It’s almost October, The most glorious time of the year, Or the most frightful, When sun lotion gives way to autumn spice, And lady lunar flaunts her totality,
The mercury descends, As the sky attains a new palette, The trees follow suit and shiver, Quaking as the spectres begin to rise, Coalescing in their nightly revels,
To us freaks it is a clarion call, A call to arms, When witches and bloodsuckers suit up, The wisps prance through the pines, And this Harlequin paints his grin anew,
On this stage, This pantomime of a world, In all its misplace levity, The limelight never deigned to look at me, I had no monologues and action scenes, No share of the fame, No fans of my own, And no ovation to speak of,
I remain a supporting actor, An extra, Still chained to the backstage, My voice silenced with a “cut!”, This is not the gripe it appears, I’m content in the limelight, Perhaps that’s my place, My mark on the stage floor,
But I wonder at least, Could my message be mentioned in passing? A footnote in the plays review, Or am I just to elevate another? To be behind the curtain, To keep in mind, There will always be a bigger star, A louder tongue.
How are you all finding the week? How is the world treating you? Pretty good I hope! I’ve actually found myself on a bit of a low this week. I’ve been sleeping an inordinate amount really. The bed has been just far too comfortable. I don’t think anything is wrong, it’s just one of those weeks I suppose. I’m sure we all have them. On the plus side, I’ve been pretty happy with my writing. It does kind of seem like less people have been reading them recently, but I’m pleased with my own work. We are our own foulest critics eh?
On to the meat and potatoes of todays post though. The Harlequins writing music! I’ve got five artists today that I’m hoping will blow your socks off. Apologies in advance, I’m sure your feet are perfectly fine. Anyways, did anybody see the clue for todays theme? It was from a movie I really loved when I was a whippersnapper. It was pretty well-known I think too. It’ll seem obvious once I tell you!
Todays musical theme is masks! Or masked bands more specifically! Yep, the movie I mentioned was ‘The Mask’. The one with Jim Carrey. I absolutely loved it! That’s not exactly relevant for todays music though, aside from the masks. It may not surprise you to hear that I like bands that wear masks. The mystique of it all. Artists may wear masks or disguises on stage for a few reasons. Firstly, it may simply be part of their onstage persona, think bands like Ghost or Slipknot. Secondly (and most obviously) it may be simply because they want to hide their personal identities to some extent. This tends to be short-lived, but it’s a valid reason. Thirdly, some bands utilise costumes on stage for particular songs. It may not be the artists fulltime get up, but acts as extra visual context for a particular songs meaning. Think Alice Cooper or even Rammstein.
You can find bands like these in pretty much every genre, though I suppose the stereotype is your typical heavy metal band in “satanic” costumes and the like. All I can say to that is don’t be too sure. I gibber a lot for someone who doesn’t know what he’s talking about don’t I? Right, I think it’s time to drop the mask don’t you? Haha!
Please join me as we delve into the musical minds of masked artists the world over!
And there we have it! I deliberately avoided including Slipknot as I felt that they would be everyone’s first assumption. Everyone expects them, you know! There’s quite a variety of genres there, don’t you think? You see what I mean now, it’s not ALL death metal! I hope you enjoy the musical choices I’ve made this week. Please check out all of these artists, I would recommend them all!
So, anyways you know what I’m about to say now. You do. Honestly, you do. The social media stuff, remember? The asylum has multiple social media pages on a few sites. I’ll include the links here, but you can also find them all in the ‘Contact Me’ button at the top of the page. The asylum has a page over on Facebook, an account on Instagram and a page over on Twitter as well. Please consider following/liking me over on those. Also, if you really enjoy what I do here at the asylum, please also consider supporting me over on the Ko-Fi page as well! Thank you for everything!
She is as a cobweb to me, A heart-shaped trap above my bed, A dreamcatcher of sorts, Voyeur to my crestfallen eyes, She is a lethal spider, A black widow with no time for dross, A powerful and bewitching thing, A beautiful razors edge, Which scores against my marrow, Ensnaring me,
And so, I find myself in the webs clutches, She approaches me piecemeal, Embracing me in her silk, I am her fly, And I am willing prey.
You mean to tell me, That this wretched scrap of fabric, Green as envy, Is the meaning of life? The means of ones survival?
I’m to break my back for this writ of coin? This imitation of worth? To bear restless nights and foreboding, Over its accumulation, Must we sell our souls to the banker?
What ever happened to, Art and triumph, And love and joy? Were they rendered obsolete during my sleep? Replaced by this sickly green memento?
Work hard for scraps, Your little jade tokens, And watch others, Those fat cats, Grow fatter.
Last night, There were strange lights in the sky, Creepy neon greens and oranges, Comets raving as if sentient, You remember it making your head hurt,
You wake up to eerie silence, No birds chirping or distant lawnmowers, Everything aches, Your cat hisses as you pass, The paperboy gawks way too long,
The street feels somehow off, There are bizarre burnt spots on the lawns, Your neighbour doesn’t know who you are, Passers-by stare at your house as they walk, Vacant expressions and wide eyes,
It’s your imagination you conclude, An off day surely, At least you think so, But your spouse forgets your name, Your children flinch at your presence.
Mankind is but an acorn, A humble spore, Still at the beginning of its life, Only just beginning to thrive, Still a long way to go, Only dreaming of one day being a redwood,
The growth spurts come thick and fast, Microscopic to industrial to digital, Evolution to innovation to augmentation, Sometimes strangling other life, The years plod on, And the seed is preparing to split,
Not all trees reach their apex, It’s a dog-eat-dog world, Mans upsurge has been anathema to many, Practicing allelopathy through progress, Trees often blot out the sun for others, And hominal endeavours are a choking canopy,
I do wonder, When the time comes, Will humanity sprout as an oak, Or burst into a parasitic wasp?
To this clownish drudge, Writing is everything, A hobby, A passion, But most of all, An obsession, A mania within these bones,
It’s not optional, Not anymore, If the words don’t come out, If the thoughts aren’t vented, They begin to chew me away, Like maggots in a bloated corpse, Like exsanguinating leeches,
This implacable need to create, It’s the greatest gift, But the most harsh of curses, But the finest art is one with suffering, A wordsmith must craft, A writer must write, I must write,
Did you see the latest circus? That royal death, Or that famous marriage, Or some such elite scandal, Oh they had money, So you must have,
The elite are putting on a show, The circus is in town, On the screen and radio,
The interviewers dive between bodies, Like stuntmen on a tightrope, Do you see those paparazzi on the trapeze, Trying to get a good shot of our stars? The crowds baying in sycophantic fervour, They’re looked down on like a travelling freakshow,
The serfs always need to see their betters, The circus is in town, On the screen and radio,
These clowns on the red carpet, In gaudy suits and frumpy dresses, Blockaded by hi-vis knights, They’re not really too funny, Selfies are hardly comedy, But the media eats it up,
You see, Celebrity is the greatest pageant, The circus is in town, On the screen and radio.
How are you all doing? Your creative waltzes and endeavours going swimmingly? Good! That’s what I like to hear! Things have been rather stable here at the asylum, the weather is back to being unsure what to do and my sleep cycle is as messy as ever! Life is… adequate I suppose. That sounds worse than it is actually, my bad. Things are alright here honestly, I just don’t have a great deal to convey for this week. I suppose quiet is better than difficult eh?
Enough rambling, let’s get on to the meat and potatoes of todays post eh? We’re here for music aren’t we? Not the lamentations of a sad clown. Did anybody see todays musical theme clue? It wasn’t exactly a clue in the strictest sense, just a picture of me being… weird. Hopefully people see the connection there?
Todays musical theme is weirdness. Or strangeness. Or oddity. Or any other synonym you can imagine for something that is outside the norm. The eccentric artists and songs with bizarre meanings. The music videos with odd visualisations. It’s quite hard to pin down the exact theme of weirdness, as it is by very definition supposed to escape being lumped together. To defy classification you know? Todays post is more going to be about sharing some of the weirdest songs (and artists) that I have discovered over the years. There have been some really strange musicians that I have come across in my life. I’m convinced I’m actually drawn to artists that have some kind of “quirk” if you like. Want to see what I can come up with this week? I’ll try my best sensei! uWu! I don’t know what that was…
Please join me as we delve into the musical minds of wacky artists the world over!
And there we have it! I just had to include Weird Al you know. The clue is in the name after all! Some rather unique artists there don’t you think? I would very much like you to check out all of these artists my friends. They do deserve the attention and, generally speaking, they get less of it from the mainstream. Do me a favour eh?
I lied, can you do me two favours? Can you come and gander at my social media sites as well? The asylum has a page over on Facebook, an account on Instagram and a page over on Twitter as well. Please consider following and liking me over on those. It really helps me out. Links are provided here as always. Also, if you really enjoy what I do here at the asylum, please consider supporting me over on the Ko-Fi page as well. Thanks for everything!
WorldofHarley 