Now, I admit I become obsessed with ideas and images, stuff along those lines. But because I am a very physical/emotional type person, my strongest obsessions, in fact the only things I consider to be real bona fide obsessions, have to do with persons. And I really have had only two of these obsessions in my whole life! My first began when I was about 10. It was a very adult-type obsession, however, as I was through puberty already! I matured physically and got my period at age 8! By the time I was 10, menstrual periods were old hat! I was 5 feet 8 inches tall also (have never grown an inch since!). And I knew very well what boys/men were good for! In the year that I was 10 (1965 that was), a television show came on that intrigued me (I never watched cartoons, etc. like other kids did anyway). It was called "The Wild Wild West", and it was a Science-Fiction Western! (A lot of you are probably familiar with last year's disastrous big-screen re-make of this tv show, with Will Smith and Kevin Kline). Set in the 1870's the show was less a true western than gothic in genre, with strong elements of fantasy, science fiction, and adventure. Very atmospheric. The storyline chronicled the exploits of two US Secret Service agents: James West and Artemus Gordon. Artemus was definitely the more colorful and captivating of the two characters (at least to me!). Arte was an intellectual, a scientist and inventor, a master of disguise, a fast talker and very suave, but often comical too. And an incurable romantic. Altogether a very complex character! And I fell, and fell hard, for him! I loved the whole show but especially Arte Arte Arte! (And yes...that is him in the black and white picture above left: it's a screen capture from an episode of The Wild Wild West.)
Interestingly, there is a lot about the actor who portrayed Arte: Mr. Ross Martin, that is reminescent of Mr. Scott Cohen, who portrayed my other obsession, Wolf, from the Tenth Kingdom! Although he was shorter and a bit heavier, Mr. Martin was also Jewish and had the same general dark good looks. Really great black hair; a deep melodious voice. Similarly kind-hearted and literate in "real life". I have always thought that if anybody ever made a "real" re-make of The Wild Wild West, Mr. Cohen would make the perfect Artemus. As a matter of fact he is the only person other than Ross Martin that I think could ever even come close to playing Arte! I am sorry but Kevin Klein's performance doesn't even really count because that whole movie was just so off from the spirit of the original show! After that disaster, though, I'm sure nobody would make another attempt at reviving TWWW.
Anyway, the show ended in 1969, but unlike The Tenth Kingdom, it had a HUGE fandom. That kept going for years. I belonged to the fan club and was involved with it's newsletter, which was still published every other month, years after the show's demise when I was in high school! I was still madly in obsession with Arte after all those years. I had fan art, pictures I drew or painted, published in the newsletter a couple times.
I got married and had all kinds of misadventures and got divorced and was still madly in obsession with Arte. Still painted eerie gothic scenes with Arte and (sometimes) Jim. The fandom found it's way to the internet as that blossomed and I was STILL madly obsessed with Arte. At one time TWWW website had a tremendously active message board, chat rooms, etc. Then something strange happened... we fans knew the movie was gonna be a disaster before it came out, but there was more talk than ever among the fans due to the arguing over it! And then the movie did come out: and the fandom fell silent! And it has been ever since: the message board died, the chatrooms vanished. The website is still there but the webmaster hasn't updated it in way over a year, and he doesn't answer your e-mail either! I can't figure this out! Especially since the awfulness of the movie never effected my feelings about the original show/characters. And I don't really see why it would have a negative effect on any fan of the original series! It was just another bad movie! I STILL was obsessed with Arte. Still painted him: more gothic scenes with horses and fantastic figures and (sometimes) Jim. Painted one last winter that is hanging here where I can see it now! (Scroll to the bottom of this page to see it!)
In the course of my life, all the while being obsessed with Arte, I studied mythology and folklore and art and indigenous cultures and I discovered the man/wolf archetype. And I became fascinated with him, especially as I had become an environmentalist and an advocate for the humane and ethical treatment of animals. Over time I came to see the man/wolf as a symbol for humanity and wildness combined: a symbol for what could be - a glyph for wholeness, as it were. I always thought this being would somehow be both a Wolf and a "dark man"... in fact I often fancied he looked like Arte! I had some reservations about that, though...he didn't seem quite right, somehow...And then last February I saw HIM. Wolf. And he seemed to me the most perfect manifestation of this beloved character that I would ever see. A dark man who was a wolf. And I have never looked back...
