Hobbies: Writing, woodcarving, camping, hiking, music, roleplaying games, computers, reading, ren faires, motorcycles (Harleys only!), sci-fi/fantasy/horror, comics, fantasy illustration, anime, and just plain havin' a good time!
The story of Me (starting with "How did you get your nickname?")
I get asked this question all the time, particularly since I am
not as tall as Ted Cassidy (TV Lurch) or Carel Struycken (Movie
Lurch), nor do I resemble either actor. The name started out as
something of a joke. While I was in high school, my nickname
was "Spooky", due to my being tall, thin, pale, quiet, and a
horror buff (I also have an uncanny ability to sneak up on
almost anyone, and seemingly disappear from one side of a person
and reappear on the other side while I'm walking next to them.
I don't do these things on purpose; they just happen of their
own accord).
When I was about 17 though, I worked for a company that was staffed by unusually short people.
The fact that I was about 6" taller than the next-tallest employee, combined with my
deep, somewhat booming voice and (at the time) thin & lanky
frame and awkward manner, caused my supervisor to nickname me
"Lurch" as his way of being mean to me (I had a choice of that
or "Hymie the Robot" from Get Smart; I still think I made
the right choice). Anyway, the name got carried to a whole new
circle of friends (& has stuck ever since) when a co-worker introduced me to his Rocky
Horror cast, which promptly took me in (& didn't let me out
again for 6 years!). I started out as Chuckie Gray (the
Criminologist/Narrator), then a very long stint as Riff Raff
(during which time I met the woman I would later marry --
who played Magenta, naturally), and finally Frank himself
(considered the pinnacle of Rocky-cast performing).
After I hung up my fishnets in '92, I spent a few summers working volunteer
weekends at the Bristol Renaissance Faire in Bristol WI, spending 3 seasons
in the Celts Encampment as drunkard Scotsman "Russell
MacIntosh", before the Faire management cut our group from
the program (my wife & I still hang around the Faire when we can
though, and would like to eventually have our own artisans' booth selling
either staffs and walking sticks, scented oils, candles and herbal products,
or period writing supplies -- we haven't quite decided which will fly the best,
though I'm leaning towards the last choice simply because there's no competition).
To that end I am dabbling in woodcarving and my wife is studying
herbalism (here's hoping our efforts pay off!). In addition, I have renewed the pursuit of my writing career;
if all goes well my work should soon appear in Dragon Magazine, and if I'm really lucky a publisher will pick
up the fantasy trilogy I'm working on!
The Many Faces of Lurch
(click on any thumbnail for the full pic & its caption)
