A new playlist inspired by Daniel Mills’ Revenants.
Tracklist:
Church, Dead Soldiers | Sick Today, Jim Strange with The Proud and The Damned | The Dark Pines, Heathen Apostles | Bridge Of Branches, O’Death and Friends | Cold Wind Suddenly, The Robber Barons | Ghosts In The River, by Jep and Dep | Battered Bones, Big John Bates | Raise It To The Ground, Jb Nelson | The Fear In Your Brain, Lasse Krog Andersen | Lost, Weak And Alone, Saint Christopher | Lead Me Home, Jamie N Commons | Parlour Lights, The Whiskey Charmers | The Devil Is In My Bones, Sasha Boole | Black Dress, O’Death
(A few years back, a dear friend of mine and I started a little blog to document our fascinations and obsessions. It was fun while it lasted and then we grew busy with other things and let it go. Which is ok! I think we were at a point in our lives at that time when we really needed that sort of companionable, cooperative outlet, and then our situations changed a bit and maybe we just didn’t need it anymore. Or we got lazy, heh! Either way, she remains one of the dearest people in the world to me! This missive, below, is a repost from that time, but I wanted to hang on to it and move it to my current blog, for a new audience,and because, well, I believe it’s always relevant.)
The night before Easter Sunday of my 4th year I was tucked into bed by my mother. Looking forward to a spring morning full of frilly Easter dresses, the pink & purple pastels of plastic eggs and straw baskets brimming with candies and coins, I contentedly pulled the covers up to my chin and perhaps lightly dozed at that point – but I don’t remember it quite that way. As I recall not moments after the light was extinguished, I heard a noise from outside; I peeped above the quilted coverlet and received a terrible fright – a demonic face, not inches from my own, leering at me from outside the darkened glass windowpane next to my bed! Long ears with dark, matted fur… bent and flopping in a broken sort of way, black eyes glittering with menace and gigantic teeth, gnashing with dreadful intent – this monstrous mockery of the my beloved seasonal mascot was right outside my window! Even more distressing was the fact that my bedroom was located on the second floor!
I woke the entire household with my screams.
I honestly don’t remember what happened after that, but I am certain it was that night that my fascination with the bizarre, the terrible and the inexplicable was born.
I suppose that story does seem rather silly, but that along with a childhood rife with weirdness, I am not sure I could have turned out any other way. Hm, let’s review:
My mother was an astrologer who often held meditation circles in our home (hint: these are populated by weirdos); she also became obsessed with the ouija board when I was very young…I remember spending what felt like an eternity every evening balancing the planchette with my tiny fingers while she, on her side of the board, spent hours on the phone! I don’t think she was talking to anyone from “the other side”, which makes it all the more infuriating.
Yearly visits to my biological father’s childhood home , which held promise of sleeping in haunted bedrooms with stacks of horror comics to fuel the imagination. I’ll forever be fascinated and terrified of the beach at night due to a particular tale, which I’ve never been able to find again. However, I have since been in contact with the Uncle whose room housed the comics and we have vowed to get to the bottom of the mystery. What we do know: it was Eerie or Creepy and probably between the years 1965-1967. I will report back with my findings!
My mother briefly dated a man who gave me a copy of Manly P. Hall’s The Secret Teaching of All Ages and a copy of the Thoth tarot deck for my 11th birthday. Aside from Weird Al Yankovic, Manly P. Hall was one of my first secret crushes! (I am still madly in love with Weird Al.) It is also because of that man that I introduced HP Lovecraft as my favourite author on the first day of 6th grade, when other girls were reading about Jessica and Elizabeth in Sweet Valley High.
My stepfather was a member of a local chapter of the OTO as well as an author and “magician” in his own right. I later went to work for him in his rare, occult book business and even designed his website for him.
Well, it feels good to get all of that off my chest! What about you folks? What seminal moment from your childhood contributed to the weirdo that you are today?
I would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment and you will automatically be entered into a giveaway for a small package o’weirdness. Contents are currently being deliberated upon, but will include at least the items pictured below.
A random winner will be chosen in one weeks time!
A gorgeous SXSW poster for Ted Geoghegan’s We Are Still Here, designed by Erik Buckham and Jesse Vital. Take a peek at the teaser trailer over at Broke Horror Fan.
From Morbid Anatomy Presents: The Phantasmagoria shows of the early 1800s were our ancestor’s equivalent of the modern horror film or spook show. Magic Lantern historian Mervyn Heard takes us through brief history of the Phantasmagories and our cultural need to be terrified through ghosts, demons, skeletons and more… (h/t Ben)
For people “who think entirely too deeply about the absurd things they watch”:Splatstick and the Specters of the Past – insight from the inimitable Tenebrous Kate on Tommy Wirkola’s Nazi Zombies and Killer Witches.
I have a life-long habit of shying away from new experiences, and I suspect, from many conversations I have had with many people, I am not alone. We don’t want to be seen in front of others doing something new incorrectly; we don’t want to screw up; we don’t want to look like fools. We don’t want to not know how to act in a new environment, in front of new people. We don’t want to offend, or upset or amuse someone with our ignorance and awkwardness. I don’t know about you, but just thinking about those uncharted situations gets me jittery and freaked out.
And it’s not just new experiences, I mean sometimes I get a little bit anxious about something as commonplace as say, going out for groceries…so I think it might just be experiences, period. Every time I leave my house, my safe spot, my comfort zone, there is an element of the unknown mixed in with it – what’s traffic going to be like? how many left turns must I take ? what if the parking lot is full? what if I run into someone I know? what if I spend too much on groceries? what if they don’t have an item I desperately need? what if I get into an accident? and can’t find my insurance card? or my registration? You know, sometimes it’s just easier to stay home and eat stale crackers than deal with the vagaries of Regular Human Stuff.
For all that, though, I do manage to get by. I grocery shop, I visit the library, I make it to hair appointments and doctor’s appointments. These are the things one has to do as a human in today’s world, these are the things regular, normal people do. And I try, for the most part, to pass as “normal”.
I do realize, though, that’s really no way to live. Sequestering one’s self in one’s office all day, solely communicating with people from the relative safety of an email or an instant message, and then limiting interaction with the world beyond your front door as much as you can possibly get away with – you miss out on so many rich experiences, hiding where you feel safe. And you know, as I’ve gotten older, I think what starts to scare me more than “Something New” is “Something New That Could Have Been Great and I totally missed out on it because I was too frightened or self-conscious to give it a try”.
Now, you are probably not going to see me going out for ballroom dancing anytime soon, or taking flying lessons or attending a stand up comic show (that’s how I know when I’ve made great strides, when I am able to comfortably listen to a live comedian, which is the most awkward and embarrassing thing ever.) but I have been Doing Things lately.
This past Friday night I went along with my sister and some friends to see The Acrocats at the Venue in Orlando. Now, you might be puzzled as to my hesitation with regard to such an evening “It’s cats! Cats doing things!” you might say. “Who wouldn’t be excited about that?” Well, hi – do you know me? Have you been listening? What if they miss their cues? What if they poop on the stage? What if they get loose in the audience? So many things could go wrong! And I would be in the audience to witness it! Auuugh. I didn’t think I could possibly handle it.
As it turns out, it was pretty fantastic for those very reasons. They’re cats, for God’s sake. They’re going to do whatever they want to do, and that’s actually what made the show so much fun. It was a ridiculous spectacle, and if I am being honest -which I am because to do otherwise would defeat the purpose of having typed all of this – I loved every minute of it. I laughed and smiled until my cheeks felt like they might burst and I was so very grateful to the people who encouraged me to see it.
We saw cats dinging cowbells and pushing cars and walking across tightropes and a chicken playing a cymbal and an enormously fat groundhog doing …something (but I couldn’t tell what because people’s heads were in the way). The ringmaster/trainer was such a lovely, sweet lady and all throughout the show she explained a bit about her training techniques and gave us background on the individual cats (which were all strays she had taken in), so any fears about ill-treatment of animals were put to rest. It was all absolutely absurd and silly and such a weird and wonderful way to spend a Friday night. If these guys travel to your area, I highly recommend purchasing a ticket.
So basically everyone was right and I did enjoy myself immensely and sometimes gentle encouragement is a good thing for people like me, like us, people who are scared of doing things. It doesn’t have to be like that! We don’t have to be sad and lonely in our little hidey-holes and missing out on all of the good, interesting stuff. Sometimes we can have a good time watching crazy cats with our friends and it isn’t the least bit scary, not at all.
(Wonderful photos courtesy BGF – mine were all pretty blurry and terrible.)
Inspired by The Sea Priestess, a novel by Dion Fortune.
Tracklist:
Leafy Sea Dragon Nursery, The Parlour Trick | Sea Chanty, White Magic | On to the Shore, Arborea | Black Tide, Dirty Three | Under the Water, Pantaleimon | Castles By The Sea, The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation | Sea Of Bubbles, Rena Jones | Moon 4, Kenseth Thibideau | Sea of Cruelty, Shadowhouse | Valley Of Quartz, Saåad | Oath, FVNERALS | As if one were sinking into sand, The Caretaker | The Black Sea MMXIV, thisquietarmy | Deep Underwater, Halgrath
It’s recently come to my attention that a certain celebrity linked to a certain project for which I was responsible for a few years. Which is pretty fantastic publicity…if I were still working on this project. Still, it is nice to be noticed!
It has, however, created an uptick in interest in this project and an overwhelming cry of “please start updating again!” & etc. Without being too wordy, let me tell you why that is not an option.
I don’t like to look back.
Skeletor is Love was a successful endeavor (Please note, I am measuring “success” by relative popularity, not profit. This was never intended as a mode of revenue and I never made a cent off of it) which I created and I had fun with and actually did some good for the mental health community, but I always told myself that when it stopped being fun, when it started to become a chore, I would move on. And I know a lot of people totally get that, and that’s great – thank you for understanding.
It was an amazing experience while it lasted, but I’ve wrapped it up and have moved on to other projects and wonderfully interesting things. I have no wish to take a step back and work on something I’ve already done – I want to move forward and do new things, tackle new challenges! Starting work again on a project I am already finished with is not in the cards for me -it feels like taking a taking a step backward and I have come too far to do that. Also…I think you can tell when a creator/artist*/whatever no longer is really putting their heart into something, can’t you? When they are just going through the motions? I didn’t want to be that person who was no longer inspired or passionate about what I was doing, but continuing to crank out crap anyway. *And listen, yes, I know this was not art. I’m not painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, it was just a silly internet thing – I’m not under any delusions here. Promise.
With regard to a question I get quite often, along the lines of why don’t I let someone take over admin duties for the page. Oookay…why don’t YOU put a lot of hard work into something that means a lot to you and then hand it over blindly to a stranger to screw around with? Doesn’t sound so great, does it? And no, I don’t know that someone would actually “screw around” with it, but the thing is just that: I. Don’t Know. It would be totally out of my control and I am not at all comfortable with that. Also – why not get your own project to spearhead? Why on earth would you want to take over something else someone has created, anyhow? Create something of your own!
I thank you all for your support and encouragement and for all of the kind things you’ve said and all of your enthusiasm – I truly do. But Skeletor is Love will not continue to update…and that is okay. Things come to an end…and that is also okay. It has to be, doesn’t it? That is the way things go. And then you do something new. And so it goes.
SO: NEW THINGS! What are you working on right now? What are you planning to work on? I’m honored to have contributed to a few things that my excellent friends are working on this year; I am learning the entrelac technique with regard to knitting, I just hosted Orlando’s 2nd Death Cafe and am in the process of planning the third…and I am looking at this ukulele in the corner gathering dust and thinking on how I promised I would learn it and be able to play the Eagle’s ‘Desperado’ DEATH BURRITO parody. I also have a hand-quilting kit that I have shoved on a shelf because I am afraid to look at it.
Inspired by Laird Barron’s short story “The Carrion Gods in Their Heavens” in the collection The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All.
Tracklist:
Strange Moon Rising, Smoke Fairies | Locksång På Orgel, Daniel Olsén | Nocturnal, Orion Rigel Dommisse | A Retinue Of Moons/ The Infidel Is Me, Rasputina | Feral Love, CHELSEA WOLFE | Heavenly Creatures, Wolf Alice | Well Of Tuhala, Fursaxa | The Heart Full Of Eyes I Am, Current 93 | No Dog, Esben And The Witch | Black Eyed Dog, Swans | How The Gods, Kill Owl Service | I Am The Wolf, Mark Lanegan | Umingmak, Tanya Tagaq | Werewolf The Path Ost, | White Fanged Foreverness, Mariee Sioux |
On a grey, rainy afternoon in late February, eleven strangers sought each other out to discuss the topic of death and all things related at Orlando’s second Death Cafe. Despite the weather, our participant’s spirits were not dampened over the course of our two hour event – if anything, a merrier group was never seen in the face of what can often be a difficult, challenging conversation.
Gathered in a loose circle — on sofas, in chairs, on the floor, attendees took part in a group discussion on matters of life and death that ranged from one’s first awareness of death, to last wishes and everything in between: the wishes for our remains, the legacies that we leave behind and our digital footprint that remains long after our physical presence has passed. And of course, delectable cakes and cookies and treats -brought in and shared by one and all – were offered to nourish and fortify the body beforehand (and, of course, lots of positive energy in the room to nourish the spirit!) A reporter and photographer from the Orlando Sentinel held a quiet, unobtrusive presence, as well, and conducted several brief interviews after the event wrapped up.
Attendees described the afternoon as “enlightening”, and “validating” and remarked on the warm, pleasant atmosphere. Suggestions and friendly, thoughtful critiques were offered as well, and will certainly be taken into account for our next event!
Thank you so much for attending Orlando’s second Death Cafe – it was an honor to have spent the afternoon with all of you who attended and I look forward to doing it again, and perhaps seeing some of you there the next time!
Over the span of a month, Adam Savage designed and built an accurate replica of the hedge maze architectural model from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. (h/t Yvan)
MA textile student Zsanett Szirmay’s project “Soundweaving” combines the borderlands of folk art, design and music by way of Hungarian and Transylvanian embroidery designs set to music. (h/t Lisa)
Ajuma – a grieving widow – is desperate to stop her recurring nightmares. In an effort to end them once and for all, she explores a forgotten fairytale remedy that leads her to unexpected discoveries. To Catch A Dream is The NEST Collective’s second fashion film project in collaboration with Chico Leco.
Fashion Week Fall 2015! Giles Deacon (top row) and dramatic dark lord Gareth Pugh (bottom row) are my current favorites. I am pretending Gareth Pugh was inspired by Garth Ennis’ CROSSED series. Heh.
Time for a trip to Tokyo! First on the agenda: the Tokyo Ghost Bar. Then we shall stay the night at the Godzilla hotel. Good times! すごい!
And the meek shall inherit Pawnee. I’ve not watched Parks and Rec for a while, but this article made me a little teary. I’m going to make it a point to binge on the last two seasons sometime soon. The meek and the farty, indeed.
