STRUCK BY LIGHTNING

I still recall 1986 as one of those great years... mostly because of Number Five. I was age 13 and just finishing up the 8th grade at Central Junior High in Gulfport, Mississippi, when we went to see Short Circuit one Saturday night. The following summer was the best I can remember. I saw Short Circuit at the movies at least four more times that summer. My sister Rebecca and I took everyone we could think of to see it. And we would lie awake nights recounting the best parts of the movie over and over.

This is how I looked that summer, I'm holding my little Number Five that I made out of Legos, which I still have. In fact I think this photo was taken on the same day as my last theatrical viewing of the movie in August. It was playing at the new dollar movie place in Biloxi. I was there by myself watching it while my mom and sister were in the theater next door watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off. About a half hour into Short Circuit here comes Mom to sit next to me in the front row... "I didn't like that movie so I came in here to watch the rest of Short Circuit." Ten minutes later, here comes Rebecca, "I was lonely in there by myself." So we all ended up watching Short Circuit again, and enjoying it... again

And I still have the original color sleeve from my "Who's Johnny" 45 rpm single. It's kinda ratty after 14 years, including surviving a house fire that we had in 1991. The record itself did not survive the fire per se. It was all warped and wrinkled from the heat. In 1992 I went to Tower Records in New Orleans, just before they quit selling 45's, where I bought a 45 copy of "Who's Johnny." which had been rereleased under the Motown Oldies label.

During high school - 1986 to 1990 - I was a pretty notorious fan. Some people liked me for it. Others couldn't stand me because of it. You know how teenagers can be. Despite the chiding and suffering, I was ever faithful and kept a drawing of Number Five in my locker and wore an airbrushed t-shirt that said "Number 5 is alive!" And I still have the Three Stooges coffee mug that my sister bought me for Christmas one year.

This is a photo of me in 1988 right after the Biloxi Beach trash can painting contest at the spring fair. I won some money for that trash can painting of Number Five. The reason that I don't look too happy is becasue the sun was in my eyes. Albinism and sun don't go too well together. Anyway, I was excited about winning in my category and I took the money and bought my first VCR, so I could watch Short Circuit on tape of course.

I was also pretty excited about the upcoming release of Short Circuit 2 that summer. And what a summer! I even ended up with one of those light-up, cardboard Johnny Five lobby displays that they had in theaters. I was in Texas at the time and my aunt called every theater in Arlington trying to find me one of those things. It worked! Thanks Aunt Bertha! ...and no, my Aunt Bertha is NOT a toaster oven!

Also during the summers Lego Number Five and I went on some cool adventures out west. Here's some shots of him in a mountain stream in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and another overlooking the Grand Canyon. I used to carry him everywhere in my pocket, so I had to superglue him together. I also had to write the Lego company to get a catalog of replacement parts. His little plastic joints were always wearing out. My mom worried about me.

In January of 1990 I made a new addition to my Short Circuit family. I sewed a big soft corduroy Number Five. I didn't know quite what to make of him when I finished him, but I got attached to him pretty quickly. He's still doing pretty good at almost 11 years old! He has a little zipper pocket on his toolbox to put stuff in, a velcro panel with his red cutoff switch under it, and a tool arm held in place by snaps.

By 1990 my obsession had reached its fullness. Here is a diagram of my bedroom from that spring. Some of the objects in the photo are obvious. I made arrows to some of the finer details of the decorating scheme. Someone might also notice that I like 2001 as well. This is only one corner of my room. The rest of it was also full of Short Circuit stuff, including the cardboard lobby display and a couple other movie posters. There is also a little red "No. 5 is ALIVE!" button sitting on the green picture frame, and a red bandana on the bed which looks like the one Five wears in the Short Circuit 2 movie poster. (It's a little different than the one he wore in the movie.... Man, I'm scaring myself!)

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