Dirty Show, Pre-Order and Final Review!

I know I’ve said it before, but it’s getting exciting now.

First, the 16^th annual edition of The Dirty Show is on as I write this. Last night kicked off with legendary indie filmmaker, artist, and raconteur John Waters. Jerry Vile was very excited to land John for the show because he’s been a big fan and influenced by John’s work. Here’s a cool picture of the two at the show on Thursday night.

John Waters & Jerry Vile at the Dirty Show (February 12th, 2015) - Photo by Gretchen Gonzales Davidson

If you haven’t gotten your tickets for the Dirty Show, yet… do so! It’s always the best time in Detroit in the cold, dark of February.

What a Year! THANK YOU!

As I type this I’m making the final corrections to my manuscript – it’s been almost 4 years since this crazy project started. But, 2014 has been an amazing year for putting the final pieces of the puzzle into action, receiving humbling support from backers, and digging into the details of what the final book will look, feel, and smell like. By this time next year you will have “Re-Entry” in your hands! I can’t wait for you to experience it, enjoy it, and bask in the stories!  

Book Update & ArtPrize

A quick update for you about the status of the book: Over the past few weeks the editors at WSU Press have been pouring over the final manuscript and all the selected images/reprint articles. Right now, it looks like there will be no additional cuts to the book. So, what I have selected, at this point, will go to the proofreader, designer, and to you in the final edition. I expect to share details on it as we go.

If you filling out of the Orbit stuff survey, thank you! We are working on how to re-create many of these classic things for you over the coming year. In fact, I can tell you, Orbit t-shirts will be making a splash in about a month. Stay posted for more on that.

Mr. Vile Heads West!

“For something that looks this crappy, it’s a ton of work!” – Jerry Vile on ArtPrize 

When this started, I didn't like Jerry Vile!

Well, the book is wrapped. Thank you for your suggestions on reprints for the book, filling out the “stuff” survey, and following me on facebook & twitter. It really means a lot.

Now that I have a little time to breathe, I thought I’d tell you a story about how this whole crazy ride came to be.

It was spring 1998. I was 20 years old. The previous fall some friends and I decided to ty our hand at low-budget, independent filmmaker. Inspired by what Kevin Smith (“Clerks”) and Robert Rodriguez (“El Mariachi”) had done, we set out to make a little vampire comedy called “Tainted”. To be honest, and I don’t think we were too honest with ourselves then, it was basically “Clerks” with vampires.

"Tainted" on the shelf at Thomas Video - Spring 2014.

So, after about 9 months of work, the film is done. We had screenings lined up. We need attention. I always felt the best way was to get someone to write something about it. That always seems to work better than advertising. And I always felt the best way to make that happen was to just stop in, press kit in hand, and, maybe, charm them a bit. We dropped off tapes; remember VHS, and press kits to the Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press, the Metro Times, and several other smaller community papers.

Then, we walked up those stairs above the bump shop to Orbit.

Digging Through the Past

As I stated before, the whole saga started in early 2011. But, by Summer I was knee deep into collecting the things that would make this book possible: names, contacts, ephemera, and, of course, all the issues of the various magazines.

Most of the archive had been resting for several years inside the storage units of Jerry Vile. Between art being sent in for The Dirty Show, his own creations, collectibles picked up at various garage sales, sat in the climate controlled confines of a Ferndale self-storage what I had come for - "The Archive".