After we produced "Furious Furniture" our next project was a half-hour the sketch comedy shot called "What's On?". The concept was someone sitting down to watch television, simply switching channels, trying to see what's on (duh) and as they switched from station to station, the sketches were various "programs in progress" they landed on.
This group of photos was taken while shooting our signature Wheezer Productions ("Yup, this one's a Wheezer") opening sequence, at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon. How we ever got the owners of the park to agree to let us use the Mad Mouse and shoot this for free is beyond me. I know we put a credit at the end of the show, but as I remember it, no money changed hands.
The time, 1985. The place, Merkins Restaurant, somewhere between here and there. Big Jim. The Waitress. The Cook. And some really pissed off furniture.
"Furious Furniture" is a 20 minute video that is a take off of the old horror B movie. These photos were taken during shooting. It took about ten nights of shooting over five weeks. The restaurant we shot at (Coco's at Sylvan in Portland, Oregon) let us start at 11:00pm and we had to be done and out by 6:00am the next morning. Originally produced for Portland Cable Access, we entered the video into several film/video festivals around the country. We get reports that it is still aired on Portland Cable Access from time to time.
Plans are underway to digitize and convert for viewing via web and DVD. We will post when it's avaiable.
Back in late 1979, Scott Leverenz approached Jay Amicarella about writing a comic strip, based on their experiences of working at several restaurants. Scott did the artwork and Jay did the writing.
This particular stip Leftovers was a redesign of an earlier strip called Scott and Jay did called Bentley's, which involved many of the same characters, in the same restaurant setting. Submitted to many and accepted by none, here lies testament of two guys attempt to succeed in the challenging world of comic strip syndication. Enjoy!
In 1983, recently single after eight years of marriage, I spent some evenings at Hall Street Bar & Grille. At the time "Hill Street Blues" was popular on television, so I did several hundred cartoons as my "Hall Street Blues" series. Mostly done on 3 x 5 cards, I sat in the bar and slowly sipped my beer. These selections represent the essence of the lot. - Scott Leverenz
This Album contains random comix, cartoons, illustrations and photos from the twisted minds of Scott Leverenz, Steve Lindestedt, Neil Sterett, Jay Amicarella, Mike Murnin, Doug Byers, Tom O'Brien and Greg Phillips.
Heed this warning - if you are easily offened, please do not continue into this gallery. You need a twisted sense of humor and a very thick skin. We don't want to hear about it later.
You've been warned.
- The Wheezer Society
Thought for the day courtesy of Wheezer Jay Amicarella: "What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.” – Albert Pine
Wheezer Doug Byers has been going his chicken farm up in Hood River, Oregon....
He's also been accumulating various farm animals besides chickens, too. A couple of bacon factories, some goats, ducks and geese to round things off, for now. Here's some shots of the chicken out in the field, along with a shot of the chicken coop.
Have you seen the little piggies, crawling in the dirt?
With the financial mess our government has gotten us into, it's time to start paying up. Someone has to help pay for all those poor failed bank executives and fellow American's who signed up for mortgages they could' pay back! Guess that's us law abiding taxpayers, eh?