Weird Universe Blog — August 31, 2024

Rats as music critics

According to German researcher Otto Nieschulz, when rats listen to music they prefer to listen to French chansons.

But when Nieschulz says 'chansons' does he mean "secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval and Renaissance music" or the "style of French pop music which emerged in the 1950s and 1960s"? According to wikipedia, both are known as chansons.

I haven't been able to track down Nieschulz's original paper, so there's no way to know. I'm guessing the rats might enjoy both.

Indianapolis Star - May 16, 1966



Victoria Times Colonist - Apr 29, 1966

Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 31, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Animals | Music | Experiments

The Kids from C.A.P.E.R.

Wikipedia entry here.





Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 31, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art | Music | Television | Homages, Pastiches, Tributes and Borrowings | 1970s | Comedians

August 30, 2024

The Singing Sculpture

The Singing Sculpture by the art duo Gilbert & George is well known, though I just discovered it recently. Info from wikipedia:

Whilst still students, Gilbert & George made The Singing Sculpture, which was performed at the National Jazz and Blues Festival in 1969 and at the Nigel Greenwood Gallery in 1970. For this performance they covered their heads and hands in multi-coloured metalised powders, stood on a table, and sang along and moved to a recording of Flanagan and Allen's song "Underneath the Arches", sometimes for a day at a time. The suits they wore for this became a uniform for them. They rarely appear in public without wearing them.

It is also unusual for one of the pair to be seen without the other. The pair regard themselves as "living sculptures". They refuse to dissociate their art from their everyday lives, insisting that everything they do is art. They were listed as among the fifty best-dressed over-50s by The Guardian in March 2013.



It's now become common to see street performers painted in metallic paint. They pretend to be unmoving statues until someone gives them some money, and then they may move abruptly. You can find them in the downtown areas of many big cities, wherever there are a lot of tourists.

I wonder if Gilbert & George's Singing Sculpture was the original inspiration for this form of performance art? I haven't been able to find any direct confirmation of this, but nor have I been able to find any examples of 'Bronze Man' performers before 1969.

More info: "Gilbert & George's Singing sculpture"

Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 30, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Performance Art | 1960s

Magoo in Hi-Fi



Once you get past the daft spoken word bits with Mr McGoo, this gets excellent, almost avant-garde in places, with incredible work by Dennis Farnon and Marni Nixon. The Very Contrary Mary track is stunning.




Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 30, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Music | Vinyl Albums and Other Media Recordings | Avant Garde | Cartoons | 1950s

August 29, 2024

The egg on the head scam

San Francisco Examiner - Dec 22, 1974

Posted By: Alex - Thu Aug 29, 2024 - Comments (0)
Category: Frauds, Cons and Scams | 1970s

Follies of the Madmen #604

"No more washee, washee! Melican man wear celluloid collar and cuff!"

Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 29, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Fashion | Stereotypes and Cliches | Advertising | Asia | Nineteenth Century

August 28, 2024

In three weeks he may be dead…

Look at Bambi lying in a field. Bambi will be dead soon.

Sports Illustrated - July 1970



Coincidentally, this ad appeared within a year of the release of the classic animated short "Bambi Meets Godzilla." Perhaps the ad men had seen Marv Newland's film. Newland went into advertising after making his film, so it's at least possible.

Posted By: Alex - Wed Aug 28, 2024 - Comments (3)
Category: Advertising | Cartoons | 1960s | 1970s

Hundreds of Beavers

The Wikipedia page.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Aug 28, 2024 - Comments (2)
Category: Costumes and Masks | Freaks, Oddities, Quirks of Nature | Humor | Movies | Twenty-first Century

August 27, 2024

Mystery Flesh Pit National Park

Located near Gumption, Texas, the Mystery Flesh Pit National Park is a must-see for all curiosity-seekers.



Of course, it's an elaborate satire. A mash-up of upbeat National Park merchandising and Lovecraftian horror. But apparently not everyone realizes that. Its creator, artist Trevor Roberts, reports:

I am surprised that some people believe it is real, as that was never the intention. I do try my best to mimic the style of real NPS brochures and materials through layout, typeface selection, color choices, and general wording, but I had imagined that the absurdity of the basic concept would be enough for someone to see that it was all an art project.

More info: outdoorswire.usatoday.com

Posted By: Alex - Tue Aug 27, 2024 - Comments (2)
Category: Freaks, Oddities, Quirks of Nature | Satire

Atomic Car



Posted By: Paul - Tue Aug 27, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Atomic Power and Other Nuclear Matters | 1960s | Europe | Cars

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All original content in posts is Copyright © 2016 by the author of the post, which is usually either Alex Boese ("Alex"), Paul Di Filippo ("Paul"), or Chuck Shepherd ("Chuck"). All rights reserved. The banner illustration at the top of this page is Copyright © 2008 by Rick Altergott.

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