Complications With the Library of the Obscure (LOTO)
"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”
(Scottish poet Robert Burns (from his poem "To a Mouse" 1785)
As most of you, if not all, are aware that I've been trying to bring to life the "Library of the Obscure" (LOTO for short here), over on YouTube.
The idea behind the library has long been to introduce listeners to a whole range of authors and short stories from decades or even a hundred years or more ago.
Now some of you might be asking yourselves, why? What's so fascinating about tales that were written so long ago, when we've got authors galore coming out with stories and books these days?
Well, the answer is actually quite simple. You ask just about any well-known author what prompted them to write in their most well-known genres, and most will tell you they were inspired by pieces written by other authors. Take Stephen King, he'll tell you about some of his favorite authors like H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, and others whose macabre creations were written back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Then there's Hollywood, television and streaming services. They've all been getting inspiration for stories and ideas based on things written long ago, for decades. Take John Carpenter's 1982 film "The Thing". That was based on a 1938 story called "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell. Only to have Hollywood go back to that story yet again in 2011 with a prequel also called "The Thing" which is set to take place just before Carpenter's classic. And even though the 2011 outing relied less on Campbell's novel, they still had to refer back to the original source material as well as Carpenter's movie to figure out how to make their film fit into the timeline and sequence of events they were creating.
And that's just one example. For years, well decades really, I've been an avid reader. I especially enjoyed short story collections and anthologies. To be honest, I still can't get enough of them to this day. What I loved about them in particular, was the fact that I get introduced an author's writing and storytelling style, as well as get entertained with a story I was not familiar with. And if I really enjoyed what I was reading, I now the author's name and can look them up and see what else they'd written that I might want to check out.
Over time I began to take note of the dates of publication and the time the author in question had lived. That's when it hit me of just how far back some of those tales went. At the same time, I was struck by the fact that a large number of suspense and creepy elements seen in television and movies, employed a good number of those elements in retelling those same stories, or using them in brand new tales. Which just goes to prove the old adage, some things NEVER fully go out of style.
Now as I mentioned earlier, if there was an author's name who was new to me, I'd go and check to see what else they'd done. Plus, this gave me a chance to add to my "To Read" list of books/stories. I got so into the habit of doing this, that I eventually, I started to check out the other works of authors who were already favorites of mine, and boy was I in for a surprise.
For instance, Edgar Allan Poe (man I love how he spelled his middle name) the creator of such terrifying tales like "The Raven", or "The Fall of the House of Usher". Clearly a master of suspense and the macabre. But did you know, he also wrote some comical short stories as well? Have any of you ever heard/read his poem, "Lionizing"? It's quite funny and I highly recommend reading it, or if you like, maybe I'll add it to the list of tales for me to bring to life over on the LOTO.
And what about A. A. Milne, the author and creator of Winnie the Pooh and all his friends? Did any of you know that he also wrote an adult mystery novel and some short mystery stories? I know I didn't. But when I found out, I checked them out and dang were they good. But of course, I soon discovered hardly anyone else knew about these short stories. Nor did most people know anything about a number of other great authors and stories I'd read over the years.
To date, I've recorded and released 4 of Helen's books from her Forever Detective Series (which can be found on Audible at this link: Helen Krummenacker – Audio Books, Best Sellers, Author Bio | Audible.com). As well as releasing a full audio performance of Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" over on YouTube in 2022. Since then, I've also added several creepy short stories over on YouTube as well (link: Allan Krummenacker - YouTube).
Now, of all the videos I've posted over on my YouTube channel, "A Christmas Carol" has by far garnered the most traffic and views. This fact did not escape my notice (well eventually, I hadn't been paying too close of attention at first).
Yeah... oops, my bad. However, once I realized what I had created, I started to think about doing more videos like that. Taking an old story and using my vocal talents to bring the tale more to life to listeners. And of course, adding imagery and sound effects to give folks more of a performance feel to the reading.
So, now you have the basis of what inspired me to try to create the LOTO in the first place.
Next, I'd like to cover my original vision for the project.
As a kid, growing up in the late 60's and thru the 70's I was a big fan of certain shows such as the original "Twilight Zone" hosted by Rod Serling, "Ghost Story" with Sebastian Cabot, and "Orson Welles Great Mysteries" hosted by the big man himself of course. I really enjoyed having someone introducing each episode in these anthology series and then having them show up at the end to add further comments about the tale.
And I still enjoy shows with hosts that tell us more about a show or movie they are presenting. One of current favorite hosts is the one and only Rich Koz aka...
For those of you are unfortunate enough not to have heard of Svengoolie, he has been hosting old monster and science fiction movies for years over in Chicago. But he has gained such a following that his show is syndicated across the country. You can find his show on the streaming service MeTV, where you can see new and old episodes alike. Now, the scenes with Svengoolie can be very funny, but he also presents numerous facts about the actors and actresses of each movie being presented, as well as fascinating details about what went on during the production of each film. Which I have always admired about him. He also loves to show videos of places he's gone to and meeting many of his fans.
Well, I had already been planning on appearing on screen at the beginning and ending of each story I would present. But I hadn't decided whether or not to just show myself in regular clothes, or if I should sort of create a 'persona' for the episodes. However, when it was brought to my attention that I could run afoul of some copyrights depending on whether or not the story was in the Public Domain, that's when an idea hit. Have a library setting (because where else can you find books and stories that are still under copyright - aside from a bookstore). But since I wasn't selling any of these stories or how I present them, a library seemed more appropriate. But it wouldn't be just any old library. No, this one had to be more 'unique'. Mysterious, even somewhat surreal at times. A library that could take care of itself, if you will, that only needed a curator to watch over it. And thus, the idea for the Library of the Obscure was born.
I would be presenting short stories that were in the Public Domain only at first. But over time I would then start offering to present stories from writer friends who were Indie (Independent) Authors, in order to help showcase their creative talents and hopefully attract new readers to their books. Thus, between little known authors and tales written many decades or even a century or more ago, I'd be presenting more 'Obscure' works, thus helping the LOTO live up to its name.
Excited by this concept, I decided to start putting together a series of outfits, along the lines of a gentleman from the Victorian/Edwardian eras. Something that would help lend to the idea that the LOTO was both timeless and yet had already been existing or quite a while.
And, again inspired by Svengoolie and others, I had planned for there to be some 'comical' moments during the segments involving me. Like, cleaning the ceiling, but filming things to make it appear I was upside down (including a bandana on my head with part of it pointing towards the floor, along with an apron doing the same thing). Or some other weirdness like, a alien-like tendril popping into the scene, to indicate that the LOTO served beings not just from our world but others, as if the place was in its own dimension/reality. Basically, trying to have some fun as well as be informative and entertaining.
I was so fired up for this concept, that a year ago I put together and released an 'Opening' sequence to help introduce the LOTO to all.
And I will explain more in the next entry. This one has gotten pretty lengthy as it is, and I'm a bit-tired right now. But I will post again in another week or two to finish this explanation and what I am hoping to do with the LOTO before this year is out. So please stay tuned.
Until then dear readers, stay well, and keep writing, recording and being creative everyone.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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