I originally started collecting Alice Cooper back in ’82. Along the way I got to meet him a couple times and also befriended his then assistant Brian (Renfield) Nelson (R.I.P.). Around 1999 I decided to sell off my fairly large collection for no other reason than I just lost interest. I wasn’t really looking to collect anything but somehow I came across Bernie’s work. I don’t even remember what triggered it but I kept seeing more and more work of his that I really liked. I came across an ad for what I thought at the time was a fairly large collection of his works on eBay. Bob Almond was selling it and after seeing the list, I had the funds available so I purchased it. I remember going through all of it and seeing the various artwork. A good amount of it I was seeing for the first time. I had no idea how it would steamroll and grow.
I then saw that Chiller Theater in New Jersey was going to have Bernie there. I booked a weekend at the hotel and along with a friend bought tickets. After the fiasco of checking in we headed to the elevator to go up to our room. Into the elevator steps Bernie and Pam. Bernie asked us how we were doing and who we were looking forward to seeing. I told him I only came for one person, an artist named Bernie Wrightson. I saw him a lot that weekend and chatted with him several times. I was blown away at how nice of a guy he was. I think if I had any doubts about plunging deeper into collecting, that weekend killed them.
Over the years I talked and emailed with Pam on the work at Chanting Monks like the fanclub kit etc.. I started an ugly FrontPage website to start keeping tabs on my collection. My girlfriend at the time (now my wife) went with me to conventions to see Bernie and Liz whenever we could. After moving to Texas it became a lot more often since he and Liz lived in Austin. I also started this website for a couple reasons. One, I can easily look at my collection, which I often do. Two, it helps keep me from buying things I already have and forget about. Lastly three, it lets other people see the massive amount and wonderful stuff Bernie did.
Unbeknown to me, at a convention my wife asked Liz if Bernie would do a sketch for a wedding gift for me. We were going to one of the shows in Richardson and she got it from Liz and couldn’t really hide it from me. Not only would Liz not accept any money, I was looking at something that was a labor of love. It is not only the crown jewel of my collection due to it’s beauty but also the amount of work Bernie put into it. I’ve seen few pieces that you can say are on par with his Frankenstein work. This shows he hadn’t lost a baby step. It’s in my “Original Art” page and also the “Unusual Suspects” chapbook. He titled it “Over the Threshold”. My picture here and the scan in the chapbook really don’t do it justice. It’s the one piece my wife said she’s keeping if I kick the bucket!
I think anyone who met Bernie has a story of him that shows what type of a person he was. I have a couple. It’s rare for some ones art to be as good as they are as a person. So I’m definitely still collecting…
I can be contacted via email.