My obsession with Mad Max began in the Summer of 1990, at the age
of 15, when I first saw "The Roadwarrior" on television. I had happened
to record it, and my best friend and I used to watch parts of the movie
almost every day, and soon we became Mad Max converts. It was at least
several months before we learned of the prequel, Mad Max, and before
we watched Mad Max beyond Thunderdome, although they failed to impress
us to the degree that The Roadwarrior had. During the last 10 years
of the study of the film, and finding whatever I could in information
and reviews, there have been some noteworthy highlights. In 1992, during
my last year of high school, I put together a Wez-like costume for Halloween.
The costume required, among other things, getting my ear pierced, getting
my hair chopped, and making an embarrassing trip to an S&M shop
in San Francisco. I knew it was all worth it when I rode into my school
parking lot in the back of my pick-up truck, screaming, shoulder pads
up to my ears, the wind blowing through my mohawk. It was awesome! My
trips to England and Australia have been the fulfillment of a decade
of dreaming. It is my travels that signify the highest point of my Mad
Max journey, and are thus the subject of these next pages... There is
no conclusion that can be written. This is not the end. Our journeys
live on as long as we do. There is still so much one can do to make
the dreams break through into reality. I'm not satisfied yet. I don't
think I will be until I am living the movie.
a viewer's tale of a journey - pictures and text contributed by and © 2000 Karol Bartoszynski
Karol Bartoszynski, the Word Warrior
Although "Mad Max beyond Thunderdome" is not my favorite
Mad Max film, I still have to admit that visually, it is quite stunning.
The costume designer, Norma
Moriceau, catapults her original mohawker costume design to the ultimate
levels of creativity and detail by creating the uniforms for Bartertown's
guards.
My costume is a replica of the
costume worn by Auntie Entity's main guard, who is seen throughout the
film. I started work on it during August 2000 and finished in time for
Halloween 2000. It was all made from scratch: no rentals, no pre-made
Halloween toys. The centerpiece of the costume features a Harley-Davidson
horn cover riveted onto a handmade leather belt. The pants are tights over
padded football pants. The shoulder pads, which I was lucky enough to find
on E-bay, are accented with a rubber mat, reflectors, and a specific
marker lamp I could only find in Australia. The mohawk was put together
out of a rabbit pelt, a football chinstrap, parts of 3 wigs, and lots of
Krazy-glue. The remaining wig sections were used to accent other parts of
the costume, and a separate black wig was used for the shoulder pads. The
mask was a modified paintball mask, the lens replaced with
pantyhose-covered bubble goggles. I went to two Halloween parties to see
if I could win any contests. I won 1st place at the first party, but, to
my dismay, lost to "John Travolta" and "Bart Simpson" at the second party,
which was held at a dance club. Costume contests can be so unpredictable!
Mad Max has been such an inspiration, and will continue to be an
inspiration for many costumes to come!
a viewer's tale of a journey - pictures and text contributed by and © 2000 Karol Bartoszynski
