In lieu of the review of Hellblinki’s “These Bubbles Come from Ants” that I was asked to write, it seemed worthwhile to discuss the bonds that exist within the steampunk community.

Back at June’s Polyphonic Panorama at Chicago’s Abbey Pub, we were graced by the presence of Hellblinki and the midway marvel Sanjula Vamana. In the dim light of the dance floor, he discreetly introduced his manhood (i.e. whipped out his pierced tallywhacker). He fastened it to a chair and spun about like a dervish. A veritable chair-nado of the crotch.

But this would not be quite so wond’rous if the very same Hellblinki did not have a song called “Sanjula’s Junk” on the album that appears on this very aether-page! It’s a bouncy little ditty with some old-timey, voh-de-oh-doh vocals.

The dance at the show was an example of mutual benefit. Artists supporting artists! The object of affection and tribute offered his own tribute to the merry-makers.

As a community, let us celebrate each other and our talents. Support independent artists like Hellblinki, Sanjula and the Chicagoans who made their dance possible.

Thanks to our friends at Terra Mysterium for this heads up.  Local Chicago theatre troop The Bohemian Theatre Ensemble is doing a “steampunk” rendition of the French classic Tartuffe running at The Wit theater in Lakeview through Feb 12th.

To quote their website.

Using steampunk (a scifi subgenre that mixes Victorian history and aesthetic with futuristic steam-powered technology) as a backdrop, BoHo’s production mirrors the tumultuous societal landscape of 17th century France as a world that at once seems both familiar and alien, when old and new exist side by side. Without losing any of Molière’s wit, BoHo’s Tartuffe makes it obvious why a man would desperately believe the lies of a swindler over the word of his own family. Continuing our season-long exploration of the Bohemian pillars of truth, beauty, freedom, and love, Tartuffe explores the pillar of truth through the eyes of a liar.

Sounds fantastic!  Also, check out the trailer below!

For more information and to buy tickets to this show do visit their website HERE.

“A topper is a topper and you can’t top that.” -Roger Miller, “The Hat”

It’s a shame to see so many Chicago heads emblazoned with the logo of a sports team. Baseball teams show regional boundaries. Football provides a unifying ursine presence. Would that the City of Big Shoulders show a little more pride atop its noggin? Fortunately, there are milliners to provide the service.

Cassel Goorin began selling hats in Pittsburgh in 1895. His sons moved the business to San Francisco in 1949. Now the Goorin Brothers have Chicago stores in Lakeview and Wicker Park. Lady or Gent, you can’t go wrong with their Heritage Collection.  Tina Flapper is a very fine cloche, and her sisters are also diesel-punk evocative. The Flying Private and White Rabbit are timely variations on the top hat.

Hats Plus offers an extremely wide variety of toppers. Colors and styles abound at this Portage Park shop at the Irving Park/Milwaukee/Cicero six corners. Prices are generally quite reasonable. If you’re looking for a hat you can use for modification (adding gears, moving clock parts, or a hand-cranked lamp), turn the Milwaukee corner and visit Fantasy Headquarters. Hats and costumes abound. Just avoid rolling your eyes at the steampunk display.

The Oakton Street Antique Center in Elk Grove, IL,  has a pretty good selection of Victorian or Edwardian styled ladies’ and men’s hats at reasonable prices and in good condition. Shabbier hats could use a good home, too. You can fix or mod a hat with some damage (and a lower price) and give it a new life!

If you’re going to mod or make, Hobby Lobby has a small selection of doll hats that can be used for tiny top hats and fascinators. They range from toppers to wide-brimmed (for a doll) straw hats. Add some clock hands, damask ribbon, fabric or an assortment of  the steampunk themed accoutrements that they have started carrying. The hats are as easy to sew through as sewing a button. Grab a hot glue gun, watch a YouTube tutorial and with a little practice you can come up with some unique designs.

If you want to up the ante, take a millinery class. They are available at Eia Millinery Design, The Fashion Design Departments at the College of DuPage, Columbia College, Illinois Institute of Art and the International Academy of Design & Technology.

(by Joe Mason and Renee J. Knowles Lebbing)

Some of our same friends who work on and are behind the phenomenon that is Theater Bizarre are at it with a new production “Wonderland” based on Lewis Caroll’s seminal novel.  The stage production and accompanying DVD is vehemently cabaret, burlesque and steampunk while remaining true to the Detroit ethos of taking something and making it, well, strange.

To quote the production’ website

“For those who missed it, Wonderland takes the basic concept of an
act-by-act variety show, combines it with the narrative story line
adapted from Lewis Caroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and
features a live score performed by our Wonderland band, The Glass
Orphans. With everything from break-dancing playing cards to a
mad tea party who’s sanity is literally hanging by the skin of it’s back,
Wonderland is a modern retelling of a classic tale through music and
burlesque.”

And what better way to celebrate a DVD release than a live stage show and party! If you happen to be able to make it to Detroit this Friday do join them at The Redford Theater. It will feature burlesque and sideshow performances by the actors of the DVD, as well as DJ sets by our own Lords & Ladies DJs on the Caroll-esque Fusion-O-Scope.

Tickets are $15 in advance and can be purchased online or at Noir Leather in Royal Oak, MI.  Otherwise they can be purchased at the door for $20.  The show is at 9pm.

Chances are that we will see a renewed interest in Chicago history with the 2013 cinematic release of Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City with Leonardo DiCaprio as the murderous H.H. Holmes. After all, it should combine the grandeur of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition with the grand guignol of Holmes.

If you have not read the book (which we advise) or don’t have the time for it in the next year, try the Devil & the White City Tour guided by Weird Chicago. My recent trip featured stops at the Congress Hotel where Holmes fished for victims, the Union Stockyards and the corner where once stood the infamous pharmacy and “murder castle.”

Weird Chicago can lead you down the twisted path of Chicago murderers, gangsters, ghosts and even the tawdry red light districts. Tours tend to run on Fridays and Saturdays. They are $30 per person ($20 for 12 and under, although the sexy tour is $40 and only for the 18+).

Reservations and availability can be found at www.weirdchicago.com.