puppetmaker: (Vincent Face)
[personal profile] puppetmaker
What does a vampire call a squad of Cheerleaders?

A Happy Meal!
(This will make more sense later.)

Ariel called me yesterday at SDCC. I was sitting with Peter, Blaze James, Claudio and Chondra Sanchez at the outdoor bar at the Marriott. It was both a business meeting and a catch-up with friends. The day was sunny with a breeze so it was very comfortable outside. I heard my phone and pulled it out. I saw it was Ariel.

“Hey kid, what’s up?”

“Are you sitting down?”

“Yep. Here with Blaze, Chondra and Claudio. Why?”

“Marty Gear passed away. I thought you should know from me before you read it somewhere else.”

We talked a bit more and I hung up. I told Peter what had happened. I swear it got a little cloudy at that point.

Marty and I tried to figure out the first time I met him and his wife Bobbi and we couldn’t come up with it. It was at some convention somewhere that’s all we could put together.

Honestly it didn’t matter. Marty and Bobbi made you feel welcome. If you costumed then you were part of their clan.

Marty was known for a lot of different things in costuming. He ran costume calls like a finely oiled machine. He was a great MC. He would dress up as a vampire called Uncle Vlad and would tell the worst vampire jokes and shaggy dog stories on this planet. He took great pride in this.

I worked with Marty as a workmanship judge for many a year. He taught me a lot about how to be a good judge and what he looked for in a costume. His eye for detail was amazing. If something was stated as screen accurate, he would hold them to that. The details from the back were as important as the details to the front.

He was a fun person to talk to. We had many a conversation about all kinds of topics. People would drift in and out of the conversation. It was comfortable to talk to him. We discussed major things in our lives with each other. We told each other theater stories. I taught him a lot about how to put a puppet together.

He was much beloved by many and he will be missed.

We were talking about Shoreleave and getting together to catch up on things. Now I am going knowing that there is going to be a serious Marty sized hole at the convention.

I will miss his quips and advice. Heck I will miss those jokes that made me both laugh and groan at the same time.

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?

Frostbite!


Rest in Peace Marty. I will miss the bad jokes a lot and you even more.

I am grateful that I had Marty Gear in my life.

Date: 2013-07-19 03:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dulcinbradbury.livejournal.com
I will really miss Marty.

Date: 2013-07-19 03:53 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hockeycat.livejournal.com
He was a wonderful man, he will be sorely missed.

Date: 2013-07-19 03:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jcbemis.livejournal.com
great tribute!

Date: 2013-07-19 04:31 pm (UTC)
readinggeek451: plush calico cat (calico cat)
From: [personal profile] readinggeek451
I didn't know him personally, but he was a great Masquerade MC, bad jokes and all. Sounds like he was a great guy, as well. He will definitely be missed.

Date: 2013-07-19 04:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dulcinbradbury.livejournal.com
He was a fabulous MC. One of the things he could do that almost no one else could? You could put Marty on com. So he'd be up there going through his patter & introducing the entries? And in one ear, he'd have the stage crew directions. It meant that all the show caller needed to do was say "Marty: Stall." And Marty could not only fill with patter, but get told what was going on, how long they'd need to go, and when they were ready again. (Most MCs have a light on the podium that lights up to tell them something is wrong. But there's no way to give them a message about things without sending someone on stage.)

Date: 2013-07-19 04:45 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mbarr.livejournal.com
On comm hell: He had a custom earpiece!

Yes, the dirty old gentleman will be missed. I even didn't mind that it was my wife he was leering at :)

Date: 2013-07-19 05:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dulcinbradbury.livejournal.com
::grins:: That's right, he did!

And yah, you couldn't take that flirting seriously at all. Cyn was telling me that he once told her she was "slightly too old" to be his mistress.

::sighs:: I'm glad I'm not going to WorldCon this year. I'd be sobbing when they got to his name in the memorial list.

Date: 2013-07-21 04:07 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] wherdafux-d-cat.livejournal.com
I'm so sorry, Kath. I don't know the least thing about him aside from what you've mentioned here but damn, he sounds like a right treat to have known. Peace to you and yours, him and his.

Date: 2013-07-22 09:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] regalpewter.livejournal.com
He touched so many lives, I have been reading other's memories of him and discovered a consistency of Marty. Take the time to care.
He was truly a gentle man and we can only honor him by following his example.
My own memories are in my Journal, thank you for sharing yours...
YIS,
WRI

Date: 2013-07-25 11:12 am (UTC)
ext_73044: Tinkerbell (Default)
From: [identity profile] lisa-marli.livejournal.com
Definitely a wonderful man. Every time I had to be in his circle, it was always a great time. He will be missed.

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