We completely missed another hugely interesting resource here at the Mudd: American Broadsides and Ephemera. Since this collection comes from the same company that gave us Early American Imprints, 1801-1819, you can do a “curiosities and wonders” search here, too. The Mudd: for all your curiosities and wonders needs.
Author: Antoinette Powell
You Mean the Mouse SINGS?
We don’t often wish we were in Los Angeles, but we do now. The Hammer Museum at UCLA is hosting Extraodrinary Exhibitions: Broadsides from the Collections of Ricky Jay from now until November 25. The exhibit features “80 examples of 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century ephemeral advertising sheets known as broadsides…with an emphasis on remarkable entertainers and visual deceptions.” Today’s New York Times has an interview with Mr. Jay along with some amazing examples and descriptions from the exhibit.
The Mudd subscribes to Early American Imprints, 1801-1819 which includes the subject category “Curiosities and wonders.” Here you can find your “Great anaconda or the terrific serpent of Java,” a little tamer fare than Mr. Jay’s singing mouse, enormous head, or living skeleton.
And You Thought Wind Chimes Were Annoying
Glass harmonica? How about a water-organ? A Croatian architect has created a giant water-powered organ that is played by waves from the Adriatic Sea lapping onto steps. Now visitors don’t need to be bored by those dull sounds of nature.
We Like the Rolling Stone
On this day 40 years ago Rolling Stone published its first issue. The title comes from the Bob Dylan song “Like a rolling stone“. It looked a little different back then – no shiny glossy cover. But its founder Jann Wenner is still the editor and publisher.
The obvious choice for the first cover was John Lennon, a popular entertainer at that time who composed, sang and played guitar, and who’d just finished filming the Richard Lester film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061789/"How I Won the War.
The Mudd subscribes to Rolling Stone and keeps the paper copies for a year. We also have R.S. on microfilm from January, 1978 to June, 2002 for all your fogey rock needs.
Did You Hear the One About…?
Today you can’t escape “Abet and Aid Punsters Day.” Be a groan-up and paste a smile on your face when you hear one of these (and you will):
Walter Cronkite and Virginia Potato (yes, a real potato) were in love. But her father objected: “I’m not going let any daughter of mine marry a commentator.”
Show me a piano falling down a mineshaft and I’ll show you A-flat minor.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.
Did you hear about the fire at the circus? The heat was in tents.
A toothless termite walked into a tavern and said, “Is the bar tender here?”
The orchestra was performing Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9, a piece in which the bass section doesn’t play for a long stretch toward the end. The section decided to leave the stage and grab a few beers across the street. Two players passed out and rest got back late. The conductor was furious. It was the bottom of the ninth, there were two men out and the basses were loaded.
If It Was a Guernsey You’re Covered
This just in: yesterday a 600 lb. cow fell 200 feet off a cliff near Manson, Washington and crushed the hood of a mini van. The occupants escaped unharmed. The cow was not as fortunate. We’ll stay here where there are plenty of cows but no cliffs.
Yakkity Sax
It’s Saxophone Day! It’s a woodwind made of metal! It’s named after a real guy whose birthday is today! It comes in all different sizes! And what could be cooler than a saxophone, or for that matter, a saxophone player? Once you get past the shades and the slouching demeanor, you’ll find a hug-able human being. So go hug one.
The Mudd has a boat load of recordings, scores and videos featuring the saxophone. Of course there’s Coltrane. But we also feature a composer who writes for saxophone(s) and ghettoblaster. For the less adventurous, how about some saxophone quartets?
They Got Blowed Up Real Good
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in which a bunch of conspirators in England tried to blow stuff up, occurred on this day. It’s celebrated as Guy Fawkes Night, Bonfire Night, Fireworks Night, Cracker Night or Plot Night. In any case, explosions and fire are the order the day.
Today’s New York Times has a pretty sad photo of a rugby club viewing a film of a bonfire last year on Guy Fawkes Night. It’s a sorry state of affairs when the mayhem-loving British must discard their customs. But one rogue town will not be moved: “…the Slough Borough Council…decided not to have a bonfire this year. (It will have fireworks, though, along with an Asian Elvis impersonator.)”
Read all about him (Guy Fawkes, not Elvis) in the Mudd.
Fup, We Hardly Knew Ye
Libraries are all about the books (well, sort of) and librarians are all about the cats (except for the dog people.) In that spirit, we are sad to report the passing of Fup, resident cat at Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon. Fup, whose name may come from a backwards “Puff,” also has a web site you may want to visit.
The Mudd needs a mascot, but it would probably end up being named “Ddum.”
Mmmmm. Donus.
On Nov. 2, 676 Donus, Son of a Roman called Mauricius was consecrated Bishop of Rome or “Pope,” if you will. He was quite the builder. Even though he only lasted two years, “he paved the enclosed forecourt of St. Peter’s Basilica [and] paved the atrium or quadrangle in front of St. Peter’s with great blocks of white marble” according to Wikipedia. In spite of his gift as a general contractor, he was unable to fix the schism between Constantinople and Rome. That was left to Archbishop Reparatus, if that was his REAL name.