Pop Culture

Cryptotaxidermia Wurzeltodensis

One of the prize pieces of the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists. Suzanne Gerber (above). Suzanne Gerber has collected an incredible gallery of pieces in her “long-awaited Taxidermy, Cryptozoology & Animal Curiosa Überpost – dedicated to a very precious and talented friend” of hers: “The lovely Jessica Joslin.” Open the magnificent door to her Taxidermia Wurzeltodensis and visit her large online collection of cryptotaxidermy and more. By the way, I was watching Showtime’s early Dexter episodes two weeks ago, and was surprised to hear and see that one of the serial killer suspects was a practicing “cryptotaxidermist.” (I wonder the [...]

See Monster

The sea is the best field for data. – Charles Fort. Okay, in celebration of today – August 7th – being the official “Sea Serpent Day” – here above is a humorous take on the events of the next 24 hours from cartoonist Charles Berlin, creator of the world explorer character Professor Wexler. M.T. Anderson’s “Serpent Came to Gloucester” (Candlewick, 2005) recounts in rhyming verse the early-19th-century sighting of a mysterious sea serpent off the coast of Gloucester. Inspired by real-life reports, Anderson writes from the perspective of a boy who witnesses the creature’s visitations and is secretly pleased when [...]

Beyond Mothman: I-35W Blues

Things fall down. People look up. And when it rains, it pours.Magnolia, 1999. The collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minnesota is a tragedy, some say of epic proportions. Certainly, it is the most significant bridge collapse, not caused by an easily visible external reason like an earthquake or an impact from a barge, since 1967. An Anomaly National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark Rosenker said it is too early for officials to know if the accident could have been avoided. “They are built not to fall down. This is an anomaly and we’re going to try to find out [...]

Bridge Name Game: Reeves/McDaniel

August 1, 2007: The I-35W Bridge collapses. Taking a couple Fortean and Mothman sidetreks, here is more pondering in the wake of the I-35W Bridge collapse. While reading the accounts about the fall of the Minnesota bridge, I noticed two names popped up, Reeves and McDaniel. Hang in here with me as I let that Fortean part of my brain wander and wonder. Jay Reeves, 39, was one of the first people on the scene after the collapse. He tried calling 911, but all the lines were jammed. Then, he heard the sounds of children’s screams from the school bus. [...]

The Coming Army of Yeti

The time is never too early to plan ahead for a movie that might interest us. On August 1, 2008, a year from today, Mummy 3 opens. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is to be directed by Rob Cohen (also directed Stealth, XXX, The Skulls, and Dragonheart). The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor has a plot set in ancient China and follows the background of the film’s villain, China’s first emperor Qin Shi Huang (played by Jet Li). The film will move forward to a post-World War II setting where regulars characters Rick and Alex head to [...]

Beowulf Naked

What have they done to the saga of the misunderstood lonely neighborhood hairy forest giant and his cranky mom? Where has the Neandertaloid gone in this tale of a dying, soon-to-be extinct group of humanlike beings? Coming this November, Beowulf is re-invented for the screen beyond the epic remembrances many of us share of this legend. I really doubt the filmmakers have followed my line of thinking that Grendel was a surviving true giant, near Neandertal, or perhaps even a relict form of Homo heildelbergensis. Nevertheless, the film is made in a fashion that makes it appear similar to 300 [...]

TAPS ParaMagazine On The Move

TAPS ParaMagazine moved into new headquarters in Massachusetts, and the GateHouse News Service highlighted the relocation. The following are parts of that story, plus various sample cover pages from my recent “CryptoCorner” columns and feature articles. Note, the TAPS folks are also thinking about opening a museum in the future. Fall River- The slithery, emerald green ‘‘lady alien’’ android had a parrot on her shoulder and a purple sign in her hand that read: ‘‘Welcome to TAPS ParaMagazine. You are safe here.’’ The investigators and writers of TAPS, with more than 20 monthly issues on the paranormal in the can, [...]

Mothman Deaths Keep Away No One

Anniversaries are those logical points on the calendar when we all naturally think about events that may have been too overwhelming to have sink too deeply into our psyche at the time. Three years ago the Mothman Death Curse, if there is such a thing, hit close to home. On July 19, 2004, the first copies of the August 2004 issue of Fortean Times went on sale in London, with distribution to the USA, later in July. It contained the first publication of “The Mothman Death Curse” article that I had completed a few weeks earlier, after researching the subject [...]