I recently ordered a new Tarot Deck (yes another one) The New Wave Tarot. I had been eyeing this one for some time from LastCraft Designs and then they announced that this printing would be the last ever, so I jumped in and pre-ordered. Per their site, “Each card features digital collages of 1980s musicians such as The Smiths, The Cure, Siouxsie Sioux, Joy Division, Berlin, Yazoo, Duran Duran, Adam Ant, Erasure, Depeche Mode, Clan of Xymox, The Go-Gos, Cyndi Lauper, Culture Club along with esoteric imagery inspired by the Rider-Waite and Thoth tarot.” Even if I never really read with it the imagery is wonderful and a deck with Cyndi Lauper in it is perfect to me.
In this deck instead of the normal suits: Cups – tea cups Wands – eyeliner Disks – LP Records Swords – microphone
I heard the new Demi Lovato song I Love Me on the radio Friday on the way to work and it inspired me to create a Self Love playlist on Spotify. The list includes Demi’s new song, I Love Myself Today by Bif Naked, Good as Hell by Lizzo and some other feel yourself songs. Here is a link to the playlist. Are there any songs that you think should have made the list? Let me know in the comments.
Attend both days the last weekend of Ohio Renaissance Festival
Saturday of this weekend was rainy, but we still went out for several hours. Sunday was absolutely amazing. I got photos with many of the Wenches in our local and we got this amazing photo with the queen. I love my wenches so much, and I am so proud of what we have built.
Get autographs from Rasputina (Melora Creager)
I was not able to get Rasputina’s autographs because we needed to get home so Seth could go to work today. However, I did get the autographs of the amazing opening act Charming Disaster as well as their new LP. If you have never heard them you should absolutely check them out. They are a new favorite.
Finish Blogtober strong (I get a book if I do)
Rennie outing to Book Loft?
Get Wench tattoo
Participate and succeed in NaNoWriMo (Are you participating? Link me BetsySnowWhite)
I can remember the first time I heard the band Rasputina. I had read about the band in Entertainment Weekly, and then their album Thanks for the Ether arrived via Columbia House (This is also how I found and fell in love with Tori Amos). I asked to be allowed to keep it and thus began a love affair that has spanned two decades. I fell in love with the heavy cello, beautiful melodies and unusual lyrics. The first song to stand out to me was “Transylvanian Concubine” a lovely song about Vampires; Lyrical standout “Transylvanian Concubine, You know what flows here like wine.” I also loved the song “Stumpside” and “My little Shirtwaist Fire.” The band, well Melora Creager the lead singer/cellist, wrote a song about the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire! A tragedy that had long fascinated me.
I eagerly awaited their next album How We Quit the Forest and snatched up the interim release Transylvania Regurgitations which featured songs from Thanks for the Ether remixed and remastered by Marilyn Manson and Twiggy Ramirez. How We Quit The Forest brought more unusual and wonderful music. Songs like “Leechwife” and “The New Zero” caught me and had me singing along. “Rose K” had me looking into the story of Rose Kennedy, the matriarch of the Kennedy’s as well as her lobotomized daughter Rose Marie.
I am ridiculously excited that I get to see them in concert again tomorrow night. I saw them once in 2004 or so when they played at Little Brothers (now closed) in Columbus. Tomorrow they are playing Rumba Cafe which is a lovely and intimate space for a show. I am trying to decide what I want to wear to the show. Rasputina is famous for their Victorian style so it is tempting to break out a corset for the event. I have a gorgeous brown corset from Damsel in This Dress with a layered cream colored cropped bodice that would look good with a skirt or jeans, so I may go with that look. We shall see.
My alarm began playing “O’ Fortuna” this morning at 5:oo am, which is a painful situation on a Saturday. Today, however, I was ready and willing to get up hunk my hair into a pony tail and, with my husband in tow, head to stand in line waiting to get into Spoonful Records for Record Store Day.
Spoonful is a lovely smaller Record Store in downtown Columbus. I found them through social media when they held a clean copy of Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual for me. We have been back a couple of times since picking up this or that.
For RSD this year they had a lot of special buys including a Devo box set I was hoping to get my hands on. We got into line about 6:15 am or so, and joined the already awaiting group. Around 7:30 the owners came through asking about box sets. and in her hands was the Devo. I spoke up and that guaranteed me the Devo box set. Hells Yes.
Other than the box set I picked up a vinyl pressing of the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack which is on gorgeous orange and blue vinyl, a used Heart vinyl and a used Peter Cetera. We got a spoonful records tote, a pearl jam pin, and a coupon for free admission to the Columbus Museum of Art. Then I had to go home because I have plans for tonight.
I have a confession to make; I am a theatre geek. I lettered in drama in high school. I was active in my schools drama club as well as many local community theatre programs. I had been a singer since I was a little girl, but I didn’t find acting until I was in sixth grade and they announced auditions for “Reader’s Theatre”.
The idea of “Reader’s Theatre” was that high school drama club members would direct us in a presentation of a play that would be performed seated with a stand in front of us so all of the acting would be through voice modulation. In sixth grade I auditioned with several of my friends, and I was delighted when I realized I knew one of the directors as he was a friend of my cousin. I was accepted and found myself playing girl 1 in the first short “We Wanted a Hill” and Spring in another play who’s name I cannot remember. I was so excited and after performing I was one of our cast to be rewarded as All Star Cast.
Damn that girl is proud of that trophy.
I would do “Reader’s Theatre” for seventh and eighth grade as well. And I made All Star Cast both years. I played the Very Odd Mother in Cinderella Wore Combat Boots and The Evil Stepsister in another version of Cinderella. I can’t remember the title, but I know that one of my lines was to call Cinderella a “strumpety hussy.”
I continued in drama throughout high school, and started working in community theatre. Some of my “acting credits” include Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof, Laury in Oklahoma, Ermengarde in Hello Dolly, Betsy in Godspell and countless chorus roles in The Wizard of Oz, Cabaret, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Green Heart and Once Upon a Mattress. I also did the occassional straight play, but my love was musicals.
When I graduated from high school my original plan was to go to college for Musical Theatre, but life just didn’t work out that way. After a while I stopped doing community theatre due to one thing or another, and now it has been more than 15 years since I did a show. Sometimes I miss it so badly that my heart aches, especially when I see a particularly beautiful show. I still miss the warmth of stage lights, and the feeling when you really connect with an audience.
Why am I telling you this? Well, I actually don’t know other than I compulsively requested 11 musical soundtracks from the library this week: Assassins, Waitress, Once on This Island, Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, Hairspray, Anastasia, Dear Evan Hansen, The Band’s Visit, Rocky Horror Show, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Maybe if I sing and dance around my house enough I can relocate the feeling I used to get. I can at least have fun trying.
Last Friday night, I reserved a table for my mother, my sister, and myself to the first show of the year for Columbus drag queen Virginia West at Axis Nightclub. This was our second straight year of attending Stadium Virginium, and we were excited to repeat the experience. After drinking several “Rob’s Busted Peach”, a delicious vodka fueled drink, it was absolutely time for the show to start.
The theme for this years show was 80’s and 90’s Pop, and the show was a blinding whirlwind of your favorite songs. Things that were actually shouted out by me, “Oh my god! Is this Debbie Gibson?!” (It was) “What do you mean you have never seen the breakfast club?” (I am apparently a shitty older sister) “Holy Shit Hall and Oates.” This was sprinkled in among singing at the top of my lungs and screaming “YAAASSSS!!” Old school Madonna, Whitney Houston, Prince, Bobby Brown, Spice Girls, Britney, and a fabulous Missy Elliot performed at the highest level of entertainment by the multi-talented cast. There was dancing, singing, amazing drag, and a lot of humor.
To cap off the amazing night, Virginia invited the audience to donate to Everytown USA in light of the recent shooting in Parkland, FL. Last count I heard over $700 was raised in the course of a single song.
There are several more shows this weekend and you can get tickets Here! I could not recommend it more.
Day 22: Put your music on shuffle and post the first ten songs.
Purgatory Dance Party – Polkadot Cadaver
Little Sister – Jewel
Lieee – Tori Amos
Dead Heaven – Gary Numan
Snow-Hen of Austerlitz – Rasputina
Ever Dream – Nightwish
Depraved Uncut – Tartan Terrors
Wonderboy – Tenacious D
Sacred Stones of Stonehenge – Kellianna
Do It With A Rockstar – Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra
I have eclectic taste in music. There were also about 5 tracks that were from audiobooks, but I did not post those. They included books by David Sedaris, Terry Pratchett, Patti Smith, Henry David Thoreau, Kim Harrison, and Anne Rice. I am a fairly eclectic reader too.
Also, I have tickets to see Rasputina in August, and before the show we are going to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Day 7: List 10 songs that you are loving right now.
These songs are all over the board. Most are not new, but they are songs that I can listen to any day. They are songs that make me dance, laugh and/or sing along. These are links that will take you to the Youtube video for these songs.
Betsy Snow White Bibliophile 