Roland C. Pearson, better known as “Buster” (1928 – 1985) was responsible for the fascinating publication known as “Monitor”. Begun in the early 1970s as coloured foolscap sheets, by the early 1980s it had progressed into an A5 booklet format. Always crammed with information about Offshore Radio these news-sheets have become even more interesting as time has gone on. Here are a few more issues from 1978 and 1979. Earlier issues are available on the Interweb at various locations. Later (A5 sized) issues may appear here one day if the mood takes me.

Monitor 15

Monitor 16

Monitor 17

Monitor 18

Monitor 19

In 1984, to celebrate 20 years since Radio Caroline began, Buster and the team produced a “20th Anniversary” special edition of Monitor (available here). Enclosed in the next edition of the magazine was a sheet listing the (very few and very minor) errors that had cropped up in the “special”. Just shows his attention to detail.

In April 1986 Radio Caroline broadcast a tribute to Buster Pearson. Although I posted a recording of this previously it was taken from a cassette copy. Here is my original recording from a reel-to-reel tape. The quality isn’t much better but it is slightly longer as it includes a few minutes of programming from both before and after the documentary. (Disclaimer: I’m sure sonically superior recordings of this are undoubtedly available elsewhere.)

Radio Caroline – Tribute to Buster Pearson

PS: Here is a brief lo-fi aircheck of Radio Caroline September 1976 I’ve just found whilst looking for something more interesting….

Seasons greetings

CB:      Don’t buy me any presents this year.
            All I want is for there to be peace and love throughout the world.
Lucy:  Wow, Charlie Brown, do you really mean that?
CB:      No, I think I’ve finally flipped.

PS

The story of how Fredrick Wertham’s Book “Seduction of the Innocent” ultimately led to the demise of most of the EC Comics range and 1950s “horror” comics in general has now become folklore. What has always puzzled me is why it took ten years before the realisation dawned that the obvious solution was magazine-sized “comics” aimed at ”adults” and sold without any need of Comic Code approval. Warren Magazines initially sold well with adult-orientated stories similar to those that had appeared in the ECs and in the 1960s Warren were often using the same artists.(I recommend Warren’s “Blazing Combat” in particular).

Mr Gaines soon successfully moved EC’s “Mad” to a magazine-sized publication and even produced a few magazines such as “Shock Illustrated” featuring “Picto Fiction” which was basically comic strip art alongside text rather than word balloons. Fred seems to be enjoying issue one. Why didn’t Bill or any of the other companies affected immediately enlarge their horror lines from “comic” size to ”magazine” size and continue business as normal whilst they still had a massive and loyal fanbase?? Beats me…..  

Stanley Martin Lieber is rightly famous for creating numerous memorable fictional characters from the ones everyone has heard of down to the lesser known Soldier Zero, Willie Lumpkin, Chili Storm, Fin Fang Foom….Spiderman…. Not every idea he’s had has lasted the test of time though. “Nightcat” was to be a real-life version of “Dazzler”. A comicbook heroine and also a pop singer. The idea was quietly shelved as quickly as it began in 1991 after one comic and one CD and single.

The “real” Nightcat as pictured on the front of the single was Jacqueline Tavarez. Was she chosen because she looked like the comic character or was the comic character drawn to look like her? Who knows. Who cares. I don’t believe the CD has ever been re-issued. Curiosity made me track it down. I was expecting soft-metal but it’s actually forgettable dance pop. I’ve forgotten about it already.

I like this exchange between Lois and Superman from the backup story “The Anti-Superman Club” (originally found in Superman 71).

Superman No 29 UK version

Apart from the missing gun on the cover the oddest thing about this comic, (and presumably other comics issued by Kenneth G.Murray at the time) was that half of the comic consisted of two DC pages reduced and printed sideways. Not something you see every day.

Superman No 24 UK version

I couldn’t actually find any interesting modern stuff so perhaps you could paste your favourite picture in the convenient space provided on the screen. (You should find some sellotape in the cupboard or possibly in the second drawer down).

And then again…..At least modern stuff is relatively affordable. I’ve recently been sent a few pages from an old Tandy Catalogue from 25 years ago. Everything within looks completely naff and monsterously overpriced. Over £900 for a dot matrix printer that is still only “near letter-quality”! Almost three grand for a computer with a mere 20Mb hard disk! Sad to say I once had one with a similar specification.The portable CD player looks like it is housed in the same box as their £14.99 cassette players…..

extracts from a Tandy Catalogue 1986-1987

Thirteeen and a half ?….Fifteen ?…..Twenty One Guineas ?? Blimey !!