Category Archive for Nightcrawling
NEW YORK STEAMPUNK HAUNTED HOUSE: HALLOWEEN HORROR SHOW ART PERFORMANCE, HENRY STREET SETTLEMENT.
I wasn’t kidding when I said I celebrated Halloween for five days straight this year. On Day 1 (Oct 28), I was invited to check out the Steampunk Haunted House at Abrons Arts Center (Henry Street Settlement). A brilliant concept: building a fright-house with clockwork and gears.
“Hold onto me,” said my agent as we crept down a narrow, ominous hallway. BLAM: a ghoul in a gas mask ran after us, scraping a shovel against the wall so that sparks flew. In front of us: another gas-masked man in a vest and top hat, holding a lantern that went out — pitch black. Lights on, showing he had moved backward… Lights off, lights on and he was now standing behind us!
As we ran deeper into the steampunk haunted house, the scenes became less about screaming and more about the beautiful (though ominous) steampunk aesthetic. Two white ghosts, slightly cute, frantically swept their house and then tore off their sheets — they were giant spiders! A woman’s torso in a glass box, her body wrapped in white gauze and one eye covered with a brass device. A disembodied hand held out theater tickets; when we snatched them, an accordion player in brass goggles cranked a haunting tune while a Lolita-esque girl danced. Our favorite was the vintage theater: frozen Victorian mannequins and girls in toxic masks crawling barefoot over the seats; the stage illuminated a 1920s man on a clanging mad scientist bicycle while two undead ballerinas draped themselves over the stage. In the last nightmare, a red-haired woman sang and undulated her long, spindly metal legs. While we were distracted, a group of undead children crawled out from under a gate and surrounded us, closer, closer…
It wasn’t quite Halloween — but do I ever need an excuse to dress up? My scarred makeup is inspired by Sally, the heroine from Nightmare Before Christmas. (I was dying to see the movie in 3D but missed it by a day…). My sweater is Black Peace Now from Closet Child. The ridiculous silver and black witch’s hat is from the Philadelphia Kimmel Center gift shop. It was one of those things that I simply had to own. When you squeeze the bat that dangles from the tip, it emits spooky music! (Oooo-eeee-oooo-eee-oooo…)
Don’t forget to tell me your dream theme cafe to win an autographed Tokyo Theme Restaurants book. What do you think of the newly-released extended Alice in Wonderland trailer? I think I’m more excited for the Tim Burton retrospective at the New York MoMA, which opens November 22.
Song of the Day #234: Despair – Dance of The Murder (A Japanese underground goth/electro band heartily recommended by Kanae.)
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JAPANESE ABSINTHE: GOTH SKULLS DIVE BAR IN TOKYO, BAR BREADLINE. BUYING & CARRYING LEGAL ABSINTHE IN JAPAN.
Is absinthe legal in Japan? It surely is! There’s even a bar in the outskirts of Tokyo dedicated to every permutation of the dreamy green fairy.
Between the Alcatraz ER theme restaurant shoot with Andrew Zimmern and the Department H party, a few of the spooky kids and I went to an absinthe bar: Bar Breadline in Renkon/Hasune (a short subway ride from Sugamo).
The tiny dive was under a dangerous flight of stairs and decorated with skulls — exactly our style. We each tried a different type of absinthe from various countries. Yukiro’s drink had a whopping 69% alcohol content! The bartender also let us try a Japanese brand; Yukiro and I thought it tasted like motor oil, but Lady Raisu found it agreeable.
Absinthe is, of course, the most Gothic of drinks (along with blood red wine). Drunk by fin-du-siecle artists and banned in many countries for the supposedly dangerous wormwood content. I love the ritual of setting a sugar cube on fire and watching the liquid drip into the glass. Then comes the taste of licorice and the feeling that you’re floating. The drink also gives me incredibly vivid, lucid dreams.
As we drifted to the subway, we came across this hilarious poster. It’s a warning against cell phone use in the subways, but the underlying message seems to be: no exposing and touching yourself! (Two of my friends once witnessed exactly that by a young man in a crowded subway…)
Are you an absinthe aficionado? Share your experiences with the Flaming Green Fairy in the comments!
Song of the Day #224: Marilyn Manson – I Put A Spell On You (he’s an absinthe fiend!)
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