Beat Beasts Rule Main Street Museum!

Audience Aghast as Cool Creep, Gal Ghoul Beat & Eat Beat Poet Vet!

Last night was the first-ever Atomic Age Cinema crossover with the Center for Cartoon Studies and Main Street Museum ARTIfacts Film Series — now in its third year of serving the Valley sweet, steaming cinematic sh– ah, jewels.

The evening began in solemn, studious seriousness as poet Peter Money introduced the Beat scene circa 1959, reading aloud from the works of his own mentor Allan Ginsberg and celebrated Beat author Jack Kerouac, among others. A screening of a Beat era short followed, but as Peter offered further elucidation after the movie screen was raised, a scream pierced the hallowed halls of the Main Street Museum!

The ghouls had arrived!

Trashing all things Beat, the Creep and his ghoulish partner wasted no time taking over the event, committing unspeakable acts (and jokes) until the appearance of vet Beat poet Joey King upset the apple cart. Joey was in his cups (well, paper bag, really) and clearly embittered with the ridicule the ghouls were heaping on Beatdom — but they refused to beat a retreat. The heat was on!

Their awful antics were interrupted by a full screening of Roger Corman’s A Bucket of Blood (1959), which at least one of the mesmerized audience members proclaimed (with tears gleaming in his eyes) “one of the best movies I’ve ever seen!” The rhapsodies didn’t last long, though, as the ghouls wound up the evening with further atrocities — crowning Joey King the King of Beat before they revealed the dire fate of (choke) Peter Money, and offered the audience a bite of Beat brains to boot.

Kudos to Peter Money, Joey King and horror hosts Denis St. John and Jess Abston, who gave their all and chilled spines and tickled funny bones.

These pix were snapped by Ignatz-Award Winner CCS Alumni (Pioneer Class of 2007) Colleen Frakes and they give you a small taste of the fun that was had! (Photos ©2009 Colleen Frakes; posted with permission — thanks, Colleen!)

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* Hey, at last — there’s no further reason to pretend otherwise!

The Republican Party is perfectly aligned with the Taliban!

Don’t take my word for it — with today’s surprise (to all) announcement of 

What an extaordinary honor — and what a major turn in America’s standing in the world after eight years of the previous President and his administration’s manhandling, bullying and all-around ‘playing badly with others’ (deserved) reputation.

Nice to know Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is in complete and absolute accord with the Taliban:

Nice to know where we all stand.

But after all, both the Taliban and the GOP need to demonize President Obama to further their own — uh, agenda.

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Reminder: Vermont Monster Guide Tour Weekend Stops:

    

* Saturday, October 10, 6:30 PM:

Joe & I will be at Phoenix Books in Essex, VT’s Essex Shoppes & Cinema Plaza — More details to follow!

(I’m personally happy about this venue — my early childhood was on Jackson Street in Essex Jct., VT, and I was hoping we’d be close to the old neighborhood at some point!)

* Related Event: Monday, October 12th, 2 PM:

Stephen R. Bissette lecture “The Rise of the Graphic Novel” for the EEE (Elder Education Enrichment) in the Faith United Methodist Church, 899 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT

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