Gary Sohmers, also known as the "King of Pop Culture", is an American appraiser and fan convention producer. He is widely known as an appraiser of collectibles, pop culture items, and toys on the PBS television series Antiques Roadshow, and is recognized by his long gray ponytail, and preference of Aloha shirts and orange ConverseChuck Taylor sneakers.
Background
Gary Sohmers attained his love of collecting from his father who collected campaign buttons. At the age of eight, he began selling his toys at garage sales, and took an interest in learning the relevance and history of the items. Sohmers was influenced also by his father's love for songwriting. He formed the first incarnation of his rock 'n' roll band, Windjammer in the 1970s. Sohmers recruited an array of musicians who performed in other local Madison bands including Jeff Walker of Spooner, Robert Julius Corbit of The Waves, Paul “Radar” Schoeder of The Rousers, Gil Jevne of Punch, and Dave Gochberg of Task Force. In 1983, Sohmers recorded an original song co-written with Geno Barone, with Garbage musicians Butch Vig and Steve Marker entitled “Dinosaur Rock”. The audio was recorded at Smart Studios, in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1979, Sohmers recorded the Windjammer EP at Pepperhead Studios in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. The album consisted of songs he penned, featuring guitarist Scott Holmstrom, along with Schoeder, Gochberg, Jevne and some guest stars from other bands including Butch Vig in his first recording session for another artist other than his own band on the song “Blind,” and Art Baldocci and Greg Biela of Heartsfield on “Spinning My Wheels”. Sohmers' song “Good Old Friend” was also recorded but not released on the EP. In 2017, Sohmers wrote Beasties: a Sci-fi Rock Opera, as a stage musical. Sohmers wrote the songs for the show. The concept record features vocals, instrumentation, and orchestration by Bill Holloman. The concept record was released in early 2020 in the form of YouTube videos. Three books about the rock opera, written by Sohmers in 2017 from the viewpoint of different characters from the show, were published in 2020.
Career
Sohmers opened his first collectibles shop in 1974 in Madison, Wisconsin. After his move to Massachusetts in 1984, he opened Wex Rex Collectibles in Hudson and eventually in Framingham selling toys, records, and rock and roll memorabilia. The shop has since closed, and he is now the producer of the Pop Culture Expos held biannually in Massachusetts. The events have been held since 2014, with the objective of guiding the next generation toward careers in the creative arts. Celebrity guests, cosplay, and panels are staples of the shows as well. The March 2017 edition of his SouthCoast Comic Con was Batman actor, Adam West's final public appearance before he died on June 9, 2017. In 1997, Sohmers made his first appearance on Antiques Roadshow in Rochester, New York. His first aired appraisal for the show was of an oil painting by musician Frank Zappa from 1960, which he valued at $15,000 to $25,000. Other notable appraisals by Sohmers that aired on the show include original Peanuts comic strip artwork, with an appraised value of $450,000; a laugh track machine invented by Charles Douglass appraised at $10,000; and a Beatles “Butcher Cover” album ranging in value somewhere between $10,000 and $12,000. Sohmers appeared as a guest on episode 17 of season 4 of the PBS Kids show Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman. The episode visits Brimfield, Massachusetts where he challenges two of the show's contestants to explore the Brimfield Antiques and Collectibles Show. Sohmers also appeared as an expert appraiser on all six episodes of the VH1 television show For What It's Worth. The show was hosted by Howard Stern Show radio personalities Gary Dell'Abate and Jon Hein, who appraise and showcase pop culture items throughout the show.
