* (restored)
‘Louis Tussauds in Great Yarmouth, is different from many wax museums, in that it remembers the stars and famous people as they were at their height of fame and influence.
‘See your gallery of how people looked, how the passionate owners captured them at this time and preserved them for your enjoyment. Many wax museum update their models to keep the realistic to reflect the current looks or styles.
‘If you are looking back to the 70s, so the stars as they were. Nostalgia and memories. Show your grand children the stars and leaders during your generation and help us bring the museum to life.’ — Louis Tussauds House of Wax
January 3, 2014: ‘The world’s worst waxworks collection has been snapped up by a mystery buyer from the Czech Republic, just over a year after it closed amid a storm of ridicule. Jane, 83, who still lives above the former attraction in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, with 86-year-old Peter, said: “All the models and machines and frames were sold in one go. I don’t really know who the chap was but he took everything. We hadn’t planned to leave and we miss the business terribly. But me and my husband have both been ill and thought it was foolish to keep going. We had a lot of bad press and I feel a bit irritated that the local people didn’t stick up for us a bit more.” Peter, who ran the museum for 57 years, admitted in 2008 that the models became so old they were no longer lifelike.’ — Daily Mirror
The constellation
Prince Charles
John Lennon
Freddie Mercury
Sean Connery
Simon Cowell
Rowan Atkinson
Princess Diana
Tom Hanks
Pierce Brosnan
Prince William
Prince Harry
David & Victoria Beckham
Peter Sutcliffe
Margaret Thatcher
Tony Blair
Adam Ant
Robert Patrick (Terminator)
Conan the Barbarian
Tom Jones
Johnny Depp
Harry Potter & Hermione Granger
Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan
Charles Manson
The Beatles
The Fonz & Telly Savales
Julia Roberts
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Michael Jackson
Jack Nicholson
Johnny Cash
Prince Edward
Quentin Tarantino
Mussolini
Shirley Bassey
Queen Elizabeth
The cast of ‘Eastenders’
Adolf Hitler
Elton John
Star Trek
Cliff Richard
Picasso
Sylvester Stallone
Justin Bieber
Walt Disney
?
Elvis Presley
John Travolta
Cher
Tom Cruise
Jedward
Richard Nixon
Bruce Springsteen
David Bowie
Britney Spears
?
Johnny Carson
Drew Barrymore
Mark Wahlberg
Jim Carrey
Liza Minelli
Barak Obama
Vladimir Putin/Neil Kinnock
Hilary Clinton
*
p.s. Hey. ** Laura, Very nice riff/thinking aloud about the art. I wish she could see it, but, hey, maybe she did. It tracks, but I think I weirdly feel more like myself clothed. I can’t explain that to myself at the moment. I think with the top blokes who prefer their bottoms limp it’s just your basic empowering thing to them? Gosh, I think it’s fun to live in all kinds of places in LA. Maybe less so in the Valleys. My apartment is in Los Feliz, which is an awesome locale. LA is built out of great places. But I like it there. Script is still awaiting feedback/ completion. Uh, the gory party scene first? I don’t have a solid reason for that suggestion. Wow, that paragraph about ‘Guide’ is nonstop jewels. I’m going to come back to it and pore over it once I’ve had a bunch more coffee. But, whoa, thank you! ** _Black_Acrylic, Yeah, the fashion to art thing is interesting. Adds a nice layer to the taking apart of it. Focaccia, yes! I love Focaccia, and its flexibility is ace. ** Steeqhen, Hi. ‘VR’ being from TV origins, I doubt I’ll watch it. My problem. I wouldn’t be remotely surprised if she’s read Ballard. But I hadn’t thought of that until you mentioned it. But now … ‘aha!’. ** Dominik, Hi!!! If I had my way, we would have finished a script a few years ago and be readying to make it, but I’m the energetic half of our duo. What’s the new big job if it’s interesting to say? Understood about ‘Pillion’. Hm, I don’t know. It seems like a plane flight film to me but then I guess no airline would ever program it. Well, then I pray the sun over Vienna triggers its sun lamp function. But remember to wear a hat. On a similar but more minor track, love making the sky stop pouring rain because I have a 30 minute walk ahead of me, and my coat’s hood leaks. Or maybe love giving me a better hood, G. ** Carsten, ‘Z’ is quite strong. Very early Godard influenced but much more genre. Great to see a film so deliberately and even didactically antifascist right now. No, I’d seen it once before as a teen, but not since. Worth a watch. So nice about your cousin and the bonding. A blood relative as a soul mate or even partial soul mate is a very precious idea. ** Bernard Welt, The Tracy Lynn Oliver comes out in May. It’s called ‘Magician’. It’s pretty fantastic. She was one of the most exciting AltLit writers in the 00s under the moniker xTx. Wolfe’s book is probably still far from publication. Oaxaca is such a charismatic name. I’m so pathetic because I grew up in LA and the only Mexico I’ve ever been to are Tijuana and the Baja. Bah, there are so many wealthy/CEO/fascist US people with dual citizenship, and they’re never going to go through with that threat. I’ll seek out that Mel Brooks doc. I’m currently trying to find an accessible stream of the Scorcese doc. I’ve been wanting to watch ‘High Anxiety’ again. ** kenley, There’s such a small chance that I’ll watch ‘VR’ so no worries about my household. Sure, bronze casting can be your hobby. Maybe it’s a little pricey? I’m not really sure. This artist/filmmaker Ira Cohen made a plaster cast of my head back in the early 80s. I wonder what happened to it. Oh, on the artists posts, it depends. In the case of yesterday I saw an IRL gallery show of her work. A lot of the time they’re artists I’ve liked for a long time. Sometimes I’ll see an artist’s work in jpegs and get super intrigued. So, yeah, they come to my galerie by lots of different paths, I guess. Happy day! ** Steve, The videos I saw did make the windows in the buildings look like they lead to unusually cozy apartments. Maybe one of them was yours! The Minneapolis horror is all encompassing, or it sure should be. Not surprised by your report on the new Morrissey sadly. Or maybe not sadly at this point. I forget the title of the Knaussgard novel. The new one. Lots of talk about it. It’s a big favorite of the Alt Right straight guy writers. I only read an excerpt for my Zoom club. I wasn’t taken with that, and I’m not going to read it. ** HaRpEr //, I love that Avedon photo. Of course. Whoa, about that possible TV appearance. Even I’ve heard of that show. How cool. Yeah, cozy up to the choosers by whatever method strikes you as compelling. That’s wild. ** Uday, Hi. Hm, well, may they choose you obviously. Why wouldn’t they, for goodness sake? That could be a way of thinking about it. But, in my case, that would maybe a rabbit hole inwards. Toes act so nonchalant most of the time, but then you accidentally fuck with them and they reveal their needy, sadistic true selves. ** darbz (⊙ _ ⊙ ), Hey to you, my pal. It’s not as glacial over here as it its over there. Here it’s just wet and on the chilly side. I don’t know, obviously, but my guess is that you’re probably not actually fat? How cool to get to hang in and explore rich peoples houses unbeknownst. Does your mom get off on invading them? George looks very mischievous. And thoughtful. Nice pix. I’m still waiting to hear back about the Charlotte possibility. It’s going good. We’re lining up some very cool screenings in the US and Europe. That will be fun: Machine Girl. I hope your one is at least as good as mine. ** Okay. Maybe some of you blog old timers remember today’s post? See you tomorrow.
Now available in North America 
Hey Dennis! Super cool day today, these waxworks look a bit like some hybrid of celebrities and their caricatures, really interesting. Crazy selection of figures too, a Charles Manson waxwork is a cool idea. Waxworks always remind me of Hiroshi Sugimoto, I think his portrait photographs of (realistic) waxworks are pretty amazing. Hope you’re well, see you.
Madame Tussaud’s now has a museum in Las Vegas and they even have this waxwork of Siegfried and Roy, which definitely makes it one for the bucket list.
I don’t generally make lists, but I’ve often put “Z” on my ten best list, and I’ve meant to rewatch soon. When it happens that I mention I could not of course go to Greece when I traveled in Europe as a teenager, I always see that most people do not know about fascism in Greece–even people alive and aware then do not seem to recall.
Ah wait, did we talk about “Peter Hujar’s Day”? Extremely wonderful.
We are snowed in. We can walk a bit but the streets are icy. And it’ll stay around 22 F/ -5.5C for at least a week. You might be envious.
Oh and no I never got to Therme Vals ; even in the before days I thought it was out of my range. Now, the bathhouses of Paris . . . heh. I’ve always thought that a spa like that would be a great setting for a murder mystery–or come to think of it, a murder. The spa setting in 8 1/2 is used as a pretext for having people robed like Roman senators or denizens of the Divine comedy, which is apparently what Fellini had in mind–and who can blame him? The sauna fight scene in Eastern Promises is pretty great, and recently I watched The Ritz (set in a Continental Baths type place in the 1970s) and it struck me now as much funnier than it did way back when.
My god these are hideous. And creepy. And of course it’s a Czech mystery buyer who snatched them up. They’re all in his basement now, in an underground bunker wax knockoff of Epstein island.
Yeah “Z” has always been a leftie classic that I somehow missed. I think the overt antifascism is why “One Battle After Another” made such waves.
Meanwhile over here it’s one storm after another. The past weekend’s wasn’t so bad, but this new one battered us with savage winds from morning till late afternoon. More of the same tomorrow, & then it looks like spring is coming this weekend. The weather is fucking nuts. Everywhere.
I know I promised you that guest post, but work, small maintenance disasters around the house & the family visit stood in its way. It’s still coming though.
Hi again Dennis!
Boy, these sure are uncanny. You’d think the John Lennon one is way off, then you keep on scrolling and see something terrifying and monstrous.
What have you been up to? It was a while ago but happy to see Zita finally suggested a date. Did they ever confirm the date for you, or should I tell them to do that so everything is set and decided? They can be a bit bad at responding, and I apologize for that, I myself have some trouble with the people in charge there.
Oh and also! Do you know Elis Monteverde Burrau? He’s a Swedish poet and fan of yours that has a very strange and eccentric (very caricature-like) persona that he embodies. I haven’t read anything by him, but I think he seems interesting from what I’ve seen of him. Thinking of trying to get in touch with him and maybe see if he wants to do yours and Zac’s QnA at Zita with me, to contribute with questions and perspectives.
Hope 2026 is treating you good.
Xo, Måns
The autocorrect won’t let me type J edward! They were a ’90s Irish boy band, right?
If these were meant as a scathing attack on the worship of celebrity, they wouldn’t look any different. Tarantino, Mussolini, Shirley Bassey and Cliff Richard are so cursed.
I saw an interesting Egyptian film today, Marwan Hamed’s THE BLUE ELEPHANT. (Hamed is receiving his first European retro at Rotterdam, which caught my eye.) It’s the only movie I’ve ever seen where someone investigates a murder mystery by tripping on DMT to experience visions of the past!
Unbeknownst…? oh haha, you may have misconstrude me in a very interesting way.
My mom is paid to clean their house and she’s been friends with them since I was little etc so they know we are there, not intruding or breaking in, haha. They even let us get comfortable (specifically me) and when they’re on trips they pay my mom to spend the night and watch their dogs.The reason I take the food from their pantry is because they have so much and I have very little.
It would be very fascinating to live in someones home while they are unaware/ pay you by some kind of erotic pleasure they get from it.
Im not sure if my mom gets off to it tho. She could, very much possibly, who’s to say. She could probably fantasize living there since we have never been rich.
Hm…
Court date got delayed again. Grr. Frustrating but always prepared for that. Hopefully I do get my food stamps soon so I can go to the saigon market and get food.
Hm…
Oh! I learned about this specific Japanese demon called the “kappa” its a cute little thing with its most signifixant feature being the little pool at the top of his head.
Hmmmmm
Have you ever seen a wax or statue version of yourself? In elementary we did these things called wax museums where we dressed as famous people and basically gathered in the auditorium where other kids would press our hands and we’d “come to life” and orate as our bio. I was a famous spaceman or something.
Hi Dennis. Hey Dennis. Hi hi!
I saw “Permanent green light” with Alice today. I was surprised by how funny I found it to be at times. I dunno what else to say other than “I enjoyed it”, but then again, I always find it kinda hard to explain what I like about your work. It’s kind of a similar thing in Blanchot or Peter Handke, where its kinda hard to communicate to someone who hasn’t seen/read the work. But I don’t think I need to communicate it to you, I think you and Zac know you have something good, and that my appreciation is sincere.
BTW: the friend of mine I was talking about earlier, the sex trafficked one, she might actually write a graphic novel about the experience I explained to you. I told her I told you about it, and she told me that she wants to put her own version of it out there on her own terms, and that when she does, she wants to send it to you so you can see it and not just hear it coming from me. So yeah, me telling you the story has now become part of the impetus to a new work. Weird how that happens I suppose.
Wish you the best dude!
Hi. For the tv thing I’m picturing people I haven’t spoken to in years seeing me on their screen and being very confused. I think it’s a hilarious concept of me of all people being involved in a panel show like that. I’m still thinking about what question I should ask.
Haha, that Tom Cruise is clearly wearing a wig previously used for Jackie Kennedy or someone.
I visited my fair share of these kinds of places as a kid and look back with a morbid fondness. The ones that look sort of patchy and yellow in places that they’re not supposed to be always freaked me out. One slightly random image that always stuck with me was from this documentary about Michael Jackson that I watched years ago where he decided to live in a Vegas hotel for a while and filled his suite with all of these bizarre waxworks of old people. I guess I’m interested in kitchy scenes like that. One day I really want to write a book that does something with MJ’s persona. Few people fascinate me more.
I once saw Knausgaard in a record store filling a basket with basically everything he saw, mostly mediocre 2010s indie rock. His hair seemed too perfect somehow. My dad was obsessed with him which was enough to deter me. I think his writing schtick always put me off, it seemed like a highly idealized very romantic but macho thing. Right leaning dudes who think being a writer is drinking whisky and smoking cigars and womanizing and ‘writing about things that are real and not frivolous’ invariably seem to like him from what I’ve seen.
Hey Dennis,
Haha what a fun and slightly eerie post. I like the ? statue, reminds me a bit of that online mystery regarding some blanket with celebrity faces, but one of them could not be placed. Jedward being there makes it really feel like the early 2010s; they were this Irish duo who started on The X Factor as kind of a joke act, and then have become slight cultural icons here as their child audience have become adults. There’s also a thing of them just being active in groupchats on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat etc, which is strange but funny. My friend was the chairperson of the Pop Culture society this year (which i was involved in) and they got Jedward to perform, which was incredibly popular not just with the students but also with grown adults in Cork… they told my friend a lot of drama too surrounding The X Factor and other small British/Irish ‘celebs’, though I shouldn’t repeat too much on a public forum!
Work tomorrow but stayed up late; had a very strange day, with it beginning in one of those half-dream states. I awoke and then turned on a podcast to listen to whilst I rested, until I suddenly was asleep again with the podcast influencing my dreams — it’s something that actually seems to happen to me a fair bit, and is pretty fascinating as it blends your own mind with a ‘script’ of sorts. The rest of the day was spent in a state of anxiety, a bit of an agoraphobic/“i can’t be seen by the world” feeling that I tend to get. I did have to go out because I wanted to get more pants as I’ve only one or two pairs without crotch holes now, so that did get me out of the house, but I’m still in a weird state of mind. A bit of body dysmorphia, dissociation, and dread. Came across a bunch of conspiracy/astrology/schizoposts on Instagram earlier which may have heightened this state I’m in, though I think it added a bit of levity. Whatever the case, I’m not worried or anxious about work tomorrow, which is a new thing for me.
Omg it’s been a minute! ive actually been working resting and traversing the tundra thats freshly formed across the US well some of it I believe! Did I miss your birthday it’s Capricorn season for sure and I like you enough to generally remember as much as I can haha Happy Belated Birthday! ill brb ive just been resting lol.
I was very very thrown off by Shirley Bassie being there. Is this also the only time Elton John will make an appearance on the blog? Hopefully. Sent the Kylie Minogue wax figure to my friend Ant, who is even more of a lover than I am, and he said, ‘I love the natural hand placement’. Just finished showing a double feature of my friends: Twinless (which is a great airplane movie; very funny and makes you feel a great sense of shame, which movies rarely do) and Mysterious Skin (you mentioned not having watched any Araki a few months ago). It was an interesting back-to-back although I have to say watching the sex scenes in Mysterious Skin alongside somebody you want to sleep with makes them even more nauseating than they usually are. Thinking really hard about how assailants in movies are often fat.
And not just in movies. Kafka’s Amerika too.