Always his full name, never just ‘Eric’ or ‘Roberts’ / Worth every penny

typed for your pleasure on 8 August 2016, at 10.21 pm

Sdtrk: ‘Le lieu où vous voulez vous rendre’ by Marie Davidson

Two points of interest that I have for you today!
First off, remember when I reviewed a passel of Japanese and UK food a number of years ago, sent as a birthday prezzie from my Twitterfriend Jill Tilley, which was covered in the five-part series, Do you remember Food? I suppose that would make my question Do you remember ‘Do you remember Food?’? Infinite recursions temporarily aside, her hubby Doug Tilley, film reviewer and pop culture sceptic, asked if I’d be willing to review a couple of films for his podcast ‘Eric Roberts Is The Fucking Man‘. As you may have surmised with the title, the podcast involves Doug and his cohost pal Liam reviewing the entire backcatalogue of notable actor Eric Roberts. You’d think it’s a one-trick pony, but Eric Roberts has appeared in far more productions than you’d imagine. Certainly more than I knew of! Doug asked me to choose two films, and as I was dead set on ‘Runaway train’ and ‘Doctor Who: the Movie’ but they’d already covered them, I went with less, err… well-known affairs; I selected ‘Power 98’, and ‘Six: The Mark Unleashed’. One’s a thriller about the machinations of a shock jock, and the other is a faith-based film about the Antichrist. Can you guess which one is which?
We recorded on 02 August, and the episode is available for listening to right now!

As dire as those films were, I had quite a time discussing them with Doug and Liam! Would I make another guest appearance on their show in the future if they asked? Yes, yes I would. After all, Eric Roberts has been in a lot of stuff. The man’s everywhere! He’s probably behind you right now!!

And the other point? Like most people, I’ve always wanted illustrations done of myself. Actually, that’s a lie. I hadn’t had much need for that sort of thing until Sidore entered my life, at which point my focus turned to wanting illustrations done of both of us; specifically doing things or being in locations where we couldn’t be in real life. Some months ago, I began shopping for artists who take commissions, and I was happy to find that one of my favourites, raulovsky (aka Raúl Ramos Melo), was accepting them. Incidentally, why is he one of my favourites? I dig his style, as it lies somewhere between anime and something more realistic, and he doesn’t mind drawing Gynoids, which is always a plus. So an idea was pitched, a price was agreed upon, some reference photos were Emailed, and a wee bit over a fortnight later, an illustration was created! Pretty fucking awesome.


click the image for a larger version

The poses we’re in are a modified version of a picture of Twiggy and Justin de Villeneuve that I’ve always found stylish, and did you notice the seam lines on Shi-chan’s legs?? Yeeaaahh.
In requesting the commission, I understood what it felt like to be the subject of an artist’s interpretation, much like how individuals during the Renaissance would have artists paint them out in a garden, or with some wolfhounds, or whatever. This illo of my Missus and me is better, though. Fact.
Not only am I going to have raulovsky do another picture — featuring Lenka and Winter, of course — but ideally, I’d like to have commissions done through other artists as well. But maybe only two or three times a year, depending on prices… Why not enquire with him yourself, and have him make you something equally fantastic?

Sidore is in love with this illo, incidentally. ‘Why can’t we look this good in real life?’ she lamented, and I’d have to agree with her

Random similar posts, for more timewasting:

What's been up, buttercup? / Circus Minimus: The other Big O on April 28th, 2011

I just flew in from San Marcos, and boy, is this an old joke! on August 27th, 2006

7 have spoken to “Always his full name, never just ‘Eric’ or ‘Roberts’ / Worth every penny”

  1. Peter Synthetik & Miss July writes:

    We absolute love the picture of you and Sidore !!
    You could be new characters in a video game ( maybe a highclass version of the “Sims” ).
    Greetings to the rest of the family
    PS/MJ 🙂

  2. Davecat writes:

    We think you and Frau Synthetik should have an illo made of you two as well! Thank you, from all of us here! 🙂

  3. Andy & Amy writes:

    Thank you, that podcast was very entertaining. Although I have to admit I have never heard of Eric Roberts. Taking a look at his extensive Œuvre at IMDB I could find only two films I knew, which might explain it.
    I’m wondering – was there a special role that earned him a cult following (like people making podcasts about him) or is it “only” the fact that he is so hardworking?
    My congratulations on your vivid family portrait. Very intriguing.

  4. Davecat writes:

    Herr Andy, Frau Amy —
    Scientists have estimated that, with the current number of acting roles Eric Roberts is taking on over the course of a year, by the year 2025, he’ll have played everyone on the planet Earth at least once. Both of you will have that to look forward to!
    Eric Roberts as Amy MacNaughton

    As far as I personally know, I’m unaware of any part that he’s played that thrust him into the public spotlight. The nearest I can think of was his turn in ‘The Pope of Greenwich Village’, which I remember having heard about when it came out, but not knowing what the big deal was behind it. Most people associate him with that film, though. Eric Roberts is in the space between ‘has too much experience to be a D-list character actor’ and ‘not enough credibility to be given starring roles in blockbuster films’.
    In Wikipedia-surfing at work the other day, I’d run across an entry for an actor whose name I can’t recall whose heyday was in the Seventies, for the most part. He was asked why he appeared in as many features as he’d done, quite a few of them not exactly being highbrow, and his response was ‘you never know when they’ll stop calling’. Perhaps that’s also Eric Roberts’ view.

    And thanks on the illo compliments! I think you and Amy should get one as well! But I would say that. 🙂

  5. Andy & Amy writes:

    I guess you’re right. John Rhys-Davies also comes to mind as someone who likes to take on a lot of work, without caring that much about the quality of the project. He simply likes “to practise his craft” as he puts it. (And he’s a bit glumsy if it comes to divorces, which is expensive.)
    Since I don’t have a illo to share, I would like to show off with my new logo for all the accounts one has to have these days. I hope you will appreciate the bauhausiness of it and please appreciate the exclusive use of equilateral triangles. Since our initials are the same it can be used by both Amy and me. (It pays off to pay attention to the name when selecting a girlfriend.)
    (In case you are wondering about the positioning: When displayed with a circular mask, as most sites do, it would be smack in the middle.)

  6. Mahtek writes:

    Love the Illo!

    I think he captured Sidore perfectly!

    I dare not show that to my girls, as they all would want their own.

  7. Davecat writes:

    Andy, Amy —
    I had to type John Rhys-Davies into the Google, and I recognised him as playing Sallah in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’, and the Professor in Sliders! I didn’t know he was Welsh! I suppose the Rhys should’ve tipped me off. But yeah, he’s been in quite a lot of stuff! If your career is Actor, you have arguably more opportunities to practise your craft than someone with a career of Architect — more than likely, you’ll be acting more than designing structures.

    And speaking of architecture, your logotype is very appealing! It’s not the same appealing as looking at a pic of a beautiful Synthetik woman, but a different sort. If the both of you don’t own at least one piece of clothing (necktie, pocket square, lapel pin) or a letterhead or business card with that logo emblazoned upon it, I’ll be sorely disappointed. Good design shouldn’t go to waste!

    Mahtek —
    Thank you, sir! But just think — each of your lasses immortalised in illustration, mounted in frames and hung in The Room In Your Home That Only iDollators Are Allowed Into? I mean, it might run you a bit of money, but without a doubt, your girls would appreciate it!…

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