Fresh on the heels of Justin Bieber’s bizarre attempt at a steampuk music video, and in the vein of such rockers as Primus and Rush, comes the news that T-Pain’s new tour and album will be, of course, steampunk.  And to be honest, I could not be more pleased.

In the wake of Bieber’s attempt at the genre there has been a lot of talk about the mainstream destroying, commandeering or taking over steampunk, but those who fear a mainstream take over, I think, are missing the point of steampunk.  It’s an inherently artisanal movement, you can’t package it and sell it as a stamped out commodity because that is so antithetical to the core of a movement that celebrates the DIY and maker ethos.

So what does this have to do with T-Pain?  Well for one, the rapper hired steampunk artist, Thin Gypsy Studios, to make him quite the microphone.  Check it out below.

Hell, I want one!  That said, the music itself is not particularly steampunk, but let’s be honest, how much “steampunk” music is?  It’s not so much a genre as a collective of musicians and artists who relate to each other under the same DIY, every-man ethos with an aesthetic that ranges somewhere between 1870 and 1930.  Looking at the pictures from the show I see a bit of this too.   More-so, I commend T-Pain for not getting (from what I can tell) over the top about it.  I think he’s used just enough.  Subtlety (or at least in terms of how live music goes) is something sorely lacking in pop acts.

Of course, I’m a bit biased.  As I pointed out in our post on Bieber’s video, I’m a promoter as well.  The bigger steampunk gets the more people are interested in it and that benefits us at Steampunk Chicago.  But doesn’t that really benefit us all?  Those few who buck at the widening interest in steampunk are welcome to hole themselves up from the rest of the world and complain that they were their first, but for the rest of us, I say we welcome performers, like T-Pain, with open arms.

I’m not complaining though.  If things like this bring new people and fans to the movement, I’m all for it.  Of course, we at Steampunk Chicago (full disclosure here) are event producers so we do have a potential financial gain here.  Yet, after watching the music video, I’d be concerned that those expecting the steampunk movement to be in-line with what is seen in ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ may be a little disappointed.

You may view the video on YouTube if you wish.

So I’m going to get blunt now.

I don’t get it – I really – honestly – don’t get it.  Perhaps it’s because I’m a 30 something who’s given up on irony or perhaps it’s because I stopped trying to break dance when I was 19, or perhaps it’s because I have no interest in the animated family film Arthur Christmas.  Either way, there is a whole host of things I just don’t get here.

Sure the beginning is pretty “steampunky” I mean they have people with bowler hats with goggles on them, a woman with striped tights and a turn key coming out her back, people in vests, big gears, etc etc  (these are things I see often at SP events).  But then the music begins.

What immediately strikes me is that the choosing a steampunk theme for the song “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” is just… bizarre… but it gets even more bizarre as we see a guy dressed as Santa clear off some random desk and start break dancing on it.  To exponentially confuse things Justin Bieber proceeds to start touching the other workers, which in turns seems to turn them into pop and lock back-up dancers.  Also – why are the back up dancing guys with the vests on having their suspenders/bracers hang down?  I get that this is a fashion trend, but it really just looks stupid if you ask me.  Also, at various points in the music video Justin Bieber plays the drums.  Why?  I don’t know why.

But what is most startlingly off-putting is that the music video is inter-cut with scenes from the newly released film “Arthur Christmas”.  The cuts have no relevance to the video, the theme of the video, the break dancing people in the video, the robo-woman who does nothing but also pop and lock in the video or really anything at all.  And why Arthur Christmas?  Wouldn’t a movie like Hugo been more appropirate?

Or was it that Hugo just had better sense than to be a part of this.

Go figure.

-The Lord Baron

Ye gods, two cons in a row that we’ve been invited to be a part of?  What is this madness?  Regardless of such questions, Wizard World has begun at the Donald E. Stephens Center in scenic Rosemont, Illinois and we’ve already had our first day there.  And what fun it’s been!  After some lengthy bouts with really no one we figured out how to get power to the Fusion-O-Scope so as to serenade con-goers as they go past.  We’ve also finally found a great venue on to which we can unload our access of posters from past events.

So with that said – have you ever wanted to come out and hang with the RL&GEMS or Lords & Ladies DJs at a comic book convention?  Have you ever wanted a FREE piece of Steampunk Chicago history?  Have you ever wanted to… well… do comic book convention stuff with a bunch of steampunkers?  Then look no further than Wizard World – it started yesterday and goes through Sunday!

For more information, including times and ticket pricing, check it out their website HERE!

Reverend Captain Flint has seen many things in his travels around the world, and many things that should be dead. From the horrors of the undead catacombs of Paris, to the mysterious goliaths of deepest Africa, to the cold steely hull of a pirate Airship invading the Antartic, one must always be prepared with the proper armament. Luckily, he had commissioned and worked with Mr. Nikola Tesla, one electric rifle.

The Tesla Electric Rifle

The Tesla Electric Rifle is a rifle which fires charged electrical bolts, similar in behavior to standard gunpowder bullets. Is is not a ray gun, as it shoots visible micro-charges of electricity, and not electrical arcs or mysterious rays. These electrical bullets can be scaled in both lethality and range to serve a wide variety of uses. Through means of a portable Tesla battery/capacitor, enormous amounts of electric energy can be focused and sent in a shaped charge, bringing down a foe, great terrible lizard, or the flammable gas bag of an enemy ship.

Use and Operation.

Similar to the electric bullets of Cpt. Nemo, the Tesla Electric Rifle is a weapon of the modern age. While the inner workings remain a mystery, the basic concept is known. A battery/capacitor about the size of a small candlestick is hung from the belt of the operator. Two electrodes are present, to which the alligator clip terminals of the rifles’ input wires attach. The wires feed to terminals on the right side of the rifle, where the electricity is internally stored and processed through miniaturized electrical connections embedded inside the device.  Two miniature Tesla coil banks are mounted externally, near the rear brass peep sight and electrics. When fired, energy is sent coursing through two wires, stabilized by a rare earth magnet, and gaining the desired charge and lethality through windings over various material and components. The wires then proceed to a copper cooled anode and cathode.

Through not easily understood means, the internal electrics, anode and cathode work in harmony to create shaped charges of electrical bolts. The rifle can store enough energy for several charges after a disconnect from the power source. The bolts are focused down a half inch diameter brass tube at great velocity, and then expelled with alarming accuracy into whatever target they are aimed at, conductive or otherwise. Each bolt-bullet is like a small, highly focused lightning strike, sending full power of the strike into a very small area. The anodizing and scorch marks at the end of the barrel are a testament to this.

Public Display!

Let it be known the Steampunk Rifle will be on display, carried on the person of one Reverend Captain Samuel Flint of the RLGEMS at the World Steam Expo in Dearborn MI, this last weekend of May, 2011.

Building the Rifle.

The Tesla Electric Rifle began as a prop rifle for the inaugural Teslacon. I needed a good solid weapon, and I’m a big fan of Tesla lore and DIY. I didn’t want to mod an existing weapon or plastic NERF blaster, I wanted something hefty, something wooden and brass, and something that looked like it meant business.

A friend gave me her old parade rifle stock, and it was a fabulous platform to work with. My original intention was to sand the white paint off and dye the wood, but I am pleased with the worn, painted look, though I may update it if time allows.

The brass sights and underbarrel winding rods are from a brass toilet seat hinge, purchased at Menards (I drove all over the city trying to remember where I got the first one). The copper parts are simple pipe straps, tarnishing comes from use and age. Various brass screws, washers and pegs hold everything together.

The Tesla coils are simple steel fender washers alternating with small locking washers, and the bold is threaded right into the stock. The brass rod is from a small candlestick. The trigger guard is a drawer pull, with a shelf peg and brass washer set inside, sheepishly, window putty.

Tesla Rifle Receiver

At the business end of the gun, I’ve used a small brass candlestick rod with threads at either end. One end is epoxied into a threaded hole, and the other is capped with a steel cap nut. The barrel is from a 1/2″ dia. brass pipe from American Science and Surplus. A threaded rod was screwed into the end of the stock, drilled through a candlestick cup. The brass rod is held in place via two washers and nuts forming a bushing. The brazing at the end was from simply holding it over a gas stoce and quenching. An old faux leather purse was scrapped to provide material for the cheek rest.

Tesla Electric Steampunk Rifle Wiring

The wires come from various old headphones purchased on eBay. They were arranged to give the impression of implied circuitry; they feed into two points, and the branching wires feed from these points to the other various odds and ends on the rifle, terminating into two steel tips (original to the wires), seemingly plugged into the anode and cathode at the working end.

The main feeding wires with alligator clips come from a fantastic lineman’s rotary handset I picked up for $12 at an antique store. Red and black with two mean clips, they shout business (and tuck nicely under the cheek rest).

Building the Power Source.

Tesla Battery-Capacitor Power Source

The power source came to be when I realized the rifle had to get its juice from somewhere. Unsuitable for attachment to the rifle, a large tube like candlestick was used as a base. Two sturdy brass candlestick cups were added in place at the bottom of the device with window putty. Sandwiched inbetween the cups are two more old wires, feeding up to the terminals at top, which are door stopper posts. A few hose clamps and odd hooks and catches hold everything together. The result is the capacitor battery bank, which has a surprising heft to it, thanks to the brass candlestick parts. The device is inconspicuous and can be hung from the belt or used as a sidearm when it may be inappropriate to wield a large rifle (museums, parks, day care, bars).

Future Plans.

I may varnish the wood and make the trigger more secure. I am a huge fan of working devices and originally intended to make it at the least light up, but this proved too costly and time consuming, I’m satisfied as is. I recently purchased a new stock from an old crossbow at  Lost Eras antique shop in Rogers Park, Chicago. I’m currently in the sketching stages with this one, as its larger and very unique.

Evidently there was a “Done in 60 Seconds” film contest and evidently one Mr. Wolfgang Matzl did this short, funny and arguably pretty damn steampunk variant of Christopher Nolan’s seminal movie “Inception.” Thanks to The Steampunk Tribune and I09 for the heads up on this great short.