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The art of mourning: Vintage wreaths & other memorial keepsakes made with the hair of the dead
02.21.2017
10:22 am
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A depiction of a French cemetery scene in a mourning dome made with human hair from 1881.

Memorial artifacts that were made or contained the hair of the recently deceased is a mourning tradition that dates as far back as the 1600s. As a matter of fact, a place in Independence, Missouri that claims to be the “only hair museum in the world” Leila’s Hair Museum is in possession of a Swedish mourning brooch by that dates to 1640. Works of art made from hair were actually a pretty common thread throughout the world and while not all were intended to symbolize a person’s passing, the examples featured in this post were.

During the Victorian era, owning mementos made with or containing hair was a way of life. Some families would create a hair wreath using hair from every member of their family which were used as a family tree of sorts and utilizing the hair as a way to communicate details about their lineage. Even churches were known to create hair wreaths created by donations from members of their congregations. Mourning wreaths would generally be constructed in a distinct half-moon style to convey that the deceased had begun the journey to the afterlife. Though they are in every sense of the word macabre, they are also intricate, intimate works of art.
 

A close look at a memorial hair dome created in 1886.
 

A mourning hair wreath made with human hair, wire, and wood. Approximately 1850-1900.

More mourning wreaths after the jump…

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Posted by Cherrybomb
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02.21.2017
10:22 am
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Woman ends up in ER after mixing up hair mousse with builders’ foam
09.30.2015
11:54 am
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Okay, this is like the worst hair day of all time. Yesterday, a photo of a woman sitting in an Eastern European hospital waiting room started circulating around the Internet. According to the reports, she accidently mistook builders’ foam for hair mousse. Yes, now she has a big ol’ helmet of polyurethane foam on her head. That was all the information given surrounding this photo, then again if a picture paints a thousand words, this one could be summed up in far fewer.

Now if you look carefully at the photo, you’ll notice some leaves and twigs in the foam. Perhaps there is more to the story than what’s being passed around on the Interwebs? I can’t say.

via Daily Mail

Posted by Tara McGinley
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09.30.2015
11:54 am
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Hairspray for Steven: The Decline of Western Civilization Part II - The Metal Years


 
Ah, the delights of hair metal. Marc, you have really opened up a can of glam worms with that post on vintage Poison! Here in its engorged entirety is still the best document of the mid-80s spandex metal years I have seen, though how most of these bands qualify as “metal” is beyond me, as is the fact that most of these men were considered red-blooded, macho heterosexuals! This whole world has been undergoing a re-appraisal in recent years, possibly as being the last time mainstream rock was this fun, stupid and thoroughly enjoyable. To quote Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler “And then that pussy Cobain came along and ruined everything”.

Decline… Pt 2 has lots of recognisable faces (Kiss without their make-up, a surprisingly lucid Ozzy Osbourne, the Toxic Twins from Aerosmith, wisened elder Lemmy) but the real stars of the film are the musicians and fans plucked straight from the Sunset Strip who we have never heard from again. The “where are they now” pathos, especially at the end, is almost heart-breaking. But don’t let that detract from the fun, especially the sight of Paul Stanley on a bed full of groupies, and Chris Holmes from W.A.S.P. pouring fake vodka into his own face while floating in a swimming pool and shouting at his mother: 
 

Posted by Niall O'Conghaile
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09.10.2011
12:13 pm
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Freddie Mercury’s gorgeous banana hair
08.08.2011
01:54 pm
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Posted by Tara McGinley
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08.08.2011
01:54 pm
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Hear The Horrors’ new album ‘Skying’ in full


 
British garage act The Horrors are set to release their new album Skying through XL Recordings on August the 9th (US) and July 11th (UK), but you can hear the album, in full, via the widget below. In fact, it’s not really fair to describe the Horrors as “garage rock” anymore - that may have been their initial template when they burst onto the scene five years ago, but their sound has evolved and mutated quite a bit since then.

I admit I was put off the band when they first started getting press attention, consigning them to the hype bin based on their highly coiffured hair and dandy dress sense. But all that changed as soon as I actually heard them - here was a band that was keeping alive the swamp rock / dirt blues flame of acts like The Birthday Party and the awesome Gallon Drunk. Their second album Primary Colours, produced by Portishead’s Geoff Barrow, marked a shift in tone towards something deeper and a bit more pastoral, while retaining the all important dirt and grit. With nods to krautrock, kosmiche and shoegaze, it won the band some high praise, even becoming the NME’s album of the year for 2009.

Skying continues where Primary Colours left off, though taking us further away from the 70s and 80s influences. The ghost of shoegaze still haunts The Horrors’ sound, but now, rather than the woozy, noxious and slightly nauseous tones of pioneers My Bloody Valentine, the layered guitar and synth noise is more akin to the lush soundscapes of bands like Slowdive and The Telescopes. The early Nineties seem to be what the band are tapping into for inspiration just now, and some of the tracks even feature, surprisingly, a shuffly, Madchester-style beat. “Monica Gems” is like Suede dragged backwards through a thorny hedge and there are shades of The Doors here, but as refracted through the prism of Echo and The Bunnymen (in particular the excellent track “Still Life”) . For me the album highlight is “Moving Further Away”, which starts as gorgeous, driving Germanica before before being engulfed in layers of blissful synths and ending as a dirty rock dirge. Listen for yourselves:
 

 
For more info on The Horrors, visit their website, or their record label XL Recordings.

 

Posted by Niall O'Conghaile
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07.05.2011
08:43 am
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Donald Sutherland’s hairstyles throughout the years
06.28.2011
01:09 pm
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Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Donald Sutherland: His films and hairstyles

Posted by Tara McGinley
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06.28.2011
01:09 pm
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An electoral map showing how Donald Trump could become President
04.21.2011
04:41 pm
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(via BuzzFeed)

Posted by Tara McGinley
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04.21.2011
04:41 pm
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Video of Persis Khambatta getting head shaved for ‘Star Trek’ role (1979)

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Emotional footage of Indian actress Persis Khambatta getting her head shaved for the 1979 feature film Star Trek: The Motion Picture. If you recall, Persis Khambatta played the beautiful Lieutenant Ilia.

I think she looks quite fetching without hair. Then again, how do you go wrong with a face like that?  

 
(via Everlasting Blort)

Posted by Tara McGinley
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04.14.2011
07:41 pm
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