Thursday, January 16, 2014

SWV founder MIKE WRANEY has passed away


Unfortunately, Mike Wraney, founder of Something Weird Video, one of the coolest video labels ever, has passed away due to lung cancer. Wraney was only 56. A memoriam notice has been posted on Something Weird Video's website. I hope they don't mind I repost it here. R.I.P.


From SWV's website:
"We regret to inform you that Something Weird's founder, Mike Vraney, passed away on January 2nd 2014 after a long heroic battle with lung cancer. He was 56 years old, way too young to leave this planet. There was still so much Mike wanted to do in his life, so many films to be found, and adventures to be embarked upon.
This sad news may come as a shock to most of you. Mike was a very private person and didn't want anyone, except his closest friends, family and colleagues, to know about his illness. He went through aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatments for over a year, but sadly the cancer spread and cruelly took him from us.
Mike had a larger-than-life personality and a genuine enthusiasm for movies. Something Weird was his heart and soul, he was obsessive in his pursuit of tracking down the weirdest, wildest movies out there. And it wasn't enough to find a few forgotten films, he was always in search of the movie motherload. (Making 370 two-hour volumes of Nudie Cuties loops is a good example of this. Who does that?! Mike Vraney!) Even as a child, Mike loved movies. During his teenage years, he worked at the Bel-Kirk Drive-In, and then later as a projectionist at the Green Parrot and Apple Theaters in Seattle. Then around 1990, Mike went in search of as many old, unusual, obscure, and lost low budget exploitation movies as he could, and preserved them for prosperity. Mike amassed thousands of these rare movies and had them transferred to video so that people could relive the good old days of going to the drive-in or grindhouse theater, in their very own home. We have him to thank for introducing fandom to the wonderful world of sexploitation sinema, rescuing it from the dark recesses of forgotten film vaults and defunct movie theatres.
Some of you may know that prior to Something Weird, Mike was involved in the early Seattle punk rock music scene. He was a partner in Modern Productions, the group who started Seattle's seminal rock venue, The Showbox, in 1979. Mike then went on to manage such well-known bands as The Dead Kennedys, TSOL, and Seattle's own The Accused. Mike always seemed to be at the forefront of whatever was happening and cool.
Mike's second greatest passion in life was collecting old comics, vintage toys, movie memorabilia, and pop cultural ephemera. He enjoyed going to the swap meet and always had a magical ability for finding great stuff. But when he wasn't working, collecting, or telling great stories, Mike spent quality time with his beloved family. Mike adored his wife and business partner, Lisa, and two (now young adult) children, Mark and Danielle. These three were the center of his universe, and his reason for getting up each and every morning.
The folks at Something Weird fully intend to keep Mike's incredible legacy intact. Mike may be gone, but his remarkable achievements will live on. One of the happiest days of Mike's life was when legendary David F. Friedman and Dan Sonney called him "the forty-first thief," which to him was the ultimate compliment and recognition for his work. We'd like to think that Mike's now hanging out with his old pals Dave and Dan, reminiscing and talking shop with Dwain Esper, Kroger Babb, Barry Mahon, Joe Sarno, Doris Wishman, Bob Cresse, Dale Berry, Michael Findlay and all the other exploiteers and smut peddlers who've gone to the great grindhouse in the sky.
We will miss Mike with all our hearts. Goodbye dear friend, husband, father, and fearless leader…
-- Lisa Petrucci, Tim Lewis, Kendall Bechtel, Mark Vraney, Danielle Vraney of Something Weird Video

Mike Vraney Memorial Tribute Page on Facebook www.facebook.com/mikevraneymemorial Feel free to write your condolences and let us know how much Mike and Something Weird have meant to you. Or share a memory, picture or story about Mike!

In lieu of flowers, we ask that memorial donations be made in Mike's name to the Lung Cancer Alliance"

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

JACK J's diabolic grip of the world you live in

...all I have to do is squeeze my hand and you'll suffer, muhahahahaha*
 
Alright, I've got a few ideas for new posts but while I get cracking on those I thought I might just post a list of where you can find me in Cyberspace apart from here on ye olde Lejemorder blog:

Backyard Asia
- the Lejemorder blog is not a film blog as such as many seem to believe but basically a blog about, uh, me, myself and I. However, since my life has always orbited around film and pop culture that's what I write about to a certain degree. On the Backyard Asia blog I "reprint" my posts from here that deal with the more obscure Asian cinema. Backyard Asia is basically for people who don't wanna read me rave about me (do such people really exist?). If you follow the Lejemorder blog you don't really need to check Backyard Asia as well.
 
When the Vietnam War Raged... in the Philippines
- this is my blog dedicated to cheap B movies from the Philippines set in the Vietnam War! It's also the only blog of mine that anybody in the film industry has discovered! Every year I get invites from the Stockholm Film Festival because of this blog, and thru out the years a bunch of old ex-pat actors from the Filipino film industry have gotten in touch with me because I cared about their old films. Some of the films I post about are 100% Filipino productions, while others are co-productions with other countries (often Italy), and finally some are basically foreign films (again, often Italian) shot in the Philippines. I do also write about other crazy Asian war flicks (like for instance the wild Thai film CANNIBAL MERCENARY) but I try and sell off the blog as only dealing with Filipino films. All blog posts on the Vietnam War blog are original posts written for the blog, i.e. not reposts from the Lejemorder blog.

When the Vietnam War Raged... in the Philippines - on facebook (imaginary link)

Komix
- like with Backyard Asia this is a repost blog; I use it to reprint my stuff about comics, both from my English and Danish blog posts here on the Lejemorder.

Psychotronic Broadcasting
- this is the blog companion to my YouTube channel. I figured that whoever follows my YT channel would also want to read a blog about the same stuff but ... nope! It seems youtubers don't read blogs, lol. And so while the channel itself does alright the blog hardly got any traffic. As it is now it just floats aimlessly in Cyberspace like an old abandoned Mir space station. I'm not going to update it but, needless to say, you can still read the old posts.

Psychotronic Broadcasting - on Youtube.

Hmm, I think that's about it. I also co-moderate Cinehound forum and Uncut.dk forum (which now lives its own life separated from Uncut.dk).


You'll find links to my various blogs by clicking the "about me" link on top of the bar on the right.



* NOTE TO SELF: Jack, remember to delete your megalomaniac crap before you post this. People might not be fooled into believing you're not being dead serious!!!

Sunday, January 12, 2014

update

I'm in the process of changing the look of the blog but the layout over in the Danish section is giving me a fucking headache so it'll remain closed for a bit. Don't fret, it's only for the time being. :P
Also, so far this is only a crude version of how it's gonna look, there's gonna be some more changes to the main section (i.e. this page).