Tuesday, January 21, 2025

The Horrific Life and Death of Peter Stumpp

Peter Stumpp (died 1589) (whose name is also spelt as Peter Stube, Peeter Stubbe, Peter Stübbe or Peter Stumpf) was a Rhenish farmer, accused of being a serial killer and flesh-eater also known as the “Werewolf of Bedburg”. There is much confusion around his real name as ‘Stumpp’ quite possibly refers to the fact that he only had one hand. This […]

Brutes? Rondo Hatton and Acromegaly on film

Acromegaly: noun  (Derived from the Greek words “akros“, extremities, and “megas“, big) A medical disease in which the bones of the head, hands, and feet grow larger than normal, caused by the pituitary gland producing too much growth hormone  Rondo Hatton was born with the genetic condition acromegaly which affects the pituitary gland. Like all sufferers, there were few, if any signs, when he was young, the effects only becoming more obvious […]

Ken Nordine – The Voice of God & The Devil

Whilst no one would ever describe him as a singer or actor, Ken Nordine undoubtedly had one of the most incredible voices of the 20th Century. It was a voice of such depth, sonority and gravitas that it kept him in gainful employment over the course of eight decades and allowed him the anonymity many […]

In Conversation with Allan Crockford

A little while ago I reviewed the new Galileo 7 album, ‘You, Me and Reality’, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was very happy to get a message from Allan Crockford from the band thanking me, though he was intrigued I found it such a positive album considering the subject matter of several of the songs. […]

Aghori – The Cannibal Holy Men of India

On the banks of the Ganges in Northern India, centred around the ancient city of Varanasi, live a sect of Hindus who practice some of the most extreme rituals of any existing religion. The Aghori are devotees of Shiva, sadhu in the extreme, shunning not only conventional ways of life but those well beyond other […]

The Lost Glory of Ghost Trains

There are those who gawp open-mouthed at rollercoasters and those who fall to their knees at ghost trains. There is something profoundly alluring and strangely shocking about gazing upon the elaborately decorated exterior of a ghost train, an experience which promises not only the (admittedly restrained) thrill of a rollercoaster but also elements which have […]

Glossolalia – A History of Speaking in Tongues

Glossolalia – derived from two New Testament Greek words: γλῶσσα ‘glossa’ meaning “tongue” or “language” and λαλέω ‘lalien’, “talking”, is the most neglected of all languages, not least as, to all intents and purposes, it’s completely unique every time it rears its head. Most usually associated with ecstatic outbursts from fevered Christians speaking the language […]