A tentacular spectacular

Lord Bassington-Bassington has tried his paw at sponsoring a couple of Kickstarter projects. It's a great way of helping out projects that interest you. But it isn't everyday that a Kickstarter project that combines two of His Lordship's biggest obsessions, namely Tiki culture and the Lovecraftian...



Lord Bassington-Bassington is already sponsoring this project. But then, if you know anything about His Lordship, you already knew that.

Motivational studies

Now and then, Lord Bassington-Bassington likes to commission artworks. Not just because, in this age of mass production, it's nice to have something a bit unique, but also because it's good to support up-and-coming artists. As Lord Bassington-Bassington has reconciled himself to the fact that he will never be rich, he finds it comforting to know that at least some future bigshot artists will (paws crossed!) look at His Lordship with a certain fondness, and perhaps treat an aging and destitute hound to a bowl of soup.

And as with the last time His Lordship commissioned something, we thought it would be interesting to give the readers of the Lord Bassington-Bassington Chronicles an insight into the creative process. Though perhaps this time there won't be bloodshed...

These are a few sketches for a motif that might end up being a T-shirt design, a patch for His Lordship’s slightly modsy parka, or perhaps even a tattoo. For, as the readers of the Chronicles should know by now, there's only one thing that's really worth tattooing.

The artwork is by American comics maestro Josh Latta, who we’ll be covering more in-depth in the future.

The idea for this motif is to take that most classic skinhead theme of all, the bulldog and British flag, but turn it into something a bit more long-eared and Norwegian.

Happy birthday Sweden!

This post is because it's Sweden's national day today. And because you need to buy Solblot's debut album. And because Lord Bassington-Bassington likes displays of patriotism.

The video is from a small impromptu performance at the album's launch party, by the way. It's very similar to when Solblot last played in Oslo.

Final mission

Among Lord Bassington-Bassington's many sartorial sins is His Lordship's habit of keeping shirts a bit after they should probably have been discarded. But as the reason is love, perhaps the sin can be forgiven. Allow us to elaborate.

Lord Bassington-Bassingtons tends to acquire quality clothes, after taking a lot of care (well, a lot of procrastination, deliberation and changing of minds anyway) in selecting them. This means that the piece of clothing is not only something very appealing to His Lordship, but that they last for a long time and he grows terribly fond of them. So it is with His Lordship's shirts, too.

Worn cotton takes on a charm of its own, and if a shirt starts looking a bit under the weather, a little love and a lot of steam can set things right. Those of you who have ever taken an iron to an old piqué shirt (His Lordship has Fred Perry shirts that are practically ancient) knows what we're talking about.

The problems start to arise when His Lordship refuses to admit that even the most beloved of shirts cannot live forever, and is reluctant to part with them even when the wear really starts to show. Surely one doesn't give up on an old friend just because they grow a bit wrinkled?

But there has to be a limit. This button-down number for Hackett has provided loyal service for a number of years, and will be taken out on a final spin soon. And after that, it's time for this faithful piece of fabric to be laid to rest. Except perhaps it will be reincarnated as a shoeshine cloth.



Shirt by Hackett.
Knitted tie by Hilditch & Key, a gift from Lord Bassington-Bassington's father in law.
Hanger found in a street market, a memento from the Free State of Danzig.

Vinyl wisdom

“You know you’re dealing with a proper Industrial record when, after playing it a half-dozen times, and liking it a lot, you’re still not quite sure what the correct playing speed is.”

Attempts at a witty remark by Lord Bassington-Bassington.
Music by Reserva Espiritual De Occidente.
Seven inch on beautiful red vinyl by Extremocidente.

Eliadian fields of study

The Romanian scholar Mircea Eliade is rightly regarded as the godfather of the study of religion. The fact that his work is now seen as a bit dated does not detract from this. Works such as The Sacred and the Profane have attained the status of academic classics; books that might not work very well as textbooks anymore, but who have become important texts for understanding the development of a science or discipline (Darwin's Evolution of Species is another example that springs to Lord Bassington-Bassington’s mind).

But while Eliade is a cornerstone of comparative religious studies, his forays into fiction are less well known. The fact is that Eliade was a fine writer, and that his writings – dealing as they usually do with the supernatural – can rightly be termed weird fiction.

Now, most weird fiction, from H.P. Lovecraft and W.H. Pugmire to M.R. James and Arthur Machen, usually deals with the supernatural or numinous. on some level or other. What really sets Eliade apart is his acute sense of the mystical. In fact, few writers can capture the experience of transcendence like Eliade.

As if Eliade’s books aren’t enough, director Francis Ford Coppola has made an excellent adaptation of Eliade's short novel Youth Without Youth. This film captures all that is great about Eliade's writings, and its dealings with reincarnation are particularily fascinating.



Lord Bassington-Bassington first read Eliade's short stories a few years ago, but has since returned to them and, having a tendency to be somewhat obsessive, is currently engaging in gathering as much of Eliade's fiction as possible. Which, of course, necessitates haunting second-hand bookshops. But hey, that happens to be one of His Lordship’s favourite things to do anyway. The collection of Eliadiana here at Bassington Manor is still small, but we like to think of it as a good start.

But it might be time for a new book moratorium…