While I was down in my man cave I happened to come across a show called "American Idol". I'm not sure if any of you are familiar with this show, but apparently it consists of four middle aged adults picking on young kids who can carry a tune in the middle of a Ford and/or Coca-Cola commercial. In any event, I was engaged in a lead pressing event - squats - so I couldn't change the channel to something more manly, such as anything on Spike TV... thus I ended up watching. Most of the contestants were pretty boring, however one came out on stage and begun singing my favorite Rolling Stones song, Paint it Black. The singer, Siobhan Magnus (thank goodness they write the names out with the phone numbers) did a great job singing it - good enough that I squeezed out a few extra reps at 4,500 pounds each...
In any event, what caught my attention most was the tattoo on her right shoulder. It was of a little dead guy holding an umbrella. I looked it up and discovered The Gashlycrumb Tinies.
The book details the suspicious deaths of over two dozen children. If this doesn't have serial killer written all over it, then I'm the Pope. How does George get smothered under a rug? Earnest choked on a peach? Zillah drank too much gin? How did she even get access to alcohol? I smell cover up. Perhaps if Gorey dove into the back stories of these "deaths" we might be able to gather some evidence to uncover the real story behind Kate and her unfortunate encounter with an axe.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the death and mayhem portrayed in the book. Believe me folks, having been on a 14 hour flight to Frankfurt (don't ask) with a kid crying/yelling/kicking my seat/and throwing up during 12 of those hours, I can relate to Edward Gorey's murderous impulses. If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on his inspiration for this book coming from his airplane travels.
Who doesn't like seeing kids murdered in unusual ways? Now please excuse me as there are two men in suits ringing my doorbell...Get more detail about The Gashlycrumb Tinies.
No comments:
Post a Comment