…don’t be afraid little ones

 

She is a little bit freaky right?

…it’s a ghost, it’s a fatal disease, it’s David Ike

I think it is entirely possible that we are all capable of making up scary shit. Whether its convincing ourselves we have a terminal brain tumour, or that the scratching through the wall is, without a doubt, I mean there is NO WAY it is not, a ghost who either wishes us harm or just really wants to scare the wits out of us. As a kid this amazing imagination also means we can play shops and super fun games, as well as imagining the scary monster under the bed. When I was a kid I imagined all kinds of scary evil things coming to get me, but I also believed that everyday was my birthday but that everyone had forgotten to tell me. Back then, imagination meant I could make believe good exciting things along with the bad scary stuff. These days, and especially this week, it has all been about the bad scary stuff.

Ghostly white, but still pretty.

Ben is taking some very cool supernatural photos, so in the course of two weeks I have been both ghost and human, witnessed levitations of humans and chairs, seen ectoplasm spill from someone’s nose and seen ghosts linger around the stairwell of my house looking darn right creeptastic, and just a little too not translucent to be believable.

Wonder what she was like when she was alive?

I have also heard my friends talk about David Ike and his lizard people theories, which frankly, genuinely worry me. I keep imagining Kevin Rudd’s head splitting open and a snarling scaly lizard beast spilling forth screaming ‘I ruled you all and you didn’t even know it, HA, and you stupid people even drank the fluoride poisoned water, I control you all’. THIS, I tell you, does not make an insomniac’s job any easier.

I used to laugh at my adult male pals who get together once a week to play a game of good old fashioned Dungeons & Dragons, but I think I get it now. It’s amazing that they can use their mind and their ability to make shit up for good; for, dare I say it, FUN! I’m a little bit jealous and wish I could do the same. So, this Halloween, I will not be dressing as something scary, or evil, or dead; I will be something fun and light hearted. Now, let me think…

Google Tags: Lizard people, Dungeons and Dragons

Text and Photos by Samantha Murdoch

…its FANGtastically tasty

This awesome red velvet vampire fang cake was a hit at out last party, recreate it for your Halloween festivities!

Looks gross, but it tastes SO mmmm good.

…you will need

• 3 boxes of butter cake mix
• HEAPS of red food dye
• 3 bags glace cherries
• Cocoa powder
• 300g butter
• 1 large bag icing mixture
• 1/2 cup milk
• Vanilla essence
• 1 deep rectangle non stick cake tin
• A large foil or paper covered board

SO, if you don’t want to be lazy you can really make the cakes from scratch, but whatever floats your boat kids. Follow the instructions on the cake packets one at a time then add heaps of red food dye (trust me, it takes a lot to make it red and not a yucky insipid icky colour), a bag of chopped glace cherries per mix, and a tablespoon of cocoa powder per mix. Just so you know, the cherries are meant to be guts, and the cocoa powder helps the blood colour along and tastes good. It would be easier to bake both the cakes at once, but if you only have one tin that’s fine. Once the cakes are done, leave to cool completely, because, if you try and assemble it whilst its still hot it will break, I PROMISE YOU!

My icing never turns out great, so it’s is probably your best bet to find a butter cream icing recipe and follow that. Most of the icing mixture will be used for the vamps pearly whites, but put a bit aside and add tonnes more red colouring to make the blooooooooood that drips from the fangs.

Going batty? Nah, it’s just really good cake.

To put the cake together you need to cut two of the cakes into single fang shapes and put on each side of the board with enough room in between for the other cake which forms the regular teeth. cut grooves into the other cake so people know they are teeth (this is just in case you have reeeeeaaally stupid people at your party). If it doesn’t look like fangs at this point, you are pretty screwed but feel free to cut pieces of here and there which you can stick on other places later with icing. Icing it is the heaps fun bit, so go nuts, channel your creative energies and get your artistic juices flowing!

You may have to tell your guests that it’s not in fact teeth or blood or guts they are eating, it’s yummy yummy cake.

Text and Photos by Samantha Murdoch

…step right up and check out these freaks

Liquorish allsort woman, watch out, she will get you with her stripy candy!

OH MY GOD it’s the man with half a face, don’t be scared kids, he is mostly harmless.

ladies and gentleman gather round and take a closer look at the woman with no face and a freakishly long arm.

Folks, steer clear of this sweet looking little lady, she is plotting your death!

Text by Samantha Murdoch
Photos by Samantha Murdoch and Benjamin Holdstock

we have a secret, shhhhhhhh……

…we recycle!

Wardrobe recycling is fun and easy. One night Em and Sam found out that an everyday wardrobe can be transformed into something entirely different and interesting.

Actually: So, anonymous model, how would you describe your wardrobe?

Anonymous Model: Disappointing and difficult to manage. I really don’t know how I ended up with what I have!

Actually: Were you happy with the results of this little expedition into wardrobe recycling?

Anonymous Model: Yes! (model laughs) Um…it was cool to see how someone else might wear my stuff.

Actually: Would you ever wear those brocade pants in public? They are AMAZING.

Anonymous Model: (Model laughs) Would i wear them in public? I have, before they were altered, but it was dark!

Actually: Well thanks for letting us in to the dark depths of your clothes rack, its been fun!

Anonymous Model: You can get into the dark depths of my rack anytime!

Styling by Emily Hughes and Samantha Murdoch

Photos by Samantha Murdoch

Text by Samantha Murdoch and Emily Hughes

Model chooses to remain anonymous

…we love princess sparkle banana splits

You will need:

• Bananas (well DERRRR)
• Neapolitan ice cream (but only use the PINK k?)
• Those sparkly pink sugar crystal thingos
• Chocolate Topping or Ice Magic
• Brown, White and Pink Cream Wafers
• Crushed Peanuts

Cut open the bananas lengthways, place in bowl and add ice cream and topping or ice magic. Sprinkle over HEAPS of the pink sparkles (other wise its not a princess sparkle, is it?), crushed peanuts and one of each colour wafer.

WARNING: You may experience strange behaviour after consuming this, such as groaning, writhing and sugar induced hyper-ness. Eat responsibly.

Text and Photo by Samantha Murdoch

…we love cheap cds

$10 table, Fish Records, Newtown

MASSIVE ATTACK: COLLECTED

Massive Attack is a band that has made an impression on me, but it has always been one song that has crept into my repeat play lists, never a whole album. Tunes such as Teardrop and Inertia Creeps (both from 1998) were staples of my adolescence, but I have never thought to appreciate the whole picture that their impressive back catalogue creates. Most people would know Teardrop, the haunting lyrics and THAT film clip, you know, the one with the foetus floating around all translucent like, but on closer inspection there is more than singing babies to be found.

Things you may not know? Well firstly, most of their music is what music nerds call trip-hop; they share this genre with others such as Portishead and Tricky. Secondly, they have had an extraordinary number of amazing guest vocalists and musicians; Tracy Thorn from Everything but the Girl does a stellar job on Protection (1994) and Elizabeth Frazer from Cocteau Twins sings to your soul on Teardrop.

In 2006 Massive Attack released Collected. It’s a best of, though I think it works well as a stand alone album, thematically and musically. The band has really stayed true to its beginnings, whether this was an intention or not it means that Safe From Harm from 1991 with its synth backing and soul vocals sits beside 2006s smoky Live With Me so well it would not be a stretch to assume that they were from the same album originally. Live With Me is a favourite of mine from this disk, featuring Cee-Lo Green of Gnarls Barkley, its eerie strings accompaniment the lyrics all about love, and a beat which is impossible to resist makes it a perfect song to kick back to.

It appears that Massive Attack is a 90s band that has managed to outlive its era, and with a new album expected to be released very soon, we may see more brilliance yet. I am completely excited at the idea of Hope Sandoval from Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions and Mazzy Star making an appearance with her ethereal vocals, and Damon Albarn of Blur throwing his hat into the collaborative ring.

SO, if you are like me and have always liked Massive Attack, never LOVED them, head to Fish Records on King street in Newtown and pick up Massive Attack: Collected (2006), and the infectious and primal rhythms will get you hooked . Get to know the trip-hop pioneers so you can fall in love with the new album.

Text By Samantha Murdoch

Image courtesy of Virgin Records

Em and Sam say thanks! We shall post again soon.

xoxo