I spent most of last evening out in Santa Monica not celebrating Hanukkah but at a store called The Hundreds. It's misnamed: "Thousands" is more like it. They were having a party to celebrate a new line of Garfield goodies (mainly t-shirts, skateboards and original Garfield-themed works of art) and the place was packed. The photos over on this page make it look crowded but they're nowhere near as peopled as it got there. I wish it had only been that crowded. Those pics are from early in the proceedings. By around 9 PM, folks were jammed in there like Bubbie's Pickles in a jar. Gregg Berger (the voice of Odie) and I took to texting one another on our cellphones when we had to communicate about something. We were about six yards apart but between us were three hundred people so for me to go over to Gregg or for him to get to me was physically impossible. And outside, there was a line-to-get-in that stretched to Davenport, Iowa.
Inside, there were masses talking and drinking and eating lasagna and many of them, though not as many as wanted to, got to meet Jim Davis and get something signed. I kept getting dragged into photo ops and introduced to musicians and actors I probably should have known…but I'm not all that up on the current crop and it was way too noisy in there. So what would happen is that someone would introduce me to a person who was obviously a huge celeb to some and they'd say, "Mark, I want you to meet Rzlfrz Grekswxdd!" I couldn't make out the name but suddenly, there I'd be trying to have a conversation with someone who was apparently so famous that I felt I couldn't say, "Who are you again?" (The only one I knew for sure was Ashlee Simpson.) At one point, straining to be heard by one gent who was apparently a rock musician of some note, I gave up and just muttered something in double-talk jibberish. I think I said, "Krelmfine on the frizzit and voiner freem" and since he couldn't understand me either, he yelled back, "For sure, my man."
Much of the voice cast from the cartoon show was present…at least, the ones who were able to fight their way through the wall of humanity with a machete. I'm still kinda amazed I got out. Jim Davis and his wonderful wife/partner Jill stayed way longer than they'd intended. Matter of fact, they stayed way longer than I did but the line of folks who wanted Jim's signature was endless so long after I got the heck outta there, he was still there trying to disappoint as few of them as would be necessary. For all I know, he's still there.