Madness is the moonlight that gives wine it's flavor and spirit ...

I don't know who celebrates April Fool's anymore given nobody likes to be the butt of any joke. But I think what I'm going to discuss today would be relevant in a way. What can be more relevant than speaking about one of the most famous writers on the subject of madness? And there's a festival in his honor going on now : H.P. Lovecraft Festival in New York Amr. 17th to Apr. 3rd, 2011

Apparently there's also this thing going on: hplfilmfestival submissions

Sooooo... like I have this husband of mine that keeps shoving books in my face that are fiction, etc. - I usually opt for biographies, manuals, and tutorial stuff like the Computer Arts Projects magazine (and the rare occult book). He's into hero clix, horror clix, star wars minis, etc. Well, one game led to another and we ended up with this board game based on the pulp fiction horror writer H.P.Lovecraft called Arkham Horror. And then everyone we played with got hooked. Friends, family members, acquaintances, you name it.

Then addicted. My mother, who you have to bribe with a pack a cigarettes to try anything new let alone a board game, was hooked! You could say it was just a really well developed game design and leave it at that. I think it was the power of the "Mythos" - the huge literary background this game was based on. I say this because now everyone is looking up this guy's writings to see what is based on what. Recently, we picked up his biography and in a few nights finished it.

This is where it gets interesting and I get to my point. I highly recommend reading his biography on your own if your an artist, film maker, writer, or whatever. You'll instantly see why. He's literally the poster boy for the stereotyping of "the starving artist". He did everything you can think of (that we know today as common sense in the freelance industry) wrong and was also in a time where war was everywhere and the economy in the gutter (just before the Great Depression) much like today. And despite being professionally published, he never once thought himself as a hot shot. His self-esteem was incredibly low to the point of suicidal thoughts (well, living in NYC will do that to you - it's a given).

I think his life story is inspiring regardless dying young with cancer (never drank, smoked, and possibly asexual - so don't go there) and penniless. I took it as a "this happened to me, don't let it happened to you", "you're not the only one with these kind of problems" and "you're not alone" story. A story of caution and warning. True stories are always more scary than fiction, you know. I've posted some internet ripped photos of the writer below incase anyone was curious. That's my rant. Until next time!

H. P.Lovecraft in a rare pic of him (gasp) smiling! 

You can watch the documentary here : FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN

I just really like this one of him in glasses. Glasses are hot.