August 20, 2010

• Uncle Mike Story 6: 20th Anniversary Edition

  From the MikeVideo Archives:

  "The Uncle Mike Story (Part 6)" from 1989

  The video is 12 minutes and 03 seconds long and was remastered in Hi Def, but was created from the original VHS elements. (A lot of the VHS footage is muddy, but this can't be helped.)

  Longtime readers know I post lots of "serial" blogposts. One of them is this autobiographical series, made in 1989. This is Part Six of the series. We begin in late1986, continuing footage from Part Five while I and my roommate Jim moved from Hermosa Beach to Lomita. There is a rendition of the song "Back to Lomita", which we made up on the spot. The second segment includes footage from the 1987 MikeVideo "Sacked" which details my termination from Target stores for "security violations". I'm "interviewed" by Kris Mutt, Target's stuffed Christmas mascot that year. Finally, I move into "The Frat House" with Bob, and you will see footage of my friend, who passed away in 1994. A weird serendipitous side note. While I was watching the video of Bob, I got a phone call. My telephone number is the same one Joel and I had for 14 years in our rented house. Before that, it was Bob's number, from when we all lived in the frat house. Bob was in the service in the late 60s. The guy calling was Matt, calling for Bob. Matt served with Bob in Texas in the Air Force. I and Matt, whom I don't know, had a long conversation about our old friend, who passed away more than 15 years ago. I just sent him the link to my reminisence "The Frat House" and this video! DIRECTOR's COMMENTARY PART 1 IS HERE! Part 2 will be in the next installment.

  I created the full 90 minute vid 20 years ago as an "introduction" to my niece Cinnamon, my sister's daughter, to her "Uncle Mike", hence the title of the video. It is essentially a complete video autobiography of my life up to that point. I've broken the video up into seven 10-12 minute segments or "websisodes" which I have been presenting on my blog.

  It seems every time I post one of these, I'm asked in comments what Cinnamon thought of the video. She loved it, of course, and still has the original copy I made for her. When I visited my sister and her family back in 1990, we all watched the video together, and both Cinnamon and her brother Jaysen asked me why I wasn't on TV making "America's Funniest Home Videos" which was pretty popular back then. Well, I never made it to "TV" but I do have a YouTube Channel!

  Previous Episodes on WhenWordsCollide (Xanga):

  PART ONE (1953-1964 Baby pictures, childhood, elementary school)

  PART TWO (1965-1969 Junior High, First 3 years High School, The story of "Arnold") Entry also includes "Director's Commentary Part One"

  PART THREE (1971-1977 Senior Year of High School, the family move to Glendora, Creative pursuits, College, My parents' death, My sister's marriage, My Friend Evan's bachelor party, move to the South Bay, 1977 Vacation across country, Unemployment, and birth of niece Cinnamon, for whom the video was made.)

  PART FOUR (1977-1986 employment with FedMart, and it's dissolution, a move from Torrance to Lomita, my niece's correspondence, a trip to Lubbock Texas with my friend Tom, my move to Hermosa Beach, and my purchase of my first videocamera.)

  PART FIVE (1986 early video footage taken during that year in the Hermosa Beach apartment. Some of the later scenes were to be included in an unfinished video called "Back to Lomita" filmed during another move, from Hermosa Beach to Lomita.)

  Other Episodes available on YouTube:

  If you would like to see the complete series on YouTube, here are links to the episodes PART 1 (birth-1964)  PART 2 (1965-1969)  PART 3 (1970-1976) (This one),  PART 4 (1977-1986)  PART 5 (1986)  PART 6 (1987-1988) PART 7 (1989) MFN/ppf  

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