... and if you wish, you can help me to do so:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/819769147/the-becoming-of-garamike

We are already moving ahead on production (this was the big project that I was raising seed money for with recent sales here); next week my whole head (bye-bye, beard!) will be covered in alginate to make a lifecast. The main sculptor, Mike Ridge (who used to work in the toy industry... started his career at Art Asylum, working alongside Paul Komoda) is both very talented and super-enthusiastic about the project, and I have to tell you that the design idea we have developed for the face and head is AMAZING... cutting edge design & materials while still respecting and retaining some of the best things about the original Garamon suit design. For my part, I'm going to use all of my performance experience to really inhabit and give life to this suit, honoring my favorite monster while bringing our unique Gara-design to life as its own character. I think it's gonna be a blast. I will update here as things develop.

Thanks for having a look!

This is an amazing sounding project, cap'n, and I have to admit that when you stated out of your goals being a sideline career on cable access it momentarily made me want to switch teams and marry you
When the variety show is up and running I trust you'll have VHS cassettes available for our perusal!

When I first started reading the Kickstarter blurb, I thought you were going to undergo some serious body modification. Like getting implants and skin tinting. The reality is a bit of a letdown , but I chipped in a few bucks. Good luck man!

Thanks- that's a great idea... sure, I'll do that- VHS copies for anyone who wants 'em.
It would be a breeze to dub 'em while I'm at the studio working on other things.

This suit is going to be used for some GREAT things.
I promise not to disappoint.

HA!
Sorry to let you down, BW; yeah, it was gonna be, like, $60K for the spike implants alone... so I went this route instead...

Thanks very much for the backing, dude!

YAY!
The project just got tweeted by WFMU!

http://twitter.com/wfmu

Gnarly !!!

Gnarly and creepy are both apt descriptors of how it felt, too.
Quite an interesting experience!

I do in fact have a fully-formed ear on that side...

The edged band you see across the chest area... that's actually the duct tape that held the Hefty bag in place around my lower torso...

New update:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/819769147/the-becoming-of-garamike/posts/160306

Thanks for looking!

This sounds like a cool project...

On a side note, maybe you could make appearances at ChibiKaijuLand, if it ever becomes a reality...

Seriously though, will you be touring with the suit? It would be sweet to see a stand up comedy show staring Garamon...

Absolutely, slipstar; I plan to take the suit out on the road as much as possible, appearing at venues/events where you would expect to see such a presence... as well as some in which you totally wouldn't. At first, though, I'll mostly be going out in my own city in the suit, and documenting what happens. I also plan to use the Garamike persona to front my next musical project; work on that will begin in earnest some time in the Spring...

Three out of about 222...


My spike-sculpting partner...


Getting down to the wire with the Kickstarter fundraising... progress is being made, and the suit is going to be nothing short of *AMAZING* in looks and performance (ultra-expressive and very durable)... but costs (latex, foam, epoxy resin, alginate, platinum silicone, special paints and thinners, Ultracal, labor costs for the mask-sculpting and painting) are mounting! Please have a look at the Kickstarter page; there are some great Backer Reward packages. I hope to have mock-ups of the two different tees backers will be able to choose between very soon. Any bit of help in bringing this thing to life would be greatly appreciated; thank you very much in advance for your support!

the foam shapes look dead-on...can't wait to see this ensemble put together.

This is crazy...



That's why I'm backing it!!! Hope you achieve the kickstarter goal!

Thanks, Ax!

Rally time!

I want to make a special offer to anyone who donates $10 - $15 over the next 10 days: in addition to items from the first two Backer Rewards packages (shout-out on Garamania and stickers), you will receive the following from the $200 level: have Garamike speak, sing or chant any message of 222 words or less in a video to be broadcast via Garamania and YouTube, or sent privately.

Don’t miss this opportunity to severely delight and/or vex your family, friends and enemies! Years of singing and doing voiceover work have left me with an incurable case of golden throat! Even the barracuda-like sawtooth dental veneers in the mouth of Garamike won’t stop my sonorous tones from coming through (well, if sonorous is what you want… we could go with guttural or grating, too)! What could induce a “WTF!!” fugue-state more efficaciously than a close-up vid of a grotesque meteorite monster singing a cover version of the Bee-Gees’ “More Than a Woman”, or reciting a passage from Ulysses! Operators are (not) standing by… act now!

THANK YOU!!!

Seems like the answer is no, but is there a way to pledge without a credit card to back it?

I'm not sure, David, but from what I recall from registering, I don't think so...

New project update- sculpt progress, t-shirt design images, and new backer reward specials!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/819769147/the-becoming-of-garamike/posts/163625

This is truly outstanding Mike. I can't wait to see more of the development shots, and especially hope that it all comes through in the end. I only wish I could give more. Sure, there are a lot of needy causes in this world, but I can also appreciate the work of a true fan (as we all should on this forum). I am in awe of you my friend. Gara 4 eva!!

Thank you so much for the support, man!
Very much appreciated.

It's true, there are always more critical causes that you could donate to... I'm often torn, myself, in choosing one or another way to support charities or my community or other folks' projects. Hopefully I'm striking a good personal balance. I truly appreciate everyone supporting this crazy art/life project of mine, and I'm trying to give people a good return on their dollars with the backer rewards. As well, I pledge to do my best to use it as a vehicle for doing good things and generally injecting everyday public life with a strong bit of unexpected, kaiju-centric surreality.

Teaser sculpt pics... please know that Mike is just starting to rough in the Gara-features, so this is far from the finished look, and we are conferencing and refining as we go along... still, I'm very excited by the pics he sent this afternoon!