I happened to run across this image while browsing Pinterest yesterday. I have now found a new "must-have" for my office. After all, I don't have a proper clock in there, yet. Oswald Rotating Eye Skull Clock from the 1920s, made in West Germany. The eyes rotate to tell the time. Also known as a "time of death" clock, the eye on the left tells the hour, and the eye on the right tells the minutes. They're quite rare, apparently, and quite spendy, if you can find them in good condition.
My grandparents lived in a tiny neighborhood of tiny row homes. It seemed every house had a tiny elderly couple in it. When they decorated for any holiday, it seemed they all used decorations that hadn't been manufactured in decades. They were now worn and pale. Strings of giant pastel light bulbs for Christmas, the kind that'd fit in the palm of your hand. Strange shiny foil foldout decorations hanging from window locks and doorknobs. Paper decorations with images of happy Pilgrims and smiling Indians sitting at the same table.
Halloween. Everyone seemed to have a ceramic pumpkin happily facing out into the street. A bright white bulb making sure neighbors across the street could feel the joy from triangular features. But up at the corner. A tiny creepy skull, smiling green. The house was always dark. No porch light that I can remember. Leaves always on the sidewalk. No lights on inside the house. But there it was - a tiny white skull with a green bulb inside. Always on. All Halloween season long. And we obsessed about it. And we still do. Remember the skull? we've asked for years. And, of course, we do.
So a few months ago, I saw it. Someone offering a small white skull for sale. Unlike any ceramic skull I've seen. In my mind, it's THE skull. From that house. The ceramic bone is incredibly thin. Delicate. But perfect. And there was no doubt about it; he'd have a green bulb for a brain. And he'd go in the window.
And I'll make sure to turn the rest of the lights out.
I admit it. I am a child of the '80s. I was one of those weird kids (shocking, I know) who loved all music but country. I listened to heavy metal, ska, new wave, rock, oldies. Just about everything.
One of my favorite groups of the day was The English Beat. The album, Special Beat Service, really put them on the map with songs like I Confess and Save It For Later.
I recently saw the video for Save It For Later, and was delighted to see the set they used was decorated with a lovely cellar-and-skeletons motif.
I love the dancing skeleton on the wall behind the actors, the cheesy paper-accordion skeleton, and the film noir-style posters on the walls. I particularly liked the candle holder made out of the upper part of a Bucky skull and an arm bone. I may just steal that idea!
I also love the old Adam and the Ants videos for the wonderful costuming. It's like he ransacked the BBC's costume department for each video and just had a blast with them. Stand and Deliver:
Prince Charming:
Ant Rap:
I wonder how many times they got to fire the cannon for that one? Ahh, memories.
Here's me, Ant fan, 1984. Geez, I wish I had that body back. It didn't hurt as much in the morning!
Meet Oskar. Formerly a World War I German soldier, Oskar, or Oskar's skull, to be more precise, went on to be a study model for dental students. My former boss (who told me what he knew of Oskar's story)had him for around 40 years and bequeathed Oskar to me when he retired. I guess he knew Oskar would have a good home.
When we moved in, I unpacked Oskar and put him on my husband's bookshelf. He complained about Oskar's new roost until after Halloween that year, when everyone asked where we got the cool skull. Then he started making noises about taking Oskar to work with him and displaying him on a bookshelf in his private office. So far, I've won the battle to keep Oskar at home, where he belongs.
While I'm looking forward to using Oskar as a model for future skulls, I really appreciate him from a purely anatomical standpoint. Looking at the nerve bundles and various other details that were left to teach aspiring dental and medical students fascinates me. Pop off the top of his cranium and you get an education on how small the brain is and how delicate its protection. I really was amazed at how many different types of bone make up the skull.
And of course, I really appreciate the creep factor when you light him up just right and put him in a window next to the front door to greet the TOTs! (See the pic below.) Never fails to get a reaction. Very satisfying.
Yes, Oskar will be a great reference model for the groundbreaker corpses I plan for Halloween 2009. I'm not sure if I dare take any papier mache skull models from him, but I'll pattern both shape and color after him. I may also use him for a new scarecrow, a la Pumpkinrot.
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