Take a trip back in time 10.5.01

When I was about 9, I met Adam West at a car show in Omaha. For those who don't know or could care less, Adam West played Batman on the late 1960s television program "Batman."
In retrospect, the show was campy nonsense and for the true fan of the Dark Knight, it was practically an insult to one of the greatest creation of modern, gothic heroism. But as a kid, I could dig it.
I must have waited inside this throng of hundreds for what seemed like hours. Of course, when you are a kid, 10 minutes seems like an eternity.
He came out on stage fashionably late in a cheap rental version of his TV costume, the cape was ripped and Mr. West made some lame joke about running into Catwoman back stage. No one laughed. It was probably pretty embarrassing, I cannot think of too many circumstances in which an actor would find appearing at car shows to be a real resume booster. So it goes.
I was in awe and just as soon as Batman said, "OK, who is first?" my dad hoisted me up on stage from behind with no warning. What a shock to system, but I was first in line to get my autographed picture.
"What's your name, citizen?" asked Batman.
"Greg," I squeaked.
Scribble, scribble.
"There you go, pal."
I probably wet my paints. I did that a lot back then when I was excited.
I still have the photo framed and squirreled away in an old dresser. I can tell you exactly where it is after 24 years.
The thing I remember most is that meeting Adam West back then was exactly like meeting the real Batman if he were in fact real. At nine, there just is no distinction or at least no good reason to make a distinction.
This week, I got to be a part of something else I really dug when I was nine and that is "Creature Feature." Oh sure, as a reporter you are not part of a story, you are just there to cover it, but tell that to the guy who gets to take a joyride in a fighter jet or the writer who gets to test drive the new Bullit Mustang.
Sometimes, we get to have fun and don't have to hide it and for me, hanging out with the KMTV "Creature Feature" crew was my ride in a jet plane.
I was higher than a tabby on catnip. This was a truly old-school excursion. It was like a time machine from 2001 to 1975.
I know some of you know what I am talking about. Staying up late on a Saturday Night to watch some hideous movie from the 50s that could not be less scary today, but back then I couldn't think of anything more frightening than being awake after my parents were asleep in a relatively dark house. Who knows what kind of psycho could have come breaking through our door while I watched "Frankenstein's Girlfriend's Revenge," "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" or "Plan Nine from Outer Space."
The titles are and were unimportant, but the creativity was not and is not.
You see, it doesn't matter how much cheese is involved, it matters that people try to do something original and creative. No one creates much any more, it's like they are embarrassed to try because they aren't any good when they start out. Nobody is.
There are hardly any bars in town that have bands any more. There are no places where people go to hang out and be creative.
I got excited yesterday when I found out Barnes and Noble were moving into the Mall of the Bluffs. Normally, I don't care much for stores like that, but when they alternative is sitting at home pretending I am at a cafe, I'll take anything.
I liked the world a lot more when we had fewer channels and bad special effects. We had to concentrate on the words and the theatrics.
Give me a "Dr. Who" episode over a "Starship Troopers" any day.
Who cares it if is less than award-winning effects and the occasional flub. The human mind fills in the blanks and with endless channels and airtight special effects, there is no room for the human mind to grow.
Hanging out at KMTV watching people who love making something out of nothing was a treat. Granted, they had some really expensive equipment to make it out of, so maybe "nothing" is a bit of an overstatement, but they could have done it with a handheld.
Anyway, I know I'll be watching "A Werewolf in the Girl's Dormitory" this weekend knowing that that was MY special episode of "Creature Feature," the one I got to be a small part of behind the scenes.
Check it out this weekend and relive some of your youth.

-Greg Jerrett is a Nonpareil staff writer. He can be contacted at 328-1811 ext. 279 or by e-mail at gjerrett@nonpareilonline.com.