Volunteering at FanExpo 2012

Michael J. Fox's disease is terrible. It is the reason he founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research. Volunteering is not terrible. It is the reason I spent Friday evening and all day Saturday at FanExpo.

At this point the news is old. Sure, if I wanted I *could* just hit 88 mph in the Time Machine, go back and write this post before FanExpo, but I can't seem to get my hands on any plutonium. Sure, in 2015 I will be able to walk right in to my corner store and buy it, but for now I'm stuck.

So, back to FanExpo. My friend, owner of this amazing Time Machine, had a wedding to attend, so I volunteered to raise funds with his brother at the exhibit.

People usually go crazy for DeLoreans and there was no exception at this massive nerd-fest. Ok, don't get all angry that I just called it a nerd-fest. It's okay. I'm allowed to say that. I am one of you.

Besides, you know it's true.

Many commented that FanExpo was nothing more than a cash-grab these last 2 years, but said they were happy to see someone doing something for charity. Many were more than happy to hand over $20 to sit in the Time Machine and take photos. Some were happy to donate even more than that. To those people: thank you.

To the Hulk, who tried to rip the front bumper off the car, thank you for your donation. To the Staypuft Marshmallow (wo)man, thank you. To Doctor Who, thank you. To all the girls in their teeny tiny costumes, thank you, thank you, thank you. To those "inebriated" scientists, thank you. To Omni Television for helping spread the word about this car even further, thank you.

To Venessa in her Transformer DeLorean costume, thank you. To Marty McFly, thank you. To anyone not in a costume, thank you. To all the excited people who were happy to give to such a worthy cause and stop and chat for a bit, thank you. And to Christopher Lloyd coming to Canada and drawing even more attention to the Time Machine, thank you.

Even without Christopher Lloyd in the car lines were long and people's patience was tested. The rooms were hot, crowded and smelled of sweaty farts. So if you stuck it out and donated your hard-earned money, I sincerely thank you. Alternately, if you stuck it out and donated stolen money, I also sincerely thank you.

Steam Trains & DeLoreans: BTTF 3!

On Canada Day 2012 I travelled through time. Right back to 1883. It was "the Coolest vehicle of the 1980s meets the coolest vehicle of the 1880s" in Tottenham, north of Toronto.

Our car club, which includes one Time Machine DeLorean, gathered at the South Simcoe Railway and rode the only functioning steam powered train in Ontario: Canadian Pacific engine 136. It is among a very small handful of steam trains still operational in Canada.

The boiler was warmed up the night before, and the engineer began stoking the fire around 6 a.m. Four hours later the DeLoreans began rolling in. We admired the engine, built in 1883, as crowds gathered around our cars beneath clouds of steam and smoke.

A sight to behold, everyone loved the combination of cars and trains. But a battle was brewing as the Time Machine silently faced off against the steam train. It was the power of the future vs. the power of the past, as Mr. Fusion's supreme efficiency taunted the coal-fed locomotive. Black tears rolled down the front of #136 as she pulled away from the station.

All this action really gave me a yearning to watch Back to the Future 3 again.

This hobby really is amazing. The people I've met are so interesting and fun. It's not just car-guys - the steam train is a perfect example of that. The South Simcoe Railway is run by volunteers who are doing essentially the exact same thing I am doing. They are preserving a piece of history, a piece of beautiful technology from the past. And they're doing it because they love it.

D-Rex Will Crush Your Face

Six years ago DCS Chicago celebrated the 25th anniversary of the DeLorean. It was the first DCS show I'd ever attended. I've now been to 4 shows, and the awesomeness hasn't dwindled.

D-Rex, the monster truck DeLorean returned to DCS 2012, and this time I got to see and hear it driving. Sure, it's not a true PRV-powered DeLorean: it's a DeLorean body on top of a Chevy 4x4 chassis. But it's huge, it's loud, and it's awesome. Alongside Rich's D-Rex was his Limousine with six, count 'em, six gullwing doors.

In addition to these two, the DeLorean Motor Company had the new DMC EV on display. You know the one. It's been all over the internet. The interior is updated and includes door launch buttons! It will purportedly use a 400 volt AC induction liquid cooled electric motor producing 260 hp (194 kW) and 360 lb·ft (490 N·m) of torque providing 0-60 mph acceleration of 4.9 seconds. Would you pay $90,000 for one?

The DeLorean prototype, named Proto1, was back again and owner Tony Ierardi announced it would be changing hands. Additionally, five unique-engined DeLoreans included the stage III supercharger (5 psi), a carbureted version, a Corvette LS1 engine swap, an Acura TL 3.2L engine swap and a turbocharged Toyota Supra inline six (2JZ) engine swap.

Back to the Future stars like Jeffrey Weissman (George McFly), Andrew Probert (artist), Kevin Pike (F/X) and writer/producer Bob Gale also joined in the fun. Claudia Wells (Jennifer Parker) even remembered my name - Marty. Should I be impressed? As if that wasn't awesome enough, Don Fullilove aka Mayor Goldie Wilson made an awesome surprise visit, awesomely posing for photos and signing (awesome) autographs.

Awesome.

Finally, making a very special appearance was the only screen-used DeLorean in private hands. The Time Machine from Back to the Future III was on display and, not surprisingly, drew a crowd.

Despite (usually) being the only Canadians at the DCS shows, we always have a great time and have made a couple of very close friends. If you weren't at DCS Orlando, you missed an amazing time and should plan on attending DCS 2014 in Dayton, Ohio.

Oh and if you recall, I was going to talk to James Espey regarding the unusual spare tire I have. Unfortunately it completely slipped my mind. Maybe he'll drop by my blog again with an answer.


DCS 2010
DCS 2008 #1
DCS 2008 #2
DCS 2006 #1
DCS 2006 #2
DCS 2006 #3

Why Crispin Glover Was Fired

Crispin Glover isn't normal. Some say he's a recluse. I can understand why that rumor started. He hasn't exactly been in too many summer blockbusters lately and his autograph is a tough one to get.

I met Crispin Hellion Glover this week, in Toronto. I had a preconceived notion he'd be wild and loud. Zany even. And his performance (of his books) was exactly that. We then watched his film, What Is It? and attended a Q&A session. During that lengthy period he only answered a handful of questions, but his passion for and knowledge of the film industry were obvious.

Important to him more than money was ethics, both business and personal. He recounted his firing from Back To The Future.

For years, at DCS shows, Bob Gale told our group Crispin's demand for the same salary as Michael J. Fox was the primary reason (among many) for his firing. Crispin tells it differently.

According to Crispin, he was fired for questioning a number of things in Back to the Future Part II, including scenes of the alternate 1985 where the families were rich, and had black house slaves. He said the message portrayed was that money would buy happiness, something inappropriate to convey to kids.

The movie was undeniably edited, but Crispin was gone. He admited he was young and idealistic at the time. When he confronted Bob Zemeckis about making the script changes, he recalled Zemeckis saying: "Crispin, I know you like to make weird movies. I've made weird movies too. There's one called Used Cars. And you know what happened after I made that movie? I didn't work for FOUR YEARS! I want to be rich!"

Take what you will from that.

He and Zemeckis have since reconciled, and he continues to work in the film industry. But his zeal lies with his own work. What is it? is full of things that are wrong. Things the viewer should be questioning. Actors with down-syndrome kill snails (it's real) and attack each other in a cemetery. They bury a muse alive. Puppets present (actual) racist albums and Charles Manson's (actual) music plays as naked women in monkey masks do sexual things to Steven C. Stewart who (truly) has cerebral palsy.

And then there is Nazi Shirley Temple.

You've never seen anything like it. If he comes to your city, watch the movie in awe at how his mind works. Crispin Glover isn't normal.

DeLorean Time Machine

"Back To The Future" celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, and DeLorean hype had never been higher. My friend Ken rode that wave all year. You see, Ken has a Time Machine!

His 95% screen-accurate Back to the Future Time Machine was featured in magazines, newspapers, and a Spike TV commercial "copy" of a 1980s BTTF teaser commercial. It was re-shot scene-for-scene to duplicate the original. View it here. It is impressive. I kid you not.

A couple of weeks ago I was supposed to accompany Ken, and the rest of the gang to a car show. However, my DeLorean was having a spa day at DPI and couldn't make it. So Ken gave me the honour and privilege of taking his Time Machine! A Time Machine that Michael J. Fox sat in. Yes, our butts have touched.

If you think driving a Time Machine is all fun and games, well, you'd be right. But you'd also be wrong. Oh yes. Very, very wrong. Why? Not only do you have to negotiate rabid fans all the while waving and smiling to them, but you have to shift gears, steer, and avoid peeping toms falling out of trees. It's tough!

To make things worse (for driving, not for being awesome, let's get that straight) the car is absolutely FULL of stuff. Hoverboards, Sports almanacs and various sunglasses crowd you. If you dig around, you may even find ol' Einstein hiding in there somewhere. The car is AMAZING. The details are superb. People rushed the car and dozens of kids thought it was the actual movie car.

When I say the car is screen-accurate, what I mean is that it matches the DeLorean used in the Back to the Future films almost exactly. And movie cars weren't exactly made to be driven. They were made to look cool. And "cool" comes at a price. Most notably, the time circuits. Those pesky time circuits and keypad block the heating & cooling controls, and make shifting really annoying. Especially with the ON lever for the time circuits so close. I bumped that lever so many times... I know exactly how Marty accidentally turned them on escaping the Libyans.

But it's all worth it. The car is unbelievable. And when that flux capacitor is fluxing, everything is instantly 200% more awesome. It always draws a huge crowd, and that's what Ken is hoping for. Because the car is for hire. No, I'm not kidding around. If you would like to rent it, visit www.timemachineforhire.com. Proceeds to go Team Fox, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

Hyper For Hyperdunks

I'm hyper for hyperdunks - shoes so fantabulously nerdy they shouldn't exist - to replace my malnourished, neglected Nike's. And the new Nike Back To The Future "McFly 2015" hyperdunk was almost the shoe of choice.

Almost?

If you haven't heard already, the new Nike basketball shoe is sweeping the footwear world like no other shoe. Why? Because it's ultra cool, mega nerdy, and produced in massively limited numbers.

In April 2007 I received an email from Kev, the same Kev who hooked me up with the idea for 2005's self-perpetuating Zombie walk. Knowing I was a huge Back To The Future nerd, and being an extraordinarily thoughtful fellow, he sent me a link to a wild shoe petition.

The site was www.mcfly2015.com, an online petition started by Michael 'Mickey' Maloof and his brother to convince Nike to make the self-lacing Nike Air Mag that Marty McFly wore in Back To The Future II. I signed the petition immediately, and in the ensuing nail-biting months about 40,000 others followed suit.

On July 2, Nike released 350 pairs of the McFly hyperdunk in California, and plans to release only 1,000 more later this month. Within hours the $240-shoes were fetching thousands of dollars on eBay.

That's right. THOUSANDS. And NO, they don't have power laces.

Even still, I couldn't stop my panic-induced freak out as I began calling Foot Locker's head office, and every other leading and specialty (Zero Count) shoe store I could think of. Thirty phone calls later I learned that Canada would not be getting the new hyperdunk. My plan, to park my DeLorean out front of a store to attract more attention if the manager could guarantee me a pair, faded into salty, repulsive tears of anger and frustration.

Yes, this was upsetting news, especially considering it was a fellow Canadian, and his online petition, who convinced Nike to make the shoe in the first place. I contacted Mickey Maloof for more information.

During his talks with the CEO and president of Nike, Mark Parker, Mickey learned that they've got something up their sleeve. "The voices have been heard. Stay tuned." said Mr. Parker. This morning I asked Mickey if he felt slighted that Nike wouldn't give, or sell him a pair and he only had this to say: "Nike called me yesterday..."

That's where our conversation ended. No explanation. No further insight.

So, if you're as big a nerd as I am, hold off forking out a cleverly-priced $2,015 for the Nike McFly's because it seems the story isn't over. Nike's got a plan in the works. Yep, something's afoot, if you'll pardon the pun, and I'll see if I can squeeze anything else out of Mickey Maloof.

In the meantime, sign the petition!

Claudia Wells Is #1

Celebrities sell. Watching my blog's stats I've discovered that the number 1 search that brings readers to my blog is Claudia Wells, aka Jennifer Parker from Back To The Future. I'm not sure if people are looking for information on her store, Armani Wells, 12404 Ventura Blvd., Studio City CA, 91604, Phone (818) 985-5899... or they're simply looking for a photo of Claudia Wells. Whichever they need, DMC&ME delivers! (As long as it's photos with me in them)

I first met Claudia in 2006 at the Chicago show, or DCS 2006. I talked with her a little bit, learned a little about her high-end clothing store, mostly by eavesdropping, and generally had a really great time.

This year, at DCS 2008 Gettysburg, things were a little different. Although the actors still mingled and chatted with us, there was also a strict schedule to stick to for things like signing autographs and taking pee breaks. And that is the reason I wasn't able to have James Tolkan, aka the awesomely strict Mr. Strickland, sign my copy of the Back To The Future trilogy. Suz and I were busy touring the battlefield Saturday, and I'm sure I'd be declared a slacker for not trying hard enough to make it back to the Hotel.

But I'm glad to say I was able to talk with Mr. Tolkan during dinner on the first night. However, I felt that he would've been more comfortable entertaining a crowd than having a 1-on-1 conversation with a stranger pointing a camera in his face in the middle of a field...with no police in sight. Now Jeffrey Weissman, aka George McFly (BTTF II & III) is a different story. It's safe to say Jeff has as much fun with intimate conversation as he does up on stage with a thousand ears listening to him. (And even more fun with frisbees in the pool.)

When he first approached me, I was a little shocked to see that Jeffrey (seemingly?) remembered me from the Chicago show. A few minutes later Suz, myself and Jeffrey boarded a tour bus bound for the battlefields of Gettysburg.

During our excursion we chatted a bit, and listened intently to our tour guide's enthralling telling of the one of the Grim Reaper's busiest 3 days ever. This is when I learned of Jeffrey's friend. A friend who, before passing away, had compiled a book of poetry written by U.S. Civil War soldiers.

Sensing our interest in the book which was just published a few months ago, he kindly offered to send us a copy. Before we left, he gave me his email address and offered to stay in touch. It was a fantastic way to end the DCS 2008 Gettysburg vacation.

Armani Wells website.

Doc Brown Doesn't Drive A F*cking Mustang!

As soon as I saw him at DCS 2008 I said to Suz, "I think that's Bob Gale!" I remember that when I said it, I felt stupid and nervous. I was nervous that somebody may have overheard me and if I were wrong, I would have felt extremely stupid.

Suz didn't know who he was. In fact, I'm embarrassed to admit, I didn't really know either. I told her that Bob Gale was either the man who wrote Back To The Future, or the man who Produced it, or possibly both.

Turns out 'both' was correct.

At my first opportunity, I approached Mr. Gale, held my Back To The Future trilogy in my outstretched hand, and practically humiliated myself with my phrasing blunder, "I'd love you if you'd sign this for me." This verbal goofage was ironically reminiscent of Marty McFly waking up in 1955 only to have an awkward conversation with his own mother.

Bob Gale signed my trilogy as well as a replica poster of the first Back To The Future movie. He explained to me that, "With a name like Marty, I just had to sign it 'Great Scott!' That's how Christopher Lloyd signs things at these meets." And Bob, if you ever read this, please accept my apology for the slight paraphrasing there. And also for that "love you" thing. Yeah.

But Bob wasn't the only celebrity attending DeLorean Car Show 2008. There was a surprise for all of us: Lee Meriwether, famous for so many things that I can't even possibly hazard a guess as to which she is most known for, also attended, looking absolutely fantastic. Lee Meriwether - who would've thought? The winner of the first televised Miss America pageant in 1954; Catwoman, in the 1966 "Batman" movie; an actress who has been on countless classic television shows such as Star Trek, Mission Impossible, The Love Boat and who currently plays a character on All My Children.

You couldn't walk around a corner without bumping into someone famous. On Friday afternoon Suz and I boarded the Gettysburg Battlefield tour bus. And who sat on the seat behind us? That's right, Lee Meriwether. Not only that, but the back of the bus was loaded with Jeff Weissman, aka George McFly from Back To The Future II and III. Yes, even celebrities enjoy a little bit of history.

And the excitement didn't stop there. Lee even joined us for the aerial group photo, where us goofball DeLorean owners stood on a grassy field, using our nerdy bodies to spell out the word 'DELOREAN'. Sandwiched between Lee and yours truly were the rest of the dorks whose duty it was to form the letter L.

On the final night of DCS 2008, the celebrities took to the stage while we rammed tasty food into our mouths. Bob Gale recounted a number of stories regarding the making of the Back To The Future movies, both the troubles, and the joys. During his speech, someone asked him to explain the shirt he was wearing - and he regaled us with the famous story (among BTTF fans anyway) which went a little bit like this.

Product placement (think Pepsi) was big in the Back To The Future movies and someone was hired to manage that aspect of the film. However, according to Mr. Gale, she didn't have a clue what she was doing and ended up subcontracting the job to a shyster. As a prime example of his shadiness, he acquired a large sum of money from Sherwin-Williams, telling them that for (approx.) $10K, he'd ensure the main character walks into a Sherwin-Williams paint store in 1955. When Bob got wind of this, he confronted the shyster and reminded him there is no such scene in the movie. The shyster explained, "I'll just tell them the paint store scene ended up on the cutting room floor."

Week after week this guy's behaviour was grating on Bob and the rest of the team. Finally, he entered Bob's office one day exclaming he had great news. Bob listened nervously while he explained that Ford promised them 50 grand if they changed the Time Machine from a DeLorean to a Mustang. Bob had had enough. The only words to escape his mouth at that meeting were, "Doc Brown Doesn't Drive A Fucking Mustang!" and the rest is well, history. So to speak.

DCS 2006

DeLorean Car Show 2008

DCS 2008 was held in historic Gettysburg, PA and as if a hundred and fifty stainless, glistening DeLoreans (and a Back To The Future Time Machine or two) weren't enough, the Bricklin group joined us as well. Yes, Bricklin - the other gull-winged car. Even Malcolm Bricklin himself attended and judged the Concours event for the SV-1s.

As usual, there were DeLorean-related wares being sold, events to participate in, and Back To The Future movie alumnii to mingle with. With so much nerdy excitment happening in just three days, it's actually kind of surprising that a mega-nerd such as myself, and NBA (nerd by association) Suz missed out on a few of the activities. But the allure of the battlefields of Gettysburg kept us occupied for longer than we expected.

However, one thing we didn't miss was the panoramic group photo with James Tolkan, famous for his roles as hard-ass Mr. Strickland in the Back To The Future trilogy, as well as Stinger in Top Gun. The scene, rows and rows of DeLoreans parked strategically on the grass and flanked by Bricklins, was so spectacular that not even Fox News missed it!

While Mr. Tolkan was being interviewed by Fox News, Suz and I wandered away to admire the amazing assortment of blinding stainless toys which included Marc Levy's twin turbo DMC-12, an original Legend Industries turbo pictured at top. The beastly turbo, estimated to deliver 230 hp, even features twin SAAB intercoolers, just to add another bit of international awesomeness to the Belfast-built machine.

Saturday night's banquet featured six Concours trophies being awarded, the usual raffle prizes, and a number of presentations including Universal Studio's Artist, Andrew Probert, showing the original and vastly different storyboard to Back To The Future.

To nutshell it for you, replace the lightning striking the clock tower with a desert A-Bomb test and you've got one hell of an expensive special effect that they couldn't afford. But if you want to imagine it, swap in the nuclear explosion from Indiana Jones 4 and you've got a pretty good idea of what they wanted to do. Makes you want to watch Back To The Future all over again, doesn't it? (The correct answer is Yes)

DCS 2006

Meme From Ms. Creek

The Rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.

3. Write six random things about you in your blog post.

4. Tag six people in your post.

5. Let each person know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

Here comes the Randomness:

1. I own a rare piece of automotive history; a 1981 DeLorean.

2. I collect Back To The Future paraphernalia.

3. Bob Gale, writer and producer of the Back To The Future trilogy, and Claudia Wells who played Jennifer Parker in BTTF #1, have both autographed my Back To The Future trilogy.

4. I have the original key to my DeLorean, which is a bit unusual.

5. I've had a few photographs published in DeLorean World Magazine, including this one, of my Suz, at the 25th Anniversary of the DeLorean in Chicago.

6. I like the feeling of cleaning my ears with a Q-tip.

I'm now going to tag six people to do the same thing: Michael Jackson (because he's awesome), Michael J. Fox (because he's awesomer), Michael Meyers (because he's super creepy), Michael Myers (because I LOVE the movie Halloween), Michael Collins (because Astronauts are radical) and finally, the guy who invented Puffalumps.

More Celebs At DCS 2006

How observant are you? Even if you look closely, you might not recognize the final celebrity I met at the 25th Anniversary of the DeLorean celebration in Chicago last week. With his adorable curls, I was totally surprised to learn that this was Jeffrey Weissman, who played Marty McFly's father, George McFly, in Back To The Future II and Back To The Future III.

George McFly, in the first Back To The Future movie, was played by Crispin Glover with his straight, greasified hair. This slick hairstyle was duplicated on top of Jeffrey Weissman's cranium in the sequels to avoid continuity flaws.

You might not have noticed the style of his hair so much in the second movie, as he spent pretty much all of it suspended upside down in some futuristic 2015 spinal therapy unit-type thingy, while Lorraine hydrated a pizza for dinner. In other scenes, recycled footage of Crispin Glover (who wasn't really given a chance to reprise his role) was used. He sued. He won.

Suz and I had a chance to talk to Jeff Weissman while we hung out next to Video Bob's BTTF booth. Mr. Weissman, dressed in an outstanding blue suit with matching pantaloons, told us of his grand adventures in Canada. When I asked him what he thought of Toronto, he gave the standard "it's a very clean city" response. A huge smile crossed his face when he told us how he was attending a game at the newly opened Skydome during the yes-that's-two-way-glass public sex incident. And as if his trips to Canada weren't interesting enough with that, he was also filming in Quebec back in the '90s when the snooty PQ were rallying and threatening to secede. We continued to talk for a very long time. It was enjoyable.

A few hours later, the final big event of DCS 2006 took place on stage. It was an auction of DeLorean and Back To The Future memorabilia, with none other than the comical Mr. Weissman performing the duties of head auctioneer. His hilarious antics and improv lit up the room and possibly helped bring in some extra cash for some slow-moving items.

Wonder what he's been up to? Was he really in an episode of Saved By The Bell?Check it out!

A Sight For Sore Eyes

Although I saw her many times during the DCS 2006 weekend, it wasn't until the last night that I actually met Claudia Wells, who co-starred as Marty McFly's girlfriend, Jennifer Parker, in the first Back To The Future movie.

In her sparkling gold dress, accompanied by her son who is addicted to 3M plastic picture hooks, she sat down for dinner at the table beside us. With mild butterfly-induced stomach-churnage, I clutched my copy of the Back To The Future trilogy and approached her.

"Hi Claudia. Sorry to bother you just before dinner," I said, "but I would love it if you could sign this for me." She very happily agreed to my request and prepared to sign the DVD case with a nifty black Sharpie. I giddily stood there, not expecting her first question: "And what's your name?"

I kind of laughed when I told her. "Marty" I said. Claudia Wells, aka Jennifer, did a double-take. "Really?" She asked. "Isn't that funny!"

"I know!" I laughed again.

And she signed my Back To The Future trilogy, underneath the english title, just to the left of the damn French title that, by law, has to appear on all Canadian DVDs.

Claudia Wells was cast in the first Back To The Future movie as Marty's awesome girlfriend. She's the one who warned Marty that Strickland was looking for him. She watched Marty's band get turned down in the auditorium, and she didn't get jealous when Marty got distracted by two aerobically-dressed girls in the parking lot. Here she is, sitting in the Mr. Fusion DeLorean at the end of the 1st movie.

When Back To The Future II came out, Claudia Wells was replaced by Elisabeth Shue. According to imdb.com, this was due to health problems. The opening scene of BTTF II was entirely reshot with Elisabeth Shue dressed in the same clothes, and uttering the same lines. Claudia's lines! When I was a kid, all I could think of was 'Booooooo!'

However, now that I've matured (barely), it doesn't bother me. Besides, it's not like Elisabeth Shue is hard to look at.

But during the weekend not one person mentioned Elisabeth Shue. I heard a few comments from guys such as "Who DIDN'T have a crush on Jennifer?" and other various "Claudia's hot" type remarks. Looking back at the movie, when she wrote her number for Marty, 555-4823, I wonder how many of those impressionable guys actually tried to call her. I didn't. But I asked my dad why they would show her number in the movie. "Everybody's going to be calling her!" I said.

Eat Lead Slackers!

James Tolkan , famous for his role as the nasty principal Strickland in the Back To The Future movies, joined the happy DeLorean owners for DCS 2006 in Chicago. Hilarious as can be, he started off the celebration by climbing up on stage and telling us that he saw a bunch of slackers driving Corvettes outside. The crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

Afterwards I ran over to his table so that I could meet this awesome guy and have my picture taken with him. When we learned he was about to celebrate his 75th birthday on June 20th, I realized just how long it has been since Mr. Strickland made that first impression on me back in 1985. Wow, what a mean dude.

You might remember how mean Mr. Strickland was, yelling at Marty "You've got a real attitude problem McFly, you're a SLACKER!" With Marty's sarcastic reply, the nasty Mr. Strickland leaned in closer. "...No McFly ever amounted to anything in the history of Hill Valley!"

This made such a strong impression on me as a 10-year-old kid named Marty. Strickland was so mean, and so great! The anger was so real you could taste it. What is it about the mean dudes that we just love?

But it has to be the second instalment of the Back To The Future franchise in which James uttered his best, and possibly most memorable line. In the alternate future 1985, Hill Valley is ruined and overrun by greasy punks. Strapped with ammo, the Ramboesque Strickland returns fire on his machine-gun toting assailants in style, shouting "EAT LEAD SLACKERS!"

I've always felt a strange connection to the Back To The Future movies, and therefore the actors involved too. I was dying to ask Mr. Tolkan to poke me in the chest and call me a slacker. With the name Marty, it just seemed so right. But I couldn't build up the courage to do it, even when, during dinner, he came by our table, patted me on the back and asked how I was doing.

When Suz and I told James we were from frosty old Canada, he seemed a bit surprised, as nearly everyone present was American. He told us about all the Canadian cities he has filmed in, and how much he liked our country. What a nice thing to say, for a nasty, evil principal!

He has also had roles in many other famous movies like Top Gun and The Amityville Horror, as well as 'Commander Cyrus Quinn' in one of my most favourite, most underrated, short-lived TV series ever: Nowhere Man. If you think James Tolkan rules, check out his long career. I put an easy link there for all you slackers who can't be bothered to look stuff up on your own.