Freaky Footsies: May 2009

Sunday, May 31, 2009

The Escapist: Harry Hanuman (1874-1926)

Graduating from copying the Davenport’s transmutation routines, little Harry was renowned for his lock-picking and prison breaking ability. He is the last known owner of Ehrich Weiss’s regulation straight jacket, auctioned from Martinka and Co’s in 1939.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Aleister Blackwood (1945-1978)

The “Simian Salamander”. Cursed with a rare form of ichthyosis, Aleister never achieved center-stage with his astounding magick act. His unusual appearance relegated him to the sideshow bally until he became the renowned hypnotist, Dr. Satanos with Zacherley on WPIX’s Chiller Theatre.

Monkey Business...

I have a love for and fascination with the Circus, magic shows, vaudeville and especially the Side Show. (And not necessarily in the shock-value-serial-killer kinda way—more the Ray Bradbury, wonder and awe variety.) I loved reading about Johnny Eck and the Hilton Sisters and wondering about their unique lives. I have always made creatures and monsters: My Frank the Bunny from Donnie Darko costume was so much fun to build and as a kid, I even made a Purple Spotted Snorklewacker from the Bloom County comics. When I made a Mogwai from a Time magazine photo before Gremlins was released, I should have realized it might be an addiction. After the idea for a Fee Gee mermaid sock monkey popped in my head, she screamed to be my pal Harry’s Christmas present. Little did I know after Harry opened her, the two of us would begin joking about an entire Congress of Freaks waiting to be born. I hope you enjoy meeting them as much as I enjoy making new ones.

Born March 2, 1973, Monica Knighton is a Pisces, as is readily evident by the large fin-shaped birthmarks on her back. While recent DNA testing has shown that she is mostly composed of sugar and spice and everything nice, large traces of snips and snails and puppy dog tails were also detected, which may or may not account for her penchant for boxer shorts and Conan the Barbarian movies.

She is also an artist, writer, illustrator and metalsmith whose work draws from her fascination with folklore, mythology, horror, film and stand-up comedy. Her first book, The Magician's Cat, earned a scholarship from the Hubbard Foundation's "Written and Illustrated By..." competition, and was inspired by her own cat, "Fart Face". As a graduate survivor of Southwest Texas State University, her college study focused primarily on painting, drawing and found object collage. Her work has been exhibited at the Dallas Fantasy Fair, ArmadilloCon, the High Life Cafe, Café Mundi, Barnes and Noble, Spiderhouse, Alternate Currents Artspace, Gallery Lombardi, and also on the back of the Austin Chronicle, cocktail napkins, and numerous spare refrigerators across the country.

Monica has held a variety of jobs. She has worked as a flea market fortuneteller, a vintage clothing merchant and as a non-union movie extra. Someday she hopes to fulfill her acting dream and appear on film as a zombie or bloated corpse.
During high school and college, Monica supplemented her education by doing volunteer work for many worthy and edifying causes, such as the ACLU, the SPCA, the Austin Film Society, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Her volunteer work today consists of continuing to help out at the Central Texas SPCA, and slowly eroding her English skills as a writer and contributor to Harry Knowles’ Ain’t It Cool News website.

In 1990, Monica began a metal work apprenticeship under cowboy artist, Jerry McCoy, whom she describes as a cross between P.T. Barnum and Tim Allen.

Today she is an accomplished metalsmith, and has worked in design, fabrication and casting of both gold and silver. Her jewelry work is featured at McCoy Jewelcraft in Austin. She is currently pestering Jerry to teach her bronze sculpture casting.
In her spare time, she enjoys going to see local bands, swing dancing, reading comic books (as well as those big books without pictures), and watching movies until her eyes bleed. Her turn ons include the work of people with Tom in their name, such as: Tom Robbins, Tom Stoppard, Lily Tomlin, Tom Savini and Tommy Smothers. She is also a crappy cook and hates writing about herself in the third person.

Freaky Footsies

Sunday, May 31, 2009

The Escapist: Harry Hanuman (1874-1926)

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Aleister Blackwood (1945-1978)

About Freaky Footsies, Sideshow Sock Monkeys…

The Gang's all Here!

Monkey Business...

Mr. Hector

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