Lotus Shoes in a Creepy Old Trunk

Lotus shoes.
I know I am not the only collector of oddities with an "old black steamer trunk" story.

photo by Mike McKenzie

Many a tale starts with the mention of an old black trunk tossed out by the dumpster or sitting by the curb in an old alley.
The sticker on my steamer trunks says Trans-lantic-world-something-or-another.  It doesn't matter what the trunk says. It's not the trunk itself that is interesting.  It's what's inside of it that's interesting.Few things creep me out, but this trunk creeped me out from the first second I saw it.  

Fantasy animals and fantastic needlework

A yellowed scrap of paper proclaimed that the contents should not be thrown away and stated, with bold double underlining, "Chinese children's costumes from before 1939."  
I had some initial interest in this item, but I had put it away somewhat quickly without looking at the contents very closely.  
That's unusual for me, especially with an item this interesting.

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The problem was that all the items were geared toward children.  

 Who knew Chinese foot binding shoes could be so cute?  WTF??!!

Toy-like shoes.  Fantasy shoes.  Mouse shoes.  Magical lotus shoes. Little costumes and items that could be used to do a puppet show or other imaginative play activities.  Fantasy items for children who were probably all now dead or very, very old.  

It seemed like a child or children's personal play items rather than costumes.  It seemed as if for me the box had an association with a person that I would never meet and people that person met a very long time ago in a very different place.
The trunk sat in a corner for about five years.  Then it dawned on me and I did some quick googling.  I was shown photos of shoes quite similar to my costumed shoes.  Then I saw the words "bound foot" and "lotus shoes."

The practice of foot-binding was banned in China in 1949.  The eldest daughter of a family would have her feet bound, to be married to a player named later.  Bound feet, no longer than four inches, achieved by an incredibly painful process, were a sign of wealth.
So creepy.  So sad.

Mike McKenzie April 2013 Tacoma, Washington

CLICK My Name ABOVE TO GO TO YOUTUBE AND MY STUFF THERE

Peace Love Rainbows and a Pot of Gold (Newport, Oregon)

Peace and Love and

Rainbows lead to a pot of gold (Newport, Oregon)

Is there anything more beautiful than the beach?

The majesty of a snow capped Rainier, perhaps.

How about waking up to a rainbow 

on the crest of a wave

Partly cloudy with a chance of Unicorns.

I have a small collection of Walton Butts prints.

Living on the Sound, you know these scenes

Memo to Walton Butts --

why you no print no Rainbows, man? 

When I see the ocean in Newport

I am renewed in the belief that the Great Spirit is alive

and has a plan for the world 

Peace and love and Rainbows

leading to a pot of gold

(Newport, Oregon)

Mike McKenzie April 2013

Victor Victrola VI 1908 in Mahogany (ebay listing)

Update - the victor "talking machine" has been sold.  We had discussed for years as a family what it would bring at auction and I am somewhat proud to be the one who really took the question to the world for an answer.

*     *     *     *

I listed the family victrola on Ebay.  I have to move and down-size.  If someone will pay me a decent price, they can own a piece of history.  Here is the listing:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190827508078

Here's also a Youtube Video showing the phonographs and I play an Arkie Shibley record on it.  Click the hyperlink proceeding this to watch the video.

Yes, I do believe this to be the rarer and more collectible mahogany horn and cabinet.  A Victor VI from 1908.  It's all there in good shape, even the matching hand numbered tag on the bottom of the machine.  It is worth more than I am asking, but I would like it to go to a collector and/or appreciator.

This has been in my family for a long time.  I don't remember exactly which bootstrap relative original owned this, but it was purchased in California.  The talk was always about what a luxury it was at the time of purchase and how it took a real free spender to plunk down fifty big ones on a talking machine (phonograph).  Yes, the original purchase price (no less than $50) is on the tag on the bottom.

It came with an extensive record collection.  From dirty records to patriotic marches.  Have you ever heard a vintage "adult" musical or comedy recording?  Sheesh ... talk about cheesy!  I remember one was about smoking a pipe ... and all the jokes were like "put it in your mouth" and "don't hold it like that, all the stuff will spill out."  "But it's so hard and cold."  Hahaha Very filthy for 1927.

Mom downsized and gave this to me.  Now I am downsizing ... Chances are if you are looking at this, you know more about it than I do.  This has always been kept in the house as a cherished and valued item, and it is in dusty but excellent used condition.  Yes, when we were kids we would wind it up with the hand crank (it's NOT electric) and play records on it. 

I think it still works.  Of course I am going to give it a go.  The last time I cranked it up it worked.  In the 1970s we had to find needles for it.  I think we ended up going to a sewing machine repair place for a certain type of needle.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190827508078

When I was born in 1960, this machine had been making music and engaging imaginations for 50 years.  Now, another 50 years later ... here it is in pretty amazing condition.

I wanted to document this machine and list some of the memories I have of owning it and enjoying it.  First, as a child I was always sternly warned not to play with the Victrola.  I still did, but not when the parents were around.  I did not break it ... but I did figure out how to open up the cabinet and see the internal gears.  Have you ever seen something covered in 100 years worth of dust?  I have.  What is amazing is that the original mahogany horn is in really good shape.  I don't think you see them very often and rarely in such good shape.

I had the best ear in the family.  How do I know that?  It would always be my job to adjust the speed to a correct setting, which was done with a manual radial stylus (terminology?) and had to be done by ear and hand.

In parting with an item like this, my hopes are two fold -- I would like to turn mom on to some money.  She needs it.  A thousand bucks is a LOT of money to her and she deserves it.  But more than that I would really like to see this talking machine go to a collector/appreciator.  It should be admired and cared for and fixed up.  Anybody up for that?

Mike McKenzie April 2013
Tacoma, Washington

Here's one for you ... I'd like to see a rapper do some scratch with this thing ... talk about Old Skool!

No, not Ben Who, Ben Huh?

During a reality show taping for Lolwork, I tried to inform Ali Luhrs and Paul Gude that dogs were imminently cuter, funnier and more photogenic than cats.
They were like, "No way."
I was like, "So, totally."
Then they got like all "we're gonna call BEN" and see what he says.
"Right," I said, "Ben Who?"
"BEN HUH!" said Ali.
"Ben, what?" I asked.
"Not Ben What," Paul responded, "Ben Huh."
"Huh?"

CLICK HERE FOR THE SECRET VIDEO

"Yeah, Ben Huh!" said Ali in that way she says things ... like her brain is going to explode from two cents worth of information.  She went to Western.  I went to Evergreen.  Enough said.  We're both sub-geniuses.
"What?" I asked.
"Not WHAT!" Paul said.  "Huh!"
"Huh?" I asked.
"That's right," Paul shouted quite dramatically. "Huh!"
What?
                                     *****
I am not really sure what I can tell you. 
The papers I signed were many pages, and the production assistant did not give me a copy.  The production assistant was cute and, in all fairness, I didn't ask for copies.
But I think the contract said that if they killed me, they would under no circumstances be responsible for their own actions.  Really, it said that.  I think it also said that if I talked about anything they would be allowed to kill me.
So, I think promised to never ever talk about Lolwork or the secret experiments performed upon me while they filmed Lolwork.  I think I also promised not to divulge the fact that Iggy Pop is my fraternal twin brother.  (Proof?  See photo above.)  Oooops.

So I am not going to talk about any of that.

I will tell you that I got to go to Gasworks Park and play Frisbee with my dog and nobody yelled at me to put my dog on a leash.  That was cool.   I keep waiting for Bravo television to show pictures of me and my beautiful dog on the boob tube, but to no avail.  Back to Youtube for Zoozoo and Mike McKenzie.  Pronto.  

Mike McKenzie 2013

Namaste ... flyboy is check you out in yoga

Flyboy was bored.  Not even the big garbage can in the garage interested him.
"This is terrible," said Flyboy.  "I need fecundity, body fluids and stench."

What's a little Flyboy to do?

Stuffed deep into the trunk of the car was the answer.  A smelly reminder of sweaty yoga days long since gone.

"That's it!" shouted Flyboy.  "I'm gonna check me out some hot yoga classes."

Mike McKenzie 2013