Going, Going, GONER

And now, a seasonal, hot-weather update from THE SPOOK LIGHTS!

We're still mid-recording, chipping away at this thing slowly but surely. Despite some unforeseen delays in the creative process, I fully expect that we'll be mixing this thing by the time the leaves turn brown.

Meanwhile: is anyone interested in a copy of our 7-inch? Red vinyl, screenprinted covers, and two great songs for the low-low price of FREE! I've got a handful of them to give away, mostly because I just want to get the songs into circulation, so if you want a copy or know of a good place to send one, drop me a line in the comments and we'll work out the details...

In other news, Curvacia and I got our 4-day passes to this year's GONERFEST, which means our Autumn just got 100% more Memphis-y! It pains me to report that we'll have to bow out of our opening spot with the OHSEES that same week (SADNESS!!!!) -- but it's a small price to pay for seeing the holy trifecta of OBLIVIANS, NEW BOMB TURKS, and motherfucking GUITAR WOLF!

This will be my first experience with them since the death/ reincarnation of Bass Wolf-- but if the new lineup is even HALF as solid as the version I saw ten years back (when they rolled through town with THE CRAMPS, no less!), our money will be more than well spent.



If you haven't seen SORE LOSERS, the movie these clips were taken from yet, do yourself a favor. Director John Michael McCarthy toured this movie and its follow up, SUPERSTARLET AD through Lawrence a decade or so back... The idea of touring an underground movie through rock clubs like a band was a pretty inspirational concept to me at the time. His newest pic, THE CIGARETTE GIRL, looks pretty astounding as well:

PSS: If anyone is interested, here's a bunch of pictures from last year's Memphis trip-- a pilgrimage to see the almighty GORIES in action!-- CLICK HERE and browse away. Hopefully this trip is just as rocking but with less car-hitting-deer action.

One Flew East, One Flew West

So... The GLORE PSYCHIATRIC MUSEUM. Located in sunny St. Joseph, MO. Curvacia and I made a pilgrimage three or four years back to investigate. Here are the pictures to prove it.

(BACKGROUND: The Glore is housed in a former state mental hospital. Half of the grounds have been converted for museum space, the other half is now a minimum security prison. There used to be a thrift store in the basement, but unfortunately it was no longer in business at the time of this visit. And I think the use of old department store mannequins in the shock therapy displays seems positively Lynchian, don't you?)










This collection of nails, buttons, and safety pins was removed from an inmates stomach, post-mortem:

Kong Awaits!

I was jolted last year by THIS POST at Secret Fun Spot. As a child, Dinosaur World (or Land of Kong as it was then known) was the site of my fondest vacation memories. My parents took us there on a whim after visiting Silver Dollar City (a spectacle which deserves an entire blog of its own someday) and my child-brain was immediately melted by the SHEER AWESOME POWER of it all. Even as an adult, reflecting on that vacation, I always had trouble believing that something that incredible could ever exist in the world... So, of course, I convinced Curvacia to revisit the magic with me.

It took some searching, but we finally found it, buried deep in the hills of northern Arkansas. Little did I know our visit to Dinosaur World would be one of the last visits anyone would pay there, ever.