Three Halloween Masks

On the Halloween night this year, I went to the Tiger Lilies concert at St. Ann’s Warehouse, appropriately titled Songs of Horror and Havoc.  After the concert Martyn Jacques (right ) and his bassist Adrian Stout were graciously enough to be photographed with me; my friend Liz I was with snapped my iPhone camera.

 

I am a long time fan of the Tiger Lilies, whom I saw perform , based on Heinrich Hoffmann’s gory children’s book in 2001 at the Picadilly in London, and again in their New York performance in 2005.  I own a lovely six-language edition of the book, a gift of another friend, Stephen, who gave it to me when I was hospitalized for the suture of the duodenum jejunum ruptured by the broken steering wheel shaft in the automobile accident in 1985. In the picture, I’m taking the place of the third member of the band, the percussionist Michael Pickering.  That’s why I can say, though it may not be obvious, that I am wearing a mask, too, which represents my visage, smiling quite contentedly. 

Back in suburban Swarthmore, I had some masks for the Halloween — one of an haggard witch and another of a French maid.  But the best was a huge Afro wig; after the children were gone, I would don it and go Trick-or-Treat myself from door to door in my neighborhood, down on my knees to looks diminutive; but my disguise was always quickly exposed. So, I might say that this is my first successful Halloween disguise.