Piss-Kaw-Talk-Us

Here's the Piss-kaw-talk-us story I told Anthony Michael Hall at the Rhode Island Comic Con

In the background is Anthony Michael Hall at the Rhode Island Comic Con

I was a huge fan of the series The Dead Zone that aired on the USA Network for 6 season from 2002 – 2007, it starred Anthony Michael Hall and was based on the book by Stephen King.  Being a Stephen King story it, of course, took place in Maine and even though the show was filmed in Canada.  Through-out the series they would use actual town names and other locations that were actual located in Maine which I always thought was cool.  In one episode the even had to go to Litchfield, which is where I grew up. 

In Season 2 Episode 18 episode “Precipitate” Johnny must find the Blood Mobile to put right what might go wrong.  For whatever reason the lady at the Blood bank cannot tell Johnny what town the Blood Mobile is in, but she can tell him what County.  He accepts this nonsensical policy and tells the kindly Blood Bank tech to tell him the name of the County.  She checks the book and proudly announced “Piss-kaw-talk-us.” 

I was perplexed, here was this show that always used actual Maine locations and now they are using a made up County name?  I sat there saying the word over and over until I finally realized that they were using an actual Maine county, they just horrible mispronounced Piscataquis. 

From that point on whenever I say the word Piscataquis I always pronounce it Piss-kaw-talk-us.”

On Halloween night 2014 some friends and I traveled down to Ocean State for the 3^rd annual Rhode Island Comic Con weekend.  At the Halloween party that night the man himself Johnny Smith, Anthony Michael Hall walked in the take in the festivities.  I worked up the nerve to go and speak to him and told him the above story of the mispronounced word.  He either genuinely thought my story was humorous or he is a really good actor, which he is. 

I lean to believe that he was being genuine as with each person he interacted with that night and through-out the weekend, from what I saw, he was wonderful with each and every one of them.  He would stand up, shake their hand, give them his undivided attention and have lengthy conversations with them.  On Saturday I noticed he was there right at 9am when the early bird got in, and he was THE last person to leave his table that night at 7pm when they were closing the floor for the night. 

He seems to truly appreciate his fans.

Later Readers!