H.P. Lovecraft: An Appreciation

{seven mp3s below the fold}

As a lad, my introduction to proper literature came via the works of Howard Phillips (H.P.) Lovecraft (b. 1890.)  I had been reading Marvel Comics since the late 1960s (initially they were read to me), and as the 60s became the 70s, the Marvel team reacted to the counter-culture explosion by pushing the fringes of comic book artistry.  Initially a fan of Spider-Man, I was dazzled by the newer, more obscure Marvel titles like Man-Thing, Howard the Duck, Werewolf By Night and Omega the Unknown, some of these created and penned by groundbreaking writer Steve Gerber, and sometimes featuring full pages of graphic text without images.  For Marvel, this was a revolution, and I excitedly rode the wave with them.

I remember being blown away by Marvel's rendering of the Lovecraft tale Pickman's Model (download pdf) in Tower of Shadows #9 - January 1971.  The story, with its shocking ending, was so typical of Lovecraft, leaving the reader white-faced and fearful of the unexplainable.  My mother, perhaps feeling that I was ready for "real" literature, and knowing my penchant for the macabre (already well-formed at age 7), passed down a collection of H.P. Lovecraft stories that had belonged to my grandfather.  Mom knew what she was doing, and I remain a fan to this day, seeking out the author's obscure writings, film adaptations etc.

The first Lovecraft story to make an enduring impression on me was The Outsider (download pdf); in fact, I still tear up a bit when I think of the tale's woeful conclusion.  Though couched in the milieu of horror/fantasy (as were the bulk of the author's popular works), The Outsider is a note-perfect metaphor for societal alienation (not unlike Herzog's The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser) that transcends genre.

Another great short story, one that has undoubtedly confounded musicians since its publication, is The Music of Erich Zann (download pdf).  Based on the "chaotic babel of sound" the author strains to describe, musical artistes from across the genre spectrum have tried to interpret the bizarre emanations of Lovecraft's enigmatic, haunted viol-player.  Personally, some of Phill Niblock's compositions, and occasionally the music of Art Zoyd, have struck me as appropriately Zann-esque.

Lovecraft's mightiest of literary muscles was his ability to eloquently and elaborately describe the essentially indescribable:  alternate dimensions, ancient beings, dream worlds and the minds of madmen.

Film interpretations of Lovecraft's work are numerous, in fact there's an entire Web site devoted to their cataloging and review.  My personal opinion is that no filmed work I've ever seen has done a Lovecraft story true justice, as that quality of "describing the indescribable" rears its ugly head, rendering translation from page to screen near-impossible.  Notable, however, are the films of director Stuart Gordon; though they take considerable liberties and are suffused with graphic gore, the author's basic stories, and their inherent poignancy, remain reasonably intact (these films are also fun as hell to watch—ever seen Castle Freak?)  I also have a soft spot for the 1970 film version of The Dunwich Horror, starring an ultra-earnest Dean Stockwell, as well as Sandra Dee; again the basic tale remains intact, though in simplified form and amped-up with psychedelic special effects.

I could go on forever about my favorite Lovecraft stories; the above-mentioned are merely touchstones among 90-plus published works of fiction, including novels, novellas and short stories.  Take a look at this wonderfully comprehensive H.P. Lovecraft Archive site for more information.  Also see this page, offering the stories in pdf format.  Lovecraft's essential works were written in the 1920s and early 30s, though his writing unquestionably carries a 19th-century complexity of voice.  The stories were often initially published in journals of fantasy, horror and science fiction like Weird Tales, only to find their way into hardbound legitimacy after the author's death.

Below are a few H.P. Lovecraft-inspired tracks from my collection [downloadable mp3s]:

Darkest of the Hillside Thickets (a band solely "dedicated to promoting the literature of H.P. Lovecraft") - Yog-Sothoth (mp3)
Bebe Rebozo - Shub-Niggurath (mp3)
Morbid Angel - Angel of Disease (mp3)
Pink Elephants - Cool Air (mp3, myself, James Kavoussi and Glenn Luttman, ca. 1998)
Univers Zero - La Musique d'Erich Zann  (mp3)
Peter Michael Hamel - Beyond the Wall of Sleep (mp3)
Black Sabbath (1970 Demo) - Behind (sic) the Wall of Sleep (mp3)

Comments

[Rob Thornton]

Don't forget some other Lovecraft-inspired tracks:

"The Old Ones" by the Bats
"Call of Ktulu" and "Thing That Should Not Be" by Metallica
"Nyarlathotep" by Burning Star Core

[squinchy]

and!!!
http://accordionguy.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2005/11/28/1425558.html

[James]

As I remember it, there was a Marvel supervillain modeled after (ripped off from?) Cthulu, named Chthon. Another great early 70's horror comic from Marvel was Tomb of Dracula (scripted by Marv Wolfman, penciled by Gene Conlan) which carried a moody, light-and-shadow texture with the artwork.

"Pickman's Model" was adapted for television in the early 70's, on an anthology series. I think it may have been Night Gallery, but I'm not sure.

[drewo]

Thanks for the comic cover blast-from-the-past. Issue #1 of Tower of Shadows featured a cover drawing by my favorite Silver Age Marvel Comics artist Jim Steranko.

[Bruce]

Growing up a few blocks away from HP lovecraft now rests they always had a reading at his gravestire on his b day. Plus walking to pretty much most of the places he metions was also really cool.

I cant believe you did not put this link up there it's a Cthulu musical: http://www.cthulhulives.org/Shoggoth/

[Sam]

Don't forget the Fall!

Mark E. Smith reading the Horror in Clay: http://www.freehosting.hostrave.com/p/fall/lyrics.html?http%3A//www.freehosting.hostrave.com/p/fall/pnm.html

"And he has visions of islands, heavily covered in slime
The villagers dance round pre-fabs
And laugh through twisted mouths"
- Jawbone and the Air Rifle.

[Brett]

Check out this recent movie adaptation. It's fantastic!

http://www.cthulhulives.org/cocmovie/index.html

[Billy]

The Creepniks' lurching song "Shadow Over Elkhart".

[Thee Rockhunter]

The Creeping Past, "The Creeping Past"

http://www.archive.org/details/leda022

[Michael]

If I'm not mistaken, I believe there's an entire Rudimentary Peni album devoted to H.P. Lovecraft...

[Toren Atkinson]

I wouldn't use "Yog-Sothoth" as an intro to The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Try "The Innsmouth Look," "Sounds of Tindalos" or "Shoggoths Away" - they're a little more typical of the sound.

[ernesto]

"At The Mountains Of Madness", by White Flag

[Jim]

Also by the Fall, 'I Feel Voxish' on 'Perverted by Language', contains the phrase "...but it made me hungry for victuals...could not raise nor buy." - as in 'The Picture in the House'.

[Andrew]

Micheal, there is an entire Rudimentary Peni album dedicated to Lovecraft, called "Cacophony". It's their best album. Very strange and often political in a surreal way, and their best music. Nick Blinko from RP also wrote a biographical novel called "The Primal Screamer" which has a distinct Lovecraft influence, especially the horror ending.

[Used/Refurbished Laptops]

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[Kylpyhuone]

Marvel comics are really unforgettable and even a new generation loving it.As an stuff in a construction and renovation companies in Finland i still adore marvel comics and i love seeing someone like you very interested in different kind comics specially the marvel one.