10 Questions with Featherscale

by Administrator, posted in Interviews, Music

1. What is the origin of Featherscale?

(Mike) As far as the name, it’s from Egyptian mythology- Book of the Dead, Maat, a heart and a feather… Go look it up. It’s some neat stuff. I’m not really sure exactly where I lost control of things, but it started off as a solo project- Topaz Stars in a Violet Sky, recorded for the RPM Challenge.

(Tim) I thought the album was great. Made me miss playing music. Mike and I played together off and on for 14, 15 years? A lot of open mics, but never pulled together a long-term project. We played a lot of covers and drinking tunes. We lived together for a couple of years when I was a student, and Mike was punching the clock doing retail.

(Amber) A little over two years ago, Mike posted on Facebook that he was looking for a drummer to expand his musical compositions a bit. Partly in jest, I wrote him back. I hadn’t played out in many years and was very rusty. I remember how nervous I was the first night we got together; I kept dropping my sticks! (wait, ok, I STILL do that!). It was only a short few rehearsals that we really clicked, musically, intellectually, spiritually. If he wasn’t married to a dear friend of mine, and well, if I wasn’t … ummm … let’s just say we work well together.

(Tim) This spring, at Pagan Odyssey, I got a chance to meet this Drummergrrl that Mike had been raving about. Most of the jokes and grief we were giving each other are unrepeatable, and would probably land us in jail in most southern states, but we were all shitfaced around the campsite that first night and I was borrowing guitars to jam a bit with them and a bunch of other friends. Amber, at some point, asked me why I was wasn’t playing anymore, and I realized that the perception that I didn’t have the time was basically bullshit. So, it got me thinking. The next day, they played their gig for the fest, and I was impressed that they made it work as a duo. He was leaning heavily on is loop pedal in order to fill out the sound and it was breaking up the pace of the performance in places. By the end of the set, I basically had decided that I was going to crowbar my way into the band. I’m a jerk like that.

(Mike) A month or so later, the three of us play Beltaine at A Sacred Place, with my buddy Rob on fiddle and guitar. We’re still without a bass player at this point, but this was where Justin came in.

(Justin) I met everyone officially at ASP. I had known Mike for about a year and we had gotten to know each other a little better at Maine PPD, so I had asked him to bring a guitar so we could jam. I met Amber and her coterie of camp followers when my wife Dawn and I arrived, and I met Tim a little later on when he showed up.

(Tim) Justin and I ended up hanging around most of the rest of that day, while Mike was tending his booth and Dawn hers. I think by the end of that couple of hours, we were, as Dawn put it, in the throes of a “bromance”. In addition, “Sex Potatoes.” If you weren’t there, you won’t ever understand, but I say again: “Sex Potatoes.”

(Justin) We got to talking, and Tim asked me to do play sound man for the show they were doing that night. I hadn’t had the chance to do a whole lot musically in a while, so I was pretty pumped to even do sound again. Mike asked me to join them on the last song about 2 hours before the show. I was flattered. The band hadn’t even heard me play. They had no way of knowing if I even knew what to do with it. So that night I did sound and accompanied them on Hail and Farewell.

(Tim) It was informal, off-the-cuff, and he wasn’t even amped or mic’ed, but it was the first time that Featherscale all played together on stage.

(Justin) Later that night came the, now infamous, Featherscale campfire jam. With a bit of Scotch, a bit of Guinness, too little of Tim’s kilt, and far too many horrific jokes, Featherscale began to come into its own. I’m pretty sure it was later the next day when Tim/Mike/Amber asked me to try my hand at bass, and I said “Um, sure! I don’t play bass, but what the hell. I’ll figure something out.”

(Tim) Justin immediately went and traded in a bunch of his guitar gear, and shows up to rehearsal with a complete bass rig. So, at this point, I know I was thinking “even if he sucks, we’re kind of stuck with him.” Well, by the time we had gotten him up to speed on a couple of tunes, I think we all knew that we had found the last team-member.

(Mike) Once all of us get in the room together, we have this amazing chemistry that just takes over and carries us miles beyond what any of us could do on our own. The group really evolved in a way that I don’t think any of us could have predicted, but it’s totally magickal. Really, the whole being greater than the sum and all that.

(Justin) And the rest, as they say, is a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich.

2. How would you describe Featherscale’s sound?

(Amber) I would describe our sound as traditionally modern Celtic rock. Keeps the foot tapping and the beer steins swinging!

(Justin) I’m not quite sure how to answer this. Apart from the fact that our sound changes for different songs, our sound changes depending on our mood. We came dangerously close to making Gallilee a metal ballad, and The Ballad of Thomas Meagher is a Punk/Irish drinking song. Samhain always gives me an October Rust era Type-O-Negative vibe. It’s hard to pin down in a simple phrase, but I’ll try: PaganIrishRockPunkDrinkingSongsToHaveAGoodTime/DieTo. Remember I’m only the bass player.

(Mike) It’s rock. There’s little bits of blues and folk and metal and Celtic trad, but like I said before- Once we all chime in, we end up with something that goes way beyond what we put into it.

(Tim) I’m not sure that we really have a particular “sound” beyond “loud”. I listen to our rehearsal tapes and we change the entire style and approach to the material with surprising regularity, and often by accident. Two of the tracks on the upcoming album are recycled from the first Featherscale album because they are so radically different than the original recordings.

(Amber) Justin with heavy metal, Tim with classical and traditional folk, Mike with rock and metal, and myself creates for surprisingly unified sound.

(Tim) Yeah, I think I can live with calling it “Rock.” I’m still putting a lot of loud grating stuff through my noggin, but I’m also going back to the stuff that I used to listen to before I was so damn hip. Robert Johnson, BB King, Spider John Koerner. I’m rediscovering Julian Cope and a lot of the odd shaped edges of pop, though part of that comes from wanting to figure out how they build certain guitar sounds that I’m secretly coveting.

(Mike) I love loud, overdriven metal and punk stuff, but for me, it’s always been about the song, rather than the style. My all-time favorite acts- Zevon, Cash, Cohen, Pogues… they’re all great storytellers first and foremost. I honestly believe in this idea of a bard having a duty to communicate in a way that people can understand and relate to, so I really look up to bands like the Cure, Oingo Boingo, Pink Floyd, Bowie- Who were able to make revolutionary art, but in a way that was still accessible to the average radio listener.

3. This question is for Justin, who failed to send in an official bio for the Featherscale website and thusly has been stuck with the goofy one Mike wrote for him. Justin, would you like to tell my readers about yourself?

(Justin) The bio on the Featherscale site is entirely true. I had asked Mike not to mention any of that until I could come up with a decently plausible explanation to my whereabouts, and he goes and tells my personal information to everyone on the web! I really feel like I’ve been abused. . . again. And this time by a friend, not someone who I thought was a friend, but an actual friend, who is now someone who I only thought was a friend. Dammit. I play bass. I’m not supposed to be smart. And yes if you must know, I am 216 years old. But you’re only as old as you feel. And I feel like a spry 110 year old.

(Tim) Mike also left out the part about how he killed a man in Reno, just to watch him die.

(Justin) Just Kidding. Thanks for asking. Mike has a very unique sense of humor. And when I saw what he had written after waiting for me to hand in my bio, well, I knew I was in the right band. I have been playing guitar for about 14 years now, and in December it will be 6 months for me playing bass. It was a fun transition. I was playing rhythm guitar in a progressive heavy metal band off and on for 7 or so years and then stopped playing entirely for a few years.

4. For that matter, now that Justin has introduced himself, why don’t you guys each take a turn in introducing yourself to my readers?

(Tim) I never know how to answer this question. I’m utterly fascinating and mysterious. I’m Aquaman in a kilt. I like power tools, hate doing laundry and believe that Monday should be abolished.

(Amber) I’m the lady, and level mind of the group 🙂 Or at least, I keep things rhythmically level. I picked up my first pair of drum sticks when I was ten … well actually, they were chop sticks because my parents didn’t want to invest in such an elaborate, expensive musical instrument collection until I could prove my dedication. Nineteen years later I’m still playing!

(Mike) I’m an artist. Whatever media I can get a hold of- music, paint, wood, clay, whatever. I’ve been Pagan for a long time now- I pretty much found some Wicca 101 book my freshman year of high school and just never looked back. I’m also thoroughly immersed in the western world, so I have a house and a dog, watch TV, work a job, and bitch about politics. Also, I really like jalapeño poppers.

5. On your website you talk about how at a festival the members of Featherscale and your associates did all of the following: performed, facilitated a Bardic Circle, did a storytelling performance, provided campfire entertainment on two nights in addition to the previous mentioned performances, brought three vendors and ran four workshops/classes on Kitchen Witchery, Magickal Tools, Initiatory Lodges, and Sacred Storytelling, provided sound equipment for other performers’ use and ran sound for those performances, and did Tarot and Rune readings! With your group bringing THAT MUCH to the table, have you considered hosting your own festival? Think about it, The Featherscale Festival sounds pretty good, right?

(Tim) OK. Yeah, we did that. Sort of by accident, in fact. It wasn’t until we got to talking after the fact and totaled up everything that we presented that we realized how much stuff we had done at that event, since we had only booked the Fs show with each other’s awareness.

(Justin) There has been some unofficial chatter about a Featherscale festival. Me personally, I would never run a festival. Not my cup of NyQuil. If it did happen, I would have to relegate myself to a helper role – like sound tech, or bouncer.

(Mike) [Tim’s wife] Kate and I have talked about it. Truthfully, Tim is running a fledgling ceremonial order, Amber has school and a 5 year old, and we all work day jobs- I myself do the band full time (which really is a lot of work), run my business full time, and work a mundane job to boot. I also have a short nap penciled in for March. I’m also on the Elder’s Council for A Sacred Place, so I sort of have a hand in running events there anyway. None of us has the inclination to take on yet another project of that magnitude. You know what- forget I said that. Sooner or later we’ll decide to go for broke, but not in the foreseeable future.

(Tim) Fs is sort of an emergent property of “we’re all there anyway”. Mike runs the Haunted Wood and makes all sorts of magickal tools, my wife, Kati runs Antika Nueva, makes jewelry and a line of soaps and salves, and Justin’s wife, Dawn, runs Cucina Aurora, and is a kitchen witch par excellence. Being a vendor sucks a bit, in that festivals are real work, so performing is the part that we look forward to. As for running our own festival, I wouldn’t want the headache. Me, I’ve got enough on my plate running a cult. Organizing a festival would make my head implode.

6. What’s the best thing about being a member of Featherscale?

(Mike) Well, we have a great health plan. Most bands just don’t offer dental and vision these days.

(Amber) Well there truly isn’t only one thing to mention; it’s the whole package that ties it all, brings us all together. We are not just a band, we are a group of very, very close friends. I think I can speak for us all in saying that we’ve found a support structure unlike anything any of us have had before. If the band stopped performing tomorrow, we’d all still be close and in each others lives in a very meaningful dimension.

(Mike) It doesn’t hurt that these are some of my favorite people in the world- When we do festivals, we all set up next to each other, and camp behind the vending booths. We do communal meals and keep an eye on each other like family. I can honestly say there’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be than sitting around the camp passing around the Guinness and Sex Potatoes, playing music and hanging out with these guys here.

(Justin) It’s the harmony. We all participate in writing and arranging the songs. A lot of the stuff we play is based around songs Mike has already written, but when we start to analyze a song in rehearsal, it takes on new life. We make it our own unique sound, whether it wants to or not. It’s quite nice to be able to do that, and be encouraged to do that. At my second practice I was basically told: “You are gonna’ have to be the balance between Mike and Tim, so speak up if you have an idea”. And strangely enough, I have ever since.

(Amber) I never had the opportunity to be so much a part of the music I was taking part in. Who I am as a person, so many of the ways in which I have grown in the last two years, has had a great deal to with being a part of this group of wonderfully talented musical souls!

(Tim) At the risk of waxing horribly bathetic, The best thing is being with friends. I love making music, but frankly, I love my band mates and their kith and kin more. We’re pack. We’re hands, and heads and hearts for each other. We make each other better, more human, more kind. Making music together is bone on bone intimate way below the skin. Being able to criticize without cutting, and fearless enough to call bullshit on each other, and to have love and trust enough in each other to work together to make it all happen is purely Tantric. And when it comes together, the payoff is that we know more about ourselves and each other.

(Mike) Really, spending time with people you care about, working hard at something meaningful and spiritual that you love doing, and being recognized for it- there’s nothing better in life.

7. Your new album is releasing very soon. How would you describe it?

(Mike) If you’ve heard us live, you’ve got some idea what to expect- But it will be a little more sophisticated. There are things we can do in the studio that we haven’t been doing live, so there’s going to be a few surprises. Samhain, for example, we’re looking at some Hammond organ. All in all, there are 10 songs that have never been released, and at least 3 of them, NOBODY’S heard before. We’re also recording the version of Invocation we’ve been doing live, because it’s so radically different than the version on Topaz Stars. Rob McClung from that first ASP show will be laying down some fiddle tracks and helping with the post-production at his studio. We’re also hoping to bring in Jenna Greene for some vocals, and maybe another special guest or two.

8. Does Featherscale have any live performances scheduled? Where can my readers go to see you perform live?

(Mike) The big priority right now is getting the album recorded and ready to drop, but there’s talk of playing a few shows around the NH seacoast over the winter. Mostly, we play festivals- so spring is busy for us. We usually play 2 or 3 Beltaine events, and we’re planning to return to Pagan Pride around New England in the fall. A Sacred Place is also planning a Pagan music festival for June, which should be a good time- I’m actually doing the bookings for that. Featherscale will be there, and we’re [ASP, not FS] also negotiating with some really good performers including a couple nationally touring acts. The best way to keep updated is to join the mailing list or friend us on Facebook. (Update: Featherscale will be performing at Landrock Studios in Rollinsford, NH on February 5, 2011.)

9. I’m a decent singer, any chance I can get a guest spot on the next album?

(Mike) We’ll talk. Have your people call my people and we’ll do lunch. Do people still “do lunch”? I’ve gotta’ quit learning my agent lingo from 80’s movies. What was the question?

(Justin) Absolutely. As long as you have the proper forms filled out in triplicate, and receive authorization from the home office in a timely fashion. And possibly a wet T-shirt contest.

10. Parting shot! Ask us here at The Magical Buffet any one question.

(Mike) Well, I’m clearly a man who knows buffet. If this were video that would have totally been a great sight gag, ’cause I’m a big guy… You know what? The jokes don’t always work. Just roll with it.

(Justin) I’ve been to Chinese buffets before. The after effects were. . . gastrointestinally pyrotechnic. If I frequent The Magical Buffet, my spirit won’t blow up like the Death Star will it?

(Mike) Parting question… How would you rather buy our album? We sell CDs both through our website and through retailers like Amazon.com, plus at live shows and a couple Pagan shops. At the same time, our music is available through iTunes, Napster, and the like. We also don’t get bent out of shape over file sharing- we just ask that the ID3 tags be complete and include our website url. We have a donation button on the site- if you download our music from a P2P network, we’d appreciate a couple bucks, but we’re not going to be jackasses and sue you or anything. So there’s the question- CD, download, or donation?

Justin, if you frequent The Magical Buffet I will turn your spirit inside out and then have it explode, just like that pig lizard in the movie “Galaxy Quest”.

Alas Mike, I am of a dying breed. I love buying actual, physical CDs. I love album cover art, I love liner notes, and I love printed lyrics. I love holding my favorite CD in my hand. Unfortunately our apartment has to bear the weight of my preference in the fact that it has to accommodate the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of CDs that I own. I’ve been trying to buy more music from iTunes and just have it on my iPod Touch, but I sleep better at night rolling over and seeing the CD there on the shelf.

Hey Buffet readers, let’s help Featherscale out with some informal market research! How do you prefer to buy music: CD, download, or donation? Post your answers in the comment section for Mike to review! And thanks for your help!

About Featherscale:
Featherscale blends acoustic and electric sounds to create their own brand of Pagan rock with undercurrents of blues, metal, and just a touch of the Irish drinking songs they grew up with. With influences as diverse as Leonard Cohen, the Pogues, Warren Zevon, and the Ramones, Featherscale will make you move, laugh, and think with their skillfully written tales and heartfelt performance.

Picture if you will – A cool summer night, an open clearing in an ancient wood, and a roaring campfire. Around the fire, people laugh, sing, dance, and share stories and songs. The drinking horn is passed around again and again, and never runs dry. Woodland spirits sneak glances from the wood and the night seems to go on forever. This is Featherscale. Learn more at www.featherscale.com.

Whitewashing History

by Administrator, posted in Books, Guest Authors

By now most of you had to have heard about a new edition of Mark Twain’s classics “Tom Sawyer” and “Huckleberry Finn” being published with a few minor edits. I was going to provide you a link to a news story, but at this point the internet is so flooded with articles and opinion pieces about it that I couldn’t decide what link to use. If you want to see some stories about it, go to Google News and type in Mark Twain and go to town.

Now it’s no secret that I’m against censorship, and also, coming from Illinois, a place where a day trip to the Mark Twain cave complex was almost a required rite of passage, I have very strong emotions about someone messing with Twain’s works. And despite him being a plane trip away from the land of Twain, my friend Greg Bullard also had a strong reaction to the news, and so he emailed the publishing company about his concerns. His email, while passionate, was respectful and expressed a level of understanding of the publisher’s position. What happened next was remarkable, he got a response.

Obviously given my horrible track record for getting responses to my letters, I was amazed that Greg received a prompt response. What was even more amazing was that the email he got in return acknowledged Greg’s concerns and respectfully presented their argument for the edits. Yes, in this land of 24 hour news cycles churning out controversy to fill air time, a land where thanks to the internet people can immediately present their knee jerk reactions for the whole world to see without the writer giving a moment’s thought to any repercussions or another individual’s feelings, in this land of hypersensitivity, I witnessed a respectful exchange of opposing positions. It made me proud to be human.

Here are Greg’s thoughts and reflections on this issue and his experience with the publishing company.

Whitewashing History
by Greg Bullard

“Who told you you might meddle with such hifalut’n foolishness, hey?” – Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn.

The past is a tenuous thing, held together by our perceptions, which are themselves, shaped by the world around us. The written word marks the most concrete bulwark of that past. Once we start chipping away at those words, I fear for the stability of our cultural history.

By now, many of you have guessed where I am going with this. NewSouth Books is soon to release new editions of Mark Twain’s beloved classics Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, but with a few “minor” changes.

Upon reading of the changes, I was incensed, furious and several other words. I took to my keyboard and within minutes had fired off a letter to three key members of the publishing team at NewSouth Books. Figuring I had done my due diligence, I dropped the issue and went on about my day. Then, not two hours later, the unthinkable happened, Randall Williams, Editor, NewSouth Books, replied to me.

Among other things, Mr. Williams wrote, “Professor Gribben’s intent is to make Twain’s boy books accessible to students whose teachers do not now teach the books because of the repeated use of a single word.”

Along with his reply, he included the introduction for the books written by Dr. Alan Gribben, English Professor for Auburn University at Montgomery, and co-founder of The Mark Twain Circle of America.

Professor Gribben wrote, “We may applaud Twain’s ability as a prominent American literary realist to record the speech of a particular region during a specific historical era, but abusive racial insults that bear distinct connotations of permanent inferiority nonetheless repulse modern-day readers. Twain’s two books do not deserve ever to join that list of literary “classics” he once humorously defined as those “which people praise and don’t read,” yet the long-lofty status of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn has come under question in recent decades.”

Having read the introduction, I replied and reluctantly agreed with one point. If their editing of those two words results in Twain’s works being presented to a larger audience, I would be hard pressed to fault them.

However, I went on to state that they are setting a dangerous precedent. While we must abide the loss of subtle nuances from translation of texts, we are not yet at the point where English has changed so much that Twain requires translation. While some of the slang and casual dialog may be more difficult for inexperienced readers, it does not present an insurmountable obstacle.
What is next, I asked? Would we see a similar treatment for To Kill a Mockingbird? A note to whomever tries it, Harper Lee is still alive, and I suspect she would deign to come out of her seclusion to take that fight personally to the editor who is so bold as to change her words.

Once again, Mr. Williams replied with a record of his personal and professional struggle against racism and other -isms. He concluded by writing, “But this edition of Twain has a specific purpose: to broaden the audience for the books.”

I honestly wish them luck. If Twain’s words see a larger audience because of these changes, which is the lesser of the two evils? For my vote, I would think an education with 99% of the words Twain wrote in those books is better than one with 0% of them.

However, in the end, I will still fight the whitewashing of our past. The FBI agents in ET had shotguns, Han shot first and the most honorable man to ride a raft with on the mighty Mississippi is Nigger Jim.

I invite you now to share your opinion, if you have one, on this issue. However, in keeping with the spirit of respectful discourse that Greg and NewSouth Books have established, I ask that you follow their example in debating this issue.

About Greg Bullard:
Greg currently resides in Austin, TX, trying to do his part to Keep Austin Weird. While his wife, Julia, and daughter, Emily, both work hard to keep him on his toes, it is Julia’s red editing pen that does the most work. When he is not muddling his way through some fiction, he usually writes about What Greg Eats.

Geek Month in Review: December 2010

by Administrator, posted in Books, Food/Drink, Geek Stuff, Guest Authors, Movies, Science, Television

By JB Sanders

All the Geek that’s fit to Ho Ho HO.

Virtual Worlds Made Easy
All you need to visit this virtual space is a web browser. Seriously.

Strange Terrestrial Life
NASA announced that a form of bacterium that uses arsenic instead of sulphur as one of its basic building blocks has been discovered. This is odd because no other form of life on the planet — not mushrooms, not bugs, not animals, not us, not anything (even slime-mold!) — is built that way. Freaky!

Fly-over of New York City
You’re expecting this to be some footage from 1982 or something, right? I mean, come on! Who can do a fly-over of NYC in this day and age? These guys, that’s who. In an RC airplane at 7am in the morning (when regular air traffic is light). And sure, the TSA and NYC police talked to them — but no arrests or nasty exchanges. Amazing!

Oh, and for the RC enthusiasts out there, a link to the setup they used.

New Leonardo DaVinci Codes Discovered
Well, not “new” exactly. “Previously unknown” is probably a better way to put that. Sill, Leonardo was one of the biggest geeks of all time, so any new codes from him is note-worthy. This is some more of his un-deciphered mirror-writing. Good stuff!

You Got Virus in My Battery!
Scientists are working on a way to take a virus that typically afflicts tobacco plants, coat the little beasts in nano-particles of metal and stuff them into batteries. Because there are so many of them and they’re so small, the coated viruses will provide much more surface area for the electrode, dramatically increasing the battery’s storage capacity. Nifty!

Real Light Cycle
So these guys built a real working replica of the Light Cycles from Tron (and not to be confused with the flyers from Return of the Jedi, like I did the first time I heard of these things). Neat looking, but it looks about as maneuverable as their movie counterparts.

Who Started It All?
Ever wondered who created the longest running science-fiction tv show? Want to see some still pictures of them? Click away!

If Day-Old Soup is Better … How Awesome is This?
Archaeologists in China uncovered 2,400-year-old soup. That’s right, it’s been stewing for 24 centuries. That’s some concentrated awesome right there. The soup was found still liquid in a sealed bronze container.

Burning Liquid Sulfur: Blue Flames!
Ever wonder what a sulphur mine inside a volcano might look like? Wonder no more — awesome photos ahead!

Lego Antikythera Mechanism*
That’s right, you read that correctly. Combine the worlds best make-it-yourself toy (Legos!) with an ancient device discovered in clay jars in a shipwreck. What’s the result? Pure concentrated awesome!

Lovecraft eBooks*
Did you know his stuff was public domain now? No? It is! Download away!

Map of the World: Facebook Style
Fancy ray-of-light visualization of all the users on Facebook, based on geographic location on the globe. Bonus: dense math explanation about how the map was generated based on friendship relationships. Neat!

Lost Your Head? Found!
Among the types of “antiques” and “collectibles”, a mummified severed head is not one that immediately makes my “must have” list. Anyway, what a great find to discover that your mummified head is Kingly. Woo!

What Happened to the Water??
Ever wonder what Niagara Falls would look like without all that pesky water everywhere? Wonder no more!! Bonus: grainy 60’s video.

Air Condition the Whole Outside
You’ve heard your Dad say it countless times, but now it’s Real. Some brain trusts have come up with a sculpture that produces cooler air simply by the nature of it’s structure. Oh, and of course, it’s made from 3D-printed sand. The idea being you set up a few hundred of these near buildings and micro-climate those hot days away.

Changing Wallpaper
You’re expecting some kind of funky, new-fangled “paper” that users computers and gizmos, right? Nope. It’s just standard-old wallpaper with various color images overlaid on it — and then depending on what light you provide, you get different images. It’s almost Victorian!

Fish Keys
Great little stop-motion animation of underwater zen — all done using various metal implements.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CWOebTREVU

You Want Real Faces? You Can’t Handle Real Faces!*
Behind the scenes of the fantastic-looking, realistic faces in the new video game LA Noir. Figure out if someone is lying to you by actually looking at the character’s face in-game. Video link is a behind-the-scenes of the tech.

A Very Zombie Holiday*
Not sure about baking etiquette during a zombie outbreak? Have no fear, this instructional 1950’s-style video is here. Best line? “Kids? It’s time to give Gammy her Christmas gift.”
Bonus points for the Serenity/Firefly reference.

* These links thanks to Alex. Thanks, Alex!

About John:
John’s a geek from way back. He’s been floating between various computer-related jobs for years, until he settled into doing tech support in higher ed. Now he rules the Macs on campus with an iron hand (really, it’s on his desk).

Geek Credentials:
RPG: Blue box D&D, lead minis, been to GenCon in Milwaukee.
Computer: TRS-80 Color Computer, Amiga 1000, UNIX system w/reel-to-reel backup tape
Card games: bought Magic cards at GenCon in 1993
Science: Met Phil Plait, got time on a mainframe for astronomy project in 1983
His Blog: http://glenandtyler.blogspot.com

Interfaith Film Festival Accepting Submissions

by Administrator, posted in Events, Movies, Religion

I received an email about an event that I thought some Buffet readers may want to participate in. The folks over at The Pluralism Project have brought to my attention that the Interfaith Film Festival is accepting submissions! Submissions are due on January 31, 2011, which doesn’t leave us with much time to lollygag about. Here’s some details:

This is a showcase, a platform, and a foundation upon which to present your religion and beliefs in a good and positive light. The InterFaith Film Festival collects and shares stories about religious experiences that inform and inspire, whether religiously specific, inter-religious, secular, or otherwise.

What They Wants from You:

We invite you to contribute short films, with a duration of less than ½ hour, that inform and inspire, including: amateur or professional videos, documentaries, short stories, fables, lectures, sermons, parables, comedy, interviews, speeches, animation, slide shows, variety programs, musical performances, poetry readings, Scriptural recitations/chanting, and additionally; (you are also welcome to enter feature films longer than ½ hour, and we may post links to these films).

How the System Works:

All entries and selections are made in good Faith and on the honor system.

You can upload one or more entries through your own YouTube account, and then send us an email at ifff2011ce@gmail.com with:

1.) your notification of entry or entries to the IFFF 2011CE,
2.) the link to each entry on YouTube,
3.) your designation of the specific religious/secular affiliation or affiliations or inter-religiousness of each entry, and
4.) your synopsis, of 100 words or less, of each entry.

Instead of creating your own YouTube account, you are welcome to log into the YouTube account, “UndergroundGriot”, with the email address, undergroundgriot@gmail.com , and password, “interFaith”, and upload entries through the “UndergroundGriot” YouTube account, and proceed with steps 1.), 2.), 3.), and 4.).

All entries are screened for appropriateness before inclusion within the InterFaith Film Festival in April 2011.

For more information, contact ifff2011ce@gmail.com

You may remember that back in July I made sure to tell you about The Pluralism Project’s photo contest. If you go here you can see the winners that were announced in September.

If any readers decide to enter, definitely let the rest of us know so we can cheer you on!

(Pluralism Project Logo Designed by Than Saffel)

Hooters and Goddess Worship?

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink, Mythology, Symbols

Here’s the deal folks, I like Hooters. The restaurant, not the anatomy. However I think we can all agree that Salma Hayek’s are quite magnificent. Much the way people say they read Playboy for the articles (and let’s all admit that occasionally they do have great articles), people say they go to Hooters for the food. And you know what folks? Holy crap is their chicken delicious! I never had an aversion to Hooters, but I had just never found the reason to go there to eat. Then one weekday afternoon while out and about with my boyfriend (who became my husband) it was suggested that we go to Hooters for lunch. We had a pretty waitress, who honestly was lacking a little in the hooter department, that I kept thinking must be freezing in her outfit. It was also a touch odd to realize I was the only woman that was a customer. I had their Buffalo Chicken Sandwich and proclaimed that it was in fact the finest Buffalo Chicken Sandwich I’d ever had. It was good enough that I’m actually bummed that there is no longer a Hooters restaurant in the area. Sigh….

Anyway, my affection for Hooters is why I was so intrigued when I found an article called “Hooters and Goddess Worship?” on the Surohorus website. (Update: The site is now found here.) Despite admitting to never going to a Hooters (a bit of honesty I appreciate), Suroh makes some interesting points with regards to some of the symbolism associated with the restaurant chain. And although I doubt that by frequenting the establishment you run the risk of “eating something inedible and dying”, I am amused to now associate Hooters with Athena. When you consider the level of influence some of those waitresses have on their customers, perhaps them embodying a bit of the divine isn’t as far off as previously thought.

Hooters and Goddess Worship?

By Suroh
(Article was originally published on 11/28/10 at http://thesurohorus.tk/ and is used with the author’s permission.)

Introduction

Hooters restaurant is a standard sports bar aside from one thing, the wait staff is primarily made up of extremely attractive women usually scantily clothed. I myself have never been to a Hooters before but I am more than sure most males growing up in North America have heard about the chain on TV or in the movies. The attractive women are more than capable to keep everyone minds occupied for the time within the doors of a Hooters restaurant as the “Customers” are kept in a daze fantasizing about the waitresses. Little do the men know they are taking part in an ancient rite of goddess worship.

Sexual Innuendo

The name Hooters is a term originally used to refer to an Owl. In the modern age it has been known to take a quite a different meaning…or is it just understood too simply?

Hooter
•One that hoots, especially an owl.
•hooters Vulgar Slang. A woman’s breasts.

Sex sells right? It is common practice for advertising and marketers to veil sexual innuendo to keep the prospective customers attention. Proof is this is the complete disconnect of commercials themselves and the actual product they are actually selling. It’s the old magicians trick. Occupy the mark (person) with something trivial that will draw them in order to manipulate them better towards your real goal. It happens every day. For example buy one get one free, 20% Off*On Selected Merchandise only. Almost always it comes with a catch where the deal is no where near as good as what was claimed. In my experience utilities (Phone and Internet) companies are the worse known for this. But that’s a whole article in itself.

The Symbol of the Goddess

The logo for the Hooters chain is an Owl. Owls have been identified with many ancient gods, for example Athena in Greek mythology the goddess of war, civilization, wisdom, strength, strategy, crafts, justice and skill. Hera, another ancient Greek goddess, is also associated with the Owl.

Hera (HEE-ruh or HER-uh), Roman name Juno.
Hera was the goddess of marriage, the wife of Zeus and the Queen of the Olympians. Enemy of Heracles, she sent snakes to attack him when he was still an infant and later stirred up the Amazons against him when he was on one of his quests. On the other hand, Hera aided the hero Jason.

In Greek mythology, Hera was the reigning female goddess of Olympus because she was Zeus’s wife. But her worship is actually far older than that of her husband. It goes back to a time when the creative force we call “God” was conceived of as a woman. The Goddess took many forms, among them that of a bird.

Then when we take a look at the symbol from a global perspective of all beliefs/symbolism about the Owl, a much different pattern is discovered. In many cultures including the Aztecs, Africa, and Arabia the owl is considered a unbalanced symbol or a “negative” omen as it is a creature of the night and thus darkness. In essence the Owl represents unbalanced Male force. This again supports the exact environment existing when inside a Hooters restaurant.

Conclusion

Almost every public place we go has currents of metaphysical energy brought about and utilized to create and encourage certain types or styles of behavior. In most cases this is not negative or positive, it just is, but most importantly in order for it to remain neutral it is good to be aware of the influences being pressed upon you just as you monitor the types of things you eat in order to not eat something inedible and die.

To see more articles like this, visit http://suroh.tk/.

The Living Magick Tarot Challenge: December 2010

by Administrator, posted in Products, Reviews

You may recall that last month I started “The Living Magick Tarot Challenge”, where I use Living Magick’s awesome “Tarot Learning Cards” to finally learn the tarot and chronicle my progress monthly. November had a very strong start and I felt confident that by the end of December I would have the Major Arcana down cold, and would be well on my way to knowing the entire suit of Cups from the Minor Arcana. Yep, that was the plan.

Well, we might as well call this update what it is, bull crap. I have loads of excuses and no results. My illness from November is still a problem in December. My husband has spent the better part of December sick on our sofa. My work situation got pretty crazy in December. And of course, there were the holidays. Not only did I fail to maintain even the slightest bit of discipline with using Living Magick’s “Tarot Learning Cards”, I just fell off the wagon entirely and didn’t even touch the cards the entire month of December.

So why on Earth am I writing this update when I have nothing to share? Essentially to keep me honest. I could sit here and lie and odds are good no one would ever realize I hadn’t learned anything, but what’s the point in that? I dropped the ball. I suck. And now I’m moving on.

The holidays are over. My health, although still shaky, is certainly manageable for the moment. The husband is out of sick days to use for work. And my overall work load has become something I have much greater control over. Enough about December and all its failings, and on to January! We’ll talk about this again soon, I promise.

A Letter: Part Seven (The Wikileaks Edition)

by Administrator, posted in Politics

Hasn’t Wikileaks made things interesting lately? I’m serious. The recent “dumping” of diplomatic cables gives the average American news viewer/reader the intrigue of politics from the perspective of 13 year-old girls gossiping in the bathroom. If I had known being a catty bitch made you a decent diplomat I would have definitely pursued it as a career option. Alas, I’m merely a catty bitch with a website, shall we proceed?

Personally, I was on the underwhelmed side as the media started sifting through the giant mass of diplomatic cables released on Wikileaks; but buried within those releases little nuggets of a pet project of mine started popping up. That’s right folks, Zimbabwe made Wikileaks! This has got to be the equivalent of having Weird Al Yankovic spoof you; you know you’ve arrived.

There is the whimsical “Warthogs delay US ambassador’s arrival in Zimbabwe”, which explains that Charles Ray was delayed in taking his post as ambassador in 2009 due to a plane in the Harare airport hitting warthogs and destroying lights on the runway. However, this amusing anecdote is shadowed with dread by stating, “Passengers on the Air Zim flight were stuck in the plane for about two hours; security authorities forced passengers to surrender any photographic evidence of the crash before they were allowed to leave.” Heaven forbid the rest of the world sees that a plane hit a warthog. Hakuna matata indeed.

Diplomatic cables from 2009 give conflicting insights into President Robert Mugabe. European Union officials describe him as “physically fit, mentally sharp, and charming”, but later in the year Ambassador Ray (having taken his post despite the nefarious warthog conspiracy) described Mugabe as frail, stating, “Mugabe appears uncomfortable when seated – he slouches and frequently turns his body as if to find a better position, and then sits straight up and speaks in a louder voice for a few seconds before lapsing back into the barely audible soft voice.”

The previously mentioned EU delegation all referenced a certain event that occurred during their meeting with Mugabe, “During the delegation’s meeting with Mugabe, a strong, young man entered with a bowl and pitcher of water on a silver tray. He knelt in front of Mugabe, who made a show of washing his hands with this subservient man at his feet.” John Clancy, spokesman for the EU Trade Commission, surmised “it showed that Mugabe has lost the plot of normal human interaction and the responsibility of leaders toward their people.”

Most interesting is learning that in 2007 a group of exiled Zimbabwean businessmen had been plotting a bloodless coup to remove Robert Mugabe as president. Keep in mind folks Archbishop Desmond Tutu told the BBC in 2008 that he “urged the international community to intervene in Zimbabwe – by force if necessary.” Have you seen an interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu? If you can make this adorable, kindly, little man of God want to put a bullet in you, you’re being a very naughty president. Sadly, this “bloodless coup” being discussed in 2007 is pretty much the power sharing agreement that came to pass with Robert Mugabe as President and Morgan Tsvangirai as Prime Minister. I think my most recent letter regarding Zimbabwe sums up how well that has worked out. Of course, former US ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell didn’t have a lot of faith in Tsvangirai to begin with, so go figure.

What’s funny about all of this is that it’s just a preamble to my announcement that I got a letter from K Nokku of the Asylum Policy and Correspondence Team in Croydon, Surrey. Yes! A letter from Britain in response to the letters I sent in October regarding Britain’s plan to resume enforced returns of Zimbabweans who failed to gain asylum in the country. You can read my letter here, but to sum up I sent a note saying, huh?

The letter itself is unremarkable. It essentially quoted parts of the press releases back to me and at no point addressed any of the valid points I felt I had raised. That said, I got a response. A response that appears to have been personally typed. A response that is longer than a postcard. A response that came in its very own enveloped post marked Great Britain. In other words, much like it is with television, Britain has surpassed the quality of what I’ve seen in the United States. Congratulations K Nokku! I’d say I tip my hat to you sir, but I don’t know if K is male or female. I guess this probably means we won’t be Facebook friends.

The Favorite Things Post

by Administrator, posted in Books, Messages from Rebecca, Music, Reviews, Television

Buffet readers from last year may remember that around the winter holidays I did “12 Days of Blogging” where I counted down my 12 favorite blogs of the year. With 2010 coming to a close I find myself again wanting to do some sort of fun, end of the year thing, but I feel like doing “12 Days of Blogging” again would be stale. I have instead decided that as a farewell salute to Oprah who is ending her freakishly long running talk show I would do “Rebecca’s Favorite Things”. There will be no cars given away, no iPads tucked under your seat, but there will be links! You’ll get a link! And you’ll get a link! Everybody gets a link!

The first thing I want to share is that I still LOVE, LOVE all the blogs I highlighted in last year’s “12 Days of Blogging”. I’m not going to list them all here again, why do that when you can just read last year’s post? All the blogs listed are free reading, so start reading them!

Speaking of free, on November 15th a new Girl Talk album was released. You may remember Girl Talk from my “Rethinking the Remix” article back in July of this year. Girl Talk’s new album “All Day” is fan-freakin’-tastic! High quality remixers just hear things differently from the rest of us. How else can I explain a smile inducing, rump shaking album that features a mind blowing mash up of over 350 different songs? Tempted to check it out? You can download the album free at the Illegal Art website.

Although not free, I’d like to bring attention to a book that I’ve been wanting to share with you but just haven’t managed to get a proper write up done. If you haven’t done so already, buy yourself a copy of “Witchcraft on a Shoestring: Practicing the Craft without Breaking Your Budget” by Deborah Blake. Readers know that I have myself a big ol’ girl crush on author Deborah Blake, but hey, even THE Donald Michael Kraig gave this book a tip of the hat in the comments section of my interview with him! Besides it being written by Deborah Blake, why else do I like this book you ask? Because despite its name, you don’t need to be a Witch to get a lot from this book.

I do not practice Witchcraft but I found this book full of great ideas that need not have anything to do with religious and/or magical practices. The coolest thing is there are 45 feast dishes for $10 or less! I want to try them all! Once my health is better I’ve got to start with the rum cake recipe! Yum! Hidden like little gems within the “witchy” text are great ideas for anyone! For instance, in the “Use This, Not That” chapter Blake suggests that instead of buying an expensive chalice for ritual you could buy an inexpensive glass goblet and a few markers that are made to be permanent on glass to decorate it. As a drinker, who is friends with drinkers, this is a great, affordable gift idea! She also talks about how to make your own candles, a fun Yule wreath project that could easily be suited to any family and friends occasion and more! And hey, The Magical Buffet gets an actual mention in the book! Am I blushing?

Back to free, assuming you have good internet access, there is Hulu. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Hulu, here’s the skinny from their website, Hulu is an online video service that offers a selection of hit shows, clips, movies, and more at Hulu.com. Hulu’s selection of premium programming is provided by more than 225 leading content companies, including FOX, NBC Universal, ABC, Lionsgate, MGM, National Geographic, Paramount, A&E Television Networks, PBS, and Warner Bros. Television Group.” Now they don’t offer EVERYTHING, and many of the shows on there have expiration dates where they disappear, but for the price of watching a few very short commercials you can expand your viewing at no cost.

And lastly, not to get overly sentimental, but one of my very favorite things is you. Yes, you who is reading this article. The greatest gift I get is seeing people enjoy the work I do on The Magical Buffet, and better than once a year, it’s a gift I receive generally two or three times a week! We still don’t spend a single dollar on marketing so all the readers we have are thanks to you spreading the word. And hey, if you’ve been enjoying what you read here, do me a solid and email the link to The Magical Buffet to others who you think would enjoy it too. Thanks!

Shepherd’s Pie with Dawn Hunt

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink, Guest Authors, Magic/Occult, Wiccan/Pagan

By Dawn Hunt

Readers may remember that back in October I went to the wonderful Celebrate Samhain event in Peterborough, NH. While there I caught the end of Dawn Hunt’s presentation “Kitchen Witch Workshop”, and regretted not being there from the beginning. However, I started pondering what, if anything, I wanted to do to acknowledge the approaching Yule and Christmas season. Last year the totally awesome Alice Diehl wrote about holiday horror films, but sadly, I don’t think that niche has expanded enough in the passing year to address the subject matter again. Then I remembered Dawn Hunt, and the fact that I love food, and thus my cunning plan of obtaining a seasonal article and a new recipe came to fruition!

Winter. The cold nights keep us in our homes toasty warm on the sofa with a mug of hot chocolate and as the wind howls on our window panes. A fire in the hearth and our favorite holiday music in the air reminds us of childhood traditions. Somehow we all have a calling to the Kitchen to stir, bake, melt, sauté and roast. We wait all year long for December; when we can indulge in sweets, savories and our “only-during-the-holiday’s” and “handed-down-for-generations” recipes. Even though seasonal cooking is a must in my sacred Kitchen it seems to hold a bit more magic during the dark time leading up to and through Yule.

So how does a Kitchen Witch celebrate the “Most Wonderful Time of the Year”? Because Kitchen Witchery encompasses so many different forms of food magic there is no end to the wonders holiday cooking can bring to your home. Whether you want to tap into the innate magical properties of the food, use it as a symbol or just amp up the spiritual nutrition of your recipes with positive and joyful intentions, the possibilities are endless.

Family traditions play a huge roll during the holidays. So many of my family’s old Christmas traditions and recipes have made their way into my holiday season that the season would not feel complete without them. Think about your holiday traditions and your favorite childhood memories from this cold season of joy. What do you see in your mind’s eye? I see my family scrunch around my grandmother’s too-small dining room table. I am sitting at the card table that has been deemed “the Kids table” and the smell of fresh tomato sauce wafting through the air laced with the hint of roasted ham that will be the second course. I can remember how decorating the sugar cookies was my favorite part (and still is) of the cookie baking process no matter how much my hands hurt from squeezing the pastry bag full of colorful icing. The memory of my father-in-law smiling as he took a bite of the very first Christmas Eve dinner I made for the family sticks out in my mind as one of the happiest I have. All of these moments revolve around food, cooking and the dinner table.

The preparing and sharing of food is such a wonderful way to bring people together. By putting your intentions in the food, or using simple spell, or seasonal recipes you can share a bit of your craft with your loved ones. For someone like me, who was raised in a very traditional Italian Catholic family and now celebrates both the joyous celebration of the Winter Solstice as well as the Christmas holiday season, creating a meal or a dish to share I can bring a bit of my Yule celebration to Christmas dinner and enjoy the spirit of both holidays with my family. My mother always asks me to bring a salad for Christmas dinner. I know this does not sound very impressive. I mean really, who is thinking about salad when there are so many other decadent choices around the table. But my father, who is vehemently against anything green or healthy, gobbles up and goes back for seconds on my Winter Salad. Does he know that I am crumbling the gorgonzola cheese over the greens as a sympathetic magic spell to symbolize the blankets of snow that cover the green earth? Or that the cranberries hold protective powers to keep him safe through the winter months? No, but I do. And sharing a magical meal with the ones I love is the best gift I can give.

Holiday recipes range from cookies to pies to the secret herbs and spices that the turkey is cooked in. But what about all those meals leading up to the big feast of celebration. For me, the holiday food is not just for the one day but starting just after Thanksgiving. The air is cold and the need to make soups and roasts and sweet breads pretty much consumes me! This year, immediately following our first out of state Thanksgiving I just could not wait to begin the cozy nights of Winter. The tree went up and with it all the glitter, lights and ornaments that our kitties will spend the next month trying to bat off their branches. Pine scented candles were lit and I donned my ritual apron with a stag and a sun drawn on it as I prepared the first feast of the holiday season: Shepherd’s Pie.

Shepherd’s Pie is a traditional food that is great for many cold month celebrations; particularly during the festivities of Yule. This is my twist on it that will be featured in my upcoming compilation cookbook with Christopher Penczak and the Temple of Witchcraft: “Tastes of the Temple” published by Copper Cauldron Publishing. It serves 4-6 really nicely so it is ideal for gatherings and celebrations. Remember as you are cooking it that the potatoes have grounding and rooting energy. Envision being connected with the Earth and picture yourself fully grounded as you peel and mash the potatoes. Also, tap into the wisdom energy of the sage when you are putting it in the meat mixture. Sage will help you focus on answers to questions you might have. Share this hearty dish on a cold night or after a long day of hanging lights and shoveling snow. Let its warmth hug you, and your family, from the inside.

Filling
2 lbs lean ground beef/bison or lamb (or any combination of these)
1 large onion chopped fine
2 carrots diced
1 cup frozen peas
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (gluten free flour may be substituted)
1 cup beef broth
1 15oz can chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 table spoon chopped fresh sage (or 2 tsp dried)
1 table spoon chopped fresh rosemary (or 2 tsp dried)

Potato topping
4-5 large potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
2 (or to taste) table spoons butter or margarine
¼ cup milk (more if potatoes are too thick or lumpy)
2oz cream cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, boil the potatoes until tender. Meanwhile preheat oven to 400.

While potatoes are cooking place meat in a large sauce pan or very large skillet. Cook, stirring until meat has browned and is cooked though. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic. Continue cooking about 10 minutes or until onions have softened. Stir in flour, beef broth, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and herbs. Simmer about 25- 30 minutes until thickened. By this time the potatoes should be ready to be mashed. Drain potatoes and add margarine, milk, cream cheese, sour cream, parsley salt and pepper. Mash until potatoes are creamy and smooth, add more milk as necessary. Set aside. When meat mixture is done cooking remove to oven safe baking pan. A large pan such as you might use for lasagna will do the trick. Spoon the mashed potatoes gently on top of the meat mixture and smooth with the back side of a large spoon. Be sure to spread the potatoes so that no meat mixture is visible from the top. Place pan on a cookie sheet or aluminum foil (to prevent spilling in the oven) in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown.

About Dawn:
Dawn Hunt is the owner/president of Cucina Aurora Kitchen Witchery. Her products include everything from Herb and Energy infused olive oils to cooking tools. Her self-published cookbook has sold more than 250 copies in 6 months. She is currently working on a compilation Cookbook with Christopher Penczak and the Temple of Witchcraft called “Tastes of the Temple” due out in 2011. She teaches classes on Kitchen Witchery, Food Magic, and Seasonal Cooking on the East Coast. To find out more information, to purchase products, or for booking visit www.CucinaAurora.com.

10 Questions with Dr. Bob Curran

by Administrator, posted in Creatures, Interviews, Magic/Occult, Religion

1. I love your latest book “Man-Made Monsters: A Field Guide to Golems, Patchwork Soldiers, Homunculi, and Other Created Creatures”. I was amazed to find so many different types of “created creatures”! Were you surprised to learn what a vast topic this was?

I suppose the answer to this question is both yes and no. I was well aware that the notion of “created creatures” was prevalent in both folklore and history but I suppose I hadn’t realized just how prevalent. When I was asked to write the book by the publisher, I initially had of course in the back of my mind, the idea of Frankenstein and so forth but as I thought more about it, other ideas began to pop up – the Golem, homunculi etc. Maybe we’ve become so used to the idea of Frankenstein, mainly through popular culture, that a lot of these other ideas get pushed to the side – but they’re still there. The idea of being able to create life for them selves, independent of any Supreme Bring, seems to have intrigued our ancestors down the years and this has manifested itself through the folklore and traditions of groups and civilizations in the past. So it’s not really surprising that the topic is an extremely vast.

2. Your book is a reasonable, respectable 185 pages. With such an interesting and diverse topic to discuss, was it hard to not end up writing a gigantic tomb? Did a lot need to be cut throughout the editing process?

This of course leads on from my first point. Because the idea of life-creation is so fundamental to us, it has generated a great deal of speculation – scientific, literary and folkloric – all as you rightly say very diverse in both scope and nature. Therefore, when I was researching the topic I came up with a massive amount of information and I think, if I had not been limited, I could have written a book which was twice as long. Before I finally submitted it to the publisher I had to go through a fairly rigorous editing process which cut out some rather interesting material which unfortunately had to be sacrificed. And of course I should pay tribute to my publishing editor, Gina, who did a first class job as ever. There’s always the possibility of another book in order to use the edited material you know!

3. In discussing probably the most iconic of man-made monsters, Dr. Frankenstein’s monster, you tell the tale of Giovanni Aldini, Mr. Pass, and George Foster, and how their story may have influenced and informed Mary Shelley when writing “Frankenstein”. It’s such a fascinating tale, have you considered turning your section about the trio into a screen play?

I’m glad you found the story of Giovani Aldini, the tragic George Foster and the mysterious Mr. Pass – possibly one of the influences for Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” – so fascinating. I found it so myself, possibly because of the colorful characters and the development of the story itself. In fact I would agree with you that there is the basis there for a novel or a film – all the elements are in place. I think there have been a couple of drama-documentaries made for television but they were very short and perhaps didn’t do full justice to the subject. But yes, turning the section into a screenplay is certainly an idea worth thinking about. Judging by the response I’ve received from some of the readers it would certainly be a hit.

4. When doing research for “Man-Made Monsters”, were you surprised to find so many stories of created creatures linked to religions?

Not really. One of the most fundamental questions which man has faced down the centuries is “Who or what created me?” or much broader terms “How did life – both human and animal – come about?” For many people the answer was linked to some sort of supernatural belief. This has often been linked into the idea of a Creator Being which usually forms the basis of religious ideology. Thus in, say, Judaism and Christianity, the idea that man was created by God “from the dust of the earth” is taken as a fundamental principle and is still accepted by many people today. The question then arises – “Can man also create beings – with or without the help of a Supreme Being?” . The answer in some circles seems to have been “yes” but not as perfectly as those which the Supreme Being had created. This of course led to the fear that the beings so created would be monsters. But the root of that belief and fear lay in a religious perception and I don’t really think that the idea of life-creation can be easily disentangled from religion.

5. Do you think there is something to learn about humanity by studying our history and fascination with creating life outside of the natural order?

I certainly think that there’s something to be learned by studying these legends and beliefs which is why I think I write about them. All these old legends – not just those about the creation of life outside the natural order but also those about vampires, werewolves and other terrors – address very fundamental questions and provide an interpretation of the world which out ancestors used with the information that they had available to them. In this respect, these old stories and legends are in many respects as important as the actual historical documentation that has come down to us because they provide an insight into the thought processes of former times. This is what I try to explore in my books and I think the question is not “Do these things exist or have they happened?” but “Why do we want to believe in them or that they happened?” Many of these so-called “horrors” have continued to fascinate us both in books and film for many, many years. I think if we explore further into any of these subjects, it tells us a bit more about ourselves.

6. Out of the diverse bunch of man-made monsters you discuss in your book, which one is your favorite and why?

I don’t think I have a particular favorite since all of these beings interest me. Of course, I was intrigued by the myth of Frankenstein, simply because it’s so culturally known and I had read Mary Shelly’s iconic book many years ago. As well as that I’d watched all the old Frankenstein black and white films , and it had always intrigued me. But then I was also interested in the Golem and in the works of the early alchemists. And as I dug more deeply, researching the book, I came across more and more interesting things – ancient mechanisms and mechanical beings for example – and as I looked at them, the more my interest grew. So I suppose asking me to choose between them is like asking me to choose between my children – all have their own differences and fascinations so it’s really impossible for me to pick. If I was actually forced to, I would perhaps say Frankenstein, mainly because of the interesting story of Giovanni Aldini, but I’m not really sure.

7. One of my favorite creatures discussed in your book is the Golem. Can you tell my readers a little bit about them?

The Golem springs from Jewish tradition and folklore. Once again it addresses the question – “Can Humanity itself create life?” – which taxed certain of the early Hebrew thinkers. The answer was that Mankind might be able to create life but that it would do so imperfectly. Even God, it was suggested, had created an imperfect prototype – Adam Kadmon – before He actually created Adam. The Golem was a large man-like figure which was created out of clay but had only a limited intelligence. It could only be created by the holiest rabbis, using a formula which had been learned directly from God Himself, through the secret Book of Creation (the Sefer Yetzirah). Part of the formula was to write the word or a number of signs (aleph) emet (meaning “truth”) on its forehead or on a clay tablet which was placed under the figure’s tongue and this would bring it to life. In some cases the word was supposedly written in the rabbis own blood. However, it should be stressed that the word alone would not give life but the accompanying rituals and observances. In order to destroy the Golem, the first aleph was removed leaving met (meaning “dirt” or “inert matter”) whereupon the Golem would crumble and return to dust. A number of extremely holy rabbis allegedly created Golems but not one was really able to control them properly. The most famous Golem was said to have been created by Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the Maharal of Prague (c1520- 1609). The creature was created at a time of great Jewish persecutions by Christians in Prague by Rudolph II, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor and was designed to protect the Jewish community. However, the Golem became too powerful and began to develop a consciousness of its own (as some of them were said to have done) and began to attack the Christian quarter of the city, killing many Christians there. The Marharal was forced to confront the creature on the steps of what is now the Old New Synagogue in Prague. According to one version of the tale, Rabbi Loew tricked the Golem into either bowing down or opening its mouth to sing Psalm 92 (which was being sung when the Golem arrived) and removing the clay tablet. However the Golem did not return to dust but rather remained inert and was stored in the geniza (a place where religious documents are kept) of the synagogue. It is supposedly there to this day. There are many stories around it such as one that in World War II it attacked Nazi soldiers who were going to destroy the synagogue. Indeed today the Chief Rabbi of Prague, Karel Sidon, receives hundreds to requests to visit the geniza of the Old New Synagogue to see if the Golem is there – all of which are refused. However, the Golem is still a figure of Jewish folklore and one which I, like yourself, found particularly intriguing.

8. Swamp Thing: Alex Olsen, Alec Holland, or an elemental entity that mistakenly thinks it’s Alec Holland?

Like yourself, perhaps, I was a fan of DC Comics – I still maintain a great interest in them – and picked up on the Swamp Thing in the early days. I haven’t been following it recently though, although I think it’s still going in various forms. It’s an intriguing entity because it looks at a number of issues. As you quite rightly point out, there were all sorts of entities which were believed in many cultures to lives in the various swamps and marshes of several countries. So it could be places in one of those categories. There were, however, too creatures which lived particularly in parts of America during the 1800s which were said to be the spawn of swamp creatures and runaway slaves. Some were said to be genetic mutations caused by inbreeding amongst settlers in the deep swamplands. Such beings were supposedly prevalent in the Louisiana and Florida swamps and were supposed to attack travelers who came through their area. Later, as cultural referents changed, these became the supposed results of scientific/genetic experimentation which are said to be still there. Even in places such as Michigan and in the Kirtland area of Cleveland, Ohio we find legends of the “Melon Heads” which are said to be the result of experimentation . So these elements also feature in the idea of the Swamp Thing. When we first talked about Man Made Monsters, I talked with the publisher about including such things, even Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde but it was agreed that we would keep it to easily identifiable creatures for this book. But you never know, there may be another book on the subject further along the line and then I may get round to tackling the iconic image of Dr. Alec Holland.

9. What’s your next project my readers can look forward to?

We’re looking at a number of options at the moment. This year I’ve produced about four or five books – some in America, some elsewhere and in a number of languages – and I’m taking a little bit of a breather in the run-down to Christmas and take a bit of time with my family. I’m also doing some comic work – I used to work scripting comics – and book design, so I’m not really idle. But I’m still talking about a new book, particularly with New Page, but I don’t want to say too much as the ideas are still being considered. But one thing I will say – here will be a new book out next year and I think I will be part of an anthology which is coming out from New Page. I’ve been asked to contribute and the contribution is already written. So watch this space!

10. Parting shot! Ask us here at The Magical Buffet any one question.

O.K. Is there really a Santa Claus?

Absolutely, because I believe in justice, mercy, and duty.

Perhaps I should explain, my answer is informed from my reading of “The Hogfather” by Terry Pratchett. In it Death and his granddaughter Susan work together to save the Hogfather or else the sun would not rise. Pratchett’s Death (who speaks all in capital letters) starts:

      WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HADN’T SAVED HIM?
      “Yes! The sun would have risen just the same, yes?”
      NO.
      “Oh come on. You can’t expect me to believe that. It’s an astronomical fact.”
      THE SUN WOULD NOT HAVE RISEN.
      She turned on him.
      “It’s been a long night, Grandfather! I’m tired and I need a bath! I don’t need this silliness!”
      THE SUN WOULD NOT HAVE RISEN.
      “Really? Then what would have happened, pray?”
      A MERE BALL OF FLAMING GAS WOULD HAVE ILLUMINATED THE WORLD.
      They walked in silence for a moment.
      “Ah,” said Susan dully. “Trickery with words. I would have thought you’d have been more literal-minded than that.”
      I AM NOTHING IF NOT LITERAL-MINDED. TRICKERY WITH WORDS IS WHERE HUMANS LIVE.
      “All right,” said Susan. “I’m not stupid. You’re saying humans need…fantasies to make life bearable.”
      REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.
      “Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little – “
      YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.
      “So we can believe the big ones?”
      YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.
      “They’re not the same at all!”
      YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET – Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.
      “Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what’s the point – “
      MY POINT EXACTLY.

So yes Dr. Curran, there absolutely really is a Santa Claus.

About Dr. Curran:
Dr. Bob Curran was born and raised in a remote mountain area of County Down in Northern Ireland. Leaving school at 14, he worked in a number of jobs including gravedigger, lorry driver, professional musician, journalist, and even as a scripter of comics. He traveled extensively in many countries before returning home to settle down and work in the Civil Service. Later, he went to University where he obtained degrees in education, history, and educational psychology, whereupon graduating as a teacher.

Although he still teaches, much of his work is now regarding community development within Northern Ireland. In this capacity, he acts as a consultant to a number of cultural bodies within the Province. He deals with cross‐border matters with the Irish Republic, working for the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland.

Sitting on a number of cultural committees, Curran has also worked directly as a governmental advisor and as a consultant to several bodies which have been set up by other governments. He also acts as a consultant to a number of tourism companies, giving lectures and conducting tours on many topics of local and national Irish history.

As a writer, Curran has been extremely prolific and has approximately 38 books to his name mainly on the subjects of history and culture. In addition, he has a number of works published in other languages including Japanese, Italian, French, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain and Mexico), German, Urdu and Latvian. He has also served as a contributor and consultant to various radio and television programs both for private companies and national networks.

Married and with a young family, Curran continues to live in Northern Ireland on the picturesque North Derry coast, not far from the celebrated Giant’s Causeway.

To see all of his work available from New Page Books, visit their website.