Lord Baron Joseph C.R. Vourteque IV
Photographs by Elizabeth Mason.
It was a late July 1877 morning in the burgeoning city of Chicago in the Fascist State of Illinois when blue-collar workers from Bridgeport and Pilsen left their streetcars, ships, trains, and factories to clash with police, federal troops, and state militia at the Halsted Street Viaduct. The event, never formally memorialized at the site until now, was part of “The Great Upheaval of 1877,” which began in Baltimore as a railroad strike against wage cuts, then spread across the nation.
Thirty workers died at the Viaduct, 100 were wounded, and at least thirteen cops were injured. The New York Times reported rocks flying from workers’ hands, police shooting guns and swinging clubs, and “no less than 10,000 men present … they were bent on violence and hesitated at nothing.
Continue reading Reenactment of “Battle of Halsted Viaduct” Fun & Outlandish!…
Lord Baron Joseph C.R. Vourteque IV
If you are anything unlike me (though perhaps like the Rev. Cpt. Flint or the Lady KL) then you wake up on any given morning and think “I wish I had some motivation other than mad science and/or sheer boredom to create a ray gun.”
Well my good people, now you do! The somewhat insane Dr. Grorbort, esteemed creator of such things as The Victorious Mongoose and Goliathon 800 ‘Moonhater’ bring you THE RAYGUN SHOOTOUT. As you can plainly read above, prizes include a trip to New Zealand to meet the creators behind the Dr. Grorbort brand.
But, you say, I have no idea where to start? Well the good doctor has even been so kind as to provide you with the 3d design program Blender utterly free of charge.
So what ARE you waiting for? Another contest? Actual money? Your mind to ACTUALLY snap? Seriously my good people, no more excuses. Visit them at RayGunShootOut.com and enlist TODAY!
Lord Baron Joseph C.R. Vourteque IV
My, My, look at All the Steampunkery!
Yes! It does look as though things are taking off in the Midwest! Why with the soon to be coming SECOND edition of Clockwork Vaudeville, a Steampunk book spread at Quimby’s, and the World Steam Expo – just to name a few – things are really getting off to a rollicking start!
On top of that, this past weekend we had the Steamposium in St. Louis, Steam Century’s event at Midway Village and a lovely tea and salon at the good abode of the Dezomas! I was fortunately to make the latter two, but who cares to read my meanderings. Let us dive right in!
April 17th – Clockwork Vaudeville
Our first was a HUGE success – if you did not see the Timeout photo spread – do click and see it now. This time around we feature the White City Rippers along with Feral Minette and guest DJ W. Groves! As with last time it is free to get in, goes until late and features $3 gin and rum so you lesser ones can still get your “groove” on with the help of such.
This time around we are also featuring a $150 gift certificate to Anastasia Chatzka or $20 to Odd Obsession Movies!
To view the full invite simply go HERE for Facebook users or HERE on Yelp for everyone else!
Speaking of Odd Obsession, have you ever wanted to wrap your eyes around a “Steampunk” movie but did not know where to look? Well for the next week, Odd Obsession, in conjunction with us at SteampunkChicago.com, will have a “Steampunk Movie Shelf” show-casing some of the best movies that have been influenced by or influenced the Steampunk movement! Continue reading Upcoming Midwestern Steampunkery!…
Lord Baron Joseph C.R. Vourteque IV
I’d like to discuss the idea of what one might call chronological acclimatization, better put as “what year you think you’re in” and how it relates to Steampunk. To the uninitiated, those who dedicate themselves to the Steampunk movement, fashion & lifestyle especially, often look like a group of people who cannot come to grips with the fact that it is “2010 – not 1910″. My girlfriend, the lovely KL Kenzie, has even remarked that some of her friends have quipped ”how is the 19th century treating you?”
This is something I know that many a steampunker has dealt with. And this concept of ”is it then or now” stems from both sides. To the mainstream, steampunk looks like a bunch of people who are trying to escape to the modern world – and many arguably are. But when one looks inside the subculture a much broader perspective can be seen. Within the culture you have those who like the style but not enough to ensure that it is or is not period. Meanwhile there are those that refuse to wear anything that doesn’t firmly plant them in an alternative 1888. If I was to relate to one or the other, I would choose the first and feel that if Steampunk is to go further than just a subculture, the first is what needs to be shown to the masses — not the latter.
So what is it with the fashion? Is that all there is to it? If not, the Victorian era was not known for its progressive values. Yes, it was not — that’s precisely it. We are not Victorians, we are Steampunks. Continue reading Steampunk: A Present-Day Way of Life, Not Solely Anachronistic Fashion…
Lord Baron Joseph C.R. Vourteque IV
No my good people, that is not an image Photoshopped by a lonely fan of both Disney and Steampunk – that is an image from the DisneyParks.com’s blog – the post is entitled “The Mechanical Kingdom” and at risk of sounding “decidedly un-cool”, I think such things are actually quite fantastic.
“But how can Disney going Steampunk be any good for anything?” You ask. Well, do let me explain.
I don’t view Steampunk as an underground movement to be savored by a few. I am a proponent of pushing it’s ideology of DIY re-purposing and Neo-Victorian aesthetics to the masses – the wantonly unwashed, uneducated masses. Yes… them.
But I digress. Disney is genuinely doing this. To quote from the blog.
“I can still vividly recall the day that Disney Design Group Artist Mike Sullivan visited us holding the image pictured above. My mind was reeling – was I actually seeing Steampunk Disney Characters? I even remember yelling “Steampunk!!” while getting strange glances from everyone around me.”
That’s a quote from Steven Miller, a Project Manager for Disney. It seems they have crafted, and are slated to release, a journal about the Mechanical Kingdom – A Disney-esque Steampunk universe – as well as a series of pins to be sold at Disney Parks and resorts. I find the prospect exciting. Granted, it is not much more than a Disney story with a Steampunk veneer, but should a seven, ten or perhaps thirteen year old pick it up, read it and become enchanted – who can imagine what their next steps could be. Before their parents know it – they could be “steampunking” the family cat… or, er… perhaps vacuum cleaner.
Continue reading Steampunk Infects Disney – Mundane World Could Be Next…
