Kevin Quigley

Kevin Quigley, cohost of the delightful podcast The 3028, explores a fascinating niche of popular culture in the Northeastern states. Tiki is not the first thing one would think of regarding New England, but the connections go back as far as Colonial New England's rum distilling industry and the 19th century whaling industry's Polynesian connection (see Moby Dick) that lead to Salem's Peabody Essex Museum holding Oceanic art.

Quigley breaks down the history of Tiki culture which began among WWII vets seeking escape in California. The trend migrated east and found a home in many New England bars and restaurants (most of which actually served Chinese food). The book is richly illustrated with photographs and promotional pieces ranging from postcards to matchbooks. Many New England Tiki bars are long gone but the book celebrates stalwarts such as Kowloon in Saugus and newcomer Wusong Road in Cambridge.

It's a fascinating, fun, and short glimpse into an "authentic inauthentic" culture!… (meer)

This is an interesting little chapbook from Kevin Quigley, published by Cemetery Dance Publications. It is one of a series from Quigley looking into different aspects of Stephen King's vast oeuvre and his impact on pop culture. "Drawn Into Darkness" looks at the influence of comic books on King and King's different forays into comics as a writer and creator. Quigley quotes extensively from biographical works such as "Danse Macabre" where King overviews his thoughts on the early influence that comics, particularly EC comics, had on him. The book touches on comic book movies such as "Creepshow" (1982) which had the involvement of Stephen King, adaptations of King stories, such as the recent Marvel adaptations of "The Stand", and King's own forays into comic book writing such as his co-writing stint on the excellent "American Vampire". The book is nicely laid out in easy to access chapters. Quigley's writing is eloquent and flows easily making for an easy, quick, interesting read. There is nothing new or revelatory in "Drawn Into Darkness" and neither does Quigley mine for metaphor or meaning. Despite that slight superficiality, this is still an interesting retrospective and a nice wee checklist for anyone new to Stephen King's contributions to comic books.… (meer)