Retrospace was born in June 2008 on a whim - I honestly thought I'd play with blogging for a few days then quit. Well, that soon turned into a daily routine which I have enjoyed immensely. There's simply nothing better than ending each day looking back on the glory days of the '60s and '70s, and being able to share my nostalgia with others of similar interest. In the beginning, I felt I was largely talking to myself (and with just a few readers, I basically was), but I enjoyed it so much it didn't matter. Now, a mere six months later, hundreds hop on retrospace every day, and I say the more the merrier.
One of the most rewarding aspects of working on retrospace has been learning new things, and then sharing that information. I'm sure you've noticed that I like to uncover some of the hidden, long forgotten niches of the pop culture landscape. Bill at The Uranium Cafe once gave a great comment that really sums up what I strive for: "You seem to continually pull a theme out of the air and then give a quick but informative write up. This post really wolloped me." While exploring these roads less traveled, I've discovered some interesting bits of pop history. Here's a few examples of odd things highlighted in '08:
Shirley MacLaine's daughter was the creepy kid on the cover of The Exorcist book. here
Jamie Gertz was in a Dungeons & Dragons commercial. here
Wesley from Land of the Lost is the man behind the children's cartoon Dragon Tales. here
Daryl Hall was into satanism big time (here) and so was Sammy Davis, Jr. here
Juan Epstein from "Welcome Back, Kotter" is indirectly linked to NASA space travel devices invented by the kid who was basis for The Exorcist. here
Jimmy Walker is related to Tootie through marriage. here
Kenny Rogers was a psychedelic pop star (here) and so was Mrs. Kotter. here
The Scooby-Doo template was copied a startling number of times on Saturday mornings. here
Musicians got extremely hairy in the late sixties and seventies, to where they are almost unrecognizable (here) ... and so on, and so on...
In the upcoming year there's just a few things I'd like to see here at retrospace.
1. I just got a new scanner for Christmas and so I'd like to start putting up scans from my old magazines, comics, etc. I recently tried it with my Dynamite magazine post, and had a lot of fun doing it.
2. More DVD reviews (movies and television). Many of you may have noticed with my recent Land of the Lost, Captain & Tennille, The Secrets of Isis and The Silencers posts that I've gotten carried away with capturing images and discussing the movie or TV show. Maybe it's a phase, but it's a lot of fun, and I plan a lot more in '09. Believe it or not, I've only done a handful of movie review posts (The Silencers, Cocksucker Blues , The Van, and Pretty Maids All in a Row) and I'd like to do a whole lot more in the upcoming year.
3. Lastly, I love to collect old records, but I still haven't gotten around to getting one of those gadgets that converts the vinyl to a digital format. Sometime in '09, I plan to start putting up music from my old eclectic record collection.
I'm sure other new ideas will present themselves over the next few weeks, months, years... however long I plan to stay with this blogging thing. I'd certainly appreciate any suggestions. Which brings me to one last thing - a big thanks to all those who've dropped by retrospace. I've been inspired by your comments and encouraged by your positive feedback. I don't make a cent from blogging, I lead a very busy life - I've got a big family and a demanding job as a forensic scientist (no, I'm not David Caruso), but winding down each evening in retrospace has been wonderfully fulfilling and therapeutic, and the great comments and daily increase in readership tells me I'm not alone in my world of retro love. So, thanks for coming and, most of all, have a Happy New Year!
