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NOTES ON BANZAI INSTITUTE MERCHANDISE
TO: Scooter
FROM: Reno
RE: Banzai merchandise
The big news, of course, is MGM Home Video's release
of the docudrama, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across
the Eighth Dimension. The long-awaited Special Edition DVD
hit the shelves on January 2, and became an instant hit with
fans of the good Doctor. Ironically, the DVD had originally been
planned for a much earlier release, but when the folks at MGM
realized just how many Blue Blaze Irregulars were clamoring for
their own copy of the docudrama, MGM hired Michael Arick, one
of the best-known DVD producers in the film industry, to produce
a world-class Special Edition. Arick worked closely with director
W.D. Richter, screenwriter Earl Mac Rauch, as well as members
of the Banzai Institute. Together, they have assembled an amazing
collection of never-before-available material including the film's
original opening scene (with Jamie Lee Curtis as Buckaroo's mother),
deleted scenes, a full-length director's commentary, photos,
Jet Car data, Pinky Carruther's Unknown Facts trivia track, a
Banzai radio show, a number of delightful Easter
Eggs, and a behind-the-scenes documentary featuring recently
declassified video material. Add to that a pristine new widescreen
transfer, and you'll see why Dr. Banzai's friends are calling
this the definitive version of the classic film. The Adventures
of Buckaroo Banzai DVD is available for purchase at video
retailers everywhere, and can also be found online at Amazon.com and Blockbuster. More information on the Buckaroo
Banzai DVD can be found at the MGM Home Video website.
For
those who haven't yet made the leap to the world of DVD, MGM
Home Video also has a VHS video version of The Adventures
of Buckaroo Banzai. Although it does not have the extensive
special features of the DVD, it's great for those who are tired
of seeing this wonderful film cut up on TV to make room for more
commercials. And it's a lot cheaper than the collector's
prices that were being charged for the older editions of this
tape. (On the other hand, once you see the difference in image
quality between DVD and VHS, you'll never be satisfied with VHS
again. Speaking for myself, at least.)
Students of Dr. Banzai's work have for years been
frustrated at the unavailability of Earl Mac Rauch's novel version
of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension.
The book had been out of print for years, and there just weren't
that many copies printed in the first place. As a result, the
classic novel was simply unavailable to many friends and fans.
Scholars found this to be a serious impediment, since Earl Mac
Rauch had worked closely with me, and thus the novel is a valuable
treasure trove of background facts and fascinating information
not found in the film itself. Now, Pocket
Books has published a trade paperback edition of Buckaroo
Banzai, featuring a new section of color photographs, as
well as a new introduction by the author. The Adventures of
Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension is available
at booksellers everywhere, as well as through many on-line retailers,
including Amazon.com.and
Barnes & Noble.
Other Banzai merchandise includes
the original Vestron Video versions of the docudrama film. While
the image quality of these older recordings is markedly inferior
to the new DVD, some Blue Blazes collect them and have reported
spotting them occasionally in the "rental return" overstock
bin of their local video stores. Even harder to find is the original
laserdisk version of the film, which was produced in even smaller
numbers. We've gotten reports of these being sold for fairly
hefty prices on eBay, so if you've got one of these, you might
want to hold on to it. Speaking of rare items, the original Pocket
Books edition of the Earl Mac Rauch novel is also something to
hold onto if you're lucky enough to have one. Also, in connection
with the 2002 DVD, Suncoast Video published an 8-page promotional
booklet featuring color photographs from the docudrama.
Other licensed merchandise includes t-shirts, patches
and posters. I've seen these for sale at science fiction conventions,
through Starland.com,
or of course, at Sabine's booth during our concert tours. (One
of these days, I'm going to have to complain to Starland about
the fact that they also sell merchandise with the Yoyodyne Propulsion
Systems logo. Talk about demented humor...) Starbase 21 also sells Banzai t-shirts and
patches, including the t-shirt made for the crew of the Buckaroo
Banzai: Ancient Secrets & New Mysteries TV pilot project
a while back.
And
there is finally a version of the docudrama theme music on CD.
While it's not the actual Bodiker soundtrack, Neil Norman's "Greatest
Science Fiction Hits IV" on the Crescendo
Records label has a terrific cover version of both the opening
and closing title music. The disk also includes music from many
science fiction and fantasy films/TV shows, as well.
Other collectibles (besides the odd lock of the Boss'
hair) include: the docudrama lobby poster, cardboard standup
of Peter Weller as Buckaroo, six-image set of lobby cards, headbands,
Viewmaster reels, an Apple II computer game, lapel pins, bumper
stickers, Yoyodyne and Banzai Institute mugs, the promotional
materials given out by 20th Century Fox (in a big silver envelope),
the little "jet car through the mountain" spring-loaded
toy, the comic books, several different Banzai fanzines, and
a very limited release "concert tour" t-shirt produced
by Haines and sold through Sears. Most of these are available
only on the secondary market, meaning that you'll probably have
to get them from other collectors through venues like eBay.
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