| June 1999 - Vol 2 Issue #8 |
| THE SAME, BUT DIFFERENT |
|
I do a lot of different conventions throughout the year; Trek, Beauty & the Beast, general scifi/fantasy. This past weekend
{as I write this} I experienced another form of convention: Japanese animé!
All cons have a very similar base...a dealer's room, an artshow, a costume contest, panel discussions, celebrity guests, and some sort of banquet...all held in hotels that fall on the opposite side of the "normalcy" spectrum. But I've found that the different genres have their own "personality" for their cons. The Beauty and the Beast cons don't feel like a con, per se, but more like a family reunion; very relaxed and cozy...a much older bunch... The Star Trek cons seem more like a bazaar, with dealers hawking collectables, fans ushered through autograph lines with military precision, and lots of meetings amongst all the "ships" {the various clubs} because the fangroups belong to parent organizations that are run like the military... The general scifi/fantasy cons have a lot of writing and art panels and workshops and provide a more creative atmosphere... Then there's animé...lots of people running around dressed as their favorite character from Japanese animation {and not just for the masquerade}, speaking Japanese, buying Japanese, watching videos in Japanese, even hearing a concert in Japanese...and it's a much younger crowd... But even with all these differences, there's one thing in common... The cons are a place where people can get together for a few days to share common interests, exchange creative thoughts, escape the drudgeries of the real world to another dimension of playfulness and relaxation, and see friends they haven't seen for many moons. If it weren't for the various cons, I wouldn't get to see most of you people...heck, I probably never would have MET most of you people! Over the last 6 or 7 years I've met thousands, gotten to know hundreds, and have made a few very special friendships...friendships that have survived even though some of those people no longer attend cons. It was also at a con that someone special saw something in me I didn't think I had and he kicked me in the butt, showed me a few tricks, and now I'm painting because of it. Thank you, Keith! And thanx to all of you that have shared weekends with me, laughed at Myhr's silly antics, supported Jamie's artwork, tossed a brewsky, tripped on the dancefloor, and exchanged giggles and tears. Many cons are disappearing, and the remaining cons are getting bigger, more expensive, and less personal. Go and support the cons, especially the smaller fan-run cons, even try a genre you've never tried before. Cons are a wonderful place to exchange creative ideas, catch up on old friendships, and share a lot of love! Jamie |
|
Sue's Message
My apologies for the tardiness of this issue which is due in no small part to the fact that I moved house in May and it took me until June to unpack!! |
In this issue: page 1 - Myhr's Message page 2 - Caption Competition, Schedule & Addresses page 3 - How to tell if Myhr is around. page 4 - He's no pussy! by HELEN PAWLOWSKI page 5 - A Moment In Time page 6 - "The Back Page" is your page |
|
ADDRESSES: To e-mail Jamie: - myhr1@juno.com (now closed) To e-mail Sue - suehaley@zetnet.co.uk Website: - http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/suehaley/myhr.htm Lots of artwork and photos plus soundbytes and much more... |
for submissions for the September newsletter will be 17 August 1999 |
|
Up coming Cons and Artshows
1999 Jun 4 - 6 ……… A-KON, Dallas, TX (guest) June 25-27... THE GATHERING 1999: Gargoyles World Tour, Dallas, TX Jul 16-18 ………KINGDOM BY THE SEA Orlando, FL (guest) Aug 26-29……… CONUCOPIA, Anaheim, CA {artshow only} |
|
I MET JAMIE AT "TEX TREK" AND FELL IN LOVE WITH BOTH OF HIM. WHEN AN ORGANISATION
WITH WHICH I WAS ASSOCIATED DECIDED TO PUT ON A CONVENTION OF OUR OWN,
I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF "MYHR" AND ARRANGED FOR JAMIE TO BE ONE OF OUR STARS.
HE MADE THE CON A SUCCESS.
THERE WAS A WEDDING PARTY AT THE HOTEL AT THE SAME TIME AND "MYHR" CRASHED THE PARTY AND DANCED WITH THE BRIDE. SHE MAY FORGET A LOT ABOUT THAT NIGHT, BUT I'M WILLING TO BET SHE'LL NEVER FORGET THAT DANCE! |
 |
 |
I SAW TO IT THAT I GOT TO TAKE JAMIE TO THE AIRPORT TO CATCH HIS PLANE
HOME AND, TO MY SURPRISE AND DELIGHT, I TOOK "MYHR" INSTEAD. HE HAD
GREAT FUN SHOCKING MOTORISTS ON EITHER SIDE OF US - HE HUNG OUT THE
WINDOW TO BE SURE HE'D GET THE BIGGEST REACTION, TOO. I TOLD HIM THE
CHILDREN IN ST LOUIS WERE TAUGHT NEVER TO EMBARRASS ANYONE WITH A
DEFORMITY AND NOT TO EXPECT A STRONG REACTION IN THE AIRPORT.
(HE DIDN'T BELIEVE ME I THINK) SURE 'NUF, PEOPLE PASSED HIM BY AS THOUGH
HE WAS COMPLETELY NORMAL. I WAS A FEW PACES BEHIND HIM SO I COULD
OBSERVE HIS PROGRESS AND GOT A KICK OUT OF THE BLANK FACES AS HE
APPROACHED AND THE QUICK PEEKS AND EXCITED WHISPERS BEHIND HIS BACK.
THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO COMMENTED OR GAWKED WERE TOURISTS. HEY, WE GET ALL KINDS IN ST LOUIS! |
|
JAMIE WORE THE MASK ON THE PLANE AND HAD A DELIGHTFUL TIME WITH HIS SEAT MATE.
YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT WHEN HE'S JAMIE, HE'S A PUSSY; WHEN HE'S "MYHR", HE'S NOT. LUV YA JAMIE ~ HELEN PAWLOWSKI |
|
|
A Moment In Time 1999 Jamie was invited to attend A Moment In Time 1999 in Manchester, England not as a guest of the convention but as an attendee. British members of Myhr's Lair got together to make the trip possible. It was a new and relaxing experience for Jamie to have no pressure on him at the con. He offered to give an Art Workshop, which was well attended, but otherwise there was no timetable for him to adhere to. Jamie told me it was nice to be able to choose where he sat for the banquet and the buffet. That was the whole idea!! That Jamie would have the weekend *off*. We told him he needn't bring Myhr but he snuck in the luggage anyway!! :-) Myhr caused a few eye problems and had to be sent back to his room but otherwise the weekend was great!! |
 |
 |
Of course, Myhr helped out at the
auction and here he can be seen "modelling" a blanket knitted by members of Garnet Cavern.
Myhr was his usual persuasive self during the bidding - visiting rival bidders to smooch them into
offering more (money for the charity!) Christopher Toyne (producer) was the guest and he
acted as auctioneer with his customary efficiency (often missing my bids!! ;-) The weekend raised around £800 for the chosen charity; "Family First" which supplies used furniture to the needy. |
| Jamie's art workshop also covered the making of the Myhr mask. A mask, ideally, should only be used once (although if removed very carefully it can be used a second time) This means much of Jamie's spare time (I'm sorry - did I say spare time??? LOL!) is spent making Myhr faces from whipped latex foam. After the latex bakes for 5 hours, it's painted using an airbrush, then the hair is glued on - which is the tedious part. The mask is applied with a medical adhesive, and liquid latex is used to blend the edges, with the make-up helping in hiding the edges {continuing the colour of the painted mask onto the skin around the eyes}. It takes Jamie about three hours to transform into Myhr (and weeks to recover afterwards!!! :-) ) |  |
 |
There was brisk trade at the dealers
table where Myhr or Jamie were on hand to autograph photos and prints of artwork. It's neat
that 6x4 copies are available at cons at a price anyone can afford!! The new piece this time
was "Prince of the City" (a Forever Knight painting) Jamie is currently working on two Bruce
Campbell pieces and one of Tim Thomerson ready for A-Kon and hopes to have some new
B&B artwork ready for July in Orlando. ~ Sue Haley |
| Dear Sue, I was corresponding with Jamie for quite some time in 95-96. When I found out that he was born in Milwaukee, as I was, I just had to get in touch with him. As I said, we wrote to each other, and one day, my family and I decided to go to Dallas for a one-day vacation. Jamie had contacted us in S. Antonio, where we live, awaiting our arrival. It took us 4 hours to get there, but we made it. We went to where Jamie worked at the T.V. station. He was gracious enough to give us a tour of the station, and spend a bit of time out of his busy schedule. He showed my daughter, Margie, how the T.V. cameras worked, and even had her behind one of them. It was so cute to see the two of them having so much fun together, laughing and playing. You would have thought that Jamie was 5 yrs old, as my daughter was. |
We got some great photos of the two of them
together. Jamie even had an
autographed photo of Myhr for her at the station. She has it framed and hanging on her wall.
He also gave her a necklace. She treasures it. We very much enjoyed our time with Jamie. I hope that one day, we can return to Dallas to see him again. It has been so long. He is a wonderful man, especially with kids. I would love to see Myhr do a children's program. P.S. Jamie had some dental work the night before we went to the station. He told me that he was feeling quite giddy the next day. It was fun, and we love him for who he is, a loveable guy with a heart the size of Texas! Rebecca Romero (Thanks, Rebecca - Sue) |
|
Jamie : Myhr : Sue Haley : Jackie Hunt : Karen Quattlebaum Chris Haley : |
''an artsy fartsy kinda guy''
One year on Myhr is seven years on Jamie!! Co-ordinator and Editor Executive Producer (& Distribution) Producer (Merchandise) Preafrooder ;-) |
| If you have any comments
or anything you'd like included here.... please e-mail me: |
 |
| Go to main ''links'' page... |
 |