Tucked in the Allentown neighborhood 5 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh sits the most uniquely curious shop. The Weeping Glass opened in 2017 and features ephemera, hand-crafted items, and artwork. Stop in and be amazed.
“Dippy” poses in a tabletop altar.
Kelly Macabre Noir and Aaron Doctor, also known as Dr. Morose, created the annual traveling sideshow Morose and Macabre’s Atrocity Exhibition featuring a “cavalcade of the beautiful and grotesque, brought to life by a cabaret of bizarre entertainers, artists, and artisans.” It is only fitting that they opened a shop to house these creations. Various altars are situated throughout the compact store. Private collectors display taxidermied animals in small vignettes.
Whimsical yet odd describes the items sold.
Once a month the store hosts “Midnight Death Parlor,” a
performance whereby a tragedy is told by candlelight. This month added a séance
to its schedule. Located at 817 E. Warrington Avenue, the store is open
Wednesday-Friday, 1-8 PM; Saturday, 12-8 PM; and Sunday 12-6 PM.
Salvador Dalí was commissioned to create a tarot deck for the 1973 James Bond movie Live and Let Die. Unfortunately, Dalí’s work came at a steep price—a price that was too high for the producers, who, instead, hired artist Fergus Hall. Dalí was undeterred and published a 78-card deck, titled Dalí Universal Tarot, in 1984. The deck was available in the Dalí Museum gift store in St. Petersburg, Florida. I decided against the purchase then; however, I may be able to live with the cheaper re-issued deck.
Taschen
Books has re-issued (and renamed) the Dalí Tarot deck. The set comes with a
booklet and is priced at $60. Dalí
added his surrealist touch to the images. His sense of humor is also evident. For
example, he painted Roger Moore, the actor playing James Bond in the 1973 film,
as “The Emperor.” Dalí’s
wife and muse, Gala, is portrayed as “The Empress.” Dalí himself is “The Magician.” The
deck is ideal for tarot deck collectors.
Tomorrow I head up to Pittsburgh, PA for the annual MAPACA (Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association) Conference. This year I am presenting my paper titled: “Travel Channel: Singlehandedly Delegitimizing the Paranormal Field.” My show is an early Thursday event scheduled at 1:45 PM. Upon my return, I will post excerpts of it. I’m looking forward to returning to Pitt–it has been many decades since I visited.
Michael Jackson: Thriller (1983) remains the best music video ever produced. Here are 13 facts regarding the iconic and popular video.
John Landis, fresh from directing An American
Werewolf in London (1981), called the music video a “musical horror movie.”
Thriller incorporates horror movie
elements creating a lasting homage to the genre. MJ transforms into a were-cat,
not a werewolf.
MJ sought to change the music video genre and
music listening by forcing radio stations to give equal airtime to artists of
color.
Costing nearly $900,000, Landis and MJ
negotiated with cable provider Showtime and cable channel MTV to pay between
$250,000-300,000 each by offering exclusive limited broadcast rights to The
Making of Thriller.
Two famous people were on set for the filming:
Fred Astaire, legendary actor/dancer, and former first lady, Jackie Kennedy Onassis.
MJ also brought his pet boa constrictor, Muscles, to the set.
At the time of release, MJ was a Jehovah’s
Witness and feared retribution from the church. He asked Landis to destroy the
video. Instead, Landis penned the opening disclaimer.
Landis called the short-film a “vanity”
coming-of-age video addressing puberty.
A popular urban legend claimed that the UPC
barcode was MJ’s telephone number. Callers were surprised when employees of a
hair salon in Washington state answered.
Horror movie legend Vincent Price earned roughly
$1,000 for 2 takes. Price recorded a rap to accompany his voiceover; however,
the rap was cut from the final video.
Nine
million videos of the short film were sold. Today, the official video has over
625 million views on YouTube.
The
original title of the song was “Starlight.” Rod Temperton was brought onboard
to re-write, and he renamed the song.
Spoofs
of the famous dance scene persist in popular culture. Thor: Ragnarok
director Taika Waititi’s spoof in Boy (2010) is a must-see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-TiQXCJtRk
The History Center of Olmsted County (Rochester, Minnesota) is holding a Facebook contest: What is the creepiest doll in their collection? Nine dolls were featured, one a day, for Facebook users to vote for. The top three dolls will be on display during the Halloween Week. Personally, I think all of them should be on display.
Each doll is unique. The dolls were donated to the museum
and run the gamut in terms of material and age. Curator Dan Nowakowski posted
pictures and videos of the dolls, which are still posted for viewing.
My favorite is a handmade doll circa 1850. The head was made of cloth and then painted flesh tone. Over time, the paint has chipped off making the doll appear faceless. She’s also missing her right arm. How creepy is that! (Actually, she’s very sad looking, in need of the Cleaner in Toy Story 2.)
Generally, dolls were not made to creep kids out. They have
been made from all types of materials. The only criterion is that they resemble
human form. In 2017, news broke that a soapstone doll’s head was found in a
child’s grave in the Republic of Khakassia, in southern Siberia. This doll
dates back 4,500 years to the Bronze Age, thus making it the oldest doll ever
discovered. Another doll that was dated 4,000 years old was found on the Italian
island Pantelleria in 2004. Before then, archeologists had discovered dolls all
the way back to Ancient Egypt (2000 BC). Dolls are considered the first type of
toys made.
Most people are not afraid of dolls (pediophobia). Instead, dolls
make people uneasy. More females (66%) fear dolls compared to males (34%).
Children and teenagers, under the age of 18 fear dolls at 45%. That number
drops 1 percent to 44% for people ages 18-34. The older someone gets, the least
likely he fears dolls. Which is interesting since dolls were essentially made
for children.
Dolls are an easy target for horror movies. But have no
fear; most are harmless.
Lex “Lonehood” Nover is a master storyteller. He’s had years of experience penning plays and articles capturing the imaginations of audiences. Since 2002, he’s worked as the Web Producer for Coast to Coast AM, one of America’s highest rated overnight radio shows. In his first full-length non-fiction book, Nightmareland: Travels at the Borders of Sleep, Dreams, and Wakefulness, Nover thoroughly documents the strange occurrences we encounter when we sleep.
Nover’s writing skills pay off in this exhaustively
researched and eerily entertaining book. Nover weaves folklore and anecdotes
with scientific research regarding sleep, sleep disorders, and sleep behavior. Nover’s
sense of humor is reflected in such subtitles as “Beware the Ambien Zombies,” “A
Salad of Sound,” and “Back at the (Paranormal) Ranch.”
Rosemary Ellen Guiley, who died this past July at the age of
69, states “A must-have book!” She’s correct; however, people interested in
general sleep issues not just paranormal enthusiasts will find value inside.
Nover retells stories of average people experiencing the weirdest things while
asleep. Then Nover attempts to explain what happened! He completes the story by
adding context and science. How incredibly novel in the paranormal field!
Illustrations accompany each of the nine chapters. All are in black and white and operate as artwork inspired by the chapter’s focus. The book feels like the field journal of a scientist attempting to unpack the complexity of sleep, contemplating every possible theory.
Lex “Lonehood” Nover
Nightmareland is a compendium on sleep. It should be
on everyone’s bookshelf.
FILE – This May 16, 2005, file photo shows the home of authors Stephen and Tabitha King in Bangor, Maine. The writers have petitioned the city of Bangor for a zoning change for the home where they raised their children. If approved, the mansion will become home to Stephen King’s archives, and a guest house next door will become home to writers in residence. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
Last night, October 16th, the Bangor City Council
unanimously approved the zoning application for Stephen and Tabitha King to
convert their 3.27 acre property into a museum and archive while creating a writers’
retreat in an adjacent house on the land. The retreat will hold up to 5 writers
at one time. The deal would cause King’s archives to move from the University
of Maine. Hours for access with be by appointment only. King did not want the
property to become a Northeast version of Dollywood. Instead, the couple
decided to give something back to his fans while continuing to support the
local economy.
Once application information becomes available, I will post.
Now I need to come up with a clever reason for my husband, daughter, and me to
spend a winter surrounded by snow while attempting to write my novel. Gee, that
sounds a tad familiar.
