Noir at the Bar 2--the Anthology!

There's a trailer for the second Noir at the Bar anthology, edited by Jedidiah Ayres and, nominally, by me. Featuring a whole bunch of terrific writers and filthy stories!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1-5A1V0Oag&feature=youtu.be

Unfortunately Blogspot won't let me upload the video itself for reasons I don't quite understand. The music is by Modern Silent Cinema, also known as Cullen Gallagher! Here's the cover by Erik Lundy:

And it's available at Subterranean Books at 6275Delmar in St. Louis MO, or from the link below:

http://store.subbooks.com/product/noir-bar-volume-2

Creepy Creepy Old West Waxwork Figures

 These used to be at the always fascinating Pink Elephant Antique Mall in Livingston, IL, where I have picked up many an interesting bit of Americana.
 
I think they came from a wax museum or Old West theme park that went out of business. They weren't in the best of shape by the time I took these pics.

I think this one's supposed to be Jesse or Frank James. His shirt needs washing, in either case.

 Those gloves are empty! Plus the left arm seems to have become disconnected from the shoulder, adding to the walking-dead vibe.

Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley are somewhat better preserved, at least from a few feet away.

Uh-oh--that buckskin's looking a little frayed. Let's get a better look at Miss Jane-- 

 Good lord! She has the eyebrows of a Yeti! Let's look a bit closer at Bill:

GAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaahhhhHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Back away, hellspawn!

 That's better. A little better. Still he looks like a cadaver painted up by a frontier undertaker after a week in the hot sun.

 And this feller was the only one not for sale (see sign.) He's the only one not made of wax, and he has his own wheelchair!

 I suspect this is why he wasn't for sale: Look at his mouth. Peer inside. Yes, that's right--he talks!
I took these pictures a few years ago, and the other figures are gone--probably sold--

--but the Old Timer is still there at the Pink Elephant, greeting customers as they come in through the door. Pay him a visit if you're traveling I-55 through Illinois.

Used Thrift-Store Underwear for the Discerning Woman

Today was supposed to be the day I thrilled you with some vintage erotica from the 1930s. Unfortunately, the lab I used only scanned one-half of the stereoscopic glass slide , thereby robbing you, my loyal readers, of the full 3-D experience! And so while I return to the lab to explain to them the concept of stereoscopic photography, I present a slightly less exotic but still titillating spectacle:

 Yes, somewhere in eastern Kansas is a flea market selling used underwear! And cheap used underwear at that.

 In case the fifty-cent bras don't meet with your standards of excellence, here are some fancier ones hanging on the wall.

 The lady who runs the place is very sweet so I'm not going to name the town here. But boy howdy, ladies, if you're ever traveling through the Sunflower State and you run out of underwear, you could do worse than hitting the thrift stores.

Four unusual gifts, in order of strangeness: Part Three

Actually "Four Unusual Gifts" is misleading, since one big padded manila envelope from the redoubtable Christa Faust contained multitudes. If you're reading this blog you are probably familiar with Doc Faust, author of many fine tomes, most notably "Money Shot" and the forthcoming "Choke Hold," among many others. (And if you're not, get your ass in gear! I have spoken.) This envelope contained several choice morsels of (gulp) vintage erotica, mostly of the S&M variety and most of which I can't post on this blog without putting up an "Adults Only!" portal. To say that I was delighted upon opening this cornucopia of illicit thrills is to understate the case considerably. Penetrating commentary! And one of them ""Punished Peepers," with illustrations by the great Bill Ward, comes with a large, unidentifiable stain.

Next: the weirdest present I ever received, ever. Really.