A TOY BLAST FROM THE ZIKZAK PAST WITH READER COREY LECHAT

Here's something for the blog...I figured I'd point you in the direction of this music video my creative partner Dave Kerin and I did for the band zikzak (Todd Stadtman of diedangerdiediekill.blogspot.com as well as many many other talented ventures). 

Todd, David and myself were (are) huge Gerry Anderson and all things 60s sci-fi fans and we did this circa 2000/2001. Dave and I shot the video based on my storyboard. He did the CGI and edited it all together. 

I built the sets, shot still images, etc. The ceramic cats used in the video were a pair of banks that appeared on the cover of the first zikzak release (CD). My ex missus is Anna Li. I'm the giant cat. 

Todd was based in Los Angeles at the time and David and I were in Pittsburgh, so Todd was unavailable to film any new footage, so we used a quick shot of him playing an acoustic gig and some talking head footage. With this in mind, we created what you see here. 

I'm still proud of this thing over a decade later. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Srw3P08o8Q 

Here's a completely ridiculous (and very toy nerdy) video breakdown: 

1) opening zoom based on the Flash Gordon movie 

2) the cat's Tracy Island base of operations is the Lil Playmates Space Station from 1984 

3) plastic panels in secret cat base are from the 1957 Kenner Girder and Panel Building Set 

4) cat ship inspired combo of Space 1999 Hawk and Eagle 

5) Anna Li's moonbase was put together from the Hasbro 1969 Astrolite playset 

6) the moonscape was made of composite shots of the lunar landscape 

from 2 different 1960's Comansi Thunderbirds playsets 

7) Frozen Todd (lead singer of zikzak) in tube was in fact a Fairylite 

Thunderbirds Brain figure with Todd's head photoshopped on it 

8) and of course - a classic 60s Ultraman-esque battle in front of poster mural of the lunar surface 

Corey