* (Halloween countdown post #7)

 

‘Spirit photography developed within the context of spiritualism, a 19th-century religious movement. Spiritualists believed in the soul’s persistence after death and of the potential for continued bonds and communication between the dead and the living.

‘In 1848, when two young women of Hydesville, N.Y., claimed the ability to hear and interpret the knocking of a deceased peddler in their home, spiritualist ideas were already in the air.

‘Some 19th-century spiritualist artists saw their work as being inspired by an unseen presence. For example, British artist and medium Georgianna Houghton produced abstract watercolours she dubbed her “spirit drawings.” Similarly, about 20 years after photography as a medium emerged, spirit photographers began attributing their work to an external force, a presence that temporarily overcame or possessed them. The spiritual “extra” that appeared alongside the bereaved in spirit photographs — sometimes clearly a face, at other times a shape or object — was meant to be understood as not having been made by humans.

‘Paired with the longing of the bereaved, spirit photographs had the potential to become intensely personal, enchanted memory objects.

‘Unlike postmortem photography — the 19th-century practice of photographing the deceased, typically as though sleeping — spirit photographs did not lock the loved one in a moment after separation has occurred through death. Instead, they suggested a moment beyond death and therefore the potential for future moments shared.

‘Spirit photography encouraged and then mediated the resurgence of the deceased’s animated likeness. At a time when many available technologies — such as the telegraph, telephone and typewriter — were being applied towards communication with the dead, spirit photography offered a visual record of communication.

‘But in spirit photographs, the beloved seldom appeared at full opacity. Using the technique of semi-translucence, spirit photographers depict spirits as animated and “still with us.” That they are only half there is also indicated. In this way, spirit photographs illustrate the lingering presence of the absent loved one, just as it is felt by the bereaved.

‘Spirit photographs were not the first photographs to depict ghostly apparitions. But they do mark the first instance wherein these semi-translucent “extras” were marketed as evidence of continued connection to the deceased.

‘As a service rendered within the bereavement industry, spirit photographs were meant to be understood as the grief of separation, captured by the camera — and not constructed through some form of trickery.

‘Belief in the appearance of miraculous impressions of forms and faces may appear novel in the emerging medium and technology of photography. But a longer tradition of finding meaning and solace in the apparition of faces can be seen in Christian traditions of venerating relics such as The Veil of Veronica which, according to Catholic popular belief and legend, bears the likeness of Christ’s face imprinted on it before his crucifixion.

‘Even in the 19th century, recognition of the beloved in spirit photographs was occasionally equated with pareidolia — the powerful human tendency to perceive patterns, objects or faces, such as in relics or random objects.

‘In 1863, physician and poet O.W. Holmes noted in Atlantic Monthly that for the bereaved who commissioned spirit photography, what the resulting photograph showed was inconsequential:

“It is enough for the poor mother, whose eyes are blinded with tears, that she sees a print of drapery like an infant’s dress, and a rounded something, like a foggy dumpling, which will stand for a face: she accepts the spirit-portrait as a revelation from the world of shadows.”

‘If the photographer’s methods were exposed, the bereaved still maintained their spirit photograph was authentic. The ambiguity of the figures that appeared seldom deterred the bereaved from seeing what they hoped for. Indeed, it was this very leap of faith that incited the imaginative input required to transform these otherwise unbelievable photographs into potent and intensely personal objects.

‘In 1962, a woman who had commissioned a photograph of her late husband shared with the spirit photographer: “It is recognized by all that have seen it, who knew him when upon Earth, as a perfect likeness, and I am myself satisfied, that his spirit was present, although invisible to mortals.”’ — Françoise Marmouyet

Spirit Photography: History and Creation

 

Spotlight on William Hope

 

‘William Hope created his first spirit photograph in 1905, a portrait of a friend which when developed appeared to contain an additional presence bearing a striking resemblance to the sitter’s sister who had recently died. Using his newfound talents in the paranormal Hope set up and lead the spiritualist group the Crewe Circle in his home town in Cheshire.

‘The group gained notoriety with the addition of member Archdeacon Thomas Colley, an eccentric who verified Hope’s “powers”, championed Hope’s work to the public and gifted him his first stand camera. Another prominent figure in Hope’s success was Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; also an avid spiritualist and strong believer in spirit photography, Doyle was a member of the Society for the Study of Supernormal Pictures. As a fervent supporter of Hope, Doyle would go on to spend his life defending Hope’s work and reputation.

‘But Hope’s pictures were of course complete fabrications. He would procure an existing photograph of the deceased and expose the apparition onto a photographic plate prior to the sitting with his client. By using this method and creating a double or triple exposure image he would was able to produce the translucent effects consistent with expectations of how a spirit might manifest in our world.

‘Despite the obvious signs that the images were fake he kept a strong following of dedicated fans and believers, who insisted that Hope’s photographs really did show the ghost of a deceased friend or family member.

‘It was Hope’s timing which undoubtedly led to his success. The images were produced in the early 20th century and embraced by a grieving population decimated by the devastation of the First World War, perhaps hoping for proof that even after death their loved ones still had a presence in our world and that there was life, of sorts, on the other side.

‘Hope met a fierce critic in Harry Price, a leading paranormal investigator and one of history’s most famous ghost hunters, who was well known for outing fraudsters and hoaxers. Price suspected the spiritualist’s photographs were a hoax and set an elaborate trap in the hopes of firmly disproving the legitimacy of his photography, and outing him as a scammer and a charlatan. By marking the plates he provided to Hope during a photography session, Price was able to conclude that Hope had switched them with his own, already-exposed, plates.

‘Despite his photographs being proved to be fakes his reputation remained strong among spiritualists, who refused to accept the unwelcome truth behind the man whose work they so admired. Following the report of Price’s exposé Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published his own report The Case for Spirit Photography in which he commended Hope’s character, offered evidence for the photographs’ validity and presented numerous testimonies by some of Hope’s many satisfied customers.

‘In one testimony a former client of Hope, Mr. W. Whitefield, stated: “My good wife and myself have not the slightest doubt that it is a photograph of one of our daughters. I do pray that this knowledge may bring joy and comfort to some sorrowing heart.”

‘Whether his intentions were to offer solace to mourning families, or profiteer from their grief, Hope continued to practice his photography for the rest of his life; his photographs were not conclusively accepted as fakes until more than a decade after his death.’ — Kate McNab

 

The Case for Spirit Photography, by Arthur Conan Doyle

 

Preface

The publicity given to the recent attacks on Psychic Photography has been out of all proportion to their scientific value as evidence. When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle returned to Great Britain, after his successful tour in America, the controversy was in full swing. With characteristic promptitude he immediately decided to meet these negative attacks by a positive counter-attack, and this volume is the outcome of that decision.

We have used the term “Spirit Photography” on the title-page as being the popular name by which these phenomena are known. This does not imply that either Sir Arthur or I imagine that everything supernormal must be of spirit origin. There is, undoubtedly, abroad borderland where these photographic effects may be produced from forces contained within ourselves. This merges into those higher phenomena of which many cases are here described. Those desiring fuller information on this subject are referred to “Photographing the Invisible,” by James Coates.

It was only when editing the matt… … … … … … … … … … … … mass, of reliable material we had to, work upon. In restricting this book to the necessary limits it has only been possible to make use of a small portion of this evidence. Many more cases have been placed on record and maybe published on some future occasion. Most of the letters accompanying these descriptions display a deep and genuine affection for the maligned mediums of the Crewe Circle. Our hearty thanks are due to all those friends who have so readily co-operated in this work and who are so willing to brave the discomforts of publicity for what they know to be the truth.

See/read the rest here

 

The intriguing history of ghost photography
When a 19th-Century ‘Spirit Photographer’ Claimed to Capture Ghosts Through His Lens
SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE OCCULT: MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE
Seeing Ghosts: A Brief Look at the Curious Business of Spirit Photography
How Spirit Photography Made Heaven Literal
PARANOID OR PARANORMAL?: A BRIEF HISTORY OF SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY
What the History of ‘Spirit Photography’ Portends for the Future of Deepfake Videos
When Cameras Took Pictures of Ghosts

 

75 photographs

 

 

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p.s. Hey. A French reader of this blog wanted to contribute to the Halloween rollout via this generous and paranormal-infused guest-post about the irresistible, if you ask me, arena of spirit photography, and please enjoy your status as its beneficiaries. And please spare a word of some relative sort of your choosing for our kind and canny guest host, Roget. And thank you ever so much, Roget, from me, your lucky construction worker. ** Dominik, Hi!!! Cool, so glad you loved it! I feel confident somehow that Anita will find something even more exciting. Yes, I think love’s lust is definitely always on the verge of taking him over. Thank you! I actually have a weird thing for picnics. Well, not for picnics themselves but for picnic baskets. I even did whole post here once about picnic baskets. I don’t know what that’s about. Maybe Zac’s and my next film should be about a mysterious picnic basket. Love is a human shaped cloud of fog that is standing just to your right at this very moment without you even knowing it, G. ** David Ehrenstein, That’s one way put it! ** Tea, It would be cool if they were sentient. Or terrifying, I guess, but cool too. Thank you so much about ‘I Wished’. That really means a lot. It was a super emotional book to write, which I guess is pretty obvious. I look forward to tearing up about something of yours one of these days. Yes, no need for explanation on the dedication/ paean/ tribute front. And you can use the goal of making what you write worthy enough of said subject as impetus to get your writing right. Or I do, at least. Oh, man, being Celiac seems like it would be tough, although I’m sure you have it sorted. I eaten seitan all the time, and I’d be lost. Bowl of strawberries coming right up somehow even if it requires fake paranormal forces. Shake Thursday’s timbers. ** Steve Erickson, Oh, gotcha on the WalMart thing. I feel like I should have known that. 160 minutes, eek. Well, I’ll see it in any case, but I’ll bring a nicotine patch with me for sure. I know a fair amount of people in real life who are asexual and fairly vocal about that. For some reason, they all live either in Paris or Los Angeles. Helluva an upcoming album title, dude. ** Jamie, Hey, hey, Jamie. Yeah, the popup store is dreamy. They have antique, extremely rare ones, even ones by very unexpected sources like Bataille and Breton and so on, as well as new ones by the unusual people who continue to create them despite the niche-ness of the genre. A visual art friend of mine decided to make one as a piece some years ago, and she said it was extremely difficult, and the resulting piece was about 50% less complex than she had hoped. The earliest we’ll shoot the film is just after Xmas Day, but it’s starting to look more likely that we’ll shoot it early next year, by/before March. We’ll know after we get to LA and start organising things. Awesomeness that you finished your novella draft! That’s huge! What’s  next? Yesterday we finally, after many, many months, seem to have set up the bank account for our film which means the funds can finally, now or any minute now, be transferred into it by the donors, which is a giant step. Happy Marnie Weber did something untoward to your thinking. A lovelier even day to you, sir! Fake ghosts galore love, me. ** Bill, Hi, Bill! Cool that the post sat well. I have yet to be all that impressed by a Yann Gonzalez film, but I’ll give his new thing my best shot. ** Paul Curran, Hi, Paul! Does anyone call you Pauly or Paulie? Thanks about the Adachi post. I have a post about Hisayasu Satô coming up this weekend, if that’s of interest. Yes, Zac told me the travel restrictions re: Japan were just lifted the other day! Our plan now is that as soon as we’ve finished editing our new film, we’ll be coming to Japan to celebrate. Yes, I’m beyond 100% into hosting a post for your book! Abso-fucking-lutely! Great! One thing to know is that Zac and I will be heading to LA around mid-October to do some pre-production work on our film. I don’t know the exact departure date just yet, but while I’m there, for three weeks or so, the blog will be on vacation. So I’ll need to launch the post just before or around mid-month, if that’s doable. Based on past experience, if the post has to go up just a little before the actual pub date, I don’t think that will be a problem for the book/launch. So if you can get me the post before mid-month, that would be optimal. Is that possible? I really, really want to host it, so I’m hoping so. Thanks, buddy! Exciting! ** Robert, Hi, Robert. Oops. I’m glad you’re still in one piece psychologically. Wow, I haven’t read Lawrence Durrell or even really thought much about him since I was in college. So I don’t really know what I think. I think I remember liking his work but thinking it was a little empurpled? But I could feel completely differently now. What an interesting writer to be reading. Let me know what you think, I’m very curious. Thanks! ** Okay. Enjoy your unrealistic yet charismatic day around here, and please say hi to Roget. See you tomorrow.

* (Halloween countdown post #6)

 

‘You probably have at least one friend who is completely obsessed with the art of Marnie Weber. Her approach to creating the “total work of art” — which includes but is not limited to painting, sculpture, music, myth-making, live performance, film, video, photography, collage, set design, installation, costume, extreme makeup, excellent wigs, prosthetics, puppets, and witchcraft — has beguiled and piqued audiences for decades. Her dark, punk-infused humor, fearless embrace of eccentric feminine power archetypes from ghostly cowgirls to sorceresses of alchemy, and willingness to go, as they say, all the way there, combine in tropes of avant-garde theater and tableaux with gut-punch viscerality and a strange beauty that is anything but pretty.’ — LA Weekly

‘Marnie Weber’s centralizing embrace of the societal fringe mimics our globalized reassessment of the dominant point of view, debunking the old norm for a new model where the previously peripheral moves to center stage. Her world of freaky side-show circus characters, runaway waifs and mobile home denizens are counter-culture oddities recast as empowered models of defiantly capable heroes, or at least battered survivors. Unabashedly narrative in nature, these works maneuver like familiar storybook legends and fairy tale lore, insinuating themselves into our subconscious soup of primal fears and childhood nightmares. At first seeming to be eccentric cast-offs, these damaged personages soon reveal themselves to be stand-ins for us, fragile yet resilient, emotionally vulnerable human beings of merit and worth in search of acceptance and security. Through these surrogate misfits, we find compassion for ourselves.’ — PCC

‘Artist Marnie Weber was raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, moving to Taiwan at age 10 after travelling through east Asia with her family. Eventually relocating to southern California, there Weber studied art at University of Southern California, later receiving a B.A. at University of California, Los Angeles, where she worked with the performance and installation artist Chris Burden, assemblage sculptor George Herms, and collagist Alexis Smith. Her multidisciplinary approach to art making is defined by the rich, mythological ideology she has created throughout a practice that encompasses performance, film, video, sculpture, collage, installation, costuming, and music.

‘Weber began as a musician, emerging into the heady punk music milieu of 1980s Los Angeles; she evolved into a solo performance artist. Driven by an interest in theatrical experimentation, her performances are amplified by a complex narrative structure and extravagant costuming that coalesces around a pastiche of memory and the subconscious, with related film work reflecting a technological restraint and visual candor.

‘Aspects of Weber’s performative work and film extend to her collage and sculpture practice, both of which are informed by the character development, symbolism, and dramatic content held within each tale. Conjuring elaborate allegories drawn from personal and cultural histories, fantasy, folklore, ritual, and a deeply eccentric sense of the spiritual, the stories remain liquid as they morph into various hybrids. Half-animal/half-human figures, dolls, clowns, and monsters recur in surreal fictions that touch on death, transformation, and catharsis. Her collage and sculptural works embrace a baroque sense of artifice, yielding only to the fantastical creatures and logic-defying sympathy, humor, and uneasiness they evoke.’ — The Artist Profile

 

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Further

Marnie Weber Site
MW @ Simon Lee Gallery
MW @ Instagram
Marnie Weber and Justin John Greene
MEET GESAMKUNSTWERK ARTIST MARNIE WEBER
INTERVIEW WITH MARNIE WEBER
Marnie Weber: The Nature of Time
Twisted Refrain: The Work of Marnie Weber
Marnie Weber-Girls Gone Wild
Oral history interview with Marnie Weber, 2016 February 10
Eyes Without a Face: Gillian Wearing and Marnie Weber
Marnie Weber on The Sea of Silence
Marnie Weber – The Night of Forevermore
Inside the L.A. Studio of Artist Marnie Weber
Marnie Weber brings whimsical world to Busan
BEGIN AGAIN: THE FILMS OF MARNIE WEBER
Artist Marnie Weber Deploys a Multitude of Media To Create Dreamlike Realms
Marnie Weber: Send in the Clowns
Marnie Weber on Fairy Tales, Performance Art and Edward Kienholz
DARK FAIRYTALE WORLD OF MARNIE WEBER
Caryn Coleman interviews artist Marnie Weber

 

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Videos

Destiny and Blow Up Friends

A-Western-Song

The Sea of Silence

The Day of Forevermore (Trailer)

 

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Interview

 

THE WHITE REVIEW — You once said using a handheld camera lends your work an awkwardness, a stumbling quality. Why do you use this technique? What are the aesthetic issues?

MARNIE WEBER — I intentionally try to have a humble, homemade look to my films; it feels more genuine to me. The camera works in combination with the characters’ movements, at times reflecting the consciousness of the character in vision, at times reflecting my consciousness, and at times the consciousness of the camera operator. Sometimes, if we are lucky, the camera works by finding the mystical union of all involved. Since I act in the films rather than hold the camera myself, I have to rely on the magical moments of everything working in unison.

I also think that this approach allows the viewer to enter emotionally into my work. For example, I can address life’s heavier issues, such as death, tragedy, birth without being so depressing. The film stock, the hand-held camera, the way of walking, the costumes, all of this combined with subtle humor, balances the dark and light. I like it when people say they don’t know if they should laugh or cry when they see my films. Charlie Chaplin was a genius at this. He was making films in a very dark time in human history but gave people an escape while at the same time broaching issues such as poverty, loneliness, abandonment and loss with a sense of humor. He was also exploring movement in unison with the camera as if it were a dancing partner. On a different level, when the film is finished I think the homemade quality is a way of hopefully inspiring other people to make creative work in a way slick productions cannot. The work becomes a labour of love rather than a product of a huge production team.

THE WHITE REVIEW — Spiritualism is important to your work. Where did your interest in it come from?

MARNIE WEBER — Spiritualism was an interesting development in American history. It was the first time people considered the possibility that God was within themselves, rather than a controlling being from above. It also grew during the same time, and in the same region of New York, as the women’s movement. It was the first time women were on stage and ‘given a voice’, so to speak, and the voices that came out were those of channeled spirits. Spiritualism was an empowering movement.

I’m very much interested in the parallel between spiritualism and entertainment, which may have come from my many years as a performance artist. The Spirit Girls is a work of fiction, a conceptual art piece of my own creation. The narrative is this: a group of girls have died tragically in their youth and then come back to earth as spirits to perform in a band and to communicate through music. We wear costumes, masks, wigs and have props, projections and other characters who join in to create a musical experience that is consciously visual. It started as a theatrical rock show inspired by the progressive rock shows of the Seventies, which I loved in my youth. I went to see bands like early Genesis, King Crimson, Yes, Bowie and the Spiders and I thought to myself, ‘Where are the women?’ So the Spirit Girls were a way to go back and fill that niche for me. I am the initiator and director but when we are playing the music, it develops into more of a collaboration.

THE WHITE REVIEW — Throughout your work, animals are portrayed as cohabiting with dolls/humans. Is this intended to be utopian in any way?

MARNIE WEBER — The animals act as alter egos, sometimes as spirit guides and also carry symbolism. Each animal represents something for me. For example, the bear is representative of power but also spirituality. In American Indian folklore, the bear is a symbol of spirituality and represents a delving into one’s unconscious because the bear hibernates all winter as if involved in introspection. The bunny is an interesting character because it is not only a victim figure, but also a symbol of birth and fertility.

THE WHITE REVIEW — Fairytales, circus themes and freak shows are a common feature of your work. What’s the attraction?

MARNIE WEBER — I see the characters that inhabit those worlds as challenging themselves through the exploration of the darkest realms of their subconscious. That is very heroic to me. It is a place of transformation rather than placid existence.

THE WHITE REVIEW — You once compared your work to an exercise in acting class in which you put on a mask to express a true emotion, saying that through costumes and artifice, you are able to reach far greater depths of emotion in your art than can be reached showing everyday reality. How does this tie in to your use of masks?

MARNIE WEBER — The current Spirit Girls masks are frightening because they don’t have any expression. You can’t read any emotions or what they are feeling. That way the audience has to create its own reading of the faces from within themselves, hopefully serving as a mirror. Humans need facial expression to feel comfortable and the faces seem strange and disturbing. You get used to it though.

THE WHITE REVIEW — And what about your use of clowns? Where did the interest start?

MARNIE WEBER — When I was a kid, I loved The Red Skelton Show. He performed as a poor downtrodden clown with a sad face. He would pull out his empty pockets and pretend to cry. This would in turn make me cry and say ‘Poor him!’ My mother would ask if she should turn it off but I would cry to have it stay on. It is this idea of simultaneous attraction and repulsion, but also the depth of emotion that clowns carry that appeals to me. Happy and sad clowns are like extensions of us. It is a cathartic release of our own pain to watch the humiliation of a clown. In my piece Giggle of Clowns, the group of clowns surrounds a flower-laden corpse, an effigy of the lead Spirit Girl. It is as if they lost their leader and were stuck in an existential quagmire of being cheerful. To be happy is a very dark journey.

THE WHITE REVIEW — You once said ‘I’m not afraid of cute’. What was it you meant by this exactly?

MARNIE WEBER — Cute, soppy, sentimental; they can all be extended, can make the work even darker in my opinion. It is as if one is saying ‘everything is alright’ while knowing it is not.

THE WHITE REVIEW — And what about camp? Is camp important to you?

MARNIE WEBER — Yes, I don’t really fear going overboard or having people feel that it is too much. I think there is a place for simple beautiful formal work but since my interest lies in what is theatrical, the work tends to be layer upon layer of information and backstory combined, which creates more of a baroque quality. It can be misinterpreted as naivety but it doesn’t bother me. At the core I know what is best for me and for my work.

THE WHITE REVIEW — Do you feel connected to the collage tradition?

MARNIE WEBER — Yes I do. I study other artists’ collages and I try to push the boundaries of what has been done in collage before. Art history is very important to me.

THE WHITE REVIEW — Barbara Kruger describes her work as ‘more about pleasure, desire only exists where there is absence’ and says that she is ‘not interested in the desire of the image… but in suggesting that we needn’t destroy difference.’ Do you feel similarly about your own work?

MARNIE WEBER — There is great power in longing. To raise questions with collage, create uncanny scenes that draw the viewer in, to make them wonder what is going on is much more powerful than to create an image that is complete, finalized or in essence ‘dead’. The act of contemplation when viewing of an artwork is a beautiful moment.

THE WHITE REVIEW — Are your collages ‘metaphors of fraternity‘ as Jean-Luc Godard puts it? Would you say they were metaphors of dependence, or a love encounter?

MARNIE WEBER — I would say they are closer to a love encounter. A labour of love.

THE WHITE REVIEW — Are your collages assonant or dissonant, do they have similar or antinomian associations?

MARNIE WEBER — Visually they have assonance and can be pleasing to look at but they are dissonant in that there feels like there is something not right. An uncanny strangeness. Antinomian.

THE WHITE REVIEW — Are your collages synecdoche?

MARNIE WEBER — Yes, they refer to a larger overall narrative.

THE WHITE REVIEW — Let’s move on to your use of the podium. What does it allow you to achieve, and what aesthetic forms are at stake when using such a form, such space?

MARNIE WEBER — I never use a simple white podium, it seems trivial and carries a false importance. It is ok if used ironically. If a work needs height I create my own base that works conceptually with the piece. For instance, the podiums for the large pull animals are meant to look like toys. The podium creates an artificial importance to the work, but it is also a practical tool.

THE WHITE REVIEW — The plinth, the pedestal, and the podium are areas of power, competition, emphasis and authority. Why do you use this typology? Can we move away from these principles?

MARNIE WEBER — I prefer to think of an installation as a theatrical set and a podium just becomes another prop thereby diminishing its power. It gives definition, but it is a false power.

THE WHITE REVIEW — How do you avoid fetishism and still work with the podium? Is it possible?

MARNIE WEBER — I think the way to avoid the fetishism is to not use square white cubes as a podiums but to consider different ways to present the work and make it all part of the piece.

 

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Sculptures, installations & collages

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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p.s. Hey. ** Dominik, Hi!!! Oh, no, I’m so sorry to hear that about Anita and the job. It must not have been worthy of her. Damn, love really slacked off yesterday. He’s lucky he’s love, otherwise we might need to replace him with … uh … lust? Needless to say, if love manages to get his Poké Ball town design off the page and on the ground, my bags will be quickly packed. Love offering Anita the job of replacing Harry Styles in a One Direction reunion, G. ** Steve Erickson, ‘Saint Omer’ sounds super intriguing. On my radar, for sure. Boy, I sure hope the new Albert Serra is a lot better than his awful quasi-Sadeian last film. How was it? I feel like a lot of people I know are asexual these days. In certain communities it’s even very trendy from what I can see. So stand tall, I say. I’ve always thought sex is more productive in the mind, albeit with a few exceptions. I’m pretty sure McKay Manor is long since defunct. They were kicked out of San Diego some years ago then tried to make a go of it somewhere in the South, but I think they gave up entirely a year or two before Covid would have killed them off naturally. I think I need to search out that WalMart clerk. News to me. Huh. ** Jamie, Hi. Yes, Christopher was news to me until Andrew/11:11 hooked me up with his work. Excellent stuff. Ha ha, nincompoop, good word indeed. My mom to use that term casually in conversation when I was wee. It’d be nice if it made a comeback, but it’s hard to imagine influencers wielding it of their own volition. Oh, I’ll find the 2019 ‘Haunt’. Diametric opposition is almost always a goal in life perhaps. Or that sounds right in my head. Dude, last section of your novella! Awesome, congrats or else looming congrats depending on how you feel. Yes, 30,000 words is more than enough, for goodness sake. Granted I’m a weirdo, but the food googling and sex writing combo is only intriguing to me. Sex is only what we make it? Or … something? Probably shouldn’t ask me. Zac and I fucked up and the fete foraine art thing was closed when we got there, but the popup book store was sublime. I bought a semi-vintage ‘Wizard of Oz’ popup book that’s totally nuts. And our film-related meeting was excellent. Good day, iow. I agree that allowing Pollard on their stage briefly does not remove Pearl Jam from the pile of dreadfulness wherein they reside. I was just looking for the haystack in a needle. I hope your Wednesday makes every theoretical sad thought you could have play hooky. xo, moi. ** T, Hey! I’m of the firm opinion that submerging the ‘I’ is always a frontline experiment. Great, let’s do it: coffee + collab. Shoot me your freedom coordinates. What I wouldn’t give to be on acid maybe with an on/off switch today and maybe everyday, thank you! I hope your Wednesday is a holographic blast furnace. xo, D. ** Tea, I agree with you entirely. My last novel was nothing but that, or an attempt to make something that was nothing but that, at least. I also totally get the ‘owing’ thing. I mean, here I am a zillion years later still writing tributes to a long dead friend. Non-shabby Tuesday, excellent, I hope the rest of the day followed suit. I just want to eat one really good pastry today, and since I’m in Paris, that’s easy-peasy, so I think I’ll survive. May a really good pastry equivalent raise its lovely head in your Wednesday. ** Okay. I thought maybe a gallery show of Marnie Weber’s stuff might make a pleasant next step in the blog’s Halloween roll-out. See what you think, and see you tomorrow.