In retrospect, I realize that of all the bad decisions I made in my life, one of the stupidest was to shun publicity. Now, looking back over the years, it’s become clear that every time I succumbed to notoriety, something nice happened to me. But I was torn between feeling that going public might steer some amazing stuff my way, and fearing it would drive the prices up. Therefore, I approached offers of publicity reluctantly, and set a rule that I adhered to unfailingly, refusing to be a part of any article, in print or on TV, that mentioned money. This resulted in my turning down many an opportunity.
Recently, I attempted to contribute a few pages from my newly completed “Greetings from Mouse Heaven” to appropriate categories on Wikipedia. And I was advised that I did not qualify as an expert. Even as the creator of “The Outer Space Men,” miraculously still living, 45 years later, I was deemed unqualified. And the "Outer Space Men Archive" of all the original art and images, along with a first-hand account of their creation, I posted to "The Outer Space Man" page, four years ago, where it has since remained, was suddenly erased.
A few kind Wikipedia editors saw this as a travesty. One, in particular, who calls himself, "Curly Turkey," felt it would help me qualify if there was a Wikipedia page in my name. And, to my utter astonishment, he generously created one for me. In the process, I learned that every scrap of information that appears in Wikipedia must be verified in writing. Thus, Curly Turkey based his information on the few items he could find on line: a 14 year old story in "The New York Observer," and an ancient article in "The New York Times."
And that is how I came to realize that there is little remaining evidence that I was, in fact, ever alive. Most of the few articles that were published, in my lifetime, now lie buried in the Sands of Time. Therefore, compelled by curiosity, I’m embarking on a Treasure Hunt, to see if I can dig them up! And this little archive, called “The Genuine Articles” is where I’ll save what I can find.
