Fashion Kills

Fashion mags Elle and Vogue have done some amazing spreads in recent years, inspired by awesomeness like Alice's Adventures In Wonderland and Grey Gardens. Elle's most recent spread delivers cinematic creepy-beautiful goodness by joining forces with American Horror Story and Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy's Killer Fashion Shoot.

Photos by Carter Smith - see them all here: http://www.elle.com/Pop-Culture/Celebrity-Spotlight/Ryan-Murphy-s-Killer-Fashion-Shoot#mode=base;slide=0;

Lullaby For Diane Arbus

On February 6, 1971 photographer Diane Arbus, ended her life by slitting her wrists and taking sleeping pills - it is rumored that she photographed the whole thing.

To date, she remains my favorite portrait photographer. She saw and captured beauty in dark places - in ones others look rapidly away from or mock or pretend not to see...

A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know. - Diane Arbus

http://diane-arbus-photography.com/

Tag In A Haunted Parlor

The lovely Lady M, whose blog of macabre goodness, Lady M's Haunted Parlor, was kind enough to think of me when it came to playing a bit of tag. I always equate the game of tag with this scene from El Orfanto, so how could I possibly refuse?


First up, there are rules. Here they are:

1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
4. Create 3 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them that you have tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section about ‘you are tagged if you are reading this.’ blah blah blah, you legitimately have to tag 3 people!

Things of random pertaining to me. They may or may not be true. Here you go:

1. I know how to dispel most types of evil using common household kitchen implements. 

2. I am currently studying Parapsychology at the Rhine Research Center out of Duke University.

3. I watch Picnic At Hanging Rock each year, on Valentine's Day. 



4. I authored a book on modern music in primitive societies.

5. I am hoping to teach a puppetry workshop at Dragon Con this year.
6. In The Goonies, Corey Feldman's character is wearing a Purple Rain shirt because I happen to adore Prince.
7. I have more comic books than you.

8. Currently, my favorite shows on TV are Korean Dramas. How can you not love shows with titles like, "Pretty Lady ChitChat" or "Mom's Dead Upset?" Impossible.

9. At my last job, my colleagues were all convinced, (all unbeknownst to me), that I was a regular in an 80's TV show as a child and that I was, indeed, Punky Brewster.

10. They were partly right.


The following are Lady M's queries for me:

1. If you had only one day in your life you could live again, what would it be? Would you change anything?

If you had asked me this question a little over two weeks ago, I would have provided a very different answer. On Saturday, January 21st we arrived home to discover our beloved little dog had been killed, (which is why I haven't been updating). Someone entered our yard (we suspect the meter reader?), who did not lock the gate and she got out and was hit by a car. The driver did not stop.
The mailman heard it happen, grabbed a couple neighbors and went to inspect. Luckily, the neighbors took her to an animal hospital a block away from us where they assured us she was made as comfortable and pain free as possible but she only lasted an hour.

Right now, that is the day I want a do-over for. There are a number of things I could change and I think about it all the time….

2. Who are the five people you would most like to dine with - dead or alive?

Shirley Jackson, The Fox sisters, J.B Rhine, Stephen Sondheim

3. What is your favorite way to spend a totally free Saturday?

Living in LA there are always amazing events and things going on. Off the top of my head let's say brunch at The Raymond in South Pasadena with a quick visit to The Curio Emporium and Gold Bug. The afternoon is spent at The Museum Of Jurassic Technology with tea in the Tula Tea Room, (if I'm really lucky Tula the Borzoi will be there). Maybe a show at Largo after grabbing the best hot dog ever at Chili Addiction next door, and finally a midnight showing of The Room. 





Stuff for a Saturday -

The Raymond - originally the caretakers cottage of an opulent hotel which burned to the ground. The food is amazing and the patio, especially in Spring, is exceedingly beautiful.
http://www.theraymond.com/

Chili Addiction - Seriously, the best hot dogs ever and great service. http://www.chiliaddiction.com/

Gold Bug - an upscale cabinet of curiosities. http://goldbugpasadena.com/

The Curio Emporium - Check out my earlier post about this wonderful oddities shop! http://www.thecurioemporium.com/

The Museum Of Jurassic Technology - my favorite place in all of Los Angeles. http://www.mjt.org/

Largo - I guess I would describe Largo like it's kinda my idea of "church." It isn't the same since they moved from the original location on Fairfax but, much of the magic still carries over to this legendary place. For a glimpse of the history making that has gone down in Largo's walls, check out the doc trailer http://www.largo-la.com/


The Room - Most of you are probably already familiar with the adjective defying brainchild of Tommy Wiseu. In LA we do it up right every month in what can only be described as a new generation's version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. So much fun you'll want to go every month.


And...of course please visit Lady M's Haunted Parlor - http://ladymhauntedparlor.blogspot.com/

Ghost Golf

Just heard the following from parapsychologist, Loyd Auerbach:

"Okay, here's a weird thing that's going to be controversial: Ghost Golf in Concord, CA, an indoor mini-golf course set in an effects-laden cemetery, is actually haunted. Owned by a friend of mine (who also designed the effects) who'd reported odd goings on in 2010 when he was building the place out. Activity not accounted for by the effects (neither the mechanisms or the programming) has been going on. A recent investigation -- video soon to be on the web -- with psychic Maria Lagana yielded some interesting info, an apparent contact, and most impressively some cooperation from the apparition (which we got on camera). When the video's ready to go, I'll post the links and an article on my website. In the meantime, real ghost or not, it's a cool place to visit (and play a round)."


http://www.ghostgolfconcord.com/home.html

Ada Rainwater, Corpse Bride

I was researching something else and stumbled across the story of Ada Rainwater in a 1907 Nevada State Journal paper.

HER BRIDAL GOWN WILL BE HER BURIAL SHROUD

"The beautiful gown that was to have been her bridal gown became her burial robe. The most beautiful of happy days has faded and tears of joy, by the inexorable irony of fate, became bitter tears of sadness."

January -The Season Of The Witch

In many parts of Europe, witches are a common and popular figure of the Christmas season. Prior to the Christian church taking over January 6th as Epiphany or Three Kings night, this was the holy night of Berchta, goddess of winter, witchcraft and animals. Many countries have adapted Berchta to their own cultures and she goes by many different names and personas, but the further you go back in history, the more fearsome she gets.

In more modern times, she is associated with the fairy tale figure of Mother Holle, with her enormous teeth, doling out punishments for the lazy and responsible for making it snow upon the earth by shaking out her feather beds and pillows. In Italy she is known as La Befana and in Russia, Baboushka. In these incarnations the old woman is the epitome of a type A personality. She is overly obsessed with order and cleanliness, so when the three kings pass by on their way to visit the christ child and invite her to come along, she declines the offer as she hasn't finished her sweeping. Soon after they leave, Baboushka comes to her senses, packs a basket of freshly baked cookies and goes out to find them, but they are too far ahead for her to catch up. Now, come each January 6th, like some sort of residual haunting, she packs up her cookies and sets off on a broomstick to find them. She looks in the house of every child and leaves a cookie behind.

Urbania has laid claims to the home of the original Befana. Here, they hold a great festival where hundreds of women dress in stereotypical witchy garb and flood the streets, juggling, dancing, singing and greeting all the children.

In Italy, you can catch a glimpse of witches in storefronts everywhere and even see her "flying" on her broom from the tops of the tallest church towers, throwing candies and treats to excited children below.

The traditional centerpiece of a goose for Christmas dinner is even tied to witchcraft. Berchta is often referred to as Perchta, a sinister figure appearing as a half witch woman half demon with a goose or swan's foot. It was believed that witches rubbed their bodies with goose fat, which enabled them to fly. People left the fat in a pot outside as an offering to witches on Christmas night where they would take nightly flights, called grease flights, over the twelve days of Christmas.

Perchta roams the earth this January night, rewarding those who are hard working and generous and punishing the idle, greedy and (oh dear) the curious. Children and adults alike are vulnerable to Perchta's wrath. Her punishment of choice involves slashing open your stomach so she may violently rip out your intestines, which are then replaced by straw, rocks and garbage. Being an adept seamstress she'd sew you right back up again and then be on to the next victim. In many places Perchta rides with a throng of demonic looking helpers, who love to partake of the feast offerings left out for them by people hoping for Perchta's blessings of wealth and health in the new year.

Perchta and one of her helpers.

In Switzerland Perchta's demon sidekicks, straggele, get to dole out the punishments themselves and aren't terribly discerning as they "...rob all bad children and tear them to pieces in the air." That must make quite a mess - I doubt La Befana would approve.

On The Tenth Day Of Creepmas...

What...did you think Creepmas was over? Silly...it's only the 10th day! We have a couple more days to go before Epipahny, the final day of the season.

First, allow me to wish you, Gentle Readers, a very happy new year.