A new smaller skeleton joined the pack at Houndstooth Hall: young Ambrose’s twin sister Amarise (whatever century some variety of plague occurred was hard on this family). Here’s a photo from her first appearance on Instagram, wearing a “Who The Hell Is Ben Cote?” button that I let her claim because, as Lord Cuttlebone explains, “Never come between a girl and her devotion to a guitarist, songwriter, performer, and possessor of great hair.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. For more of my Instagram skeleton Halloween homages to music artists, check behind the cut.
On October 14, Lord Cuttlebone and nephew Ambrose gave Sir Elton John his due. I don’t know how many times they’ve seen him, but my year was 1975 and he was spectacular. Those sunglasses Ambrose is wearing were spotted by Lynne when we shopped for skeleton apparel at the Salvation Army store last year. (Featured song: “Crocodile Rock,” which figures predominantly in the Neverending Saga.)
Now, about Ben Cote, featured on October 15. He’s a rock/metal musician I found on Instagram because of our shared love of Eddie Van Halen, whose playing Ben covers with greatness. Ben has a degree in music, and he now teaches aspiring guitarists at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, in addition to writing for and performing with the Ben Cote Band AND opening for some well-known 80s/90s acts. Ben bears a physical resemblance to a 1960s/70s musician who served as my model for a character in the Neverending Saga (in a weird coincidence, that musician and therefore my character are from Boston–and both existed in my world long before Ben Cote was born). (Featured song: “Voodoo Queen.”)
On October 16, Amarise picked the AC/DC song to go with her witch costume, “Witch’s Spell.” Amarise is a bit bossy, but I’ve learned the dead can be that way, haunting your house, your thoughts, your time, your art…
On October 17, I did another Beatles tribute so I could use Tom’s Beatles T-shirt and my T-shirt and denim jacket from Paul McCartney’s 2019 “Freshen Up” tour. In Becky World, there can never be too much Beach Boys, Beatles, Springsteen, Mellencamp… Oh, never mind, I don’t have apparel for all the musicians I could list. (Featured song: “Blackbird.”)
On October 18, since Amarise and Ambrose were playing with their toy skeletons (her: nurse and doctor; him, pirate, ARRRR), Lord Cuttlebone chose to wear the Aerosmith T-shirt. (Featured song: “Toys In The Attic.”)
On October 19, Lord Cuttlebone tried to lift the veil that my true age hides behind (“I AM TIMELESS,” as one of my characters says in the Neverending Saga) by asking me to put five things from my childhood bedroom in the photo with him (full disclosure, only four of the five items qualify) and tell him my five favorite songs from 1971. I looked at the “Hot 100 Songs” of that year from Billboard. I struggled to keep my favorites to TWENTY-ONE. So he insisted I pick only one that could still impact me the way it did when I was an embryo or whatever age I was then, and so the post features Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” also timeless.
Dolly Parton dominated October 20. Lord Cuttlebone wore Tom’s Dolly T-shirt, and Ambrose wore a Dolly Parton tee from the skeletons’ closet. Since Amarise didn’t have Dolly apparel, I let her play with my Dolly Parton doll (making this an official Tiny Tuesday post). (Blue Sky Boy: I think the first time I shared her was on LJ when she visited Timothy while he was in the hospital, an event you remember.) (Featured song, what else but “Backwoods Barbie.”)
Robert Smith and The Cure are having a renaissance! I saw new T-shirts at Target. This one, featured on my October 21 post, is vintage on loan from Timothy and celebrates The Cure’s 1996 Swing Tour. I have to admit, I think the only Cure song I own is “All Cats Are Grey,” but I do like the music I know from them. (Featured song: “Friday I’m In Love.”)
This brings us to today, October 22, for which I officially used the remainder of the T-shirts I’d borrowed from Timothy. Amarise and Lord Cuttlebone are wearing Tim’s concert tees from two different Fleetwood Mac tours he saw. Ambrose feels okay about not having more FM fashion because he got to wear my buttons that feature Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks.
(Featured song: “The Chain,” which was the chosen theme song for four writers I know who once published under the name “Timothy James Beck.”)
Every time I glance at that first Amarise photo, I think of C3PO from a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. A time where being versed in so many ways of communication, yet regularly being the shot messenger told to shut up, C3PO had a soul for music and became a legendary rock and roll radio DJ.
What a great comparison–now that you made it, I can totally see it. Maybe Amarise will be inspired to follow in that legend’s steps.
I don’t know about over there, but in recent years skulls have been fashionable here – as in screen prints on scarves, t-shirts and so-on. I really don’t see the appeal. No offence to any of your models!
They’re not for everyone, that’s for sure. But they’re definitely popular here right now, especially in yards in October.
I think some of the decorative use for Hallowe’en is very creative and fun.