Gustav, Again

[David Kirk]

This question occurred to me a while back, I and wondered what anyone thought, maybe Christian has a good idea—was that heart reference on Gustav's box a nod to Henk's own condition?

[robothunter]

This question occurred to me a while back, I and wondered what anyone thought, maybe Christian has a good idea—was that heart reference on Gustav's box a nod to Henk's own condition?

David - As recently posted, I was a fool to not purchase a Gustav at the time Henk offered it to me so I only have this photo as a reference. Where on the box is there a heart? Was the final box different from this photo? I can't remember where I got this from. I don't think it was from Henk since it's so small a file and he always sent me quality photos. Thanks!

[9tobor9]

:huh: Aaaarrrgggllll !!!!I have the answer to that, but it might shed a nasty light on poor Gustav. Henk & me were chatting on a daily basis on the phone, making Belgian & Dutch phone companies rich & prosperous. We spoke of about everything, including a lot of non robot topics.

As we discussed the rise of the extreme right, & their Neo Nazi attitude, the conversation went back to the mid-forties, the WWII period. We discussed Henk's father action at the time, he was dealing in bikes, officialy, & helping hiding jews from the Nazi inquisition.As we spoke of the deported people & the way they were pushed into the trains for what would be their last journey; Henk came up with the idea of a Robot programmed to do just that, push the people on the trains, without any remorse or feelings, hence the Iron heart . As for the Gustav name, it came from a german soldier that uncovered Henk's father actions aside the bike dealing, & looked the other way.

All Germans were not Nazis, & some of them were as horrified as the rest of the world by the actions of their extremists.

So, as you can see, there's still a heart in Gustav's, even if it looks like it's made of iron.

Now go cry all of you, I know I do while writing this !!!

[robothunter]

Xris, thanks for sharing that story with us. That's about all I can think to say right now.

[dratomic]

I'm don't think it sheds a nasty light on Gustav. It seems to me he's more inspired by the soldier who chose to look the other way regarding Henk's father, rather than the machine that remorselessly pushed people onto the trains. That makes him one of the few human-friendly robots out there. Even the box -- unlike most robot's packaging, this one doesn't depict Gustav rampaging through the city leaving death and destruction in his wake. He's just sort of wandering around, another guy out on the town.

[robert]

I confess that I have never really cared for the name of this robot, and often wondered how Henk came up with the name - it seemed such an un-robotic title. But in light of the story Xris just told I think I could grow to love it. Thanx Xris.

[Dirk]

GUSTAV - a name for a robot - that always sounds like a bad joke about germans to me. So I never asked HENK for this... Its quite usual ( not very bad TODAY ) to make some little jokes about other confessions - so germans are called " Krautfresser " or the italians are the " spaghetties" a.s.o. I had never the idea, that GUSTAVs name had something to do with the WWII. So thank you very much for these explanations, XRIS!

As for the Gustav name, it came from a german soldier that uncovered Henk's father actions aside the bike dealing, & looked the other way.

So if I understand correctly- GUSTAV seem to be more a POOR BOT - but HE is not the BAD GUY?? Am I wrong or right on this...? :unsure:

[9tobor9]

:( No soldier, or Robot, in a war should be called a bad guy, unless he, it, revels in it !!!

Where does that put the Daleks ??? KILL-CRUSH-EXTERMINATE-DESTROYYYYYY

Definitely baddies. Let them be methodically crushed by GUSTAV's iron claws & feet, with just a sad feeling of having to do it, no rejoicing. Like his ancestor of a few months, GUSTAV is Austere

[steve]

You bring back a very personal memory Xris - as you well know Henk and myself have been going back and forth with one another for years. Atleast half our conversations were non robot related - philosophy, politics, artistry, psychology, love (Henk could be quite the romantic) etc. On occassion each one of us might have felt and been quite a bit worried that we went too far in what we said to one another. Especially Henk who despite his irreverant exterior was quite a sensitive person among those he respected. One political conversation I felt that I touched a raw nerve with Henk - I didn't but his reply made me step back and realize just how much this man has seen ugly in this world (and of course helped to frame his political outlooks). Now that he is gone I will share this with you as a measure of the man.

"No raw nerve. I was 9 years old and my mother was something high in the

United Nations refugee agency. In fact she, and in tow me, went there to organise

the return of the refugees who fled during the first part of the uprising.

That turned out quite differently once the Nagy gouverment was crushed and

Kadar, read the Russians, took over.

As diplomatic big shots I suppose we never were in great danger, but my mother was

doted with a unreasonable courage* so she would seek the middle of the action.

So this picture is indeed part of my memory. But I treated it more as a very good

story to tell my mates.

*not passed on.

In 1957 and subsequent years, we were often in Austria, where she was busy with the hundreds of

thousands who came across. I remember well the crossing at Debrecen, the last to

fall/close.

Later we had Prague etc.

I was in Afghanistan went the Russians invaded and taking previous experience into account,

I did not know how fast to get out!

I have never been to Russia after the fall of the CCCP, maybe it is better now.

But then I found it at worst a primitive and extremely brutal, and at best s Kafka-esque

country. Probably because all good Russians were outside of Russia.

I used to know "little Moskwa" in Paris and these were all lovely people.

If you are indeed Russian, you prove this point.

Indeed Henk was a product of a courageous upbringing and had seen far too much both ugly and heroic in this crazy world of ours at much too young an age.

So in turns out our innocent little Gustav brings far more meaning to the table than we ordinary mortals could imagine - an imagination that Gustav's creater was filled with.

[zzrobot]

Henk was also the Ann Frank museum director years ago, i was looking forward to a visit with him there someday in the future..........................

[dratomic]

Wow. There's so much I never knew about the man.

[larry seven]

:) Now Henk, and his dad, are even more my heroes than ever before. -Larry7

[plasticaugie]

In the very first post about Gustav Henk hinted about this,

http://danefield.com/alpha/forums/index.ph...8&hl=gustav

I knew this story sounded familiar.

[Fineas J. Whoopie]

Great story. I was another one of us who sadly didn't swoop in on one of the Gustavs when they were available. Now that I know this story I regret not getting one twice as much. That's true art - with so much of who Henk is put into the work.

[David Kirk]

I went back to read that first page about Gustav that Plasticaugie posted the link for. God, it's like finding my dad's old letters. I see I asked that he make eleven of them, and I oddly got a #11. I wonder if that's coincidence. He also sent me some encouragement to finish a robot there too. I'll have one soon, Henk, I promise!