Monstrosity (1964): Classic B Movies

     Claustrophobic, with wacky characters and some bad acting, Monstrosity a.k.a. The Atomic Brain (1964) has all those elements of which good/bad B movies are made.

     The story begins with Doctor Frank seeking dead bodies in graveyards, which he plans to use to perfect his experiment: transplanting brains. He is assisted with the heavy lifting in this arduous task by a dog-faced mutated product of one of his tests, in which he transplanted an animal brain inside the man.

     The Doctor is hired by Mrs. March, a bitter old woman who desires to have her brain placed in a nice, young attractive body. Her immense wealth makes it possible for the Doctor to continue his work unfettered.

     A sophisticated radioactive laboratory is constructed.

     The doctor begins by re-animating the corpse of a young woman, whose body he had swiped from the cemetery.

     This being a test, she does not have brain function and just wanderers around like a zombie, constantly staring blankly forward.

     In order for the real deal to work, the Doctor requires living subjects. So, Mrs. March places an advertisement for a housekeeper and three young ladies apply.

     Upon arrival, the Doctor gives them all very thorough physical examinations and the sexiest, most glamorously perfect girl is chosen.

     The other two girls are forced to stay, so word can not leak out to the authorities. They try escaping several times, but their attempts are always thwarted.

     Time is running out. The Doctor is gaining confidence and making preparations. Mrs. March is getting impatient, anxious to get her new youthful body. And the girls desperately need to come up with a plan...

Monstrosity (The Atomic Brain)- intro

Rob Potylo: Profiles from the Quiet-D Illustrations

Rob Potylo, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

     As the central character, Rob Potylo is the crazy glue that holds Quiet Desperation together. Much of the show concerns Rob's struggle to keep his head above water in the whirlpool of the Boston music scene, and the pitfalls and criticism he faces in expressing his unique artistic vision.

Quiet Desperation Act One- Episode 16

Quiet Desperation Act Two- Episode Five

Rob Potylo, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

     In real life, Rob essentially lives his existence as it is portrayed on the show. Starting out as a comedian/musician, he moved into radio and television. His character/alter ego, Robby Roadsteamer, was successful but proved to be a nuisance when Rob decided to express his own voice in music as himself: Rob Potylo. He has since distanced himself from his old character, and is producing music and video arts that are uniquely his own... stylish, introspective, ever-evolving and a bit crazy at times, but always straight to the point and true.

Read more on his websites: http://robpotylo.com/ and http://www.quietd.com/

Rob Potylo- Drawing Up Circles

Rob Potylo- Five Steps

Rob Potylo, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

Robby Roadsteamer- I Got Construction Boots

Robby Roadsteamer- I Put a Baby in You

Quiet Desperation #6, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Quiet Desperation #8, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Currently Accepting Portrait Commissions...

     If you are interested in commissioning me to do a portrait, send me a message with a general idea of what you'd like to have done (with a reference photo attached*) at email: travisliam@aol.com

    I will be able to estimate a price based on the info and photo provided

(simple, single subjects are very affordable, starting as low as $50, prices increase relative to quantity and complexity).

* it is integral that the photos be clear, with decent lighting (no bright flash)

Sarah Lee Guthrie, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

Tony Norris, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Quiet Desperation #8, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Shawn Fogel, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

Susan, Louis and Mario, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

Dan Burke, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

New Portrait Illustration: Richie Havens (Folk Musician)

Richie Havens, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

       When I first met Richie Havens, I already knew he would be a nice guy going into it. That rarely happens. Such is the reputation of Mr. Havens and the general consensus about him, which speaks volumes about his character: that his gentle, friendly demeanor could never be misconstrued as being anything but genuine. He is a deep, caring man, whose musical style hasn't changed much over his decades-long career, but remains forever relevant. Perhaps that is what draws people to him, and his music... the sense that he truly cares about and means what he is singing. He's a great singer/songwriter, a wonderful interpreter of songs, and he plays the guitar in open tuning like no one else.

Read more about Richie, and see a full schedule of shows on his website here: http://www.richiehavens.com/official_site/home.html

Richie Havens- "Freedom"- at Woodstock, 1969

Richie Havens- The Key

Richie Havens, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Richie Havens- Here Comes the Sun (Beatles cover)

Richie Havens, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Richie Havens- Just Like a Woman (Bob Dylan cover)

Richie Havens, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

White Zombie (1932): Classic Bela Lugosi

      The success of Dracula (1931) made Bela Lugosi a horror superstar, and the "go to" character actor for directors seeking creepy, mind-controlling, strong accented misfit personas. Lugosi was typecast, sure, but he was so good in that type of role and he didn't seem to mind. White Zombie (1932), released a year after Dracula, falls into this realm.

     A young couple, on the verge of being married, meet the wealthy owner of a plantation in Haiti. He convinces them to postpone their wedding a couple days and have the ceremony at his stately mansion instead. 

     They consent, but on the drive there they see frightening things... 

     They arrive at the mansion and are greeted by the missionary who is the wed them. He warns them to leave immediately, but they do not listen. It turns out the plantation owner had an ulterior motive in inviting the couple to his home. He has become allured, enamored, fixated and in love with the sexy bride-to-be. 

     When he finds out his love is unrequited, he seeks out an alternate option of possessing her, going to see a mill operator (Lugosi)...

      who uses his black magic to control his subjects, converting them into zombie-like automatons. 

     Lugosi gives the man a serum, that in the tiniest dose, can make a person completely subservient and brain-dead. 

     The immediate effects look as though she has died, and to get her fiancee out of the way, they go along with it, having a funeral and entombment. She is returned to to the plantation owner/new lover as a mindless slave. At first, he is pleased at her mere presence, and tries to adapt to her aimless wandering around the house, routines... 

     and blank, staring eyes... 

     But the longing for her soul, the life that was once in her eyes, now gone, drives him to plea with Lugosi to change her back. 

     Lugosi refuses and turns on him, saying he has plans of his own for the pretty young lady...

      Will the young lady's spark of life ever be restored? Or is she doomed to a soulless existence?

White Zombie- movie trailer

Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968): Classic B Movies

     Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968) is a good example of how to take something that is pretty good and make it better. In the hands of Peter Bogdanovich, stock footage of Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965) is co-mingled with new footage to essentially fill the gaps in the first film.

     The story begins with a half-hour recap of the first film, summarizing the arrival of two crews of men and a robot on the planet Venus. The first crew had been lost, and the second crew was sent in to rescue them. Throughout their time on the planet, they keep hearing a strange female voice singing. This leaves them wondering whether there is indeed human life existent.

     Here's where the Prehistoric women come in. They are all beautiful women, who don't speak, but communicate with each other telepathically. Whether they are invisible or not, I don't know, but the human astronauts never see them.

     Clad in skin-tight pants and sea shell bras, the majority of their time seems to be spent laying around in the sun. 

     They pray to a pterodactyl as a God, whom they call Tera. When the Earthling astronauts kill the pterodactyl after it attacks them, the women become enraged. They pray to the Volcanic God of the planet to exact their revenge on the men and robot.

     The God concedes and lets loose lava flows and storms when they ask for them. When the men are not killed, and leave the planet safely, the women are heartbroken and curse the statue of Tera as a false God.

    The lava flow had destroyed the robot, but the ladies find the scrap remains a suitable replacement for Tera.

     They erect the robot and worship it as a God.

    

    

clip from Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women

Prints Are Available for Purchase

     By popular demand, 12x16 signed prints of some of my illustrations are available for purchase. The print(s) will be rolled in mailing tubes and you can pay securely with a credit/debit card via Paypal. They can be had for the low price of $15.00 each (plus shipping). Just click on the "Add to Cart" button under your selection on the side column here: 

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For the time being, only these illustrations have been made into prints. More to follow. I am open to requests as well.

Quiet Desperation #4, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

Quiet Desperation #3, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

Golden Bloom, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

Arlo Guthrie, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

Dan Burke, 2011. By Travis Simpkins