Just wanted to make a place for us to share our appreciation of Alex Newborn. As I’ve gotten back into the fandom (I’ve just been mostly absent since GBFE talk geared up) I’ve found in my research that many of us have had questions answered by Alex (and his handy copy of Making Ghostbusters). He is a bottomless resource of knowledge and a great source of videos. His latest video especially hit home https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o0_Iz85Dls and inspired me to make this thread. So won’t you take a moment and just thank Alex for all he’s done for this community? I know I’m grateful!
I’ll second this; I would put Alex on the Mount Rushmore of online Ghostbusters fandom alongside Paul Rudoff, Norman Gagnon and AJ.
Sometimes I’ve really wondered if I’m even making a difference, fighting the same Ghostbusters urban myths over and over, ad nauseam…
… then something like this catches my eye. And it strengthens my resolve to keep fighting that many-headed hydra.
Just remember, I’m standing on the shoulders of the entire community and what they built during those years when I was barely aware of the existence of the online stuff.
And yes, Making Ghostbusters by Don Shay is my go-to source. The funny thing is, while many of those pesky urban myths can be refuted with quotes from that 1985 book, there are probably twice as many that seem to have originated with factoids from MGB but then became distorted over the years until they now say the exact opposite of what Don Shay intended.
Thanks again for the kind words, from the bottom of my heart.
Alex
Making Ghostbusters has been such a great resource for you that it convinced me to buy a copy for more than I ever paid for a book before (i won’t give the exact dollar amount) Admittedly, I have not read it yet but I look forward to going through it.
Cheers to Alex!
He’s amazing. He solved one of the biggest mysteries of GB2 I’ve had. Roger Ebert’s print review. He reviewed it on TV. He has a GB1 review. Where’s the 2nd film? Turns out he didn’t write one.
On YouTube He also has like every clip of GB2 being promoted on TV from summer 1989.
Fans like him and Derek Osborn are just the greatest. They make me proud to be a GBfan & have helped this community endlessly.
Same with Paul Rudoff and Mrmichaelt. These types of people arent just fans. They are keepers of the torch. The GB torch. They help the fire of Ghostbusters spread & illuminate those new fans who watch the film for the first time, head to the internet and google “Ghostbusters”. Chances are they’ll come across something written or assisted in some way by one of these 4 gentlemen.
I thank you all. I’d happily cross streams with any of you.
Alex definitely is among the most important pillars of the community along with Norman Gagnon, AJ Quick, Paul Rudoff, Troy Benjamin, Chris Stewart, Chad Paulson; to name a few. He is a go-to source when it comes to all those saved interviews on TV of old when the cast did their press tours for GB1 and GB2. Another thing Alex is that sets him apart from the others, he’s a bloodhound. Once he gets a whiff of a GB mystery, he’ll keep hunting for that answer even if it takes years. Like just recently, he found the correct version of that do not disturb door handle message from the Paranormal Studies Lab that appeared for seconds in the start of the first movie. Always enjoy watching his videos even if they’re not GB-related.
The Florence Ghostbusters wouldn’t be what it is without Alex. I often take for granted how lucky I am to have a resource such as Alex only minutes away or available via direct message anytime. He’s a tremendous help and often serves as a sounding board for any of my Ghostbusters-related projects. I’m proud that he’s part of the Florence Ghostbusters, and a fellow Alabama Ghostbuster.
In the same vein as Paul Rudoff, Norman Gagnon, and AJ, I would place Alex atop the internet Ghostbusters fandom equivalent of Mount Rushmore.