February 2024 Mad Monster Party Graphing Recap

On Saturday, my wife, son, mom and I all went to the 2024 Mad Monster Party in Charlotte to do a little graphing.  The main attractions this year were actors from Lost Boys, Jason Patric and Kiefer Sutherland, as well as Kevin Spacey, who was making his first ever Con appearance.

I had set my expectations pretty low; I didn't want to go to the event and expect to get Sutherland, only to see his line wrapped around the building like the time Chris and I went when Robert Englund was there.  I had seen that Tim Capello, the shirtless saxophone guy from the beginning of Lost Boys was going to be there.  That scene in the movie is so random, my brother Andy and I laugh about it a lot.  I thought it would be cool to meet Capello and get an autograph, so that was the goal I set.

Capello was the first person we got.  I paid $40 and got a photo signed and a photo op.  He was such a great guy.  You could tell that he has embraced that small role in a great film.  I didn't realize at the time, but his auto had smeared. So, I went back later and Capello was nice enough to sign another photo for me and apologized.

The next table we went to, after Capello's, and after Mal and Chris split up from Mom and I, was Lou Diamobd Phillips.  He was super nice and polite, asking Mom and I how we were doing.  Mom told him, then asked him how he was doing.  He said he was doing 'fantastic, thanks".  Mom talked to him for a bit while he signed for me.

I told Phillips that I grew up with LA Bamba and Young Guns.  He thanked me for being a fan.

After Phillips, we parked Mom in line for Kiefer Sutherland.  It looked like we might be able to get him quickly, but then they stopped the autograph lines in order to handle all of the paid photo ops.  They had it laid out as such: Jason Patric, Patric and Sutherland dual photo ops, Sutherland only, Sutherland and Phillips and then Phillips only. There were a ton of people in line for all of these photo ops. Mom was fine people watching while Mal, Chris and I took turns hanging with her.  Once Mal finished with Kevin Spacey, I broke away and went for CJ Graham.  Kane Hodder was also there, but I had met him before.

Graham's line was short when I got there, but he was talking with a family of four people (two were teenagers) and he was having a lot of fun with them.  He even got the teem boy to FaceTime his ex girlfriend and filmed himself with the buy telling the ex that she blew her chance to meet him. It was hilarious. I didn't mind waiting to see how all that would play out.  By the time I got to Graham, he thanked me for my patience and signed two photos for me.  He was so nice.

Because Graham took Paypal, I had conserved some cash and went ahead and got John Glover.  I loved this 8 x 10 from Gremlins 2, so that's what I chose to get signed.  Glover was really nice and spoke to me for a few minutes. 

I went back and checked on Mom, who I had left with Chris.  She was doing well; still sitting there people watching. Mal met up with us after Kevin Spacey, and dropped some of out signed photos at the car so we wouldn't have to hang onto them.  She noticed that the Capello photo had smeared, so Chris and I set off to replace that one.  After we got that done, we spotted WWE referee Charles Robinson talking with someone near Arn Anderson's booth.  Chris wanted to meet him, so we waited for him to finish his conversation.

Chris asked Robinson if he could get a photo with him, and got one.  Robinson wasn't a scheduled signer, he was there visiting, but was impressed Chris recognized him and said hello, so he posed for the photo.  He told Chris that since he was nice enough to come say hello, he would give him something in return.  He reached in his bag and brought out an 8 x 10, that he signed in white paint pen.  He asked me if I wanted one as well, which I gladly accepted.  He was really awesome and genuinely glad to be recognized.

We got back to Mal and Mom to see that the Kiefer Sutherland line was actually moving.  I had decided that if it wasn't moving, I was happy with what I had gotten and would be ok leaving.  However, since the line was moving, we hung out some more and finally got into the room to meet Sutherland.  We got up to the photo table while I was pushing Mom along the line.  I stopped and noted a photo for Mal and got a bit distracted.  It was our turn so Mom yelled to me "move me!" to which Sutherland laughed.  So we got up there, and he couldn't have been nicer.  Mom asked him "what did they have to do to get you to come here to podunk North Carolina?" Sutherland stopped what he was doing and looked her in the eye and told her: "You know, I've only done a few of these but these things are maybe the only chances I get to interact with the people who have made it possible to do what I do for the past 40 years. This has been my life and I really appreciate the fans..." It was so cool that he stopped what he was doing to answer her truthfully.  I asked hik how his dad was doing, and he thanked me for asking about him.  He shook my and Mom's hands, asked our names and was just reappky pleasant and persobable.  Then he said "ok, now move her!" Which was pretty funny.  I really enjoyed it.

We had an amazing time.  Mom has been sick lately, which is why we had to push her around the event in a wheelchair.  She's doing pretty well, at the moment.  She's big on "making memories", and this was a big memory made.  I'm glad Mom felt well enough to go with us and that everyone we met was amazing.  We all had an amazing time and I'd definitely do it again. 

In all, I got the following autographs: Kiefer Sutherland x 1, Tim Capello x 1, CJ Graham x 2, Lou Diamond Phillips x 1, John Glover x 1 and Charles Robinson x 1 (7)