This doo-wah ditty may sound carefree at first listen, but don’t be fooled: Artist Paul Gailiunas sings of pure horror, of the ages-old struggle between man and nature, of a regular guy just tryin’ to live the suburban dream but subject to tyranny in his own back yard. Even the cats lurk with caution, casting a circumspect almond eye to the treetops.
You might sway and tap your foot; you might even sing along. But when you walk outside, what nightmare awaits you, acorns of doom poised in its terrible claws?
Vampires, zombies and… headphones? Oh My! Today’s treat is six new drawings by Nyssa Oru, Gothtober’s youngest independent artist, accompanied by the sticky black goth tunes of Josh Fielstra.
Nyssa’s been drawing most of her life, and we’re thrilled that she offered to make 6 brand new never before seen pieces for the calendar. They are of a romantic/musical nature, in keeping with this year’s loose theme.
Nyssa is a high school art student, and wishes she owned a tarantula named Bob. Her Mom’s not really into gigantic hairy arachnid-type creatures, however, so it’ll have to wait for now.
In Big Loud ‘n’ Orange, two men embark on a little transit improvement project they call “Bustober.” Alex Kenefick and Eric Potter—respectively armed with a clipboard and a boom mic—await the arrival of Metro buses ripe for Halloweenification. Viewers are also treated to entrancing, interstitial montages of Christina Aguilera, David Allen Grier and Angel‘s David Boreanaz moving through a pumpkin patch.
Though it may at first seem like a surreal and even disconcerting melange of imagery, this project has all the makings of a successful urban redevelopment venture: mass transit, grassroots activism, star power, kids and farm-fresh produce. It should come as no surprise that the video’s creator, Alex Kenefick, is in fact a seasoned urban planner and transportation activist.
We had a chance to interview Mr. Kenefick, who says that a total of 15 to 20 Metro buses were “improved” in Operation Bustober. He equates Metro buses to the ultimate Haunted Boombox: “They’re big, they’re loud, and they’re orange.”
We also inquired about the meaning of the gourd-navigating stars. “It’s Halloween in L.A.,” said Kenefick. “I could have put normal people in the pumpkin patch, but I figured celebrities were just better.”
Well, it wouldn’t be HUMP DAY without some proper scantily-clad, gender-bending, boundary-crossing, experimental fashion! Today’s piece by Xkiller showcases a most unusual fashion show from a few years back, and yet the motifs are unimpeachably timeless: pin stripes, golf plaids, torn shirts and bloody fist fights. Does the devil wear Prada? No, I think she dons an Xkiller tee and a fresh black eye.
You know it’s October when you’re drinking cocktails involving candycorn-infused vodka. You heard me. And that’s just one of THREE amazing, haunted cocktail recipes offered by restaurateur Ben Ling. He also provides a handy guide to making an en-GROSS-ing cocktail garnish that very closely resembles an eyeball, but much more delicious. How many recipes do you have that include the instruction, “stuff eyeball into socket”? Hmmm? Well, now you have exactly one. Bottoms up!
If you’re on a diet, or 3D gives you a headache, then Day 4 is for you! Need some choice material for your next book report, or just looking to curl up by the fire with a good read? Check out Xochitl Oliva’s “Scary Stories for Monsters Large and Small,” a comprehensive reading list compiled by an ACTUAL LIBRARIAN. Yes, this one’s professionally certified! From spooky picture books for your tiny tots, to chilling tomes for the grownups (including a certain popular zombie book), Xochitl’s got your literary needs covered.
But wait, there’s more! You can also download cut+color Monster Mash Puppet Crafts designed by Juliana Sankaran-Felix. You get TWO features in ONE day! Now, that’s the value-added service you’ve come to expect from Gothtober. Enjoy!
Trying to come up with something edibly creative has been the challenge for the SloCooking crew these past few years. This year was no different, with the added challenge of working with a music theme!
But never fear – zombies arise and musical chocolate was created – much to the joy of the four-year-old in the house.
Today’s film is a technological tour de force in countdown calendar films. You can watch Cristin Pescosolido’s film “Swifty and the Atomo-Flora” in 3-D! All you need are a pair of the classic red and greenish/bluish glasses, and you can see the eye-popping action fly out at you!
Shot with an HD 3-D camcorder, observe what happens when a visitor from another planet decides to visit our earth!
The bright, pumpkin-colored costume is off of Tom Swift and His Subocean Geotron. To create “Swifty,” Cristin used orange kite fabric and an excel spreadsheet to help calculate the roundness of each piece of fabric to make an inflatable sphere. Cristin sewed the costume together. Air intakes at the bottom of the suit help fans that sit in mesh pockets within the geotron.
You also might notice that the film has only ONE actor, and that’s not a typo. Using her mad digital-compositing skills, Cristin duplicated Jennifer Howard (in the white hazmat suit) running out of the tunnel approximately 7 – 8 times to get the desired effect of a gang of people running. Jen Howard plays Swifty as well.
Chris Morgan, composer, says “I just started playing around with ideas for fun, and ended up with the following, which incorporates elements such as an homage to the dire straits “money for nothing” drum fill, cyber-stripper doo-wop music, police radios and the swiss-made hang drum.”
Gothtober Fun Fact: You can find Swifty’s earlier adventures behind DOOR 2 of both Gothtober 2005 and 2006 in the archives.
This doo-wah ditty may sound carefree at first listen, but don’t be fooled: Artist Paul Gailiunas sings of pure horror, of the ages-old struggle between man and nature, of a regular guy just tryin’ to live the suburban dream but subject to tyranny in his own back yard. Even the cats lurk with caution, casting a circumspect almond eye to the treetops.
