I received some sad news recently. John Rawlins, an old college buddy and frequent co-writer, passed away last month. They posted his obituary here.
When I transferred to NYU for my junior year of college, I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do...or rather admit to myself what I wanted to do. I wanted to write. But in my neighborhood writing wasn't considered a valid career. I went to the student advisor, to try to figure out what I needed to do to get to write. He really didn't have much to tell me, but he did pull out a flyer advertising a meeting looking to form a new student organization, a college humor magazine, and said maybe I should check it out. I did. And with that, I had found my college tribe. I've written about the Plague before. It really was a important time for me.
When I transferred to NYU for my junior year of college, I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do...or rather admit to myself what I wanted to do. I wanted to write. But in my neighborhood writing wasn't considered a valid career. I went to the student advisor, to try to figure out what I needed to do to get to write. He really didn't have much to tell me, but he did pull out a flyer advertising a meeting looking to form a new student organization, a college humor magazine, and said maybe I should check it out. I did. And with that, I had found my college tribe. I've written about the Plague before. It really was a important time for me.
Now, John Rawlins, he was one of the founding members of The Plague. He was a low-key guy with a droll, dry sense of humor. And how he could write. While I was attempting to mimic old time comedy, John was pulling together impossible ideas and creating outrageous material that oft times veered into the absurd. Our sensibilities couldn't be more different, but as we worked on the magazine, we developed a rhythm, a creative back & forth, that we put to use writing things together. There would come sketches, radio scripts, stage pieces, animation and more.
He was a film major. I remember a short he made about Christmas decorations. The Plague produced a stage show that we wrote, produced and directed. The results? We meant well. There was the time the Plague got to decorate the front window of the building that housed the student clubs and activities. We did a parody of an amusement park called the Plague-ground. John was front and center for each.
He was a film major. I remember a short he made about Christmas decorations. The Plague produced a stage show that we wrote, produced and directed. The results? We meant well. There was the time the Plague got to decorate the front window of the building that housed the student clubs and activities. We did a parody of an amusement park called the Plague-ground. John was front and center for each.
As college was winding down, we sought other venues to write for. I remember answering an ad for a writer. A guy wanted to do a "guide to college" parody. For some reason I talked the guy into letting the other Plague members write with me. We did several chapters, some pretty slick material, but the guy didn't care for any of it and the thing died.
I don't totally remember the exact events, but I know we took a class in stand-up comedy together. The only thing I remember about that is when the teacher asked John, who is from Jamaica, Queens, where he was from, John answered, "Jamaica." When the teacher asked "Queens or the island?" John replied, "the island." And he let the guy go on believing that he was from the Caribbean responding to each question with this deadpan wit. I was flabbergasted! You could just do that with people?? I couldn't wrap my mind around it, John was fearless.
From that class we met a guy who was "working" with some people who were doing comedy. He thought we were funny and invited us to join. Turns out that a group was looking do some type of film but wound up doing a comedy fanzine instead. It was called "Salvador Deli," and we wrote with them (I need to pull them out and scan them for the blog). That group ended up in NJ creating a comedy show for a public access station there. We wrote and acted in the show. As of now, the only two sketches I posted were ones I wrote or co-wrote and performed in. The first sketch was a cold open explaining what we were doing. John and I were two of the reporters. We're knelling in front of the camera because the "stage" for the press agent wasn't high enough and we needed the camera shot over our heads.
I don't totally remember the exact events, but I know we took a class in stand-up comedy together. The only thing I remember about that is when the teacher asked John, who is from Jamaica, Queens, where he was from, John answered, "Jamaica." When the teacher asked "Queens or the island?" John replied, "the island." And he let the guy go on believing that he was from the Caribbean responding to each question with this deadpan wit. I was flabbergasted! You could just do that with people?? I couldn't wrap my mind around it, John was fearless.
From that class we met a guy who was "working" with some people who were doing comedy. He thought we were funny and invited us to join. Turns out that a group was looking do some type of film but wound up doing a comedy fanzine instead. It was called "Salvador Deli," and we wrote with them (I need to pull them out and scan them for the blog). That group ended up in NJ creating a comedy show for a public access station there. We wrote and acted in the show. As of now, the only two sketches I posted were ones I wrote or co-wrote and performed in. The first sketch was a cold open explaining what we were doing. John and I were two of the reporters. We're knelling in front of the camera because the "stage" for the press agent wasn't high enough and we needed the camera shot over our heads.
The other bit was something I vividly remember. I wrote it. The whole cast got to be in it, and although I was the weakest link in the sketch (why do I sound like Jerry Lewis when I try to act anxious?) I thought it played quite well. It was a parody of the very well-know Pepsi commercials of the time. John as the stricken consumer steals the show. He just underplays it and runs off with the bit.
Later on, John and I fell in with a comic, who had fallen in with a couple of actors who were doing a show on Manhattan's public access channel. We started writing sketches for them. Then we got cocky and starting writing ourselves into their show. At the time we got involved they had only done a couple of episodes, then went into repeats as they scrambled for production money and studio space. When the show taped its first new episode in months, John and I wrote a cold open to parody the situation by making it look like the show had a cult following. We convinced Big B and the cast that us writers had to do it because the idea wouldn't work if the cast was pretending not to be the cast. That's John on the far left, wearing Frankenstein make-up, explaining the premise of the fan club. That's my then-future wife seated to the right (she married me anyway after this). Note me mouthing the words as others read them off the cue cards..
We wrote a radio script, "Captain Useless," which we repurposed over and over again, trying to get it produced, even to the point of pitching it as an episode of Galaxy Rangers to attempt to spin it off as a cartoon show. I had used the original radio script as my writing sample to get the gig at Galaxy Rangers. And when I learned that they were still seeking writers, I got them to interview John, based on the radio script they had already read. He became one of their go-to writers, handling every turn of this western/sci-fi/space show adroitly and with remarkable humor.
At one point after collage, John was working in lower Manhattan which allowed us to meet up and work on Galaxy Ranger scripts. It also allowed us to eat lunch at the local Roy Rodgers fast food restaurant and buy the kids meals that featured the Galaxy Rangers.
We were also part of a theater troupe, Pen to Stage Productions, which was a writer-driven group. John wrote a lot of stage pieces for them. He got to direct. He got to act. He was a comedic force to be reckoned with.
We were also part of a theater troupe, Pen to Stage Productions, which was a writer-driven group. John wrote a lot of stage pieces for them. He got to direct. He got to act. He was a comedic force to be reckoned with.
As the years trudged along, we drifted apart. I was married with kids, he moved to Jersey. There was some minor interaction on Facebook in recent years, especially when other members of Pen-To-Stage created a homepage. I had to put him in touch with the Writers Guild when they came looking for him concerning some European money for Galaxy Rangers. When the GR issued their DVD collection, I was invited to participate and I immediately brought in John to be part of it. Between the two of us, we were responsible for nearly 1/6 of their season.
Even though he was out of sight, he was always on my mind. I dwell in the past a lot, but when there are such unique and special people I've run in the course of my life that's a good thing. I'm thankful his family thought to contact me. I'm sorry I let people drift out of my life. I'm not a people person as a rule, but with people like John Rawlins, exceptions should be made.
