I confess I was never a big fan of the Bee Gees, but somehow, that did not affect my feeling a sad sense of loss upon hearing the news that Maurice Gibb, 53, had died after complications from an operation for a blocked intestine last weekend.

In the rip-roaring '70s, I was neck-deep into getting my heavy metal band off the ground, and, to me, the three Bee Gee brothers were the epitome of elevator music. When "Saturday Night Fever" broke them into the big time (or rather re-broke them), it was at the precise time that disco was taking over the dance club market. I HATED disco, and I hated anything and anyone promoting it. If it weren't for Van Halen, we may never have gotten out of there alive. But I digress...

It was fellow PCR columnist (and at the time, lead singer) Matt Drinnenberg who forced me into a re-evaluation of Bee Gees music, because it was obvious his own songwriting was heavily influenced by them. He did, and still does, and remarkable impression of one of them (the skinny one with the beak who sings "Lonely days, Lonely nights", arguably my favorite B-Gs song if forced to pick one). After spending a lot of time with Matt in my band days (I think we're all writing books--ha ha), I finally came around to see some value in what they were doing, most importantly, before the corruption of disco.

So....count me among the mourners, after all.

Who stalks the 'net?
You coulda knocked me over with a feather after I heard the news that Pete Townhend of The Who was being questioned by British police about storing child pornography on his computer. Exactly how they found this out is a bit of a mystery to me, but it seems it had something to do with the old boy playing fast and loose with his credit card on the 'net. When first approached by the press, he shook off the allegations by saying he was doing "research" for a book he's writing about his own history of child abuse. He further commented that he reports whatever he finds to the police. OK, hang on. First he says he reports whatever he finds to the police, yet those same police are banging on his door demanding answers. Guess they don't work with the guys who are reading all the reports, eh? Secondly, and this is really the clincher for me: if he suffered a traumatic history of child abuse, why would he want to surf the 'net to look for more of it? To relive it for his "research"?? And this has been going on for several years, as I understand it.

I want to believe Pete, I really do. Some of his buddies who opened for him in the '60s and '70s used to mumble about odd habits of his. I chalked it up to his being an eccentric genius. (Of course, being odd comes with the territory of being a rock star, what's new? Michael Jackson has certainly broken ground there, but I digress...) And Pete Townshend is a musical genius, one of the most influential guitarist-songwriters of mine or any generation. His rock opera "Tommy" alone will stand the test of time long after we're dust in the ground. I'd hate to see this remarkable man's reputation tarnished in his "retirement" years--but, dammit Pete, what are you thinking??

Birthday wishes go out to Matt Drinnenberg who turned 42 January 9(?), and Scott van Sickle who turned the big 4-0 January 14th!! Miracle we're all still together after all we've been through. Many happy returns, gentlemen! NEW WEB VIDEO ON CF HOMEPAGE. Speaking of good friend and fellow webmeister Scott van Sickle, I recently worked out a deal with his entrepreneurial self to sponsor one of his catfight videos on the Crazed Fanboy homepage! Scott wishes to concentrate on still photography for his successful enterprise Bout Time Studios, but has been slow to warm to doing videos. This is a rare reference video I'm putting up for a couple weeks to show his fans. Check it out. Will Moriaty's well-read and extremely popular column La Floridiana will be changing temporarily to either a semi-monthly or monthly publishing schedule commencing after this issue. No need to panic, it's for a good cause---to help me catch up the severely neglected Schlockarama space which hasn't seen a new movie review since last May! Nobody to blame, just the old tyrant of the clock on the wall--no time. Well, Will recently purchased several dozen videos from a private collector, some of the cheeziest shlock ever to be produced. YES, WE'RE VERY EXCITED--ha ha, this is right up our alley. First up for this year: that beastly 1962 schlock-fest of caveman love gone wrong: "Eegah!" Check it out. Speaking of La Floridiana-related business, this just in from Will: "Florida Folk Hero and author Dan Allison is at it again with his newest novel On the Whispering Wind. Released in December 2002, this latest offering once again features Treasure Island, and Florida cabby "Jake Murdoch" who was featured in Allison's first novel, "All the Little Birdies" (see PCR # 128). I will be featuring a review of On The Whispering Wind in a future installment of "La Floridiana". For those who can't wait, information on purchasing Allison's newest novel can be obtained by linking on to: http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?authorID=6618."

This week's issue La Floridiana by William Moriaty Suzy Q's Ultra-Swank Tiki Lounge 1962 Party. What a magical evening Saturday December 28, 2002 was! If you read "La Floridiana" in PCR issue #137, you'll remember the incredibly cool party invite by Orlando artist Lisa Clardy to this Holiday party hosted by my dear friend, Susan Hughes. Everything 1962 was featured in this small gala of close friends.... ...... .................Click here for more.	This Week's Movie Review: Antwone Fisher Review by Mike Smith. Many actors have tried to direct. Some have won Oscars (Ron Howard, Clint Eastwood, Warren Beatty). One should win an Oscar (Rob Reiner). And some have no business behind the camera (William Shatner) If his debut with "Antwone Fisher" is any indication of things to come, Denzel Washington may someday add a directing trophy to his two acting awards. .................Click here for more.
This week's issue Deadguy's Dementia by Michael Scott PLEASE CHECK BACK NEXT WEEK!	This week's issue The Digital Divide by Terence Nuzum CD reviews: THE STREETS: Original Pirate Material. Just because he's white, it would be easy to dismiss Mike Skinner as a British Eminem but that would be entirely untrue.... THE RAVEONETTES: Whip It On. Upon listening to the first three tracks, it dawns on one that the remaining five tracks will not stray from the formula whatsoever. And they don't. Not to say that the songs are bad....... .......................Click here for more.
This week's issue Matt's Rail by Matt Drinnenberg PLEASE CHECK BACK NEXT WEEK!	This week's issue Mike's Rant by Michael A. Smith IMMORTALITY.....OTHER PASSINGS........WHO ARE YOU? ........GO BUCS!........THE WEATHER ...........................Click here for more.

		We welcome your feedback. Nolan, Don't know if you recall the mid-'70s horror/comedy-themed TV show "The Hilarious House of Frightenstein". It aired on weekday mornings on WTOG Channel 44 (back when it was good) and has since been a real pleasant memory in the dark recesses of my mind. Its Canadian creator, Billy Van (who played a lot of the funny characters; a witch, a vampire, Igor, the wolfman), passed away the other day. Truly sad. Check out Creature Corner.com for the latest news: http://www.creature-corner.com/news3/jan10billyvan.php3 He was 68 and died of cancer in Canada. For more "Frightenstein" info, check out this unbelievable website: http://www.frightenstein.com/characters/billy.html Andy [Lalino] Andy, thank so much for the head's up about that. No, shockingly, I wasn't all that familiar with the work of Billy Van until I got your email. I checked out the websites you sent, and all I can say is I wish I had memories of it from WTOG like you did because I don't remember the show!! Don't know how that escaped me up till now, but I certainly appreciate the education, however sadly post-mortem it is. I encourage all PCR readers to check out the links Andy sent. This Billy Van guy was really something.---Nolan Nolan, I don't know if this is who I am supposed to write to find out information about the movie "Austin Powers in Goldmember", but maybe you will know the answer.   As I was watching the movie, there is a scene where it flashes back to where Austin and Dr. Evil were at school together....well from what I noticed, there were some schoolmates in the background....the ones that threw the cupcake at Dr. Evil's head....hopefully, you know what I'm talking about....anyway, I recognized a face in that crowd of kids.   Is there any way I could find out who that familiar face is? Megan I, personally, don't remember the movie well enough to recall that specific scene, nor any familiar-looking faces in the kiddie crowd. HOWEVER, now that your question is published in the PCR, if anyone in the world out there knows the answer, you'll see it here soon! Thanks so much for writing, I hope we can help.---Nolan To send an email to Letters to the Editor write to: Crazedfanboy1@aol.com.  Any emails sent to this address will be assumed intended for publication unless you specifically instruct me not to. I can and do respond privately, if that is your preference. Frequently, it's both ways.---Nolan