — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:33:43 GMT

Over the course of a person's life, glasses get lost, damaged, destroyed, worn out, and it comes time to replace them. Such a time has come upon Captain Zorikh. My famous aviator-shape spectacled with the transitions lenses have become too scratched and worn to wear, the really cool, very expensive rimless glasses you can see in the this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrthXdfCg3U went and disappeared at a Valentine's Day party. Those round glasses, that really aren't doing it for me anyway, have had their ear pieces replaced twice and the bridge has given way. The little round glasses that I have had since 2000 had broken a while back, which had prompted the purchase of the new rimless ones. The old navigator frames, which had been brought out of retirement as the Last Pair Left, suffered a fatal twist on the way home from the Totally Normal Event and the attachment point for the ear piece has broken off. In short, it's time for new glasses. I found two perfect pair, one a quite fashionable aviator frame that will go great with the transitions lenses, and the other a wireless set with nigh-indestructible stainless steel handles, at a buy-one-get-the-other-pair-half-off deal. To support the purchase of these glasses, I have produced a CD of all-original songs . Some of them are the best cuts from previous CD's, some are brand new. There are 11 songs in all (with one bonus “hidden” track) with myself on guitar, harmonica and vocals, and support from Eli Maniscalco and Danny Wacker on guitar, Eli on bass, Jeff Webb of Eastwinds drummers on drums and percussion, and Marnen Laibow-Koser on fiddle/violin. You can see the conditions of my glasses, and order the CD through my website at "wts/catalogue.html", or even order anything through Amazon.com through any Amazon.com link on any of my websites. Finally, if actually buying something is of no interest to you, but you would still like to contribute to the causes, you can use the Amazon Honor System by finding the link here: http://www.captainzorikh.com/glasses.html Hang in, see well! Captain Zorikh

Captain Zorikh ALL OVER I-Con this weekend!

Zorikh — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:28:42 GMT

Hi Friends! Big news this weekend! Yours Truly, Captain Zorikh, is going to be ALL OVER I-Con this weekend! Http://www.iconsf.org I-Con is a huge multimedia sci-fi/fantasy/comic book/anime/gaming/medieval convention at SUNY Stony Brook on Long Island. In other words, almost every aspect of my life touches it in some way or another. First, I will be fighting in armor with the SCA from 1-3 on both Saturday and Sunday. Second, I am going to be lecturing on the “History of Chivalry and Armor” on Saturday at 4 PM (due to the proximity of the first item I will be dong it in full armor). Third, I am going to performing with my band, the Death Star Repairmen at the Cabaret at 8 PM on Saturday evening, and some time during the day on Sunday (We just recorded a new CD with 12 songs on it, that will be available for sale there). Finally, I will be taking part in a panel discussion about “Juggling Multiple Fandoms” on Saturday at noon (due to the proximity in time of this panel with the first item, I will be doing it in full armor). I will also have a table from which I will be selling lots of fine Watch This Space merchandise, including the famous comics, photo comics, and trading cards, Captain Zorikh music CD's, videos and photo CD's of yours truly and the Doom Maidens in action, and the famous Pennsic War Video Documentary, now available on DVD! There will even be stuff that is not yet available online at http://www.captainzorikh.com/wts/catalogue.html Where will all this be taking place, you ask? On the campus of SUNY Stony Brook in Long Island. It is easily accessible by the LIRR Port Jefferson Branch to the Stony Brook station. Admission (called a “membership” for technical legal reasons) for I-Con is as follows: At The Door Memberships are available beginning at 5:00 pm on Friday, April 4. The rates are as follows: 3 Day Adult $55 Student $48 Child $17 Senior Citizens are entitled to the Student rate, as are Stony Brook staff and faculty. Children under 6 are admitted free of charge. The Child rate applies to those ages 6-12. All special rates apply only to three-day tickets. One Day Memberships Friday Only $31 Saturday Only $48 Sunday Only $37 So come on down. It is a wonderful event, I have done it almost every year for a while now. And while you're at it, check out my most recent media blog at http://bigapplemedia.blogspot.com/. I ramble off a few thoughts about the new Star Wars TV series that has been announced. Onward and Upward! Captain Zorikh zorikh@juno.com 917-865-1214 http://www.captainzorikh.com http://www.captainmarvelculture.com

RIP Gary Gygax

Zorikh — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 04:13:33 GMT

A father is gone. The world that we in the fantasy fan community enjoy, one in which wizards and warriors, elves and dwarves, magic and monsters and yes, dungeons and dragons are common parlance owes a great deal of debt to the man who placed a dragon in a wargame. When I was 11 year old I had heard of D&D, but had never actually seen the game. Then someone in school brought out the three books and the half-dozen dice and started a campaign. That was it. Everyone in 7th and 8th grade was hooked. Every spare moment of time was taken up by D&D adventuring. Eventually this expanded into Traveler, Boot Hill, Gamma World, Time Tripper, Car Wars, and more games that I can remember. In that school being what we would call today a “geek” or “dork” was cool. It was hip. Social status was based on being the first one to have a new game, or the best game that week. We designed our own character sheets. We drew up our own characters. We created our own gods and monsters. “The Emperor” was the All-Powerful-Force of Evil (yes, inspired by Empire Strikes Back), “Enigma” was the All-Powerful Force of Good (from the Micronauts comic book, I think). I thought of creating an All-Powerful Force of Neutrality, but kept on going back and forth on it. My character got turned into a Gollum and stretched out to 7 feet tall on a rack. Someone created an assassin with an atomic bomb. Someone else tried to use a saving throw when the bomb went off. We drew maps. We designed weapons. We collected miniature figures and placed them on graph paper. We designed dungeons. We collected dungeon modules and dice. Our imagination was stoked and our social interactivity was very, very high. When I left that school and moved to a public high school, I found the social situation there very different. I never was able to get back into gaming, though I still collected everything about Car Wars for some years (as I was a big fan of post-apocalyptic movies like The Road Warrior). Eventually I found the Society for Creative Anachronism and was able to live a historically-based, live action version of D&D, and for a time sneered at those who rolled dice to gain their skills, while I actually worked for it. I never saw more than a few minutes of the D&D cartoon, but I followed the comic strip advertisements in the backs of comic books in the early 1980's. When the Dungeon and Dragons movie finally came out, I was very excited. For decades there had been films and TV shows that, to one degree or another, I felt were trying to bring the D&D world to life, and I, in turn, had tried to turn those movies into games (you can see a list that includes many of those movies at http://www.geocities.com/historicalmovies). Now someone was actually going to make that movie for real. The movie was poor, but fun. Though the acting was uneven, the writing corny, and the Wayans brother character the most politically incorrect ethnic stereotype since JarJar Binks, it was great to see all the swordfighting, the flying dragons, and lets admit it, Thora Birch in those fantasy costumes. There was a sequel to that movie, however, Dungeons and Dragons, the Wrath of the Dragon Gon, that finally did it right. A team of adventurers was assembled to go on a quest to retrieve a magic item and save the kingdom. Each character represented a different race or class of character. There was problem-solving, trap avoiding, magic using, and exciting battle action, sometimes all at the same time. Characters of differing alignments had to learn to work together. Some did not make it, but those who did found they had grown and gained skill, treasure, or power. Gygax was interviewed in the “special features” of the DVD of that film, and admitted that he was happy with the way that film turned out. Although he lost control of the game and company that he founded, he kept active in the industry, and obviously loved creating games. Role playing games have brought many of us together, given us a common social bond, and in many cases, enabled us to get valuable life experience. Though some make the joke about how D&D geeks are socially atrophied nerds who can't deal with the real world, it has given many lived, and our culture, a richness and vitality, a passionate escape, a source of pleasure and cause for social gathering that the world would be poorer without. Now the father of those games is gone, and we are poorer without him. Captain Zorikh http://www.captainzorikh.com http://www.bigapplecon.com

It could happen to anyone, why did it happen to me? Lost guitar

Zorikh — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:24:29 GMT

We can call this story "If it could happen to anyone, why did it happen to me?" There are 8 million stories in the naked city. Some of them intertwine and intersect. I am sending this message in the hope that in a week of entwining intersections, there can be just one more that can help me get my guitar back. Captain Zorikh did it again. After an enjoyable evening at the Church of Pop website launch party (http://www.thechurchofpop.com , a very interesting event of multi-media art and entertainment), I headed home on the L train at about 12:15 with every intention of getting home and working on my Captain Marvel Culture website (http://www.captainmarvelculture.com). I had my Washburn acoustic guitar in its black Manny's Music gig bag on my back, but took it off so I could stand up and distribute a few flyers for the Big Apple Convention coming up on November 16-17-18 (http://www.bigapplecon.com). I sat back down when I was done and pulled out a copy of Avengers #191 to read for the rest of the brief journey. When I got to the Montrose Ave stop, I got up and walked out. I stopped at the deli outside the subway exit, and, after ordering a roast beef sandwich (lettuce, tomato and mustard, on a roll), I realized...I didn't have my guitar. I rushed back down to the subway platform and told the token booth attendant (I'm sorry, I'll always call them that. Just nostalgic, I guess) who did yeoman service making phone calls to let the conductor know that I had left my guitar in the train and to see if he could find it. After an interminable wait, the word was...no guitar. It's a very horrible feeling to realize one has lost his guitar. This guitar has been a significant part of my livelihood for the past few years. It is one of the few purchases I have made that has paid for itself, many times over. It has helped me get through rough emotional times and helped me communicate my joy with other people. I also ned it for a gig this coming weekend at Jeff Mach's Labyrinth http://www.wickedfaire.com/labyrinth/index.html But also with the guitar was the case it was carried in, and in that case were extra strings, two harmonicas and a harmonica holder, a capo, extra picks, loose change from busking, and a dozen or so Watch This Space comics, various issues, for me to sell. It was a dumb, simple, way of forgetting it. Such a significant loss for such a miniscule payoff. So I guess three things could have happened. 1) a good Samaritan now has my guitar and is going through my extra strings, harmonica, loose change from busking (all the foreign coins and amusement park slugs that get tossed in) and dozen or so copies of my Watch This Space comics to find contact info to get the guitar back to its rightful owner or 2) they turned it in to a station attendant who will turn it in to the MTA lost & found or 3) they are keeping it for themselves, thus saving $350 on a very good-sounding guitar (despite some wear and tear). There is also the possibility that it was kidnapped by aliens, but that's not very likely and I don't accept it. If it had been taken for an "unattended package" then the train line would have been shut down and I would know exactly where it is. So, over the course of this week I have met one person from my alma mater, the School of Visual Arts, one person who is an artist who regularly goes to the Big Apple Convention, and two people that I have known through William Shakespeare's Haunted House, and one who I first met in the SCA, then later when she was working at Belvedere Castle when WSHH was performing there, then again when she turned out to be a friend of a co-worker at Anchor Network, then again when she was waitressing at Veselka. With all these coincidences, I can only hope for just one more, the coincidence that one of you within the sound of my voice knows the person, or is the person, who picked up my guitar that I lest on the L train heading for Broadway Junction at Montrose Ave at about 12:20 in the morning of Saturday night/ Saturday morning September 23-23. You can see a picture of the guitar at http://www.myspace.com/captainzorikhmusic On Monday I will call the MTA's Lost & Found. When I have the results of that investigation, or if somehow my guitar gets back to me sooner, I will let you all know. I won't send out a "please buy my products at http://www.captainzorikh.com/wts/catalogue.html or buy something from Amazon.com by clicking on the Amazon.com link on almost any page of my website http://www.captainzorikh.com and help me get a new guitar" message until after I have determined that the guitar is actually lost and gone forever. Captain Zorikh zorikh@juno.com 917-865-1214 http://www.captainzorikh.com

Captain Zorikh's Birthday Invite!

Zorikh — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 15:11:10 GMT

Dear friends, fans, former and present fellow cast members, and everyone else who somehow wound up on this list... Well, another year has gone by and Your Humble Narrator had carefully crafted an announcement.... (Aw, heck with the self-important 3rd person crap)...I wrote a beautiful birthday invite and the computer crashed and I lost it! This has been a significant and important year for me, one which as taken me places I never expected to go physically, geographically, professionally, and emotionally. It has shown me things I never expected to seee, and given me reasons to do things, and not do things, I never expected. In memorial of this, I am celebrating my birthday tonight, Thursday, September 6, at an open mike at ArtLand, a local bar in my neighborhood, and would like you to come join me. And before you ask, yes, I will be performing. The evening starts at 8 PM, and I don't know when I will be performing, but I expect it to be before 10 PM. Afterwards, I would like to migrate to the Rose Karaoke Bar in Manhattan where we all can sing. There may also be the ordering of a pizza or something because I will be coming straight from my grappling training and will be hungry. Directions: ArtLand is at 609 Grand St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn Take the L train to Grand St. Walk west, towards Manhattan, past Humboldt St, Graham Ave, Manhattan Ave, and Leonard St. ArtLand is located next to a large parking lot for a supermarket. http://www.myspace.com/artlandbar (MySpace) http://www.yelp.com/biz/ZtOV8E7ecceW_rII_HmmIQ (reviews and map of location) If you get lost call 917-865-1214. So come on down and help me toss back a few and pay tribute to the past year as I look forward to the next one. Happy Birthday! Zorikh http://www.captainzorikh.com 917-865-1214 zorikh@juno.com

What Tarot Card am I?

Zorikh — Wed, 16 May 2007 16:38:22 GMT

<img src="http://www.flarn.com/~warlock/tarot/catpeople/1.jpg"> <h2 align="center">You are The Magician</h2> Skill, wisdom, adaptation. Craft, cunning, depending on dignity. Eleoquent and charismatic both verbally and in writing, you are clever, witty, inventive and persuasive. The Magician is the male power of creation, creation by willpower and desire. In that ancient sense, it is the ability to make things so just by speaking them aloud. Reflecting this is the fact that the Magician is represented by Mercury. He represents the gift of tongues, a smooth talker, a salesman. Also clever with the slight of hand and a medicine man - either a real doctor or someone trying to sell you snake oil. What Tarot Card are You? <a href="http://www.flarn.com/~warlock/tarot">Take the Test to Find Out.</a>

Captain Zorikh rocks Mean Fiddler Saturday at Midnight!

Zorikh — Sat, 05 May 2007 02:07:13 GMT

Thank you, those of you who came to the Storytelling night at Speakeasy. It was quite a fascinating night with stories about look-alikes of America’s Most Wanted, burlesque performers, AIDS hysteria, and hobbits. Sherry Weaver was so pleased she invited me to come back in the fall. Be sure to check in on her website at http://www.speakeasystories.com to find out more. In the meantime we have a very important and exciting gig at the Mean Fiddler tonight… 1. WHAT: Captain Zorikh sings at Mean Fiddler WHERE: The Mean Fiddler http://www.themeanfiddlernyc.com/ 266 W 47th St New York, NY 10036 (212) 354-2950 WHEN: Saturday, May 5, Midnight HOW MUCH: $10 (see below for details on how to get in for $8 or $5) 1. CAPTAIN ZORIKH DOES THE MEAN FIDDLER AT MIDNINGHT IT’S CINCO DE MAYO and that means that an Irish bar is having a SOUTHERN ROCK/ALT-COUNTRY night and CAPTAIN ZORIKH AND THE DEATH STAR REPAIRMEN have been invited to play their unique brand of rockabilly from beyond! So this may have nothing to do with a Mexican holiday, but it does mean you will have the opportunity to watch Yours Truly, singin’ and strummin’ and harmonica playin’ backed up by the HOT AND DEADLY Jolie Voltaire (http://www.jolievoltaire.com) on tambourine and security detail and the INCREDIBLY TALENTED Eli Maniscalco (http://elimaniscalco.com/) on bass (we rehearsed today and its gonna rock!) This gig on Saturday at Midnight produced by Lo-Fi Entertainment (http://www.lofientertainment.com) is a pretty big deal. It’s prime entertainment time for a musical gig, and I would love to see a great turnout. The gig at Siberia went over very well (former castmates from the Infamous “Richard III,” the Infamous “3 Musketeers” tour, and the Infamous “Robin Hood” show were all present) and with the energy of the holiday it is sure to memorable night! In the interest of getting as many people as possible to the shows, Lo-Fi has allowed two options of discount pricing If the $10 cover is too pricy for you, simply print out this message and circle the following words in red $8 DISCOUNT FLYER CAPTAIN ZORIKH & THE DEATH STAR REPAIRMEN If even that is too much for you, contact me before 6 PM on Friday and give me a good dramatic (yet light-hearted) sob story about how poor you are this week, and I will put you on the $5 guest list. Either way, you get to see the show! And oh, yeah, one free $3 Miller’s (beer) is included with admission. Stay tuned to Captain Zorikh, with whom you never know what will happen next! Captain Zorikh zorikh@juno.com 917-865-1214 http://www.captainzorikh.com http://www.captainmarvelculture.com http://www.jolievoltaire.com http://www.doommaidens.com For further contact, experience and interaction with all that is true Zorikhism, try the following: http://www.myspace.com/captainzorikhmusic (hear Captain Zorikh music) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/captainzorikh (Yahoo Groupiness) http://people.tribe.net/d0cb3565-61df-4d99-abf5-676a6583cd28 (Join the Zorikh Tribe) http://www.captainmarvelculture.com (read my history of the most important name in comics)