The Starlog Project: Starlog #90, January 1985: Hide the Womenfolk, It's Gene Simmons!

Gene Simmons and his band KISS would have a long relationship with Starlog. Simmons, apparently a science-fiction fan, is interviewed in this issue about his role in the movie Runaway. In the 1990s, Starlog Group would publish a number of official KISS special magazines. KISS (or at least its record company) was one of the first advertisers in Starlog magazine a number of years earlier. Anyway, he's back, freaky long tongue and all.

Starlog publishes its annual postal statement of ownership and circulation this month. The total paid circulation for the issue closest to the statement's filing deadline is listed as 190,699 (down from last year's 227,420), including the number of paid subscriptions of 13,408 (down from 18,100 last time).

Starlog #90
70 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.95

The Peter Hyams-directed sequel 2010 takes center stage, grabbing the cover spot of Starlog #90. And page 59 is a big ad for Starlog's official 2010 movie magazine (which, for the record, has a pretty cool cover). Also this issue, the two-page foldout poster is officially redubbed just "Poster" (as opposed to the "Science Fiction Classic Poster" or "Fantasy Classic Poster), so that saved the editors a lot of typing time each month. It features the classic Silent Running this month.

The rundown: Kerry O'Quinn's From the Bridge column is another "Grab Bag Notes," with comments on his new intern, the North By Northwest soundtrack album that O'Quinn produced, Isaac Asimov's visit to his office, and more; Communications letters include feedback on Supergirl, Conan the Destroyer, Sheena and Greystoke, a quick thank-you from Muppet-meister Jim Henson, and more; short news items in Log Entries include Robert Greenberger on the box office performance of genre films in 1984 (Ghostbusters and the Indy sequel were tops), David McDonnell on a V comic book from DC, a roundup of SF books from Chris Henderson, and more.

Chris Henderson interviews actor Joe Morton, star of John Sayles' The Brother from Another Planet; Lee Goldberg interviews actor Roy Scheider, star of 2010; Brian Lowry interviews screenwriter Stanley Mann (Conan the Destroyer, Firestarter); Lee Goldberg talks with Ewok Adventure director John Korty;  David Gerrold's column worries about "A Dilemma for Gods"; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview Dune's Dean Stockwell; Adam Pirani talks with Jeannot Szwarc, director of Supergirl; Richard Robinson interviews KISS star Gene Simmons; Robet Greenberger interviews actress Karen Allen of Starman; Mike Clark interviews actor Michael Ironside of V; Edward Summer recounts the life and history of Pinocchio; and Howard Zimmerman talks 2001 and 2010 in his Lastword column.

"I used to publish my own magazine, Cosmos ... with the mimeograph machine down in the basement. It used to elicit letters from professionals. I got a letter from Isaac Asimov commenting on the magazine. Jack Gaughan, a famous illustrator for Amazing Stories, would write letters. Many of the guys who wrote in at the time as fans went on to become professionals. Fred Clarke used to contribute and he went on to publish Cinefantastique. And there was Marv Wolfman, who now writes for DC Comics."

–Gene Simmons, singer/actor, interviewed by Richard Robinson: "Gene Simmons: A Famous Monster Turns to Science"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

What's the Matter with Arizona?

Forget Kansas. What the heck's the matter with Arizona?

The latest racial foolishness to come out of that state is a law that bans ethnic studies classes. Oh, wait, it doesn't ban all ethnic studies classes, just those that promote "ethnic chauvinism" and racial resentment toward whites (but not toward other racial groups?), advocate ethnic solidarity, and segregate students by race. And Huffington Post reports that the law, which the loopy governor signed into law, also outlaws classes that "promote the overthrow of the U.S. government."

Had a lot of classes advocating the overthrow of the government, do they in Arizona?

I doubt it.

Just as the state did with its recent (immoral and in all likelihood unconstitutional) law requiring anyone who looks possibly foreign to have their papers on them at all times, the state is once again taking a reasonable and important concern -- in the first case, our country's porous borders and incompetent immigration enforcement, in this new case, the popular affection for identity politics -- and turning it into a cruel and ignorant policy that will have more backlash than positive effect on the problem.

One doesn't have to support wide-open borders to oppose Arizona's documentation law. I don't support wide-open borders; every country has the right to determine who can enter. But I think Ronald Reagan had it right: We benefit greatly from a large influx of immigrants from all over the world; we benefit economically and intellectually. Let's let in large numbers through a legal process and control the borders. Fine.

One doesn't have to be infatuated with race-based group identity to oppose this new law, either. In fact, I have serious problems with universities running women's studies programs, gay and lesbian studies programs, and other such schools. Getting a degree in any of them is realistically (and intellectually) meaningless. But my criticism comes from my belief in the importance of a liberal education (one that is therefore diverse and self-critical) and the intellectual heritage of the Western Enlightenment, not because I don't think people should research, teach, and learn about such subjects. They should; just don't separate them into different academic tracks.

But I don't see the Arizona initiatives as having any of those shades of gray or complications. The Arizona laws look quite plainly like the legalization of racist attitudes, and the old guard of our political elite has broken down, unable to stamp down the crazies.

What we are seeing in Arizona (and, if you've been paying attention, in Virginia) is the continued re-entry at the top levels of political society of a group of people who for decades had not participated in politics. In the early decades of the previous century, the fundamentalist right-wing was on the defensive, its religious, racial, political, and global views laid bare for scorn as science and education spread. But they began re-entering politics, slowly at first, in the 1960s; it increased with the openly born-again Jimmy Carter's election, and it went into high gear with Ronald Reagan's presidency. It's peak -- or nadir -- was George W. Bush's presidency.

They have, I believe, warped people's understanding of Christianity itself, turning it into something its namesake would forsake. That is emblematic of what they are doing to American politics.

It's hard to believe that Arizona used to be a stronghold of flinty Western libertarianism, exemplified by the state's longtime Republican senator, Barry Goldwater. But Goldwater found himself increasingly on the outs with the bark-chewing religious right in his own party.

Goldwater famously (infamously, to his critics) told his party's convention in 1964, when he accepted the GOP nomination for president, "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!"

That's a controversial statement, but one can interpret it as a strong-spined defense of traditional American independence and liberty. Unfortunately for Arizona, the Republican party, and the rest of this country, Arizonans are increasingly reinterpreting Goldwater's statement to mean, "Extremism in the defense of extremism is no vice."

But it is.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #89, December 1984: Harlan Ellison vs. James Cameron

Some of you might know the details of this better than I do, but this issue features what I think is the interview that played a role in a lawsuit between writer Harlan Ellison and director James Cameron over the origins of The Terminator. From what I've gathered over the years in comments here and there (mostly online), Ellison sued, claiming that the story was ripped off from his work; Cameron allegedly admitted (or bragged) as much in a Starlog interview (and in a conversation elsewhere); Cameron's associate demanded to see the interview before it was published; Starlog said, Nope; Cameron's pal threatened legal action, and it turned out Cameron had been offered the right to review the article (not standard practice at Starlog or most other magazines, and apparently it only happened here because of an oversight); Cameron's associate removed a potentially incriminating quote from the article, which Starlog then published. BUT, Starlog still had the original interview, which was provided to Ellison and was the "smoking gun" used to threaten legal action against Cameron's studio; so Ellison was paid off and given a credit in future releases of the film. Lesson learned: Don't piss off Harlan Ellison or Starlog's editors.

At least, that's what I gather from reading several online explications of the controversy, as well as a bit of input from one of Starlog's editors. If there's a story that gives Cameron's point of view better, please let me know. You can see Ellison explain the story here. You really have to appreciate Ellison's comment about Cameron's ego out-sizing even his own.

Starlog #89
70 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.95

Enjoy the two-page foldout posters while they last; their time is coming to an end. This issue, the Starlog Science Fiction Classic poster is renamed the Fantasy Classic so it can feature Gremlins. Also, a note (and a complaint): The non-color pages seem to be printed on even cheaper paper, so much so that some of the photos are unbelievably black and impossible to view.

Anyway, the rundown: Kerry O'Quinn's From the Bridge column relates more convention fun; Communications letters cover reaction to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Fangoria columnist Alex Gordon on Max von Sydow, a reader who hates the magazine covering Knight Rider, and more; Log Entries (now bylined) short news items include Lee Goldberg on the new Twilight Zone TV show, Will Murray on The Spider, Andrew Denning on the passing of Richard Basehart, David Hutchison on the re-release of The Empire Strikes Back, and more.

Okay, so it turns out that Lenny Kaye's column hasn't reverted to its previous name, as suggested last issue – in his Space Age Games and Computers column, Kaye says a lot about Coleco; Lee Goldberg interviews Buckaroo Banzai director W.D. Richter; David Gerrold explains why writers say "no" to your requests; Dennis Fischer interviews V actress Jane Badler; Steve Swires interviews Irish McCalla, the original Sheena; Lee Goldberg interviews 2010 (and Altered States) actor Bob Balaban; Ben Landsman and Patrick Daniel O'Neill interview Doctor Who actor Patrick Troughton; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview Dune star Kyle MacLachlan; Patrick Daniel O'Neill interviews Supergirl actress Helen Slater (with a sidebar on the Supergirl comics); Thomas McKelvey Cleaver delivers one of the most controversial interviews with James Cameron; Anthony Scott King goes behind the scenes of John Carpenter's Starman; Lee Goldberg earned quite a paycheck with this issue – he next previews the Star Wars TV special The Ewok Adventure, which was a big leap over The Star Wars Christmas Special, which isn't saying much; and editor Howard Zimmerman echoes O'Quinn's convention comments.

"I have written the screenplay for Alien II, ... It does exist. What will be done with it, no one really knows. I can't really say anything more about Alien II than that it does exist."

–James Cameron, writer/director, interviewed by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver: "James Cameron: How to Direct a Terminator"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

Harlan Ellison Video Comments on The Terminator Legal Problems

While researching the next edition of my Starlog Project (an issue-by-issue compendium of the legendary magazine), I discovered this (at times odd) video telling writer Harlan Ellison's side of the story about the brouhaha over the story origins of James Cameron's The Terminator.

Legendary Fantasy Artist Frank Frazetta, RIP

I just saw this story from USA Today that artist Frank Frazetta died today at the age of 82.

Manager Rob Pistella said, "He's going to be remembered as the most renowned fantasy illustrator of the 20th Century," and I don't think that's any understatement. Frazetta's work can be found on the covers of everything from Creepy to Epic Illustrated to Blazing Combat to the Japanese edition of Starlog to zillions of Conan magazines to Questar to ... the list is simply too long. His work was mythic, great, stirring, sexy, powerful, and inspiring.

Luckily, Frazetta's children recently ended a raucous and long-standing battle over who controls his very valuable collection of paintings, estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars. I'm glad they were able to do it before it was too late.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #88, November 1984: The Last Review Issue

This is the third and, alas, final annual special issue featuring reviews of the previous summer's science-fiction and fantasy films. I've always thought it was a great idea, but next year at this time, the magazine would be celebrating with a special 100th issue, and it would never again publish a special review issue.

At least they went out in style. This issue features more big names than the previous two review issues. For example, reviewers include David Gerrold and Ben Bova, both huge names in the SF world, but neither even gets listed on the cover. It's that packed with big names.

Starlog #88
100 pages
Cover price: $3.95

In the realm of the greater Starlog publishing family (er, factory?), the ad for the company's growing cadre of licensed film magazines has been revamped and now includes the previously unseen The Best of Stallone (good luck finding this on eBay for less than $25 today) and Rocky III. Also, if you remember my note in my entry for Starlog #87 where I noted a mistake on the cover, the publisher offers an explanation (see quote at bottom). Still, didn't anyone at the offices see final proofs before printing?

The rundown: Gremlins wins the top spot on the cover, continuing that nasty little film's climb to the top. In his From the Bridge column, publisher Kerry O'Quinn shows his love for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock; Communications letters include reader feedback on Gremlins and V, Starlog milks the Starlog-hates-Lost in Space meme, muppets, and more; and short news includes Doc Savage's 25th birthday, a check-in with Jon-Erik Hexum, The Cabinet of Doctor Fritz, and more.

Marc Weinberg interviews Hoyt Axton about his experiences in Gremlins; Chris Henderson previews Bantam Books' Castles book (and yes, even though I'm a space opera aficionado, fantasy castles are really cool); Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier and Julius Fabrini complete their two-part interview with Star Trek actor DeForest Kelley; operating on their own, Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview Raffaella DeLaurentiis about his Dune film; Thomas McKelvey Cleaver interviews Dreamscape screenwriter David Loughry; author Howard Weinstein reviews Star Trek III: The Search for Spock; but wait, we're not done: Arthur C. Clarke and A.C. Crispin also separately review Trek III; writer and comics historian Ron Goulart reviews Ghostbusters; Psycho author Robert Bloch reviews Gremlins ("... Gremlins emerges as a genuine novelty"); novelist Lawrence Watt-Evans reviews Conan the Destroyer; celebrated author Theodore Sturgeon (who has a law named after himself, didn't you know?) reviews The Last Starfighter; author Norman Spinrad reviews Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes; writer Alan Dean Foster reviews Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; writer and Starlog columnist David Gerrold reviews Dreamscape ("The film is just good enough to suggest what it could have been and isn't."); writer George Clayton Johnson reviews Brainstorm; Ben Bova reviews The Right Stuff ("What happened? What got lost in the translation? The heart. Because it's so obvious that The Right Stuff failed..."); and David McDonnell provides his omnibus and entertaining roundup review of fantasy films (such as Iceman, The Neverending Story, Nate and Hayes, Metropolis, All of Me, and many more).

Lee Goldberg interviews 2001: A Space Odyssey star Keir Dullea; Adam Pirani previews the George Orwell film adaptation 1984; Bill Cotter previews the weekly V series; Thomas McKelvey Cleaver previews a little SF adventure from James Cameron called The Terminator; Robert Greenberger interviews the late actor Richard Deacon; and Howard Zimmerman uses his Lastword column to say goodbye to departing designer Neil Holmes, plus he offers some reading and viewing tips.

"P.S. Before thousands of readers send us letters pointing out that our top cover line in Starlog #87 is about 'Bones" McCoy, but the accompanying photo shows Admiral Kirk – we know! The fault lies not in our office, but somewhere in Hong Kong, in a color separation plant where somebody decided we didn't really want DeForest Kelley and substituted William Shatner. I guess everyone in the world isn't a Star Trek fan. Apologies to all!

–Kerry O'Quinn, publisher, From the Bridge: "Yearning!"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #87, October 1984: Who You Gonna Call?

Ghostbusters! The broad ghost comedy takes center stage in Starlog #87, and the magazine celebrates with cover text shouting "SPECIAL ISSUE: MORE PAGES! MORE COLOR!" But by "more pages," they really mean they've only added two pages to the normal page count. They are in color, granted, and at least they didn't raise the cover price.

On the spinoff front, the third edition of the Starlog Poster Magazine is out, featuring Star Trek III, Gremlins, Splash, Conan the Destroyer, Buckaroo Banzai, and more.

Starlog #87
72 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.95

While we're at it, we should note that the roof text on the cover includes a plug for an article inside: "'Bones' McCoy Remembers Star Trek III." All fine and dandy. Except the photo next to the text shows Captain Kirk, not Dr. McCoy. Now who ya gonna call?

The rundown: In his From the Bridge column, publisher Kerry O'Quinn recommends the two-man play Actors, performed by Mark Lenard and Walter Koenig; Communications letters fill up three full pages with reactions to Star Trek III: The Search for Spock; short news items in Log Entries include Vonda McIntyre discussing her novelization of Star Trek III, a fire destroys a soundstage used for the 007 films, an update on the Six from Sirius Epic comic, and more.

In the first half of a two-part article, Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier and Julius Fabrini interview Trek's DeForest Kelley; Steve Swires interviews David Prowse; Lee Goldberg visits the set of 2010 (plus a sidebar by Steve Jongeward and Gerard Raymond on author Arthur C. Clarke's separate visit to the soundstage); Jim George interviews actor Edward Andrews; David Hutchison examines Richard Edlund's special effects for Ghostbusters; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, the screenwriting duo of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; Paul Mandell interviews Dune director David Lynch (including a sidebar, "David Lynch: Bewitched by the Bizarre"); Space Age Games (no longer "... and Computers") looks at writing music on computers; Lee Goldberg interviews actor Lewis Smith from Buckaroo Banzai; comics historian Ron Goulart looks at the comics history of Sheena; Marta Randall reviews David Gerrold's book A Matter for Men; Brian Lowry interviews director Nick Castle about his film The Last Starfighter; and Howard Zimmerman's Lastword column shares his thoughts on Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

"When I heard about Blade Runner, I thought that I should be doing the film. I identified with it 100%. I know that people who worked on it had seen Eraserhead. But I was really disappointed in the over-all movie. I was expecting so much, and I don't really know exactly what went wrong. ... In Blade Runner, it was a matter of not being enough of a storyline. Most of the images, though, were totally beautiful."

–David Lynch, director, interviewed by Paul Mandell: "David Lynch: Director of Dune"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #86, September 1984: Buck Up, Buckaroo Banzai

Buckaroo Banzai, an odd film boasting some pretty serious star power (Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Christopher Lloyd, Ellen Barkin, etc.), became a favorite of the Starlog staff. Considering that it bombed big-time at the box office, I can only assume they were the other four people in the theater when I went to see it. But they did their best to raise awareness of the flick, so it gets the cover treatment this issue.

Unfortunately, it's a rotten photo they chose for the cover. It's too busy, there's no obvious place to focus, and the right one-third of the cover basically features multicolored wires. Though it might have appealed to electricians, I'd assume this issue didn't exactly fly off the shelves of the bookstores.

Starlog #86
70 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.95

Here's an aside that you're completely free to ignore: The Next Month section on the last page is broken into three sections, each headed with a title from an old game show (To Tell the Truth, Celebrity Sweepstakes, and Password Plus). Which whimsy reminds me of a former colleague at a magazine who told me of someone he used to work with who worked the entire Lord's Prayer, phrase by phrase, into a long article as the subheads to the separate sections of the article.

The rundown: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is featured in the two-page foldout poster this issue. In his From the Bridge column, publisher Kerry O'Quinn tries to guide young readers so they appreciate their uniqueness; Communications letters include a bunch of readers commenting on David Prowse and Darth Vader, the continuation of the does-Starlog-hate-Lost-in-Space controversy, feedback on the Chicago Starlog Festival, and more; short news items in Log Entries include a check-in with writer Harry Harrison, a new Henry Thomas movie (Cloak & Dagger), lots of short headlines, and more.

Lee Goldberg interviews Buckaroo Banzai star Peter Weller; David Gerrold recounts the good and the bad of the Chicago festival; Brian Lowry interviews Dan O'Herlihy, lizard star of The Last Starfighter; Patrick Daniel O'Neill interviews veteran Trek actor Mark Lenard; David Hutchison continues his multi-multi-part exploration of the special effects of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi; Steve Swires interviews writer/director John Sayles (The Brother from Another Planet); David McDonnell and John Sayers interview Rick Moranis (Ghostbusters); British correspondent Adam Pirani interviews David Tomblin, assistant director on the Indiana Jones films; Brian Lowry interviews Chris Columbus about Gremlins, for which he wrote the screenplay; Lenny Kaye's Space Age Games and Computers column reviews a lot of games, such as Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview Noah Hathaway, the original Boxey from Battlestar Galactica and Bastian from The Neverending Story; Steve Swires interviews Tanya Roberts about her starring role in Sheena, Queen of the Jungle; and Howard Zimmerman wraps it all up in his Lastword column with a few words about Gremlins, Ghostbusers, and other recent films.

"We cracked the schedule again, ... But it was much more difficult, inasmuch as Harrison Ford had a bad back, so we had to shoot for three weeks without him."

–David Tomblin, Indiana Jones assistant director, interviewed by Adam Pirani: "David Tomblin: A.D. to Indy Jones"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

Now It's Discover Magazine That's for Sale

This week, first Newsweek was put up for sale by its owner, the Washington Post Co. Today comes word from Folio: that 700-000-circ science magazine Discover is looking for a buyer. I think this is our chance.

Newsweek is said to be bleeding tens of millions of dollars a year, but Folio: says Discover is reportedly cash-flow positive. So I'm in!

I've got $37 in my wallet, and can probably squeeze a bit more off my credit cards. Come on, pitch in! This is Discover we're talking about. Originally a Time-Life magazine, Discover helped launch a great new era of popular science journalism, and it's done some great work over the decades.

Did I mention it's cash-flow positive??

Playboy to Launch Skin-free Site, The Smoking Jacket

Coming on the heels of an announced rebound at its flagship print magazine, Playboy says it's planning to launch a new "safe for work" web site called The Smoking Jacket, according to David Kaplan at PaidContent.org. The site -- which currently is just a placeholder (see image) -- will reportedly not feature nudes or anything that would get you slapped down for viewing it at work. The goal is to attract the advertisers who won't advertise in Playboy's magazine or web site because they were scared off by joint government and Religious Right pressure starting in the Reagan administration.

What will it feature? Though Kaplan and other commentators suggest you look for ideas at competitors such as Maxim's web site, I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up being classier than those. After all, as Playboy editor and chief content officer Jimmy Jellinek made clear in a recent profile in Chicago magazine, his view of the brand is not raunch and low-class; rather, he sees it as embodying beauty and he harkens back to the magazine's heydays in the 1960s when it was a thought leader.

If that doesn't convince you, then consider this: It's called The Smoking Jacket. That suggests the classic Playboy man at home with a cigar and expensive drink and wearing, well, a smoking jacket.

Then again, I could be wrong, and maybe it'll be a poor man's TMZ. God, I hope I'm not wrong.