Remembering Member #3
DEL CLOSE

Psychotronic Film Society founding member Del Close passed away Thursday, March 4, 1999 from emphysema. He appeared in films, on stage, and was America's leading comedy teacher. He did a couple of comedy albums, "The Do-It-Yourself Psychoanalysis Kit"  and "How To Speak Hip". He was also in Ferris Beuller's Day Off, The Blob (the remake; Del is great as the nutty preacher, a role cited by Michael Medved as an example of a Hollywood anti-Christian portrayal, which made pagan Close proud). Mommy 2, Opportunity Knocks, Big Town, The Untouchables, and Son of Blob (in which he appears stoned or speeding throughout the entire film). On television, he appeared on episodes of Get Smart, My Mother the Car, and who knows what else. He did voice work in countless commercials, and as the villainous Baron Barracuda on the Diver Dan children's series. He worked with the Compass Players; he directed Second City for years, where he discovered John Belushi, Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, and many, many more. He would later create a freeform long-style of improv called The Harold, and would open schools in Chicago and LA with the business help of Charna Halpern. His drug and alcohol usage is legendary and was covered in the DC comic he co-wrote called Wasteland, in the book Wired, and many times in his own comedy monologues.

I think it was in 1981. I was organizing the 1982 World SubGenius Convention with Supervixen Pam Boom Boom Smith, and was promoting the convention with radio appearances and devivals at bars around Chicago. I was also setting up a multimedia presentation on John Dillenger at Chicago Filmmakers, and he had heard about that. Friends introduced us and eventually Del would press for me to start a newsletter and club. He convinced Boom Boom right away, and she convinced me to try it. He began writing a monthly column in the newsletter and wrote for it for over 5 years. We did stand up comedy together for 4 and a half years.

He also did stand-up at our parties, appeared on stage in devivals with me - - hell, he got me on stage the first time. He invited me to (Chicago theatrical institution) Crosscurrents and introduced me to the audience, then had me go up on stage where we did twenty minutes together. A bit like being tossed into the ocean to learn to swim. He was very giving, in that he set up each line as the perfect straight man, and let me get the laughs. That was enough to thrill me about performing and writing in theatre and clubs.

From The Limelight nightclub for live shows, to Buzz Killman's live broadcast from one of our meetings to WLS radio we went. A very good time.

We had actually shared a girlfriend together without having met each other. Patti Petite was a barfly and stripper in town (who later would move to LA and do porno) who floated between our two beds and tried to arrange a meeting between us at the legendary underground bar. known as THE BLUES BAR and THE BLUES BROTHERS BAR.

I would hang out at the BLUES BROTHERS BAR. which was set up by Jane Byrne sans liquor licenses for the cast. crew and friends of the movie. Drug abuse was beyond

When we did meet Patti was long gone and Boom Boom and I were an item.Which brings us to the idea to do the PSYCHOTRONIC FILMSOCIETY. That first wave of members 13 years ago always looked forward to Del riffing off a film or presentation and those meetings were something else. People looked forward to our newsletter simply because there had never been a fandom like ours before, with fans that included known comic-book artists, directors, writers and actors actively participating.

Del had been a science fiction fanatic, a Lovecraft fan and a horror movie buff his entire life. I know he would have loved to have been there for 2000 and 2001. But it was not to be.

Del has willed his skull to the Goodman Theatre for them to use in Hamlet, or any other show they deem necessary, and they have agreed to do so. So in an odd way, he will see the 21st century, from his favorite spot, the stage.

Michael Flores