Parts 1 and 2 are linked here if you need to catch up.
After another crappy nap I was trying to rouse myself for a big night. I was finally going to get to see MC Chris and Cybertronic Spree. I’d missed them both in past years due to Dave’s game shows (not that I’m complaining), and was happy for the chance to see them this year. Sharron and I made our way back to the Classic track room to meet the gang before the premiere of Troublemaker. I had been around for the Dragon Con portion of the filming two years ago, and spent several hours with filmmaker Jason C. Wilson chasing Dave around the convention area. Dave was pretty booked that weekend so what should have been nice strolls between locations was a mad dash from one hotel to the next – often with Wilson and I left behind. While I wasn’t there for his near-death experience; I saw things that weekend man, and was looking forward to the fruits of that labor. I have to admit that when Dave told me I was on a Q&A panel after the movie I was a little intimidated. I don’t have anything to do with anything (see my profile in “Who’s Nobody”). Jason and Dave did all the work here, and I didn’t do anything but run around like a jerk at Dragon Con. It was, in fact, quite a good movie. Not that I’d thought it would be bad, but it was seriously good and funny and heartwarming. Dave told me to be prepared to sign autographs after the panel, but I kind of thought he was kidding. If I was weird when I signed your movie poster I apologize. I’m just not as cool as I pretend to be. Maybe someday…
Once I was free from the demands of temporary nerd fame it was time to fill some flasks and get our party on. We spent so much time lolly-gagging after the movie that we only caught a few songs of MC Chris, but it was enough for me. You might know him from the olden days of Adult Swim on shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Sealab 2021. His stuff was really funny to me back in the day. Now, I was really in it to hear Fette’s Vette live. That song is still great. I wish they’d taken a bigger break between him and Cybertronic Spree for sound checks though because setting up sound for a rapper with a laptop is very different than sound for a full band. The first half of their set did not sound great. But I did get to hear the Pokemon theme song done by a live band so that was pretty awesome. If you haven’t seen Cybertronic Spree yet then you definitely need to put them on your Dragon Con bucket list. Once we were done there it was time for more video games! Sharron only booked our hotel room through Sunday morning so we brought everyone to our room for a “drink this shit so we don’t have to take it home” party first. I gave Ryan Cadaver a glass of vodka with some berry flavored Mio juice squirted in. Nicole seemed to think that was a bad idea for some reason, but it powered him through a Mortal Combat marathon so I guess it must have worked out okay. After another long night it was time for bed since we were expecting to check out of our hotel at noon, and I had to be on a panel at 1 o’clock.
After a slightly less crappy night of sleep (thank you $20 melatonin!) I was finally feeling like a relatively normal person on Sunday morning. What I wasn’t looking forward to were the big ass gaps I had between panels with no place to nap or even try to chill quietly. Luck was on my side since as I was dozing Sharron’s husband text her to let her know that there had been a water main break in their neighborhood. She wasn’t going home to a place with no water so she ran downstairs to book us an extra night. Saved! I even began to entertain the idea of hitting the Late Night Puppet Slam which I’d never been able to stay late enough for before.
The first panel of the day was for the Horror track. One-Shot Slashers or: movies that were set up to be a franchise but didn’t get there for whatever reason. I was sitting next to Ryan on the panel and stole a peek at his notes only to be pleasantly surprised that we both had Ice Cream Man on our lists. I always feel better about my terrible taste in horror movies when I’m around the Cadavers. They just get it. I also have a ton of movies to add to my watch list. Cry Wolf, Final Exam, and Hide & Go Shriek are just a few of the movies that I’ll be watching soon.
I was thinking about finding a panel to go to after that, but suddenly got a text from Mr. Husband saying he was at the Marriott. Surprise! He hates crowds, and gets super anxiety around large groups of people. I had definitely not expected to see him there, but it was nice to have him out and about at my “nerd home”. We spent a few hours wandering between hotels, and hung out with Gnoll and Sharron each for a bit. As much as I enjoyed some Dragon Con time with him, I had to kick Mr. Husband and his badge-less self out so that I could start working my way back to the Classic track room for The Video Game Hall of Fame panel. It was another Needless Things Presents panel so it was Dave, Ryan, Gnoll, the super Salena Balls, and myself. Last year we determined the best video game character of all time. This year we set out to figure out the best classic game world. I won’t get too super detailed here because I know this is another one that Dave recorded. I would just like to say that I was shocked that the choice between Burger Time and Ocarina of Time was so close. Too damn close for my comfort. We’re already planning on doing this again next year. While we’re not sure what we’re doing yet I won’t have anything I can use Legend of Zelda for again.
After that I had a break before my last panel of the weekend. Nap time! Thanks to melatonin it was by far my best nap of the weekend. I got up for food, and met up with Sharron for the UHF panel at the Classic track. I had been begging, cajoling, and threatening Joe Crowe and Gary Mitchell for a year about being on this panel. It made my weekend to get on it since I absolutely LOVE that movie. The actual panel was fairly short since it led into a movie viewing, but it was still fun. I’ve seen UHF so many times that I didn’t need to stick around for this, and I needed to spend my last night doing more things. Dave, Gnoll, Sharron and I went wandering and grabbed a few beverages. Our preemptive booze clean out left us without liquor so I did have to buy a few vodka tonics. Since that was the only time this weekend I had to buy drinks it wasn’t too bad. We even caught a good band playing downstairs at the Hyatt. Mayhaley’s Grave is worth checking out if you haven’t heard them yet. Gnoll wandered off as Dave, Sharron, and I got ready to hit the Puppet Slam.
I’ve never been able to stay for the Puppet Slam before since I always had to worry about getting to the last Sunday night MARTA train. It was super fun. There were some really hysterical skits, but also a few very lovely things. The Walter muppet from the 2011 movie The Muppets was there, and did the big song number “Muppet or a Man”. That may not seem like a huge deal, but Disney is very protective of their property. I couldn’t get any good pictures from where we were sitting, but Barnaby Dixon did something so gorgeous that I can’t even describe it here. Go to YouTube as soon as you’re done reading this. It was literally breathtaking. Sharron had ducked out to get some sleep, but Dave said I should come to the Puppet Slam after party with him. I met some really nice people, and even though I stayed out way later than I planned, the party was still going very strong when I left. My con was done, and it was time to get a few hours of sleep before finally going home.
I don’t know if I could have had a better time this year. I say this every year, but this was my best yet. I will absolutely not go to Dragon Con without getting a hotel room again, and even if I do cut back on panels to try for interviews next year I’m sure it’ll still be better with a room to call home. Thanks to the Dragon Con Media Relations team, Derek of the Horror track, Joe and Gary of American Sci-Fi Classics, new friends and old, and Dave for getting me involved neck deep in this amazingly good time. My Dragon Con coverage may be over, but don’t forget to check back with us over the coming weeks as we get into Halloween season.
NEEDLESS THINGS 