Was Charles Dickens a Victorian Shaman?

Scrooges_third_visitor-john_le

The January 2011 issue of Fortean Times (FT270) has a wonderful article from Guy Reid-Brown which is well worth a read for anyone interested in the occult, folklore and myth, the works of Charles Dickens or the traditions of Christmas.  In it, Reid-Brown makes a convincing case for interpreting Dickens's classic tale "A Christmas Carol" as an initiatory journey through death and re-birth:

"The paradoxical core of all Initiation is the dying to oneself in order to be reborn, and Scrooge’s story occurs, entirely appropriately, at that ancient and emblematic time of death and rebirth, the Winter Solstice. His psychopomp, that escort and guide to the Underworld, the necessary Prime Initiator, is of course old Jacob Marley himself, Scrooge’s own dear departed."

Read the full article in the print edition of Fortean Times 270 (if you don't already subscribe, you really should), or online at the Fortean Times website.

Tony Wilson's tombstone

Blog_dsc3646_0-1

It's three years late and doesn't have a FAC number, but this memorial headstone co-designed by long-time Factory folk Ben Kelly and Peter Saville has finally taken its place in Manchester's Southern Cemetery. A beautiful tribute to their friend Anthony H Wilson, the memorial is in keeping with the Factory aesthetic. Creative Review have more information and photographs.

Mark (Sparklehorse) Linkous commits suicide

6 March 2010

Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous has committed suicide, his publicist confirmed to Rolling Stone magazine. Best known for his acclaimed work with Sparklehorse, who released four albums of imaginative ambient psych-folk, Linkous also produced Daniel Johnston’s 2003 album Fear Yourself and collaborated with Danger Mouse on Dark Night of the Soul. His exact age is unknown, but he was in his forties. “It is with great sadness that we share the news that our dear friend and family member, Mark Linkous, took his own life today,” reads a statement from his family. “We are thankful for his time with us and will hold him forever in our hearts. May his journey be peaceful, happy and free. There’s a heaven and there’s a star for you.”

Linkous’ dramatic, lush music often came from a place of pain. In 1996, Linkous actually died for two minutes after ingesting a dangerous mix of Valium and antidepressants while on tour in the U.K. behind Sparklehorse’s 1995 debutVivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot. He recovered, but the incident left him crippled — he laid unconscious for 14 hours, cutting off circulation to his legs. He suffered a heart attack when medics attempted to straighten his legs, and underwent seven surgeries to save his damaged limbs.  But after the incident, he recorded 1999’s Good Morning Spider, 2001’s It’s A Wonderful Life and 2006’sDreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain. “For a while there, I was really scared that when I technically died — which I guess I did for a few minutes — that the part of my brain that allowed me my ability to write songs would be damaged,” he told Rolling Stone in 1999.

Linkous most recently teamed up with Danger Mouse and director David Lynch onDark Night of the Soul, a multimedia project that was tied up in legal issues with EMI; just this past week, Danger Mouse and the label resolved their dispute and agreed to let the album come out as it was originally intended.

Linkous’ publicist confirms he was nearly finished with a new album that was due on Anti- Records

Falling lamp-post kills baby

Boy dies after being hit by falling lamp-post

One-year-old's buggy was being pushed down street in west London when tragedy happened

A one-year-old boy who was hit by a falling lamp-post in west London on Tuesday has died today.

The baby, whose name has not been released, was struck when the lamp-post fell in Chiswick.

A 62-year-old woman, who suffered a back injury in the accident, was taken to hospital. She was discharged yesterday.

The boy was airlifted to the Royal London hospital, in east London. He was pronounced dead at about 5.30am.

"A baby boy seriously injured by a falling lamp-post in Chiswick has sadly died," a Scotland Yard spokesman said.

"A postmortem examination will be scheduled in due course."

The woman, who was treated at Charing Cross hospital, in west London, was not related to the baby and was not pushing his buggy when the lamp-post fell.

A police spokesman said the baby was with a carer, who was not injured.

The incident, which happened at the junction of Heathfield Terrace and Sutton Court Road, is being investigated by officers from Hounslow CID and the specialist crime directorate, along with the Health and Safety Executive.

A Hounslow council spokeswoman said the incident was "an awful tragedy" and the council was co-operating fully with the investigations.

She said work was being carried out in the area as part of the Turnham Green traffic and transport improvement scheme, designed to provide faster journeys for bus passengers.

via guardian.co.uk

 

Pets do the funniest things - like bringing home a human head

Pet dog took home a human head

2010/02/19

POLICE in King William’s Town have called on anyone missing a male relative to help identify a head found in a village about 10km outside the town.

The head was found by a dog, and dragged to its owner’s house.

A Ndevana resident said she got the shock of her life on Sunday when her dog arrived at her home carrying the grisly find.

The resident immediately alerted the police.

Police spokesperson Captain Thozama Solani said the head was badly decomposed, but still had flesh on it.

“It has been kept at a State mortuary in Bhisho.”

Solani said there were no reports of missing people in the area and police were baffled as to where the dog found the head.

A forensic team has been trying to determine what happened to the body.

She said at this stage police were not sure if the body had been buried or not.

Families with missing relatives are asked to go to the Bhisho mortuary and identify the head. — Msindisi Fengu

via dispatch.co.za