The Oddly Comforting Allure of London’s Vintage Tube Textiles

Fun fact. The woman who revolutionised British print design with some of the most iconic patterns for public transport was in fact a distant cousin of Karl Marx. Her name was Enid Marx, and in 1937 she was selected by the London Passenger Transport Board to design the moquette seat fabrics for the London bus and tube seats. Her…

Podcast du Jour: The Reclusive Royals that Lived in a Crumbling Jungle Palace

Some stories never leave us. They take up permanent residency in our brain, resurfacing for years to come in shades of daydreams and just-before-bed thoughts. “The Jungle Prince of Dehli” is one of those stories. Declarations of “How have we not heard about this?” and “Just when you think every story has been told…” made…

The Beautiful, Weird World of Japan’s Answer to David Lynch

If home is where the heart is, House (1977) is where the mind unravels. The experimental film by director Nobuhiko Obayashi is a beautiful, Surrealist venture into the horror genre that’s slowly but surely getting its due credit in the Western world. Where to even begin with Mr. Obayasi? His finger-eating piano? Ghostly watermelons? He’s…

Here’s the Quirkiest Gift Guide on the Internet

You trust me to take you shopping, right?! Good, because I’ve got something for everyone… For the Pop Culture Junkie Holly Golightly sleep mask. Available from numerous sellers on Etsy and Amazon. Make sure to print out the Breakfast at Tiffany’s photo with it! If you’re good with a needle & thread and have a…

The Irresistible Charm of Miniature Limoges SnuffBoxes

Keeper of blushing secrets to tobacco snuff, pins & needles to pills, the Limoges trinket box is one of France’s greatest feats of craftsmanship. The rise of Limoges porcelain traces back to a time of bygone luxury in France and its story spans across centuries. Amongst the beautiful plates, terrines, and saucers that came out…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CDLXXXI)

1. Cowboy Car Hops, Dallas, Texas, 1940 A woman from Oak Cliff (a Dallas neighborhood) made a complaint that she did not want to look at girls’ legs when she stopped by her local drive-in; she wanted to look at men’s legs. Drive-in owners thought that this was a great idea, and soon the idea of the…

Unearthing a Seriously Awkward Interview with Nick Cave

In 1989, Nick Cave, arguably one of the greatest living lyricists, was passing through Paris with his band, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The baritone singer-songwriter sat down with a French journalist for over 40 excruciatingly awkward minutes. You have Nick Cave in front of you and you start by asking four questions about…

Revisiting a Censored ‘Film Noir’ that Tackled PTSD Decades before it was Acknowledged

For so many US veterans, the real journey home begins in the head – that long, winding road to psychological stability after the traumas of service. Even today, it’s a topic not easily broached given the stigmas surrounding mental health. It wasn’t until 1980, and under much controversy, that the American Psychiatric Association added the term…

Now That’s What I Call a Bedtime Story: F*cked Up Fairytales of Yore

It’s “lights out” for boring bedtime stories. Bye bye to the tired tropes of fairytale princesses, and errant children who somehow pull off the craziest stunts unscathed – I mean, can we just point out that Hansel and Gretel were eating someone’s house? Today, we’re taking a deeper dive into some second-tier fables that didn’t…

A Lonely New York Mansion For Sale, Possibly Haunted, Still a Rare Steal

Ten bedrooms, five bathrooms, four fireplaces and 6,000 square feet – the dream fixer-upper for a bargain $50,000. So the question is, exactly how haunted is this house? The James Seymour Mansion was built in 1861 by, you guessed it, James Seymour, a notable philanthropist who had founded the local library and city hospital. Located…