Of Moorcock, Satanic Panic Miniatures & Pudsey

Eternal youth, eternal life, we all want it to some degree.

But, entropy baby, entropy...

I think my fear of death and the dream that there was something I could do to avoid it, was what drew me to Michael Moorcock in the 90s. I'd vbeen aware of Moorcock for a decade before that, but it was in the 90s that I literally devoured his works. At worst, they are a rollicking good romp through time and space, crossing genres like literarary transvestite, at their best they make you reconsider what you thought you knew and do so with a style and wit that also entertain you.

I've read a few of M.M's more factual pieces, but I confess that I've never read his Letters From Hollywood published in 1986. 

I was listening to the latest Grognard Files podcast the other day, which is something I do less these days in general as they are becoming a little stale and frankly, they seem to have run out of genuine old school material being only liminally involved in the hobby before a 3 decade deep freeze, unlike those of us who gamed in all spheres and genres continuously, the True Grognards who were there through good and bad, thick and thin. But I digress...

The podcast this month hit it out of the park with an interview with the great man Himself, and was a joy to listen to. Along the way mention was made of Letters From Hollywood and the background to the same, and so my curiosity and remembrance were picqued in equal measure, and as you will no doubt have expected by now, money changed hands:

I'm really looking forward to this, and the illustrations by Michael Foreman, a celebrated illustrator of children's books, whose 'light touch' styles has been up there with the high detail work of Graham Oakley for me, since I was but a lad, is perfrct for Moorcock's style. He has a habit of 'catching the moment' - check out his Treasure Island illustrations abd his seminal depiction of the Flying Scotsman on the Settle to Carlisle for examples of how less, when properly applied is so much more. I have a penchant for pen and inkwash illustration and the cover of LFH grabs you with a promise of visual pleasures.

I switched off the podcast when we got a bit swamped by the ramblings of Chris & Blythy.

I had the distinct pleasure of receiving a large box of joy from my painter on Wednesday and although I have been busy, I opened the first few packets which turned out to be from my own Satanic Panic ranges, being Dwarf Cavalry.

I had to immediately drop Alan a line and praise him highly because these are the first of my own figures I have seen painted and actually held in my own hands, and I was mightily impressed with what I saw.

Once they're based I'll post pictures of course, and I intend to spend Saturday opening the rest of the care package and hopefully getting the models stuck down to bases.

Sunday, I'm having a day out with the memsahib, so alas, I'll not get anything done, hobby-wise but I'm not complaining as I need a break after a hell of a week at the office.

The end of the month sees Fiasco in Leeds, but frankly I can't be arsed. It's a dark, unwelcoming show, with no bring and buy and it reminds me of one of those 70s cop show back alleys where junkies and down and outs shuffle about looking for the next fix. It's a tired show which should do the decent thing and take the metaphorical revolver into the study. Come on Leeds, you CAN do better...

EDIT: Let me be clear. I refer to the venue and not the team who put on the show. I realised that I made it sound the opposite way around. When I talk of 'the show' I mean the venue itself. Thanks to Ken for appraising me of the lighting battle, which sounds like the Newark club's battles when Kelham was taken over.

I'm leaving the original wording in, but correcting it here, for the sake of accurate reportage.

 But I still think that a table sale at least should be tried. :)

December sees Recon at Pudsey Leisure Centre , a show I really enjoy, as it feels like the classic small venue show. It's avuncular and comfortable, but is under new management this year by The Pit Gaming Centre, who I hope don't ruin the e with their speed painting competition and suchlike. I truly hope it doesn't lose it's traditional charm, as Recon is where I and others go to decompress at the end of another campaign season, each December, ahead of the Christmas hell.