Tuesday, 11/9

 All in all, I think it's kinda cool.

I've written in here before about the TV show “Joe Pera Talks With You”, a late-night Adult Swim series that's set in Marquette. What I haven't written about yet is that last winter the producers of the show were scanning the Marquette Regional History Center website and came across the “Pieces of the Past” videos I make. One evening soon afterwards I found myself on the phone with Joe and one of his writers, telling them stories about all the churches that have burned down in Marquette's history.

Those stories ended up in the episode that aired Sunday night.

Not only did my stories end up in the episode but so did a bunch of History Center pictures, and local photographer Steve Lindberg had one of his pictures of a three-antlered deer turned into a minor plot point during the show.

How cool is that?

If you've never heard of the show or have never seen it, don't worry. It airs at 12:30 on Sunday night (or, more to the point, Monday morning) on the Cartoon Network and it's a very...peculiar show. It's a comedy but it's usually not that funny. It is, however, quite touching. It's a very laid-back show; Joe Pera himself says he doesn't mind if people use it to help them sleep. It's just a quirky little gem that has the added benefit of being set in (and occasionally shot in) Marquette.

And that's the best reason to check it out.

I'd recommend starting from the beginning, if you can. The episode from Sunday night has several characters and story-lines that go back to last season (which aired two years ago) and the show is off-kilter enough as it is without someone going into it not knowing just what the heck has happened in the past. Unless, of course, you just want to see the pictures of churches burning and hear Joe's character talk about the stories that I shared.

Then, by all means, go ahead and watch. And who knows—maybe the quirkiness will rub off on you.

I've written in here a lot the past year or two about just how many bizarre things seem to keep happening in my life, but never did I think it would manifest itself in this way. I'm just glad I came up with some information, passed it along to some very creative people, and had it turn out the way it did.

Check it out for yourself  (and be aware you may need to tell them to which cable company or TV provider you subscribe).

(jim@wmqt.com)