Pheaturing Gary Gnu from "The Great Space Coaster"

Hey, kids, get on board, and welcome to the Phile, this is the last entry of the month and sadly the last entry in "The Great Space Coaster" Month. This month on the Phile has been the most fun ever. I have to do a "TGSC" Month again sometime.  So, yesterday was Good Friday. I hope you had a better Good Friday than Jesus did. So, let's see what happened this past week.  Harvard was knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the second round. But don’t kid yourself. This Harvard basketball team went somewhere no other team has gone: to class. There was a big upset in the NCAA tournament, when San Diego State was upset by 15th seed Florida Gulf Coast University. Yeah, Florida Gulf Coast University. Even the University of Phoenix Online was like, "Who?"  There's a growing trend of older Americans who are using marijuana in their retirement. That makes sense because old people are always talking about their joints. I guess the marijuana trend explains why White Castle is now offering an early bird special.  A 33-year-old woman in Britain claims to have an allergic reaction to exercise. She says every time she exercises, she has an allergic reaction. Actually, I have that. You know how I treat it? Pizza. You might not think I exercise, but I do. I jump to conclusions, fly off the handle, carry things too far, dodge responsibilities and push my luck.  A rattlesnake handler in Texas is recovering in the hospital after being bitten for the 12th time. If you’re a rattlesnake handler and you've been bitten 12 times, are you really a handler? Aren’t you just a guy who doesn’t know how to pick up snakes?  Is it still Passover? I think so. So, to my Jewish readers once again, Happy Passover. In honor of Passover, all of these jokes are unleavened.  The average American works six months a year for the government. Think about that. Government employees don't even work six months a year for the government.  There's a new Secretary of State... John Kerry. What do you think? Is he getting the job done? I don't know. It's hard to trust a secretary of state who is not wearing a pantsuit. John Kerry visited Iraq and also Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with Dennis Rodman.  The former Pope got together with the new Pope for a Pope reunion special. They referred to each other as New Pope and Pope Classic.  Actress Tilda Swinton gave an unusual performance at the Museum of Modern Art this past weekend. She slept in a glass box in the middle of the museum all day. If you are in New York, for $20 you can watch Tilda Swinton sleep in a box. In L.A. you can watch Gary Busey pass out in public for free.  Well, as you know tomorrow is Easter. I was at the shops the other day looking to see what I should get my son for Easter and I saw this...

I guess it shows you where I shop, right.  Tonight the Easter Bunny will make his trip, but today he visited the White House and I have proof.

 
Or maybe they just let Biden choose how own clothes. LOL.  Alright, last Sunday on the Phile I showed you on eBay someone was selling a Knock Knock stuffed animal and called her a flamingo. A flamingo! Knock Knock from "The Great Space Coaster" is of course a woodpecker, and they didn't even name her. Here's a look at what I showed last weekend...

Well, with the power of the Phile, it's been corrected. Take a look...

They didn't call her a woodpecker but they got the name right. I wonder if anybody bid on her and won. So, as this is the last "TGSC" entry, I thought I would see if they were selling maybe an Edison plush on eBay. And this is what I found...

That's not a bad price. Still a little steep for a plush. But at least whoever is selling Edison got his name and species right. A few weeks ago I showed you what a Gary Gnu plush is going for. As Gary is the guest on the Phile today I thought I'd check to see how he is doing.

No one bid on him yet. It'll be cheaper to fly to Connecticut to pick him up. Phile readers, can't any of you bid on him and send it to me? It was worth asking.  Let's switch gears, you know once in awhile I look at Twitter and see what people are saying about certain things. One of those things is Foghat, and this is what I found.

Smart thinking, Lilykily. Okay, let's move on. From the home office in Coasterville, here is...

Top Phive Surprising Discoveries Made At The White House Easter Egg Role
5. Emergency pack of smokes for when Obama "goes out for some air".
4. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who shows up anywhere there's free hard-boiled eggs.
3. First draft of Obama's 2012 concession speech.
2. Bo's special "Chocolate Easter Eggs".
And the number one discovery made at the White House Easter Egg Roll...
1. A dehydrated Joe Biden passed out in a bunny suit.

Do you know what starts tonight? "Doctor Who" Season 7 Part 2! I am excited, and I hope you are as well. Okay, so, tomorrow it's Easter, so I have a treat for you. My band Strawberry Blondes Forever has a new single out today called... "Kelly Clarkson". Yep. You can download it at strawberryblondesforever.bandcamp.com and cdbaby.com/AlbumDetails.aspx?AlbumID=strawberryblondesforever2. It'll be out in iTunes and more soon. Alright, who likes comics? I do. So, I like to invite my good friend Jim Mello who works at Coliseum of Comics here in Florida to give us some idea of what comic books just came out. So, please welcome once again to the Phile... Jim Mello.

There will be spoilers, and if you read a spoiler that you didn't want to after reading this disclaimer, please don't come crying to me like a giant baby. And so....
Age of Ultron #3
The remaining Avengers sit around and talk for a bit, before coming up with a plan to get an Ultron head. Taskmaster, Red Hulk, and Black Panther go out on a mission... Panther gets a punk death, Red Hulk disappears, and Taskmaster escapes. Slow series still running on extra slow, and continues not to make the case for decompressed comics.
Batman Inc. #9
Batman punches stuff and kicks Alfred out. Meh x2.
East Of West #1 
Three of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are reborn in the bodies of children, realize that their fourth is missing, and vow to find and murder him. Now, let's jump back to the best time in American History... the Civil War and the Reconstruction/Indian Wars years that followed... except this time, Hickman takes us on a tour de force world-building exercise that covers an quickening of technology, religious zealotism, and shifting inter-continental lines. The missing Horseman happens to be Death, and in this techno-western, hell does seem to follow with him. Probably the best showing for a first issue Hickman book in awhile. It cries almost everything I like to see in a comic with a surplus of deadly imagination to boot. Plus, it involves Western history, and I love Western history. Don't you? Green Hornet #1 
A basic Green Hornet story that serves up lukewarm writing and art. It's the same deal... Britt Reid, newspaper owner and by-night vigilante, is out on the dicks trying to figure who the new criminal mastermind is in town. Unfortunately, Waid does not bring the fun inventiveness he's brought other recent titles, and the art (or perhaps the ink/color, because it's very heavy) doesn't help a bit.
Guardians of the Galaxy #1
Aww yisss... Star-Lord and his recently returned Father get into a verbal sparring match about Star-Lord's gallivanting ways, before his father warns him that Earth is off limits to everyone now, including him. Meanwhile, Tony is attacked by the Badoon, a particularly nasty set of space-faring aliens, and is saved when the Guardians show up. The ship begins to crash into Earth's atmosphere, and the Guardians contemplate giving chase. With a few references to the seminal Abnett and Lanning run, this book is just reading fantastic right now. Big recommend from moi.
Timewarp #1
Let's face it... read one Vertigo anthology, you've read 'em all. Just some creators of note in case you know someone who likes them: Jeff Lemire, Damon Lindelof, Gail Simone, Pete Milligan, Matt Kindt, Dan Abnett.  And that, my friends, is that.

Thanks, Jim. Don't forget to check out Jim's podcast The Long Box. You can check it out on iTunes by searching Coliseum of Comics.

The 25th book to be pheatured in the Peverett Phile Book Club is...

 
The author Kent Gustavson will be on the Phile in a few weeks.

Today's pheatured guest is the last one for "The Great Space Coaster" Month. He's a gnu newscaster who did a show on each "The Great Space Coaster" episode and is well known for his catchphrase, "No Gnews is Good Gnews with Gary... Gnu". Goriddle would always say WOW each time he introduced Gary Gnu... so I'll say it. Wow! Please welcome to the Phile, the one and only... Gary Gnu!

Me: Hello, Gary, welcome to the Phile. How are gnu? LOL. Get it?

Gary: Ha! Ha! That's hysteri... wait... I don't get it.

Me: It's an honor to have you here on the Phile, Gary. Do you do a lot of interviews?

Gary: I have done a few interviews, but I am the one usually doing the interviewing. It's safer that way. If you're not careful, some gnews might accidentally slip into the conversation and that would be bad gnews indeed.

Me: So, this month on the Phile it was "The Great Space Coaster" Month. I don't think that show gets a lot of attention, do you?

Gary: You're right. It doesn't get a lot of attention. I think the Phile is like peanut butter... everyone loves it but they only gnotice it when it sticks to the roof of their mouth. Oh wait, were you referring to "The Great Space Coaster"? In that case, I think it is remarkable that a show that hasn't been on the air for more than 30 years is even remembered, let alone getting ANY kind of attention. Unless a show is released on DVD, it is usually forgotten.

Me: Good point. And no one will remember the Phile in thirty years. How long have you been reading the news, Gary?

Gary: WHAT?! I gnever read the gnews! I despise gnews!

Me: Okay, then where did the phrase "No gnus is good gnus" come from?

Gary: "No Gnews IS Good Gnews" came from me. That's why I always say "No Gnews IS Good Gnews with Gary Gnu." Where did you think it came from? A fortune cookie?

Me: Good point again. Gary, have you seen the t-shirts that feature you? One says "Fear the Beard" and the other says "Gary Gnu is My Homeboy". I wonder, do you have any official Gary Gnu t-shirts?

Gary: Yes, I have seen those t-shirts. It's gnice that they remember me, but it is not gnice that they have used my picture without my permission. We hope to soon have some official Gary Gnu t-shirts that you can purchase. If you purchase a a licensed "TGSC" shirt, your money will go towards preserving the old episodes and towards developing all gnew programs. If you buy a pirated shirt, your money goes to... well... it goes to some gnon-gnautical pirate.

Me: There was a "TGSC" album that came out in the 80's. I saw it on ebay for 40 bucks, and almost bidded on it, and then I found one for ten dollars and I have it. Do you perform on it? If so, what song do you perform, do you remember?

Gary: Yes, I do perform on the album! I perform a short piece called (what else?) "No Gnews Is Good Gnews." It's a pretty gnifty album and includes a great little gnumber called "Yellow Orange Day" that a lot of people remember as one of their favorites. You can hear it on YouTube. Have you noticed that records have gotten smaller? And shinier. But for some reason they won't play on my record player.

Me: Yeah, I did notice. Those are called CD's, but I love vinyl. You had some great guest stars on "TGSC", Gary. Who was your favorite?

Gary: We certainly had a lot of great guests, including Erin Gray, Marvin Hamlisch, Mean Joe Green, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Kathleen Turner, Aileen Quinn, and Henry Winkler. But I would have to say my favorite was Mark Hamill.

Me: I think I have a picture with you and Mark Hamill.

Me: There. What a great pic. What was it like working with Mark Hamill?

Gary: Mark is a really gneat guy! We had a lot of things in common: we both liked puppets, we both read comic books, and we didn't have mustaches. Things like that can really make people fast friends. 

Me: So, you had a lot of cool friends on the like Goriddle and Knock Knock. Who do you miss most?

Gary: It's hard to say who I miss most. I miss the kids, gnaturally. I miss Baxter's sweet smile, Knock Knock's charming laugh, Edison's stories... I might even miss that gnitwit Goriddle a little bit. Just a little bit. Maybe gnot.

Me: Goriddle always gave you a hard time, right?

Gary: Goriddle was always trying to take over my show. He gnever appreciated how hard I worked to bring No Gnews to my many loyal viewers.

Me: Hey, did you know there is a band called Gary Gnu? I wonder if they are fans?

Gary: I did not gknow there was band called Gary Gnu! I sure hope they are fans... it would be pretty crazy to think they were named after some other guy gnamed Gary Gnu! There are a lot of people out there who use my gname... I guess I can't blame them for wanting to be me. But it has made it very difficult for me to travel. Baxter requires background checks on everyone who rides in his coaster and it takes him a long time to sort out that all those Gary Gnus are gnot me. Why don't people ever steal Goriddle's gname? Wait... maybe this is all one of Goriddle's little jokes. Gnice going, Goriddle! Now I can't even get a Facebook account using my own gname!

Me: So, last year you showed up at a convention in Pennsylvania and did a comeback show. What convention was that and how was that experience?

Gary: I made my recent appearance at a convention called Anthrocon that takes place in Pittsburgh, PA. It is the largest furry convention in the world and is attended by about 5,000 people. It was a great experience! The furry community is very friendly and supportive and I am very grateful to them for helping me get back in the limelight.

Me: Q: What is a furry, Gary?

Gary: A "furry" is a person who is a fan of anthropomorphic characters. Oh, I bet gnow you're going to ask me: What does "anthropomorphic" mean?

Me: Yep.

Gary: Well, it's not an anthropologist who morphs while hiccuping. Anthropomorphic means an animal that has human qualities, like Bugs Bunny or me for example. Most furry fans have their own character or persona that they have created and many furries like to dress in full body costumes representing their character. They are very creative and very dedicated. Unfortunately, furries have gotten a bad rap that they don't deserve. I have met many furries who are professional people; they are doctors, military people, artists, service givers, and more who just happen to have an unconventional hobby.

Me: Hmmm... Will you be doing any more convention appearances? I can hook you up at one here in Florida called MegaCon maybe.

Gary: I would love to go to more conventions! But like I said earlier, I have a hard time traveling, so I don't get to too many of them. Keep checking out the official Facebook page facebook.com/TheGreatSpaceCoaster to find out if I am going to be making any special appearances! 

Me: Who are your biggest fans, Gary?

Gary: Well, I gnever thought of actually measuring my fans to see who is the biggest. I am guessing though it would have to be Edison and his family. They are elephants, after all. Unless there is a blue whale out there that is a fan, or maybe even a brontosaurus!

Me: Gary, there's no more brontosauruses anymore.

Gary: What? There aren't any brontosauruses anymore? They're ngow called brachiosauruses? That's gnuts! Why, in the 80's brontosauruses were as tried and true as 35mm film. Next you're going to tell me Pluto isn't a planet anymore...

Me: It wasn't, but is again. So, I am sure you know Jim Martin as he was in the picture with you and Mark Hamill. What do you think of that guy?

Gary: Jim Martin and I are very close. You could say he is my biggest supporter. But he is gnotorius for putting words in my mouth. Thankfully, though, it is gnever gnews.

Me: What do you think of Jim's campaign to preserve the show?

Gary: I think it's a little weird. I mean, preserves are usually made out of oranges, apricots, or other kinds of fruit. I don't think the show would taste very good spread out on a piece of toast. If it did, they would have called it "The Great Space Toaster".

Me: That's funny. Do you ever think you'll be back on TV ever, Gary?

Gary: What do you mean? I'm still on TV. I've gnever stopped broadcasting my show. Are you telling me you haven't been watching it?

Me: Um... no, I don't think Brighthouse picks up your transmissions.

Gary: What?! You're not receiving the transmissions?!

Me: We don't receive analog anymore. It's all digital, so maybe that's why, Gary.

Gary: What do you mean you don't receive analog anymore? You're gnow all digital?! Oh gno! That's terrible!

Me: Thanks so much for being here, I hope it was fun. Is there anything you want to tell the fans of "TGSC"?

Gary: Please follow us on facebook.com/TheGreatSpaceCoaster and check out the original fansite at tgscoaster.com. You gnever gknow what I'll get going!

Me: Alright, on the Phile occasionally I ask random questions, and I have one for you, Gary. If you could donate one million dollars to a charity which would you choose?

Gary: The Paperboy Retirement Home. I am sure that exposure to all that gnews for so many years has caused some sort of permanent damage and lots of ink stains on their fingers. It's pretty gnasty work.

Me: Take care, Gary, and please come back on the Phile soon.

Gary: Thank you so much for having me on your show. Always remember, No Gnews IS Good Gnews with Gary Gnu! (That's the REAL Gary Gnu... not the musical group mentioned earlier). Have a Gnice Day!

Me: The great Gary Gnu everybody!

Well, that about does it for this entry, and sadly the last entry in "The Great Space Coaster" Month. Thanks to my guests Jim Mello and Gary Gnu, and special thanks to Jim Martin and Tanslin media. Like I said, it's been so much much fun for me interviewing the cast of that show. I have to thank again Emily Bindiger, Jim Martin, John Lovelady and Noel MacNeal. And an extra thank you to Robert A. Medeiros from The Clarences for suggesting I do a whole "TGSC" Month. I hope I can do another "TGSC" Month sometime again and interview these cool people as well as a few different ones. The Phile will be back Monday with Phile Alum Mike Gent from The Figgs, then next Sunday with singer songwriter Mark Martyre. Have a good Easter tomorrow, kids. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite gnew. LOL. Bye, love gnew, bye. Sorry, I couldn't resist. Strawberry Blondes Forever! Download the new single now at cdbaby.com/AlbumDetails.aspx?AlbumID=strawberryblondesforever2!