Troy Z

An atmospheric black+white illustration by Justin McElroy of an emaciated, long-beaded tortured medieval prisoner stumbling about in chains and a heavy wooden set of stocks upon which perches a plump crow, silhouetted against a full moon, caws in either sympathy or as a harbinger of doom.

An atmospheric color illustration by Justin McElroy of an emaciated, long-beaded tortured medieval prisoner stumbling about in chains and a heavy wooden set of stocks upon which perches a plump crow, silhouetted against a full moon, caws in either sympathy or as a harbinger of doom.

This #SpookySeason I commissioned Justin McElroy [@thoughtographic.bsky.social] to do a portrait of my #ScaryFarm character "'Shackles' the Prisoner."
I love how his linework evokes a Scholastic Book Fair gem of a Horror Anthology for kids, one I would peruse, gasp at, run from, & ultimately buy.

#FezFriday at Into the Streets' "LET THERE BE GWAR" exhibit.

Damn, I love that this exists.

gwar.net #GWAR

I was alerted to this via: bsky.app/profile/lata... . Just one of the many significant reasons to subscribe to @lataco.bsky.social!

UPDATE: All the 8x10 prints of "The Conductor" are now sold out! Unprecedented! Thanks to all of you who purchased them. I hope to be included in the 2026 "Into the Fog" Gallery Show, so please be on the lookout next year for any announcements.

#IntoTheFog #ScaryFarm #KnottsScaryFarm

Thank you so much! I just hope that whoever purchased the original painting will hit it with a blacklight so that the UV-reactive colors and Glow-in-the-Dark traintrack frame border really get illuminated. (Secret Detail: the eye pupils of the Conductor also glow in the dark!)
#IntoTheFog #ScaryFarm

Shockingly decent! I'm getting used to laboring under the yoke. (...oh no?)
I got surprised by being dragooned onto the Boo-Fet Meet & Greet gig, which seems incongruous to promoting a robust appetite among the diners when a miserable wretch like "Shackles the Prisoner" shambles about the premises.

A black-and-white panel with NeoVictorian wallpaper is the mounting surface for a Black Velvet painting of an ethereal train conductor. The photograph is framed to show the upper right corner of the entire artwork, which is bordered by a custom frame that features model railroad train tracks painted with glow-in-the-dark paint.

A framed video monitor on a wallpapered panel displays an image of the featured artist (an anxious man with a long grey beard and scraggly brown hair with his neck locked in the lacuna of a guillotine), a thumbnail of his black velvet painting of an ethereal train conductor, the logo for the Knott's Scary Farm "Into the Fog" gallery show, and an Artist's Bio. The Artist's Bio reads: "TROY ZIMMERMANN is a designer specializing in Themed Entertainment Attractions and Concept Design since he was nine. (No, really, there’s proof and everything: he drew up a concept for a "Super Train Testing Center" Thrill Ride back in 1979, based upon a forgotten NBC TV show.) Troy has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and used that practical education to contribute to attractions worldwide, with a broad range of duties creating features that include architectural vocabularies, simulated ancient artifacts and hieroglyphic languages, backstories, storyboards, graphic design and illustrations, docent guides, visitor’s site maps, and merchandise tie-ins. He also performed as a ScareActor for over a decade, first at Halloween Horror Nights and now here at Knott’s Scary Farm. troyzimmermann.com "

Speaking of #KnottsScaryFarm, my Black Velvet painting of "The Conductor" is on display at the #IntoTheFog Gallery Show inside the park. The original just sold! I only want whoever purchased it to know to hit it with a blacklight to really make it pop!
(Non-UV) 8x10 prints still on sale!
#ScaryFarm

On a red carpet setting in front of a decrepit circus-themed backdrop, a sad, bedraggled grey-bearded wretch dressed in tattered rags and draped in chains leading to ankle shackles and a set of antiquated stocks that locks his neck and wrists in place stands beside an excitable, knife-wielding six-foot-tall mascot shaped like a popcorn bucket. No, you are not high.

A sad, pathetic wretch with scraggly long hair and a grey beard who wears filthy, tattered rags kneels in darkness while wearing a detached pillory that is festooned with bells, a crown of rusty iron spikes, strips of parchment with calligraphic writing and sigils, and has three illuminated candles mounted to the top of the antiquated wood frame.

Tonight! I return as "Shackles" the Tortured Prisoner at Knott's Scary Farm. I'll be in the region of K'Ampsnu-Pai, in the town of Helshire, colloquially known as "The Gauntlet."

If you see him, be nice, he's having a rough night.

#KnottsScaryFarm #ScaryFarm #ScareActor #SpookySeason #Halloween

My Battle Cry is the Sad Trombone sound.

Grey-bearded man in a black suit and cloak wearing a black fez with a skull on it fabricated by Fez-O-Rama standing outside the church in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, where the John Carpenter movie "Prince of Darkness" was filmed.

"Prince of Darkness" is pure alchemy. If you had some fifth-graders make a super spooky video on VHS it would visually be the same as the "T̶̜̙͔͓̱̩̮̹̺̈́́̋̚h̸͉̦̞̠̀̒̑̆͝į̴͚̄ş̴̘͈̪͔̅͊̃͌͒ ̷̨͖̬̺̱̈́͗͗̽̐̆͜͝í̷̹͎͔̉̾̊͘͝ş̶͐͊́́̉̚ ̶̖͍͓̩̳̘͙͓͗ń̸̞̼͙̏o̵̺̬̘̯̦̓̓̓͠ț̸̼̬̙͛̾̓̏̔̌̈̂̎͠ ̶̳͍͍̘͕̼͈̘̲͑̍ä̶̢̧̱͍͇̳̺̻̦́͌̀̐̊̉̚̚͝ ̸̪͙̫͌̐̉̏ḏ̴̩̙͍̲̹͍̳͎͛́̇̀͘͘ȑ̴̡̳̜͓͚̝̻͈̤̰͋͋͗̂̽̂͑͘͝ě̴̹͚̦͎̓̃̋̚a̸̟̹̥̟̰̭̾̓̑̅ḿ̸̰̤̹̰̭̺̼͑̉̇̄.̷̢̧͕͓̟͍̲̑̕" sequence, but the Concept and Audio Design makes it genuinely a teeth-grinding icon.

We are broadcasting from t̷̢̢̛̫̩̤̱̘̋̊̒̓̋̏̑̓h̴̛̭̩͌̎͗̀ȩ̷̙̩̎̆̎̓̃͂̓̈́̇̀ ̴̟̲̤̺̻̓͛̂͆̆͊͐̓͝͝ỷ̴̪̦͓̮̺̪̠͌̓͋̄̆ͅͅȩ̸̼͓͔̰̭̄́ͅa̷̭̖̩̭̙͒̓̊͒̅̓͂r̸͚̘͇̻̈́̊ ̶̧̲̹͉̮͈̹͓͈͉͋̾͒̍͂̽̚͘o̷̺̝͉͎̫͎͚̬͉̐̎̊́̽͒̓͠ņ̷̖̬̗̣̝͕̰̮̎̕͜ě̴͓́̊̒ ̵̢̨͎̫̩̭͚̲͐͂̾̊͐͘̕ṉ̸̤̍͊̑̾̉͝į̸̡̛̙͔̼͍̟̟̑̿̀͜n̸̡̜̦̂̊́̚͘ḙ̶̼̦̖́̐͑̓ ̸̠̟̭̥͇͖̌̈́͑̇̈́̌̇̑͜͠n̷̨̗̙̹̱̻̮̎͆͋̍̆̿̔͗i̵̟͌́͝n̷͓̥̜̞͚̖̩̲̏̋̐̐̔̚͠é̵̝̏̾̊͛̀͊ ̸̧̫̭͖̠̮̩̳̼̎̐͒̉̎͜n̷͍̻̱̫̯͍̹̟͌i̷͙̦̞̪͕͇̻͈̻̐́͋̽̀̚͝n̴͍̾͌̒́̽̐̏ë̶̡̛̝͇̞̜͔́͒̋͐͆̎̿͗̔

I wish I had a "GURPS MENTIONED" meme ready to go for occasions like this, but, honestly, how often does that ever happen?
For the record, I will buy GURPS worldbooks On. Sight.

That song is inspiring enough to be the source of my Social Media handle here.
I keep hoping there's ultimately going to be a "Nature Trail to Hell" house at a venue like "Halloween Horror Nights." I actually got my Art Department gig from pitching that in 2012: naturetrailtohellin3d.blogspot.com

Age Verification: I've rebanded the arm on a VEMCO Drafting Machine, and used the Leroy Lettering Set professionally.

A man with a long grey beard wearing a black suit and a black fez handcrafted by Fez-O-Rama which sports an elaborate embroidery of an Ouija Board planchette of silver thread stands in front of an antique cabinet displaying vintage "talking boards," of which Ouija Boards are the recognized brand name. This photo is taken in the Mystic Museum in Burbank, California.

A man with a long grey beard wearing a black suit and a black fez handcrafted by Fez-O-Rama which sports an elaborate embroidery of an Ouija Board planchette of silver thread stands beside an antique console displaying vintage planchettes and "talking boards," of which Ouija Boards are the recognized brand name. This photo is taken in the Mystic Museum in Burbank, California.

An antique console and display case featuring vintage planchettes and "talking boards," of which Ouija Boards are the recognized brand name. This photo is taken in the Mystic Museum in Burbank, California.

The #Halloween Haunt Attractions have already started up, so I'm calling it: it's officially Spooky Season.

Here are new #FezFriday photos, promoting my friend's business of making quality handcrafted headwear: fez-o-rama.com . Pics taken at the Mystic Museum in Burbank, CA.

#Ouija #SpookySeason

A photo of a grey-bearded man wearing a horror-themed black T-shirt, an open vaguely 1980s black button-down shirt sleeve shirt with a green grid printed over half of it, and black jeans holds a copy of a book named "Lucky Day" by Chuck Tingle while standing by the fabulous author Chuck Tingle, who is dressed in a textured white Lounge Jacket with black lapels, a black T-shirt referencing the band the B-52's, shorts of large pink sequins, pink & grey argyle socks, glittery pink opera slippers, and his trademark pink sack he wears over his head that has the words "LOVE IS REAL" written on it.

The author Chuck Tingle stands on stage with a cordless microphone as a slide with the words "TIME TO TROT" is projected on a screen behind him. The author wears his trademark pink sack which has the words "LOVE IS REAL" written on it over his head.

An exterior evening shot looking up at the marquee of the Hayworth theater, which has the words "CHUCK TINGLE" featured on it with the subheading "LOVE IS REAL."

I had the good fortune to get tickets to see true buckaroo Chuck Tingle tonight on the final stop of his "Lucky Day" Book Tour. His previous bestseller, "Bury Your Gays," was alarmingly prescient about Hollywood meddling with AI with horrific results.

#BookSky #ChuckTingle @chucktingle.bsky.social

See, now THIS is a "marketing stunt" that gets me in the theaters. It worked! And you know what?
It's fun! Campy, crass, actual LOL parts, inspirational, and ...good? All the actors are All In, and there's actual scenes that hold their own in tragic absurdist cinema.
#TheToxicAvenger #ImWithToxie

View from the audience of "Weird Al" Yankovic and his band on stage.

It got weird.

View of a manic-looking grey-bearded man wearing an open vintage rainbow-toned button-down shirt over a "Weird Al" Yankovic "In 3-D"- era T-shirt posing demonstratively in front of a KIA Forum photo op with a marquee declaring "Now Playing: Weird Al Yankovic"

You wanna get weird? Let's get weird.

#WeirdAl @alyankovic.bsky.social #LosAngeles

YouTube video by ParticleMen When Will You Die? - They Might Be Giants (Official Video)

Look, I can do happy, too, every once in a while. Here's a happy song for no particular reason.

"...We'll exhale
We'll high five
We'll know at last how great it is to be alive
We'll be lining up and buying tickets and then we'll be jumping up and down on your grave."

m.youtube.com/watch?v=kSQ8...

SPOILER ALERT before choosing to continue: An image of the bearded old hippie character named "Doc" from the TV show "Z Nation" looks with resigned melancholy at a scene reflected in his round sunglasses, which is a sunset-toned view of an aerial military drone spilling out millions of delivery canisters of a biological agent in an event known as "Black Rainbow." In retrospect, throughout Season 4, the main characters were all set up to fail, and fail they did.

Current Mood for the foreseeable future. If you know, you know.

Exterior view looking up at the Rundetaarn in Copenhagen, a cylindrical brick tower constructed in 1642.

A grey-bearded man wearing a black suit and a grey tweed fez handcrafted by Fez-O-Rama stands in the interior of the Rundetaarn in Copenhagen, a cylindrical brick tower constructed in 1642. The walls are smooth white plaster transitioning into arches overhead, and the floor is a helical composition of tightly packed tan bricks.

The interior of the Rundetaarn in Copenhagen, a cylindrical brick tower constructed in 1642. The walls are smooth white plaster transitioning into arches overhead, and the floor is a helical composition of tightly packed tan bricks. There are arched niches within the central spine of the structure.

Mental state: I'm still spiraling.

#FezFriday in the Rundetaarn, Copenhagen, Denmark. 🇩🇰

www.rundetaarn.dk

#Rundetaarn #København #Danmark

Driving around a neighborhood in my hometown suburbia at night like I'm scouting locations for a horror movie.

Webs of cul-de-sac streets laid out like digestive villi.

I could be the tertiary character in a network TV sitcom ensemble cast, being the grouchy neighbor named "Porcupine" or "Cactus" or something.

Or I'd be the inspiration and runway model for an Aurora Monster Models-type "Forgotten Prisoner" kit.

I've several contenders for this, but the Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda, CA, is a fave because it actually lets one play the classic pinball games beneath placards describing their historical significance. You can see it's a well-maintained labor of love.

@pacificpinball.bsky.social

#Pinball

Honestly, Yes.

I am sick of dealing with nigh-invisible insects, literal no-see-ums, that pester all with their high-pitched keening of psychological-warfare attunation and their accompanying intent on sucking one's blood. Give me an insect that I can put boxing gloves on with which to face off.

A grey-bearded man in a black suit and wearing a grey tweed fez handcrafted by Fez-O-Rama leans up against a wooden troll statue sculpted by Thomas Dambo located in Freetown Christiania within Copenhagen, Denmark.

A #FezFriday with a non-Internet troll.

📍Freetown Christiania 🟥🟡🟡🟡🟥, Copenhagen, Denmark.

www.thomasdambo.com/works/green-...

#ThomasDambo #FristadenChristiania #Christiania #København #Danmark 🇩🇰

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The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights [ bsky.app/profile/chir... / www.chirla.org ] is doing the work on multiple fronts to counter all manner of dehumanizing fuckery by the authorities, as demonstrated here: bsky.app/profile/cweb...

Donate here: www.chirla.org/donatenow/

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Continuing the Thread of organizations to which I've donated, and links so that you can, too:

The World Central Kitchen is on the ground in Gaza trying to counter forced starvation: wck.org/news/gaza-up...

North/Central Gaza Food Distribution Network is one found here:
linktr.ee/thesameerpro...

This 1939 version of the story explicitly depicts immigrant populations brutalized by state forces, veterans cast off into homelessness, and officials and clergy either corrupt or declaring that there is nothing they can do to stop cruelty. TCM really seems conscious of their programming selections.

I was stationed at OSU back in 1993 when I was working for the Historic American Engineering Record, and I spent an afternoon there checking out newspaper prints of the Windsor McKay strips of "Curse of the Rarebit Fiend," and a constant refrain in my head was "they're actually letting me do this?"

Here's this July 4th piece I made a few years ago