Lost Worlds Photo

This is a photo I took in 1986 or very early 1987. This photo was made with my (then new) Canon T-70 camera. The photo was made using only two small light sources. A small watt bulb bounced off the wall out of frame one in the lantern and the other a candle in the lantern in the frame. The Canon T-70 could be set to shoot almost in the dark as long as you had a good tripod and didn’t mind 20 second plus exposure times. I generally used 100 asa B&W film for the fine grain. The paper was this terrible Czechoslovakian stuff that was used to make postcards by itinerate photographers. I purposely chose it because it made instant antique looking pictures. There is no Photoshop manipulation and I like the antique look and softness overall. Now in the digital age things are a lot easier. I did add the date for archive purpose after the photo was scanned.



Items counter clockwise from the left: Gold pocket watch and chain, circa 1900 with curious caged monkey fob in low carat gold. Monkey is faux Persian turquoise (i.e. glass) but looks just like the person in the painting “The Scream”, very Chthonian. The book is a hand-written book in Arabic, probably rhetoric circa 1820s-1850s: not exactly the Necronomicon but a good prop nonetheless. Sitting on the right side of the book is a Cthulhu figure made by Michael W. Moses circa the mid 1980s. Below the book is a real (although new) calabash pipe with meerschaum insert and faux amber mouth piece. At the time calabashes were impossible to get in the U.S. because the gourd they are made from came from Libya: Our countries were not on speaking terms in those days. To the right of that is a set of 1960s Smith & Wesson handcuffs. Original 19th century cuffs were very hard to locate when I made the photo so I used modern cuffs. The book to the right of those is a book called Lost Worlds. On the book is a small ship’s light made of brass, which made a good hand lantern. To the left of that is an original Montenegrin Gasser pistol with ivory grips. These are large, impressive and huge pistols from the 1870s. Above the pistol is a book from the 1930s of ethnographic women prints. They were considered very naughty in their day. To the left of that was a nice pre WWII Zeiss Ikon Ikonta B camera. Next to that is a regimentally marked British military candlestick from the Crimean War era. To the right of the candlestick is a kinjal hilted dagger, probably Circassian about mid 19th century. Behind that is a piece of pottery I bought in the late 1970s that was half skull and half helmet. It was very ambiguous and looked dug. I have forgotten the name of the woman who made it. In the far back is an old Carrara marble lamp, probably from the 1920s. You can’t see it but it has a stained glass shade from the early 1970s that I put on it. Greatly out of focus is an Armenian ayran (yoghurt drink) cup from the mid 1700s that I used as a pen holder.

I hope this lengthy post helps some people putting together props. Where possible I gave links to the most stable sites I could find, but use Google to find more information on original items and props.

Chulhu Related – A Graphophone Cylinder Recording

I posted this video a year ago on YouTube and thought it might be time to post it on my blog too. I have always enjoyed graphophones and had one years back.

Several years ago I heard I Saw Mommy Kissing Yog Sothoth at a CoastCon science fiction convention, and got a big kick out the piece. I also have an interest in early record players and music, so it all fell together into a youtube video with a steampunk and lighthearted horror flare. The great Graphophone video came from InsulaBarataria and his FONOGRAFO THOMAS EDISON 1898. I recommend his channel for lovers of arcane record players and music. The song was sung by Lance J. Holt in association with the HP Lovecraft Historical Society.

Prozines, Amateur Zines, Fanzines, and Just Plain Crudzines

I was just doing some research on Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft fanzines and ran across this fantastic site on magazines that had some great listings for S.F. & F zines. It covers a lot of obscure pro and fanzines, many of which I was unfamiliar. I really encourage you to visit the site and browse around.

I’m sure this would be a resource for many fans out there, so I am putting in a link to Galactic Central homepage so you can enjoy all the zines too. If you want to jump straight to the magazines just click here.

Back in the mid and late ‘70s, I got a little corflu in my blood and contributed to a few SF fanzines and just outright crudzines that hopefully no longer exist due to the tiny number printed and the high acid paper they were printed on with our borrowed mimeo machine. I could go on about the joys of typing up the masters and fixing the errors or at least most of them before we put them on our archaic mimeo. If you’ve never had the experience… count yourself lucky – thank Ghod for the digital age. Nonetheless, I still have a soft spot for fanzines and amateur pubs.

Slide 243 Horrors from the Deep

A missing slide from Prof Abbadon's Aluqah Expedition of 1921. Both text and a dozen slides from his 400 slide presentation at Miskatonic University in November 1922 are missing. So far this is the only slide that has surfaced of the missing group. What other strange visions were seen out of his bathosgloba? Only time will tell.

Cthulhu Icon Painting

A friend of mine painted this Cthulhu icon about 20 years ago and I used it in a video a while back (see previous post). The image size is about 8 X 10 inches and is reverse glass painted in an antique frame with convex glass which gives it a feeling of depth. The reflected light in convex glass made a halo. Both squid-like and vaguely insectoid at the same time, clutching what might be a wreath. The Cthulhu ikon appears near the end of the video Dr. Tarr & Prof. Fether Blinded Me With Science -- Thomas Dolby vs Alan Parsons.

Used with permission of the artist Michael W. Moses.

Dr. Tarr & Prof. Fether Blinded Me With Science -- Thomas Dolby vs Alan Parsons Mashup (restored version)

I always liked Edgar Alan Poe's works so it just seemed to jell with Alan Parson's Dr. Tarr & Professor song. Another song and video I liked was Thomas Dolby's She Blinded Me With Science. All three just went together like a dream within a dream with a touch of H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. This is the “restored” version, but it probably won't make Turner Classic Movies anytime soon.

Fun at CoastCon 33

Posted on YouTube by NekoFreko84 recently is a funny little dance shot at CoastCon33. The song I think is Caramelldansen by the Swedish group Caramell. But it is a popular meme speeded up version used in fan anime videos called Caramelldansen Speedycake Remix.

Mission to Ponape - Meet the Spawn of Azathoth

Here's a Cthonian video I made a while back. I combined elements of the 1981 Heavy Metal Movie with some deleted footage from the 2005 King Kong travesty. The British group folk group, 3 Mustaphas 3, supplied the first half of the music from their album Bam!, Mehneteli and the second half of the video is a highly modified form of the H. P. Lovecraft's album, A Very Scary Solstice, Demon Sultan Azathoth. Some only wish they could be eaten first. By the way, the Japanese did occupy Ponape from 1914 to the end of WWII. I had a lot of fun with it and I hope you do too.

CoastCon31 Video Featuring MechaCon Anime Mascots

I have been trying to gather all relevant CoastCon videos here on this blog so they can be in one spot. This short video was shot during the CoastCon costume contest which is held each Saturday night at CoastCon. These young ladies are the mascots for a convention called MechaCon which is held over in Louisiana each summer. Go to their website for more information as to location and dates. This video was shot by marcyu and is posted on YouTube. They were highly effective advertising.

CoastCon 31 WLOX TV Interview

As long as I am on the subject of CoastCon31 here is a WLOX TV interview taken at CoastCon31. It gives a pretty good idea about what happens at a CoastCon convention. Since this was taken on a Friday afternoon, attendance is a little sparse yet, but you get the general idea. Thanks to WLOX for all their support and coverage over the past 30 plus years.

CoastCon 31 Slide Show

This is a video slide show of CoastCon 31 made from photos taken at CoastCon31 as well as pages scanned from the program book.  I added some opening and closing credits as well.  I did the graphics layout for the book and my friend did the cover art. 

A blast from the past: CoastCon 14

Here is an early video of CoastCon 14 way back in 1991.  It was shown on WLOX TV on a show called Mississippi Roads. I added some opening and closing credits, edited the sound somewhat to make it clearer, but otherwise it is the complete broadcast.