I've never liked seeing myself on television but since I lost a lot of weight, it's become an especially odd experience. Earlier this evening, I finally watched a little mini-doc on the Huckleberry Hound DVD with me among the interviewees. It was shot in March of last year and I must have been near my top weight of 366 pounds at the time. I'm currently at 274 so that's close to a hundred pounds more of me.
Once I get past my discomfort at looking at any version of myself, I have two opposing reactions. One is that I want to have Warner Home Video to recall all the Huck Hound DVDs and issue a "corrected" edition with the shots of me updated. I'm sure they'd be delighted to do this. The other is that I'm glad the old footage is out there so that when people see me now, they'll go, "Hey, you've lost a ton of weight." There are about a dozen other DVDs that have come out in the last year or three that have footage of the old me somewhere amidst the bonus material but I haven't watched any of them.
I'm also aware there are more mixed feelings to come. The Dungeons and Dragons DVD comes out in November and there's a "making of…" documentary on it in which I weigh about 350. At some point in the future, a deluxe 'n' fancy DVD is supposed to come out with the recent Fantastic Four movie on it. As another of those plots to get you to buy another copy of a movie you already purchased, it will be full of special features and extras, one of which is a nice documentary about Jack Kirby. I probably weigh at least 340 in that one. By the time it comes out, I should be under 240.
(To answer the most-asked weight-related question in my e-mail: My doctor thinks I will level off in the vicinity of 220-230. A chart in his office says that "ideal weight" for a large-framed 6'3" Jew is 218 so that should be nice…though I tell everyone that if the shrinking process stopped today, I'd still consider it a success.)
Needless to say, now that I look more like I think I oughta, no one is asking me to appear in any video documentaries about anything. All I'm getting is occasional requests for radio interviews. That's not a hint because I still don't like being in front of a camera and am quite sure I never will. I'm just sharing the irony.