ALAN FRISWELL: THE CFZ - THE LAST FORTEAN PUBLISHING HOUSE?

The FT UnCon always promises to be a weekend of unusual events, and so it was. Over the two-day period, I finally met Rebecca Lang, amused a small child with the deft and dextrous use of a hot dog and a pigeon, fed a homeless person, drank a reasonably substantial quantity of alcohol and saw a ghost--as you do.

The various stalls and tables were of special interest, returning me to those wonderful days of childhood when I would haunt the bookshelves of W.H. Smith, which in those informative times were stacked with titles describing every sort of paranormal and Fortean phenomena, many of which found their way home with me, or at least as many as I could twist the arm of my mum and dad to buy for me.

Sadly--'tragically' is more like it--the popularisation and public accessibility to this material seems to have diminished somewhat in the latter years, whether due to lack of interest or publishers losing faith in a field that perhaps appears to be increasingly esoteric.

Now maybe I’m biased--I probably am--but the CFZ, through their independent publishing of Fortean material, is quite possibly the last outlet--or one of the very few--for this kind of literature.

There have been accusations from some quarters that the CFZ are guilty of ‘vanity publishing.’ Oh yeah--well what the hell is that? If it means the publication of a work without consultation or recourse to an established publisher, then personally, I think that’s a good thing, especially in the current climate.

I’m sure we all know the story of how Harry Potter was turned down by fifteen publishing houses before someone finally saw the light. So what chance for black dogs, albino eels, out-of-place pine-martens and Wells catfish? Not much, I would think, in a ‘reading’ environment that seems to actively promote illiteracy among the young and impressionable, through the deification of half-baked ‘celebrities’ who, seemingly unable to write for themselves, have their vacuous and tedious ‘autobiographies’ ghost-written by some anonymous scribe; and the downright obscene proliferation of drivel like OK magazine, that now occupy the very shelves where once were the Fortean books of my youth.

I’ve put up some of the titles that meant so much to me a kid, and it would be nice if the CFZ publications became just as special to some youngster today. And why not?

So well done to Jon and the CFZ team for keeping the diversity and interest of true Fortean publications alive.

ALAN FRISWELL: MAX BLAKE VINDICATED???

ALAN FRISWELL: The Real Twilight

THE REAL TWILIGHT: A NEW BOOK BY ARLENE RUSSO

After having a quick look at the visual contents of this particular blog, I can well imagine the feverish, if not positively reproachful responses from at least some of you:

“Oh, I see, Friswell’s found yet another excuse to stick pictures of half-naked, big-breasted women up on the CFZ site, and potentially lesbian ones to boot! For shame, Friswell, for shame!!” But in fact, nothing could be further from the truth, honest... ahem...

For all of these particular images are perfectly in keeping with the subject under review, which happens to be the world of both mythical, theatrical and more intriguingly, factual vampires, a theme of some relevance to both CFZ readers and Fortean enthusiasts.

Most vampire fans would be content to curl up on the sofa with a box set of Buffy, and a bag of Monster Munch, but not Arlene Russo. Her profound fascination with all things undead inspired her to take the almost unprecedented step of writing and publishing her own independent vampire magazine, Bite Me. Far from being an ‘indie’ fanzine, Bite Me is a highly professional, glossy publication, worthy of a major publisher. Arlene is practically a one-woman industry, writing, editing and advertising Bite Me for its ten-year, twenty-issue run.
Arlene is no stranger to the CFZ, having interviewed no less a luminary than our own -- and very gothic -- Richard Freeman for Bite Me # 13. Recently Arlene has ventured into the area of her first love -- writing books in which she explores the themes of vampire lore, from its relevance in both a historical and folkloric context, to its modern-day interpretations through popular culture, and its possible place in an ever-more protean and bizarre society.

Arlene’s first book, Vampire Nation, was published in 2008. Her new work, The Real Twilight is hot on the shelves right now. Arlene was kind enough to grant me an interview in which she discusses her new book, and the vampire mythos in general.

Alan: Did you first develop your interest in vampires from film and TV, or somewhere else?

Arlene: It is all thanks to the good old Hammer horror movies! I have to thank my mother for letting me stay up late to watch the Hammer horror double bills when I was 10.

Alan: Had you always wanted to publish a magazine?

Arlene: Yes, but not on vampires! I started planning a magazine guide to Glasgow and developed a detailed plan for that. Somehow vampires took over... see next answer...

Alan: How did Bite Me magazine originally get off the ground?

Arlene: A chance visit to the world's biggest Dracula convention in the USA to celebrate the centenary of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1997 sparked the whole idea for Bite me. After four non-stop days of meeting famous authors, Hammer horror film stars and an assortment of vampire retailers, I decided my mission was to return to Scotland and establish a magazine, uniting fans of the book from around the world. It just grew from there. At this point it was meant to be a fanzine but over time I decided I wanted it to look like a glossy magazine that could sit comfortably in shop shelves.

Alan: Writing and publishing an independent mag is difficult enough with a team of people; how did you manage to do it by yourself?

Arlene: With great difficulty. Not recommended!

Alan: Vampire legends are a part of worldwide customs and folklore. Do you think that, from a historical point of view, all of these tales are simply a product of superstition, or could there be some truth behind the mythology?

Arlene: I think for an entity to have inspired so many legends there must have been some sort of basis in reality, even if the reality is far removed from the legend.

Alan: Of all the perennially famous ‘monsters’; Frankenstein, werewolves, zombies, etc, vampires are unique in their sexual attractiveness to us humans. Could this be one of the main reasons for their enduring appeal, in that a part of us finds both them, and their lifestyle desirable?

Arlene: Well, vampires are a lot easier on the eye than werewolves that's for sure! Essentially, vampires are eternally youthful and what is not attractive about that?

Alan: Do you think that there has been some form of cultural change in the evolution of the vampire, from Max Schreck in NOSFERATU, to the more ‘cute’ bloodsuckers in productions like BUFFY and TWILIGHT?

Arlene: Well, there have always been cute vampires - e.g. The Lost Boys, although perhaps not on the mass hysteria level of Twilight but then we live in a different era now where thanks to social networking sites etc. it is much easier to generate hype and encourage this sort of mass hysteria with all sorts of viral campaigns.

Alan: Do you have a favourite ‘old school’ vampire from the days of Universal and Hammer?

Arlene: Any vampire portrayed by Christopher Lee. I am a bit biased towards him....

Alan: Is it possible that some of the more ‘recent’ legends have any basis in reality--the Croglin or Highgate vampires for example?

Arlene: Again I would say that such dominant legends as this are more likely to have had some sort of basis on an actual incident as opposed to mere imagination.

Alan: You new book, THE REAL TWILIGHT treats vampires with a certain sympathy. Do you believe that these creatures may--at least in some part--have been unnecessarily demonised down through the years?

Arlene: Well, you only have to say you like vampire movies and books and a lot of folk view you with suspicion, never mind admitting you are a vampire! But most vampires abide by consensual rules so they do not pose a threat to society in general and folk would be better paying attention to the more real threats from general everyday crime for example.

Alan: Would you accept the possible existence of ‘psychic vampires’, who drain emotional energy, as opposed to those who exist on corporeal fluids?

Arlene: Psychic vampires argue they are every bit as relevant as the more traditional blood-drinking vampire.

Alan: With the recent popularity of teen vampires, do you think that the days of scary, monstrous vampires are pretty much over, and the ‘Hollyoaks with fangs’ theme has replaced the more gothic horrors of German impressionism and Christopher Lee?

Arlene: I hope not! Let's see scary vampires again please! I was watching Nosferatu the Vampyre the other night with Klaus Kinski- my, THAT is a scary vampire!

Alan: Is it possible that modern-day vampires can be accepted as an authentic social group, or will they be always perceived as being outsiders?

Arlene: I think ideally they would like a greater acceptance and to not always be viewed with immediate suspicion. I think over time they will be viewed less as outsiders but like all things, this will take time.

THE REAL TWILIGHT: True Stories of Modern Day Vampires by Arlene
Russo

'For real vampires there is no hype, no fad, it is a destiny that calls them, it is something in their blood.'

With the release of the TWILIGHT novels and the subsequent films, vampire mania has swept the country. Yet they are fiction. What about the real thing? ARLENE RUSSO, the UK’s foremost vampire expert and founder of Bite Me magazine, has interviewed dozens of real-life creatures of the night for this book about the modern day vampire. Alongside these interviews Arlene has talked to some of the world’s great Dracula scholars about the history of the vampire (for example, the legend of Robin Hood may be based on a vampire)

Working from the premise that vampires do exist she looks at the nature of their appeal concluding that because the vampire embodies feelings of romance, mystery and power in a cold and computerised world, we are drawn to them. Also, as our culture become ever more technological so the vampire’s appeal can only grow. Equally intriguing in a society obsessed with looks and beauty, the vampire doesn’t age but remains frozen at its most youthful. Finally we are drawn to the idea of living forever, which would allow us to do all those things we ever wanted but didn’t have time for, whether it be travel the world or learn several languages.

Arlene dispels myths including the one that vampires are heartless predators. In fact 'true vampires do not need to kill at all and instead cultivate a relationship with their donor, thus ensuring a regular supply of blood.' Nor are they afraid of the sun or garlic. And they don’t bite their victims.…

Combining anecdotes, personal experiences and research, THE REAL TWILIGHT is an exhaustive study of true vampires and every aspect of their culture.

Only £4.68 from Amazon and eligible for free shipping

ALAN FRISWELL: EERIE PUBLICATIONS: THE MOST DISGUSTING COMICS IN THE UNIVERSE, OR SIMPLY MISUNDERSTOOD?

Further to my rundown of childhood influences that contributed to me becoming the sane, rational and balanced individual that you see before you, I would now like to draw your attention to one of the most horrifying, sickening and consequently cherished memories of my early days of comic-book fandom.

Most of the horror magazines that I managed to convince my parents to purchase for me--and without too much resistance, it has to be said, as my mum and dad were thankfully tolerant people--were obtained from a small bookshop in the back of a creepy little market. The fragrance of the old, musty paper, and the sheer obscurity of many of the titles made the atmosphere seem more like that of some ancient museum, which of course pulled me in like a fly to a cowpat.

One misty autumn morning, I was out shopping with my mum. I was nine, and my mum suggested a walk down to Broad Street. I greeted this proposition with some enthusiasm, as the trip would undoubtedly include a visit to the market, and with it the distinct possibility that I would score another horror mag to add to my already gigantic collection.

Arriving outside the bookshop, I scanned the magazine racks in the hope of finding an issue of Creepy or Eerie, my usual horror mags, or Famous Monsters of Filmland, the wonderful monster mag created by Forry Ackerman, the most influential figure in monster movie fandom, and the subject of a future blog.

While perusing for possibilities, my attention was arrested by a particularly lurid cover hung on a bulldog clip slightly higher than the others. For a moment, I couldn’t quite take it in. It appeared to show some kind of vampire woman/witch carrying a bloody human heart, which she had just hacked out of a corpse with a meat cleaver. Said corpse, not being too happy with this, was climbing from his coffin and chucking his head at her. The mag was called Voodoo. There was no subtlety to it at all; in fact, I got the impression that it was trying to be as offensive as possible. I took it down with excited, trembling hands and had a look inside. It was worse. Much worse. Chopped-off limbs, eyes being gouged out, boiled skeletons, gore-spattered brains, and spilled intestines. My mum looked at it.

“Jesus Christ!” she said.

At this point, my eyes glazed over and a small dribble of saliva ran down the corner of my mouth:

“Buy it for meeeee!!!--buy it for me NOWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!”

In retrospect, I can imagine my poor mother feeling like someone from The Village of the Damned, held in the hypnotic glare of one of those diabolical alien kids, because she did buy it for me, and I had been summarily introduced, at the age of nine, to a heretofore unimaginably extreme level of comic-book degeneracy, and completely mindless, bone-crunching violence.

Oh yes…

I might have been exaggerating the above somewhat but writers are allowed to do that. In truth, my mum did indeed consider the mag to be revolting but not capable of harm as, in her words: “It’s only a comic.” My dad also thought that my new discovery was a “bit much” but promptly went out and bought me another one, this time called Weird--from the same publisher.

These mags were published under the Eerie banner, not to be confused with Eerie magazine from Warren publications, also responsible for Creepy and Vampirella. They were created by Irving and Myron Fass, who had acquired the printing rights to a group of old mystery comics from the 50s, and while these original tales were fairly innocuous from a visual point of view, the brothers Fass hired artists to re-draw much of the material, adding copious gore and bloodshed. The result was a kind of comic version of Herschel Gordon Lewis’s movies, with no restraint or conscience as to the sensibilities or psychological consequences to the unwary reader.

Needless to say, the Fass bothers were my kind of people.

Looking back, it does puzzle me somewhat that these comics aroused little or no dissention in the press or media-at-large, and I can only assume that so few parents allowed their kids to read them, or were even aware of them for that matter, that they became a kind of ‘underground’ speciality, enjoyed and appreciated by the privileged few.

The whole issue of whether violence, in comics, films or any other creative media, can influence or inspire antisocial behaviour is of course a contentious one. I can only say that I love animals and would consider myself to be compassionate and caring towards the majority of the human race, but on the basis of the kind of reading and cinematic material that I voraciously absorbed during my childhood years, I should, according to the logic of some sociology ‘experts’, make Jeffrey Dahmer look like Frank Spencer. But as I write this (5th June), the news is full of the terrible events in the Lake District, concerning a nut-job called Derrick Bird, who after blowing a fuse, embarked upon on a murderous rampage.

Before anyone accuses me of political incorrectness, in my referring to Mr Bird as a ‘nut-job', it may be expedient for me to clarify the situation somewhat. If a person suffers from emotional or psychological problems, that person is ‘unwell’. But if someone goes off the deep end, loads up their car with a shot-gun and a high-power rifle with a telescopic sight, and merrily tools around the countryside, shooting 12 people to death, and wounding 25 more, that person is consequently, a ‘nut-job’. Geddit?

The point I’m making, of course, is that I’d bet money that Bird had never seen the cover of an Eerie publication, watched Zombie Flesh-Eaters, 2,000 Maniacs or any other overtly ‘horrific’ material. The simple fact is: if, from a compassionate and empathic point-of-view, you’re wired together properly, no amount of violent sensory input will turn you into a nutter, but people like Bird are likely to blow at some point, even if they spend their entire lives watching Peppa Pig, and the Wombles.

On the basis of this, I would wholeheartedly recommend Eerie publications to all CFZ readers. I’ve put some covers, and one of the strips up here, which will hopefully inspire some interest, and a couple of links to Eerie sites.

They certainly don’t make comics like they used to….

http://www.badmags.com/bmmyronfass.html#

http://www.empire-of-the-claw.com/Eeriepubs_html/ddemons.htm

ALAN FRISWELL YOU ARE A VERY SICK MAN

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ALAN FRISWELL: FAREWELL FRANK, AND THANKS

by Jon Downes















It is with great sadness that I report the passing of legendary fantasy artist Frank Frazetta, who died in Florida on Monday from a stroke. He was 82.





Surely no one remotely interested in fantasy, either in comics or any other creative media can fail to have heard of him. In the 1960s he redefined the field of heroic fantasy illustration with the superb covers for the paperback editions of Conan the Barbarian, his magnificent paintings providing the perfect compliment to Robert E. Howard’s epic tales of swords and sorcery.


Frazetta went on to create fantastic covers for the horror comic magazines Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella, and many beautiful comic strips. He was a great inspiration to me as a child; his creatures always reminded me of Ray Harryhausen’s creations, and his anatomical drawings were more like sculptures. I could waffle on endlessly, praising Frazetta’s work, but these images will do the job far better than I ever could.

Now, I’m not the most politically correct person in the world, believe me, but I would certainly hesitate before posting images of naked women on this site. But on this occasion, I’m sure that I can be forgiven.

Why?

Well, simply because Frazetta’s women are no more sex objects than his barbarians are bodybuilders. Frazetta’s people are beings in a primeval world, where both sex and death are part of the battle for survival. Frazetta’s men are prehistoric warriors, bound with sinews developed not in a gymnasium, but on the blood-spattered decks of pirate ships, corpse-strewn battlefields, and in deadly confrontations with both flesh-and-blood and supernatural monsters.

Frazetta’s women have a purity to their sexuality. Their frequent nakedness portrays them as beautiful animals, full of primal energy and fire. Yes, they’re sexy but in the context of Frazetta’s interpretation of primitive life force, as seen through the human figure, even the most provocative of Frazetta’s women appear as almost innocent. Well, almost….

So thank you, Frank, for helping my childhood to be full of magic and monsters, wonder and weirdness. You’ll be sadly missed.

ALAN FRISWELL: RHINO REX REVEALED!! REVEALING AND REVELATORY REPORTAGE!!!

I first read about the Kasai Rex ‘incident’ when I was about nineteen, and as Richard has quite correctly described me as 'a true dino-movie freak', I can do no less than try to figure out exactly what that picture shows.
Richard lists several stop-motion films as being potential likely suspects, and as well as those he names, there is of course the Rex from the original King Kong (1933), as well as O’Brien’s earlier dinos from Along the Moonbeam Trail (1920), which featured an allosaurus.

After Kong, we come to O’Brien’s abortive War Eagles and Gwangi, for which projects O’Brien’s chief model maker Marcel Delgado had constructed carnivorous dinosaurs, and in the 1950s, we have the tyrannosaur from The Beast of Hollow Mountain, and the Rex, allosaurus and ceratosaurus in Harryhausen’s The Animal World.


The problem is, none of the dinos in the above movies look particularly like the Kasai Rex, and I thought that maybe the animal in the picture might have been a custom-made model, constructed especially for the photo.

The latest news is that it seems to appear that the individual describing him/herself as ‘The Highland Tiger’, has correctly identified the image as a composite photograph made up of a dead (or sleeping) rhino, combined with a model allosaurus built by model maker ‘Yarriwarrior’ (yep--apparently, that’s his real name), based on a Charles Knight painting, which in turn, was inspired by the skeleton of an allosaurus--or specifically--allosaurus AMNH 5753, which was initially discovered by Edward Drinker Cope’s assistant and associate ‘digger’, H.F. Hubbell, who found the remains in the Como Bluff region of Wyoming in 1879, the skeleton not actually being put on display until 1908.

Charles Knight had painted the allosaur from its skeletal pose, feasting on the remains of an Apatosaurus. Even in these days of supposedly ‘new thinking’ as regards dinosaur posture, lifestyle and their place in the Mesozoic eco-system, many of Knight’s paintings are still relevant and surprisingly accurate, and all are fantastically beautiful.

The composite Kasai image was assembled by ‘Finbar’ (yep--apparently that’s his real name too), and a pretty fair job he’s made of it. Apparently, Finbar gets up to this sort of thing quite a bit, but always admits his fakery, so that’s all right, I suppose.

I’ve had a go at making my own Kasai Rex. Yeah, it’s crap, and I know it’s crap, but I only took twenty minutes over it--including the time finding the images on the net. If you had a day or so to mess around with it, you might get reasonable results. It’s just a picture of some African grassland, a rhino stuck onto that, and a picture of Gwangi stuck onto that. A bit of greyscale, some newsprint overlay, and Bob’s your uncle. Well--kind of….

So there you have it. The question is, of course, is the ‘real’ Kasai Rex picture out there somewhere? And will we see Finbar coming the next time?

Keep ‘em peeled….

ALAN FRISWELL: A WORD ABOUT STAN AND OLLIE

I’m grateful to Oll for pointing out the anniversary of Stan Laurel’s death the other day. I’m a great admirer of many comedians; from the Carry-ons, to the Pythons, The Goodies, John Cleese, Dave Allen, The Two Ronnies, The League of Gentlemen and many others. But the absolute masters, in my opinion anyway, were Laurel and Hardy.

I’m sure you all know that Stan was born in England--Ulverston, Lancashire to be specific; but Ollie also claimed English ancestry, and believed that he was descended from the famous Hardy, from whom Lord Nelson requested a kiss.

The magic of their films is that, unlike many of their peers who we mostly appreciate in a ‘nostalgic’ way, Laurel and Hardy’s comedy is still fresh and contemporary, and just as relevant today as it was back in the 1930s. As Oll says, many of their films contained Fortean themes and material, and a surprising amount of horror and creepiness.

The Laurel and Hardy Murder Case (1930), in which Stan, believing that he is the beneficiary to a late relative’s will, turns up with Ollie at a ghoulish house, only to discover that someone is methodically killing off all the other contenders for the fortune. The episode is fully as frightening and grim in its darker moments as any of the Universal horror films that were being made at the time.

The Live Ghost (1934), which features the boys on board a ‘haunted’ ship, carries a real sense of mystery and ghostliness, while in Oliver The Eighth (1934), Ollie--unbelievably in a comedy--almost becomes the victim of a female serial killer who, after being jilted by an Oliver on her wedding day, has sworn to take revenge on any Oliver that crosses her path. It might be the first time that a female serial killer had ever been put into a film, and the scenes where the madwoman--played brilliantly by Mae Busch--prepares to cut Ollie’s throat with a huge butcher knife takes the film completely into the realm of horror.

Stan and Ollie’s films were innovative in other ways too. In Dirty Work (1933) they play chimney sweeps and turn up at the house of a mad scientist who has developed a technique for rejuvenating living things. In a mix of science fiction and Darwinism, Ollie falls into a vat of the rejuvenating liquid and reverts to a monkey while still wearing his hat.

In Brats (1930) Stan and Ollie play not only themselves but their small children and in some amazingly realistic scenes utilising split- screens, perspective photography and huge prop furniture, predate more famous films that used the same FX tricks, such as The Devil Doll and Dr Cyclops, by six and ten years respectively.

There are even certain crypto-zoo elements that appear in some of their films. In both The Chimp (1932) and Swiss Miss (1938) the boys encounter apes with almost human intelligence, and on both occasions the monkey suit was worn by Charles Gemora, Hollywood’s premier ape-man who for years had reputedly used a gorilla suit to create the original King Kong before the film’s stop-motion techniques were made public. Gemora died in 1961 and so could not have possibly been involved in the Patterson/Gimlin film but it has been suggested that his methods for building ape-suits, which included using condoms filled with water to simulate the inertia and displacement of muscle-mass, had been passeddown to latter-day make-up FX artists, who might have implemented them in the faking of the 1967 Bigfoot film (always assuming that it is fake, of course; the jury‘s still out, as far as I‘m concerned).

There is a creepily intelligent horse in The Music Box (1932),which, while pulling a cart upon which is loaded a heavy piano, waits for Ollie to get his back underneath it, before deliberately pulling it away, landing the piano directly onto Ollie.

And perhaps weirdest of all, in Flying Elephants (1927), a kind of precursor to One Million Years BC, Stan and Ollie, both caveman, comment on the elephants migrating for the winter, and we see a shot of a flock of (cartoon-animated) elephants with wings heading south.

The capacity for humour and the ability to laugh is surely one of the greatest gifts that nature, God, or whoever’s running the store has bestowed upon us. Those blessed with the genius to create laughter must be counted among our most precious people, and Stan and Ollie were arguably the best of all time.

Long live them both.

ALAN FRISWELL WRITES..

Hi Jon.

Reading your blog regarding casting the dog skulls, you can go to any art shop in Texas and purchase a can of silicon rubber. The instructions to mix it will be on the box. Then build a box from cardboard that the skull will fit into--with about an inch or so of space all the way around-- and stand the skull on a small piece of modelling clay--plasticine--so that it stands above the bottom of the box by about an inch. Pour the rubber so that it completely covers the skull and fills to the top of the box. When it is set the box should be completely filled with a solid block of sillicon in which the skull is encased.

Gently take the block out of the cardbord box, and take a scalpel--also available from the art shop--or a sharp craft knife, and cut the block of rubber in half, then pull the rubber back, so that you can pull the skull free. Don't worry about stretching the rubber; it will simply pull itself back into shape. You can also buy casting plastics from art shops, which also will have mixing instructions. Put the two halves of the rubber mould back into the cardboard box and turn it upside-down. Take the bottom of the box away and you should have a hole in the rubber where the plasticine stand was. Pour the casting mix into the mould, and 'slush' the box around so that the resin fills all the cavities, then pour in the rest so that it fills to the top. When it sets you can pull the mould apart and you should have a perfect cast of the skull.

If it was happening over here, of course, I could do it for you. If you need any other information, please let me know. Incidentally, why didn't you ask me about this directly in the first place?

Cheers,
Al :)

The answer to your last question, Alan, is that I am an idiot. I should have thought of you straight off. Thanks to everyone else who wrote in.

ALAN FRISWELL: WATCH THE BIRDIE

I have never considered myself to be a 'twitcher', unless, of course, you take into account the physical repercussions to be incurred after a frenzied, no-holds-barred session on the Stella Artois.

But seriously, my late uncle Sid was a great bird-fancier (the feathered variety), and had a sideboard full of awards and trophies for his prize pigeons. I've also always been a fan of Bill Oddie; from happy childhood memories of watching The Goodies, to his later output as a champion of wildlife, and birds in particular. So I don't know; perhaps it's a combination of these two things that has inspired me to put food out for the local avian contingent.

I've been doing it for years, but what with the snow of recent months, I've been rather more consciencious about making sure that there is enough food--and the right sort--to sustain the population--or at least those that come into my garden. Anything with a high fat content seems to go down well, and has been met with an enthusiastic response from blackbirds, thrushes, sparrows, and even pigeons.

But perhaps my favourite--and most appropriate for the winter season-- is a robin that has appeared regularly since December. I managed to take a picture, which considering that it is hand-held, and on telephoto setting, is the best that I could manage, also considering that I was trying to take the shot through my kitchen window without disturbing him/her.

I think robins are ground-feeders--am I right?--so I put down some fat-ball crumbs, which seemed to do the trick.

Incidentally, did you know how robins first came to be associated with Christmas? It was because postmen in the Victorian era wore red tunics, and got the nickname 'robin red breasts', and as robins were winter birds, they were one of the first images to be put on Christmas cards.

OLL LEWIS: 5 QUESTIONS ON… CRYPTOZOOLOGY - ALAN FRISWELL

Today’s guest is Alan Friswell. Regular readers of the blog will of course be familiar with Alan and the many strange things he drags up from the vaults, but Alan is also a hugely talented model-maker. Those of you who were at the last Weird Weekend or Fortean Times Unconvention probably noticed a ‘feegee mermaid’ lurking in the vicinity; Alan made that! (Also, if you search through the YNT archives or my photos on Facebook you’ll be able to see a 3D photo of it too).

Alan Friswell, here are your five questions on… Cryptozoology:

1) How did you first become interested in cryptozoology?

When I was four years old I saw the original 1933 King Kong on TV one Christmas - Boxing Day, to be specific - and it basically changed my life. From that first viewing I developed three fascinations (or more likely obsessions): an intense interest in monsters in general, dinosaurs in particular; and special effects. As I tried to emulate the work of Willis O’Brien (who created the animation for Kong) and later Ray Harryhausen, my fascination for monsters led me to books that described supposedly ‘real’ mystery creatures such as the Loch Ness Monster and the Abominable Snowman (as he used to be called), and the idea that fabulous beasts might actually exist in forgotten jungles and inaccessible mountain ranges became a source of great interest to me, and I have studied the subject ever since.

2) Have you ever personally seen a cryptid or secondary evidence of a cryptid, if so can you please describe your encounter?

No, unfortunately I’ve never personally witnessed a mystery animal although I’ve seen highly convincing UFOs on four occasions. I did see a huge pike eat a large duck in a fishing lake close to where I live, back in 1995. The pike had to be about five feet long, but I’m not too sure that counts. My brother-in-law Alfie saw a sea serpent in the Red Sea many years ago, and the encounter is described in a blog on the CFZ site.

3) Which cryptids do you think are the most likely to be scientifically discovered and described some day, and why?

Probably animals that live in the oceans, for obvious reasons. To be honest, I don’t realistically see why most of the well-known cryptids can’t exist. Big cats are almost certainly living in Britain, although whether they are ‘real’, or zooform entities, is a matter for debate. I’m certain that there is ‘something’ in Loch Ness, but once again, exactly what it is, is the question. Bigfoot is probably real but might be a zooform creature rather than a Gigantopithicus trying to get his green card. Thanks to Richard Freeman and the Sumatra expedition, the Orang Pendek might be closer to zoological classification, but if any cryptids are nailed down in the future, I hope that it comes under the authority of a group like the CFZ, rather than some self-styled ‘expert’ blundering his way through the jungle, grabbing crocodiles by the tail.

4) Which cryptids do you think are the least likely to exist?

I imagine the least likely would be very large animals that live on land and unfortunately, that means dinosaurs. I love the idea of a giganotosaurus up the Orinoco, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. Even if such an animal were an ectotherm, it would still need to eat huge amounts of meat at some times of the year, and where would its next meal come from? But bipedal dinos were almost certainly endothermic, because the design of a two-legged animal dictates a higher activity rate, in that the anatomy points to higher agility and alertness. Even a small sauropod such as camarasaurus would surely draw attention to itself from the outside world. I don’t know what Ivan T. Sanderson saw when he described a gigantic animal crashing from a cave in a ravine in Africa so the jury is still out I suppose, and if anyone could find conclusive proof I would certainly be very grateful, as I would love a real dinosaur - or a reasonable facsimile - to come to light.

5) If you had to pick your favourite cryptozoological book (not including books you may have written yourself) what would you choose?

Well, of course there is a multitude of wonderful books out there, many written by CFZ members, but being a sentimental, nostalgic type, I would have to choose The Story Of The Loch Ness Monster by Tim Dinsdale. I first read it at the age of thirteen and I loved every word of it. Dinsdale’s enthusiasm for the subject was infectious and I went Loch Ness crazy for most of the school summer holidays. My other choice would be The Dragon And The Disc by F. W. Holiday. Holiday was one of the first - along with the writings of John Keel - to suggest that some lake monsters (and by association, other cryptids) might not be so ‘nuts-and-bolts’ as we would like to imagine, and that we may have to adopt a more abstract perspective in trying to rationalise the phenomena. As a third choice, perhaps Keel’s Strange Creatures From Time And Space.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ALAN FRISWELL

Here's my weird Christmas card, for those who can appreciate such things. The figure is actually a prop from a proposed M.R. James-type ghost story that I was trying to get off the ground a few years ago, and as James is the master of the Christmas ghost story, I thought that it would be somewhat appropriate.

So to the CFZ people: the bloggers, the readers, supporters, and all those who think that the natural world is worth caring about, have a fantastic Christmas, and may all your best dreams come true in the New Year.

All the best,

Alan

FRISWELL'S FREAKY FEATURES: Sea Serpents

Some months ago Alan Friswell, the bloke who made the CFZ Feegee Mermaid and also the guy responsible for some of the most elegantly macabre bloggo postings, wrote me an email. He had an idea for a new series for the bloggo. Quite simply he has an enormous collection of macabre, fortean, odd and disturbing magazine and newspaper articles, and he proposed to post them up on the bloggo.

SUPER SEA-SERPENT SECRETS SEEMINGLY SECURE SAY SYCOPHANTLY SMUG SCIENTISTS--SUPPOSEDLY

Of all the creatures, monsters, zoological abberations and general weirdness in the crypto-zoo pantheon, sea-serpents--for me anyway--appear to perhaps carry the greatest burden of possible fact.

The vastness of the world's oceans, waterways and rivers could surely contain large species that have previously--and probably fortunately--escaped the attention of our beloved human race. I have to admit to a pet theory that the what-ever-it-is in Loch Ness might be a creature from the sea that visits the loch on occasion but is not a permanant resident. My thinking is that if Adrian Shine's concept of a Baltic Sturgeon entering the loch to spawn, or whatever is valid, then why not something rather more exotic? I'm not necessarily talking plesiosaurs here, but having said that, why not? I certainly don't think that it's out of the question that some prehistoric survivors from the fossil record--or even something new that we have yet to discover-- might be lurking off the Mariana Trench or wherever; although if there's one swimming around anywhere off the coast of China, the poor sod had better keep his head down, or--if Corrina's grim blog is anything to go by--he'll end up on a plate being eaten alive....