Published by Prestel Verlag, Munich · London · New York, 2020.
Hardcover $45.00 Oct 20, 2020
224 Pages | 9-1/4 x 11
ISBN 9783791386812
Documenting the birth of a radical era of music, fashion, pop culture, media, and art, Steve Eichner was hired by Club King Peter Gatien to make images of his clubs.
Sex, drugs, and dance music created the perfect cocktail of hedonistic bliss set amid a backdrop of iconic parties that catered to revelers every whim.
On any given night, one could party alongside celebrities, club kids, drag queens, ravers, hip hop heads, models, banjees, body boys, bondage slaves, goths, and the bridge-and-tunnel set at legendary nightclubs like Tunnel, Palladium, Club USA, Roxy, and Limelight.
At a time when people from all walks of life came together at night to celebrate themselves. There was universal respect. No one could see what went on inside these nocturnal spaces…until now!
Steve Eichner was the official photographer of NYC nightlife. There are 200 brilliant images in this book.
Here is a sample of his work:
Shampoo Room at The Limelight 1995 (c) 2020 Steve Eichner.
(From Left): Sushi, Richie Rich, and Ernie Glam at The Tunnel 1995 (c) 2020 Steve Eichner.
The Palladium, 1995 (c) 2020 Steve Eichner.
This collection of vivid good times comes at a point when we could use a reminder of the days when people gathered in mass.
Ordinary people became clubbers. They rubbed shoulders with celebs and danced the night away.
Here, a new group of upstarts of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, and economic backgrounds came together on the dance floor in a celebration of PLUR (peace, love, unity, and respect).
This book will be a great addition to any coffee table this upcoming holiday season.
This week features a day trip to Long Island. The itinerary was an indoor flea market, an outlet mall, and the town of Port Jefferson.
Day tripping
The outlets had great bargains including a windbreaker for Fall and a bundle of books at a discount.
Port Jefferson offered Red Shirt Comics and seafood at PJ’s Lobster House where we dined indoors for only the second time since March!
As of this writing indoor dining will return to Manhattan on September 30th.
Women’s Rights
2020 is the Centennial of the Vote for Women in America. New York dedicated its first statue of real women’s rights pioneers on Literary Walk.
Also marking the 200th Anniversary of Susan B. Anthony’s birth, this new monument is long overdue.
Central Park Wonders
I took a nature walk through the ramble recently. This is an area of the park with interconnected paths that twist through scenic woods. Bird watching here is fantastic.
A young Jazz Saxophonist played. A group of guys enjoyed a game of beach volleyball. And the police keep guard over a statue of Christopher Columbus.
The Conservancy takes great care of Central Park. Maintaining the lawns, trees, benches, and the rest every day.
This Summer has been hot and sunny most of the time. My husband and I are staying put in New York for now. These days I love my city. Have you looked at the weather across the country lately?
Park Summer
The Conservatory Garden
Located at E. 105th Street & 5th Avenue across from The Museum of the City of New York, this garden is a treasure with flowers, romantic paths and fountains placed well. A quiet zone perfect for escape from the chaos outside.
9–11–2020
19 years after the attacks on U.S. soil of 3 American planes used as missiles destroying the Twin Towers, damaging The Pentagon, and crashing in Pennsylvania killing over 3,000 people, Corona Virus has killed over 200,000 Americans.
We will all pause to remember 9/11. But never forget that then & now we had a President not duly elected by the people.
Dear Readers, September arrives with plenty to share. New images of my neighborhood shows the hard work being done to keep life as normal as possible. Labor Day weekend begins….
Carl Schurz Park was a great change this past week. On what turned out to be the last Sunny day for a spell, people got out to soak it all in before it’s too late!
This park sits atop the FDR Drive on the far Eastside of Manhattan. As seen above the Esplanade over looks the East River. Views of Roosevelt Island, Triborough Bridge re-named the RFK, and Hells gate freight bridge can be enjoyed here.
On this particular afternoon there were splendid fair weather clouds on view. Great people watching too. Looking South towards the Queens Borough bridge in this shot.
There is a dog run and views of NYC Ferry boats. The lighthouse sits on Roosevelt Island.
Central Park re-opened its Tennis courts before Summer’s End.
Sparring practice; Dog at play.
Beauty of clouds; The manhole covers are uniquely marked to prevent theft.
Ferry Station on East 90th and York Avenue. This water taxi transports you to Astoria, Queens. There are Ferries to Soundview in The Bronx too.
A man exercises with a Hoola Hoop; Boys play ball. Dog walkers take a break with their charges.
In the collages we see all kinds of activity. A girl flies a kite. A young Dad walks home with his friend and kid. A woman confined to a automated chair enjoys jazz music. A yoga class takes place. Two men workout on the Great Lawn. A Doorman washes down the walk. A man finishes up his run checking his phone.
I have many more images to share of Central Park. The gallery below features them.
The Ramble
A natural ecosystem that is great for walks. One of the nation’s top bird watching spots.
The many paths feature charming views of forest. A great way to escape for a while.
Our neighborhood is open again with outdoor dining and a new 24 hour deli.
As our city continues to re-open I am hoping the awful numbers of March do not return. If Summer 2020 proved one thing to me it’s that we are all together. No matter what happens New Yorkers will continue to support each other.
My Dear Readers, thanks for stopping by Evan’s Gate! Until next week…
Without Buck Rogers there would be no Flash Gordon. First appearing in 1928, the character of Anthony “Buck” Rogers was the first to feature space exploration! As it paralleled the latest advances in technology of the early twentieth century, the space hero would take to alien worlds to defend Earth from certain peril.
The strip made its first newspaper appearance on January 7, 1929.
Later adaptations included radio in 1932, a film serial, a television series (in which his first name was changed from “Anthony” to “William”), and other formats.
Buck Rogers was the inspiration for other comic strips:
The adventures of Buck Rogers in comic strips, movies, radio and television became an important part of American popular culture. It was on January 22, 1930, that Buck Rogers first ventured into space aboard a rocket ship in his fifth newspaper comic story Tiger Men From Mars.
The Buck Rogers strip was popular enough to inspire other newspaper syndicates to launch their own science fiction strips. The most famous of these imitators was Flash Gordon (King Features Syndicate, 1934-2003).
I did not discover this about these 2 serials until I created this entry for Evan’s Gate!
In the 1980’s NBC-TV premiered “Buck Rogers In The 25th Century” based upon the feature film of the same name that appeared in theaters. Starring Gil Gerard as Buck and Co-starring in the series were Erin Gray as crack Starfighter pilot Colonel Wilma Deering, and Tim O’Connor as Dr. Elias Huer, head of Earth Defense Directorate, and a former starpilot himself.
Buck Rogers will getits own entry in this blog at a future date. You just cannot celebrate a Flash Gordon Anniversary without providing this necessary background.
The television series lasted two seasons. The actors strike of 1980 disrupted production. When it returned the show was revamped with new characters and format. The 1980-81 Season was to be its last.
Fun fact: Larry “Buster” Crabbe” made a cameo appearance on the Buck Rogers TV series!
Serial Start For Flash Gordon
Serial adventures were a staple of the American cinema from the 1930’s through the 1950’s. Each week a chapter would appear in theaters. The ending was usually a cliffhanger. Our hero would be caught in some sort of death spiral that left viewers wondering how they would manage their escape.
These serialized adventures were provided as an added attraction at theaters. They did a lot with small budgets.
Universal presented Flash Gordon in the 1930’s. The same studio distributed the full color stereo feature in 1980. An Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer, Larry ‘Buster’ Crabbe starred as Flash. Notice the on screen crawl on the right re-capping the adventure in Chapter Two; George Lucas would use this style for his Star Wars features.
Based upon various comic strip characters of the day, those serials produced one character in particular that has stayed around for over 70 years—Flash Gordon. A comic strip created by Alex Raymond in the 1930’s influenced the adventures of Batman, Superman, Captain Kirk, and Luke Skywalker.
Above: Self-portrait of Alex Raymond. Below: The evolution of Flash Gordon rendered by different comic book artists over the decades. The Alex Raymond drawing of Flash and Ming is one of several featured in the opening title sequence of the 1980 feature film.
I saw the original movie serials on Channel Thirteen, a Public Television station here in New York during the 1970’s. The re-runs coincided with the release of Star Wars in 1977.
Later on I discovered that Star Wars creator George Lucas was a fan of Flash Gordon. He inquired about the rights with King Features but found out the expense was beyond his means. Movie fans got a space fantasy filled with characters inspired by Flash Gordon.
I had been enthralled by science fiction and fantasy since the re-runs of Star Trek. Then Flash Gordon appeared and then Star Wars. I could not see the direct lineage of these series until much later.
Summer of 1977 marked movie history being made. George Lucas’ Star Wars changed the popular culture. Becoming at the time the highest grossing movie of all time, its success would lead to the first Star Trek movie in 1979 and Alien in that same year! In fact Alien won the Visual Effects Oscar over Star Trek. And of course launched another franchise.
Then came a big budget European feature film of Flash Gordon announced in the pages of American fan magazine, Starlog. Italian Producer Dino DeLaurentis with Director Mike Hodges created a unique vision of the comic book hero.
(L): Ming on the cover of Starlog magazine. (R): Theater lobby poster for Italy.
The Italian film legend Federico Fellini turned down an offer to direct Flash Gordon.
Putting together an all-star European cast with two unknown Americans as Flash and Dale was an unusual contrast not unlike Star Wars. There were many European stars wearing masks in both pictures.
For example British TV/Film actor and Bodybuilder David Prowse wore the Darth Vader costume for Star Wars; British TV star Peter Wyngarde (Department S, Jason King) wore a mask as General Klytus in Flash Gordon. Mr. Wyngarde’s voice is heard while Mr. Prowse gets dubbed by James Earl Jones.
But I digress. Back to our main focus. The cast of Flash Gordon—
Max Von Sydow (“The Seventh Seal”, “The Exorcist”) was Emperor Ming The Merciless; Timothy Dalton (James bond) was Prince Barin; Brian Blessed (Black Adder) was Vultan; Ornella Muti was Aura; Mariangela Melato was Kala; Peter Wyngarde (Jason King) was Klytus; Richard O’ Brien (Rocky Horror) was Fico; Topol was Dr. Hans Zarkov; Melody Anderson was Dale Arden; Sam J. Jones (“10”) was Flash Gordon.
Above: 6 Character Posters used in Italian cinemas to promote the film. After all it was produced by Dino De Laurentiis, one of Italy’s biggest movie producers.
Coming Of Age
As a gay kid in the 1980’s there were a lot of stimulating images in film. What I mean is that there were lots of films featuring shirtless guys on their posters. “Beastmaster” is a good example.
“Flash Gordon” was a singular phenomena. There are no sequels. At the time it cost $70 million which would probably be over $200 million today.
At the time of release the picture had a PG rating. There are scenes with graphic violence and sexual connotations but nonetheless there was no PG–13 back then in 1980. The blood shown on screen was blue and green.
I loved this film for its tremendous effort to capture the spirit of the original serial. Now seen in rich color of every shade and hue. The skies of Mongo were a awash in red, blue and orange.
It was important for the film to keep to the universe Alex Raymond created in the 1930s. The only update was making Flash a football player for the NY Jets, Dr. Zarkov was a NASA scientist, and Dale is now a travel agent.
On the left is Charles Middleton as Ming in the 1930’s; On the right is Max Von Sydow as Ming in 1980. From B&W to Color Ming remains the same.
As a kid I was ignorant of this paradigm. It’s important to note the exoticism worked both ways in the film. Princess Aura seduces the blonde/ blue-eyed Flash Gordon as her object of exotic desire.
This was strong stuff for a pre-teen gay kid! Then you had Sam J. Jones shirtless in the execution and resurrection scenes, wearing nothing but a pair of PVC briefs!
On the left is Buster Crabbe; On the right Sam J. Jones. Both versions have Flash Gordon bare chested while facing punishment.
A ton of art was created for the film and some of it just for promotional purposes. Unknown to me at the time how many posters exist is incredible. Released globally there were images used in various countries to target specific audiences based on region.
Lobby Poster Art
All I knew then was the poster for American release was brilliant. Then I found a small copy of the art in a full page ad in Playbill magazine. I cut it out and put it on my wall. The name AMSEL was signed on Ming’s cloak.
The film’s Tagline, all in caps, PATHETIC EARTHLINGS…WHO CAN SAVE YOU NOW?
Who was underlined to stress that Flash is the hero.
Richard Amsel’s art for Flash Gordon is seen here in different stages. On the far left is the poster on display at theaters in the USA. Notice the fancy box credit for rock group QUEEN.
The lightning bolt logo with planet Mongo at its center was an American market image. The font with its Red/Yellow/Orange coloring was brilliant. In Europe as well as in the opening titles the name is stylized in the mode Alex Raymond had used. You see it in the Italian promo posters we saw earlier in this entry.
Also note how Ming is so large like Darth Vader was for the Star Wars posters with Flash and Dale in a similar pose like Luke and Leia!
Instead of a fleet of X-Wing fighters you get a fleet of Hawkmen swooping down in an almost 3-D effect with Vultan’s cloud kingdom seen in the background on the right side of the frame.
All of his works are signed AMSEL with floating periods on either side of his name.
Richard Amsel was a prolific artist who attended the oldest school of Art in Philadelphia. After graduating he went on to create the poster art for films like “The Sting” and “Chinatown”. Following “Flash Gordon” he designed the art for “Raiders of the Lost Ark”!
He also designed album covers including Bette Midler’s Divine Ms. M.
He had an association with TV Guide for 13 years producing over 40 covers. A portrait he did of Lily Tomlin hangs in The Smithsonian. His final movie poster was for “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome”.
The collage seen below is just a small sample of Amsel’s TV Guide covers. His first was an image of Lucille Ball upon her retirement from TV and show business.
I put up two of my favourites: All In The Family, Alice, and Richard Chamberlain in Shogun, a mini-series that aired for a week on NBC.
Notice the placement of the cast of Alice and All In The Family is similar to his placement of characters in his film poster work for Flash Gordon.
Richard Amsel died of AIDS in 1985 at the age of 37. I mourn him today. I had no idea he was one of the many awful casualties of that pandemic. His work is amazing.
Critical Reaction To Flash Gordon
The film found appreciation with some film critics, such as The New Yorker ‘s Pauline Kael. Kael described Flash Gordon as having “some of the knowing, pleasurable giddiness of the fast-moving Bonds…The director, Mike Hodges, gets right into comic-strip sensibility and pacing“.
She also stated the movie was “Like a fairy tale set in a discotheque in the clouds.”
On their syndicated TV program Siskel and Ebert were giving films a Yes or No at that time before their now iconic thumbs up or down.
Gene Siskel of The Chicago Tribune did not care for it. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it a borderline Yes vote citing the fun comic book nature of the movie.
Visual Effects
In homage to the serial chapters of the 1930’s the film version was produced in strong primary colors and utilized Chroma Key effects.
Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a visual-effects and post-production technique for compositing (layering) two images or video streams together based on colour hues (chroma range). The technique has been used in many fields to remove a background from the subject of a photo or video – particularly the newscasting, motion picture, and video game industries.
All of the space craft were done this way. Flash Gordon riding a Hawkman rocket cycle was also accomplished with this method as seen below. War Rocket Ajax, Vultan’s Cloud City and Flash with the Hawkmen approaching Mingo City are all Chroma Key images.
Favourite Scenes
The lavishly produced feature included giant set pieces adapted directly from the pages of Alex Raymond’s work partly as homage and because the formula worked!
I love the film as much as Rocky Horror loyalists. I can quote dialogue from any scene. This section brings us to my favourite parts of the film. A bit tricky because I really do enjoy all of it. Here goes…
In The Court Of Ming The Merciless at the point in which are trio from Earth first encounter all the ‘breeds’ of Mongo. This set is enormous. Ming’s throne looks like the inspiration for the Iron Throne on a certain HBO series.
Each ‘breed’ of Mongo gets introduced. Gathering in Court to present their tributes to the Emperor we see rivalries between Hawkmen and Treemen as the two groups argue over who stole their tribute!
Awaiting Ming’s first appearance in the film are assembled Hawkmen, Arborian Tree Men, and assorted races.
The image seen above is a fish-eye view of the court. Unknown to me as a kid but later appreciated as a film student that Flash Gordon utilized the Todd–AO camera system. At the time of filming in 1979 this was the state of the art widescreen format. Everything about the film is grand scale for a timeless adventure.
The Palace of Prince Vultan and his Hawkmen.
Flash must fight Prince Barin to the death! On his floating disc Vultan has ordered this entertainment. Another enormous set piece made for the Todd-AO widescreen format. This scene reminded me of the fun I had watching the Batman TV series with Adam West. Then I found out this film was scripted by Lorenzo Semple, Jr. who wrote the Baman show. Like Capt. Kirk or his predecessor Buster Crabbe, Flash’s tank top will get torn. In this sequence we do see red blood when Flash gets struck by Barin’s whip.
Initiation on Arboria where Prince Barin rules his treemen there is a rite of passage that all youth must experience. Within a warren of hollow tree stumps lives a beast in which the initiate must reach all the way in full arms length. If you choose the wrong path the beast will bite injecting the victim with deadly venom. The result is pain so awful the victim begs for death. Barin forces Flash to take this test in order to live.
Above in this gallery a view of Arboria against the colorful skies of Mongo, at the left bottom a birds eye view of Flash and Barin as they begin their duel, and on the right the beast that resides within the stump.
The Screenplay
Lorenzo Semple Jr.
The dialogue in Flash Gordon was purposefully done in a tone of high corn. Movie fans always call it camp.
Having written King Kong for Dino DeLaurentiis, Lorenzo Semple Jr. was then asked to write the Flash Gordon script.
The Batman TV series of 1966 was also written by him. The camp humour of that show was revived in Flash Gordon.
To this day every fan of this movie can quote dialogue. The language is comic book affectation in my opinion.
Ming The Merciless scolds those pathetic earthlings, Flash, Dale and Zarkov: “….If you had any inkling of who or what is out here you would have shuttered from it in utter terror!”
Ming The Merciless
Lines like, “We only have 14 hours to save the Earth” could only make sense in an over the top fantasy.
“What do you mean Flash Gordon approaching?”
“You’re a hero. Can’t you see that? Are you sure you don’t want a kingdom of your own?”
“Klytus, are your men on the right pills? Maybe you should execute that traitor?”
Original Soundtrack Music By QUEEN
Flash Gordon is the ninth studio album and first soundtrack album by the British rock band Queen, released on 8 December 1980 by EMI Records in the UK and in February 1981 by Elektra Records in the US. It was one of two film soundtracks that they produced along with Highlander. It is the soundtrack to the science fiction film Flash Gordon and features lyrics on only two tracks.
Following the success Queen had with Flash Gordon two other notable rock groups contributed to movie soundtrack albums: Toto’s music was featured in “Dune” and AC/DC’s music was heard in “Maximum Overdrive”.
This was unusual at the time. Rock groups were not generally commissioned to score films.
I walked out of the cinema with the Queen music in my head. Following a trip to a furniture store I went to a local record shop to pick up the album. Dropping the needle onto this record was such a joyful moment for me.
Then to find they had included the dialogue from the film throughout the record was such a bonus. And the package for this record was so different from all of Queen’s previous efforts. It included an insert with a full colour image of Ming on one side and the lyrics for Flash and The Hero plus album credits on the other in red and yellow.
Seen above are the inner sleeve of the soundtrack featuring images of Queen on on side and the international cast on the other with a die cut in the center that lines up with the custom label featuring the logo.
For whatever reason the American version of this record did not have the die cut hole. The center was left intact so you lost the custom label peaking out effect.
Years later DJ Vanguard released a special re-mix of the single Flash.
On what turned out to be Queen’s final American Tour with Freddie & John in the Summer of 1982 Flash opened their shows followed by a performance of The Hero at the top of their setlist.
Flash Gordon Memorabilia
From the original 1930’s film serials to the 1980 feature to today the Flash Gordon franchise has produced a large array of collectibles.
In the 1930’s there were tin wind–up toys of spaceships from Flash Gordon and miniature figures in tins.
In the decades that followed numerous Sunday comic strips were published weekly. Comic Books, Toys, Figures, Posters, Trading Cards, Candy, Mugs, T-Shirts, Keychains, Magnets, and on and on and on.
Above are images of collectibles relating to the Flash Gordon franchise. On the Top Left are Flash and Ming figures with fold out Vultan’s Cloud Palace backdrop from Biff!Bang!Pow!
On the Top Right an early Pop-Up Book.
On the bottom Left a Lionman figure from Mattel based upon the Filmation animated series in 1979 on NBC.
Middle Right is a Viewmaster pack with 21 stereoscopic images also from the cartoon. And the bottom Right is a volume collecting Sunday comic strips of Flash Gordon now published by Titan books. There are 4 volumes in this series.
Flash Gordon books and magazines have been published over the past 70 years. In this gallery seen above notice the Mad Magazine clone Crazy with its parody of the movie!
The 1980 movie spawned several comic book adaptations, a novelization, poster books, and recently a graphic novel from Dynamite press called Zeitgeist.
Both DC & Marvel have published Flash Gordon comics at some point.
Archie Meets Flash Gordon in New Crossover One-Shot. Archie Comics has announced a new crossover one-shot with Flash Gordon, that was to hit comic shops back in June of this year.
The selection of pins seen here have been licensed by Vice in the United Kingdom.
Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction is a term used to describe a huge amount of creative writing available to the American public in the early nineteen-hundreds. Termed “pulp magazines” because of the low quality paper used between the covers, these publications proliferated in the nineteen-thirties and nineteen-forties and beyond.
Flash Gordon was the subject of several pulp series sold in drugstores and book shops. The gallery seen below features some of the covers published. There were even Flash Gordon Flip-books! There the small sized books that you flipped pages fast to create the illusion of motion! Checker books’ collections of Alex Raymond strips in full color featured The Ice Worlds of Mongo.
Toys + More Collectibles above and below
A pinball machine showed up in game arcades which I got to play several times. It had Queen’s music! The Atari Game Cartridge was less exciting somehow, Mattel sold a toy rocket ship for kids.
Titan Books published a 4 volume set collecting Flash Gordon comics from Alex Raymond to the present day.
There was even a Flash Gordon Colorforms Set! Along with Silly Putty and Yo-Yos Colorforms were a 1970s staple kids toy.
The 1979 NBC Saturday morning series was licensed to comics, figures, and lunchbox/thermos sets.
A comic book adaptation of Flash Gordon was published by Golden. The price was $1.95
There was also a program sold at select theaters for the film. I found it years later at a Horror/SciFi Convention.
40th Anniversary of Mike Hodges’ Flash Gordon Movie featuring the music of QUEEN
STUDIOCANAL is excited to announce the new 4k, Ultra High Definition restoration of Mike Hodge’s cult classic FLASH GORDON (1980), in honour of the film’s 40th anniversary.
Flash Gordon was scanned from the original 35mm negative to produce 4K files. Over 500 hours of manual restoration repaired serious damage that included image instability, scratches, and intermittent flicker.
The sound was scanned from the original track negative and underwent restoration to improve issues ranging from audio drop-outs throughout the feature and during reel changes, digital clicks and optical distortion.
The film was colour graded for theatrical, home entertainment and 4K HDR release, using previous digital releases and 35mm prints as a reference. In line with the Director’s vision and the original 35mm cinema release, VFX work was applied to remove the strings in all scenes where visible. This restoration was approved by Director Mike Hodges in May 2020 and will include the first 4K HDR Dolby Vision master of Flash Gordon.
On the Left is the American Blu–Ray Set; On the Right: The UK/European Box Set Edition of Flash Gordon Available on August 10, 2020. The US set is released on August 18th.
This Fall a new coffee table book will be published called Flash Gordon The Official Story by John Walsh.
Originally there were to be 3 Flash Gordon movies to form a trilogy. Sam J. Jones had a falling out with the movie’s producers. The box office in North America was disappointing. At a cost of $70 million (a huge amount in 1979/80) and a paltry $20 million take in America no sequels were made.
While the irony is not lost on me that Flash Gordon up until this movie had multiple chapters including the short lived NBC cartoon, I think the movie is even more appealing because it is the only one of its kind.
A short-lived live action series appeared on the SyFy Channel. Dispensing with the former image of Ming as a caricature of Asian villainy he appeared as a bland modern CEO in an alternate dimension.
Another animated series also appeared on Cable television with less than encouraging results. Flash Gordon went into dormancy again.
The chroma key special effects. The model space ships. The glitzy costume design. Queen’s trademark sense of corn/camp are all part of the 1980 film’s lasting appeal.
This movie has become a true cult classic. Appealing to sci-fi/ fantasy geeks around the globe many of whom dress up as their favourite characters for ComicCon and Halloween.
I have seen the film at least 100 times. It’s my favourite cult film.
Seth Macfarlane, creator of the animated series Family Guy is a fan. His comedies, Ted & Ted2 featured Sam J. Jones and Flash Gordon. Comic book artist Alex Ross loves the movie and also proclaims Queen as a favourite band.
Family Guy episode with the Hawkmen. The Ted movies were packaged with Flash Gordon.
Alex Ross art above for the Blu-Ray of Flash Gordon; The Ming Wants You art came with the disc.
There is talk in recent years of a Flash Gordon reboot with CGI effects but time will tell if this becomes reality.
All I know is that this work combined two of my favourite things: Flash Gordon and QUEEN.
This Fall boss Fight Studio is releasing figures of Flash and Ming to celebrate the 40th Anniversary; Movie posters for the 40th Anniversary Edition.
There is a new documentary called Life After Flash now streaming on Amazon Prime. It tells the story of actor Sam J. Jones’ sudden stardom followed by years outside show business. It will be one of the many extras on the upcoming blu-ray sets.
This was the theatrical movie poster for the documentary, Life After Flash.
Thank You Dear Readers! And Thanks Flash!
The multi-hued skies of Mongo.
“Keep your feet on the ground, put your hand on your heart, lift your head to the skies, and the world’s for your taking. Yes, you’re a Hero!”
“My life is not for any Earthling to tinker or take…”
Just a few of the things that keep me busy. Our city has seemingly become more normal than it has been in months. Traffic patterns are gradually building back up on 5th Avenue and Lexington Avenue.
Summer has become one long weekend for me. I break the season down as follows: June is Friday; July is Saurday; August is Sunday; September is Monday.
I know Americans think Labor Day is the unofficial end of the season. September is still quite warm. Cool weather really arrives the week of Halloween.
On a recent walk around I noticed the local teenagers have begun to return. Most of them disappeared for July. Many are not wearing masks or have taken to wear them around their necks. In better times the young often act badly; during this hard time they are opening themselves up to potential disaster.
My photos have captured people in their moments of distraction. Too many still babble away on their phones breaking the otherwise wonderful quiet of the park.
Activity is always abundant in the city that is coming back to life.
Just Being
New Yorkers are a hearty lot. The energy is on regardless of the times. It’s uplifting to see people each day. Walk, run, togetherness and beautiful dogs everywhere!
Fair weather opened August with gentle breezes. The Summer is beginning its annual winding down. Soon we will be reminded of the number of weeks, then days until Labor Day!
A group of teenagers were gathered to play. No masks in sight. Wide open space in the park is generally quite safe but i wonder if they are being too careless. Near the 96th Street Entrance/Exit a man sits with his best friend.
A man reads his newspaper; By foot, on rollerblades, on bike to stay active.
You feel a commonality with the people you see around in the park or on the street. No matter the activity, we are all trying to maintain a sense of hope, a spirit of neighborliness.
Young or old or somewhere in between everyone just does their thing. The 21st Century has kids enjoying a very old toy—the scooter. The boy on the far left took out his electric skateboard dressed quite fashionably too. My mates and I never looked that well heeled at his age! In the middle a Mom tends to her child while a man takes to bare feet after what seemed to be a painful run. At the right a trio of kids on their scooters. They wore masks.
Day Camp groups are playing games.
Hockey anyone?
I nicknamed the inner roadway of the park the ‘autobahn’ due to the speed of the cyclers. Things have changed. So many people use Citi bikes (New York’s bicycle share program) you would think they are all training for the Tour De France!
A runner falls into a walk while cyclists glide by in the adjacent lane; an intrepid Senior takes her walk following the tropical storm!
Although bikes are supposed to be walked on certain paths in the park it’s unusual to see people actually doing it. Friends? One man is masked, one is not. Odd.
Dear Readers: As Summer begins to wane I hope you can stay healthy and enjoy as much as possible…’til next week…
Tourists? Group of four in masks who are very close.
I was just thinking how we were told back in January to write out the full 2-0-2-0 when dating important docs. Who knew that it would be almost exclusively applied to receiving unemployment benefits.
My Dear Readers: Updates from New York City. July ends. USA continues to deny the impact of Covid—19 despite the largest recorded drop in its economy in history!
If you reside outside of North America you may have heard about how poor our safety net is here. This is showing up now during this unprecedented crisis.
I only glance at the headlines each morning. It takes until late in the day to realize how much more our country has slid in the eyes of the world.
New York City has sport once again with its expensive corporate stadiums empty. Overpaid athletes are playing with piped in crowd noise.
Several athletes in baseball are now sick. Games are getting postponed. I think baseball should cancel the season.
No Broadway/ Off—Broadway theater. No museums. No movie theaters. Broadway and Hollywood had both reached their commercial summit. I do not believe this will happen again.
If we have cinemas the interior of those spaces will have to be reinvented along with Broadway and Off—Broadway theaters.
Personally, my fear is that America will be vunerable like never before to a new authoritarian reality. Already the President floated the proto-fascist notion of delaying the Fall Election. This never happened in America before this con man took office.
People are waking to see how much damage has been inflicted upon regular people over decades of blindly adding police to streets. This has resulted in the brutality seen in recent days.
The people were empowered to fend off the awful notions of power hungry office holders. Our struggle for greater Democracy will continue.
With such heavy issues hovering over us I refuse to conform to the reactionary nature of certain friends and family. I just read “Twilight Of Democracy” by the historian Anne Applegate, seen below in the picture, argues strongly for Democratic ideals. She is hopeful Americans will reject the anti—democratic platform of Donald Trump.
Highly Recommended to everyone who cares about Democracy.
My photography is an outlet to express what I see daily to counter the ugly forces at play in today’s world.
Despite it all I am having a lovely Summer. What else can I do? November will be chilly. And by then our biggest Election will be upon us.
Museums
5th Avenue from E. 86th Street to E. 103rd is called Museum Mile. There are several along this route on the East Side. The Museum of the City of New York, The MET, The Guggenheim and The Jewish Museum are my favourites. I took pictures of their facades over the past three months. Devoid of crowds. A silence. Mourning? Will they come back as strong as before the shutdown?
The grand Metropolitan Museum of Art sits in waiting.
The Guggenheim with its famous spiral design by Frank Lloyd Wright has never been so deserted. I took several images to capture angles and represent a fuller vision of its contemporary beauty.
The Museum of the City of New York, The Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum, and The Jewsih Museum are seen below:
Exhibits frozen in time. Not changed since March.
Candids
Another component of taking images on walks are the people you see in moments. So distracted are these strangers that I could not resist capturing them in time. What follows are the first results of my observations.
L—R: A Father calls to a friend to take a cooler and other gear into the park; A dog walker; Two kids with their scooters.
A romantic stroll in the park.
August Arrives Tomorrow
Major League Baseball attempted to start a shortened season but finds itself in a bind now that the Miami Marlins team is ill with Covid—19. Then the Phillies were struck then the St. Louis Cardinals.
All of the hot spot states are only beginning to require masks and think about shutting down again.
The Republican party is making this crisis a partisan issue; their leader floats proto—fascist ideas daily.
Here in New York City while we have settled into our Phase 4 lives a new month starts tomorrow!
Over the past 3 months I have been taking walks around my neighborhood. This includes Central Park. Afternoons have been mostly hot and humid. A lot of sunscreen has been applied to protect myself from ultraviolet radiation. I read a wonderful article today in the paper that shows what a car free future could do for city living.
A 30 year old died of Covid today. He went to a Corona party. The statement he gave upon arriving at the hospital was that he thought it was a hoax. Tragic and absurd.
I always wear a mask. I discovered charcoal filtered masks this week. Even if this pandemic ended tomorrow I would still wear a mask. Filtering out air pollution is important. All of the people who live along side me in New York who wore masks long before Covid are true visionaries. They were much more aware of potential crisis.
During the Summer of Covid I have found that these walks do me good for both mind and body. Seeing people doing activities is reassuring. The outside is safer than the indoors.
I am grateful my school years were not affected by something of this magnitude. It was challenging enough during those days without a pandemic. People will adapt to survive.
Continuing my galleries of images taken during my daily walks around the city I hope you can relax a bit from the new challenges facing humanity in the 21st Century.
Heatwave
For several days this July getting drenched in sweat was normal. The park was pretty quiet too. That’s me on the far left. The middle image and right pic were two guys who showed up on the North Meadow for a socially distanced game of frisbee.
Beauty Is Everywhere
On the left a couple takes a rest after cycling. The right side you se adults and kids on a lawn.
Everyday is different. You can visit a space each day. The presence or absence of people, the changing conditions of environment always create a new experience.
Cute dogs abound in New York City. Young women without masks! Summer lulls people into carelessness.
The loneliness of long-distance running can be viewed almost every day.
Nature is never boring…
The trees in Central Park are treasure in plain sight. Admission is free. The newly planted landscaped tree line in front of the Metropolitan museum is a joy to walk through each day. The reservoir has Geese and Ducks.
Look Up!
Pathfinder
The park is filled with paths that stretch out in front of you. It’s tempting to want to try them all in a single day. That would be impossible. Unless you want foot injury.
A sense of freedom can overwhelm the senses here. You hear birdsong. The tranquility is soothing.
The neighborhood streets have become like a suburb. On weekdays there is so little noise I feel calm in ways I did not think possible in the city. Sorry suburbanites, city living wins out!
In The Neighborhood
If you are not familiar with New York than you do not know it is probably the closest to European any American city gets in terms of culture, easy walking, and largess of services.
The streets are filled with services, people, and all kinds of beauty never to be found elsewhere. There are many townhouses. Above you see examples of the American Dream come true. Some old school businesses like the Luncheonette have been here for decades. And if you know where to look there are gargoyles on edifices of buildings.
Back To The Park!
Although I have walked streets around our neighborhood I prefer park walks. I have found out during these strange times the greenery is calming. I love finding images throughout my outings.
To my beloved Brian, who’s never ending encouragement and support made these galleries and this blog possible.
Dear readers this week I begin to feature my photography as the sole content of the blog. Living in New York City gives you a lot of opportunity to create images. Everyday people make the best extras.
During this time of crisis I felt like taking more photos around my neighborhood & Central Park. To preserve for all—time a version of this fabled town nobody ever expected to see.
I hope you enjoy seeing these pictures today and in the Summer season ahead…
Please be assured that other posts will be made during this period.
As of this writing New York is in Phase 1 of re—opening. This means construction, retail, and some outside dining have returned. Retail stores must limit capacity with curbside pick—up service.
(L–R): Looking up Lexington Avenue in a Northerly direction I caught a single gentleman crossing with his groceries. The MET museum steps are deserted save workers who were asked to come in during the early days of the pandemic. And a message of hope and goodwill from local children taped to a mailbox. ‘Thanks for all you do’ Doctors, Nurses, Service workers, and Pharmacists.
Central Park’s importance during this crisis cannot be overstated enough. A genuine getawayjust a few blocks away. During the first weeks of the pandemic the park remained like so much of the city uncharacteristically quiet. Then one day there was a saxophonist near the Delacorte Theater and mounted officers on patrol. And a cute dog for good measure.
(L—R): Capturing pathways around the park was a truly unique experience. Seeing miles of empty benches was sad. The Great Lawn is lush with green having healthy amounts of rain and sun. Feelings of joy mix with a mourning for the city that will never return. The statue of the Three Bears were wearing masks! The Central Park Conservancy placed signs telling visitors to ‘Keep this Far Apart’ with arrows literally showing what that distance truly looks like.
As a lifelong New Yorker this pandemic has been nothing short of life—changing. Walking around my part of town has preserved my sanity. My loving husband, Brian has been the core of why I can remain whole during this awful period.
Dear readers, thank you for spending part of your day here on Evan’s Gate! More photography from yours truly will be posted. Stay healthy and safe. Remember love and healing are the forces that will get us all through this time.
There has been a lot of talk lately about returning to normalcy. Before the pandemic hit America the nation was struggling with many issues. There were several fissures in the body politic. Never before this moment had the country been torn asunder by an invisible threat.
Our economy has been the engine that drove us through recessions and social upheaval. The wages of workers stopped rising after 1980. Remained stagnant through 2020.
If you grew up in America between 1955 and 1985 you were indoctrinated into a man’s world. Captains of industry were male. Physical strength dominated. Being smart was deemed weak or ‘gay’.
What men hide is the ability to empathize. To express emotion in a normative way is suppressed. We as a society are paying today in political divides and fringe pursuits of false ideas that support a nation in isolation.
When I was a kid boys always acted strong. Being physical was the primary motivator in boys.
America was so busy working and living mostly private lives decades before Facebook that boys’ real needs could be missed.
The politicians pass laws. Parents do their best. Why were our kids killing one another before this crisis?
The gendered kids of this time and place are wondering what happened to them. People who cannot conceive of anything outside their prescribed norms are angered or scared that gendering could be wrong.
Has anyone asked if closing the schools could end school shootings? Recently a lot of people have suggested this crazy notion. Actually, without schools kids lose crucial development of social skills. Those with limited resources miss meals that schools provide.
America has yet to really tackle the social pandemic of massacres, addiction, and lack of empathy.
A return to normal? What normal are people longing for?
Vaping was killing kids, socially isolated boys were killing classmates, and adults were being killed by opioids.
The rising tide of Anti-Semitism was killing innocent people too.
Police brutality has resulted in a renewal of civil unrest not seen in fifty years.
Leadership is absent.
Should we not imagine a society that is anything but normal?
Trans people, Women, and Racism must be addressed. Just to name a few issues.
During the recent Memorial Day holiday states were informed that if they met certain metrics they could begin re-opening.
I walked around my city. Central Park was full of people socially distancing. Picnics were few and far between on the lawns. Children played. But it was just New Yorkers this year. Anything but normal.
I read the paper every day to check in on the latest concerning the virus. The pandemic has hit the poor the hardest. And economies that have all their eggs in the hospitality basket are in serious trouble.
Has the pandemic stripped away people’s illusions surrounding capitalism? Now we have a clearer idea of just how fragile our social system has become in the last 50 years.
People throw around new wordage to describe our ‘new normal’ but this is a much more serious matter.
Re-opening is not a race. States are finding new outbreaks where there were none until people began to disregard safety measures.
The virus has managed to do what Russian interference could not: push Americans to the brink of a new Civil War.
People who have not fallen ill are voicing their anger toward officials for closing their states.
As New York attempts to re-open let us all hope new cases of Covid—19 do not return us to square one.
The Covid Age is just beginning…
Tao Of Bob
While we seek mirth and beauty and music light and gay There are frail forms fainting at the door Though their voices are silent, their pleading looks will say Oh, hard times, come again no more.
—–excerpted lyrics from Hard Times by Bob Dylan (1992)
The pandemic is scary. A majority of people have pre-existing conditions that can male them feel vunerable.
We still have irrational attitudes toward states of emergency in this country.
Most people are rational. They will self quarantine because it is the most responsible course of action.
The political divide is real. However, the labels we inflict upon one another is detrimental to dialogue.
Liberals are cloistered in cities. Out of touch with how millions of others live. Guns will never go away. We can live with them in a much safer way. Life’s risks can never be reduced to zero. That is not living.
Vote. Vote. Vote. But only once of course. If you want change then you must vote.
Wearing masks is not a gendered thing. Our culture must acclimate itself to it. I walk around the city with a mask. I uncover my nose when there are no people. Not difficult. But for some of us this is just not possible. It may be harder to breathe. Let’s not get crazy out there.
I have taken walks around the neighborhood. Documenting the empty streets with my camera. An upcoming blog will present my photographic work. New York City will function again. Just not in its former glory.
Restaurants will probably install partitions before re-opening. Menus and utensils will become disposable items.
Outside of New York I am concerned the fringes of society are quite visible with their Don’t tread On Me Flags and misplaced love for the current occupant of the White House. This pandemic is not some plan by liberals to rid themselves of enemies.
Our crisis is not binary. Smart vs Dumb; Liberal vs Conservative; Left vs Right. Black vs White.
Memo to all friends on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: You are not expert in anything. Especially political science. Stop posting nonsense about your perceived manias. Do not shame healthy people taking foolish risks. Just keep yourself healthy for better times ahead.
I will not play anymore stupid games on FB either. We are adults!
Post a new hobby you have discovered or an old one you picked back up. Ask your neighbors/friends in other states/ countries how they are coping. Brazil is suffering too.
A virus will always find a host body. Close proximity between bodies will enable it to jump into another body. Like past pandemics this virus jumped from animal to human. And then humans flew around the world. The illness spread fast.
Beaches are filled with bacteria on a good day. Now that environment is hostile to human life. If you do not develop Covid symptoms, the sharks may pose a threat. Either way New York will forbid entry into the Atlantic.
And now kids are getting sick with a mysterious syndrome that shuts down vital functions. One moment your kid is fine, the next seriously ill. Over 100 kids have died. Schools cannot reopen.
The times are scary to be sure but we do not need conspiracy theory. We must stay home when possible. Don’t turn yourself into a prisoner. Enjoy fresh air. Staying shut in is also bad for your health. Muscles atrophy. Your mind will turn to mush.
This blog will continue to reflect issues and take some breaks for more trivial pursuits. Those of us who lived in the 20th Century post World War II are so lucky. We know what prosperity felt and looked like in the 1970s and 1980s.
Keep in mind, the derangement is not exclusive to the Far Right in America. Not since W. has a President incited so much hate from the left. If the opposition continues to feed into the baiting of their worst fears they may actually be realized in the Fall.
If history is accurate there will be a new administration in January 2021. They do not have a magic wand. Things will improve but over a long period of time. This will be the last chance to change the Supreme Court for another 50 years!
Our economy tanked with unemployment now at 20%. Herbert Hoover was not granted a second term. Let us hope that history repeats itself for our future sakes.
As I support local business here I see people doing the best they can despite the challenges of this awful situation.
I strongly believe nothing can re-open quickly. As much as we love to go out during Summer this year we are going to have to adjust to this reality. Just ask yourself if you want to get sick.
Covid-19 which causes the Corona virus takes away your ability to breathe on your own. Just think for a moment. Are you really willing to risk your well being for short term gatherings. Are you ‘dying’ to go to the beach?
Imagine down the road we get a path back to being out and about again. You will be able to keep breathing on your own. And now you will look upon your fellow human beings as survivors.
Keep busy. Relax too. Moments of peace are important. Below is a picture from a favorite show when I was a kid. The teen idols of that era were shirtless a lot. Jack Wild was one of my earliest crushes.
Revisiting the better parts of a past life can help ease the difficulties of this moment.
More about what I am watching during this Covid Era next week my dear readers! Thank you all for reading the gate!
