Rhode Island Comic Con '17 (November 10-12)

All about Weird Al's concerts and other live appearances.

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senorconebra
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Re: Rhode Island Comic Con '17 (November 10-12)

Post by senorconebra »

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Re: Rhode Island Comic Con '17 (November 10-12)

Post by CB Johnny »

So, the con was a bit disorganized in ways that may have effected Al a bit. During the Friday portion of the con, staff were giving me mixed information about which building Al was in. Long story short, I wound up doing an info booth a solid and helped pass word where I could that the signs and volunteer cheet sheets needed to be updated about where Al is.

As far as cons go, this was definitely a celebriCON experience rather than the more communal or intimate minded experiences I prefer. You're ushered in to meet the guest as fast as you can while the poor volunteers are doing their best to maintain a sense of order for each line. Even navigating the buildings felt like this combo of Another One Rides The Bus and Traffic Jam.

There were four Al related cosplays that caught my eye: two Milo Murphys- one of whom told me that Al wanted their picture to send to the show creators. I met a young boy in a simple old school Al cosplay: hawaiian shirt, wig glasses, stache and a sticker that read "Hello, my name is Al." In line for the Q&A, I had the pleasure of meeting a young boy cosplaying Eat It. Line space got cramped fast as staff were trying to make room for everyone who was waiting to get a seat. The kid started not feeling well and needed to leave the line so he wouldn't pass out. Now, I've seen Al at a (by our standards) humble 15 or so times. I can live with missing the Q&A but I was honestly upset this newly avid fan still learning about the deep cuts and older albums came to the event in costume and almost missed it. thankfully, staff let him back in line just in time for the doors to open.

Out of respect for privacy I won't be posting photos on a public website but perhaps I might let more active members see them through social media or something. Inbox me.

Aaaanyways. There's not much to report about the Q&A that you can't find in the recordings but it was certainly a delight to see Doug and Al together. Nothing too special beyond my own sentimentality about them, but I laughed pretty hard when the Nostalgia Critic cosplayer asked if Al would dress as him.
Al: "....NOOOOoooooo :rolleyes: :P "
Doug just wraps his fingers on the arm rest, mock-bitterfully shouting "NEXT!" :annoyed: in the style of the character that made him a geek icon.

I spoke with Doug before hand at his booth and asked if there's any slither of a chance he had ideas in mind for a potential brief skit... if Al's interested of course. Doug kept to the polite and obvious: Al's a pretty busy guy but it would be great. I won't be holding my breath but I've since learned Al is aware of and is apparently fond of Doug's work so who knows what would happen.

Al's autograph station was even harder to find because, unlike every other guest, his table was tucked away behind another guest (Back to the Future's Biff himself: Tom Wilson) and you had to either make out the pictures of Al on the conspicuous red curtain in the distance or spot the one volunteer not wearing a red shirt who is holding up a UHF poster. Prior to holding a UHF poster, he was holding an "Alfred Yankovic" sign in standard RI Comic Con signage.

I can't imagine anything about this set up made it easy to find Al without asking somewhat obvious questions. However the friends of mine who got to meet him were all just delighted. I'll pop back in with an edit after I prod for details.

Thanks for reading, folks.
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Re: Rhode Island Comic Con '17 (November 10-12)

Post by spmahn »

CB Johnny wrote:
spmahn wrote:? I got as far as someone in the audience referring to this Nostalgia Critic nobody [and Al] as [their] "childhood [heroes]" before my eyes rolled up inside of my head and I had to turn it off.
Oh hey, I fixed that for you. Nuance is pivotal, don't you agree? :lol:

I hear your frustration and I see that it wasn't what you needed :D I can appreciate that.

Here you are browsing for updates, trivia, stories, etc. as one does, and while you were expecting the kind of information you want in an atmosphere you'd like

Instead, you felt maybe disappointed that the audience wasn't "avid" fans on your level. or worse. They took a moment to be sentimental and appreciative.

Cuz If anyone's taught me that empathy goes a long way, it's our boy Al. He keeps comments upbeat and tactful while often sprinkling in an understanding what people were trying to do even though said behavior was getting under his skin. ;)

You know who else is like that?
Doug Walker. An influential hugely successful webentertainer who maintained his fanbase's support by showing kindness, empathy, and tact much like Al has.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE
because you know who else does their best to carry on that same compassion and empathy? :)

I don't know if you are actively aware of this guy but let me tell you about him.
He's that someone in the audience who knew a lot of the answers to the questions at the panel, strives to keep his own contributions to Q&As somewhat unique for the sake of more knowledgeable fans, and often loses a lot of emotional mental energy doing so because of his struggles with mental health. ......... That someone who set up a topic on WOWAY so, in case any locals wanted to attend, they could know more about it. Who is the one you mock so needlessly.


because he had the nerve to preface his question with a brief sentiment about two of his heroes sharing the stage together. <_< Literal. Heroes. People who set a glowing example to him that you can be successful in your life and your work while staying both kind and unabashedly nerdy... Two people whose work comforted him in his darkest hours.

HOW. DARE. HE. BRIEFLY EXPRESS HIS APPRECIATION :stern:

I guess he forgot that Spmahn would be listening, right?


Thing is, right now that someone is trying so very hard to assume the best in you when you're behaving like an entitled, snooty, JERK over something as ridiculous as how entertaining a convention Q&A was for the people who weren't there. :rolleyes: Maybe you're just having an off day. Maybe I'd have easily enjoyed a conversation with you at a VIP party.
Prove me right.


TL;DR
Next time you decided to talk like a jerk about your fellow fans, be a little careful. You don't know whether it's someone among your tribe. Especially about behavior that has no reasonable effect on you.

My eyes are rolling, too, fellow fan. Have a better day that you did when you wrote this.
-----
edit: apologies to anyone bothered by my sticking up for myself here. Normally I ignore these things but when it's in your own community and not merely the comments section on Youtube, it would be remiss to not give a firm reminder to treat others the way you want to be treated.

Coming up next: my Al related experiences at the con
Uh-huh, well I'm sure you spent a lot of time typing that all out, and this is this really not the place for arguments, but I suppose we will agree to disagree. Needless to say, I don't have a whole lot of respect for Youtube celebrities, and don't understand this whole online culture where people put them up on some sort of pedestal.
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Re: Rhode Island Comic Con '17 (November 10-12)

Post by DrSteggy »

spmahn wrote:
Uh-huh, well I'm sure you spent a lot of time typing that all out, and this is this really not the place for arguments, but I suppose we will agree to disagree. Needless to say, I don't have a whole lot of respect for Youtube celebrities, and don't understand this whole online culture where people put them up on some sort of pedestal.
Ok, dude, we get it. You're a curmudgeonly jerk and you don't like it when people like stuff you don't get. You don't need to prove it every single time you post. Try having a touch of kindness just once.
"Positioning is everything in life." A. de La Hunta
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Re: Rhode Island Comic Con '17 (November 10-12)

Post by spmahn »

DrSteggy wrote:
spmahn wrote:
Uh-huh, well I'm sure you spent a lot of time typing that all out, and this is this really not the place for arguments, but I suppose we will agree to disagree. Needless to say, I don't have a whole lot of respect for Youtube celebrities, and don't understand this whole online culture where people put them up on some sort of pedestal.
Ok, dude, we get it. You're a curmudgeonly jerk and you don't like it when people like stuff you don't get. You don't need to prove it every single time you post. Try having a touch of kindness just once.
Well this is a little out of left field, not really sure where this is coming from. I expressed disdain over someone referring to some guy on Youtube who hasn't even been around for 10 years as being their "childhood hero", and that makes me a curmudgeon? The fact that I made fun of a Q&A where people ask the most cringe inducing questions imaginable? Well golly gee guys, gosh, what was I thinking, let's all have a hug and forget all about pile on spmahn day.
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Re: Rhode Island Comic Con '17 (November 10-12)

Post by CB Johnny »

Man, I don't expect you to know me or recognize my voice over that video and to suddenly go "Oh hey that must be a WOWAYER." Hell, I don't expect the members here that know me personally through tour chasing will remember my voice after only a handful of brief hours.

I'm expressing how I'm hurt that a fellow member of this community needs to insult others at all about our behavior let alone inadvertantly making fun of me. News flash, you're on a webforum for a guy who feeds his family with hits about how geeky he is. If you need to talk down about others who are doing you no harm then you're going to find out pretty fast that people don't want to have anything to do with you and won't even take the time to call you out on it.

It's chaos. Be kind. You got more to say then you can take it to PM. I'm not tolerating your toxic behavior on here further.

Edit: If you seriously think this is about some guy defending Doug Walker then I invite you to reread my initial reply a little more carefully. Dislike whomever you want. It's the World of Weird Al Yankovic Forum . Not the World of Nostalgia Critic Forum.
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Re: Rhode Island Comic Con '17 (November 10-12)

Post by spmahn »

CB Johnny wrote:Man, I don't expect you to know me or recognize my voice over that video and to suddenly go "Oh hey that must be a WOWAYER." Hell, I don't expect the members here that know me personally through tour chasing will remember my voice after only a handful of brief hours.

I'm expressing how I'm hurt that a fellow member of this community needs to insult others at all about our behavior let alone inadvertantly making fun of me. News flash, you're on a webforum for a guy who feeds his family with hits about how geeky he is. If you need to talk down about others who are doing you no harm then you're going to find out pretty fast that people don't want to have anything to do with you and won't even take the time to call you out on it.

It's chaos. Be kind. You got more to say then you can take it to PM. I'm not tolerating your toxic behavior on here further.

Edit: If you seriously think this is about some guy defending Doug Walker then I invite you to reread my initial reply a little more carefully. Dislike whomever you want. It's the World of Weird Al Yankovic Forum . Not the World of Nostalgia Critic Forum.
:Y Clearly you and I disagree. Watch the video, by the end of the Q&A you can see based on Al's responses and reactions and his body language that even he starts to wonder if these people are on drugs before coming here to ask him things like "Hey, you should be in Guardians of the Galaxy, what costume would you wear" or "Hey, who would you be in Harry Potter" or "When are you going to record a Prince song" or "When is UHF 2 coming?" or "How come you've never been on <insert flavor of the month cartoon here>, you would be great on that". You are in a room, with Weird Al Yankovic, with his nearly 40 years in the music business and all he has seen and done and accomplished, and these are the best questions people can come up with? Sorry, but I can't help but poke a little bit of fun at that.
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Re: Rhode Island Comic Con '17 (November 10-12)

Post by CB Johnny »

Well I already established that I'm painfully aware how convention Q&As tend to deliver content that won't be entertaining for us.


Also, there's a difference between my family remarking that he clearly was trying to be patient at times during the panel

and you saying "he starts to wonder if these people are on drugs."

Did Al say that? Did he write that? Or are you just projecting your own judgments?
for the sake of credibility I'll drop a bit about myself. I got my bachelor's degree in behavioral science, and am furthering my studies for a masters. If I'm not making those assumptions, neither should you.

I'm trying so hard to just drop this and ignore you but now you're just roping Al in. C'mon.

Mods, I apologize if this content is disruptive. I think it's best I just hit the block button for the sake of keeping things civil.

Thank you to everyone else for their support and patience.

Edit: please don't downplay your behavior as "poking a little but of fun."

AL pokes fun. i establish Im uncomfortable with your rude remarks about my behavior. The "poking fun" just hurt. If the joke is only funny to you and bothering the listener because the listener isnthe subject matter then you knock it off. Basic human decency. Anywhere else I'd be mouthing off at you but Im trying so hard to set an example when we have children on this site.
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Re: Rhode Island Comic Con '17 (November 10-12)

Post by Elvis »

spmahn wrote:Also from this weekend, here is a great photo

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbYBHLtH7hB ... edyankovic" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Being a huge fan of Al and Paul Reubens, it's kind of strange to see them together. Not sure if Al and Paul had any connections prior to this meeting, I don't think they've ever worked together directly, although they run in the same circles and share a lot of the same friends / collaborators, so I assume they were at least somewhat familiar with each other.
There’s this picture so they’ve met at least once before. Also Al was getting a lot of comparisons to Pee Wee at the time of “The Weird Al Show” so that may have triggered a meeting or two. Plus they have a mutual friend in John Paragon.

Image
Image

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Re: Rhode Island Comic Con '17 (November 10-12)

Post by stardrop »

CB Johnny wrote:There were four Al related cosplays that caught my eye: two Milo Murphys- one of whom told me that Al wanted their picture to send to the show creators.
Aw, that's the story behind Dan Povenmire posting Milo Murphy cosplay pics :) "Photos @alyankovic sent us from the Rhode Island Comic Con."
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