Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
The Skull Ewer
Mongolian, 19th century.When I die, I want someone to turn my skull into a watering can.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Absinthe cupcakes *
Found this and had to share!!!
This post had previously included the recipe and images for the Absinthe cupcakes from the blog of Rachel Rappaport and included a link to her wonderful blog. Rachel has expressed that she would rather we post a link only to her blog. Rachel actually has 2 delicious food blogs! To see the Absinthe recipe and cupcakes, go HERE
Bon Appetite!
This post had previously included the recipe and images for the Absinthe cupcakes from the blog of Rachel Rappaport and included a link to her wonderful blog. Rachel has expressed that she would rather we post a link only to her blog. Rachel actually has 2 delicious food blogs! To see the Absinthe recipe and cupcakes, go HERE
Bon Appetite!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Mourning Market- Don't miss it!
Back by popular demand! Mourning Market is Seattle's Premier Dark Arts Event. Featuring the Northwests spookiest Vendors! Featuring Madame Talbot's Victorian Lowbrow Art Exhibition! Come join us before Valentine's Day for our SWEET SORROW Show! This will be our last show for a little while, so be sure to attend! There will be FREE "Body Bag" giveaways for the first 40 People full of goodies and coupons from Vendors! DON'T MISS OUT....these were a HUGE hit and went within the first 10 minutes!
Darkest Regards,
Mourning Market Widows
Darkest Regards,
Mourning Market Widows
Friday, January 22, 2010
The mask of infamy: Torture device
The mask of infamy brings about two different inflictions: a spiritual one and a physical one. The victims were both staked out to public ridicule and at the same time they were physically tortured. The masks sometimes had inner devices, such as a ball, which were forced into the victim's nose or into the mouth, thus preventing him or her from wailing and shrieking.
The mask with long ears represented a silly ass person, while the one with a snout or with a pig face symbolizes the animal being considered dirty.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
2010 Edwardian Ball= It's almost here
"The Edwardian Gardens," or, Our 10th Anniversary
Friday and Saturday Jan 22-23, 8pm - 2am
@The Regency Ballroom - 1300 Van Ness Avenue, SF 94109
Friday and Saturday Jan 22-23, 8pm - 2am
@The Regency Ballroom - 1300 Van Ness Avenue, SF 94109
Saturday, January 16, 2010
La Cabina
El Cabina is a 1972 short Spanish film, about a man who becomes trapped in a phone booth. With passerby unable - or unwilling - to assist in his plight, the phone company arrives...but they're not there to help.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Vicious Valentine's Event!
Greetings,
We hope you'll join us for this ONLY U.S. date for Jarboe, Nicki Jane, and the Vicious Valentines Cabaret.
Morose & Macabre with NOH Productions are working to pull out all of the stops to make this a brutally dark
Valentines Day that will not soon be forgotten.
See you soon....
FEBRUARY 14, 2010 8PM
ALTAR BAR . 1620 PENN AVENUE . PITTSBURGH . PA . 15222
21+ ADMITTED ONLY
$12 TICKETMASTER PRESALE / $15 DOOR
WWW.NOHPRODUCTIONS.COM
WWW.ALTARBARPITTSBURGH.COM
We hope you'll join us for this ONLY U.S. date for Jarboe, Nicki Jane, and the Vicious Valentines Cabaret.
Morose & Macabre with NOH Productions are working to pull out all of the stops to make this a brutally dark
Valentines Day that will not soon be forgotten.
See you soon....
FEBRUARY 14, 2010 8PM
ALTAR BAR . 1620 PENN AVENUE . PITTSBURGH . PA . 15222
21+ ADMITTED ONLY
$12 TICKETMASTER PRESALE / $15 DOOR
WWW.NOHPRODUCTIONS.COM
WWW.ALTARBARPITTSBURGH.COM
Friday, January 8, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Ventriloquism
Originally, ventriloquism was a religious practice. The name comes from the Latin for to speak from the stomach; the Greeks called this gastromancy (Greek: εγγαστριμυθία). The noises produced by the stomach were thought to be the voices of the unliving , who took up residence in the stomach of the ventriloquist. The ventriloquist would then interpret the sounds, as they were thought able to speak to the dead, as well as to foretell the future.
One of the earliest recorded group of prophets to use this technique was the Pythia, the priestess at the temple of Apollo in Delphi, who acted as the conduit for the Delphic Oracle. Python subsequently became one of the most common words used in classical Jewish and early Christian writing to refer to necromantic ventriloquism; it has even been used by some early English versions of the Bible to translate the word gastromancy in the Septuagint and in the Book of Acts.
One of the most successful early gastromancers was Eurykles, a prophet at Athens; gastromancers came to be referred to as Euryklides in his honour.
In the Middle Ages, it was thought to be similar to witchcraft. As Spiritualism led to stage magic and escapology, so ventriloquism became more of a performance art as, starting around the 19th century, it shed its mystical trappings.
Other parts of the world also have a tradition of ventriloquism for ritual or religious purposes; the Zulus, Eskimo, and Māori are all adept at this practice.
Ventriloquism became popular in Vaudeville acts in the late 19th century. The Great Lester was one of the most famous ventriloquists of the time.
Ventriloquism was immensely popular in the middle of the 20th century, thanks in great part to the work of one of The Great Lester's students, Edgar Bergen. Bergen popularized the idea of the comedic ventriloquist. Bergen, together with his favorite figure, Charlie McCarthy, hosted a radio program that was broadcast from 1937 to 1956. It was the #1 program on the nights it aired. Bergen continued performing until his death in 1979
Soooo…the other day I went into the closet into the musty old suitcase and took out the Charlie McCarthy doll I bought for my son, like any good mom would do. I took him to the Holy Cross Cemetery and sat him on a ledge inside a fenced grave, for a photo shoot.
I looked over, and Charlie had jumped to the ground and couldn’t get out of the enclosure. I just watched.
He climbs up...
and over...
and falls down tired. He seemed fine...
but then he got up, walked one grave over, tripped on the ring-on-a-string that hangs out the back of his neck which controls his mouth movements, then just fell down and died. I swear I heard him mumble something strange.
I don't know how to tell my son that Charlie is dead.
Charlie's sisters The Porcelain Creepy Dolls went with us to the cemetery, but that's another story for another day......
One of the earliest recorded group of prophets to use this technique was the Pythia, the priestess at the temple of Apollo in Delphi, who acted as the conduit for the Delphic Oracle. Python subsequently became one of the most common words used in classical Jewish and early Christian writing to refer to necromantic ventriloquism; it has even been used by some early English versions of the Bible to translate the word gastromancy in the Septuagint and in the Book of Acts.
One of the most successful early gastromancers was Eurykles, a prophet at Athens; gastromancers came to be referred to as Euryklides in his honour.
In the Middle Ages, it was thought to be similar to witchcraft. As Spiritualism led to stage magic and escapology, so ventriloquism became more of a performance art as, starting around the 19th century, it shed its mystical trappings.
Other parts of the world also have a tradition of ventriloquism for ritual or religious purposes; the Zulus, Eskimo, and Māori are all adept at this practice.
Ventriloquism became popular in Vaudeville acts in the late 19th century. The Great Lester was one of the most famous ventriloquists of the time.
Ventriloquism was immensely popular in the middle of the 20th century, thanks in great part to the work of one of The Great Lester's students, Edgar Bergen. Bergen popularized the idea of the comedic ventriloquist. Bergen, together with his favorite figure, Charlie McCarthy, hosted a radio program that was broadcast from 1937 to 1956. It was the #1 program on the nights it aired. Bergen continued performing until his death in 1979
Soooo…the other day I went into the closet into the musty old suitcase and took out the Charlie McCarthy doll I bought for my son, like any good mom would do. I took him to the Holy Cross Cemetery and sat him on a ledge inside a fenced grave, for a photo shoot.
I looked over, and Charlie had jumped to the ground and couldn’t get out of the enclosure. I just watched.
He climbs up...
and over...
and falls down tired. He seemed fine...
but then he got up, walked one grave over, tripped on the ring-on-a-string that hangs out the back of his neck which controls his mouth movements, then just fell down and died. I swear I heard him mumble something strange.
I don't know how to tell my son that Charlie is dead.
Charlie's sisters The Porcelain Creepy Dolls went with us to the cemetery, but that's another story for another day......
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The Fantod Pack- Edward Gorey
My copy of this wonderful deck just arrived from far off places! Out in limited edition in 1995, it was released on a limited basis again in 2007. A must for an Edward Gorey fan like me! Here is a sample!
Recommended Reading
SynopsisMartha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft.
I know this book has been posted here before, but I really must recommend it again.