Thursday, August 29, 2013

Jeremy [Retro] Hawkins, JMH Digital Art Book Tour - Celebrity Adventure

Today is my day to host Jeremy Hawkins, AKA [Retro] the brilliant graphic designer behind all the art for the April A to Z blogging challenge. He's got some art and design books out now, so he's touring the blogosphere to spread the word. I've asked him to share one of his awesome celebrity adventure stories with us, so I'll let him take it away:


Another day, another adventure or my encounter with a celebrity… not that there was any trouble more or less something weird happens. This is my meeting and interview of Darth Vader no not the evil Lord Vader, no the man beneath the mask David Prowse. First I wanted to thank Matt for letting me host and share some of my art/design books with you all. All those details and how to enter the “GIVEAWAY” will be at the bottom, so make sure to enter.


So I was saying that it was at one of those conventions that bring some of the top celebrities and this year was no different with a hand full of characters from Star Wars. Skipping along in enter this 6.6 man with crutches in hand barely able to make it to where we had set up our set for our shoot and interview. I am only 5’11’’ and Mr. Prowse is towers over me and the crew of the show I worked on. He informs us he needs to stretch his foot/leg out due to recent surgery he had done, we say no problem.


Problem, yes… problem. We have to find a chair fit his height and make it less uncomfortable for him and we didn’t find anything, so we used our heads. Giving him several stackable chairs he became within the perfect spectrum to be at ease with the injury. What we didn’t plan on my reach, my ability to hold the microphone in frame for the entire 15 to 20 minutes. You can learn how strong you are by holding this microphone extended for long periods of time [epic fail]. I asked my questions like a pro, answers returned as the interview went in full throttle. I started to shake and sweat the director noticed this and came up out of frame and helped by holding my arm until the end. The end came we make sure we give thanks to the celebrities for their time, Mr. Prowse leans over and said “I thought you were going to drop it, now that would have made for a interesting segue.


Please follow the tour as I will soon be sharing my brush with greatness and shift from Star Wars to Star Trek again… I am one with William Shatner. Also I am sorry to keep forgetting to tell my “Question to George Takei”, I honestly forgot… stay tuned and keep following the tour!


It's a four book series 40 pages each and it is the art/design from things I had designed over the years. It's a mish-mash of things that I had seen in my head... and some are future designs that will become shirts. Places I wanted to go artistically as you travel from where I was to where I am now. Is it great journey! Titles came from the idea of time "12:34, 35, 36 and 37” seems that is when my best ideas came to me... day or night. It's funny I never considered myself a "writer" just a man who likes to paint a canvas if it be words or my art/design.

Giveaways: Some great prizes being given away please stop over at my main page “BEING RETRO” and look just below the header for the “It’s Time” Tour Giveaway link and enter today.

Thank You, for letting me play host and to all who took the “time” to read this… you are all the best.

Jeremy Hawkins
Being Retro
beingretro.com

17 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That's funny. Yeah, I bet your arm was trembling by the end. Should've stacked you up on a couple chairs, although then it would've looked like a child interviewing Prowse.
And cool of you to host him, Matthew. So many stops have been with Challenge members and it has felt like the team is back together for the A to Z.

Steve MC said...

David Prowse - wow. He was also in another classic sci-fi - the British TV version of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. So cool you got to meet him.

Unknown said...

Great job as usual! I love the Photographs. All the chairs stacked up really shows his height advantage.

Unknown said...

Now I get to put a face with all that amazing artwork!

Sheena-kay Graham said...

You really have some great adventures. It's awesome being able to interview celebrities and kind that you care so much about their comfort more than the answering of questions.

Tina said...

Great story, Jeremy! What show were you on? I'd have dropped that microphone!
Tina @ Life is Good

Maurice Mitchell said...

Prowse is such an amazing guy Jeremy and it's amazing that you got to meet him, much less interview him. Thanks for sharing your story and pics. I feel like I'm there!

Jessica Bell said...

Wow. You are one lucky guy! :-)

Roland D. Yeomans said...

You certainly have met some amazing people! I would've hated to have had to hold that mike outstretched the whole time!

ShaunaKelleyWrites said...

Wow, what a great story. Have you since started training for future mic holding endeavors?

Elizabeth Seckman said...

How exciting! Sometimes the most awkward life events make the best stories later. I guess it's the pay off. Good luck with your book.

Heather M. Gardner said...

Huh.
Wow.
You know, that's pretty damn cool.
:)

Heather

Al Diaz said...

Cannot imagine a man that tall. Good you didn't drop the mic, Jeremy. Must be exciting to interview Darth Vader. :)

Jeremy [Retro] said...

Alex... it always reminds me of the james bond movie and the cigarette case, which bond i cannot recall. Matthew is cool, he made me look good...

Steve... also in the Clockwork Orange film in the end. Though I have never seen the HGTTG show...

David... it was a great time, I think I talked with him one more time a year or two later.

Malanie... thank you and you see me... in 1998 maybe. I am much more together now, maybe.

Sheena... it's funny sometimes we get a corner or a box to work around in... this was the whole floor... that is another story.

Tina... this was the third show i worked on and not the last... you can sort of see the sweat building. It was hard to hold, you wouldn't think so... like simple torture.

Maurice... somewhere I have a art book that he drew a Darth Vader and signed it, someone in the crew got that one. I got a better one from a guy named Stan... wink!

Roland... I have been very fortunate to meet a great group over the last 25 years or more... Mic is the enemy.

Shauna... Mics are wireless now and we get them around our necks.

Elizabeth... awkward is my middle name, I think something always went weird... makes as you said for great memories.

Heather... cool, now a lot of my meetings are via internet... I have an interview coming soon with another famous cat...

Al... it was a childhood dream, I somewhere down the road I talked with Chewie, Darth Maul, C3PO, R2D2, Boba Fett and a few more.. not that gives away anything.

Jeremy [Retro] said...

Jessica... thank you, i hope that it never runs out...

Arlee Bird said...

Another great celebrity encounter story. I know that feeling of holding something like that. Very uncomfortable. You handled it like a pro.

Lee
Tossing It Out

dolorah said...

Awesome experience. Thanks for the adventure tonight Jeremy :)

.......dhole