Martinex1: It's time for another round of Five Guilty Pleasures, where I explore some of my pop culture favorites from decades past that may or may not be mainstream. I suspect that these selections fall somewhere in the shadows...they would probably not be in many Top 10 lists, but I cannot deny enjoying them. Some choices may fit more comfortably in the nostalgic heartland of our beloved site, but I probably wouldn't be sharing these likings at a cocktail party with Senators. As before, we will take a look at the categories of: Comics, Movies or Television, Literature, Music, and Food. So without further ado...
COMICS: This time around I am not choosing a specific issue or title but rather a character... Wonder Man. Simon Williams has been a favorite of mine since he stumbled back to life in the Avengers. And he has been a lovable hot mess ever since. His backstory is a convoluted and meandering web of costumes, characteristics, and motivations. I am not sure any writer really got a handle on who Simon is but somehow along the way I kept rooting for him and looking forward to his appearances (up to a point). He is a failed industrialist, an actor with limited ability, a one-time villain, a zuvembie, a best friend to the Beast, and a resurrected ionic super-hero with panic attacks. The last part is what really intrigued me. He was one of the most powerful Marvel characters in the late 70's (as he himself constantly reminded us), but he was fearful of dying because he died before. That made him interesting; despite his strength he was incredibly vulnerable. Yet he did what he had to do. He repeatedly overcame his fear and fought enemies greater than himself even if it meant getting brutally pummeled. In later years, he was reduced (in my mind) to a totally ionic entity, but along the way he had fun adventures, an unrenowned but enjoyable solo title, and a series of bad outfits. 
MOVIE: After Hours is a bit of a cult classic. When Martin Scorsese movies are discussed this one typically does not make it into the rarefied air of Raging Bull, Goodfellas, or Taxi Driver. But for me this 1985 film is not only my favorite Scorsese flick but one of my all-time favorite movies. Griffin Dunne stars as Paul Hackett a mid-level office worker who sets out to meet a girl named Marcy (Rosanna Arquette) for a date in Soho. A simple night out turns into a paranoid comic adventure as Paul does everything he can to just return home while everybody in the city seems to be conspiring against him. A paper mache statue, an ice cream truck, a seedy bar, a set of keys, a beehive hairdo, an angry mob, and the words "Surrender Dorothy," all play a part in this dark and twisted comedy about a night in New York City. The film will make you laugh with its blend of strange wit and suspense. 
BOOK: My sons are at an age that I can start sharing some of my favorite childhood reads with them and recently we delved into the Hardy Boys. The first book in the series that I read was The Hardy Boys: The Shattered Helmet which was number 52 in the pseudonymous Franklin W. Dixon series. In this one, Joe and Frank along with Chet and their new friend Evan Pandropolos search for a missing but valuable Greek helmet that was used in a silent film decades ago. The boys travel to Hollywood and the island of Corfu all the while in danger from career criminals and mysterious happenings. The plot is predictable to an aged reader but I couldn't help but enjoy the cliffhanger chapters, the sunny 60's disposition of the characters, the comfortable structure, and the nostalgia of more innocent times.
MUSIC: In 1996, (yeesh... it was 20 years ago), there was a single eponymous album from a band called Mind Science of the Mind. It was a supergroup of sorts with Nathan Larson from Shudder to Think, Mary Timony from Helium, drummer Kevin March from the Dambuilders, along with their violinist Joan Wasser. The first time I heard the music I wasn't sure what to think, but repeated listening opened the door to wonderful spiraling musicianship loaded with weird but memorable lyrics, a haunting voice, and forays into musical bombast tempered with calm reticence. I've said it before that if I imagined the soundtrack to the Dr. Strange movie... this would be it. It is not for everybody I am sure, but I thoroughly enjoy this album and wish that they had produced more.
FOOD: "Honeycomb's big! Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. It's not small! No, No, No. Honeycomb's got a big, big, bite! Big, big taste in a big, big bite! " I don't know about you but I still enjoy a sugary bowl of cereal now and then. And having grown up watching Saturday morning cartoons, I was exposed to a heavy dose of marketing from Post and other cereal companies. It will forever be etched in my mind that the denizens of the Honeycomb Hideout pulled out their ruler to measure the one inch cereal to prove to the giant visitors that Honeycomb is "big." I will probably be humming that jingle or something like it on my deathbed as my life passes before me. But I have to say I love the sweet crunch of honey sweetened corn. So yes - my final guilty pleasure this month is Honeycomb cereal. And let's not forget the cool metal bike license plates they offered as a prize in the box every year. Hey, the Hulk's got my back on this one!
I have to admit, I was in the store last weekend, and I was sorely tempted to buy a box of Honeycombs! It's been years since I had that stuff but for some reason I was hit with a strong urge to get some. I resisted, but now seeing the Jade Giant enjoy a big bowl, I may have to go out and get my own!
ReplyDeleteHa. Karen.- I guess it is just you and me on the Honeycomb bandwagon today.
ReplyDeleteI like these '5 Guilty Pleasures' posts; kind of like a grab bag...
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen that movie, but it sounds good- I can always use a laugh.
That's great that you are sharing the Hardys with your kids. I did the same with mine, and they enjoyed it. Read a slew of those as a kid...
Honeycombs. Wow, how long since I had a bowl? Those commercials still stick in the memory. Wonder where the Honeycomb Hideout was; maybe somewhere near Sugar Bear's tree ( full of his Super Sugar Crisp, of course)...
Hey, if there's a Honeycomb Bandwagon, count me in. Couldn't find that Hideout anyway.
ReplyDeleteWow, I haven't had Honeycombs in years...I didn't even know they still made them. I remember really wanting to try Apple Jacks cereal as a kid, then being really disappointed when I did.
ReplyDeleteI still have a bunch of Hardy Boys books (including The Shattered Helmet)...my grandparents used to give them to me as birthday presents; some were better than others (at least for me), but all of them were pretty good. "Mystery of the Desert Giants" and "What Happened at Midnight" are two of my favourites.
As for my own guilty pleasures, I don't really feel all that guilty about most of the stuff I like...maybe a few country songs, as I generally can't stand country, but I do like the odd song. And maybe really stupid movies like Cannonball Run (I and II)...I guess I feel a *little* guilty about liking those!
Mike Wilson
Martinex, again you list a number of things that I think you really don't have to feel guilty about for liking. In particular, After Hours is an awesome movie! I've watched it several times and always get a kick out of it, and I'm pretty sure the serious, snobby cinephiles like it, too.
ReplyDeleteAs for the other stuff: I like Wonder Man just fine; I'm only passingly familiar with Mind Science of the Mind, but again, I don't think there's anything cringeworthy or embarrassing about like their music; and the Hardy Boys books (never read any of 'em myself) seem to have quite a respectable following among several generations of readers. So that just leaves sweetened breakfast cereals, which I'll grant you counts as a guilty pleasure, given that they're rather unhealthy, esp. for people getting on in years like most of us here. Haven't had any in years, though, because they're hard to come by in my neck of the woods, but I sometimes I find myself craving Cap'n Crunch (with Crunchberries!), Lucky Charms and those Apple Jacks that Mike W. doesn't seem to like very much.
By the way, Mike, good call on Cannonball Run - it's been a while since I last watched it (like a good 10-15 years ago), but I remember still finding it funny, although it is admittedly stupid and, at places, quite juvenile. Definitely a guilty pleasure...
Edo, Iike you say these are not particularly embarrassing things. In fact I really don't feel any guilt at all about them. It's really just five under the radar entertainments I enjoy. And again if I were to name top five movies or foods etc, these might creep in there and I am sure there would be healthy and hearty debate. If I was of a weaker constitution then maybe I wouldn't bring up the Hardy Boys when discussing Twain, Tolstoy , and Faulkner. Or After Hours in naming best movies alongside Citizen Kane. That's how I was looking at this. Now if I really enjoyed Small Wonder, Leif Garrett, Mac and Me, Barney the Dinosaur, or steak-umms I would definitely have it on my list.
ReplyDeleteShoot - I just blew my steak-umms post.
The movie The Thirteenth Warrior got terrible reviews, but I loved it. I even bought the DVD.
ReplyDeleteI also loved the John Carpenter movies Prince of Darkness and In the Mouth of Madness, and everybody else said they sucked.
(sigh)
M.P.
When I was growing up, I guess comic books were my guilty pleasure. Around here, in my small hometown, people looked at you funny if you were reading comic books past the age of 10 or 12, so I got to the point that I was so self-conscious about it that I went to a neighboring town to buy them to read. Now, everybody seems to be reading them. :)
ReplyDeleteI will sit down and watch Road House every time it comes on. Seriously. I even saw it in the theater three times. :)
My guilty pleasure food is Zapp's Craw Tators. I'm just not supposed to eat a lot of carbs, but I have to cave occasionally and that's what I want.
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ReplyDeleteGraham, I suspect many people felt the way you did growing up and reading comics. I used to ride a bus to the LCS and I wouldn't open up my bag of comics until I got home - and was always a little concerned if they used a clear bag so people could see.
ReplyDeleteM.P. I never saw Thirteenth Warrior. I will have to see that.
OK let's see now ... for comics my guilty pleasure would be the old Godzilla Marvel comics, because Doug Moench somehow made a giant radioactive fire breathing monster seem sympathetic (kinda like the Hulk, ol' Zilla just wanted to be left alone!).
ReplyDeleteFor TV, I've been watching reruns of Xena:Warrior Princess lately on cable. Sure, some people dismiss it as a cheesy (especially the fight scenes) 90's show, but watching them over gives you a newfound respect for it; it gave us TV's first (unofficial) lesbian couple, and Lucy Lawless laid the foundation for kick ass women on screen which continues up to this day. I hear a reboot is in the works, sadly without Lucy reprising her iconic role. I'll try to watch it with an open mind, but to me Lucy will always be the original Warrior Princess!
For books, if I'm stranded on a tropical island (waitaminnit, I live in T & T ...) I'd keep my complete Sherlock Holmes stories (or heck even a good pastiche); either that or my LOTR books.
I have a tin ear when it comes to music but again I'd go with my Bee Gees compilation, some Police CDs or the 80s version of Heart. To me, Ann Wilson has the voice of a rock goddess!
As for food, fried chicken is tops in my book. Not too fond of pizza, but I'll eat it if it's offered to me. For a healthier choice, any hearty vegetable soup is good too.
- Mike 'web guilty pleasure is BAB' from Trinidad & Tobago.
One of my guilty pleasures was Micronauts. I mean the toys, not the comic books. I got a bunch of 'em for Christmas when I was a little kid, and decades later, in a comic book store, I saw they were being sold again, with Japanese lettering on the package, so I bought a bunch of those. I don't know why I did that. They're in a box in my basement.
ReplyDeleteI can't display 'em, because if I wanna bring a chick back here, she's gonna think I'm a nut. It's hard enough to explain why I have a replica of the Batmobile on my mantle.
M.P.
I really enjoyed this post, Martinex. Fine job. I was especially pleased to see Wonder Man lead off the list. I, too, have long had affection for the character. He's really not like anyone else in the Marvel universe. Of course his immense power is a big draw, but I also love that he was an actor (huh?), his belt jet packs and his creepy red eyes (and cool red shades to boot). What an intriguing character, and easily among my top favorite Avengers. I really need to hunt down the solo series you mentioned. I was unaware of it until now, having only read is exploits in Avengers and WCA. Ditto for his mini-series. Somehow missed that, too.
ReplyDeleteI recently re-read the Avengers relaunch title by Busiek and Perez. Wonder Man plays an important role, but he's portrayed as an energy being who can only be summoned by the Scarlet Witch. Somewhat interesting, but I prefer the tried-and-true version.
JJ if you like Simon as an actor then you will enjoy his solo series. It is set in Hollywood as he tries to establish a life there. It is lighthearted and filled with a gaggle of fun supporting characters. Not a bad book at all.
ReplyDeleteI love the 13th Warrior. I know it's cheesy as hell, but I will drop everything if I see it's on and just sit and watch.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Martinex. I do enjoy a lighthearted comic so I'm sure the Wonder Man series will be right up my alley.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I recorded Logan's Run from Turner Classic Movies. Jenny Agutter is a guilty pleasure.
ReplyDeleteDoug