Flamboyant *

* (restored)

______________

‘Henry Faulkner was an American artist and poet known for his rebellious spirit. For example, the usual appearance of his bourbon-drinking goat at different meetings and social events.

‘In 1930, Henry was adopted by Dan and Dora Whittimore and went to live with them on their 100-acre (40 ha) farm in Falling Timber Branch, a town fourteen miles north of Manchester in Clay County, Kentucky. His new family viewed art as “the devil’s work” and Henry’s effeminate and flamboyant personality often clashed with his adoptive father’s standards for how his son should act. When Henry’s nervousness and strange behavior strengthened, Dora Whittimore elected to send him to the Kentucky Children’s Home.

‘After getting arrested for shoplifting perfume, powder, and other small feminine articles (which Faulkner said were for a girlfriend, but were much more likely to have been for female impersonation, a trade he continued through the 1940s), he was placed with his older brother Harvey and his wife Ida.

‘Faulkner began to display his artwork around 1959, around the time of his alleged relationship with Tennessee Williams. In this period, viewers were exposed to the stylistic aspects of Faulkner’s vibrant and bold landscape compositions. Faulkner died on December 5, 1981 at the age of 57, in a car crash in Lexington, Kentucky, when he was struck by a drunk driver.’

 

______________

Urgent! German Satanic Sensation Targets U.S. and Canada! Be Prepared!
by gus

THIS SHIT IS COMING FULL CIRCLE NOW. THE SEPARATION OF THE CHAFF FROM THE GRAIN HAS BEGUN. THERE ARE THOSE WHO WILL FOLLOW SATAN, AND THOSE WHO WILL FOLLOW CHRIST. THE SIGNS ARE EVERYWHERE. THE ANTICHRIST ENERGY IS INCARNATING HERE ON EARTH THROUGH BILL KAULITZ, AND PEOPLE WILL ACCEPT HIM AS THE MESSIAH OF THE NEW AGE. NATURALLY, THE AC WILL ALSO INCARNATE AS AN INDIVIDUAL BECAUSE WHERE THERE IS AN ENERGY FIELD, THERE IS A SINGULARITY SUSTAINING THAT FIELD. BILL KAULITZ HAS THE ‘LOOK’ AND THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ANTICHRIST RETURNING AS A ROCK STAR.

He appears to be genetically engineered. Anunnaki ? Nephilim? He really looks engineered to look so “cute” that no girl in this planet will be able to resist. He is abnormally skinny , almost like he was designed to look like a woman.

The FAKE androgynous look is the give away. There is also a lot of satanic themes in Tokio Hotel’s music and video clips! The dark-looking satanic female archetype. It’s an artificial beauty, very attractive. It tries to emulate the androgynous look, though it’s still a genderized body .. this is the biggest deception. On the surface it has feminine beauty, but in reality it is still an imperfect being, a carrier of duality (both sexes non-unified, fused). So, is this the new symbol they are trying to shove down our throats, in alliance with the robotic agenda? This band “Tokio Hotel” is clearly in hands with the Illuminati. I’ve watched two music clips from them: one was about suicidal tendencies and the other depicts robots kissing each other -> satanic agenda for the robotization of humans and humanization of robots. It’s all over the place.

Started by a pair of twins when they were barely seven, the band’s original name was Devilish. This is probably due to youthful enthusiasm and as they matured they decided to be more deceitful about their true intentions and changed it … Barely eighteen, both twins have been covered for years in piercings (deliberately inflicted holes in various body parts) and tattoos they got by defying their elders, and have boasted getting drunk with the child welfare office, being wanted by the army, destroying private property, and taking the virginity of countless young girls, all before they graduated high school. Most sinister is that none of these girls were ever heard from again, as if the earth swallowed them up after they got too close to the hellish twins.

YOU’RE LAUGHING NOW, BUT YOU WILL BE THE FIRST TO GO DOWN IN FLAMES!

 

_________________

‘BRDG is Tokyo based collective project for audiovisual expression leaded by producer Yasushi Fukuzawa. We cultivate the network of visual artists, musician, programmer, engineers and designers to expand creative environment of Tokyo, the city where the edge & the pop coexists. Our mission is to organize showcase events in various forms with advanced technologies like multichannel audiovisuals, projection mapping, VR holograms etc that maximize and diversify audiovisual expression, and above all to produce MVs with creaters around us.

SyncBody
Video: Daihei Shibata
Artwork: Hiroshi Sato

Hallelujah
VIDEO : Yuki Kubo
MUSIC : Ryu Konno + NOEL-KIT

 

_______________

‘On a regular day, Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven wore brightly colored makeup, postage stamps on each cheek, and a shaved head shellacked in various hues. Her accoutrements also included live birds, packs of dogs, a tomato-can bra, arms full of bangles, and flashing lights. Her unconventionally forthright poetry and rugged found-object sculptures—often incorporated into her outfits—unsettled social hierarchy and accepted gender norms, and distinctions between art and life. The Baroness was a dynamo in New York’s literary and art scene at the turn of the century, part of the Arensberg Salon group that included Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Beatrice Wood, Francis Picabia, Mina Loy, and many others. She combined sculpture, fashion, poetry, and performance to embody an anti-bourgeois lifestyle driven by passion and an emotional reactivity to her surroundings.

‘Born Else Hildegard Plötz in Germany in 1874, she ran away to the vaudeville theaters of Berlin as a teenager, and before long, she was part of the inner circle of Munich’s Art Nouveau movement. Following several sexual flings that took her across Italy, she helped her second husband fake his own death and start a new life on a Kentucky farm. After they parted ways, she traveled through Virginia and Ohio before arriving in New York, where she briefly married an impoverished Baron and took on his title. The Baroness became a downtown Manhattan legend, known as much for her dazzling costumes and aggressive seduction techniques as for her visceral sculptures and witty poetry. Most importantly, she invented the readymade—a sculpture pulled directly from the materials of daily life, radical in its implications that art can be anything.’ — artsy

 

______________

Sebastian’s mother has dressed her apartment in him. School pictures from first, second, third grade cover the walls; fourth, fifth, sixth too. His eyes look less and less delirious and bottomless the closer the pictures get to high school; ironically enough he looked more blitzed as a nine-year-old than as a sixteen-year-old, when his eyes aren’t visible at all but are hidden behind long red bangs.

He breathes in his mother’s Glade air freshener, Refreshing Spa scent, from an old bread bag. His field of vision flutters and becomes neon green. His head and arms are pulled backward, his chest moves forward like in one of those simulated car crashes. He is filled with images he can’t defend himself against. A deserted house next to the train tracks where he lived when he was little, his classmates naked there, a woman being torn to pieces under a subway train before his eyes. The snapping sound of her ribcage being crushed. White flashes bloom like lilies, again and again. He falls backward into a warm, dark coffin and grabs in vain for the edges to pull himself up.

He thinks of his youth, which, just like the air freshener, will soon be gone. He inhales again; a green cloud floats into the room. He sees himself sitting there with a pale and sallow face; under his skin something dark hovers that threatens to break through, become stretch marks, wrinkles, varicose veins, beard, and furrows. The skin of his face is still taut and proud, conceited; but soon the days in which his worth can be measured in BMI and he can allow the androgynous contours of his body to be his only merit will be numbered. He can still swallow sedatives with sparkling wine to tame his exaggerated, spastic movements; he can put on a little makeup, go out somewhere and find success in a corner. He is still offered drinks, he still has unknown tongues whispering in his ears. The blackouts happen a few hours a week; he hears that he was unusually nice and fun, wakes up in the morning in unknown parts of the city, takes pictures of his companion from the night before. Then goes home to crash listlessly in spews of accessories spread out on the floor. (more)

— Eli Levén

 

_____________

Pet Shop Boys – Flamboyant

Big L – Flamboyant

Dorian Electra – Flamboyant

Sílvio Caldas – Flamboyant

The Click – Mr. Flamboyant

Barbara Brewster – I Enjoy Being Flamboyant

 

_____________

‘In the evaluation of colored gemstones, color is the single most important factor. Color divides into three components; hue, saturation and tone. Hue refers to “color” as we normally use the term. In ruby the primary hue must be red. The finest ruby is best described as being a vivid medium-dark toned red. Secondary hues add an additional complication. Pink, orange, and purple are the normal secondary hues in ruby. Of the three, purple is preferred because, firstly, the purple reinforces the red making it appear richer. Some rubies show a 3-point or 6-point asterism or “star”. These rubies are cut into cabochons to display the effect properly. Asterisms are best visible with a single-light source, and move across the stone as the light moves or the stone is rotated. Such effects occur when light is reflected off the “silk” (the structurally oriented rutile needle inclusions) in a certain way. Furthermore, rubies can show color changes — though this occurs very rarely — as well as chatoyancy or the “cat’s eye” effect.’ — International Colored Stone Association

 

_____________

‘Vachel Lindsay was one of the nation’s most famous poets, with a reputation for flamboyant performances and a colorful range of aesthetic interests. After a series of health and financial setbacks, he came to Spokane in 1924 as a kind of kept literary man – he was given room and board at the Davenport Hotel in exchange for serving as a kind of cultural ambassador.

‘Lindsay was an idealist and deeply odd; he brought two life-size dolls of French children with him to meals at the Davenport. His rages and flights of fancy helped make him a divisive figure in staid Spokane.

‘Lindsay left Spokane in 1929, returning to his native Springfield, Ill., before embarking on a national tour in an effort to revive his reputation and his finances. By the end of 1931, though, he was broke and paranoid. He drank a bottle of Lysol and died.’ — The Spokesman Review

The Leaden-Eyed

Let not young souls be smothered out before
They do quaint deeds and fully flaunt their pride.
It is the world’s one crime its babes grow dull,
Its poor are ox-like, limp and leaden-eyed.
Not that they starve; but starve so dreamlessly,
Not that they sow, but that they seldom reap,
Not that they serve, but have no gods to serve,
Not that they die, but that they die like sheep.

 

_____________

Alien Quadrilogy Alien Head
‘What’s special about the packaging is that the discs are held in the dome of an alien’s head. The head is made of a heavy, hard plastic that has an oddly soft feel to it. The paint is airbrushed on, with amazing attention paid to eye and jaw detail. The plastic itself has a rough feel to it, and if you look closely, you’ll see a small sparkle of some other material built in. The plastic cap that comes off is translucent, and hides the DVDs when they are placed within. You can see the eyesockets of the alien skull through the cap, which adds to the frightening aspect of this head. The rear of the head is also beautifully done, and tapers off to a dull point. The discs inside the package are identical to the ones in the original Alien Quadrilogy packaging.’

 

Alice Cooper Old School 1964-1974 Box Set
‘The set is packaged in a 12″ square box that is designed to look like a school desk. The original album cover was designed by Craig Braun who is also responsible for designing the famous Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers album cover with Andy Warhol. Includes: Four CDs that include exclusive demos, rehearsals, rarities, live performances, interviews and more * DVD with over two hours of footage, including new and candid conversations with the band and never-before-seen archival clips * 12″ LP bootleg of the 1971 Killer tour live in St. Louis * Replica of a rare 7″ single by The Nazz * A deluxe 60-page book written by Lonn Friend, featuring previously unreleased photos * Special extras including reproductions of original ticket stubs, tour program, set list and five art prints of rare poster designs and illustrations * Five Golden Tickets have been hidden in Old School box sets worldwide for a very special VIP concert and meet-and-greet with Alice * The Limited Edition is individually numbered.’

 

Danny Elfman & Tim Burton Danse Macabre
‘This limited-edition box set collects expansions of the 13 original scores that Elfman has composed for Burton’s iconic films: 16 CDs each packaged with artwork by Burton, adding up to more than 19 hours of music. Grammy-winning designer Matt Taylor has crafted a large scale, tin-covered music box complete with an embedded music chip playing “The Music Box Suite” arranged and performed by Elfman specifically for this historic collection. And, with a flip of the lid, a delightful working zoetrope is revealed featuring strips of art and photos by Burton and Elfman that come to animated life with a spin. Additionally, the package contains a bonus DVD of an exclusive conversation between Elfman and Burton discussing every film and score in their quarter century collaboration. There are over 8 hours of previously unreleased music including additional masters, cut songs, song and score demos, work tapes, orchestra-only song mixes, and foreign-language songs. There’s Danse Macabre: 25 Years of Danny Elfman and Tim Burton: A meticulously researched, lavishly illustrated 260+ page fine linen-wrapped hardbound book, titled with gold foil stamping, and featuring a foreword by Johnny Depp. A collectible created exclusively for this treasure box is a distinctive Skeleton Key USB Flash Drive inspired by the art of Tim Burton. A pull of the key unlocks a USB drive loaded with MP3s of an additional 21 exclusive bonus tracks unavailable anywhere else.’

 

Lost: The Complete Collection
Every Episode in the Series (Seasons 1 through 6) * Over 30hrs of Season 1-6 Bonus materials (previously released materials from Season 1-5 and the all-new Season 6 bonus material) * A unique series of featurettes that takes viewers on very personal tours of Oahu where the series was created, with key cast and crew as they reflect. * Exploring the global phenomenon that is Lost, bonus showcases events ranging from the series cast and crew at San Diego’s famed Comic-Con convention to international voice recordings, local events and even fan parties, all of which helped make the show into a worldwide favorite. * A closer look at some of the props with cast, writers and producers, exploring their significance, stories and emotional ties to the characters. * Humorous yet emotional look at every character who died on the series * 16 hilarious Lost “Slapdowns” featurettes showcasing celebrity Lost fans who confront Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse to ask press questions about the final season, including the Muppets and cast members Nestor Carbonell, Michael Emerson, Rebecca Mader and more. * The exciting collectible packaging also includes: a Special Edition collectible ‘Senet’ Game as seen in Season Six, a custom LOST island replica, an exclusive episode guide, a collectible Ankh, and a black light penlight.

 

Band of Brothers Military Kit
‘This Band of Brothers Military Kit is by far the most elaborate (but still sophisticated) Limited Edition DVD packaging I’ve seen. It is an exact replica of a Military Kit that contains a big digipack, 2 Omaha Beach Strike Maps, Pocketbook World War 2 Manual, Newspaper-clippings, Numbered Flier, dogtags and a numbered card. What I love about it is that the whole packaging doesn’t look like it’s trying too hard unlike other Special Edition DVDs that try hard to be unique that everything’s just a big bunch of random mess. You’re lucky if you get to purchase one because its very rare- limited to 6,000 worldwide.’

 

Shaun Tan The Arrival Deluxe Limited Collector’s Edition
‘This deluxe clamshell box set opens like a suitcase, revealing a vintage pattern (worn and stained) interior. A leather handle with a travel luggage tag completes the case. A leather strap with a metal buckle fastens the suitcase. The luggage tag is printed on two-sides with a contents description and the unique edition number. Includes: The Arrival and Sketches from a Nameless Land books are presented side by side in the suitcase with the print placed on top. The print is contained within a semi-transparent envelope with a protective backing card. Each print will be signed and numbered individually by Shaun Tan. Print Dimensions: 478mm x 312mm (height x width). A special limited edition of the original ‘The Arrival’ has been produced. This edition is wrapped in a special dust jacket to give the appearance of being wrapped in protective tissue secured with a string. Sketches from a Nameless Land is bound with a textured cover. Total weight of The Arrival Collector’s Edition Suitcase complete with contents and outer wrapping is approximately 5kg.’

 

Rammstein Liebe Ist Für Alle Da
‘This limited edition box set includes not just every note of music recorded by the band Rammstein this year including five extra tracks that weren’t “good enough” for the record, but the metal flight case in which its housed is filled with industrial-strength handcuffs, lubricant and six pink dildos that reflect the sizes of the six members’ wienerwursts.’

 

Harry Potter Limited Hogwarts Castle 1-6 DVD Box Set
The limited edition box Set includes all 6 Harry Potter movies, each movie is represented as Special Edition 2-Disc Set. Hogwarts Castle with wooden base icluding all six Harry Potter movies and a protective plexiglas cover. The draw in the base has extra space for the remaining two movies (Part 7.1 and 7.2) coming out next year. This box set were exclusive made for Germany and France, This one is made in Germany. Measures 37 cm x 38 cm x 31 cm. Weight: 5 kg Castle is brand new, factory sealed.

 

Merzbow Noise Embryo Mercedes 230 Edition
‘The Story of the Merzbow CD packaged in a car has spread itself across the globe. Alot of rumors have circulated and the truth has been hard to come by. I decided to talk directly to Anders at Releasing Eskimo, the Swedish label that put out the Merzbow car. Here’s what he said: “A while ago I had a Mercedes 230 that I didn’t drive much. The police told me that I had to move it or they’d tow it away. Well, I didn’t want to keep it and I didn’t have anywahere to store it so I decided to use it for something else. I rigged the car’s CD player with our latest release of Merzbow’s “Noise Embryo” CD so that the music started when the car was turned on and it was impossible to turn it off. I put it up for sale as an extremely limited edition of the “Noise Embryo” CD but no one ever bought it, and in the end the car broke down. So we took out the CD and got rid of the car.”‘

 

Brain In A Box: The Science Fiction Collection
‘This nearly exhaustive, lavishly packaged collection documents the Science Fiction genre’s musical legacy across virtually every major genre on its five discs and 113 tracks. Each volume is divided by sub-genre–Movie Themes, TV Themes, Pop, Incidental/Lounge, Novelty. The film disc alone contains a wealth of rarities, including music from Them!, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, The Andromeda Strain, Fantastic Voyage, and other notables. The packaging: a 6.5-inch square, metal-lidded cube emblazoned on three sides with 3-D lenticular images of- a brain floating in bubbly liquid. But the profusely illustrated, hard-bound, 200-page book (designed to emulate the Big Little Books of the 1940s and ’50s) that’s included gives the subject its serious due, with an introduction by Ray Bradbury and contributions from an array of other notables, including Forrest J. Ackerman, Billy Mumy, Joe Dante, Dr. Demento, and Matt Groening. Perhaps the best half-cubic-foot of sci-fi brain food every assembled.’

 

NEGURA BUNGET Virstele Pamintului EARTHBOX
‘Limited edition of Negura Bunget new album “Vîrstele Pămîntului”. Handmade woodbox (27 x 16 x 4 cm) with burn-in finishing, roped and filled with real Transilvanian’s earth (to match the concept of the album titled “The Age of Land/Earth”). Includes: the deluxe 8 panels digipack-cd of the album, exclusive 60×90 poster, 12×12 album sticker and Negura Bunget 2,5cm metal pin. This is a state-of-the-art collector item, 100% handmade so each copy is unique and different. Handmade Wooden Box limited to 555 copies.’

 

Coil Colour Sound Oblivion (Advance Patron’s Edition)
‘Colour Sound Oblivion is Coil’s exhaustive 16-disc live DVD box set, amassing 14 performances plus a slew of goodies in a beautiful hand-made package. The hand-made, numbered wooden box features four cloth DVD wallets, each made of the band’s different stage costume materials. The DVDs, each in a notated cardboard sleeve, are grouped accordingly. The included “Coil Reconstruction Kit” features all the video projections with their accompanying instrumental backing tracks. Also included are more than 100 photos, an insightful 15-page booklet, the program to John Balance’s funeral ceremony, and a personalized dedication card and special totemic gift. The last thing you see before the last disc spins out is a simple written message: “What Coil did for you, you can do for others…” The numbered tag on the inside of the lid is red for the first 200, and blue for numbers 201 and higher. Upon ordering the package during the period of its limited release, the purchaser received in advance of the box’s delivery a framed certificate officially noting the authenticity and number of the edition ordered signed by Peter Christopherson.’

 

_____________

‘Delonix regia. In English it is given the name Royal Poinciana or Flamboyant. In India it is known as Gulmohar (Hindi and Urdu -‘Gul’ means ‘Peacock’ and ‘Mohr’ is ‘Flowers’. In Vietnamese it is known as Phượng vĩ (means “Phoenix’s Tail). In Guatemala, it is known as “Llama del Bosque”. In India and Pakistan it is referred to as the Gulmohar, or Gul Mohr. In West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh it is called Krishnachura. In Puerto Rico, a town located about 12 miles away from Ponce where the tree is widespread, has been nicknamed “The Valley of the Flames” or “El Valle de los Flamboyanes”. In Vietnam, this tree is called “Phượng vỹ”, or phoenix’s tail. Because of the timing of its blooms, in Cambodia the tree is called the “flowers of pupil”, and often generates strong emotions among graduating high school pupils, as the Poinciana bloom when they are about to leave their school and their childhood behind.’ — eurekamag.org

 

_____________

‘She was the hero and tattooist of “Godmother of Punk” Patti Smith, provided inspiration for Tennessee Williams and was part of Paris’ bohemian Left Bank scene of the 1950′s. It was there Australian born flamboyant artist Vali Myers became friends with famed French writers Jean Cocteau, Jean-Paul Sartre and Jean Genet, before moving to Italy where she spent 40 years in semi-seclusion and finally returning to Melbourne in the mid ’90′s to set up her first ever studio.

‘Raised in Sydney, Australia, Myers moved to Melbourne at 14 and begun working in factories to put herself through dance school. After working her way up to head dancer at Melbourne’s Modern Dance Company at 17, Myers sought to expand her mind and creative talent and hopped a boat to Paris. Upon her arrival in 1949, the post-war environment at the time meant there were no jobs for dancers but unwilling to go back to Australia, the stoic creative lived on the streets for almost 10 years. Myers became part of the Left Bank bohemian scene of the 1950s – she was featured on the cover of Dutch photographer Ed van der Elsken’s 1956 book Love on the Left Bank and editor of the Paris Review, George Plimpton published an article honouring her work, which Salvador Dali also praised as “totally original”.

‘To escape opium addiction, Myers moved with her then husband Rudi Rappold to a valley in Positano, Italy, where she stayed off-and-on for decades. She began to spend more time in New York starting in the early 1970s where she was befriended and championed by Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, George Plimpton, and others. After living for more than a decade at New York’s Chelsea Hotel, Myers moved back to Australia in 1993 exclaiming, “Australia’s the weirdest fuckin’ country.” Having always moved around she had never had a studio to work from. Renting her first in Melbourne aged 65, Myers worked to raise money to feed her numerous pets and showed her work regularly until her death in 2003.’ — Jessie French, Sex & Fashion

 

_____________

 

_____________

‘If humans had radio antennas instead of ears, we would hear a remarkable symphony of strange noises coming from our own planet. Scientists call them “tweeks,” “whistlers” and “sferics.” They sound like background music from a flamboyant science fiction film, but this is not science fiction. Earth’s natural radio emissions are real and, although we’re mostly unaware of them, they are around us all the time.’

‘The source of most VLF emissions on Earth is lightning. Lightning strokes emit a broadband pulse of radio waves, just as they unleash a visible flash of light. VLF signals from nearby lightning, heard through the loudspeaker of a radio, sound like bacon frying on a griddle or the crackling of a hot campfire. Space scientists call these sounds “sferics,” short for atmospherics.

‘Even if there is no lighting in your area, you can still hear VLF crackles from storms thousands of kilometers away. Some sferics travel all the way around the Earth. Radio waves can propagate such great distances by bouncing back and forth between our planet’s surface and the ionosphere — a layer of the atmosphere ionized by solar ultraviolet radiation.’ — science.nasa.gov

 

_____________

‘Described by W. B. Yeats as a “scholar, connoisseur, drunkard, poet, pervert, most charming of men,” Count Stanislaus Eric Stenbock (1860–1895) is surely the greatest exemplar of the Decadent movement of the late nineteenth century.

‘A friend of Aubrey Beardsley, patron of the extraordinary pre-Raphaelite artist Simeon Solomon, and contemporary of Oscar Wilde, Stenbock died at the age of thirty-six as a result of his addiction to opium and his alcoholism, having published just three slim volumes of suicidal poetry and one collection of morbid short stories.

‘Stenbock was a homosexual convert to Roman Catholicism and owner of a serpent, a toad, and a dachshund called Trixie. It was said that toward the end of his life he was accompanied everywhere by a life-size wooden doll that he believed to be his son. His poems and stories are replete with queer, supernatural, mystical, and Satanic themes; original editions of his books are highly sought by collectors of recherché literature.’ — M.I.T.

The Other Side: A Breton Legend

NOT that I like it, but one does feel so much better after it–“oh, thank you, Mère Yvonne, yes just a little drop more.” So the old crones fell to drinking their hot brandy and water (although of course they only took it medicinally, as a remedy for their rheumatics), all seated round the big fire and Mère Pinquèle continued her story.

“Oh, yes, then when they get to the top of the hill, there is an altar with six candles quite black and a sort of something in between, that nobody sees quite clearly, and the old black ram with the man’s face and long horns begins to say Mass in a sort of gibberish nobody understands, and two black strange things like monkeys glide about with the book and the cruets–and there’s music too, such music. There are things the top half like black cats, and the bottom part like men only their legs are all covered with close black hair, and they play on the bag-pipes, and when they come to the elevation, then—” Amid the old crones there was lying on the hearth-rug, before the fire, a boy whose large lovely eyes dilated and whose limbs quivered in the very ecstacy of terror.

“Is that all true, Mère Pinquèle?” he said.

“Oh, quite true, and not only that, the best part is yet to come; for they take a child and—.” Here Mère Pinquèle showed her fang-like teeth.

“Oh! Mère Pinquèle, are you a witch too?”

“Silence, Gabriel,” said Mère Yvonne, “how can you say anything so wicked? Why, bless me, the boy ought to have been in bed ages ago.”

(cont.)

 

_____________

Upon the southern slope of one of those barren hills that rise abruptly here and there in the desolate expanse of the Landes, in South-western France, stood, in the reign of Louis XIII, a gentleman’s residence, such as abound in Gascony, and which the country people dignify by the name of chateau.

Two tall towers, with extinguisher tops, mounted guard at the angles of the mansion, and gave it rather a feudal air. The deep grooves upon its facade betrayed the former existence of a draw-bridge, rendered unnecessary now by the filling up of the moat, while the towers were draped for more than half their height with a most luxuriant growth of ivy, whose deep, rich green contrasted happily with the ancient gray walls.

A traveller, seeing from afar the steep pointed roof and lofty towers standing out against the sky, above the furze and heather that crowned the hill-top, would have pronounced it a rather imposing chateau–the residence probably of some provincial magnate; but as he drew near would have quickly found reason to change his opinion.

The roof, of dark red tiles, was disfigured by many large, leprous-looking, yellow patches, while in some places the decayed rafters had given way, leaving formidable gaps. The numerous weather-cocks that surmounted the towers and chimneys were so rusted that they could no longer budge an inch, and pointed persistently in various directions. The high dormer windows were partially closed by old wooden shutters, warped, split, and in every stage of dilapidation; broken stones filled up the loop-holes and openings in the towers; of the twelve large windows in the front of the house, eight were boarded up; the remaining four had small diamond-shaped panes of thick, greenish glass, fitting so loosely in their leaden frames that they shook and rattled at every breath of wind; between these windows a great deal of the stucco had fallen off, leaving the rough wall exposed to view.

Above the grand old entrance door, whose massive stone frame and lintel retained traces of rich ornamentation, almost obliterated by time and neglect, was sculptured a coat of arms, now so defaced that the most accomplished adept in heraldry would not be able to decipher it. Only one leaf of the great double door was ever opened now, for not many guests were received or entertained at the chateau in these days of its decadence. Swallows had built their nests in every available nook about it, and but for a slender thread of smoke rising spirally from a chimney at the back of this dismal, half-ruined mansion, the traveller would have surely believed it to be uninhabited. This was the only sign of life visible about the whole place, like the little cloud upon the mirror from the breath of a dying man, which alone gives evidence that he still lives.

— Theophile Gautier

 

_____________

Valentin Ferré Projet Lab #6 – Hauntology

 

______________

‘A Private View at the Royal Academy, 1881 is a painting by the English artist William Powell Frith exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts (London) in 1883. It depicts a group of distinguished Victorians visiting the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1881, just after the death of the Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, whose portrait by John Everett Millais was included on a screen at the special request of Queen Victoria. It is visible in the archway at the back of the room.

‘The subject of the painting is the contrast between lasting historical achievements and ephemeral fads. The portrait of Disraeli represents the former, and the influence of the Aesthetic movement in dress represents the latter. Aesthetic dress is exemplified by the principal female figures in green, pink and orange clothing. Oscar Wilde, one of the main proponents of Aestheticism, is depicted at the right behind the boy in the green suit, surrounded by female admirers. Behind him, further to the right, a group of opponents glare disapprovingly at him as he speaks. Among them are the journalist G.A. Sala and the artist Philip Calderon.

‘At the left of the painting, Anthony Trollope is portrayed gazing at an “aesthetic” family. In the centre of the composition Frederic Leighton, President of the Academy, talks to a seated woman. William Thomson, the archbishop of York, stands beside him wearing a top hat. Lillie Langtry appears nearby in a white dress. Other famous figures of the day depicted include Robert Browning, Thomas Huxley, William Ewart Gladstone and Mary Braddon. The actors Ellen Terry and Henry Irving are visible standing behind Wilde.’ — goldenagepaintings.com

 

______________

George Kuchar Dynasty of Depravity (2005)

 

_______________

‘Among British artists the flamboyant George Chinnery (1774-1852) is a most unusual case. He spent the last fifty years of his life in India and on the China coast, where he died and lies buried, and almost all his best work was done in the East. Other ‘orientalist’ artists from Europe might dip a toe (sometimes more) into Asia, and return to make a living by working up and recycling their sketches, but Chinnery never came back. In Calcutta, Canton and Macau he became something of an exotic creature himself – exuberant, droll, unpredictable – a man who relished his status as the oldest of old hands on the China coast. Both George Chinnery and his wife Marianne appear, thinly disguised, in James Clavell’s hugely successful novel Tai-pan as ‘Aristotle Quance, genius of the brush and inveterate philanderer…and his domineering Irish wife, Maureen…’. One of his earliest works only recently rediscovered is an appealing pencil and watercolour portrait of Marianne, whom he had married in Dublin in 1799, which contradicts his later claims that she was extremely ugly.’ –– Asia House in London

‘DESPITE HIS NAME OF ‘CHINNERY’ WHICH SOUNDS ALMOST AS IF MADE-UP OR A FICTITIOUS PSEUDONYM, GEORGE CHINNERY WAS NOT CHINESE BUT THOROUGHLY ENGLISH AND WAS NOT EVEN A FLAMINING FAGGOT AS HE WAS MARRIED AND HAD CHILDREN. AS YOU ARE SADLY AWARE, FLAMBOYANT AND FLASHILY DRESSED MEN ARE ALWAYS SUSPECTED OF BEING GAY AND I MEAN GAY AS IN A HOMO AND NOT ‘MERRY’. OF COURSE THIS MAY BE TRUE IN SOME CASES AS LIBERACE, ELTON JOHN AND WRITER OSCAR WILDE COME TO MIND.’ — kee hua chee

Cody LeBoeuf ‘A Trip for George Chinnery’

 

_____________

– Jorge Pardo

 

_____________

‘Sergey Esenin’s flamboyant personality, peasant origins, and craving for self-destruction have forever canonized him as Russia’s favorite “hooligan poet.” Esenin died at the age of 30, tired of life and poetry. His suicide, still a mystery, triggered a wave of suicides among his fervent adepts. The novelty and magnitude of his poetry continues to astonish his readers.’ — The Melancholic

my cute, that the images

my cute, that the images,
as a holy, all repent.
I fucked seven times have, —
eight relies!

 

You do not own

You do not own,
not own, not.
I now another
give it French style.
And now another
I give to fuck-
Who among you is dearer:
Dick you plead.

 

nate, take, to devour

nate, take, to devour
My soul black earth.
God crushed us ass,
And we call it the sun.

 

_____________

REGALIA, n. Distinguishing insignia, jewels and costume of such ancient and honorable orders as Knights of Adam; Visionaries of Detectable Bosh; the Ancient Order of Modern Troglodytes; the League of Holy Humbug; the Golden Phalanx of Phalangers; the Genteel Society of Expurgated Hoodlums; the Mystic Alliances of Georgeous Regalians; Knights and Ladies of the Yellow Dog; the Oriental Order of Sons of the West; the Blatherhood of Insufferable Stuff; Warriors of the Long Bow; Guardians of the Great Horn Spoon; the Band of Brutes; the Impenitent Order of Wife-Beaters; the Sublime Legion of Flamboyant Conspicuants; Worshipers at the Electroplated Shrine; Shining Inaccessibles; Fee-Faw-Fummers of the inimitable Grip; Jannissaries of the Broad-Blown Peacock; Plumed Increscencies of the Magic Temple; the Grand Cabal of Able-Bodied Sedentarians; Associated Deities of the Butter Trade; the Garden of Galoots; the Affectionate Fraternity of Men Similarly Warted; the Flashing Astonishers; Ladies of Horror; Cooperative Association for Breaking into the Spotlight; Dukes of Eden; Disciples Militant of the Hidden Faith; Knights-Champions of the Domestic Dog; the Holy Gregarians; the Resolute Optimists; the Ancient Sodality of Inhospitable Hogs; Associated Sovereigns of Mendacity; Dukes-Guardian of the Mystic Cess-Pool; the Society for Prevention of Prevalence; Kings of Drink; Polite Federation of Gents-Consequential; the Mysterious Order of the Undecipherable Scroll; Uniformed Rank of Lousy Cats; Monarchs of Worth and Hunger; Sons of the South Star; Prelates of the Tub-and-Sword.

— Ambrose Bierce

 

_____________

 

_____________

—-

 

*

p.s. Hey. ** jay, Hey Jay! She’s singular. She was at a gallery opening I was also at once. I was completely awestruck but I managed to tiptoe over to her to gush and ask her for her autograph, and she was unsurprisingly incredibly kind and sweet and hilarious. Thanks for the props, my pal. I hope you’re still enjoying your home-shaped independence. ** kenley, True, all true, meaning I agree. One building, easy. *devil horns* How was your gig? I’m sure your charisma made your metalcore akin to a movie in which Shelley Duvall has a big part. Weekend: mostly trying to catch up on stuff. New possibility arose of showing ‘RT’ in Amsterdam, but it seems pretty iffy. Had my biweekly Zoom Film/Book Club. Watched ‘Megadoc’, the documentary about the making of Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’, which wasn’t so interesting apart from making me not want to see the film and proving Shia LaBeouf is an insufferable jerk, which I already knew. That was basically it. New week! Yours! So … ? ** Hugo, SD in ‘Three Women’ is one of the world’s all-time highlights. The best Brit fiction seems well behaved but is actually creepy and subversive. ** Steve, Not completely. Hm, I look at all kinds of outrageous sites on the blog’s behalf, and those visits have never followed me into Meta that I can tell. Double header. Everyone, Two recommended visits courtesy of Steve. (1) ‘The latest “Radio Not Radio” episode is up. Going from punk to jazz to soundscapes, it features Poison Ruin, Crass, the Subhumans (UK), the Cortinas, Zaviruga, Settimana Mistica, Huggy Bear, Anakonda, Jill Scott, Tomeka Reid, Adam O’Farrill, Alice Coltrane, Grupo Um, Bobo & Behaja, Midori Hirano, Clint Mansell & Kronos Quartet, Eliane Radigue, KMRU, Negativland, Vic Bang, Poppy Ackroyd, Flying Lotus and the Bug!’ And, (2): ‘My new song ‘Feedbackback’ is also out now‘. ** Thom, Howdy, Thom. Yep, agreed, about Bela Tarr. And cool that ‘Are People Out There’ sank into you pleasurably. How did the gathering and collaging go? Always so great to have a conducive collaborator. And you saw ear to ear without slug or fisticuffs? ** LC, Hi, LC. My total pleasure. I’ve never been to Nashville. It’s still on my dream list. That whole Tennessee/Kentucky area. I have been to Kentucky ages ago. All I remember are the caves. Cheers in return! ** _Black_Acrylic, Yep, yep, ‘Three Women’, few better things. I hope your sugar crash wasn’t too hard. ** fish, Hi, fish! It’s that easy? Huh. I’m surprised too about the number of comments considering the fairly giant traffic this place gets, and also grateful since I don’t know if I could handle many more. Literature and boys, no argument there. I love DFW too, obviously. I’ll try to culture you up, although you sounds pretty culturally with it. Thanks! ** T, T! My old pal! So proximate and so mysterious! Me too. It’s so good to see you! Zac and I are often saying, ‘I wonder what Thomas is up to?’ Both of those gigs sound delicious. We’re a bit hampered by traveling around to show our film, but I think I should probably be there on those dates. I’ll look into it, and let’s do it and more importantly see each other. Let me know when you’re free. xo. ** Bill, ‘Three Women’ and ‘McCabe …’ are my favorite Altmans. Interesting: yeah, I would have guessed Joy Williams would know it. Amazing you saw her read. I still haven’t been lucky enough to be in her proximity. Long trip to the far east, or maybe it’s more like west from you? ** ⋆˚꩜｡darbbzz⋆˚꩜｡, I was at the concert on the ‘Radio Ethiopia’ tour where Patti Smith fell off the stage and broke her arm. Trivia. Nice, the Machine Girl gig. I’m 6’1″ and I always feel bad for the shorter people at gigs, especially those who are standing behind me and quietly hating me. Mixtape! Accessible! Everyone, the great ⋆˚꩜｡darbbzz⋆˚꩜｡ made a mixtape! It’s still in progress but we can listen in. I say we do, what do you say? Join me in its presence here? Coolness. ** Carsten, I can or I mean could see all of that operating in the Carrington work. I actually quite enjoyed ‘Sinners’. It settled on me well. But I’m not a stickler about the authenticity aspect. I thought that, for a big Hollywood film, it was nicely dreamy. I didn’t expect it to be as pleasurable as it was, I guess. ** Diesel Clementine, Thanks for the Glasgow fill-in. The times I’ve been there I thought there was was something very strange about that city, and you may have just pointed me in the right direction. Yes, the only and best needless to say way to extract your writing from the middling category is through the hard work you sound like you’re putting into it. If you could see my early writing, and I pray you never will, you’d be very proud of yours. I like Robert Gluck a lot. He’s an old friend, but, nevertheless, I think one of the best fiction writer du jour. ‘Jack’ is my favorite of his. I didn’t see a burned up Glasgow on the news this morning, so I assume it’s still in tact if possibly blackened a little. ** Alice, Hi. Great about the mix being ours to overhear! Everyone, Alice has uploaded a DJ mix they made to youtube, and that’s your cue to gift yourselves by clicking this. Looking forward to it! Great hopes that you hear back about the interviews in a highly positive manner. My week: try to solve yet another snag in my visa application process, see some films, eat Ethiopian food, talk with Zac about the new film script, and the rest remains a mystery. ** HaRpEr //, Yes, she’s kind of a god. Nice Tobey Maguire info: I can see that. My hopes are high re: the chapbook submission, naturally. Great that you fed it to them. Let’s hope they’re wise enough. I haven’t heard the Fugazi/Albini tracks yet, but of course I will. ‘In on the Kill Taker’ is my favorite Fugazi. ** Uday, Hi! I haven’t played a card game in such a long time that I think my favorite is probably still ‘Go Fish’. ** Right. Today you get a restored thematic post directed towards those out there who appreciate stylish extroversion. See you tomorrow.