Hey everyone, thanks so much for watching this one, it really does mean a lot to me it's been a big fun project to work on this summer. If you have any questions for me, drop them under here and I'll answer them next time in a celebration video when we hit 300k subscribers. Thanks, and I hope you all have a great and safe weekend!
Some quibbles I have with this interesting video, Sonia and HP did indeed have sex, we have no evidence Lovecraft knew for a fact that Barlow or Loveman were gay, which colleagues are these you refer to who "speculated about his ambiguous sexuality behind his back"?
I find myself in the same place you were when you met Neal Adams in that I don't feel like I have a good question for you. But I did want to say that I have a great appreciation for you for bringing attention to niche films and outsider art, and giving horror, especially "campy" absurd stories love and attention. I'm always happy to see a new one of your videos and find a new film or book recommendation or at least learn something interesting. Thank you, and continue to Praise the Shadows!
There are parts of the Dunwich Horror (Wilbur Whateley and his relationship with the townspeople) that make so much more sense having seen this video. You can really tell that parts of the Whateley story are almost autobiographical in relation to Lovecraft himself.
That's what was nice about the understanding of Lovecraft in this video. While most people seem to jump on the "Lovecraft racist and bad" train, I've always seen him as a guy with a true phobia. Early on he held opinions that wouldn't be acceptable in decent company, but it was because he was terrified of everything and so everything that scared him so much was truly looked like horror to him. This was an inner child lashing out at the monster in his closet because it had tormented him all his life. He needed therapy for his phobia but all we get now is how bad a guy he must have been. Despite all of that trauma, his works were so I influential that they pop up everywhere even today.
Isolating a kid from the the world is emotiomal abuse. Giving them gifts is not a substitute for teaching them how to socially interact. I wish this was more common knowledge because the scars from emotional abuse spiral out of control if untreated.
YES. I have a family member whose "mother" never let him interact with other kids and home schooled him. When he was invited around us kids and the issue was pushed, her reply was "the only friend he needs is his mother". Although that kind of thing would be called wierd or just overprotective at the time, it was *never* acknowledged by the court system or society as abuse, and this wasn't even that long ago. Because of that there was nothing you could do to help as long as the child had their basic needs met. So much has changed in the last decade in mental health and parenting and humanities in general, and I'm glad people are more aware of it now.
That type of childhood, raised by somewhat mentally ill self deprecating women that wanted a girl child would most certainly screw up a man's head his whole life. Point in case, what that upbringing did to him.
Just got back from a vacation in Providence. Paid a visit to Lovecraft's grave. Man oh man, he would have hated all the crap people littered his headstone with. My favorite of the random items was a Cards Against Humanity card that read "Tentacle Porn."
I find it very crappy when people take random objects to leave at gravestones. Flowers are cheaper, and won't make the angry ghost of Lovecraft follow you home lool
🦀🦀🦀 (i did intend to just lol at the typo and go but there's legit a scientific phenomenon called crabification about how many initially seprate lineages of evolution all converged on the same traits, crab ones, which would be considered creepy, cosmically speaking, the horror that eventually everything will become a crab, seemed appropriate to mention here)
I agree. I once read an article about Lovecraft where the writer claimed that Lovecraft looked like his father and that Susan Lovecraft's treatment of her son was a manifestation of her resentment of her husband's alleged infidelities and I thought that was ridiculous. Not the part about Mrs Lovecraft resenting her husband, but the assertion that Lovecraft looked anything like his dad. HP Lovecraft was a practically a doppelganger of his mother.
I wholeheartedly agree with you about copyright. The idea was to protect a creator's ability to profit from their intellectual property, but what it has become is a device to stifle creativity and establish monolithic monopolies over vast bodies of creative works.
Meh you could imagine if Disney had control of _________ lolll The amount of crappie reboots...... I think there should be different copyright law for a person and a cooperation tho. Tolkien never wanted Disney to have rights over lord of the rings but they do now We have no respect for dead creators wishes hence I think copyright Is needed.
@@turma8eac right??? Used to be the artist. And only the artist mind. Would hold rights for about 70yrs. That's basically a whole lifetime, more than fair. I'm an artist myself and prefer the older system 🙄😑
Lovecraft is a perfect example of writing what you know and how art reflects the artist. A lonely anxious shut in who’s afraid of everything creates an entire subgenre based on his insecurities and fears. Lovecraft was nauseating in his beliefs, but he was gifted and groundbreaking at the same time.
@@OmniDan26 Maybe it's not for me to say this when my profile picture is Sol Badguy, but, you putting Omniman as your pfp could be interpreted as you having frail masculinity. Lovecraft was not more or less man than any of us is. He just was a man, and that's it.
@@theraymunator yeah, and his circumstances led him to have a very unhappy life. Everything about his story is just so miserable, and you kinda just want for someone to have been able to shake him out of the brainworms his mother gave him.
His mother sounds EXACTLY like the kind of mother many serial killers have been known to have, and from the sound of it she did everything in her damn power to raise a serial killer- but failed in Howard.
She raised a prophet. Material reality is an indifferent cosmic horror, and we are not reallymeant to venture far. And if some DMT trippers are to be believed, we are actually at bottom of the food chain. Mere ants playing in the dragons' den, a hyperspace filled with extradimensional Eldritch Abominations
@@gelmir7322 true but who’s to say there aren’t opposites of cosmic horrors? Say celestial beauties? Something that happens when the universe goes very right? Something that clicks perfectly and is a being who’s presence you’d shed a tear in the mere sight of them because you’re so overwhelmed with emotion. You have never seen something so gorgeous and it reaffirms your position in the universe or gives you a new lease on life without them even meaning to (All of this sounds very asinine and highly unlikely I know but I just thought of the whole scientific phrase “for every action there’s an equal or opposite reaction” I thought it’d just be interesting)
man, your explanation of Lovecraft, his life, his personality, his issues, and his quirks is insanely well done. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do was explain to some people how Lovecraft wasn't "just the Cthulhu guy", "the asexual in denial" or "the racist" and that his entire life wasn't straightforward, complicated, and had many contradicting ideas, emotions, feelings, and outlook. That once you read what his friends had to say about him, his personal letters, his ex-wife, and people who used to know him passively, that this guy was complicated and not well physically or mentally due to his up-bringing and what life had to throw at him. Keep up the good works!
I would agree with you insofar as Lovecraft is a great deal more complicated a human being, nor can he be summed up in any easily quotable "sound-byte". In many ways, he is the essence of what it means to be human: to be complex almost to the point of indefinability. Where (If I am reading your post correctly) I would tend to demur is the statement that he was "not well physically or mentally". Having read and studied the man for nearly 50 years now (reading began at about age 12; actually studying the man and his life, thought, etc., began about 5 years later, and I'm 63)... I would say that he was actually not that UNWELL psychologically/emotionally, once he began to mature in the late 1910s and 1920s. Before then, he was often hidebound, overly sequestered, based his opinions on a rather limited view of things he read, etc. Once he began to encounter a variety of human beings (thanks in large part to his involvement in the amateur press movement), this began to change. It never went away completely... but my, what a difference between the HPL of, say, 1916 and that of 1931-37! And a wide spectrum of people who knew him say much the same, from W. Paul Cook (who wrote one of the most sensitive and warm memoirs of the man) to figures such as Edith Miniter (who summed up her view of him in the brief statement "Lovecraft IS a good scout!"), to Robert Bloch, E. Hoffman Price, Rheinhart Kleiner, Fritz Leiber, Kenneth Sterling....And, oddly, the most succinct statement I've seen, I think, comes from his first biographer, L.Sprague de Camp, who was by no means simpatico with him on many levels: "Despite his oddities, those who knew him loved him and were fascinated by him. He always tried to do the right thing. He keps learning and improving all his life; and that, it seems to me, is the best use to which a mind can be put." The man had, indeed, his oddities (though, to be frank, I've known DAMNED few who don't, even if they are unaware of them); he had his quirks, his foibles, his psychological dark spots, his faults... And yet... the more I read of him, the more I read his correspondence with others (an enormous lot of which has been seeing print the last 15 years or so), the more I admire the man. There ARE times I'd like to have thwacked him upside the head with a brick, true... but a good 85-90% of the time... he comes off as a largely admirable human being, one I would have felt it a genuine privilege to know and call "friend". That is also the impression I get from even those who were most directly opposite to him in view on so many topics, such as his ethnocentrism (I despise the term "race", as I see it as a social construct with damned near no scientific basis whatsoever; ethnicity, on the other hand -- that is, taking note of the evolutionary adaptations of large groups of people under differing natural circumstances, thus allowing them to survive and even thrive in a wide variety of environments -- is a different sort of thing, and has no implications of superior or inferior, as "racial" statements do... and I think Lovecraft's inability to leave such blinkered prejudices in the ashbin of history as he did with so many other ideas which were being debunked in his lifetime, is one of his most telling faults... but, like it or not, an extremely common one even among the most intelligent of us), such as, say, James F. Morton, Jr. That "The Outsider" has a certain autobiographical element is, I think, true... but such is often overstated; Dirk W. Mosig, in his essay "Four Faces of the Outsider", has written perhaps the most perceptive response to this idea; even decades later, it is well worth looking into. In any event, it should be kept in mind that "The Outsider" was: a) a very consciously directed piece of fictional musing; and b) written around the centennial of the death of John Keats, who was one of Lovecraft's favorite poets, and whose "The Eve of St. Agnes" provides the epigram (always a VERY carefully chosen thing when it comes to Lovecraft; cf. that from Charles Lamb's "Witches, and Other Night Fears" for "The Dunwich Horror", or Arthur Machen's, from "The Red Hand", for "The Horror at Red Hook", or even that from Vergil's "Aeneid", each of which intentionally raises several layers of resonance to the piece he heads them with). It is always dangerous to see the creator in the creation, even with seemingly supportive evidence, as such can be (at times, at least) deceiving.
Howard sounds like he might have been on the Spectrum. A lot of his mental issues I can relate to, and it's really sad he lived in a time where that wasn't looked at properly and he was raised by others with severe issues....the kindness he showed to those in private tells me he could have been a truly wonderful person if he had only been given the chance and compassion...instead of hate and fear and ignorance.
I was thinking that the whole time. Especially the descriptions of his childhood experience... there are definitely a lot of commonalities with a neurodivergent experience.
Thanks for all you said about at times feeling paralyzed by perfectionism with your videos. The algorithm of UA-cam really is a Lovecraftian nightmare all on its own, and my mental health has definitely felt its impatient breath on the back of my neck lately, so I needed to hear this
Take care of yourself, you make great stuff and I look forward to each new thing you do, but also stay happy with that. Hope you’re doing well, and thank you I’m really glad you liked the video!
@@InPraiseofShadows You actually sounded a little like Lovecraft himself at that point when in the video you said he would destroy finished works and start again, i thought you were going to bring it up tbh.
@@billyloper4072 well the only debatable thing here is calling Ray Bradbury horror writer but if you've read Dark Carnival collection or some other short stories you'll see a lot of horror. Maybe my phrasing wasn't right cuz English is not my native language. The movie I was talking about is "Thr Wonderful Ice Cream Suit"
You've managed to dissect Lovecraft in such a thoughtful, empathetic and insightful manner here and it's really touching. As much as he thought of himself as not of this world, it strikes me how very human he was.
The retelling of HPL's childhood reminds me of "This be the Verse", by Phillip Larkin. "They f*ck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had And add some extra, just for you." Barlow, killing himself while attempting to compile his notes on a visit from HPL is just about the most Lovecraftian thing I've heard. 38:41 "He, essentially, crafted a world populated entirely by asexual scholars and fishermen..." 😍
@@SeanWinters I was trying to imply that I liked the summation of HPL's works. I guess it would have saved time and confusion if I'd just written that. 😂
Sometimes I almost wanna pity Lovecraft for all his issues. But other times I also want to smack him in the face with a dead fish. Either way, I find him to be a very interesting character to analyze. Despite his very problematic view, I still can’t help but be inspired and fascinated by his stories and lore. And though the rest of the Internet won’t agree with me here, I think it is possible to like something and still criticize it for its faults. I always love watching your videos, because of how well thought out and put together they are. And this one is no exception. Excellent work! 👍🏼
Jesus Christ, that last third was soul crushing but really amazing, and much appreciated as someone who probably views you now the way you viewed Neal Adams at the convention. If I ever saw you in real life I'd probably tell you about the ideas I have for niche review channels and I'd want to show you stuff I've edited haha. And I bet Neal Adams and your professor had their early work eviscerated when they were young too, so it's inspiring to see that you found the constructive advice in their bluntness and went on to create a truly terrific series that has introduced me to so many interesting films and authors. You've developed a very respectable body of work so far, so keep pushing the envelope and, I don't have to tell you this: but don't ever avoid trying new things and experimenting in your art because you feel you owe it to your audience to give us what we're used to!
I agree that Neal was probably replicating treatment he had received himself. If he truly thought someone had no talent and should stop drawing, he surely would not have taken 45 minutes to say so. Hearing that story, it sounds like Neal was making a misguided, backwards attempt at encouragement.
As a creative writing teacher - I cannot understand what that teacher said to you. There are bitter teachers. There’s a saying “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach”. I work from another saying “To teach is to learn twice”. And I’m a nerd, so I love it! But I just wanted to say your teacher made me angry. I wonder what that teacher has written. Sometimes, you just don’t like the writing of the student, their style or genre. But it should be judged by objective standards. For what it’s worth, I love your writing.
Yeah, I find that it was unnecessarily mean. There's a difference between harsh and mean. Mean has that rawness to it where it's clear that you're the mock up punching bag for a bigger issue in their lives. I also work in education and I can see between harsh and mean teachers. Mean teachers rail on the whole "life sucks" and take it out on people. Harsh you can reasonably see where they are at least trying to impart. Also, I think teachers can easily become desensitized to tempering feedback with empathy. That's one reason I usually focus on just 1-2 pieces of feedback. I don't want my student punching a brick wall closing in on them. That part did hit me as well. It reminds me of a random moment in a hobby shop a few weeks back. I know this kid there who has definitely struggled a bit since I met him back in 2017. The key part is I know he tries. He started asking me a bunch of questions concerning being a history teacher (my profession) and I'll be honest it was not one of my better days. So, not in the head space to talk in depth shop but I understood anything I said could hit this early 20-something far more than intended. So I kept the conversation short, I apologized to him if I seemed too honest and just outlined my thoughts. It mostly boiled down to me recommending he look at other states (our state is not kind to history teachers) and the major issue for him would be handling the angrier kind of students (this kid is fairly gentle). He didn't like a lot of what I said but he seemed to appreciate the honesty. All in all, it was about a 30 minute chat but I'd like to think I did better than Neal Adams and that teacher.
"Those who can't, teach". Big agree. Almost 70-80% of female teachers I've kknown were regretful shady women who wanted to control and brainwash the kids with their opinions that they couldn't convince other adults of their merit.
Jeffrey Combs' showing up to kill Giorgio and save his wife and daughter was a redemption arc. He was the protector that he should have been when he crashed the car, killing his son and permanently injuring his daughter and losing the love and trust of his wife. The movie was about him and his .. relative.. and his place in his ancestral family. So I don't necessarily agree that it was unfortunate that Barbara Crampton didnt save herself and her daughter in the end. She wanted to have that faith in her husband and to forgive him, and that last sacrifice did that.
I was thinking the same thing. In a completely different story the mother being the one to defeat the monster to save herself and her daughter could have worked well, (sort of like in Alien, for example), but in Castle Freak the character arcs were set up completely wrong for that to have worked as a good narrative resolution. The theme of Castle Freak was all about the need for parents to be responsible, supportive, and protective of their children, and the spectrum of tragedies and horrors that can be wrought when they fail to do this, or worse, when they do the opposite. The father's character arc needed him to redeem himself from his previous failures as a father. And the mother's character arc needed her to find a way to forgive her husband, for the sake of her vulnerable daughter's need to not have parents who hate each other. (The monster, by comparison, had a mother who hated her husband (who had also failed in his parental responsibilities), and that turned out very very poorly for the child. The arc of the minor characters of the policeman, the prostitute, and their bastard son, and how that played out, was also a reflection of this theme.)
It’s interesting to me that him talking in an upper register was notable. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was on the spectrum. We (autistics) will often speak in either a lower than usual or higher than usual register.
Yeah, feel there’s a good chance he was somewhere on the spectrum, and definitely dealt with many mental health during his life. Anxiety being very likely along with some form of autism.
I'm on the spectrum too and I've always felt that HPL was as well. Possibly his mother was too, which could explain the almost-Munchausen by proxy effect she had on him when he was a child.
May your shadow cast a wider darkness on youtube because you are my most appreciated horror youtuber...Your work is very well crafted and I applaud you for it
I wonder if he was almost an OG edge lord. Pertaining to his immaturity, racism, homophobia and depression. That with this juxtaposition of his warm personality and sincerity and him having intimate friendships with homosexuals and races which he spoke grotesquely of. There's no way, just as you mentioned he didn't know of these things or them being present in those he formed close bonds with as an adult. I think he's a wonderful example of how we can't weigh history or the people from times alien to us against the social norms of modern day. This dichotomy of good and bad, right and wrong, black and white really have no place when discussing people or anything as extremely complex. Grey area and nuance are always present especially concerning the human condition.
"We all have great good in us and grea devilry." People are complex, full of a hundred facets and more. It's sad to think how often people miss out on great art, literature, or history just because it offends their modern perceptions.
Well here’s the thing, yeah? Racism, homophobia, sexism and prejudice are irrational responses. People keep trying to rationalize them because it doesn’t make sense, for example, that a repugnant anti semite could marry a Jew. But that’s the point. It doesn’t. It’s not supposed to. People are hypocritical and contradictory and will often simply choose not to see the flaws in their rhetoric, or ideologies. They’ll usually say that there’s an exception to the rule, that person is one of the good ones, or they’ll simply choose to ignore certain things about them, or quite honestly never really give it much thought. People talk about setting the artist apart from the art, but fail when they say things like you have said, because you can’t just accept that real talk, he doesn’t have to be redeemable. He simply could be, for all intents and purposes an Asshole. Any man who could be an anti semite, marry a Jew, and refuse to work because non artistic work was beneath him, and then have that woman move alone to another city to work to support them both, is probably not a great guy. AND THATS FINE, PEOPLE. Lovecraft was a grown man. He chose how he wanted to live his life. He was very clear on his beliefs. We don’t absolve shitty people for being shit. We accept that they were shit, and if they made dope shit, we accept that as well.
@@sakulaeyr9819 Lovecraft died in the 30s. He’s modern. People had fought wars and gone through a depression together People were still racist, (though blaming it wholly on the time is a cop out. Horrific shit happened and was yet to happen, and the evil of the perpetrators should never be downplayed in anyway. Everyone has a choice to think for themselves.) yet people were moving bit by bit into a less ignorant way of thinking. Lovecraft was an older brand. He was like colonial style racist. Manifest destiny, white mans burden, measuring the shape of peoples skulls, kind of guy. more in line with old money Deep South, of the past, or the Nazis yet to come. Especially with the emphasis on being the “correct type” of “white” he would’ve alienated a lot of his peers. Suppose it would be like how some people are homophobic today but would get weirded out if you said that we should lock gays up in asylums and try conversion therapy. Regardless i can accept that the farther back in time I go a lot of the authors I read had a few issues with people like me existing. I don’t absolve them of that though. They’re simply an example of who not to be. I don’t begrudge people who feel like they want nothing to do with them either. Especially if they were the subject of that ignorance. They are a product of the suffering that came as a result of that, and sometimes the wound is too great.
As someone who is deeply afraid of anyone reading their writing, I admire your ability to share your passions with the world. Thank you for your channel, for this video, and for sharing something so personal with us.
"I did it for me, and I liked that people didn't know about them." - In Praise of Shadows 2021 I recognise this expression so much. Thank you for sharing your experience and relationship with your art.
Doing a binge of your stuff my guy, and wow. I gotta say hands down one of my favourite things that you do is you acknowledge when influential people, or themes within your subject are objectively wrong, and give them only the minimal time required, and without glorifying them. I didn't know the abuses that the Jeepy Creepy director committed until you brought it up. The notes about animal abuse and misogyny in the Killer Clown piece, and the litany of other really...humanizing moments in your essays...I really, really appreciate them and it's really cool that these positions are being normalized, especially in the horror field. Well done. You've got a subscription out of me.
I needed a minute after listening to all of the horrible things he thought about other people. I'm glad that you don't shy away from what's wrong with one of your favorite authors. We need to normalize criticising the people whose work we like.
There's epistolary evidence of him retreading on those beliefs and regretting them on his last times shortly before his dead, if I'm remembering correctly, and there's no evidence, or any suggestion even, that he took any kind of action about those views while he still held them, but honest repentance is a human virtue that seems to be regarded with great contempt these days for some sick reason.
Amazing deep dive into Lovecraft as a person, but came here to comment that your Neal Adams story is so on-brand for him it's hilarious. I once had the opportunity to interview him in my days as a writer and he graciously had me in his office for over an hour and he talked at length about his favorite topic: himself. He also would never shy away from being incredibly honest about other creators, media, etc in criticizing them. The weird thing is, it didn't make me feel any less endeared to him. He's a legendary creator and he's very aware of that fact. Can't really blame him. And in my several encounters with him over the years, he has always been eager to talk in a friendly - but very honest - manner.
I read an anecdote on Gone & Forgotten that mentioned seeing Neal Adams, at a con, after buying the excellent Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, and... Skate Man. They weren't able to make up their mind on which one to ask Adams to sign.
Almost 10 straight minutes of Lovecraft spewing the most heinous stuff... Hard to swallow and emotionally taxing, but just as necessary as painting a detailed picture of troubled childhood.
This was such a good video. The best description I've ever seen of Lovecraft. It's almost surreal when we realize horrible people are people too, and after this you certainly humanized Lovecraft without really taking anything away from his detractors. The fact that he has become such a great influence is probably because he represents the duality of humanity so accurately. And his eloquence and complete lack of self awareness just make that so clear in his writing. Thanks for this wonderful piece, really.
Thanks for taking the time to share those unbelievably loathsome excerpts from H.P. Too many people are quick to be dismissive and claim that his views were pretty common for the time. But the bit about poison gas at the end ... well, it's all pretty horrific.
H.P Lovecraft seemed to be the dark side of the Hemingway-esque writer. Hemingway wrote what he knew, being an everyday man slamming his head into life either intentionally or unintentionally. Lovecraft wrote of things that were as far from being human as possible. And he himself seemed to be an tortured entity that was never meant to be human, but something to exist in a way, and in a place, that only the most endured and twisted minds can conjure.
Not only is this a wonder Friday the 13th upload, but also a wonderful birthday upload! Watching it now, and can't say I'm disappointed in the slightest bit!
Do you think your birthday had anything to do with you getting into horror? Sorry that this question sound like it came straight from a magazine interview lol I'm just curious
@@MichaelTurner856 My birthday influenced a lot of interests and passions present today. It influenced my love of horror, dark fantasy, mystery, creatures and demons, and the color red. I was always interested in things that were considered "too mature" for me when I was younger. I never paid any of that to mind, though, because I always knew that those type of things could never happen in real life, which does kind of sadden me. H.P. Lovecraft is a strange case in which his work inspired so much of things present today, but his thought process is terrible with how misogynistic and racist he is. He had a process of thinking that is way to controversial and horrid for me to ever like. Even though he helped with spreading Eldtrich horrors to the media and such, he was a living pile of shit. There are other creators and writers who I think are better than him, but his influence in the genre is very impactful and can't go unnoticed. Horror as a whole helped shape me for who I am, and I'm forever thankful for that.
Feels so strange yet also inviting for you to have pulled back the curtains and spoken to the audience so honestly! But it’s very much earned, and the level of care you consistently put into your content only makes me listen more intently when you do decide to get real and speak about your personal experiences. Love your videos, great work as usual.
Don't forgive Neal Adams. One thing for sure when you see him at the Cons. He's there for the money ($50 flat per signature, current rate) not the fans. Other creators will work with organizers and autograph for hundreds of fans as part of admission or a "VIP" package with loot. Adams wants to keep his autograph scarce and as much cash to himself as possible. Your story doesn't surprise me.
Yeah, I heard some stories that he can be as a jerk as he's talented with his art. And I really think people shouldn't be thankful that when someone mistreated them, this showed to them some hidden truth that put them in the line or something like that. Yep, maybe you shouldn't be doing that but there are really ways to do that not being mean and, who knows how many times this have a more damaging effect on the person that was utterly criticized and they couldn't find their path because of that? Is like some people that, nowsdays, criticize the way topics like bullying and mental health are being considered, saying that "When I was young this didn't exist, I suffered it all and turned out okay", but you know that this person did not turned out okay, since it can have many racist, homophic, misoginistic views that can and must bring hurt for people around them and they are not even aware of it. In the end, I kinda think that's one thing we can take from analyzing Lovecraft childhood in reflection of his work, how an isolated person can get so deep in his psychological problems, that this massive mental overload translates in one of the most horrific horror genres ever created, based in totally wrong set of views about other people and how the mental care can prevent people from getting into this point... or recognizing the mistakes of embracing such horrendous opinions. Because, yeah, Lovecraft just ended as a writer, but pretty much of the same pattern can be recognized in people like serial killers and dictators. It wasnt a surprise that Lovecraft read Mein Kampf and symphatized with Hitler. The lesson may be: don't be a jerk with others just because you can... this only alienate people and isolate them, and that's halfway down a dangerous path... If you wanna do good, do it in a good way, or else you're just spreading evil... maybe the same evil you suffered but ended overcoming, but that's not the way may go with someone else...
I think the psychological impact of growing up as a little boy with a mother who wanted him to be a girl is a more likely the reason for Lovecraft saying he was a girl as a young child. Children wants their parents approval, im sure you HPL was no different. His mother tormenting him over his looks from a young age also explains his lack of confidence and disgust at his own apperance. Treating any child like that will leave deep emotional and psychological scars. Thats my take at least. Great video, i havent seen many talk about Castle Freaks, but its among my favorites.
It could go either way. It's possible that his effeminate traits were the result of his mother's abuse but his actions and feeling about himself, speaking as a transwoman, seem so obviously trans that I was going to comment about him sounding trans before it was even mentioned in the video. His discomfort with sex, hatred of his appearance, insisting at a young age that he was a girl, speaking in a voice which seems unnatural for him, deep fits of depression, and obsession with beauty are all things that either i have personally experienced or that other trans people i know have.
@@smrtfasizmu7242 I empathize greatly with Lovecraft, though I'm not trans. And there are plenty of heterosexual men who are effeminate. We'll likely never know for sure, though I think we can agree Lovecraft felt much alienating anguish. I keep wondering how Lovecraft might have turned out in a different time and place. It saddens me how people can become so miserable they are like a wounded animal. I know I've felt that way in my life, and keep working to grow as a human being. Thanks for sharing your point of view.
I'm no fan of the man as a person. But wow his mother really messed him up. Definitely started his self hatred and potentially confused the daylights out of him about his gender/sexuality. Personally, I think he was asexual but if that was who he really was or how he lived because of the utter self-loathing projected onto him by his mother it'd be impossible to say.
I don't think he was ugly! He was odd looking but not unpleasant at all. I totally hate his mother! No wonder he was messed up in so many ways! I'm learning a lot from your video, great job! ...Exclamation point, d'oh. (I can relate to a lot of how he felt about himself, like looking like a monster. I'm trying not to cry, it's just so sad).
I had almost an exact same experience when I met Neal Adams. Same with most people I've heard that have put their portfolio under his nose. I had to keep drawing though because I'm not good at literally anything else.
My advice would be to not stick your work under a legend's nose. They probably get it all of the time and it isn't a good use of their time. Your best bet would be to follow the example of Stjepan Sejic: publish your own work and gain the attention of big publishers (if you want to go that way) through steady improvement.
I really appreciate learning this about Lovecraft. I've only read all the books, and now to hear the tragic story and deep underlying mentality is a real gem. I really appreciate what you do for the UA-cam community. I watch through the ads to support you :)
Thank you for this multilayered exploration of Lovecraft and his life. His work made a deep impression on me as teenager, and his influence on the works of many horror authors became evident as I read them. It was not until many years later that I learned more about his life and personality. The more I learn, the more it seems that mental illness ran in his family, that his eccentricities went unchecked and even encouraged, and that his social development was deeply stunted. His general sense of repulsion to other races was also directed at himself. His huge intelligence was a double edged sword that cut him as much as helped. I find him a very tragic figure, greatly complex, who may have travelled a different path had he been raised by a more amenable family, time and environment.
56:40 I couldn't help but laugh throughout this section. I think just found it funny how hard it is to defend Lovecraft's racism when he's saying stuff such as "I like Hitler," and "Celts are an inferior race," and the N word very flippantly. This shit ain't subtle.
He did change his views on Hitler though. In a book written by Frank Belknap Long, Lovecraft's friend, called Dreamer On The Nightside it says that he actually grew to greatly dislike Hitler.
That introspective section where you talked about your own life was hard hitting. Guaranteed, you also got a lot in common with some of us, for certain me. Especially when it comes to being a mean child, who now regrets the actions I have taken.
I love how it takes me days to finish one of your videos. In current times we (myself included ) tend to consume content so fast and without thought. This can't be done with any of your content and that is why I cannot stop. So much time, love, effort and research all get poured into each well made documentary. Sincerely, thank you!
I’ve been a Lovecraft fan for over three decades now, and this stands as possible the most honest and insightful contextualizations of his works. Thank you.
Amazing video. I very much appreciate the deep dive into Lovecraft's life and personality, and the genuine empathy you treat the man, with while absolutely not ignoring or condoning any of the absolutely vile and hateful things he said. The section where you talk about and reflect about yourself and your career is also very interesting. Life is hard, creativity is hard, but it's good to hear you've found a way to create that works for you, even after being knocked down several times.
Although I am black, I have always enjoyed H.P's stories despite his racism. It is just something you grow to accept about writers from the past. This video somehow made me empathize with him as a person that I never thought possible.
Lovecraft was an extremely complicated person. He held some vile opinions and said some awful things, but he was also generous with his time and and as you mentioned, he could be extremely kind one on one. People aren't like comic book superheroes and villains. While there are some sociopaths that really might be pure evil or as close to it as possible, most humans are a combination of good and bad and this certainly seemed to be the case with Lovecraft. Compare how he treated up and coming young writers who wrote to him with how your artistic idol Neil Adams treated you when you met him. Lovecraft, as far as I know, never told any young writer that their work was garbage; Note-I do know that he sometimes sharply criticized established authors whose content he didn't care for, but I'm talking about the unpublished hopefuls that corresponded with him. He usually gave them encouragement, advice and was even willing to help edit their work without asking for any compensation in return. I'm not making excuses for the terrible views Lovecraft espoused, I'm just saying that I believe it's as shortsighted and wrong to dismiss the good hearted, decent aspects of his nature as it would be to overlook his narrow-minded prejudices. *Edit* BTW, When Neal Adams talked to you like he did, you should have said "Now, I get why you're sitting here all alone." and then just walked away. But I get that hindsight is 20/20 and I'm sure I would have just been stunned into silence if the same thing happened to me.
@@user-nv9vn8fm1d No, it isn't. Even if you're talking out of personal experience, that would be just an anecdotal fallacy, because my own personal experience begs to differ. My life happens to be shitty, coincidentally, not because of my profession, but because of a number of extraneous factors affecting it, not the other way around - if anything, the ability to express myself and conjure and tell any kind of story with the only help of some paper and any sketching tool is the closest thing to an everlasting lifeboat I could ever imagine, and i couldn't feel more fortunate about it. Adams is a renowned douche in our circles. I met him once and he was just correct for the sake of the big name who was introducing me to him, but I was able to catch glimpses of his uglier side when dealing with others, so, yeah, it's a thing; but I can also tell you, he's more an exception than a rule. There's many other douchy artists and writers out there, but are way outnumbered by the nice ones - and this comes from someone with very ample experience dealing with the uglier corners of the industry's backstages and is not shy about pointing out and criticizing them on a regular basis.
Even then, I'm pretty sure I've read articles based on cited epistolary evidence of Lovecraft backtracking and expressing repentance for its racist ideas in correspondence with a fellow author - or authors, I should look it up but I'm running out of spare time as I write this - shortly before his passing. If the information was legitimate and I remember it correctly, even if vaguely, then he ended up understanding and acknowledging the wrongness on his views and would be fair to assume that that's the person he would actually be at the moment of his passing, and yet, the existence of that crucial evidence seems to be actively shunned down in order to push the narrative that fits conveniently in the context of the current cultural stormy climate. A villain that sees the error of his ways on his own before passing away? That doesn't sell - nor does it fit the 'bad people can't be redeemed on their own, they NEED to be redeemed by US and get our blessing in order to be cleared of their sins' shady agenda held by the faceless, narcissistic, righteousness-junky mob that fights hard to turn by force all forms of human interaction into their own private reservoir of dopamine.
The end section of your video broke me a bit because it is the first time in a while that I have heard someone have such similar experiences as I am having right now. It means a lot for you to articulate those feelings and put them out into the world. Its what I really needed to hear at the moment.
When you talked about how sometimes you text to cancel on events you agreed to go to in a better mood stuck a cord with me. So many times I’ve done this. While I’ve gotten better about in there is always the depressive tendency. Thank you for sharing.
Your, "The History of Witches" was one of the most fascinating, enlightening things I've watched. It's driven me to create characters inspired by it, and post them to my Instagram. You have done amazing things with the medium of video making. This is content more of us should want. I've watched everything you've made, enjoying them like a hot coffee on a rainy day. Be proud of yourself.
I listened to this presentation in it’s entirety and I must say I related to many things you said about being an outsider in both your own life and in Lovecrafts. I don’t merely “feel” like I am an outsider, I know I am… It’s always been that way even though my professions have always been intensely public and interpersonal. That said, I really enjoyed everything you said about yourself, it was not spoken in vain. Don’t be discouraged! Continue to utilize your gifts! You never know how they will be used to enlighten and encourage others.
From how much you went into his life story, it seems you've done more reading than even myself. I nabbed a CD-ROM with a load of his letters, only to find out there's a multi-volume set of them by Hippocampus Press. If I'd've known about that when I was younger then I would've tracked them all down. Nowadays I don't have the time I used to, and have managed to curb my HPL obssession of my youth once I read CAS.
I think that HP Lovecraft was the great tortured genius, a man who had learned from his obviously unstable mother, that he was grotesque. She may have been projecting how she felt about his father who had been confined, most likely due to Syphilis, and who had died. As repugnant as Lovecrafts's views were, sadly they were not unusual. People were comfortable with displaying their ugly racism and smug racial superiority. The KKK didn't just appear. Many people actually admired Hitler and thought of him as a strong leader, it wasn't until he invaded Poland that people began to see him as a dangerous lunatic. This is not excusing Lovecraft's racism, not is it playing it down, but he was alive during the Jim Crow laws and segregation, he was just very vocal about it. I try to separate the man's views from his work. I think he was deeply unhappy and lonely. His childhood had poisoned what could have been a happy and fulfilled life. But no matter how we view him, we cannot deny his literary genius. His work still has a profound effect on life and art today.
The point, though, is that the extremeness of his racism was shocking even for its time. If I remember correctly, on top of isolating himself from the world, Lovecraft also liked to surround himself in literature that was 200 years older than him and pretend he was in a better time he perceived himself to have truly belonged in, so it's no wonder his racism was extreme even by early 20th century standards.
I was also under the impression that he had a change of heart late in life. It’s sad to learn that it was mainly a matter of optics to him, at least until his very last years. Thank you.
There's a quote I found once in an article I expected to read in this video: this shift is perhaps best encapsulated in a letter he wrote-just a year before he died-to Jennie K. Plaiser. A salient passage reads: “…I realised what an ass I had been. The liberals at whom I used to laugh were the ones who were right-for they were living in the present while I had been living in the past.”
The poor guy never really had a chance at being a happy person. The issues with his mother and then losing the future that was promised to him when his grandfather unexpectedly died, not to mention the fact that despite his intelligence he wasn't able to manage to get a high-school degree and therefore would never be a great academic figure. Not that bad things make you a bad person, but a person that sensitive was bound to carry that kind of baggage.
@@lamontcranston1716 oh, it's possible. But I've read his views on race and things like colonialism also became milder. Like starting favoring individuals of each "race" to become their best version of themselves instead of submiting and adopting the culture of some "master race". Yikes. But yea, even that can be interpreted in a couple of ways and I might just be reading what I want to believe and I'll keep that in mind too. I guess I really like the narrative that people can outgrow their biggotry, but I'll try to keep myself from assuming that of any one particularly nasty biggot.
On a personal note : I very much see you as a person who has obsessions - a new obsession every week. Find what you love through love and loss, and tell your stories - artists : you don't see, know, or hear of many who have 'paced themselves' - they burn, they obsess, they ARE intense. You have taught me, an obsessive and creative person myself, more and more. I am proud of you, fellow human. Thank you.
Found this channel the other day and after watching almost every video I just want to say thank you. Intellectually, mentally, and emotionally you and I are kindred spirits. It’s actually a little startling how many oddly specific things we have in common! I share all of the same general interests you’ve expressed. I grew up liking & disliking the same things in the same ways for the same reasons. I’m also in the midst of an almost identical progression in my creative endeavors. Even your choices of music, manner of speech, and methods of thought are eerily similar to my own. IMO Watching your channel feels like hanging out with a good friend from childhood. I could keep rambling all day but really just wanted to say thanks. Your work is genuinely appreciated & has provided me with a deeply meaningful sense of catharsis at a time when that was truly needed
He saved my man here from a horrible fate of being able to sit at a comic book convention and tearing apart a young boy for 45 minutes completely undisturbed.
He's an old bully. That's why I think it's so funny to watch him argue about things he's obviously got wrong and bristle at people treating him like anyone else and correcting him. ua-cam.com/video/jhQdYvz0VwQ/v-deo.html The man would rather make up his own "new science", and decide that the laws of physics are wrong, than admit he just doesn't understand something.
the last section of this video spoke to me and i must thank you for putting it in your video. For a while i have made the decision that my future career will be a film maker. The last part was very motivating and sort of a reality check for me. I have loved every video you have made and once again i must thank you.
Dude, you´re literally describing 92% of me and my life. You´re either a stalker wizard hunting my nightmares or the right push I need to take myself from where I am now to [there]. Thank you and keep up the amazing work.
Hi, you should check the dates you used for H.P. Lovecraft. You said H.P was born March 15, 1937 and committed in1983... I'm pretty sure that's just a small typo... There's no way that H.P is 2 years younger than my grandmother. 😊 Love your videos! ❤️
I have immensely enjoyed your work so far, and I am looking forward to what you make going forward. They are beautifully written, and well crafted. Educational and entertaining. As an introvert who is hypercritical of my own work, I understand the stress and admire the courage it takes to do this work.
Your channel has been one of my favorite ways to escape during the pandemic. Your openness in the second half of this video was refreshing to see. Thanks for all that you’ve done.
Im watching 2 years after posting as Im just finding your content and I have to say the end of this video is so honest and mature and shows personal and professional growth. Love the vids
This is the most personal, emotional and interesting essay that I've heard on Lovecraft so far. Thank you for that. It's such a strange coincidence I'm a transman who's making a comicbook on a fishman character from a sympathetic point of view. It's a lot about the insecurites of this character and how the world deals with his existence. I had, until this video never heard about The Outsider or Castle Freak. But I read some of Lovecrafts cosmic horror and had known his biography. My Protagonist is lagely inspired by the descriptions Lovecraft gave his creatures (or the lack their of) but with a human interllect. His struggle is basically a pinocchio stroy, he wants to be a real person (the character). And unknowingly this is very similar to The Outsider.
I'm a transman as well in a similar situation. The protagonists of my webcomic have drawn a lot on my own insecurities and I'm infinitely inspired by Lovecraft's life story and work. I often feel uncomfortable saying it, but I really relate to some of the things Lovecraft experienced during his lifetime. Wishing you the best of luck with your story!
1:19:19 you really touched me, here. I had this same experience at a Wondercon when I was I younger with another big-name legendary artist. I am a recovering agoraphobic myself and I know the tempting desperation of trying to grab hold of negative ideals to rationalize the world to make your fear manageable through racism, social isolation, and generalization. Thankfully I never followed that dark path, i got help and managed my anxiety. After watching this, I can really see why it is that I started reading and understanding Lovecraft despite also reading him literally disparage my race and the races of others (ideals i disagree with greatly). Thanks for this video. Thanks for the insightful discussion about Lovecraft's history and work. Thank you for helping me come to terms with my enjoyment of this *horrible* monster's great works.
This is the single best reflection and analysis on Lovecraft I've ever seen--and I wholeheartedly believe it's because of how personal you made it by being vulnerable and sharing your own story. Thank you for being vulnerable, and for the excellent research and storytelling--I've binged your channel and can't wait for whatever you do next! 💚
I just wanted to say that I am so proud of you and your growth. Even though you may struggle with your content, it is exceptional. I don't want you to feel as though you have to compare future works to past works, or that you are at your peak, but that your hard work shines through.
I hope that you always find the inspiration and enjoyment in making these videos. I enjoy drawing while listening to your channel and it gives me a sense of creativity that I don't always get from just listening to music. Your videos are super inspirational and thoughtful and they help me see from a different point of view that I sometimes wouldn't think of otherwise. Thank you!
I love Lovecraft, and jumped into this expecting to fall asleep to it. I learned a lot about Lovecraft and his upbringing (kept me awake honestly), and the queer aspect was totally new to me. Excellent excellent video
Thank you for making this! This is such a wonderful video to watch very inspiring and open ended. You are such an interesting creator that I always come back to. I am often very quiet and do not comment. But the story you have shared went from an interesting video essay on lovecraft to a video on life and having such an interesting conversation. This is one of my favorite videos on the platform for the story it tells and how humanizing and eye-opening this video is. Amazing job thank you for doing what you do.
Thank you for the sharing the struggles and more personal side of yourself in the later part of the video, your experiences sound very similar to my own. Was very much what I needed to hear today. You're an inspiration to many of us out here in the world bc your videos mean a lot to us.
Another great video; in depth, interesting, and as always full of passion. This is one of the few channels I will drop everything to watch whenever a new video comes out.
Thank you for sharing so much about yourself this time. I see a lot of myself in the stories you told, it's nice to know that someone else can understand. I really wasn't anticipating this video going where it did, but I think a lot of what you talked about in the latter half were some things I needed to have affirmed for me, so thank you. I love your videos, keep up the great work!
Hey everyone, thanks so much for watching this one, it really does mean a lot to me it's been a big fun project to work on this summer. If you have any questions for me, drop them under here and I'll answer them next time in a celebration video when we hit 300k subscribers. Thanks, and I hope you all have a great and safe weekend!
Do a video on Kentro Miura's work please
Finally watched Lemora, thanx for the recommendarion!!! Can't wait to see this video!!!!
Some quibbles I have with this interesting video, Sonia and HP did indeed have sex, we have no evidence Lovecraft knew for a fact that Barlow or Loveman were gay, which colleagues are these you refer to who "speculated about his ambiguous sexuality behind his back"?
I find myself in the same place you were when you met Neal Adams in that I don't feel like I have a good question for you. But I did want to say that I have a great appreciation for you for bringing attention to niche films and outsider art, and giving horror, especially "campy" absurd stories love and attention. I'm always happy to see a new one of your videos and find a new film or book recommendation or at least learn something interesting. Thank you, and continue to Praise the Shadows!
Hmm. Questions. Any opinions on Ligotti?
“Castle Freak is a movie about a freak in a castle”
The cutting edge cinematic analysis that we all come here for.
Baaaaahahahahaha XD
I mean every 60 seconds, a minute passes, right?
I turned this video off right after this epic statement, because there is no need to talk further about Lovecraft and this movie lol
"Anom-mitty." It's apparent he's a smart, insightful guy but every now and then his humanity slips through 🙂.
@@dante6985 I too was a bookish kid who learned words first and how to pronounce them later. The struggle is real.
It's uncanny how Lovecraft's life is itself a Lovecraftian story.
Of course, you could turn that on its head and say that his stories are a lot like his life…
There are parts of the Dunwich Horror (Wilbur Whateley and his relationship with the townspeople) that make so much more sense having seen this video. You can really tell that parts of the Whateley story are almost autobiographical in relation to Lovecraft himself.
Totally. It's really easy to look at at all the idol worship today and see the parallels in his cultures. Lovecraft had a keen eye for observing evil
@Katie Lewis that's why it's body of work is so great and timeless. He wrote of personal experience and used his stories to process his traumas.
That's what was nice about the understanding of Lovecraft in this video.
While most people seem to jump on the "Lovecraft racist and bad" train, I've always seen him as a guy with a true phobia. Early on he held opinions that wouldn't be acceptable in decent company, but it was because he was terrified of everything and so everything that scared him so much was truly looked like horror to him. This was an inner child lashing out at the monster in his closet because it had tormented him all his life. He needed therapy for his phobia but all we get now is how bad a guy he must have been.
Despite all of that trauma, his works were so I influential that they pop up everywhere even today.
Isolating a kid from the the world is emotiomal abuse. Giving them gifts is not a substitute for teaching them how to socially interact. I wish this was more common knowledge because the scars from emotional abuse spiral out of control if untreated.
I am a case in point of this type of abuse
@@burtbiggum499 same tbh
Agreed
YES. I have a family member whose "mother" never let him interact with other kids and home schooled him. When he was invited around us kids and the issue was pushed, her reply was "the only friend he needs is his mother". Although that kind of thing would be called wierd or just overprotective at the time, it was *never* acknowledged by the court system or society as abuse, and this wasn't even that long ago. Because of that there was nothing you could do to help as long as the child had their basic needs met.
So much has changed in the last decade in mental health and parenting and humanities in general, and I'm glad people are more aware of it now.
That type of childhood, raised by somewhat mentally ill self deprecating women that wanted a girl child would most certainly screw up a man's head his whole life. Point in case, what that upbringing did to him.
Just got back from a vacation in Providence. Paid a visit to Lovecraft's grave. Man oh man, he would have hated all the crap people littered his headstone with. My favorite of the random items was a Cards Against Humanity card that read "Tentacle Porn."
The phrasing of "all the crab people literal" made me think for a second there were crab-human hybrids skulking around his headstone.
@@tortis6342 and I was 100% ready to roll with it lol
I find it very crappy when people take random objects to leave at gravestones. Flowers are cheaper, and won't make the angry ghost of Lovecraft follow you home lool
🦀🦀🦀
(i did intend to just lol at the typo and go but there's legit a scientific phenomenon called crabification about how many initially seprate lineages of evolution all converged on the same traits, crab ones, which would be considered creepy, cosmically speaking, the horror that eventually everything will become a crab, seemed appropriate to mention here)
@@MrsStormtrooper Being half latina,half asian and gay I doubt his ghost would ever follow me to begin with though 🤣
His mother saying he is hideous is so wild, he looks JUST like her. Though I suppose that says something about how she saw herself?
Yeah it sounds like his mother had a deep impact into what made him so insecure
I agree. I once read an article about Lovecraft where the writer claimed that Lovecraft looked like his father and that Susan Lovecraft's treatment of her son was a manifestation of her resentment of her husband's alleged infidelities and I thought that was ridiculous. Not the part about Mrs Lovecraft resenting her husband, but the assertion that Lovecraft looked anything like his dad. HP Lovecraft was a practically a doppelganger of his mother.
He looks a bit like Adam Sandler
@@tacobell8189 Sandler should ride that Uncut Gems clout and star in a movie as H. P. Lovecraft.
@@tacobell8189 Zuckerberg actually
I wholeheartedly agree with you about copyright. The idea was to protect a creator's ability to profit from their intellectual property, but what it has become is a device to stifle creativity and establish monolithic monopolies over vast bodies of creative works.
Meh you could imagine if Disney had control of _________ lolll The amount of crappie reboots...... I think there should be different copyright law for a person and a cooperation tho. Tolkien never wanted Disney to have rights over lord of the rings but they do now We have no respect for dead creators wishes hence I think copyright Is needed.
Where did you go to school? Life hit me in the shins and I dropped out. Barely scraping though the day drinking more than I should or can afford
We can actually 100% thank Disney for the hellhole of modern copyright probs. They wanted to maintain big mone for Mickey mouse😑
Or for the estates of long dead people to hoard rights like they are dragons
@@turma8eac right??? Used to be the artist. And only the artist mind. Would hold rights for about 70yrs. That's basically a whole lifetime, more than fair. I'm an artist myself and prefer the older system 🙄😑
Lovecraft is a perfect example of writing what you know and how art reflects the artist. A lonely anxious shut in who’s afraid of everything creates an entire subgenre based on his insecurities and fears. Lovecraft was nauseating in his beliefs, but he was gifted and groundbreaking at the same time.
Cope. He was millions of times the man you are and will ever be.
@@OmniDan26 lol k.
@@OmniDan26 Maybe it's not for me to say this when my profile picture is Sol Badguy, but, you putting Omniman as your pfp could be interpreted as you having frail masculinity.
Lovecraft was not more or less man than any of us is. He just was a man, and that's it.
@@theraymunator it can be also interpreted as a sing of white supremacist defending lovecraft's Racist beliefs.
@@theraymunator yeah, and his circumstances led him to have a very unhappy life. Everything about his story is just so miserable, and you kinda just want for someone to have been able to shake him out of the brainworms his mother gave him.
His mother sounds EXACTLY like the kind of mother many serial killers have been known to have, and from the sound of it she did everything in her damn power to raise a serial killer- but failed in Howard.
That’s actually pretty fuckin hilarious imagine being incompetent at being incompetent. Haha that woman’s life was a failure
@@marlom7882 She wasn’t incompetent, she raised him weird and he turned out weird haha
That’s a good point. He could have turned out much worse with all that shit going on.
She raised a prophet.
Material reality is an indifferent cosmic horror, and we are not reallymeant to venture far.
And if some DMT trippers are to be believed, we are actually at bottom of the food chain.
Mere ants playing in the dragons' den, a hyperspace filled with extradimensional Eldritch Abominations
@@gelmir7322 true but who’s to say there aren’t opposites of cosmic horrors? Say celestial beauties? Something that happens when the universe goes very right? Something that clicks perfectly and is a being who’s presence you’d shed a tear in the mere sight of them because you’re so overwhelmed with emotion. You have never seen something so gorgeous and it reaffirms your position in the universe or gives you a new lease on life without them even meaning to
(All of this sounds very asinine and highly unlikely I know but I just thought of the whole scientific phrase “for every action there’s an equal or opposite reaction” I thought it’d just be interesting)
man, your explanation of Lovecraft, his life, his personality, his issues, and his quirks is insanely well done.
One of the hardest things I've ever had to do was explain to some people how Lovecraft wasn't "just the Cthulhu guy", "the asexual in denial" or "the racist" and that his entire life wasn't straightforward, complicated, and had many contradicting ideas, emotions, feelings, and outlook.
That once you read what his friends had to say about him, his personal letters, his ex-wife, and people who used to know him passively, that this guy was complicated and not well physically or mentally due to his up-bringing and what life had to throw at him.
Keep up the good works!
Basically, H.P. Lovecraft's life was an H.P. Lovecraft story. Fucked from beginning to end and misunderstood by most.
Have you heard about his cat though?
Na he definitely was racist
@@27k76 Darko Atanackovich didn't state anything opposed to that idea. Reread, brother.
I would agree with you insofar as Lovecraft is a great deal more complicated a human being, nor can he be summed up in any easily quotable "sound-byte". In many ways, he is the essence of what it means to be human: to be complex almost to the point of indefinability. Where (If I am reading your post correctly) I would tend to demur is the statement that he was "not well physically or mentally". Having read and studied the man for nearly 50 years now (reading began at about age 12; actually studying the man and his life, thought, etc., began about 5 years later, and I'm 63)... I would say that he was actually not that UNWELL psychologically/emotionally, once he began to mature in the late 1910s and 1920s. Before then, he was often hidebound, overly sequestered, based his opinions on a rather limited view of things he read, etc. Once he began to encounter a variety of human beings (thanks in large part to his involvement in the amateur press movement), this began to change. It never went away completely... but my, what a difference between the HPL of, say, 1916 and that of 1931-37! And a wide spectrum of people who knew him say much the same, from W. Paul Cook (who wrote one of the most sensitive and warm memoirs of the man) to figures such as Edith Miniter (who summed up her view of him in the brief statement "Lovecraft IS a good scout!"), to Robert Bloch, E. Hoffman Price, Rheinhart Kleiner, Fritz Leiber, Kenneth Sterling....And, oddly, the most succinct statement I've seen, I think, comes from his first biographer, L.Sprague de Camp, who was by no means simpatico with him on many levels: "Despite his oddities, those who knew him loved him and were fascinated by him. He always tried to do the right thing. He keps learning and improving all his life; and that, it seems to me, is the best use to which a mind can be put."
The man had, indeed, his oddities (though, to be frank, I've known DAMNED few who don't, even if they are unaware of them); he had his quirks, his foibles, his psychological dark spots, his faults... And yet... the more I read of him, the more I read his correspondence with others (an enormous lot of which has been seeing print the last 15 years or so), the more I admire the man. There ARE times I'd like to have thwacked him upside the head with a brick, true... but a good 85-90% of the time... he comes off as a largely admirable human being, one I would have felt it a genuine privilege to know and call "friend". That is also the impression I get from even those who were most directly opposite to him in view on so many topics, such as his ethnocentrism (I despise the term "race", as I see it as a social construct with damned near no scientific basis whatsoever; ethnicity, on the other hand -- that is, taking note of the evolutionary adaptations of large groups of people under differing natural circumstances, thus allowing them to survive and even thrive in a wide variety of environments -- is a different sort of thing, and has no implications of superior or inferior, as "racial" statements do... and I think Lovecraft's inability to leave such blinkered prejudices in the ashbin of history as he did with so many other ideas which were being debunked in his lifetime, is one of his most telling faults... but, like it or not, an extremely common one even among the most intelligent of us), such as, say, James F. Morton, Jr.
That "The Outsider" has a certain autobiographical element is, I think, true... but such is often overstated; Dirk W. Mosig, in his essay "Four Faces of the Outsider", has written perhaps the most perceptive response to this idea; even decades later, it is well worth looking into. In any event, it should be kept in mind that "The Outsider" was: a) a very consciously directed piece of fictional musing; and b) written around the centennial of the death of John Keats, who was one of Lovecraft's favorite poets, and whose "The Eve of St. Agnes" provides the epigram (always a VERY carefully chosen thing when it comes to Lovecraft; cf. that from Charles Lamb's "Witches, and Other Night Fears" for "The Dunwich Horror", or Arthur Machen's, from "The Red Hand", for "The Horror at Red Hook", or even that from Vergil's "Aeneid", each of which intentionally raises several layers of resonance to the piece he heads them with). It is always dangerous to see the creator in the creation, even with seemingly supportive evidence, as such can be (at times, at least) deceiving.
"I was weird. I was different. I had a Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Disk."
Yep, that summarizes it well!
O fellow strugglers
Howard sounds like he might have been on the Spectrum. A lot of his mental issues I can relate to, and it's really sad he lived in a time where that wasn't looked at properly and he was raised by others with severe issues....the kindness he showed to those in private tells me he could have been a truly wonderful person if he had only been given the chance and compassion...instead of hate and fear and ignorance.
I was thinking that the whole time. Especially the descriptions of his childhood experience... there are definitely a lot of commonalities with a neurodivergent experience.
For real strike all the wild racist shit and I'd find him relatable as hell was definitely reading autistic
Thanks for all you said about at times feeling paralyzed by perfectionism with your videos. The algorithm of UA-cam really is a Lovecraftian nightmare all on its own, and my mental health has definitely felt its impatient breath on the back of my neck lately, so I needed to hear this
Take care of yourself, you make great stuff and I look forward to each new thing you do, but also stay happy with that. Hope you’re doing well, and thank you I’m really glad you liked the video!
@@InPraiseofShadows You actually sounded a little like Lovecraft himself at that point when in the video you said he would destroy finished works and start again, i thought you were going to bring it up tbh.
“The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit” isn’t my favorite HP Lovecraft story, but I appreciate Stuart Gordon adapting it in all its horror.
The funny thing is that it's based on short story by another great horror writer Ray Bradbury. And I think he wrote a screenplay for the movie too
@@nekedada the amount of incorrect information here is astounding
@@billyloper4072 well the only debatable thing here is calling Ray Bradbury horror writer but if you've read Dark Carnival collection or some other short stories you'll see a lot of horror. Maybe my phrasing wasn't right cuz English is not my native language. The movie I was talking about is "Thr Wonderful Ice Cream Suit"
@@nekedada no, you're English is fine, I don't know what he's on about.
@@nekedada That Lovecraft was always cribbing off of Bradbury, it's a shame really.
You've managed to dissect Lovecraft in such a thoughtful, empathetic and insightful manner here and it's really touching. As much as he thought of himself as not of this world, it strikes me how very human he was.
I wish I owned a castle "100 percent certified freakless."
Man i wouldn't, because then where the hell would *I* live?
seven days a weekless
It's crazy how a legend of a writer like him makes me look self confident.
And that could be a source of stength.
He did become a legend after his death, though. In life he was unrecognized and unpopular, as far as I know.
The retelling of HPL's childhood reminds me of "This be the Verse", by Phillip Larkin.
"They f*ck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you."
Barlow, killing himself while attempting to compile his notes on a visit from HPL is just about the most Lovecraftian thing I've heard.
38:41 "He, essentially, crafted a world populated entirely by asexual scholars and fishermen..." 😍
I don't get the heart eyes, what's with that
@@SeanWinters I was trying to imply that I liked the summation of HPL's works. I guess it would have saved time and confusion if I'd just written that. 😂
@@euansmith3699 for a minute I thought you were asexual and were just happy for the representation of ace people on Lovecraft's work lol
Coming from a long line of New England fishermen, they are some of the least asexual people you could ever meet.
The only two genders👨🏫🚣
Sometimes I almost wanna pity Lovecraft for all his issues. But other times I also want to smack him in the face with a dead fish. Either way, I find him to be a very interesting character to analyze. Despite his very problematic view, I still can’t help but be inspired and fascinated by his stories and lore. And though the rest of the Internet won’t agree with me here, I think it is possible to like something and still criticize it for its faults. I always love watching your videos, because of how well thought out and put together they are. And this one is no exception. Excellent work! 👍🏼
The first part of your comment is a massive mood for all Lovecraft fans, honestly
@@thunderbird3304 yes it is
@Rational Fanatic like your mom?
@@morkiethuglife2195 yes
@@thunderbird3304
No not really
If you understand how lovecraft matured as an individual and eventually moved away from the views imposed upon him
Jesus Christ, that last third was soul crushing but really amazing, and much appreciated as someone who probably views you now the way you viewed Neal Adams at the convention. If I ever saw you in real life I'd probably tell you about the ideas I have for niche review channels and I'd want to show you stuff I've edited haha. And I bet Neal Adams and your professor had their early work eviscerated when they were young too, so it's inspiring to see that you found the constructive advice in their bluntness and went on to create a truly terrific series that has introduced me to so many interesting films and authors. You've developed a very respectable body of work so far, so keep pushing the envelope and, I don't have to tell you this: but don't ever avoid trying new things and experimenting in your art because you feel you owe it to your audience to give us what we're used to!
I agree that Neal was probably replicating treatment he had received himself. If he truly thought someone had no talent and should stop drawing, he surely would not have taken 45 minutes to say so. Hearing that story, it sounds like Neal was making a misguided, backwards attempt at encouragement.
As a creative writing teacher - I cannot understand what that teacher said to you. There are bitter teachers. There’s a saying “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach”. I work from another saying “To teach is to learn twice”. And I’m a nerd, so I love it! But I just wanted to say your teacher made me angry. I wonder what that teacher has written. Sometimes, you just don’t like the writing of the student, their style or genre. But it should be judged by objective standards. For what it’s worth, I love your writing.
Yeah, I find that it was unnecessarily mean. There's a difference between harsh and mean. Mean has that rawness to it where it's clear that you're the mock up punching bag for a bigger issue in their lives.
I also work in education and I can see between harsh and mean teachers. Mean teachers rail on the whole "life sucks" and take it out on people. Harsh you can reasonably see where they are at least trying to impart. Also, I think teachers can easily become desensitized to tempering feedback with empathy. That's one reason I usually focus on just 1-2 pieces of feedback. I don't want my student punching a brick wall closing in on them.
That part did hit me as well. It reminds me of a random moment in a hobby shop a few weeks back. I know this kid there who has definitely struggled a bit since I met him back in 2017. The key part is I know he tries. He started asking me a bunch of questions concerning being a history teacher (my profession) and I'll be honest it was not one of my better days. So, not in the head space to talk in depth shop but I understood anything I said could hit this early 20-something far more than intended. So I kept the conversation short, I apologized to him if I seemed too honest and just outlined my thoughts. It mostly boiled down to me recommending he look at other states (our state is not kind to history teachers) and the major issue for him would be handling the angrier kind of students (this kid is fairly gentle). He didn't like a lot of what I said but he seemed to appreciate the honesty. All in all, it was about a 30 minute chat but I'd like to think I did better than Neal Adams and that teacher.
Completely agree! That was very unprofessional and sincerely childish imo. Would've ruined me if I had one of those as a kid.
"Those who can't, teach". Big agree. Almost 70-80% of female teachers I've kknown were regretful shady women who wanted to control and brainwash the kids with their opinions that they couldn't convince other adults of their merit.
Great video! I've been binging your stuff all day and I've really enjoyed what I've seen so far!
Nice to see you here
Mossbag!
Any silksong rumors rumbling? Hugs
Jeffrey Combs' showing up to kill Giorgio and save his wife and daughter was a redemption arc. He was the protector that he should have been when he crashed the car, killing his son and permanently injuring his daughter and losing the love and trust of his wife. The movie was about him and his .. relative.. and his place in his ancestral family. So I don't necessarily agree that it was unfortunate that Barbara Crampton didnt save herself and her daughter in the end. She wanted to have that faith in her husband and to forgive him, and that last sacrifice did that.
Better said than this video.
I was thinking the same thing. In a completely different story the mother being the one to defeat the monster to save herself and her daughter could have worked well, (sort of like in Alien, for example), but in Castle Freak the character arcs were set up completely wrong for that to have worked as a good narrative resolution. The theme of Castle Freak was all about the need for parents to be responsible, supportive, and protective of their children, and the spectrum of tragedies and horrors that can be wrought when they fail to do this, or worse, when they do the opposite.
The father's character arc needed him to redeem himself from his previous failures as a father. And the mother's character arc needed her to find a way to forgive her husband, for the sake of her vulnerable daughter's need to not have parents who hate each other. (The monster, by comparison, had a mother who hated her husband (who had also failed in his parental responsibilities), and that turned out very very poorly for the child. The arc of the minor characters of the policeman, the prostitute, and their bastard son, and how that played out, was also a reflection of this theme.)
It’s interesting to me that him talking in an upper register was notable. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was on the spectrum. We (autistics) will often speak in either a lower than usual or higher than usual register.
Watching later in, now I’m pretty convinced he was autistic.
Yeah, feel there’s a good chance he was somewhere on the spectrum, and definitely dealt with many mental health during his life. Anxiety being very likely along with some form of autism.
I have a very, very strong feeling he was one of us, especially based on the way he showed his opinions.
I'm on the spectrum too and I've always felt that HPL was as well. Possibly his mother was too, which could explain the almost-Munchausen by proxy effect she had on him when he was a child.
I believe he absolutely had aspergers
Would love to see your interpretation of Junji Ito’s work like Uzumaki.
May your shadow cast a wider darkness on youtube because you are my most appreciated horror youtuber...Your work is very well crafted and I applaud you for it
I wonder if he was almost an OG edge lord. Pertaining to his immaturity, racism, homophobia and depression. That with this juxtaposition of his warm personality and sincerity and him having intimate friendships with homosexuals and races which he spoke grotesquely of. There's no way, just as you mentioned he didn't know of these things or them being present in those he formed close bonds with as an adult. I think he's a wonderful example of how we can't weigh history or the people from times alien to us against the social norms of modern day. This dichotomy of good and bad, right and wrong, black and white really have no place when discussing people or anything as extremely complex. Grey area and nuance are always present especially concerning the human condition.
All of this!
"We all have great good in us and grea devilry."
People are complex, full of a hundred facets and more. It's sad to think how often people miss out on great art, literature, or history just because it offends their modern perceptions.
Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis
Well here’s the thing, yeah?
Racism, homophobia, sexism and prejudice are irrational responses.
People keep trying to rationalize them because it doesn’t make sense, for example, that a repugnant anti semite could marry a Jew.
But that’s the point. It doesn’t. It’s not supposed to.
People are hypocritical and contradictory and will often simply choose not to see the flaws in their rhetoric, or ideologies.
They’ll usually say that there’s an exception to the rule, that person is one of the good ones, or they’ll simply choose to ignore certain things about them, or quite honestly never really give it much thought.
People talk about setting the artist apart from the art, but fail when they say things like you have said, because you can’t just accept that real talk, he doesn’t have to be redeemable. He simply could be, for all intents and purposes an Asshole. Any man who could be an anti semite, marry a Jew, and refuse to work because non artistic work was beneath him, and then have that woman move alone to another city to work to support them both, is probably not a great guy.
AND THATS FINE, PEOPLE.
Lovecraft was a grown man. He chose how he wanted to live his life. He was very clear on his beliefs. We don’t absolve shitty people for being shit. We accept that they were shit, and if they made dope shit, we accept that as well.
@@sakulaeyr9819
Lovecraft died in the 30s. He’s modern. People had fought wars and gone through a depression together
People were still racist, (though blaming it wholly on the time is a cop out. Horrific shit happened and was yet to happen, and the evil of the perpetrators should never be downplayed in anyway. Everyone has a choice to think for themselves.) yet people were moving bit by bit into a less ignorant way of thinking.
Lovecraft was an older brand.
He was like colonial style racist. Manifest destiny,
white mans burden, measuring the shape of peoples skulls, kind of guy. more in line with old money Deep South, of the past, or the Nazis yet to come.
Especially with the emphasis on being the “correct type” of “white” he would’ve alienated a lot of his peers.
Suppose it would be like how some people are homophobic today but would get weirded out if you said that we should lock gays up in asylums and try conversion therapy.
Regardless i can accept that the farther back in time I go a lot of the authors I read had a few issues with people like me existing.
I don’t absolve them of that though. They’re simply an example of who not to be.
I don’t begrudge people who feel like they want nothing to do with them either. Especially if they were the subject of that ignorance. They are a product of the suffering that came as a result of that, and sometimes the wound is too great.
As someone who is deeply afraid of anyone reading their writing, I admire your ability to share your passions with the world. Thank you for your channel, for this video, and for sharing something so personal with us.
"I did it for me, and I liked that people didn't know about them." - In Praise of Shadows 2021
I recognise this expression so much. Thank you for sharing your experience and relationship with your art.
An hour? And forty eight minutes?
Fuckin legend.
Doing a binge of your stuff my guy, and wow. I gotta say hands down one of my favourite things that you do is you acknowledge when influential people, or themes within your subject are objectively wrong, and give them only the minimal time required, and without glorifying them.
I didn't know the abuses that the Jeepy Creepy director committed until you brought it up. The notes about animal abuse and misogyny in the Killer Clown piece, and the litany of other really...humanizing moments in your essays...I really, really appreciate them and it's really cool that these positions are being normalized, especially in the horror field.
Well done. You've got a subscription out of me.
"The Outsider" is, without a doubt, my favorite story that Lovecraft ever penned.
It's one that always personally spoke to me, and to my own self-loathing in my lowest moments. I think it speaks to a lot of fans of his work too.
Charles Band was selling autographed VHS copies of this as of a few months ago. I got one because why not.
This is probably the best video on Lovecraft that I've ever seen.
As of this moment, I haven't finished it yet. But unless he takes a serious nosedive in the last twenty minutes, I would probably agree.
I needed a minute after listening to all of the horrible things he thought about other people. I'm glad that you don't shy away from what's wrong with one of your favorite authors. We need to normalize criticising the people whose work we like.
I knew he was racist, but DAMN he was... wow, that Segment floored me.
@@princesseville6889 Same! I wasn't ready for that.
Lovecraft numba wan
Agreed...
There's epistolary evidence of him retreading on those beliefs and regretting them on his last times shortly before his dead, if I'm remembering correctly, and there's no evidence, or any suggestion even, that he took any kind of action about those views while he still held them, but honest repentance is a human virtue that seems to be regarded with great contempt these days for some sick reason.
Amazing deep dive into Lovecraft as a person, but came here to comment that your Neal Adams story is so on-brand for him it's hilarious. I once had the opportunity to interview him in my days as a writer and he graciously had me in his office for over an hour and he talked at length about his favorite topic: himself. He also would never shy away from being incredibly honest about other creators, media, etc in criticizing them. The weird thing is, it didn't make me feel any less endeared to him. He's a legendary creator and he's very aware of that fact. Can't really blame him. And in my several encounters with him over the years, he has always been eager to talk in a friendly - but very honest - manner.
I read an anecdote on Gone & Forgotten that mentioned seeing Neal Adams, at a con, after buying the excellent Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, and... Skate Man. They weren't able to make up their mind on which one to ask Adams to sign.
Almost 10 straight minutes of Lovecraft spewing the most heinous stuff...
Hard to swallow and emotionally taxing, but just as necessary as painting a detailed picture of troubled childhood.
I couldn't finish it. It's hard to hear, but I agree. Important to contextualize his work and his life.
It's crazy how he predicted WWII Japanese destruction at the hour mark.
This was such a good video. The best description I've ever seen of Lovecraft. It's almost surreal when we realize horrible people are people too, and after this you certainly humanized Lovecraft without really taking anything away from his detractors. The fact that he has become such a great influence is probably because he represents the duality of humanity so accurately. And his eloquence and complete lack of self awareness just make that so clear in his writing. Thanks for this wonderful piece, really.
Thanks for taking the time to share those unbelievably loathsome excerpts from H.P. Too many people are quick to be dismissive and claim that his views were pretty common for the time. But the bit about poison gas at the end ... well, it's all pretty horrific.
H.P Lovecraft seemed to be the dark side of the Hemingway-esque writer. Hemingway wrote what he knew, being an everyday man slamming his head into life either intentionally or unintentionally.
Lovecraft wrote of things that were as far from being human as possible. And he himself seemed to be an tortured entity that was never meant to be human, but something to exist in a way, and in a place, that only the most endured and twisted minds can conjure.
Not only is this a wonder Friday the 13th upload, but also a wonderful birthday upload!
Watching it now, and can't say I'm disappointed in the slightest bit!
Do you think your birthday had anything to do with you getting into horror? Sorry that this question sound like it came straight from a magazine interview lol I'm just curious
@@MichaelTurner856 My birthday influenced a lot of interests and passions present today. It influenced my love of horror, dark fantasy, mystery, creatures and demons, and the color red. I was always interested in things that were considered "too mature" for me when I was younger. I never paid any of that to mind, though, because I always knew that those type of things could never happen in real life, which does kind of sadden me. H.P. Lovecraft is a strange case in which his work inspired so much of things present today, but his thought process is terrible with how misogynistic and racist he is. He had a process of thinking that is way to controversial and horrid for me to ever like. Even though he helped with spreading Eldtrich horrors to the media and such, he was a living pile of shit. There are other creators and writers who I think are better than him, but his influence in the genre is very impactful and can't go unnoticed. Horror as a whole helped shape me for who I am, and I'm forever thankful for that.
@@darkness8238 thanks for awnsering dude!
@@MichaelTurner856 Yeah, no problem!
Hope you had a good birthday
This is one of the most fascinating documentaries I have ever heard.
This has to be one of my favourite videos I’ve ever watched. Totally encapsulated exactly how I feel as a person and towards love craft
Ps Credit song?!!!!
@@grysndotwav I wanna know this too
@@deepism facts
Feels so strange yet also inviting for you to have pulled back the curtains and spoken to the audience so honestly! But it’s very much earned, and the level of care you consistently put into your content only makes me listen more intently when you do decide to get real and speak about your personal experiences. Love your videos, great work as usual.
An upload on Friday the 13th? Absolutely perfect.
I can’t tell you how much I needed the latter half of this video. I don’t know if things will work out for me but gosh, I hope they do for you.
Don't forgive Neal Adams. One thing for sure when you see him at the Cons. He's there for the money ($50 flat per signature, current rate) not the fans. Other creators will work with organizers and autograph for hundreds of fans as part of admission or a "VIP" package with loot. Adams wants to keep his autograph scarce and as much cash to himself as possible. Your story doesn't surprise me.
Yeah, I heard some stories that he can be as a jerk as he's talented with his art. And I really think people shouldn't be thankful that when someone mistreated them, this showed to them some hidden truth that put them in the line or something like that. Yep, maybe you shouldn't be doing that but there are really ways to do that not being mean and, who knows how many times this have a more damaging effect on the person that was utterly criticized and they couldn't find their path because of that?
Is like some people that, nowsdays, criticize the way topics like bullying and mental health are being considered, saying that "When I was young this didn't exist, I suffered it all and turned out okay", but you know that this person did not turned out okay, since it can have many racist, homophic, misoginistic views that can and must bring hurt for people around them and they are not even aware of it.
In the end, I kinda think that's one thing we can take from analyzing Lovecraft childhood in reflection of his work, how an isolated person can get so deep in his psychological problems, that this massive mental overload translates in one of the most horrific horror genres ever created, based in totally wrong set of views about other people and how the mental care can prevent people from getting into this point... or recognizing the mistakes of embracing such horrendous opinions. Because, yeah, Lovecraft just ended as a writer, but pretty much of the same pattern can be recognized in people like serial killers and dictators. It wasnt a surprise that Lovecraft read Mein Kampf and symphatized with Hitler.
The lesson may be: don't be a jerk with others just because you can... this only alienate people and isolate them, and that's halfway down a dangerous path... If you wanna do good, do it in a good way, or else you're just spreading evil... maybe the same evil you suffered but ended overcoming, but that's not the way may go with someone else...
Also. I've seen your art on Twitter. You have something. At the very least, you can do spot illos, like Gianni, or Barker.
I think the psychological impact of growing up as a little boy with a mother who wanted him to be a girl is a more likely the reason for Lovecraft saying he was a girl as a young child. Children wants their parents approval, im sure you HPL was no different. His mother tormenting him over his looks from a young age also explains his lack of confidence and disgust at his own apperance. Treating any child like that will leave deep emotional and psychological scars. Thats my take at least.
Great video, i havent seen many talk about Castle Freaks, but its among my favorites.
Not to mention she had him dress in his father's suits when a young man [filling the void of his dead father].
Yep same thing happened to Ernest Hemingway and look at how it messed him up.
It could go either way. It's possible that his effeminate traits were the result of his mother's abuse but his actions and feeling about himself, speaking as a transwoman, seem so obviously trans that I was going to comment about him sounding trans before it was even mentioned in the video. His discomfort with sex, hatred of his appearance, insisting at a young age that he was a girl, speaking in a voice which seems unnatural for him, deep fits of depression, and obsession with beauty are all things that either i have personally experienced or that other trans people i know have.
@@smrtfasizmu7242 I empathize greatly with Lovecraft, though I'm not trans. And there are plenty of heterosexual men who are effeminate. We'll likely never know for sure, though I think we can agree Lovecraft felt much alienating anguish. I keep wondering how Lovecraft might have turned out in a different time and place. It saddens me how people can become so miserable they are like a wounded animal. I know I've felt that way in my life, and keep working to grow as a human being. Thanks for sharing your point of view.
I'm no fan of the man as a person. But wow his mother really messed him up. Definitely started his self hatred and potentially confused the daylights out of him about his gender/sexuality. Personally, I think he was asexual but if that was who he really was or how he lived because of the utter self-loathing projected onto him by his mother it'd be impossible to say.
What an opus, truly breathtaking the depth and exquisite detail you offered. Definitely gonna vibe with a bottle of port for this one.
Well, that's a first. I've been clickbaited into an emotional rollercoaster.
I don't think he was ugly! He was odd looking but not unpleasant at all. I totally hate his mother! No wonder he was messed up in so many ways! I'm learning a lot from your video, great job!
...Exclamation point, d'oh.
(I can relate to a lot of how he felt about himself, like looking like a monster. I'm trying not to cry, it's just so sad).
I had almost an exact same experience when I met Neal Adams. Same with most people I've heard that have put their portfolio under his nose. I had to keep drawing though because I'm not good at literally anything else.
I’m sorry to hear that happened with you as well, it was definitely an experience. I’m glad you kept at it though!
My advice would be to not stick your work under a legend's nose. They probably get it all of the time and it isn't a good use of their time. Your best bet would be to follow the example of Stjepan Sejic: publish your own work and gain the attention of big publishers (if you want to go that way) through steady improvement.
My favorite channel on the site. That jacket and tie combo is the apex of fashion..
He looks as soft and meek as I expected him to with that gentle lamb voice. Do you suppose he’s some sort of Canadian?
I really appreciate learning this about Lovecraft. I've only read all the books, and now to hear the tragic story and deep underlying mentality is a real gem.
I really appreciate what you do for the UA-cam community. I watch through the ads to support you :)
Thank you for this multilayered exploration of Lovecraft and his life. His work made a deep impression on me as teenager, and his influence on the works of many horror authors became evident as I read them. It was not until many years later that I learned more about his life and personality. The more I learn, the more it seems that mental illness ran in his family, that his eccentricities went unchecked and even encouraged, and that his social development was deeply stunted. His general sense of repulsion to other races was also directed at himself. His huge intelligence was a double edged sword that cut him as much as helped. I find him a very tragic figure, greatly complex, who may have travelled a different path had he been raised by a more amenable family, time and environment.
Wake up on my day off.
See In Praise of Shadows uploaded a 2hr vid about Lovecraft on Friday the 13th.
It's gonna be a good day.
56:40 I couldn't help but laugh throughout this section. I think just found it funny how hard it is to defend Lovecraft's racism when he's saying stuff such as "I like Hitler," and "Celts are an inferior race," and the N word very flippantly.
This shit ain't subtle.
I agree. i could not actually comprehend that was how badly racist he was.
He did change his views on Hitler though. In a book written by Frank Belknap Long, Lovecraft's friend, called Dreamer On The Nightside it says that he actually grew to greatly dislike Hitler.
It's nice to know his views eventually changed but man, that's an extreme starting point.
I had to pause during that section several times and walk around, because fucking YIKES.
HOWARD.
STAHP.
He did change his views on race before he died and became a socialist
That introspective section where you talked about your own life was hard hitting. Guaranteed, you also got a lot in common with some of us, for certain me. Especially when it comes to being a mean child, who now regrets the actions I have taken.
I love how it takes me days to finish one of your videos. In current times we (myself included ) tend to consume content so fast and without thought. This can't be done with any of your content and that is why I cannot stop. So much time, love, effort and research all get poured into each well made documentary. Sincerely, thank you!
I’ve been a Lovecraft fan for over three decades now, and this stands as possible the most honest and insightful contextualizations of his works. Thank you.
Amazing video. I very much appreciate the deep dive into Lovecraft's life and personality, and the genuine empathy you treat the man, with while absolutely not ignoring or condoning any of the absolutely vile and hateful things he said. The section where you talk about and reflect about yourself and your career is also very interesting. Life is hard, creativity is hard, but it's good to hear you've found a way to create that works for you, even after being knocked down several times.
Although I am black, I have always enjoyed H.P's stories despite his racism. It is just something you grow to accept about writers from the past. This video somehow made me empathize with him as a person that I never thought possible.
Lovecraft was an extremely complicated person. He held some vile opinions and said some awful things, but he was also generous with his time and and as you mentioned, he could be extremely kind one on one. People aren't like comic book superheroes and villains. While there are some sociopaths that really might be pure evil or as close to it as possible, most humans are a combination of good and bad and this certainly seemed to be the case with Lovecraft.
Compare how he treated up and coming young writers who wrote to him with how your artistic idol Neil Adams treated you when you met him. Lovecraft, as far as I know, never told any young writer that their work was garbage; Note-I do know that he sometimes sharply criticized established authors whose content he didn't care for, but I'm talking about the unpublished hopefuls that corresponded with him. He usually gave them encouragement, advice and was even willing to help edit their work without asking for any compensation in return. I'm not making excuses for the terrible views Lovecraft espoused, I'm just saying that I believe it's as shortsighted and wrong to dismiss the good hearted, decent aspects of his nature as it would be to overlook his narrow-minded prejudices.
*Edit* BTW, When Neal Adams talked to you like he did, you should have said "Now, I get why you're sitting here all alone." and then just walked away. But I get that hindsight is 20/20 and I'm sure I would have just been stunned into silence if the same thing happened to me.
Seems like Neal saved him though. Being a comic artist is shitty.
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No, it isn't. Even if you're talking out of personal experience, that would be just an anecdotal fallacy, because my own personal experience begs to differ. My life happens to be shitty, coincidentally, not because of my profession, but because of a number of extraneous factors affecting it, not the other way around - if anything, the ability to express myself and conjure and tell any kind of story with the only help of some paper and any sketching tool is the closest thing to an everlasting lifeboat I could ever imagine, and i couldn't feel more fortunate about it.
Adams is a renowned douche in our circles. I met him once and he was just correct for the sake of the big name who was introducing me to him, but I was able to catch glimpses of his uglier side when dealing with others, so, yeah, it's a thing; but I can also tell you, he's more an exception than a rule. There's many other douchy artists and writers out there, but are way outnumbered by the nice ones - and this comes from someone with very ample experience dealing with the uglier corners of the industry's backstages and is not shy about pointing out and criticizing them on a regular basis.
Even then, I'm pretty sure I've read articles based on cited epistolary evidence of Lovecraft backtracking and expressing repentance for its racist ideas in correspondence with a fellow author - or authors, I should look it up but I'm running out of spare time as I write this - shortly before his passing. If the information was legitimate and I remember it correctly, even if vaguely, then he ended up understanding and acknowledging the wrongness on his views and would be fair to assume that that's the person he would actually be at the moment of his passing, and yet, the existence of that crucial evidence seems to be actively shunned down in order to push the narrative that fits conveniently in the context of the current cultural stormy climate. A villain that sees the error of his ways on his own before passing away? That doesn't sell - nor does it fit the 'bad people can't be redeemed on their own, they NEED to be redeemed by US and get our blessing in order to be cleared of their sins' shady agenda held by the faceless, narcissistic, righteousness-junky mob that fights hard to turn by force all forms of human interaction into their own private reservoir of dopamine.
14:55
I really like how you dropped the music, complete without fanfare. It was alienating in exactly the way it needed to be for that title.
Bloody hell. There are _movies_ shorter than this video! Just goes to show how much effort you put into all of these! Excellent work!
The end section of your video broke me a bit because it is the first time in a while that I have heard someone have such similar experiences as I am having right now. It means a lot for you to articulate those feelings and put them out into the world. Its what I really needed to hear at the moment.
When you talked about how sometimes you text to cancel on events you agreed to go to in a better mood stuck a cord with me. So many times I’ve done this. While I’ve gotten better about in there is always the depressive tendency. Thank you for sharing.
Your, "The History of Witches" was one of the most fascinating, enlightening things I've watched. It's driven me to create characters inspired by it, and post them to my Instagram. You have done amazing things with the medium of video making. This is content more of us should want. I've watched everything you've made, enjoying them like a hot coffee on a rainy day.
Be proud of yourself.
The outsider is what made me visit lovecrafts grave in Rhode Island. That’s the one that hooked me.
I listened to this presentation in it’s entirety and I must say I related to many things you said about being an outsider in both your own life and in Lovecrafts. I don’t merely “feel” like I am an outsider, I know I am… It’s always been that way even though my professions have always been intensely public and interpersonal. That said, I really enjoyed everything you said about yourself, it was not spoken in vain. Don’t be discouraged! Continue to utilize your gifts! You never know how they will be used to enlighten and encourage others.
From how much you went into his life story, it seems you've done more reading than even myself. I nabbed a CD-ROM with a load of his letters, only to find out there's a multi-volume set of them by Hippocampus Press. If I'd've known about that when I was younger then I would've tracked them all down. Nowadays I don't have the time I used to, and have managed to curb my HPL obssession of my youth once I read CAS.
I think that HP Lovecraft was the great tortured genius, a man who had learned from his obviously unstable mother, that he was grotesque. She may have been projecting how she felt about his father who had been confined, most likely due to Syphilis, and who had died. As repugnant as Lovecrafts's views were, sadly they were not unusual. People were comfortable with displaying their ugly racism and smug racial superiority. The KKK didn't just appear. Many people actually admired Hitler and thought of him as a strong leader, it wasn't until he invaded Poland that people began to see him as a dangerous lunatic. This is not excusing Lovecraft's racism, not is it playing it down, but he was alive during the Jim Crow laws and segregation, he was just very vocal about it. I try to separate the man's views from his work. I think he was deeply unhappy and lonely. His childhood had poisoned what could have been a happy and fulfilled life. But no matter how we view him, we cannot deny his literary genius. His work still has a profound effect on life and art today.
The point, though, is that the extremeness of his racism was shocking even for its time. If I remember correctly, on top of isolating himself from the world, Lovecraft also liked to surround himself in literature that was 200 years older than him and pretend he was in a better time he perceived himself to have truly belonged in, so it's no wonder his racism was extreme even by early 20th century standards.
I was also under the impression that he had a change of heart late in life. It’s sad to learn that it was mainly a matter of optics to him, at least until his very last years. Thank you.
There's a quote I found once in an article I expected to read in this video: this shift is perhaps best encapsulated in a letter he wrote-just a year before he died-to Jennie K. Plaiser. A salient passage reads: “…I realised what an ass I had been. The liberals at whom I used to laugh were the ones who were right-for they were living in the present while I had been living in the past.”
The poor guy never really had a chance at being a happy person. The issues with his mother and then losing the future that was promised to him when his grandfather unexpectedly died, not to mention the fact that despite his intelligence he wasn't able to manage to get a high-school degree and therefore would never be a great academic figure. Not that bad things make you a bad person, but a person that sensitive was bound to carry that kind of baggage.
@@Rodrigo_Vega
The letter is more about his views on politics and socialism.
You’re reading what you want to read, based off a passage in a letter.
@@lamontcranston1716 oh, it's possible. But I've read his views on race and things like colonialism also became milder. Like starting favoring individuals of each "race" to become their best version of themselves instead of submiting and adopting the culture of some "master race". Yikes. But yea, even that can be interpreted in a couple of ways and I might just be reading what I want to believe and I'll keep that in mind too. I guess I really like the narrative that people can outgrow their biggotry, but I'll try to keep myself from assuming that of any one particularly nasty biggot.
This is true.
On a personal note : I very much see you as a person who has obsessions - a new obsession every week. Find what you love through love and loss, and tell your stories - artists : you don't see, know, or hear of many who have 'paced themselves' - they burn, they obsess, they ARE intense. You have taught me, an obsessive and creative person myself, more and more. I am proud of you, fellow human. Thank you.
Found this channel the other day and after watching almost every video I just want to say thank you. Intellectually, mentally, and emotionally you and I are kindred spirits. It’s actually a little startling how many oddly specific things we have in common! I share all of the same general interests you’ve expressed. I grew up liking & disliking the same things in the same ways for the same reasons. I’m also in the midst of an almost identical progression in my creative endeavors. Even your choices of music, manner of speech, and methods of thought are eerily similar to my own. IMO Watching your channel feels like hanging out with a good friend from childhood. I could keep rambling all day but really just wanted to say thanks. Your work is genuinely appreciated & has provided me with a deeply meaningful sense of catharsis at a time when that was truly needed
I didn't know I needed to see this kind of video, oh my god. I actually cried from relating to your confession in the middle. Thank you so much.
Adams was sitting alone for a reason. He's very loud, gruff, and opinionated. I've met him a few times, and every time it was unpleasant.
He saved my man here from a horrible fate of being able to sit at a comic book convention and tearing apart a young boy for 45 minutes completely undisturbed.
He's an old bully. That's why I think it's so funny to watch him argue about things he's obviously got wrong and bristle at people treating him like anyone else and correcting him.
ua-cam.com/video/jhQdYvz0VwQ/v-deo.html
The man would rather make up his own "new science", and decide that the laws of physics are wrong, than admit he just doesn't understand something.
the last section of this video spoke to me and i must thank you for putting it in your video. For a while i have made the decision that my future career will be a film maker. The last part was very motivating and sort of a reality check for me. I have loved every video you have made and once again i must thank you.
Dude, you´re literally describing 92% of me and my life. You´re either a stalker wizard hunting my nightmares or the right push I need to take myself from where I am now to [there]. Thank you and keep up the amazing work.
Hi, you should check the dates you used for H.P. Lovecraft. You said H.P was born March 15, 1937 and committed in1983... I'm pretty sure that's just a small typo... There's no way that H.P is 2 years younger than my grandmother. 😊 Love your videos! ❤️
nah bc hp died in the 1930s
I have immensely enjoyed your work so far, and I am looking forward to what you make going forward. They are beautifully written, and well crafted. Educational and entertaining. As an introvert who is hypercritical of my own work, I understand the stress and admire the courage it takes to do this work.
Your channel has been one of my favorite ways to escape during the pandemic. Your openness in the second half of this video was refreshing to see. Thanks for all that you’ve done.
Im watching 2 years after posting as Im just finding your content and I have to say the end of this video is so honest and mature and shows personal and professional growth. Love the vids
This is the most personal, emotional and interesting essay that I've heard on Lovecraft so far. Thank you for that. It's such a strange coincidence I'm a transman who's making a comicbook on a fishman character from a sympathetic point of view. It's a lot about the insecurites of this character and how the world deals with his existence. I had, until this video never heard about The Outsider or Castle Freak. But I read some of Lovecrafts cosmic horror and had known his biography. My Protagonist is lagely inspired by the descriptions Lovecraft gave his creatures (or the lack their of) but with a human interllect. His struggle is basically a pinocchio stroy, he wants to be a real person (the character). And unknowingly this is very similar to The Outsider.
I'm a transman as well in a similar situation. The protagonists of my webcomic have drawn a lot on my own insecurities and I'm infinitely inspired by Lovecraft's life story and work. I often feel uncomfortable saying it, but I really relate to some of the things Lovecraft experienced during his lifetime. Wishing you the best of luck with your story!
1:19:19 you really touched me, here. I had this same experience at a Wondercon when I was I younger with another big-name legendary artist. I am a recovering agoraphobic myself and I know the tempting desperation of trying to grab hold of negative ideals to rationalize the world to make your fear manageable through racism, social isolation, and generalization. Thankfully I never followed that dark path, i got help and managed my anxiety. After watching this, I can really see why it is that I started reading and understanding Lovecraft despite also reading him literally disparage my race and the races of others (ideals i disagree with greatly). Thanks for this video. Thanks for the insightful discussion about Lovecraft's history and work. Thank you for helping me come to terms with my enjoyment of this *horrible* monster's great works.
This is the single best reflection and analysis on Lovecraft I've ever seen--and I wholeheartedly believe it's because of how personal you made it by being vulnerable and sharing your own story. Thank you for being vulnerable, and for the excellent research and storytelling--I've binged your channel and can't wait for whatever you do next! 💚
Your Chanel is quickly becoming one of my favorites on UA-cam
thank you for giving me a much closer look at hp lovecrafts life and character, i really feel like i am learning a lot!
I just wanted to say that I am so proud of you and your growth. Even though you may struggle with your content, it is exceptional. I don't want you to feel as though you have to compare future works to past works, or that you are at your peak, but that your hard work shines through.
I hope that you always find the inspiration and enjoyment in making these videos. I enjoy drawing while listening to your channel and it gives me a sense of creativity that I don't always get from just listening to music. Your videos are super inspirational and thoughtful and they help me see from a different point of view that I sometimes wouldn't think of otherwise. Thank you!
Thanks for being so open and vulnerable in this video. You are doing great work!
I love Lovecraft, and jumped into this expecting to fall asleep to it. I learned a lot about Lovecraft and his upbringing (kept me awake honestly), and the queer aspect was totally new to me. Excellent excellent video
I love the cover for that B&N collection of Lovecraft's work. I too have a copy on my shelf!
Thank you for making this! This is such a wonderful video to watch very inspiring and open ended. You are such an interesting creator that I always come back to. I am often very quiet and do not comment. But the story you have shared went from an interesting video essay on lovecraft to a video on life and having such an interesting conversation. This is one of my favorite videos on the platform for the story it tells and how humanizing and eye-opening this video is. Amazing job thank you for doing what you do.
Thank you for the sharing the struggles and more personal side of yourself in the later part of the video, your experiences sound very similar to my own. Was very much what I needed to hear today. You're an inspiration to many of us out here in the world bc your videos mean a lot to us.
Jeffrey Combs can do no wrong when it comes to acting. He even gave his B Game at least in fucking.... Gotham
Hope you are doing well, and continue to tell stories with the spirit of compassion and truthfulness that's been your hallmark.
Another great video; in depth, interesting, and as always full of passion. This is one of the few channels I will drop everything to watch whenever a new video comes out.
Thank you for sharing so much about yourself this time. I see a lot of myself in the stories you told, it's nice to know that someone else can understand. I really wasn't anticipating this video going where it did, but I think a lot of what you talked about in the latter half were some things I needed to have affirmed for me, so thank you. I love your videos, keep up the great work!