MOTW Admin – Page 20 – Museum of the Weird

Posted on August 7, 2014 by MOTW Admin

Hyper-Real Wax Figures by Untrained Creator

I know we’re all waiting with baited breath to see Steve Busti’s latest maniacal creation, “The Chamber of Wax” which will be located at the (now open for retail) SFANTHOR store in the big white castle at 1101 S. Congress in Austin. Just hearing the details about the history of classic monsters that will be detailed there has got me really excited! But in the meantime, check out the fantastic pop creations of Bobby Causey.

Bobby has had no formal training in sculpting or even read a book on the topic. “I just know what needs to be done and I do it,” said Bobby. “What I can say for sure is, I would start with NSP (Non Sulfurated Plasteline) Medium Clay, a shit-load of photo reference, and a desire to sculpt the person you are going to be sculpting.”

Although he gets offers to work on new films, it’s creating memorable pop culture figures that motivates him to work. “Basically, the only guide I have is the person, or my subject; I know what she looks like and I have to not only try to get a great likeness but also alive with feeling or thought,”. Bobby also does famous movie vehicles, like the Batmobile, with just as much impressive detail as his wax figures.

“For instance, if I sculpted an old man with his eye closed, and made him creepy-looking and called it ‘The Mortician’, the feeling would not be near as strong as watching Angus Scrimm as The Tall Man in the movie Phantasm. The emotions were already placed by the actor and the filmmakers,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, eventually I would like to do some original art works, but for now I really enjoy the movies and the actors I sculpt.”

Works for me, Bobby. Unfortunately, there’s no gallery right now to see his works. Pretty much as soon as he finishes a piece he donates it to a charity. Talented, kind, and dare I say, pretty handsome to boot. Hey Steve Busti, can we reclassify the store as a charity? Maybe we could get Bob to donate some of these awesome pieces to us.

You can see impressive galleries of Bobby’s work here at his website.

Posted on August 4, 2014 by MOTW Admin

Miley Cyrus Hires Dog Psychic To Contact Her Pet from the Beyond

I get it; the death of a beloved pet is a terrible, terrible experience (probably more so for the pet, but you know what I mean). I’d be the last to criticize pop star Miley Cyrus for being completely down in the dumps over the very premature death of her beloved pet pal Floyd. I mean, look at that picture. SO CUTE! And, I guess, Miley’s not bad either. I’m feeling verklempt for her just LOOKING at that adorable pup. But, there’s mourning and there’s mourning. Miley might have gone a bit too far for my tastes, or tastefulness at all.

First, she and some of her friends that she inexplicably convinced, all got these (awful) Floyd memorial tattoos. I’ve heard that once you start getting inked, it can get addictive and you come up with all sorts of reasons to add to your body art, but this is…well, never mind my opinions. Ok, so you got it out of your system, had his memory permanently marked to your flesh, time to move on…

But no.

Miley now is regularly meeting with a pet psychic to contact Floyd from the other side. Hollywood (shocker) animal medium Melissa Bacelar says: “It was particularly hard as she wasn’t there when Floyd died, so there would have been a huge amount of guilt. I connect with the dog telepathically. Some will give me actual words but, most of the time, I will get images and feelings, which I then pass on to the owner.”

You too can get a pet reading from Melissa for $200 an hour to find out how your departed doggie is doin’ on the other side of the veil. Melissa got her start as an entertainer who regularly appeared in men’s magazines and small films, but when a radio host messed up and thought she was a pet psychic, she decided, “maybe I AM a pet psychic”…and lo…

I feel bad for Miley but she’s REALLY got to get some perspective here or she’s gonna be another one of those child celebrities who burn out young and cry over ridiculous invoices years later when they’re trying to figure out how they’re gonna make rent.

Posted on August 3, 2014 by MOTW Admin

Real-life Cullen Brothers Suffer From Vampiric Syndrome

Ladies, here’s what you’ve been waiting for: the real life Cullens. Ok, so, not very much like Edward Cullen, played famously by the sparkly Robert Pattinson from the “Twilight” films. These unfortunate brothers, Simon and George Cullen from Suffolk suffer from the rare condition known as Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia (HED). Like the fictional (?) vampires, they cannot be exposed to much light, as they have the inability to sweat and can overheat easily. More startlingly, they can never grow a full set of teeth and only have sharp fangs.

The poor kids have had a tough life, as you might expect, with pretty much no going outside during the day, the attention from mean-spirited kids, and not as many shrieking fangirls clamoring for their attention as they may have been led to believe from popular culture. “Kids make fun of the way we look. But our mates think its cool. My friends keep trying to get me to change my name to Edward like the character in the Twilight film.”

The brothers make the best of it: hey, they get to stay in and play video games all day with no complaints. But the eldest, Simon, has had trouble eating with his teeth structure. “We’re hoping he’ll be suitable for a bone graft,” said Mandy. “Part of his jaw will be replaced with bone from his leg, which will have artificial teeth drilled into it. It will be painful, but it will give him a smile and we’re looking forward to it.”

…I think I’d stick with my fangs and soup rather than go through that.

Posted on August 2, 2014 by MOTW Admin

The TV on Typhoid Island

North Brother Island is 2o acres of overgrown woods floating in New York’s East River, between The Bronx and Riker’s Island. Completely uninhabited and designated as a bird sanctuary, the island nonetheless attracts plenty of curious folks because of its lurid history. Not only home to a juvenile detention facility in the 50’s, and the site of a steamship which sank in 1904 killing 1,000 people, but famously the site of Riverside Hospital. which housed victims of extremely contagious diseases, notably Typhoid Mary herself. The creepy mouldering buildings still stand, begging daring visitors to peek inside.

But this isn’t why I’ve called your attention to the site.

A kayaker steered his boat close to shore for some pictures, and he came across this: a flickering TV.

“As I paddled around the southern edge something caught my eye… maybe nothing special but to me it stood out as a unique art installation at the edge of the water. It is simply an old television and a chair set up. Were these objects found on the island? Who will get to see this in such a remote location? Who is the artist and what is their message?”

Apparently a grand piano washed ashore recently as well and is now resting under the Brooklyn Bridge and the ever-guerrila-art-concious New Yorkers are wondering if both oddities are the work of a anonymous artist. Or is it the old dude from Poltergeist setting up shop?

For God’s sake, keep Carol Anne away from the island!

Posted on August 1, 2014 by MOTW Admin

A Record-Breaking 232 Teeth Extracted from Teen’s Mouth

Ever go into the dentist with mouth pain? I did and ended up with a hour long under-the-gums cleaning that still is down in my books as one of the least pleasant experiences of my life. But now I feel like a real wimp.

Meet Ashik Gavai, a 17 year old teen from India who went to see his local physician complaining of pain and swelling in his right jaw. Stunned doctors discovered that his gums were just forming extra teeth like crazy. This “very rare” condition was described by doctors as “a complex composite odontoma where a single gum forms lots of teeth. It’s a sort of benign tumour.”

Thank god it’s extremely rare. And that’s not even the most painful part of the story…

“At first, we couldn’t cut it out so we had to use the basic chisel and hammer to take it out. (editor: !!) Once we opened it, little pearl-like teeth started coming out, one-by-one. Initially, we were collecting them, they were really like small white pearls. But then we started to get tired. We counted 232 teeth.”

Seven hours of surgery…and the result:

Ouchie.

Posted on July 31, 2014 by MOTW Admin

The Long-Lost Bigfoot Board Game

Anybody looking for a present to get Steve Busti (owner of Museum of the Weird)? Well, here ya go, but you’ll probably have to scour some thrift stores and yard sales for some time to track down a copy.

Milton Bradley put out this 4 player board game in 1977 and sadly, time seems to say it wasn’t a big hit (or we’d all have a dusty copy in our closet next to our “Monopoly”, “Life” and “Sorry” games. Here’s the description on the box and of the gameplay from Boardgamegeek.com :

“You and your buddy come to Alaska looking for gold even though the dreadful BigFoot has been sighted in the mountains. Other prospectors and you must avoid crossing paths with the creature or else you must leave the mountains forever.”

The game centers around a model of the BigFoot. 10 plastic disks (5 blank and 5 with the footprint of the Bigfoot) are secretly loaded into the base of the creature. Players start with two tokens of matching color. Each player rolls the dice and must move one of his tokens the full dice count, in either direction. The board features various locations and special action spots. When a player’s token lands on a Bigfoot space, he/she rolls the dice again and moves the creature the full count. If the creature moves over an opponent’s token, a disk is dispensed and if it is a footprint, that player’s token is out of the game. The winner is to be the survivor after Big Foot has removed all other opponents. The game is intended Ages 8 – 14, but it’s fun for adults as well.

Hmm, on second thought, I’m not so sure it would be a good idea to get Steve this. I can see all our employee meetings going on a bit too long when Steve unfolds the board for all of us as a ‘treat’. Perhaps it’s best if we let this one sink into obscurity and legend…

Oh, who am I kidding. Now that Steve’s seen it, nothing can stop him in his quest.

Posted on July 30, 2014 by MOTW Admin

Wednesdays are also weird at the Alamo Ritz!

The Alamo Drafthouse Ritz is right down the street from the Museum of the Weird and just to show how much we love ’em, if you and a friend are heading down to check out their “Weird Wednesday” screenings at 10 pm (ish), you can get your friend into the Museum of the Weird for free! How, you ask? Show up early to pick up your ticket (at least an hour) and bring it into the museum. Show it to the staff, buy an admission for yourself, and your friend gets in with you for free!

With writer/director William Dear in attendance!

“All you gotta do is have long hair, wear colors, and ride a scooter, then everything you do is illegal.” In the wave of biker movies that rolled across American drive-in screens in the late 60s and early 70s, a similar narrative played out over and over: the cops and the bikers will always be at war. NORTHVILLE CEMETERY MASSACRE takes that premise to extremes, framing the bikers as true emblems of freedom and individuality who are repeatedly victims of a violent and corrupt police force. These fun-lovin’ goofballs may have some questionable fashion choices (I’m looking at you, Swastika Joe), but should they be hunted down like wild animals? Like The Wild Bunch on Wheels, a series of violent encounters lights a fuse that eventually explodes in an unforgettable climax. NORTHVILLE CEMETERY MASSACRE will be presented on director William Dear’s personal 35mm print. He will be joining us for a special introduction and Q&A.

Posted on July 24, 2014 by MOTW Admin

Say Hello to the Gigantic Sea Creature, The Ninjen

Say hello to the latest creature on the block in the Cryptid community: The Japanese sea creature called, The Ningen.

First spotted in the 1990s by fishermen who initially thought they had discovered a foreign submarine, the Ninjen was described as 60-90 feet in length and as a “blubbery whale-like creature” only with human-like arms, legs (or sometimes a tail instead) and facial features (only eyes and a mouth). They’ve been spotted in the Antarctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans and are invariably described as being huge and very white and always out at night…because any cryptid worth its salt (water) wouldn’t be caught dead out at noon.

Various stories circulated about the monster but it wasn’t until 2007 when a Japanese magazine called “Mu” published a story about it, that suddenly the world was flooded with sightings, photos, and even a grainy video. Immediately stories began of cover-ups by the Japanese government and even MIB-like folks who warn off those who claim to have seen the Ninjen about telling others their stories. Taking over the web in Japan, much like the (entirely fictional) Slender Man has been over here in the states lately, theories abound from them being alien life to ancient sea gods. I’m just glad to have a new beastie on the block. Time to update the Monster Manual.

Posted on July 23, 2014 by MOTW Admin

Wednesdays are also weird at the Alamo Ritz!

Outrageously stupid dubbed Italian comedy about policeman David Speed, played by comedy spaghetti western icon Terence Hill, who stands a little too close to an exploding nuclear missile. Just as in real life, the exposure to devastating atomic shock waves and high levels of radioactive plutonium gives him super powers. He has telepathy, telekinesis, he can catch bullets in his teeth, jump through walls, fall from great heights with no consequences, walk on water, stop time and pretty much do anything else that’s convenient for the plot. But his powers don’t always work, which leads to some wacky complications – you’re going to LOVE those wacky complications. With Ernest Borgnine as his by-the-book partner, who just gets all steamed up when Officer Dave won’t follow the rules. This movie is dumb, but are you really all that smart? I mean, come on. (Lars)

Posted on July 22, 2014 by MOTW Admin

Terror Tuesday at the Alamo = Free +1 at Museum of the Weird

Tuesday is the day that the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz on 6th street features their curated “Terror Tuesday”. At 9:45 pm they show some of their favorite horror films, accompanied by weekly drink and food specials. And you can get a two-fer if you show up early! Give yourself an extra hour before the show starts, pick up your ticket, bring it and a friend into the Museum of the Weird, just down the block, show our staff your ticket, and if you buy admission to the museum, your friend gets in with you for free!

In the ’70s and ’80s, lovable real-life serial killer Ed Gein made cannibalism and human-flesh wardrobes into youth culture sensations. When not blaring Journey or learning macrame, the era’s teens could often be found enjoying the latest Gein-inspired cinematic masterpiece, from TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE to the incredible DERANGED. MOTEL HELL takes the crown as the most deeply pleasurable, fun-powered man-as-meat tale ever set loose on the public. Affable aging country boy Farmer Vincent (the great Rory Calhoun) and his sister run a backwoods “resort,” where road-weary visitors can enjoy a night’s rest and a slit throat. The most honored of these guests end up ground into Farmer Vincent’s Fritters, a popular local delicacy. Besides boarders, other sausage ingredients include snoops, bikers and even a heavy metal band whose tour van sports a giant mustache on its front bumper. If you don’t want to see a man wearing a giant pig’s head have a chainsaw war with a cop, you’re just an idiot. (Zack Carlson)