Thanks to the magic of modern air travel, I attended screenings of Atom Age Vampire on both coasts this past week!

I arrived in Tacoma to find that there was a Knife Show happening right at my hotel, which meant lots of skinny survivalist types in the elevator and at the continental breakfast (also: which continent are continental breakfasts supposed to be from? I’ve never encountered biscuits-n-gravy on any continent but this one). As you can see from the photo, all the flags in Tacoma were at half-mast after the Knife Show. Wreaths were laid on the Tomb of the Unknown Knife Show Attendee. Taps was played, 40s were poured on the ground.

Sunday afternoon saw the Atom Age Vampire screening (as an Official Selection at the Tacoma Film Festival) at Tacoma’s Grand Cinema. I had forgotten that most of downtown Tacoma is at a 45-degree angle, but I managed to get up to the cinema in time for the show. Everyone associated with the festival and the cinema were phenomenally nice and welcoming, and the screening itself was well-attended, with a great Q&A afterwards. I’m always worried about screening at film festivals–I hear there are sometimes riots at Cannes, so I’m always worried an angry mob of people who love the original Atom Age Vampire will come out and with torches and pitchforks. But so far, this has not happened. In fact, the Tacoma audience got into it from the get-go!

Monday, I gave a talk about animation at my alma mater, the University of Puget Sound (my graduating class’s gift to the University was the sculpture/Masonic prop/phallic symbol you see here). I showed and discussed several animations, including a sneak preview of the music video for Thao With The Get Down Stay Down (which should hit an Internet near you this week). It’s weird going back to campus, because enough of it is still the same to give me major deja vu, but enough of it was different to keep me saying, “WTF?” I felt like a time traveller, which, essentially, I suppose I am in this case.

Friday I showed the movie in New York City again, at the Peoples Improv Theater, along with another preview of Thao’s music video. Again, I survived, and people laughed in all the right places (and there are quite a few).

Currently, there are no more Atom Age Vampire screenings scheduled anywhere in the country. But if you can project a DVD onto a screen and get people to show up, I’d be happy to discuss it with you…

And but so I was interviewed by Tim of talkingwithtim.com about a whole range of stuff: Atom Age Vampire, animating old educational shorts, my book and TV show, and more! Check it out here.