Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
It’s weird for anyone to go back to his or her own work. It’s even weirder when that place of employment happens to be the Happiest Place on Earth. I wrote an article about working on the Jungle Cruise way back in Giant Robot 12, so I’m not going to rehash all the details about pretending to steer a boat into the heart of darkness three times an hour, six hours a day, six days a week. And hopefully not start unloading all those bad puns. But it’s hard not to think back and make comparisons once you enter the forced perspective on Main Street and inhale the smell of popcorn pumped out of the carts…
While Disneyland is more all-encompassing than ever with a widened footprint and resort plan that has replaced sleazy motels and greasy spoons with resort lodging and an entire new theme park, the fans actually exert more power than ever. The last couple of times I’ve gone have happened to be themed meet-up days–not the immensely popular doom-and-gloom Goth Day but the rainbow-hued Gay Day two years ago, and Sunday was Dapper Day, in which guests dress up as they might have in the ’50s. Fishnets, Pomade, tight wool, and hounds tooth.
You know those Facebook contests that everyone enters but no one wins? Well, I actually won one via Goldenvoice and got tickets to see Youth Brigade at the El Rey last week. Yes, the same band that got in the school bus with Social Distortion and Minor Threat in the 1984 documentary Another State of Mind is still at it and still ruling. And their BYO record label, which boasts key releases by 7 Seconds, SNFU, Bouncing Souls, Leatherface, and their own band, is going strong as attested by their somewhat recent box set…