Son of the Ghoul Goes West, part 10 am is naptime.

Well, where to start?

Nevermore the Raven is up and running, after some truly horrifying hours (hours!) of wondering why he wasn't working with everything hooked up right and configured properly -- it turned out I had inadvertently brought a serial adapter that was wired differently than the one I'd used while programming -- and after some tense minutes of clipping, stripping, twisting and taping, everything came to life!

With the invaluable assistance of Henner the Henchman, his trusty sidekick Mandy, and The Incredible V, I got everything up and running in the 'Vincent Price' tribute section of the Museum.

Now, this was Thursday afternoon (April 7th). By 7pm Thursday evening, we were attending a very fun high school production of Bye Bye, Birdie that featured the talents of my godson, Young Will (you remember him from this and other posts). 

After that, two starving people had to get a late night bite (of the normal human kind, sadly)... and then we had to get to sleep right away, because at 4:30 am Friday, we had to be up to take part in the very fun KTLA Morning News segments from Monsterpalooza, featuring the hilarious Allie MacKay.

Here she's interviewing the great artist Bob Lizarraga.

The videos of three of the segments can be seen on KTLA's site. I urge you to watch and listen for her quick razor wit. Her interviews and funny quips were seen by a lot of folks, because by the time the convention opened Friday evening, they were jam packed!

In the Museum, attendees were as awed and enthusiastic as last year, and the Raven was strutting his stuff. Well, Vincent's stuff, but the point is he's working and people are enjoying him.

Um, this is sideways. And I am waaaaaaay too tired to try to fix it now. Lean over.

I have plenty of pictures and video to post when I'm not as wiped out, and will be getting even more pics and vid  tomorrow... oh, tomorrow. Another long day, but full of reunions with friends and more monstery goodness.

From Monsterpalooza, Nevermore and me, have a good night.

Don't stay up too late, and lock up when you're done.


Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...


DUMDUMSHREKPEEPS!

Son of the Ghoul Goes West, part 9 from Outer Space.

Well, not really from outer space.

It just feels like it.

We are nearing our destination, making good time, and are none the worse for wear.

Even Nevermore seems to be quite relaxed and at his ease, given his rapidly approaching Big Weekend Debut as Vincent Price.

He is a perfect traveling companion if you enjoy stony, brooding silence. Never even asked to stop for the raven's room. He just waited patiently until we got to a gas station, and while we pumped the car with $673,268.42 worth of gas (oil producers are criminals, and don't ever tell me otherwise), he took it all in stride.

 

More travel today, and very shortly, MONSTERPALOOZA!

As the Ghost Host would say, "I'll see you all... a little later!"

DUMDUMSHREKPEEPS!

Son of the Ghoul Goes West, part 8 in the morning comes too soon.

We have been packing and prepping.

Putting things in order for our home while we are away. For the places and people we are about to visit.

We feel like this.

And we're about to do this.

In order to do this.

... and I cannot wait.

More from the road to Monsterpalooza '11 to come.

DUMDUMSHREKPEEPS!

New tunes & old tubes, again.

Happy Spring, loyal pubgoers!

We are preparing to head WEST to MONSTERPALOOZA as you all know and are by this time likely quite sick of reading about it.

But I wanted to get in one more post before that journey.

That's right, it's the traditional Skull & Pumpkin New Month, New Tunes & Old Tubes post!

And it is very obviously April today:
-- Sunny, check.
-- Green, check.
-- Everything blooming and blossoming anew, check.

Then there is my personal list of criteria:
-- 87 degrees, a brand new record high, check.
-- Dry winds up to 45 gusts (no lie), check.
-- Blossoms and buds blowing green/yellow poison, check.
-- Sinus swelling, check.
-- Itchy eyes, check.
-- Dry throat, check.
-- Severe thunderstorms on tap overnight. Checkity-check-checkah-check.

April is a very dichotomous month, and much has been written about its vivid, ready pleasures and surprise sorrows.

Today is setting record highs all over the Ozarks, but I've seen it snow 6 inches on Tax Day. You just learn to live with it... and after this past Winter, I am very ready and happy to live with it.

Let's get to the new tunes.

First, since we always have a beautiful theme from a cartoon at the top of our playlist, I thought another beautiful cartoon theme would be perfect for Spring.

I have always loved the animated 1979 version of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe ever since it first aired in the U.S.. I believe I was in the fourth grade. The opening score still gives me a chill of emotion and remembrance of a very special part of my young life.

From Britain to Basie... next up one of the most famous recordings in all of jazz and popular music, and surely his most famous work: Count Basie's April In Paris. 

 Recorded in 1955, the Thad Jones arrangement with the sing-song horn solos and infamous triple ending are an unforgettable part of music history, and I thought it belonged here for a month. "One mo', once!"

Then another great orchestra with a brilliant arranger came to mind, and I knew which tune it had to be:

The late, great Paul Weston was one of the world's greatest orchestral arrangers, and among his many accomplishments is the designation as the originator of Music for Easy Listening! In 1958, he re-recorded a number of his lush arrangements from a decade before, and When April Comes Again was one of them. What that guy did with strings and horns was downright spooky... and there a few parts in the middle of this song that are also a bit spooky!

Another great composer and arranger (well, since the '70s we've called them songwriters and producers even though actual songwriters and producers still have their actual services) is a fella by the name of Donald Fagen. You've heard him once or twice here at the S&P. This time his song Springtime, from his 1993 album Kamakiriad, tells of a near-future grown-up playground where one can relive days (and nights!) of one's romantic past by having one's memory scanned "for traces of old heartaches -- the details of desire." 

He remembers Easter breaks, and cold, damp April nights, and it's perfect for our jukebox.

And of course, no April music player would be complete with Simon & Garfunkel's 1966 one-minute masterpiece April, Come She Will. 

It's another very pretty song with, perhaps, a not so pretty hue running through it. 

I've decided to keep the last few tunes from last month's selections, for a few reasons.

One, The Road Goes Ever On is very fitting since we're about to head out on that road with many question marks along the way; as April often teaches in its own up/down style, even good, excited anxiety is still anxiety and can only be met with determination and the will to be joyous as life renews.

And the related song, Concerning Hobbits, winds its song of home, the heart's resting and loving place, where the leaving is an adventure but the returning is a complete joy known only to those who wander enough -- another April-ish irony not lost on this hobbit.

OH, and I nearly forgot that there's a new bit of narrated nightmare for us on the ol' Hallowe'enith radio.

(source)

Ray Bradbury's There Will Come Soft Rains has rain in its title, but it may be a bit dark for Spring and renewal; still, it's interesting, and causes you to think, and has the lovely voice of one Leonard Nimoy from 1976. Not vintage old perhaps, but vintage enough for us.

Well, on that note, I should really get going. SO much to do before a very early morning comes.

I will, as before, be updating you good S&P brains during the whole trip, and I think it ought to be a LOT of crazy fun! Bring it on!

Happy Spring, happy change, happy everything, to all of you.

Please feel free to hang out and party on. Just don't burn the place down or let Max near the kegs for too long -- even as a drunken severed head, he can do a lot of damage.

DUMDUMSHREKPEEPS!

Son of The Ghoul Goes West, part Lucky 7.

Well, dear S&P Brains, I have some neat news for the Skull & Pumpkin and its resident talking Raven!

I also have a favor to ask first.

PLEASE go here:

(click me!)

... and subscribe for $12 a year (and there are other subscription packages that go higher and have cool discounts and so on) to listen to the funnest, wackiest, Hallowe'en Hauntiest podcast in the world!

If you're a yard/home or pro haunter, there are interviews, articles, videos, regular 'columns' with tips for making props, just so many great resources for all of us. 

You'll even get to hear from one of the S&P's resident artisans, Shellhawk, as she regularly contributes her All Hallow's wisdom in each episode.

The neat news is, the 'Mad Props For Props' segment in this month's episode (#29) is all about our own Nevermore, the Raven! Chris B. at Hauntcast regularly features unique home built props and gave the honor to the Skull & Pumpkin this time around! 

Thank you Chris, and thank you Hauntcast team! And yes, Chris... you ARE worthy!

Now, I will say that Hauntcast is for the grown-up haunter, and may not be completely, comfortably safe for kids or work (unless you have a killer job!). But it's for HAUNTERS ferpetessake, and it's a real blast. 

Do yourselves a favor and go subscribe/listen, would ya?

I'll return later with an ode to the new month, new tunes, and a new journey to MONSTERPALOOZA!

It's April...

DUMDUMSHREKPEEPS!

Rond-gratulations!

I know, I know... we're open a bit earlier than usual today.

But there's a great reason.

Two of the three Rondo Award nominees I was voting for won their category, and a third made a close runner up!

Raise glasses, all...

I wish to congratulate the Frankensteinia blog for its Best Blog award! It was the one I felt was most deserving, and it is gratifying to think so many horror fans felt the same way. A fine blog and a fine award, Pierre!

Also, a big congratulations to another personal favorite: the wonderful Aurora Monsters: The Model Craze That Gripped The World won for Best Independent or Documentary Film! Way to go Bill, Cortlandt and most of all the Cool Ghoul himself, Zacherley! Such a fun DVD, go get it!

Alas, it was not a true sweep for my voting block. Monsterverse's unique Bela Lugosi's Tales From The Grave made for a very close runner-up in the Best Horror Comic category, but was just shy of the mark. Here at the S&P, though, it's been a real winner since it was published in November 2010. I cannot wait to see the next issue! Congrats to Sam, Kerry and the gang at Monsterverse!

Everyone -- a toast to the winners, and best of luck in the future... for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives!

DUMDUMSHREKPOP!

O'ZOM-beeee!

Son of The Ghoul Goes West, part 666.

Hi there S&P brains!

It's been a busy stretch of nights down in the basement/laboratory underneath the ol' Skull & Pumpkin.

As most of you know, Monsterpalooza is just around the corner, and your humble Pubkeep and his much, much better half are going to be driving out to Burbank for the entire convention weekend.

Coming with us at the invitation of Eliot Brodsky -- Mister 'Palooza himself -- Nevermore the Raven will be on display at this year's Museum, but in disguise...

Yes, Nevermore is all dressed up in tribute to the late, beyond-magnificently-great Vincent Price in honor of Price's centennial year!

I just thought he needed a little panache, something Vincent would have approved with a low, luxurious chuckle. I put the vest together and added the watch fob chain and carnation, and then I realized he needed those little glasses, as a reference to one of my favorite Price/Poe/Corman films, The Tomb of Ligeia (1964).

While not screen accurate (I had to add the metallic frame paint or the glasses disappeared against his black feathers), I think the Verdon Fell glasses are a great finishing touch, and add a little something extra that Price and Poe lovers will appreciate.

And yes, he will be speaking nothing but Price poetry, about a ten minute routine that will repeat the entire weekend, just as Uncle Forry did last year.

Listen for yourself.

I wrote "listen" because the video is so poor, but it gives you a nice idea of what is to come.

The organ music is from the mighty monstery mind of the late Verne Langdon, who had been the Monster of Ceremonies at the last two Monsterpaloozas (-paloozi?) and would have been for this coming 'palooza but is instead having it dedicated to his memory. Miss you, Verne.

So... whew! just about done with everything.

There will be more of Nevermore (does that even make sense?) as we get to Monsterpalooza. I'll keep everyone apprised like last time, and I really look forward to the entire experience, once again.

What a thrill it is to display my own hobby work among the professional works of so many luminaries in the field, and what an amazing honor to be tributing Mr. Price at one of the now-premiere horror conventions in the world, in the year of his one hundredth birthday.

Onward-


O'ZOM-beeee!