Hopeless, Maine and Some Freaks

Greetings people! (and others)

This week, I bring you a video that Nimue has made in order to introduce people to our strange playground. She made it specifically because we are involved in a local event called Stroud Book festival, and we are going to be in a gallery for the week (Which is why the Hopeless, Maine Arts and Crafts Movement has begun and is now completely out of control. More on that later) They asked for a video to promote HM, and so, here it is. (I’ll be back after you watch/listen. Promise)

You will notice that the (Bloody amazing) music is by Walter Sickert. Walter is one of our art heroes and leads one of our three favorite bands in the world/ever- Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys. 

Walter wrote and performed this song for us. (sorry. Having a moment here) and it’s a thing we go back to whenever we are having creative doubts (Much less often than in times past, admittedly) He has also written the soundtrack for the film Some Freaks, which is out in theatres now! It can also be found online if you don’t have the sort of enlightened theatre that shows unspeakably cool things.

 

Hoping (as always) this finds you well, inspired and thriving.

Traditional songs from Hopeless Maine

What do people sing on Hopeless Maine, when the fog swirls ominously around the windows? What do they sing to children too frightened to sleep? Or for that matter at the Founders Day when residents gather together to look mournfully at the inedible flora and fauna their ancestors found on arrival here?

There are of course many traditional songs. here are some collected by author and filkloreist Sheila North, on the subject of The Night Potato.

 

You can find more Sheila North here – https://sheilanorth.wordpress.com/

Here’s a tentacular cover Tom did for Sheila’s short stories…

 

Utterly Hopeless Music

Quite some years ago, musician and composer Johnny Benson approached Tom at The Steampunk’s World Fair in New Jersey and they talked about the possibility of a soundtrack for Hopeless Maine.

We of course said yes. The result is a lovely, haunting and atmospheric body of music. The titles are…

Hopeless Maine,  Salamandra, Pallad rock (the orphanage), Ribbons in her Hair, Of Woods and Witches and Just Off Shore.

It’s a soundtrack for Personal Demons – book one, or the second bit of The Gathering, after The Blind Fisherman, depending on which version you have.

You can find Utterly Hopeless on itunes, and if you poke about the internet, its on other music sites as well.

https://itunes.apple.com/gt/album/utterly-hopeless-ep/id760207227?l=en