The cult of Bettie enabled me to learn more about a part of my family history that I thought lost. I didn\u2019t learn about my grandfather\u2019s famous history until I was 21 and at the 1992 San Diego ComicCon. I remember the event clearly.<\/p>\n
“Are you related to Irving Klaw?”<\/p>\n
I stood dumbfounded. I knew the name but never expected to hear it at 21 while attending a comic book convention. Irving Klaw was my grandfather.<\/p>\n
Irving died about 16 months before I was born. His death is the stuff of family legend.<\/p>\n
The grey-haired man in front of me was Ray Zone. As a comic book and magazine publisher, Zone was single-handedly responsible for the 3-d boom of the late 80\u2019s.1<\/p>\n
“He was my grandfather. Why?”<\/p>\n
Zone proceeded to show me examples of my grandfather\u2019s work: Images of Bettie in black leather and leopard print bathing suits bound in a variety of positions. Some of the pics had Bettie with a whip. In some she was spread in doorways or suspended from a ceiling, bound and gagged. A few even had other women, but none had any nudity at all.<\/p>\n
So you could say the “cult of Bettie” changed my life but not in the way most expect. I became curious and over the years and learned as much as I could abut his life and work. It\u2019s enabled me to re-establish a relationship with my Uncle Arth. Turns out we have a lot more in common than Irving.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n Rick Klaw Talks about Irving Klaw<\/a> was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An interview with me about my famous grandfather appears on the BettiePage.com blog. Quote: How has your own life, work and passions been shaped by experiencing the “cult” audience of Bettie Page? The cult of Bettie enabled me to learn … Continue reading ![](\"http:\/\/lh6.ggpht.com\/klutzrick\/RzSMMVNgYtI\/AAAAAAAAAE8\/6ItkRzDrU0Y\/s288\/bpirving.jpeg\")
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