THE JOHN HENRY: WIP - Part 1

~The John Henry~

Illustration by Joey Marsocci

 As the 2010 Steampunk Bizarre approaches, I have decided to give a sneak peak at a large collaborative work between myself and master sculptor, toy maker, and illustrator James Muscarello. The subject of this piece originated on a Sunday drive listening to NPR and a story about the legend of John Henry. Remembering the stories and songs from childhood, (including my favorite from Johnny Cash)  I instantly had a wonderful brainstorm, that it was the perfect story for Dr. Grymm to twist into one of his malevolent creations.

My version of "Big Bad John" was not typical, as I knew I could take the ending of the story and rewrite it to fit the Steampunk world.. Well as Dr. Grymm sees it.  What better subject matter then man VS a steam driven rock hammer at the gritty turn of the century, to evoke thoughts of mad science gone terribly wrong.

This departure from my usual creations made me very excited. I knew I wanted the scale to be BIG. I knew this would be the perfect piece to introduce "Doc" Giuseppe Grymm Sr. into the picture and flush him out in sculpted form. To take some of the early machines of the Industrial Revolution and reinvent them using a more science fiction purpose. And of course to work with my friend, James, who was the first one that came to mind when I re-imagined the look of John Henry. He was glad to oblige, and we began to brainstorm on the look.  James would tackle the sculpting of the human figures, Dr. Grymm Sr. and John Henry, while I would design and build the mechanical aspects of the new improved steam engine and rock drills.

~THE BACK STORY~

The folklore and base of the story comes from a tall tale about a "steel drivin' man" in West Virginia who's unusual strength and stature literally assisted in carving out the hills and mountains of America, to make way for the railroad tracks in 1807.  As the story goes, a man invented a steam driven rock hammer that would make John and his fellow track workers obsolete. Not to be thrown aside for a machine, John challenges the rock drill to see which could get through the mountain first. Needless to say, John won the bet. The rock hammer was no match for John's strength and tenacity. However the challenge cost John his life and he handed his 20lb hammer off to his coworker in his last breath. Now in most cases of the legend, this is where the story ends, but not here.

~THE ALTERNATE STORY~

The scientific studies of reanimation by Doctor Grymm Sr. were known far and wide through the late 1800's. So when a defeated and embarrassed inventor finds himself at a secret meeting place with the illusive mad genius "Doc" Grymm, only dark and amazing things can happen. "How can it be that a man can beat a machine?" the man asks. "SIMPLE!" Grymm states... "Your machine has no heart, my good man... Not Yet!".

With the still warm body of John Henry on a direct route past The hidden Laboratory, Grymm makes no haste at robbing the coach of it's precious cargo and disappearing into the night.

The melding of man and machine is always a tricky operation and can never be done the same way twice. No two minds are alike and because of this the process always changes to keep not only the brain but also the composition of the man intact. By composition, I mean the thing that drives that particular person. In the case of John Henry, it was not only his brute strength but also his pride and determination. So began the process of building a machine to have perseverance and the strength of a man who would not, and could not quit. With this and a few added improvements to the original design, Doctor Grymm was able to create a machine that would quite literally do the work of 100 men. Not only drilling through the hardest of obstacles and materials, but also laying the track for hundreds of miles at a time without rest.

Simply put, the machine resurrected John Henry's heart and fueled the him to continuously repeat the perseverance of the last moments of his life, while John's strength in turn fueled the machine. A perfect give and take. Although his eyes now a dull reflection of lifelessness, this was easily hidden by darkened goggles. Several successful tests of "The John Henry" were performed by Grymm himself, to the delight of the young inventor. A machine that could not only drill through mountains but lay track and drive spikes quicker than a team of men. I machine that would not tire out. A machine that would not stop until the railway system was built across America! This is what the history books might have written, had it not been for the empty pockets of the young inventor.

It would seem that is all his excitement to see his invention rebuilt, he did not anticipate the Doctor's hefty fee associated with reanimating the dead, for his amazing reinvention. With weary bankers and wealthy relatives unwilling to spend another dime to finance any further failed inventions from the young man, he found himself alone without a trace of his original invention or the madman who made his dream into a nightmare. The young man was seen several weeks later, walking the dusty train tracks West, but was never seen again after that day... And neither was the John Henry contraption.

With this story in mind, James and I will be producing a large scale sculpture of the original sketch above that will  be approximately 4 1/2 feet in length. The sculpture will include sound, lights and steam effects. 

Below are some of the in progress shots of the sculpture  of "Doc Grymm" as he will be seen in the engine car. James sculpted this with a mixture of Super Sculpy and Fimo and it stands approx 7" tall.

I will include progress shots of John Henry soon as well as the build of the Rock Drill Engine. Stay tuned, and see it live at the Steampunk Bizarre 2010!

Stay Grymm;
~The Dr.