The second volume of Le Scat Noir Encyclopédie is now available! This cornucopia of information, like its predecessor, is edited by Norman Conquest and published by Black Scat Books. I was among over forty contributors; my contributions include articles on Aleatoric Temperament, Boxing Kangaroo Rats, Communion Waffles, Spicy Railroad Stories, Viper Midwives, and other more […]

[Read more →]

True Weird was an exuberantly trashy magazine that offered articles on historical oddities and mysteries. It lasted three issues: November 1955, February 1956, and May 1956. Among the topics were the Count of Saint-Germain, zombies, werewolves, Nostradamus, Rasputin, haunted houses, the Bell Witch, and Patience Worth. Most of the material had been rehashed many times […]

[Read more →]

One of my insomnia books recently has been The Queer, the Quaint, and the Quizzical: A Cabinet for the Curious, by Frank H. Stauffer.  It’s a compendium of odd facts, superstitions, linguistic curiosities, and folklore, published by David McKay in 1882.  Stauffer, according to what I could find, was a journalist and children’s author; with […]

[Read more →]

The eighth issue of Black Scat Review is now out!  It contains my short but unpleasant story “Hardwood Mulch,” as well as seductive works by Suzanne Burns, Doug Rice, Steven Teref, Kurt Cline, Charles Holdefer, Paulo Brito, Jhaki M.S. Landgrebe,Tara Stillions Whitehead, Maria Morisot, Fox Harvard, Charlie Griggs, Monika Mori, and Tom Whalen.  You can find […]

[Read more →]

Francisque Sarcey (1827-1899) was, for much of his career, the most powerful theatrical critic in Paris. He was the perfect model of the blunt bourgeois, championing common sense, anti-intellectualism, and traditional values. He favored light, commercial fare, and railed against Ibsen and Jarry. He was, predictably, a prime target for young artists. Alphonse Allais took […]

[Read more →]

There’s one in every crowd.  (Please click to enlarge.) (Posted by Doug Skinner.  The photo is from Master Course in Hypnotism, by Harry Abons, Power Publishers, 1948.)

[Read more →]

If you leave the house without your pants, where will you put your keys? golf without clubs Salt is best enjoyed at room temperature. The beauty of the little lamb Is that it doesn’t give a damn. Nobody ever lost money by finding money. Science still can’t create an ineffective placebo. a globe with Mercator […]

[Read more →]

I just heard a politician on the radio, saying that the election is not about fundraising, but about the heart and soul of the party. Those aren’t really dioramas They’re just holes in your pajamas ouija scrabble: messages from spirits are awarded points by letter The American diet: Yesterday I saw a man walking down […]

[Read more →]

The following pictures are taken from the Fretted Instrument News, 1945-1949.  It was the “Official Organ of the American Guild of Banjoists, Mandolinists, and Guitarists,” “An Independent Bi-Monthly Devoted to the Advancement and Culture of the Romantic Instruments.”  It was particularly devoted to promoting “Fret Clubs,” amateur or school groups that played light classical selections […]

[Read more →]

Ask me no questions, I’ll punch you no mouth. the caregiver and the caretaker a musket that shoots musk Not the courage of our convictions, but the courage of our doubts. Minicheckers: the opposite of Charles Fort’s “Supercheckers” — each player has four game pieces a radio flub: the marriage was “uncomplicated,” for “unconsummated” the […]

[Read more →]