"Mad Love" - Just one of the original Stout sketches for sale at WonderFest!

I am really looking forward to my favorite American convention this weekend: WonderFest! I hope to see lots and lots of friends and fans there. I’ll have my new book, Legends of the Blues, on hand for sale and signing.

See You Soon!

This Year's WonderFest T-shirt by Stout

My long time friend Richard Jones is not only a great guy who loves dinosaurs, he’s been a heckuva film and television producer. He created a series of dinosaur and prehistoric animal specials for ABC, as well as a beautiful documentary on Ray Harryhausen that features a chat between the two Rays (the other being Bradbury). If you happen to see me on TV, you’re probably watching one of Richard’s documentaries (unless it’s the Frazetta Painting with Fire doc).

Richard’s Kickstarter goal is to create a website to showcase fine dinosaur and other prehistoric animal art (or “paleoart” as coined by my fellow dino art pal Mark Hallett). I recommend checking out Richard’s Kickstarter site, if only to see a fun video and some cool art.

It’s at:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dinos/opening-an-online-gallery-for-great-dinosaur-art-a

Happy day/Crappy day. We often live in a bittersweet, yin and yang existence. On what should be one of the happiest days of my life (the official release date of my new book, Legends of the Blues), I just got hit with the devastating news of the passing of my friend and cinematic hero, the great Ray Harryhausen.

For me (and a lot of other impressionable youths in 1958), my enchantment with the work of master stop-motion animator and special effects man Ray Harryhausen all began with experiencing The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.

I was nine years old. Upon its release I saw that film a magical seven times in two weeks. I couldn’t get enough of it — the visual splendor, the color, the magnificent Bernard Herrmann score, the wonderful cast…but I was especially awestruck by the film’s unique monsters.

I come from a movie nut family. Together we consumed an average of six features per week (three double bills) at the drive-in. Then, on Saturday (and sometimes Sunday, too), my brothers and I would be dropped off by our parents at the Reseda Theater (or another local “walk-in”) to see a another double bill or two.

We were dropped off one Saturday to catch a matinee showing of The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. During intermission I called my mom to let her know that after the second feature we were going to watch Seventh Voyage again. Then, I begged my parents to let me see it two more times on Sunday. When given a choice of films the following weekend, my brothers and I rejected the new features we hadn’t seen in favor of viewing Sinbad a few more times.

Seventh Voyage was the first film I ever saw as a child in which I became conscious of the importance of a film’s musical score. Bernard Herrmann’s Arabian Nights symphony for Sinbad still holds up as one of his finest scores. I personally rate it with not only the finest film scores in history but feel that it holds its own amongst classical music of that genre, including Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.

Even at nine I knew enough about credits to figure out who was responsible for the Sinbad film’s magical beasts: Ray Harryhausen. From the moment I saw those awesome pixilations I began to seek out Harryhausen’s past work and anticipate each new stop-motion adventure with an enthusiasm I could barely control. I read all I could about the man and his work in Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine featuring articles written by Ray’s high school pal Forrest J. Ackerman (Ray’s other friend from his teen years was Ray Bradbury. In 1953 Harryhausen brought Bradbury’s dinosaur from the short story “The Fog Horn” to life in the movie The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms).

I had to see each of Ray’s new films on opening day. Little did I suspect that one day Ray and I would become friends, eventually embarking together upon a dream project ignited by the supernatural spark of The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.

The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad was not the first Harryhausen movie I ever saw. I recall being scared witless in the back seat of our Ford as I watched Earth vs. Flying Saucers at the Reseda drive-in in 1956. It was explained to me by my father that this was science fiction. He emphasized the “science” part of “science fiction”, however, impressing upon my young mind that the science part of it meant that this invasion of earth by flying saucers could indeed happen — a fact that would probably come to pass in the near future. Assuming it was just a matter of weeks, I began to plot and prepare for the inevitable while watching the movie.

Ray’s first feature, Mighty Joe Young, may have been my first exposure to the sure and steady artistry of Mr. Harryhausen. After the dramatic success of the 1933 King Kong on the 50s TV package program the Million Dollar Movie (one film would be selected to be shown twice a day weekdays and then three times each on Saturday and Sunday), I can’t imagine that the Million Dollar Movie wouldn’t have shown Mighty Joe Young shortly thereafter.

My Terra Nova Press book of drawings entitled Tribute to Ray Harryhausen contained my graphic interpretations of every creature Ray Harryhausen ever animated for feature films.

Here is a list of Ray’s legacy of feature films:
Mighty Joe Young (1949)
The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
It Came From Beneath The Sea (1955)
The Animal World (1955/56)
Earth vs. Flying Saucers (1956)
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
The Three Worlds of Gullivar (1960)
Mysterious Island (1961)
Jason and The Argonauts (1963)
First Men In The Moon (1964)
One Million B. C. (1966)
The Valley of Gwangi (1969)
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974)
Sinbad and The Eye of The Tiger (1977)
Clash of The Titans (1981)

Ray and I eventually met through mutual friends. We found we had a lot in common, including a passion for King Kong (we both attended the 50th Anniversary recreation of the premiere of King Kong at Graumann’s Chinese Theater, as well as the VIP party afterwards with Fay Wray) and a keen admiration for the work of the pioneer visualizer of prehistoric life, Charles R. Knight, and for the French animalier sculptor Antoine Louis Barye.

One of my favorite Harryhausen moments happened when Ray was a guest at one of our informal meetings of the Dinosaur Society of Los Angeles. Don Glut had brought a collection George Meliès silent fantasy films to show us. Ray was sitting behind me with his friend and fellow stop-motion wizard Jim Danforth. As we viewed Meliès’ turn of the century short films I couldn’t help but be both amused (and astounded) to hear the then reigning kings of cinematic special effects wizardry both comment on what we were seeing with, “How did he do that?!”

Ray never lost his humility nor his childlike enthusiasm for life. We were both guests at Louisville’s WonderFest convention one year. When I arrived in the convention hotel’s lobby, I was greeted by Ray.

“Bill!” he exclaimed, like a little kid who had just been given the keys to the candy shop. “You’ve got to see my room — it’s HUGE!”

Ray Harryhausen has probably inspired more young people to get into film than any other single person in The Business. Most of the guys I know (and I know a lot of ‘em!) who work in special effects or special make-up effects, or in the science fiction/fantasy/horror film genres idolize Ray. Robert Rodriguez’ Spy Kids 2 is virtually a feature length tribute to Ray and his work.

It was my dear friend Richard Jones (Richard produced a wonderful documentary on the life and work of Ray Harryhausen) who suggested that Ray and I should collaborate on a sequel to The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.

We intended the film to be a capper to Ray’s career. Ray had retired, so we weren’t expecting him to go back and animate again. Instead, our plan was to hand the animation of each creature off to an acolyte of Ray and his work, using the best people in the business. Ray would be the overall Special Effects Supervisor. This would allow each team to create a stirring homage to Harryhausen. We were also sure that each artist would try to outdo the others in their attempts to honor Ray, making for a competitive creative process in the most positive fashion and spirit possible.

I got together with Ray and asked for a list of all the creatures he ever wanted to animate but that for some reason or another (usually budget) he never got a chance to bring to life. I then wrote a screenplay incorporating all of these creatures (and a few more) into The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad – Return to Colossa. We’ve been looking for that elusive studio green light ever since. When that happens, perhaps a new generation of nine-year-olds will be inspired to wander down their own Harryhausen-influenced path of fantastic creativity.

Until then, I’ll have to content myself with Ray’s rich cinematic legacy. By the way, if it’s not too late, grab the limited edition of  Twilight Time‘s blu-ray version of Mysterious Island. It’s an absolute revelation! The color and transfer of this film is so breathtaking, it’s almost like seeing it for the first time. I pray that someday the rest of Harryhausen’s oeuvre receives the same lovingly detailed restoration.

My work schedule today is now out the window. Instead, I am going to settle in front of my home screen and watch Ray’s films for the rest of the day, reliving the thrills, joy, laughs, beauty and tears — especially the tears today — of the worlds created by the late, great fantasy film legend, that Talos-sized giant of a man: Mr. Ray Harryhausen.

LEGENDS OF THE BLUES is a years-in-the-making passion project straight from Bill’s heart. This 224 pp. book contains 100 full color portraits of Stout’s favorite blues musicians and singers born prior to 1930. Robert Johnson‘s here, along with the Chess Records stable of Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Willie Dixon and Chuck Berry.

Bill has written a well-researched bio for every entry that includes recommended songs and interesting cover versions. PLUS: the book includes Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, a 14 track CD of great blues music personally selected and sequenced by Stout! In addition, Bill asked for (and received) the best introduction he could have hoped for by the brilliant poet, musicologist and comic art connoisseur Ed Leimbacher. All this, and it’s only twenty bucks!

Legends of the Blues, a visual celebration of a great African American-created art form, is the perfect gift for the roots music fan in your family.

Mother’s Day is Sunday! Purchase one for the mother (or mutha) in your family! All books purchased this week will go out by Priority Mail within 24 hours of receipt of the order. Why buy here at the William Stout Bazaar? William Stout signs each book we sell and will be happy to personalize each copy as well.

“William Stout’s Legends of the Blues celebrates the glorious men and women who created the enduring legacy and the unique sound of the blues. Bill’s wonderful ink and watercolor paintings of legendary blues musicians beautifully capture the distinct personalities of these amazing and important American artists. Stout’s portraits give us the performance craziness of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, the haunted gaze of Robert Johnson, the power of Howlin’ Wolf, and the sly grin of a young Bo Diddley”

— John Landis (Director of The Blues Brothers)

“Beautiful!”

— Elvis Costello

“The drawings are evocative of Crumb’s style, impressionistic portraits with some subtle touches –  Robert Johnson’s pupils take the shape of little skulls. And yet, there’s a quietness, a stillness, to them also, a sensibility that is Stout’s alone. (This book is) a tribute to ‘the all-encompassing gumbo’ of the blues.”

— David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times

“So good, you’d think illustrator William Stout made a deal with the devil.”

— Michael Mechanic, Mother Jones

My latest book, Legends of the Blues, debuts today (a couple of days prior to its official May 7 release date) with a signing at La Luz de Jesus gallery (affiliated with Los Angeles pop culture pioneers Soap Plant and Wacko; see “Appearances” on this site for details) beginning at 6:00 PM.

Tomorrow I’ll be signing in Sherman Oaks at Freakbeat Records, the coolest record shop in southern California.

My book has been getting rave reviews, most notably from Mother Jones magazine and the Los Angeles Times. I just did an extensive interview for Comic Book Resources (which should appear in about a week), as well as an interview for an Athens, Greece (!) fansite.

I am really looking forward to the public’s reaction to this book. It’s been a total labor of love from start to finish. I am already hard at work on the sequel!

The publicity is beginning for the release of my book Legends of the Blues this weekend. Tomorrow (Wednesday) I’m doing a two hour radio show. The show starts at 3 PM (PST) and goes until 5 PM. It will be at www.LuxuriaMusic.com

I’ll be bringing some of my favorite blues CDs — many of which will surprise you (wanna hear Muddy Waters‘ original version of Led Zep‘s “Whole Lotta Love”?).

Here’s the Flavorpill link for my book signing at the La Luz de Jesus Gallery – please share on Facebook and Twitter. It’s directly from the Flavorpill page — Thanks!

http://beta.flavorpill.com/events/517ebbb39553f1001c000cd2r

And check out this great review of my book from Mother Jones:

http://www.motherjones.com/slideshows/2013/04/legends-blues/lobcover630jpg

This afternoon I’ll be winging my way across the northern US border to appear as a guest at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo, one of the best-run conventions I have ever attended.

I’m bringing lots of Stout stuff for you to peruse, so I hope to see you there! Details can be found in the Appearances section of this website.

I am really looking forward to seeing my wonderful Canadian fans, as well as my nearby American fans who hopefully will hop across the border for the weekend. The food and drinks in Calgary are terrific (thank you, French influence) and the people couldn’t be nicer.

Please come by and say “Hi!”

Well, this has been quite the weekend.

If you follow my blog, you’ll know that as soon as I heard about the tragic bombing I reassured the Boston Comic Con that I was NOT going to cancel. I just had to show my support for that great city and its people.

I took off from LAX early Friday morning on a JetBlue flight. I monitored what was going on in Boston via CNN. As I was about an hour away from landing a banner scrolled across the bottom of the screen that read: “Boston Logan Airport: No Taxi Service; No Train Service; No Bus Service.”

Damn! It looked like I was going to have to spend the weekend at the airport. Already there were hundreds of potential college students trapped at the airport, as that weekend happened to be College and University Visitation Weekend.

As my plane was touching down, however, the taxi ban was lifted. After I retrieved my luggage I caught a cab into the center of town. It was 5:00 PM — the heart of rush hour. It was incredibly eerie; there was not a car nor any people on the streets.

It turned out that my hotel was across the street from the bomb site. There were barricades everywhere, staffed by hundreds of police. The press had set up across the street from the entrance to my hotel:

As I entered the lobby of my hotel I ran into Good Duck Man Don Rosa. He informed me that the Comic Con had just been cancelled (understandably, the Convention Center couldn’t give the show organizers a straight answer as to whether or not the Convention Center would be open Saturday morning. The second perp had not been found yet and there was a massive manhunt going on with huge chunks of Boston still locked down). I called to verify and, sure enough — no show.

I hadn’t eaten and was starving. I was informed by the hotel that their restaurant was open, along with just two others in the area, so if I wanted to eat, I had better put my name down on the seating list because the place was soon going to be packed. It was.

At dinner I sat with a fellow screenwriter from Los Angeles (Coincidence? I have begun to doubt that coincidences exist, as they happen to me on such a regular basis).

After dinner I met up with Frank Cho and some other artists. We spent the evening at the bar. I was over-served far too many Kentucky Bourbon beers (that’s beer that’s been stored in former Bourbon barrels — very potent). Thanks for all the free drinks, guys!

With the convention cancelled, I had the next day (Saturday) to myself. Boston is an astounding art city. The first place I always visit in Boston is the Boston Public Library. I go there to see (and drool over) the Symbolist murals by John Singer Sargent and especially the Holy Grail murals by Edwin Austin Abbey. And, Hey! — the library was right across the street from my hotel:

To my great disappointment, though, there were barricades preventing anyone from entering the Library. So close — yet so very far.

I decided to explore the area and have lunch. I found a great place to eat, the Parish Café.

Wandering the streets I was witness to a city cloaked in sorrow — yet with a tenacious spirit that refused to be defeated.

There were tributes to the city — and to the fallen — everywhere. People took every opportunity to express themselves.

I found a huge gathering of people. I stepped into their midst to find they were all visiting and adding to an impromptu memorial.

If you look carefully, you can see there are three crosses with photos and names of the three innocent people who were killed in the bombing. Sitting as a part of the tableau was a local homeless guy with his little pet beagle:

People kept adding to the memorial. They set down personal items and expressions of grief. Some contributed objects that represented and symbolized the city itself. I wept a lot.

On a quiet side street I spotted the sign shown above. I was puzzled at first (no…that’s not “Z” for “Zombie”) until I noticed more (and similar) signs, each with a letter of the alphabet.

These signs indicated areas where you could meet and find your family members (by going to the first letter of your last name) during the chaos of the tragedy.

I found these letter signs unbearably sad.

I spent most of the day at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (where I saw an incredible Anders Zorn exhibition and a whole lotta Sargent paintings) and at the Boston Museum of Fine Art, one of America’s greatest art museums. I must have seen over four dozen Sargent paintings, including several of his most famous ones. WOW! It was almost too much. Almost, I said…

On Saturday evening I got together with more artists and some artist agents. I was sketching in the restaurant’s waiting area. It turned out that the maitre d’, Javier, was a big monster movie fan. I was drawing monsters, so he kept bringing me free appetizers. He knew ‘em all! This time I paced myself with the alcohol, as I planned to attend an impromptu mini-con at Larry’s Comics over in Lowell on Sunday.

The mini-con was fun. I met some smart, staunch fans and made some new ones. I left from Larry’s Comics for the airport and made it to my gate with but five minutes to spare. Boston traffic was back to normal!

I sat next to a forensics expert on my flight home, so I had lots to talk about and learn, as I have always found forensics to be an exciting topic of discussion, CSI fan that I am.

I’m happy to be back but feel sadly lucky that I got to share in and witness firsthand this tragic historical moment.

It looks like the Boston Comic-Con might take place later this year. Watch my Appearances section on this website for an update.

I’ll be there.

Hokey Smoke, Bullwinkle — it’s time for the Boston Comic Con!

I look forward to seeing all my New England friends and fans this weekend! Soon!

OK; this concoction might just make the Wolfman‘s nose run with spicy delight!

The recipe for this Yucatán salsa dates all the way back to the ancient Mayans. I have modified and enhanced the recipe with touches of my own. Note that habanero (ah-bah-NAY-roe; I hear this word mispronounced all of the time. The “H” is silent and there’s no Spanish tilde over the “N” like in the middle of “mañana”) peppers are incredibly hot, even for a hot pepper lover like me. When you mince them, wear rubber gloves; otherwise, you might accidentally touch your eyes. YIKES! That would be an EXTREMELY painful experience!

DOG SNOUT SALSA
(Mayan Name: Xnipek)

2 fresh habanero chile peppers (scotch bonnets may be substituted for habaneros. They’re just as hot but a little fruitier)
2 medium-to-large tomatoes, chopped
1 small-to-medium white or purple (whichever is sweetest and mildest) onion, chopped
1/3 cup bitter orange juice (see below)
3 tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro (aka Chinese parsley)
1/3 cup (or a little more) fresh, dark, sweet pomegranate seeds

To make Bitter Orange Juice:
1/2 cup grapefruit juice
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons lime juice

Mix the ingredients in a bowl. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours. Use within 24 hours. Yield: 3/4 cup.

Back to the salsa…
Remove the stems and seeds from the habanero peppers (don’t forget to wear rubber gloves!), then finely chop them, just slightly larger than if you minced them.

Combine all of the ingredients except for the cilantro. Let the mixture sit for two hours to blend the flavors. Add the cilantro just before you serve it. Yield: 2 cups

Serve it with Mexican restaurant-style tortilla chips (not crap “fake” chips like Doritos).

The salsa will keep in the fridge for two or three days (if it’s not all eaten within the first hour. I usually make a triple batch). Personally, I like salsa best when it’s chilled.

This is a very refreshing salsa. The citrus juices and the pomegranate seeds (one of my own non-traditional touches) make for a cool sweet/tart counterpoint to the saltiness of the chips and the spiciness of the peppers. I’ll bet a few chopped pieces of tangerines or mandarin oranges (remove the seeds of either before chopping) or mango would be a nice addition to the recipe. Make sure you don’t use too much onion; it can overwhelm everything else.

Let me know what you think! It’s always a big hit with my family.