Life In A Bungalo

The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine presented its annual silent movie/procession of the ghouls program last Friday night to a sold out audience. Fans of the macabre got to see the original cut of “Nosferatu,” accompanied by a live organ player. What could be cooler than seeing a horror classic in one of the creepiest cathedrals in the world? Alas, St. John’s is under construction, so the show was much more intimate and scaffolding took away from some of the eerie factor, but the event is still one of the coolest Halloween displays in the city. The best part is Ralph Lee’s parade of creatures that go bump in the night. One by one they flowed eerily out of a smoke-filled hole from under the movie screen. Each character was meticulously detailed and the actors (some of them kids) stayed in character through the whole parade. Hopefully next year they will play “Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Read more »

Two Medicom posts in two days, looks like the Japanese toy manufacturer is starting to really kick some ass in the vinyl toy world. Hot on the heels of the Kaws Dissected Companion come two new colorways of the Kaws x Bounty Hunter figure. Originally released in separate white and black monotone colors and exclusive to Bounty Hunter and Original Fake stores, these bad boys sold out instantly. As an added bonus each figure came with an actual 1/6 scale Kaws head. Looks like fans who snoozed the first time around are in luck, two new colorways are coming soon; one in a brown color, and another in a black and white mix. No word yet on run size, cost, or avenue of distribution, but don’t expect these guys to last too long.

Glenn Danzig is finally getting some respect–at least in the vinyl toy world.

Sure, fellow Misfits Doyle and Jerry Only had lame Barbie dolls made in their image and the Crimson Ghost has been a bobble head, but those are nowhere near as cool as the treatment Danzig is getting from Medicom.

Three fully-articulated figures make up this collection highlighting different eras of Glenn Danzig’s career. “Misfits-version” Danzig sports his classic skull-and-crossbones black T-shirt from the Misfits’ “Walk Among Us” album cover; “Samhain-version” Danzig, comes covered in dripping blood ala the “Initium” LP cover, and “Danzig-version” Danzig, is shirtless and comes complete with the trademark Danzig belt buckle and upside-down-cross medallion necklace as on the “Lucifuge” album. The figures are made of soft vinyl, stand 10-inches tall and retail for $75.00 each.

These are supposedly limited, but no numbers have been released. Go get them soon cause those Misfits fans are rabid collectors.

My Chemical Romance
“The Black Parade”
Reprise

New Jersey darlings My Chemical Romance are back with their third record, a totally over-the-top rock masterpiece. Old school fans are going to bitch and whine that the band has completely absolved itself from the screamo sound that made them famous. However, it’s hard to argue that the band hasn’t been begging for this type of production since the closing notes of their five and a half minute opus, “Vampires,” back in 2002.

The band pours the high-octane fuel on the flames with traditional MCR rockers like “This Is How I Disappear” and “House of Wolves.” Singer Gerard Way’s non-traditional punk voice helps separate him from the pack. He’s got Jack White’s snarl with a bit of Billy Corgan’s scream.

Things get a little loopy with tracks like “Dead,” which have a slight punk rock cabaret feel, and “Cancer,” a full on piano ballad that’s just raw enough to not sound like an Evanescence tune. A lot of people are calling this a punk opera in the vein of “American Idiot,” but unlike Green Day’s call to arms, “The Black Parade” has a cohesive flow that runs through every song. Is there a theme? Yeah, I guess darkness is a theme, but has MCR ever been bright and cheery?

Doesn’t Rock l Kinda Rocks l Rocks l Really Rocks

On November 9, Joe Ledbetter will release his third toy based on his original three dimensional 2-D sculpts. Along with JLeds’s Mr. Bunny and Firecat, Teeter looks to be a hot item in the vinyl art scene. What makes the story more interesting is that the figure will be released by Kid Robot, not Wheaty Wheat, the company that released the other sculpts. Teeter stands 6″ tall Teeter and can be posed on any one leg or arm

Teeter will be releases as part of Magic Pony’s “The Balancing Act: Solo Show” with Joe Ledbetter. Orange Teeter is limited to 400 pieces, and is a joint Magic Pony and Kidrobot exclusive.

One hundred figures will be available at the exclusive toy release where Joe Ledbetter will be appearing. The remaining 300 pieces will be available at Kidrobot stores and online at www.kidrobot.com on Thursday, November 9th.

Jonathan LeVine spotlights two rising stars in the pop surrealism scene this month with a dueling exhibit featuring Isabel Samaras and Randall Sellers. The queen of the Devil Babes, Ms. Samaras switches gears from her usual pop-culture portraits by featuring friends in her new series of paintings, Ex Animo. Where Samaras’s work is bright, colorful and a little off-the-wall, Sellers’s work is the complete opposite. The itty bitty, pencil-drawn work fill LeVine’s smaller gallery. Each work is meticulously designed and so detailed that you need a magifying glass to appreciate every line. The show is running until Nov. 11, so catch it while you can. Read more »

One of the most ferocious rock bands to be born from the New York/New Jersey punk scene, Electric Frankenstein sweat rock ‘n’ roll. EF weren’t so much conceived as emoted from the ashes of everything cool about rock. They tear down music to its most primitive, carnal elements, plug the guitar into the amp and shred at eleven. Life In A Bungalo interviewed guitarist and founder Sal Canzonieri to find out what he thinks of the current rock scene, the low-brow art poster movement, the upcoming release of a set of Circus Punks based on the band’s artwork.

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Andrew Bell, the mastermind behind Creatures In My Head, unveiled his latest creation, the Dead Zebra edition Zliks at Madame X in New York City last Friday night. The place was crawling with vinyl freaks and cool dudes, but the guests of honor were two 19″ Zliks, handpainted by Bell. The regular edition, limited to a mere 69 pieces, sold out in a day. A blood-soaked companion print came with the set, much like Bell’s rare red Circus Punk set. Good luck finding these bad boys. Read more »