The blog of author Dennis Cooper

DC’s theoretically favorite commercially available animated props for the 2018 Halloween season *

* Halloween countdown post #1

 

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Eaten Alive $200.00
Cower in fear as you hear the agonized groans of this hapless victim – he is being eaten alive!

 

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Jack O’Lantern Reacher $ 3,700.00
Jack O’Lantern stands an intimidating 8′ tall with 8′ wing span, then lunges forward, side to side while arms and head lift wildly. Movements include Torso bend and turn side to side, arms lift, elbows, shoulders, head up and side to side. Comes with Trees, Character, Rig, pneumatics, programmed controller, motion sensor and Audio. (Plug & Play)

 

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Rat Trap Animated $424.00
Rat Trap is an all electric animated Frightronic prop that shakes. Includes link to download Frightronic audio track.

 

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See-Saw Clowns $135.95
Give an eerie, melancholy mood to your Halloween scene when you bring home the See Saw Clowns Animated Prop! Two vintage clown dolls with hollowed-out eyes are slowly riding up and down on a see saw while a chilling tune plays! Choose from Steady-On, Infra-Red Sensor or Step-Here Pad (included) activation options of operation. The infra-red sensor works up to 6.5 feet away and works in all lighting conditions – bright light to no light! UL power cord is included. Includes volume control. Assembly is required. Materials: polyester, PVC, sponge, plastic, hemp rope, electronics. Measures approximately 36″H x 48″W x 13″D.

 

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Nightmare on Elm St Animated Soul Pizza £69.95
Complete your Freddy Krueger collection with this licensed Nightmare on Elm St animated soul pizza. Inspired from the 4th movie in the horror film franchise this soul pizza would look great on any table and creep out anyone who sees it. Includes: Soul Pizza Prop Decoration Realistic audio w/moving soul animation 16″ Diameter Brand new in manufacturer packaging Officially licensed product This is a rare item and perfect for Nightmare on Elm Street fans as well as being an unusual prop for the Halloween table.

 

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Freddy Krueger Animated Chest of Souls £89.95
Freddy Krueger’s chest fights back in this Nightmare on Elm Street Freddy Krueger Animated Chest of Souls Sweater! Inspired by the scene from A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master when Freddy’s tortured victims fight back and emerge from his chest after he stares at himself in the mirror, this sweater actually features realistic audio with moving “soul” animation on its chest! The Nightmare on Elm Street Freddy Krueger Animated Chest of Souls Sweater is powered by an included secured battery pack.

 

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Gunshot Victim Alan $ 675.00
Gunshot Alan Victim Dummy features an entry wound on the temple and an exit wound on the side of the face. Realistic blood flow. Body is fully flexible and poseable. Realistic coloring and stubble. Includes bloodstained clothing.


 

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Something is Wrong in the Morgue $ 3,400.00
Detailed Morgue foot locker is filled with 8 pairs of frozen bodies, then 4 pairs of feet start to kick and twitch while the top one slides out 12″ while kicking. Comes with fully detailed foot locker, 8 pairs of feet, pneumatics, programmed controller, motion sensor and Audio. (Plug & Play) Foot print needed for wall panel and rig 27″ d x 48″ w x 84″ h. Ships freight. REQUIREMENTS: AC power and Air 100 psi.

 

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Lost Her Way $129.99
Centuries ago, an unnamed girl was accused of witchcraft by others in her town. She tried to escape, fleeing through the nearby woods, but she was not so lucky. Her accusers captured her and beheaded her… But this was not the end of her suffering. To this day she wanders the earth, seeking revenge on those that took her life and her head. This somber, shrouded figure tells her sad tale and roams about with bump ‘n go technology as if she is still searching for heads. Cursed to an eternity of suffering, this vengeful spirit will stop at nothing to find it… Don’t get in her way, or she may very well take yours.

 

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Vintage Amusement Park Haunted House Animation $6000/SOLD
Vintage paper mache amusement park haunted house, fun house animation in as found condition. Wonderful example of early fun house animation made of paper mache by Animation Display Creators, with great detail. Ugly man motions back and forth as he saws the lady in half. Simple single motor movement but the motor has been removed. Attemps are being made to obtain a motor to complete the display …






 

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Animated Ouija Spirit Board £44.95
This animated ouija spirit board features skull and bat motifs and the usual letters and numbers on the top. When activated, the planchette moves in a circular motion while relaying the spirit’s message to the living. The board’s “YES”, “NO”, and “GOODBYE” flicker red while a disembodied voice cries out “Hi. I am here. I miss you. Yes? No? Goodbye.”

 

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IT LIVES Haunted House Animatronic $ 6,300.00
If you’re looking for something to really scare your guest this Halloween this animatronic haunted house prop will do the trick! Props that look like still props work great for startle scares. This is the show stopper of all animatronics. A must for your halloween attraction. All of our animatronics are built with 100% quality material and attention to detail is very important.

 

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BODY PART STACK $1,399.00
Made-to-order flatback prop. Hand-painted foam and latex. Realistic hair and glass eyes. Hyper-realistic motion and blood. Approximate dimensions 5.5′ x 4′

 

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Wake Up Dead $412.00
Just plug her in and she shakes. Comes with sound.

 

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Kicking Legs NFS
This prop has lasted the last three years for Halloween and ran around 4 hours a night for the 3 months total. Every time we think about retiring him people ask about him. It has been placed under a lawn mower with blinking puck lights to simulate spinning blades and speakers of a guy yelling “help me,” to being pulled into a freshly dug grave in which we really dug a huge hole in the front yard, to being pulled into a glowing coffin with a skeleton inside. It is one of our favorite motorized props for the yard or home haunt. The cemetery and graveyard wouldn’t be the same without him.

 

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CHILD CHAIN GANG $2,899.00
Made-to-order animated prop. Hand-painted foam and latex. Steel bases and armature. Realistic hair and glass eyes. Approximately 4’tall

 

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7 Foot Tall Dancing Dummy $ 3,499.00
Giant 7′ Puppet dangling from strings sits on box limp, then stands up to 7′ tall waving arms all around with multiple head movement and legs shuffle and dance. A very creepy side show piece. Comes with Wood box, Martinet wood, ropes, Character, Pneumatics, Programmed controller, motion sensor and sound System. PLUG & PLAY! Audio package option includes: Digital audio player, Powered speaker and Audio scream effect.

 

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TWO FACED GROUND-BREAKER GROOM $98.00
Retired, discontinued, wont be made again. NEW approx 23″ tall, 45″ long, 8″ deep. When the sensor goes off, he turns his head, then turns his head all the way around to reveal a skeleton face…he says “its Halloween, are you scared” while creepy piano music plays. Made of plastic, wire, and cloth.






 

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Wretched $411.25
Gory foam-filled latex animated prop of a tortured figure that shakes with fear and suffering! Truly an impressive piece, she appears to be kneeling in agony, with blood dripping down her clothing. Stands approximately 30 inches tall. Plugs into any 110 outlet. Sound CD is included, just add your own boom box.

 

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Raincoat Boat Kid $2299.00
What I like most about this prop is that it’s unique. With Pennywise being so popular, every prop company is putting their own spin on him. Not many companies have tried to do something with Georgie. Using Georgie in your haunt makes Pennywise even more scary since it’s amplifies the horror. If you walk into a room and see Pennywise it’s pretty scary but when you see a little boy who just had his arm ripped off it goes to the next level and it reminds you of just what Pennywise is capable of. The prop stands 41 inches tall and comes with a bloody severed arm that is still holding onto the paper boat that ultimately led to his demise in the film.



 

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Jeeves The Butler $299.99
I got this Halloween prop at an estate sale. It is in good condition and works perfectly. The box is in poor condition but holds the butler just fine.

 

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Winged Dragon $ 7,400.00
The Winged Dragon is an impressive dragon animatronic and display. It includes moving wings, head and neck, and opening mouth. Lights simulate fire in the mouth and the eyes glow red. Included fog and digital sound and control. It is approx 8 ft tall to the head and 10 ft tall when wings are up. Perfect for Halloween, haunted attractions, theme parks, and medieval fairs.

 

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Half Eaten Body $2,437.50
Full length animated human body is gutted out. Victim’s head is slowly moving and legs are twitching. This gory body prop is designed to be filled with ‘blood’ and has a plastic container foamed into the body. Perfect addition to the Bubba zombie prop. Gruesome! Includes movement control, digital sound and speaker. Requires compressor at 60-80psi.

 

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Animated Tapping Peeper $34.99
If lurking in on our Animated Tapping Peeper doesn’t get your heart racing, you may have already passed on to the otherworld. Jeepers creepers! Visitors to your haunted house will be shrieking with delight as he stares at them through the window, then audibly taps three times, as the unsuspecting draw near. Our Halloween peeper may also be set to “on,” so he will automatically tap every 10 seconds. The lifelike, three-dimensional design and real fabric hoodie makes this fright night intruder startlingly real.

 

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EVIL SANTA ANIMATED SOLD OUT
Made-to-order animated prop. Hand-painted foam and latex. Steel base and armature. Realistic hair and glass eyes. Hyper-realistic blood. Pre-programmed with sound. Animated movements include torso and arms. Pressure mat included. Approximately 6.5′ tall


 

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Torso Grabber $ 2,614.00
Half Torso hangs from meat hooks, then head lifts and moves left to right, arms reach and grab while screaming. Comes with Character, Chains, pneumatics, programmed controller, motion sensor. (Plug & Play). Custom Sound, Digital Sound & Power Speakers Included. Free crating.

 

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Mother In Law Talking Animated Portrait $24.99
She’s Always Got Something To Say, And Now She’s Here To Stay. This is a few years old so battery condition is questionable but the manufacturer states batteries should be replaced after purchase. Only 4 AA required. She says several different things, nothing foul.

 

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Dura Edith $ 1,200.00
Super realistic Edith “barely breathing” figure made with lifecast head and arms in Dura-rubber on a poseable foam body. Includes clothing and wig. 5’3″


 

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Limb Eating Zombie Boy £189.95
Hungry?? Add this cannibal zombie boy to your haunted house or zombie scene this Halloween – find a dark corner for this animated Limb Eating Zombie boy Decoration. This lad has developed a taste for flesh – he sits crouched down while he feasts on a severed arm. This Crouching Zombie Boy Limb Eater Animated Prop features disturbing sounds, gory detailing, and eerie light-up eyes. He is activated by sound or motion, then his head and mouth move as he devours his latest victim’s arm. He is powered either by 4 AA batteries (not included).

 

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Electric Chair $ 3,217.50
Victim sits strapped in chair waiting for the switch. When activated overhead light switches to strobe lights, victim convulses back and forth, legs stomp up and down while smoke pours out of victim. *** Comes with Character, chair, pneumatics, programmed controller, motion sensor, fog machine, strobe light, power pole, overhead light and high voltage sign and sound package. (Plug & Play). *** REQUIREMENTS: AC power and Air 100 psi. *** Foot print for rig is 24″ d x 24″ w x 74″ h.

 

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Forgotten Farmer $69.99
Sometimes Halloween is funny, and sometimes…not so much. The Forgotten Farmer can be the best of both worlds, as it has two distinctly different audio functions (which can be changed using the switch on the back of his head). You could have this farmer cracking jokes at your family Halloween party, and then switch to its grotesque roaring when you’re ready to scare all of your trick-or-treaters. And with eyes that move back and forth, this Forgotten Farmer will come to life when anyone decides to get too close…but whether your guests are laughing or screaming is completely up to you!

 

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Donna the Dead $24.02
The body has human-like hands, black hair, and blue light up eyes. Like all the other three-stringed Floating Ghosts, the Floating Black Donna the Dead raises and lowers on three strings from the pole above, with lights under the bar placed to illuminate the body.

 

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HUMAN ROAST $1,249.00
Made-to-order animated prop. Hand-painted foam and latex. Chroma 3D highlights. Steel armature and pole. Hidden “revolver” engine. Realistic hair and glass eye. Approximately 7’long

 

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FLESH IWOUND $7.99
Be still my beating heart, that’s the great pick-up line you can use when you’re rocking the Flesh iWound. And who wouldn’t be excited by the sight of a bloody organ pounding away through your shirt? This sartorial shocker is achieved through simply downloading a free app to your smartphone, then popping the phone into a pouch in the shirt. Double tap the beating heart to toggle through extra videos including snakes, tarantulas, gears and maggots. Halloween will never be the same again. The latex shirt is one size and holds any phone snuggly, from iTouch to the Samsung Galaxy Note II.

 

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SPILL YOUR GUTS $4,020.00
Spill Your Guts is an amazing haunt illusion. It appears that the actor is cut in half and is being suspended while guts spill from his body.

 

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4 Piece Zombie Graveyard Package $1,399.99
Female corpse moves from side to side and screeches, and the male corpse moves front to back, trying to get out of their graves. Detailed with decomposing skin, a distorted screaming mouth with yellow teeth, long wispy hair and boney hands. Great Halloween prop to add to your collection of the strange, unusual and undead! Lifesize upper torso. Please note costumes may vary. The Moving Monument rocks side to side with a scraping rock sound, while the Tipping Tombstone moves forward and back like something’s trying to get out!

 

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Remote Controlled Crawling Dead Zombie Woman $139.99
The no volume control part is the worst, it’s almost impossible to scare somebody, if you could turn off the volume they would never expect it untill she hits their leg, but it’s hard to not recognize the URGGGIGUGUIAHG noise she makes.

 

 

*
p.s. Hey. It is officially Halloween season here on DC’s beginning today. Those who’ve been visiting the blog for a while already know this means that from now until October 31st, you’ll be seeing more than your fair share of Halloween themed posts. Please join me in thinking the world, including this blog, has hereby entered the very best time of the year. ** David Ehrenstein, You betcha. ** Bill, Hi. Oh, cool good timing on the Schutt. Kind of would have expected that about the Marcus. My weekend report is down below. I wonder if guys who are actually shopping for escorts find the self-absorbed ones as appealing as I do. I don’t know those guys’ films. Huh. I’ll of course hunt them down. You’re always educating me, Bill, in so many numerous ways. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben. While I was in London, often when I passed by or ate in a place with a TV, there were always items about the V&A opening, so it was obviously a big thing. I had Santiago Sierra in one of the posts here, I can’t remember which. Sounds like a hot time in Dundee. I’m jealous even. Enjoy the max-out, and long may it blast. ** Misanthrope, Very happy you did. As a writer of this, that, and the other thing, I know that ebbing and flowing well although not your comfy salary, ha ha. Did you need the sleeping pills? Did they give you a hangover haze? ** Steve Erickson, Hi. Oh, you never know. I think sometimes the escort aspect is guy’s a way to legitimise his fetish too. London went very well, yes, thank you. Great you’re writing for Brooklyn Rail. Excellent site. I’m often there with my eyes roaming all over it. I’ll see if I can see those two films you mentioned. Based on a single listen to the new Low, it does sound very, very good. Have you the heard the Yves Tumor album. I think it’s great. ** JM, It was good. The commenting numbers go up and down seemingly randomly as far as I can tell. But the escort and slave posts do tend to quiet things a bit, at least relative to the traffic for those posts. My guess on the London/NY boys is that they’re the same person, seemingly fake. Their profiles are almost line edits of each other. My favorites are when the profile/image combo makes no sense. No surprise, I guess. Me: busy, busy, etc. We will get ARTE news on Thursday. I don’t think it’s even be possible that it will be good news on our end, just some shade of bad news, resulting in either a huge amount of work or a really huge amount of work, at best. I don’t know David Howard, of course. I’m curious, of course. Don’t know that series either. Never even heard of it, but, you know, I’m deliberately out of it when it comes to TV shows. The gender flip thing … it depends, I guess? Fucking with things is usually a brownie points situation in theory, but … I need to rewatch ‘Heathers’. The one time I did, I didn’t understand what the big deal was. I will give Zac your mighty hello. He’ll like it. He’ll ask me who you are. And I’ll do my best to tell him. Great day! ** Julia Gloria, Hi, Julia, welcome! I know, right? I often think I’m the only one, and then … How are you? ** Stella, Hi! Nice to meet you! And I agree one million percent. What’s up? Come back any time please. ** Jamie, Hi, buddy boy. The trip was real good. ‘PGL’ seemed to be very well received. I think it was a true success. I also read in this group reading/performance event around Artaud that was held at Tony Visconti’s recording studio where he did the early Bowie albums and the most of the other albums he produced. That was a wild affair. I read a piece of the long-in-progress new novel I’ve been very slowly working on, and that seemed to go down very well, which was good news. And I slipped in seeing some friends and a quick jaunt to the Tate. So it was all quite excellent. Sorry about your insomnia, if it was that. Or maybe you were excited in the dark. Oh, thank you about the post. No, there’s no determined theme. It really is just a grouping of the ‘best’ profiles/ads I found in the allotted time between posts. I try to organise them so they have an interesting flow/rhythm as a group. I just regularly search the sites where one can find the solicitations, and, when I find a good one, I gather its materials and put them in the draft post. Like I’ve said, I alter them a little to protect the identities of the guys, but it’s all verbatim, just edited by me sometimes to cut out what seems like flab. Does that answer your question? Did you get sufficient sleep? What else is up? May your Monday press its winsome, inquisitive face against every window in every establishment in which you reside today and steam them up and draw hearts on their steamed up surfaces with its fingertip. All ages love, Dennis. ** Okay. Enjoy the first Halloween-themed volley from this place and me. See you tomorrow.

11 Comments

  1. Steve Erickson

    I have heard the Yves Tumor album and like it a lot. In fact, together with the Low album it forms a portrait of how America feels right now. I would love to write an article about the way glitch and Autotune (and other kinds of distorted and pitch-shifted vocals). It feels strange to me that I can hear some of the same techniques, like stuttering one note of vocals for 10 seconds, in EDM hits and far more underground music. The concept of a singer/songwriter with a guitar telling confessional stories about their life seem painfully outdated and this obviously signals a major shift in our relationship to technology, but I don’t know who would publish it. Maybe the Brooklyn Rail as a year-end wrap-up, since I could discuss a number of artists?

    Both those films might be hard to track down. A friend did some research and said FISH AND CAT never got theatrical release in any country outside Iran. I don’t know about THE SANDWICH MAN’s commercial prospects, but Hou Hsiao-hsien wasn’t the name in 1984 he is now. On the other hand, they may be on Karagarga or torrent sites.

  2. David Ehrenstein

    I Dig Evil Santa!

    Soon-Yi Speaks ! Mia Farrow is the Postmodern Joan Crawford.

  3. _Black_Acrylic

    I’d say this Jeeves The Butler represents great value for money. You could always keep the chap standing sentry in your hallway all year round, right?

    There was a Yuck ‘n Yum reunion last night as Morgan’s family are over from the US and are staying here at mine, so we all went round to the local Italian restarant for a long awaited catch up. Right now they’re away to check out the new V&A, while I’m home online checking out courses at the DCA print workshop to brush up my screenprinting skills. I’ve done plenty of that activity over the course of my lifetime so think I’m about ready to sign up for either an intermediate or advanced course, I’ll see what they reckon.

  4. Steve Erickson

    BTW, my shrink’s office told me to ignore the insurance company statement. They didn’t explain why I got it, but I don’t owe them several hundred dollars, which is a great relief.

  5. Bill

    Haha, when I first saw that Flesh IWound, I thought the throbbing wound was actually a physical piece. Pretty clever to stick a phone in there though. I’ll have to look into very small mechatronics setups for these things.

    That Dura Edith looks great, whew.

    Sounds like a fine trip, Dennis. Hope Thursday’s ARTE outcomes are an acceptable shade.

    Bill

  6. Jamie

    Hola Dennis!
    Man, all these props are pretty excellent, and I’m pleased to see that there’s even a couple that I could actually afford for a change, but after much deliberation my fave has to be CHILD CHAIN GANG, with honourable mentions to TWO FACED GROUND-BREAKER GROOM, Raincoat Boat Kid and Limb Eating Zombie Boy. Imagine having all those guys in your front room! Lovely post and it put me gleefully into the mood for more. Thanks!
    It sounds like the London trip was a great success. Good to hear. Great that PGL was well received and great that the Artaud thing was wild! How wild? And you were reading from your mysterious new novel! That’s exciting. Did it inspire you to get back into it or change your feelings about it in any way?
    Man, I got about two hours sleep last night, partly through a cold that’s no big deal but doesn’t work with sleep. Was quite annoying but I did get to look at the Dead Clubs post you ran while I was on holiday. That was a wonderful way to spend some sleepless hours.
    I saw Ian Svenonius new act ESCAPE-ISM on Friday, which was pretty great. It was supposed to take place in this really dull atmosphere-free venue, but got moved to a pretty small bar, so was almost PA free and intense and the way that I’d like all gigs to sound and feel.
    How was your Monday? I’ve spent the day going over my screenplay that I told you about months ago, Eddy’s Head, which is almost two thirds written, and I feel like I shouldn’t say this, but it’s pretty good. It’s a new and strange feeling for me to feel so positive about something I’ve done.
    Ta for the elaboration on the slaves/escorts compilation. I like that I see all these themes and things that are unintended in them. I really do love those posts, y’know.
    Anyway, may Tuesday look like a tiger, but treat you like a kitten.
    Barely illegal love,
    Jamie

  7. Dominik

    Hi!!

    It’s really great to see you too!!
    I’m glad to hear the ‘PGL’ screenings went well in NYC! How was your London trip? Were the crowds very different?

    Yes, my Amsterdam trip was everything I hoped for and more. It was also amazing to spend some time with my brother, not here, at home, for a change. I’m actually thinking about going back to school for a few years, out there. I have to look into it more thoroughly, of course, but it sounds like something I’d really like.

    Do you know when you’ll hear anything about the applications for grants you sent off?

    I think I’ve just had the busiest, craziest week last week at the shop since I started to work there. We have a huge selection of course- and textbooks and now that school has started up again, we’re practically flooded with teachers and parents. My waist and knees are complete wrecks from all the carrying and packing of large stacks of books all day. But. But. Even among all this, I had some time to work on my only love-child and I’m proud to announce that SCAB’s third issue was born on Saturday! It’s right here: https://scabmag.wordpress.com/issues/
    It turned out to be very different from what I initially had in mind but that’s part of why I love working on SCAB – I always aim to follow this gut feeling I get when I read/see a piece that fits and it never fails to take every issue exactly where it needs to be.

    I hope your London trip was great and safe and that you can rest a little in the following days! Have a splendid week, Dennis!!

  8. JM

    I’m sleepy and dozey and going to Les Miserables tonight very late so trying to preserve some semblance of wakefulness for that but: what a bizarre, bizarre post! and a big who-ray to Halloween season 🙂 I read the full site 1 section of THE SLUTS yesterday (i made it thru the cummings AND the mcelroy whaaaoaa) and am very on-board. I see what you meant that time you said it was the end of a phase of work you stopped being interested in (it may not have been that wording, perhaps a phase of work that was completed?) — it has a very final feel to it. Yum.

    As for the P.S.::

    David Howard is incredible. He’s an NZ poet who plays with structural poetry – and his structures tend to be ones I’ve never come across before. Here’s a brief thing of his.

    THE LOVERS

    Smoking after love,
    discussing the scene
    we seem reconciled to everything:
    the body next door,
    the detective’s knock.

    As for Bojack Horseman, it is insanely good. It has an episode midway through its run which is an abortion issues episode about a dolphin popstar named Sextina Awkwafina who accidentally tweets that she’s getting an abortion when she’s not and becomes a symbol of women’s rights when she releases a song called Brrap Brrap Pew Pew featuring lyrics such as “get dat fetus kill dat fetus,” the punchline being at the end of the episode when it turns out she’s actually pregnant and wants to keep the baby. Its sitcom set-up lets it tackle ‘issues episodes’ a lot but alternatively they do things like: S05E06 “Free Churro” is entirely a monologue eulogy delivered at the funeral of the protagonist’s mother. S03E11 and S01E11 are entirely set inside drug trips (nothing new; but the drug trip structure of S01’s is a painting and the drug trip structure of S03’s is a series of memories of prostate sex and sitcom simulations). It’s bizarre.

    I don’t really get the fuss about Heathers either, but I like it well enough, I guess, enough to be interested in seeing the stage show at least. I do not like it as much as John Waters does.

    All the goods
    J

  9. Nik

    Hey D.,

    Hell yeah! The Halloween countdown begins!
    How was your weekend? Is your jet lag all cleared up?
    Yeah, it’s been a weird mix of readings, but mostly good weird. A lot of stuff that I wouldn’t normally read but am happy I’m getting the chance to. I’m cast as Kulygin in Three Sister, and also playing guitar for this director who I guess is adapting it into a musical. It’s mostly enjoyable because we get to really dissect this play and I play guitar most of the time. (I have a major soft spot for Chekhov. I’m not interested in that era of Russian literature generally, but he’s able to be dark in a way that pares back that excessive exposition Tolstoy and Turgenev do, while focusing more on formal structures. Especially in his plays, which are pretty boring as just text but can be explored onstage in tons of bonkers, unconventional ways without seeming forced.) Plus, I miss performing, so the whole thing is pretty good. However, the theater students I’m working with congratulating me on not getting cast in the “weird, experimental garbage the school usually does” made me wish my head would explode for a bunch of reasons. Otherwise I’m focusing on writing fiction for class which is difficult given the work load but I’m making it work.
    My weekend was really good cuz I went to Bascillica Soundscape, which is this music festival that had Prurient, Haxan Cloak, Lightning Bolt, and a bunch of those kinds of bands for about seven hours. That was really great.
    What’s your email? I’ll send you the Fahey post tomorrow.
    How’d the screening go?

  10. Misanthrope

    Dennis, Welcome back…to your blog. 😛

    Yay! Halloween. So I see one escort is exploiting CMBYN for his own ends. Good on him. And another, BlackIsMyHappyColour is exploiting Chris Dakota’s photos. I kind of follow Chris’ tumblr. Man, that dude is anything but into anyone fucking him. Or so he says. Frankly, I think he’d be too bitchy for anyone. 😀

    Seriously, though, Halloween! Yay! One of these years, I’ll get something big going here at the house. I always say I’m going to and then forget to.

    I saw on FB that a friend of mine has invited a bunch of people to go to that scary house in VA that you featured a couple years ago. Maybe I found it first? I can’t remember. You probably did and I’m now trying to take credit for it. Anyway, I won’t go with them. I’d much rather go with LPS and Kayla and watch them watch me get way too scared for someone my age and size. 😮

    Yeah, it’s not lost on me how lucky I am to have a job that I like that also pays pretty well.

    I haven’t tried one of the sleeping pills yet. Trying to avoid it. But I did buy them. Probably midweek, when I always fuck up my sleep. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

  11. Corey Heiferman

    Thanks for getting me in the spirit of a season that doesn’t really exist here in Israel. My boyfriend has mentioned that he’s never experienced Christmas so I’m sure he hasn’t experienced Halloween either. Maybe I’ll work something into our early-October Berlin itinerary if I find something suitable. Funny that Halloween is a really big deal at private English schools in South Korea. Not only is it assumed that every native English teacher can speak English, but can also throw a Halloween party for kids.

    I guess the Day of Atonement tomorrow will be creepy in its own right. I’m told that the roads will be virtually empty since virtually no Jews drive regardless of whether they fast or pray. Depending on how I’m feeling I might pose for a picture lying down in the middle of a freeway or something like that.

    The see-saw clowns are my personal favorite in this universe, with the Human Roast my favorite in the alternate universe where I have a chateau. The clowns reminded me of Bruce Nauman’s “Clown Torture,” which I had the fortune to see installed at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2009:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YorcQscxV5Y

    The evil Santa reminded me how every year since moving to suburbia my dad comments on just how much Halloween decorations are outpacing Christmas decorations, as if this were some sort of cultural bellwether.

    My parents used to have a creepy time out doll in a corner. In case you’re unfamiliar, this is what they are:

    https://www.pinterest.com/dorawarn/dolls-time-out/

    I find the idea of an empty time out doll ready to stuff even creepier:

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Time-Out-Doll-doll-body-ready-to-stuff-and-dress-30-35-/323443384641

    I just remembered an episode of Wishbone that might be worth a look for your haunted house project. Wishbone is a 90’s PBS kids show about a sentient dog who re-enacts stories from classic literature intercut with loosely connected tween drama. The Halloween special was a favorite of mine. The tween drama segments are an extremely well designed scavenger hunt leading to a haunted house finale. Unfortunately, these segments are randomly intercut with a typically stilted PBS production of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7WM4wCrP_w

    Things are going well. I’ve been working a lot of hours to make up for time missed on vacation, so I haven’t had as much time as I’d like for writing and formal Hebrew study. I am speaking a lot of Hebrew though. When I have found time I’ve been enjoying an all-region Blu-Ray player I brought back from the states. There’s a great DVD rental place in Tel Aviv that has the goods.

    I’ve been trying to figure out how much to distance myself from the USA literary scene, where I was a fellow traveller to begin with. My gut says to at least for the moment ditch it all and put more energy into Hebrew poetry. Maybe just writing that here will help me either carry out the idea or dismiss it as too fanatical. How much do you keep up with given that nowadays it can easily be done from anywhere?

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