Ahhhh, what does one say? Our perspective from down here, 3-1/2 stories beneath Downtown California, is probably a bit skewed, especially because it's night all day in our subterranean studios. There remain many unexplored miles of tunnels, caverns, adits and galleries in the back reaches of the grotteaux, and we hope that you will join us in our ongoing cerebral spelunking ventures.

That said,we feel that there is a little man who lives inside the glass*, and it is our job to help liberate him. He won't come out unless he wants to be seen, and there is only frustration in attempting to force him unless he's ready. (Have you ever seen what happens when you try to force glass? It isn't pretty...) Ah, but what elation we feel when he does want to appear! Does he communicate via telepathy? Pheromones? Semaphore? Smoke signals? Frankly, we can never remember. We only know he takes many forms, which we can never predict. But we feel privileged when we can help release the little guy, whatever form he may take. Down in the grotteaux, we're always wondering: What will he look like next?

*there are some who are certain his name is "Murphy"

Locard's Law (famous in forensics investigations) states that "every contact leaves a trace." Each trace is certain to have some sort of influence.

Influences? Yep, we've got 'em, by the carload:

charles addams gahan wilson ralph steadman mad magazine and their usual gang of idiots al jazzbeaux collins slim gaillard louis jordan slam stewart sharon peters clayton bailey eustis tilley fats waller cole porter cole ingraham cole slaw george gershwin ernie kovacs steve allen john glenn jack kerouac tom waits lord buckley irving berlin louis satchmo armstrong dr. john frank zappa bb king brad acredolo noel coward fry and laurie gareth blackstock, exactly jon brunk professor longhair mrs. hudson shipoopi corky buck seven seas anne bonney redeye houdini the dog sombra bruce peaches & zorro lord baden-powell don sherwood charlie smith freddy meyer pete scott dan sorkin bob newhart windowpane humphrey bogart jack nicholson phil silvers donald o'connor gene kelly fred astaire bond, james bond joe cocker mr. jack daniels Scott Kennedy Rhys Elliot Ed "big Daddy' Roth papa john creech aldus manutius groucho and all the marxes, including stretch hunter thompson howard hesseman bill bryson sara vowell the jefferson airplane daryl privette dale chihuly jack lalanne hoot and varmint marvin lipofsky herb caen h. allen smith granny lark the committee howlin' wolf luann and macil sparks the allman bros. r. lee ermey burt lancaster yip harburg cecilia rosalie santos moreira davis nijinsky alois podhajsky john mcphee mary roach amos and andy, but especially kingfish bob dorough nick cravat don rosa and carl barks grandmas cap, gaedtke and mollie jose cuervo mrs. fox and her entire sunday school staff machito ben adams art dias ray the shoe finder crew wes salt rat fink joanne barkley ken kesey Louie nye mitch miller skitch henderson clark kent richard hooker junior samples ernest hemingway john steinbeck half dome al davenport all the juanitas, including the lady of mystery the big bully the bone the big blonde with the saint bernard leeman brightman Doctor Suess eddie abood bill moxley batman quicksilver messenger service Walter Farley Diana Gabaldon P.G. Wodehouse Antonin Dvorak Pyotr Tchaikovsky Rudolf Nureyev Margot Fonteyn jack costello morgan zeitler dom perignon big ed meredith wilson hot tuna robert preston doing 'chicken fat' david grisman alfred e. neuman doing 'it's a gas' gordie stirling jimmy russel spud gortemiller smitty the gigolo magnolia thunderpussy the checkered demon robert shelton r. crumb fat freddy's cat travis t. hipp dave mcqueen bonnie simmons reno nevada and his funky dude ranch e bear mike and larry and bear mike 'the wood butcher' greer aunt bithy ted the trumpet player janis and big brother ed brisbin, sr. taj mahal l. robert shay dr. love bob marieiro tiny bully julia exquisita nanci klubben eddie terrini sgts. rock, fury and pepper mike 'the bubbler' nelson scott mason the flash victor borge walt disney walter knott the green lantern bushwhack lake christi friesen phyllis diller nichols & may huell howser blossom dearie mose allison dave frishberg bruce sedley mayor art marshall j & rowdy capts. fortune, easy, science, kangaroo and satellite menacing robots mr. softy Peewee golf any submarine movie larry gelbart chris treadway alma oberst most of the muppets egbert sousé Eustis McGonagle Charles Bogle Mahatma Kane Jeeves otis cribblecoblis w.c. fields crusader rabbit welsh rarebit apples the clown world wide wheat weavers the bull of the woods colonel bleep the watchmen alley oop beetle bailey nervous norvous tim cronin bud's pork chop sandwich wayne greengard wally's "need no teeth" bbq felix the cat buster keaton harold lloyd gary bogue barbara bladen don martin major hoople j.r. "out our way" williams jellyroll morton preston sturges marion mcpartland robert johnson pete johnson bunk johnson lyndon johnson two buck chuck u utah phillips charlie blacklock alan delay morgan cowin the lake of two navels moe, larry, definitely curly, kinda shemp, but not really either of the joes lance beeson alasdair fraser napoleon solo lee marvin scatman crothers ellis mcdaniel gershon legman xavier cugat barge all purpose cement the grateful dead my old vw bug rick griffin dave cope steve cope sean mccaskey that weird cat clock with the eyes that go back and forth in time with its tail huey and dewey (but not so much louie) uncles terry, buck, doodle, doug, whitey, herschel, jud, eddie, jimmy, bud and scrooge ergotamine eloise mays alberta best wayne perry schimpf's in Jeffersonville perez prado gene voorhies tom ferrel henry richoux john lee hooker wolfman jack the early 1960's san francisco giants jacques cousteau jacques tati clint eastwood dave brubeck p.g. wodehouse panama red riders in the sky bob wills roy rogers and dale evans that thug that beat me up in the fifth grade trigger ponch and good julia child m.f.k. fisher jackie gleason marion cunningham erich houdini Weiss eddie 'carrotjuice' weiss stacy adams that jerk of a landlord that evicted me and killed my chickens richard pryor casey stengel hans kornell george carlin scott beach mort sahl oak tanned leather organic solvents inadequate ventilation and then some........

 

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