SALON/SALOON

Our Cultural Salon, or Saloon, or: Those Infamous Parties

Welcome to the gratuitous name-dropping section of BLR. Ravenseye, variously known as Casa Me and Laguna Negra, has been host to so many odd events over the past two years — birthdays, commemorations, celebrations — and our cumulate ego has swollen so massively (to devolve this to porn terms) that we just had to show off.

( Just Kidding )

DJS describes the basic map:

Once Upon a Fairie Tyme …

It all started with Kaz.

Kaz as "The Scumbag" in
MY LIFE WITH MORRISSEY

Kazimiris Prapuolenis, to slam a thumbtack into it; "Kaz" to the legions of counter-culture cartoon fans everywhere who know and love his strip, "Underworld" — collected in four books so far. In 2001 Kaz had received the clarion call from the corporate minions at Nickelodeon, to wit: "Come to Los Angeles and write episodes of Spongebob Squarepants for us!" The dough was as obscene as the gig was tempting. Kaz wound up living in my guestroom (since officially redubbed Underworld) for about three weeks out of every month, from January through October, 2001. Reading, drinking, cartooning, drinking, movie-watching, drinking, and Spongebobbling.

Mr. Squarepants

Came February, he suggested hosting a "small party" for the minions of SpongeBob and a gang of local and not-so-local cartoonists and artists — everybody from Tony Millionaire (creator of Maakies and Sock Monkey) to Queen Itchy, aka Jenny Nixon, perpetrator of Angry Youth Comix. "It'll be fun," he suggested. "Illustrators of ill repute can get sloppy drunk and vent about Nick management!"

"I hate fun," I said, already feeling my willpower crumpling and my composure collapsing in the direction of grumpy capitulation.

Your Intolerant Hosts, Kaz & DJS

It was also an excuse to spruce up the house and see how it weathered the average party. Excavation of the lower deck commenced in earnest. Dirt was dug and half a decade of weeds and desert brush growth cleared from this auxiliary patio, mostly to provide bleed-off space if too many warm bodies showed up. We figured we could open the upstairs — main deck, living room, dining room, kitchen, and a defrocked breakfast room now acting as a sort of lame "conservatory" — plus the whole main stairwell and downstairs hallway (since the pinball machine, which few can resist, was downstairs as well), which led to the door which led to the path which led to Underworld and the aforementioned lower deck.

We also stationed most of the beer in a giant sink-full of ice off the laundry room, which allowed us to open a second balcony (a smaller deck with battlements, mostly used for barbecuing) and throw in some more folding chairs. Police hazard tape was strung so no one would fall down the outside stairwell in the dark.

Which was good, since out of about 30 invitations, nearly 60 people showed up,

For the first time we learned how to modulate expenses among a full bar, food, snacks, drinks of all descriptions in sealed portable containers, plates and cups and utensils and all that jazz (because no way was the gang of potentially violent alcoholics going to touch my imported stemware) … and from that point it has become a continuing education in What Guests Will Ingest … and what they won't. This first party featured the debut of the now-notorious edible pinwheels.

The Pinwheel in its natural habitat

Prior to the party, Kaz entertained his old DJ buddy co-host Chris T., in the company of Empty Love Comics creator and illustrator Lorna Miller and her husband Chris. Here they are on the deck in broad daylight.

A rare daytime shot
(L-R: Lorna, Kaz, Chris, DJS, Chris T.)

Lorna blows Hollywood

Prior to the July 28th party event another major player with extraordinary hostess skills checked in for a Fourth of July meatloaf extravaganza, bringing with her an ability and desire to bake commemorative cakes at the drop of a suggestion. This would be Kerry Fitzmaurice.

The Kerry, Mistress of Cake

During the July 28th event the now-spruced up lower deck was re-christened the Executive Ramada, where preferred guests could hide out and get a breather. Below are some astonishingly rare night-vision shots from the E.R. (brought to you in glaring-eyeball Night of the Living Dead-O-Vision):

DJS & The Kerry

Bernie J. Wrightson & Liz Adamson

DJS & the winsome Chopper Lang

Very little was available in the way of photo evidence, but here's a shot that proves R. A. Mihailoff (aka the star of Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III) was there:

R.A. Mihailoff kneels before The Kerry,
witnessed by Heeda Lali (in leopard hat),
Laurie Tynan, and Walter Danley.

… including Steve Hillenberg (mastermind/creator of SpongeBob) and the indomitable Tom Kinney (voice of SpongeBob, also memorable as Binky the Evil Clown in the immortal cinematic masterwork Shakes the Clown, "the Citizen Kane of alcoholic clown movies").

Kinney & Hillenberg get captioned by Kaz

Plus the indomitable Coop & Ruth (go to http://www.coopstuff.com/index.html right this very minute!)

The Indomitable Coop & Ruth

MORE PARTY MADNESS