Goldschmutz White Bean Zombie

Made a new video with the kid this weekend, Goldschmutz White Bean Zombie, with Bela Lugosi, bodhran and white bean soundtrack:

(Uses footage from White Zombie, which is allegedly no longer under copyright, and footage Gamma shot in and near Vienna a while back.)

Subscope theremins

This guy makes the most awesome-looking theremins I’ve ever seen. Apparently each one is unique. They seem to sound pretty good as well, to the extent that one can judge that from online sound samples.

Teenaged beach blanket vampire

(Gamma surprised me twice in connection with this song, first by letting me talk her into recording the vocals, and then again by taking the lyrics and recording a completely different version with a friend.)

Travelkind

My daughter Beta is currently eating durian in Singapore, en route to Australia, where she will be drinking Foster’s, I presume. If you don’t believe me, you can read about it at her new travelblog.

In Beta’s honor, I have changed the rules to this year’s limerick contest to require Australian place names, among other things.

I miss her already.

Quick, while there’s still time

Go name a Madagascar hissing cockroach after a loved one for Valentine’s Day.

(I named one after Beta last year and she was so happy)

Now what?

Mr. Cordyceps is all WTF?

In other words, I suppose, he is at a loss. It’s like, when he was 40 he was all, oh no, I’m getting old and so on, but he got over it and life went on. And then people close to him died and he got sad about that and unbeknownst to him sadness, or grief, became what sustained him.

He was a big drag to be around, to those who loved him.

He just sat around and moped and had no friends and was comfy behind this shell of grief.

Then a friend gave him an old accordeon and he played it and you know what? He realized he was out of grief.

He wasn’t sad anymore. He was still old, and tired, and overwhelmed by reality and bitter that no one had implemented his utopian visions, but he wasn’t sad.

He walked down the street thinking, gee the light is beautiful today.

He took a music lesson thinking, this is going very well, I’m glad I didn’t quit.

Reality continued to teach him lesson after lesson, but at least his ears were open now, and eyes.

He got on the bathroom scales and saw he’d lost a kilo. Then he noticed it was set to -1 instead of 0. Well, at least I didn’t gain a kilo, he thought.

He had a strong feeling that his life was over. And yet it continued. So maybe it wasn’t over.

Goldschmutz hypnose

Just uploaded this. Used recordings of my new accordeon, and a drum track, heavily altered. It seems quite loud to me, so maybe turn your speakers down before you start it. I’m still figuring out recording etc.