Melancholy Humour

Like a lot of drab, unexciting people, I like comedy. Some of the best stuff on the Interweb can be found at Michael Kelly's Page of Misery. See the link opposite. I defy anyone not to laugh at the one about the late Anthony Burgess' wife writing the bits about clothes in his books. Check out Wardrobe Malfunction. I guffawed until I very nearly exploded. Mr Kelly is a true comic genius. He also has a good take on Bryan Appleyard ('Tosser') who has been very annoying for more than a little time. Also hilarious is the competition to be Mr K's bride.

Shining City

Went to The Round in Ouseburn (that's in Newcastle, for parochial types) to see a play by Conor McPherson. As with so much of his work, Shining City is a ghost story.
John, a man whose wife has been killed in a car crash, goes to Ian, a therapist, for help. Ian, it turns out, is a former priest with issues of his own. John's problem is, apparently, one of hallucination brought on by guilt. He has seen his wife's ghost. Or, more precisely, he saw her once and ran out of the house. Then he came back and, while he was having a bath, she knocked on the bathroom door and called his name. If this sounds slightly comic, the play does offer quite a few laughs. They are often painful ones, though, as McPherson is an expert on how people fail to communicate their feelings.
The play has a series of twists. The shock ending didn't work so well in a small, intimate space as I suspect it did on Broadway. But it does call into question the too-easy assumptions Ian has made about John's problems, and casts doubt on his own decisions. Suffice to say that, like The Weir and The Seafarer, this is worth catching. Sadly, at the performance I saw the cast - all four of them - were not substantially outnumbered by the audience.

Don't lose your head, but...

The HP Lovecraft historical society, having done 'The Call of Cthulhu' proud by adapting it as a modern silent movie, have gone one better. They're making an old-style black 'n' white talkie!

Night of the Hounds of the Demon of Love

Let's hope this one loads. When is the actual film out on DVD? My personal consumer demand is for one copy, minimum. There are literally other people who want it, too. Oh well.

Congratulations are in order...

Just got a postcard from Joel Lane to say that his story 'Still Water' has been accepted by Stephen Jones for Best New Horror 19. The story was the lead in ST11, so I'm a genius. Well, not exactly, but it's good to know that the mag will get a bit of attention thanks to Mr Lane's talent and Mr Jones' discernment. So there.

Sadly, Helen Grant's excellent story from ST12, 'The Sea Change', did not win the Bram Stoker award. Curse this democracy, it keeps coming up with the wrong result.

One Eye Grey

Just received the latest issue of this spiffing 'penny dreadful', which costs a lot more than a penny and is not dreadful. It is stuffed full of dread phenomena, mind. Anyway, I recommend it to anyone who lives in London, knows London, or who (like me) actually prefers the London of their imagination to the real thing, which is too big and expensive. And too Cockney, full of nutters with polo mint eyes trying to trap you in a box (cf. The Mighty Boosh). But I digress. See OEG at:


http://www.fandmpublications.co.uk/

A is for...

It's The Scarlet Letter! Am I a comely adulteress in 17th century New England? No, I'm an atheist. Why bother telling anyone? Well, there's apparently a bit of a culture war going on Stateside, and I feel I should join the right side. And I'm DAMNABLY sure the God-squad are not the right side.

Gothic Bellydancing

What this blog needs are scantily-clad young ladies gyrating about in a sinuous fashion. That should get the nerds in, and of course the ladies can get fashion & make-up tips. Oh, and it should have some connection to the supernatural, however tenuous... So here are some Goths bellydancing, with more dry ice than we've seen since Rick Wakeman stalked the land.