January | 2014 | 2 Warps to Neptune

Archive for January, 2014

Portrait of an Older Geek Learning to Play D&D (1982)

Published January 8, 2014 D&D , D&D Portraits , D&D Tournaments 9 Comments

Boston, Massachusetts, March 19, 1982. (Photo: Unknown)

Probably from a Boston Herald story, the caption reads:

Chris Magliaccio, who helped organize the Dungeons and Dragons tournament at Museum of Science, playing the game. For the first time, I might add.

D&D tournaments were fairly common at museums of science in the early ’80s. You’ll recall this ad for a tournament in Miami. The game appealed to the kids who liked science because both enterprises are systems of knowledge organized around testable explanations.

I was more creative than analytical, so I enjoyed the fantastic, narrative aspect: building characters, adventures, exotic weapons, inescapably deadly dungeons, etc. That’s the genius of D&D, really. It captures both sides of the brain.

Good luck learning to play in such a short time, Chris. Can you see the beads of sweat on his forehead?

Space Mountain Employee Orientation Handbook (1977)

Published January 7, 2014 Disneyland , Tomorrowland 1 Comment

The culmination of Space Mountain did not commence with the opening ceremonies in 1977…

nor with the first planning meeting of Walt’s in 1964…

nor with the lift-off of the Von Braun/Disney Rocket to the Moon in 1955…

No, the dream of exploring the Universe began centuries ago… with that first human glance up at the stars.

We at Disneyland have attempted to capture that eternal dream. And we hope that you, as our representatives, appreciate and understand that attempt.

When Disneyland was more than an amusement park.

2 Warps to Neptune Turns Two

Published January 6, 2014 Uncategorized 8 Comments

A heaping thank you to everyone who follows the blog, has left an appreciative comment, sent an appreciative email, shared or featured my posts (and given me credit), given me a heads up, consented to be interviewed, or submitted material for me to feature. Most of the work I do here happens between 5:30 and 7:00 in the morning. Your contributions and positive feedback are my fuel. (That and coffee.)

The idea behind 2 Warps to Neptune is to virtually recreate, as far as possible, the land, customs, and artifacts of our collective youth. The ultimate goal is not to relive the past, but to study it. My focus is on how a confluence of cultural forces—Star Wars and the resulting sci-fi boom, D&D and the fantasy boom, the evolution of the comic book industry, the video game and personal computer revolutions—gave rise to a new species of person we now refer to as geeks or nerds, though I’d argue the terms are nearly meaningless today.

Right now, the 2 Warps to Neptune Facebook page is the extent of my “social media presence.” I post different stuff there to (1) make it worthwhile for everyone who “likes” me, and (2) to save some space on the blog. I chose Facebook because it’s easy and it gives me the most flexibility as an anonymous page. (I’m anonymous because I’m a manager in a very large company in flux. I also have a separate writing life.) I know many of you prefer Google+ and Twitter, but I’d rather concentrate on finding and writing about nifty and gnarly subject matter. (Having said that, I’m Chase Neptune on Google+.)

This blog is not about me. It’s about us. To that end, I’d like to start featuring more guest posts and/or collaborations with other writers. Topics up for analysis/review include films and books, film novelizations, magazines, comics, coloring and activity books, LPs and cassettes (Kid Stuff Records, Disney Read-Alongs, etc.), toys, games (video, board, role-playing), amusement venues (arcades, theme parks)—anything and everything that sheds light on ’70s and ’80s kid culture. Send me an email at 2warpstoneptune@gmail.com if you’re interested.

I’m not sure how long I can keep this up, programs, but I’ve definitely got another year in me. Thanks again.

Star Wars Scatter Pin Countertop Display, 1977

Published January 3, 2014 Star Wars (Original Trilogy) 2 Comments

Interview with Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill (1977)

Published January 3, 2014 Star Wars (Original Trilogy) Leave a Comment

The outstanding photos are from the original Interview magazine story, which ran before Star Wars premiered. The interviewers, Susan Pile and Geraldine Smith, have absolutely no idea how to approach the subject of a “space thriller.” The actors don’t seem to, either. Interview was founded in 1969 by Andy Warhol, hence the unedited, improvisational nature of the exchange.

Hamill is turning away and covering his face because of his terrible car accident earlier in the year. It actually makes the photos more compelling, in my opinion. The interviewers don’t mention it specifically, but we do get this: “Pile introduces Matthew Rolston, the photographer, to everybody and explains that Mark’s face is not to be photographed.”

I love this exchange with Ford:

PILE: So, being an actor then, being a professional actor must be kind of hard because you have to let your ego be sublimated by a director who tells you who you are?

FORD: No. Not at all. [laughs] It’s easy. The only thing hard about being an actor is being out of work. So, when you get a job—that part ain’t hard at all.

Little did he know that he would never be out of work again.