Comments on: Carl Macek (1951-2010)

By: Ernie Sheesley

Ernie Sheesley — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:14:41 +0000

Although I’m late to read and write this, I feel compelled to tell people about actually working with Carl on his animae shows. I was his mixer for a lot of his Streamline productions. I’m not bragging but lucky enough to record and mix Crying Freeman, 8 Man After, Dirty Pair, Barefoot Gen,etc…. from 92-96. Also recently Naruto and Bleach 2009.
Carl loved his animae. A true creative genius, he was always dedicated to getting the dialogue or the mix just right in his eyes. He would always say “yeah I get a lot of hate mail” (it was real mail then), but he had a vision for that particular production and wouldn’t give in to a popularity contest. He taught me how to mix in a cinematic way that no one else was doing. “Really immerse the audience in the ambience of the scene”. Just know that he always had the vision and the audiences best interest at heart. He picked his projects carefully. He did not go for the easy buck. “Barefoot Gen” is an example of a hard sell, who else would bring such a dramatic story and touchy subject to American audiences? He was about appreciating the art of whatever he worked on. There was a lot of junk that he passed on.
I really enjoyed working with Carl, he taught me a lot. I spoke with him 2 weeks before this happend and he was just as excited as he always was about his new projects.
Bon Voyage Carl, you are missed.

By: bbz

bbz — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 12:15:20 +0000

Goodbye Carl..if it were not for you I would have never traveled the journey to this strange island.

For those who knew nothing about Japanese animation you brought a new vision of SF to us. You Americanized anime for us to watch and that opened up a market that is enjoyed by younger generations after all these years. From Robotech to Harlock we all enjoyed your achievements.

Thank you. RIP

By: Jerry Beck

Jerry Beck — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:12:51 +0000

A memorial service for Carl Macek will be held on Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 2pm at:

Congregational Church of the Chimes
14115 Magnolia Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

The service will be open to the public.

Like - 1 others like this comment

By: Mike Pasqua

Mike Pasqua — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:42:22 +0000

Like many others, I was shocked to see the passing of my old friend. Like Scott Shaw!, I first got to know Carl at ACBC and at a tribute to Edgar Rice Burroughs that was held at Cal State Fullerton. Through the years, Carl has always been a friend and a resource for me. There were several evenings when Carl allowed several us access to the cels used for Heavy Metal and he even gave me one as a gesture of friendship. I was one of the invited guests to his wedding to Svea and he signed my copy of the The Art Of Heavy Metal on his wedding day. Carl always had a wicked sense of humor that paralleled my own. During my tenure as program director at Comic Con, Carl created a slide show called “Bound To Please” which entailed this history of bondage in comics. I can’t tell you how much controversy we had over that. My last real contact with Carl was when I saw War Eagles in the bookstore at the Honolulu airport. It renewed my friendship and we maintained connections until the sad event. Another person who left this life way to early. Condolences to Svea.

By: Ryan Crouse

Ryan Crouse — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:55:23 +0000

This is really tragic news!Robotech Macross Saga aired around ‘86 I remember waiting in front of the tv every friday, couldnt wait for Robotech to start.(must have been about 6 year old at the time) Purchased the protoculture series recently watched the entire saga again, amazing even now it doesnt look dated like some other series created after Robotech!

Carl Macek you will be sorely missed! Thank you for everything!!

By: Duane Capizzi

Duane Capizzi — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:21:09 +0000

I first met Carl when he worked at the American Comic Book Company in Studio City. I was probably about 14, really wanted to buy a one-sheet of Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch hanging in there. I think it was marked 20 bucks and Carl let this sweet nerdy kid (me) have it for 15 (all the money I had in my pocket). Some ten or so years later, I found myself in a conference room with the same Carl Macek, now producer of Robotech, with a dozen or so sci-fi novelists. I was there on a mutual friend’s recommendation, to receive a writing assignment on Robotech II: The Sentinels (for which the indefatigable Carl Macek wrote all 65 story outlines, to hand out to writers to script!). Soon after, I found myself doing “multiples” because Carl somehow saw a spark in me, that I might somehow deliver the goods as well as his more seasoned pros. The point, aside from being forced by this all too sad circumstance to remember that I met Carl for the first time twice, is that Carl was incredibly generous. I went on to be his assistant at Harmony Gold for a short stretch, as he attempted to get the next phase of Robotech airborne. A time fraught with frustrations, but Carl couldn’t be stopped — knocked down, he got right back up and came at the problem from a different angle, again and again. His energy was boundless, and he was creatively fearless. He also had impeccable taste — whether waxing poetic about this or that obscure film noir, or on full display when I visited the mind-blowing mid-century house he and Svea owned (which inspired me to want to live in one like it “when I grew up”). I was probably looking for a father figure at the time, and Carl wasn’t quite that — he was a little too “self-involved” (LOL, for those who knew him). But for a period, he was like a big brother I never had but would have wanted — who would fuel my hunger for film and comics and animation. As with so many people who are dear to me, I fell in and out of touch with Carl over the years, mostly out. That was my loss, and now everyone’s. Carl, you will be missed. Svea, deepest sympathies … I am so sorry.

By: Mike C

Mike C — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 02:20:12 +0000

I remember the original promo for Robotech on San Francisco’s Channel 44. Just a few quick clips of some new show with jets and robots. I didn’t know the proper name for the animation style as a seven-year-old, but I recognized that it was similar to StarBlazers and Voltron. That was my introduction to Robotech, and even now, I regularly visit the universe Carl created.

The people who demean Carl Macek’s work fail to see two very key things: 1) His passion was bringing the artform of anime to as many people possible despite the logistical and practical limitations of the time 2) The gall and effort and sheer madness necessary to write a storyline as intricate as the entire Robotech saga is a rare thing of beauty. Creativity and passion of that sort should be celebrated, warts and all.

If only we could get a peek at the parallel universe where Carl Macek, Robotech, and Streamline didn’t exist, perhaps then anime fandom would truly understand the gift this man gave to us. For me, it’s watching Akira in the theater as a teen, writing fan mail begging for The Sentinels to be completed, devouring any piece of Robotech literature possible in the 1990s, and even today when I watch Cowboy Bebop reruns. All of that is due to his work.

Carl Macek was at a convention a few months ago in San Francisco. I skipped it due to family commitments, and I’m going to regret that one forever. Rest in peace, friend.

By: Rooniman

Rooniman — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:54:32 +0000

Oh boy…. not another one gone…