#The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove

[ubiquitousdoctorstrangelove]

A MASSIVE assortment of the various clown looks I did throughout 2014, starting after I auditioned for Barnum and Bailey. By this point I had been doing clown for a few years (and been interested for MUCH longer without pursuing it), but it wasn't until Barnum and Bailey put out that casting call that I really considered doing it professionally. When I auditioned I originally wanted to apply as a fire dancer, however they told me they were only auditioning clowns, so I took 3 seconds to think about it and was like "Fuck it, let's do this" I landed the gig, and they told me they'd call me in 2 months to let me know when and where I'd meet the train to join up and go to their clown school. I spent those two months learning everything I didn't already know about being a circus clown; I practiced acrobatics and pantomime, I learned balloon twisting, face painting, and the Barnum and Bailey style makeup methods, I picked up juggling on top of my other object manipulation, and I really spent just about 24/7 doing everything I could to be prepared when the time came around. But after two months I still hadn't heard anything back, and I started calling and trying to figure out what was up- Then I emailed my auditioner, and it bounced back as an invalid email. I was a bit devastated thinking that I had been passed up, however as it turned out they had been having financial issues and the auditions I went to as a whole amounted to nothing, for any of us, as Barnum had decided they couldn't afford to train and hire new clowns as they were on the decline. So, instead of taking this as some devastating news and issue, I decided to look at everything I'd learned and just go for it Solo, as a party clown and balloon artist- I was already doing parties as a firedancer, so this was really just an expansion, and now I was doing it all as a clown! It wasn't long after this decision that I landed on the name The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove, and stepped away from the joke name Kato The Clown that I had previously been using, and things just went crazy from there. __________ Some notes regarding clowning as it pertains to the looks I did this year: First off, the Rainbow Afro (Images #10 and 11 in this post)- As I said in an earlier post I had to get this wig for a client who specifically requested it. I did not know yet that the wig was problematic or the history of racism and bigotry that the wig represents- I went into much more detail about this already, but you can never belabor the point when it comes to these things, and just like I wasn't aware then many new clowns today are also unaware; But these wigs tie themselves directly to the early 1900s Minstrel Shows, and were integrated into clowning and color changed from black to rainbow to be more appealing to younger audiences- They then blew up and became the Status Quo in clowning with people forgetting the history.

Never forget the history, be aware of it, and show respect to the marginalized peoples that early- and mid-century clown culture was mocking and dehumanizing by just not fucking doing it. The Black/White split face (Images #19-20 in this post)- This one isn't necessarily a problematic look, in my opinion- but I don't really think MY opinion is the important one. I originally did this look as a means to represent the idea of Dichotomy through my clown, and the longer this look is in my history the more gross I feel about it. No one has ever reprimanded me about it, however it is a bit too close to blackface for my liking and current sensibilities- and I would urge ANY clown who wishes to do a similar look to keep that in mind, as Blackface is a massively problematic stain on the history of clowning, that also comes from the Minstrel Show culture stated above. It was never my intention to represent this look as blackface, and anyone looking at it can probably see that- but that doesn't mean the parallels aren't there or that it isn't an issue that I treaded into.

Brown Clown #2 (image #24 in this set) - At first glance this image probably doesn't seem problematic and my intentions behind it were actually aimed at supporting marginalized groups- but just like the split-face look, the longer it's in my history the more problematic I feel like it is. This look was what I decided on for a Thanksgiving party I was hired for. Being someone who has NEVER celebrated thanksgiving, and who stands with the Native American tribes and sentiments, and opposes the ideas of colonialism and genocide, I wanted to do a look for this event that honored Native American cultures- and so I went into the vaults and referenced a spiritual figure from the Sioux and Great Plains tribes known as Heyoka. Heyoka is known to us White Folks as a Sacred Clown, and I have loved and respected the stories of Heyoka most of my life- however as a white dude who is not part of those cultures and who does not know enough about the implications of this figure within them, this look was an ill-advised attempt at honoring Heyoka and Native Americans. And not least of all because I had no way of actually speaking on these topics as I wore the look, to actually spread awareness and combat the mindsets of White America that makes them to this day still take MASSIVE issue with only bad-mouthing Thanksgiving or Columbus.

What I have learned since then is that in general, your clown should never represent a race or spiritual figure within a culture or closed practice, and that even while the intention behind it may have been admirable it is still problematic of me to have done. But, you learn and you grow, and the only thing you can do is try to pass on what you've learned through mistakes you've made.

[hof-lokabrenna-official]

Lokabrenna - An Introduction

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Code of Conduct For Readers of This Blog:

Respect and consent are key, in all things. Trolls, right-wing/maga/etc, Christians, Racists, Sexists and Fascists will be blocked on-sight. This is your warning not to bring that shit here- You've invaded every other format of this religion, and you are not welcome in mine.

If you follow that rule, I accept:

Private Messages - So long as you remain respectful.

Questions and Submissions - Anonymous or otherwise, regarding any topic I post about on this blog, your own UPG, or the like.

I will try to respond to each to the best of my ability.

However: This blog is strictly relegated to the presentation and teaching of Lokabrenna, so please:

If you wish to inquire about my art or Commissions, please send your message to either the Ash Something Art Blog or via the Commission Request form on my website.

If you wish to connect about clown, fire performance, alt lifestyle, etc, send your submissions to The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove.

I am always happy to receive comments and discussion, as well as re-posts and likes.

Disclaimer: Before you get into this blog, be advised that everything here is me: My own ritual, my own structures, my own process, my own understanding, my own UPG, my own study, both independent and guided, that I have put together over the last (nearly) 20 years to be my own form of Norther European Paganism; I originally practiced this all independently, as my own personal path; And I am currently taking large steps in my journey that have made me comfortable with opening up and sharing it with others. All content presented here is content of my own creation, or taken directly from historic sources, and includes my own interpretations of Scandinavian/Norse History, Lore and Mythology. These views may stand counter to the teachings of any other Heathen organization, kindred, or format of the religion, because it is not them. While attempting to be as historically accurate as possible, and having studied as many sources, in depth, as I can, it is still just one interpretation, and it eschews the opinions of some historians who have been involved in this studied for much longer than I have- because quite frankly since this is my own format of the religion those peoples' opinions hold no sway over it, or how I practice, or what I teach. Lore and history are important, but so is taking into account the changes and advancements of the world in the last 800 years, and as such I cannot agree any more with revivalist traditions, any more than I can with the tradition of wanton cultural appropriation enacted by many New Age/Neopagan branches. Both myself and Lokabrenna are wholly independent. It is presented here by me with no outside support or affiliation. I am not an authority on, or representative of, any other Heathen organization. I am similarly not involved with or a representative of any kindred. This blog and the content herein is not mean to cause harm or admonish any individual, or organization, nor will it attempt to. Lokabrenna, the religion outlined in this blog, is my sole creation and presented here as a way for others to learn and possibly grow from it; that is it. Lokabrenna is a modernist, Lokean format of Northern European Paganism, as the name suggest. It contains themes of both Thurs Worship, and Rokkr worship, as well as themes of "black magic," blood magic, ritual, sacrifice, and political action, that stand counter to other forms of the religion, especially those which are active in the US. As the creator of Lokabrenna, I am the only person authorized to teach it or stand as a Priest/Guide/Authority on the subject. Lokabrenna is not Asatru. It is not Odinism. It is not Folkish Heathenry. It is not the traditional Scaninavion religion. It is not a format of Lokean Heathenry taught or upheld by any other organization. I am not here to make demands, give orders, or dictate how one lives their life. If you read and speak with me, and decide you wish to adhere to the teachings/religion I offer through Lokabrenna, you do so of your own volition and I am not responsible for any actions taken inspired by that adherence/worship, as I will never tell a person that they must do something they normally wouldn't.

If you do not like the content here for any reason, please block, and don’t report.

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Who am I?

My name is Ash Vindhler-Lokasson. Aside from this, I am an artist, and I work on a personal and freelance basis as Ash Something Art. I am also a Clown and Alt Lifestyle blogger, and you can find any info pertaining to that portion of my life at The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove.

But this blog isn't for those things.

High Priest of Loki:

At the age of 18, I picked up Asatru. I came across the religion by chance, and as I studied it I found that it seemed to agree with many of my own thoughts/ideas regarding the creation of the universe (which is predominantly based in Science).

Continuing the study, I read all of the historic texts, studied many of the different viking hordes and archaeological discoveries, and wrote breakdown after breakdown (for my own pleasure) of my understanding of the lore as I learned.

I joined an organization and continued my study through their lore program, and spent nearly a decade embroiled in every level of the religion.

At the time, and for most of that time, I was not aware that other formats of Northern European Paganism existed aside from Asatru, as the major organizations I became aware of all represented it.

Eventually, however, I realized that there were dialectical differences between my moral beliefs and the teachings of Asatru, as well as many of the other Northern European Pagan communities and organizations that exist. Because of this, around ten years after I started, I separated from the Heathen community to pursue the religion on my own terms; following my own rule that "The religion of no two people are alike, even if they have the same holy book" I decided that I should build my own format of the religion to practice independently.

And that was the start of Lokabrenna.

But what are my qualifications?

Well, just because I left the heathen community as a whole, and I never completed the lore program I was a part of, doesn't mean I stopped everything outright. I was not forced out, and I'm sure most people in the community enjoyed the debate and insights that I had to offer. I stepped away, more or less unprompted, when I realized it wasn't a good fit: Religion should be a personal thing, and resonate with you- and while the texts and the lore, and mythology did, I found myself surrounded by many people I would never have surrounded myself with in any other circumstance.

When I left, I continued my study just as vigorously as before, finding every source I could, and researching any new sources I happened to come across. I eventually found my own niche, my own guidelines, and my own way of doing things that resonated with me; and my intent here is to share those things with others.

When I was 26, after leaving the major Heathen organization I was a part of, I went about the process of getting myself ordained independently as a Goði, or Priest. As an ordained priest, I have the freedom to teach my views as well as perform marriage ceremonies and the like. However, priesthood aside, what has always mattered most to me was the study, and learning, and being an active part of my religion, worship and rituals. Because of this, for the last 10 years while holding onto that priesthood, I have continued to keep my head down, study, and practice independently, I worked on breaking down everything I was learning, processing it, and implementing it into my journey.

It has now been 17 years (as of Feb 2025) since I started my journey and in that time, I have read, studied, written about, and processed every source I could; Multiple translations of the Eddas, the Codex Regius, The Gesta Danorum, The Heimskringla and the Sagas of the Icelanders, as well as all of the independent Sagas, many different source-books for the various Northern European Pagan organizations that already exist, and more or less any book, movie or show that I could find that pertained to these things from documentaries to pop culture works.

I thoroughly studied and am a practitioner of both Seiðr and Rune Magic.

I entered every aspect of this study with a critical eye, and intent to break down the beliefs, separated out christian influence (as much of what we know about the Norse comes from the conversion-age, just after the end of viking age, and much of the work writing either demonizes or re-contextualizes the beliefs to fit more Digestible-by-Christianity version of the history- as in any such case, the victors write the history books) and to balance my understanding of the lore and religion with my modern life.

But I digress: In short, I am an ordained priest of Loki who felt misaligned with the status quo in the modern formats of the religion, and set to work creating a version of it for myself, after spending nearly two decades studying everything I could regarding the religion. In the past, despite having the priesthood and study under my belt, I limited my teaching to only those who asked me after finding out that I am a Lokean or that I practice Northern European Paganism/Heathenry and actively asked me.

However, after lengthy consideration, and a few fairly large projects that I've taken on in my capacity as an artist, (and a weird dream I had: I may post about that for my readers' entertainment at a later date), I have finally decided to step into my shoes as a High Priest of Loki, and teach those who wish to learn, about Lokabrenna.

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Lokabrenna: A Brief Introduction

As I stated above, the path of Lokabrenna is an original, modernist take on Northern European Paganism, and as I will go into detail about below, is named after an Old Norse term for the North Star.

At this time, while Lokabrenna established as a religious path for myself, not yet official, publicly. I hope to grow and get participants, and really step into my role as an independent priest, but at the moment it is not registered as a religion, nor as a nonprofit (I also do not make money from it, or intend to aside from the creation of art and potentially selling books and card decks at a later date). I will also be releasing it in pieces as I work on my other projects and my job.

For the time being, it is a minor cult even among minor cults. It is safe to say that while I have taught others and spread my ideals to a degree, (only to those who have approached me about learning Lokean and Northern European Paganism), that I am currently the sole practitioner.

The Beginnings of Lokabrenna:

The term Lokabrenna, as most Lokean Heathens and other Northern European Pagans will recognize as a term used in most Lokean circles. It can be found in only one place in historical record: The Gesta Danorum, written by Saxo Grammaticus in the 12th century (around the same time period that Snorri was writing his Prose Edda). I will get into both of these figures, along with others, in later posts. In his writing, Saxo refers to Lokabrenna as a Norse name for the North Star; Translated it means Loki's Torch or Loki's Brand.

One theological difference between myself/Lokabrenna and the various organizations who practice/teach Northern European Paganism lies in this piece of information- often, I was taught that there there was no proof of a "cult of Loki" among the Old Norse, because they have found no archeological evidence or place names pertaining to him. However, Lokabrenna, the North Star, has been known as a primary guide point in almost every culture in the world since antiquity. There is no record of WHICH North Star the term referred to, Polaris or it's predecessor Kochab (which was the Pole Star up until around 500-1000 BCE), however with the various Scandinavian cultures first putting roots into the area in the latter stone age, around 12,000BCE, it is safe to say that it could be either star, or both. But that point matters less than the implication behind the term Lokabrenna existing-

Because it is not only a place name, but the name of one of the most important celestial guides to an originally nomadic, then agrarian, then seafaring group of people, from whom this religion and every other modern form of Northern European Paganism are derived; One which represents Loki, and has become a representation of how he has guided me on my journey.

And while what the existence of this term implies- a term found in only a single source, written by a Danish scholar traveling through Norway a century after the Viking Age- is a highly debated topic: my view is that even if the term Lokabrenna didn't imply a cult of Loki, or that he was worshiped, or whether he was viewed as a "god," or it doesn't count as a place name, etc (all of which are arguments I have heard, posed to discredit my own choice to worship Loki), the fact of the matter is that you worship and honor the gods you are drawn to, and Loki was that for me. And no one has a right to dictate or deny your ability to do so (aside from as it pertains to closed cultural religions, which is an important topic for a later time). And so, regardless of whether he was or as not worshiped, or did or did not have place names, or any of that- he is worshiped today. By myself and many others: and many of us have come to view the term Lokabrenna and it's relation to Loki as one of the more important bits of symbolism in our own practice.

And for these reasons, Lokabrenna is the term I have chosen as the name to represent the path I will be teaching here.

For followers of this path, they are free to use what terms they deem fit to refer to themselves, but to distinguish this path from others I will refer to its followers as Lokabrennar or Lokebrennir- a loose derivative of Lokabrenna with the -ar/-ir plural form used in Old Norse (similar to Asatruar, Jotnar, Aesir, Vanir etc).

[princeescaluswords]

what do you mean by 'not aesthetically pleasing'? I've seen you use it a few times for things that seem unrelated to aesthetics.

You've all heard the phrase "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." It's so ubiquitous it's a cliché, though a very useful one. We call a pleasurable or appreciative reaction to a particular sensory input "beauty." As we grow and accumulate experiences, we begin to understand that there is a certain set of characteristics that, singularly or in combinations, we find beautiful. This is our aesthetic, and we all have one. It's very hard to define our personal aesthetic, and sometimes it can be damaging to try, like pinning a butterfly to a board, but we know it when we sense it.

As an aside, sometimes enough individuals in a society share so many aspects of their aesthetic in common that it becomes a public aesthetic. This phenomenon can be positive or negative or sometimes both at the same time. You only have to open Tumblr to see debates about public aesthetic and the campaigns to preserve or change them.

When I use that phrase 'not aesthetically pleasing' I am 99 times out of 100 referring to my personal aesthetic. It's important to me to make a distinction between my evaluation of a cultural object's quality with how it makes me feel. My favorite example of this is The Godfather. The Godfather is among the best United States films ever made. The writing is precise in its economy, insightful into humanity, and perfectly balanced between expository detail and pacing. The acting is exquisite from Al Pacino and Marlon Brando down to Abe Vigoda. The directing and cinematography is symphonic in creating tone. The setting and action is timeless while still being aware of history and the principles explored are universal without ignoring the nature of the Mafia as a product of class uprising and xenophobic oppression. There are many reason that it is consistently listed in the top ten movie rankings, but nevertheless, I hate it.

It does not sit well with my personal aesthetics. I despise the way in the movie the victims of these criminals vanish like ephemeral soap bubbles on the screen, even though I am intellectually aware that this is deliberate because it represents how the mobster justify themselves and 'this thing of ours.' I detest how the movie makes the point that the same qualities that make Michael Corleone a war hero make him an effective don. I am unsettled by how bonds of love and family transform people into heartless murderers. This isn't a rejection of darkness or unsettling images; there are few movies darker than Kubrick's and I am aesthetically pleased by his disturbing works from The Shining to Dr. Strangelove to A Clockwork Orange.

I recognize that there is a difference between the quality of a piece of media and my aesthetic reaction to it. I think it's a significant problem in United States culture -- and especially the fandom -- that this awareness seems to have been discarded. Too many people operate under the oversimplified idea that "if I like it, it's good, and if I don't like it, it's bad." Don't get me wrong, an individual can derive aesthetic pleasure from a quality piece of media, but it's not a necessary relationship.

Take my primary fandom, Teen Wolf. While as a work of art it has significant flaws -- shoddy chronology, an overindulgence in spectacle, needless casting bungles, and a recurring practice of prioritizing the emotional trauma of white male characters and white male characters alone while portraying the neglect of the emotional trauma of characters of color and women as necessary to the plot -- most of it still provokes within me aesthetic pleasure. It's why I talk about it, but I don't try to say it's on the same level as The Godfather.

There is a resistance to separating quality from aesthetic pleasure that I lay at the feet of Post-Modern thought. No, I am not a fan of Foucault or the people he inspired. By rejecting any attempt at objective measurement, we have become bound to the subjective, and it has created a toxic cultural experience. That's why I try to be clear when I voice an opinion dependent on quality or voice an opinion based on aesthetics.

[amplesalty]

Halloween 2022 - Day 21 - Doctor Sleep (2019)

Shine on you crazy diamond!

God damn this is a long ass movie.

Which isn’t the primary take away from this but it’s not something you can easily dismiss at around 3 hrs, 5 mins of which is for the credits. The directors cut is 30 minutes longer as well. It’s certainly one of the only films I’ve looked at on here that I had to do in two sittings outside of like maybe Salem’s Lot or the original IT during year zero. At least it was easy to find a point to break off since the movie is broken up into chapters which again is not something I’m used to seeing. I know from a technical point on a DVD or blu-ray or what have there are ‘chapters’ that you can skip between and obviously movies will have them in an informal sense with the ebbs and flows of the pacing creating these little breaks throughout the movie but this actually goes so far as flash little titles on screen each time. I’m curious how conscious of a decision that was to tie into the fact that this is meant to be a more faithful adaptation of it’s source material than Stanley Kubrick was to The Shining.

Which is one of the other big points of the movie, or at least the wider story of it’s production, this delicate balance that the director and screenwriter Mike Flanagan had to find between being faithful to Stephen King’s new story whilst also not losing sight of Kubrick’s version of the first movie and then even incorporating some stuff that Kubrick omitted. For all of you not up to speed and not catching on, Doctor Sleep is the sequel to The Shining and was released back in 2013 before later being adapted to the big screen in this release. Mike Flanagan is another familiar face around these parts with his work on Oculus and Gerald’s Game, whilst also directing/writing/editing for Ouija: Origin of Evil which is on my watchlist. I remember that one coming out to relatively big plaudits, arguably far in excess of the original Ouija which I watched a few years back and thought was okay. This has just reminded me, I remember someone vanity searching on Twitter and liking my Tweet advertising my post about Oculus so I’m curious if that was him. The guy behind Cropsey did the same thing last year and I felt kinda awkward because I was actually pretty negative about it.

King’s opinions on the Kubrick version of The Shining are well known at this point and it seems like he was quite hands on during the development of this movie, with certain stipulations on what could and couldn’t be in it. I’m not sure how involved he gets with these adaptations in general but I could easily imagine he would have particular interest in this one since he’s obviously got previous with this story and apparently went to great lengths to undo some of the things established in the Kubrick version  not only this novel but in the 1997 mini-series adaptation of The Shining that he was involved in.

I only ever saw The Shining once, also back in year zero of this blog and whilst it is one of those ‘cultural osmosis’ films where you’ve already seen it even if you haven’t just because of how ubiquitous it is within pop culture, I don’t remember a great deal about it other than those big scenes or the stuff like the creepy old naked woman in the bath or the guy in the bear costume giving someone a blowjob. I am curious to see it again though in light of this, I have a Kubrick boxset which is oddly missing some movies like Spartacus and Dr Strangelove. Though I did get that last one separately at one point. It’s weird to look back on The Shining and realise that Kubrick and Shelley Duvall both got Razzies nominations for it, especially given what an iconic movie it is. And this was at the time, not in a ‘cancel culture’ sort of way because of Kubrick being a dickbag on set making Duvall do a take 127 times just to get her in that mindframe. Though there is an element of that on show with Duvall’s nomination recently being rescinded in light of those issues, took them long enough, I guess it was because of the scrutiny they had for their bashing of Bruce Willis and the fallout of him having to retire for medical issues. But yeah, it’s odd to think that these contemporary views were quite negative but it’s gone on to be seen as amongst the greatest horror movies of all time.

What also makes me very curious to go back to it is the portrayal of the villains in Doctor Sleep who are like vampires of a sort in that they kill their victims whilst also feeding on their life essence. Or they can in some cases convert people to their side if they feel they have need of them. Plus, when they die, they have this very extravagant death where their more skeletal innards start to show through before they turn to dust reminiscent of something you’d see in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’d suggest that’s just limited to these new characters but t here is a point where they go back to the Overlook and the ghosts too partake in this practice of inhaling the life essence but I don’t remember that being a thin in the original, that was more of a claustrophobic, cabin fever type feel with Jack’s ever-growing insanity and obviously Danny’s discovery of his abilities.

The return to the Overlook is an interesting one too and was apparently one of King’s big no no’s for the movie that Flanagan was able to convince him on. Whilst the movie does take some time to show exploration of the hotel once we get back there, it never feels like it’s been done in this nostalgic, greatest hits sort of way. This is a run down version of the Overlook with mould on the walls and it’s given this reverence of being a very dangerous place, serving as the finale of the movie as the battleground between the forces of good and evil who are vying for this young girl who this cult, The True Knot, are out to exploit but Dan Torrence is trying to save and fulfil his own destiny of sorts in being a mentor in the way that Dick Hallorann was to him.

The Overlook is sort of a neutral party in the whole affair, though it does chime in with its own efforts of distracting Dan through a chance meeting with barkeeper Lloyd who bears a striking resemblance to his old man, or Rose of the True Knot having a run in with the elevator of blood.  I was kinda expecting this to come up more, the supernatural goings on to be an obstacle for both sides but the whole thing does have a lot going on as is so probably best not to cram stuff in for the sake of it.

It’s apt that Dan has that run in with who he perceives to be his Father as the whole movie is an exercise in him trying to defeat his demons, even if the advice he recives as a youngster is to lock the ghosts that visit him deep within the recesses of his mind, which doesn’t seem like sage advice for dealing with your issues. But the movie, especially the early portions of it, explores the fallout from his childhood trauma and the alcoholism he battles as an effort to try and dull the pain of his experiences and the ghosts that revisit him, whether those be literal or the demons of his past and the sins of his Father that he has inherited. Whilst the movie is long, I don’t mind it when it includes stuff like this whilst building to the meat of the story with the girl and the True Knot. This kinda idea is fascinating to me, doing a sequel but shedding any idea of rehashing the first movie and just dealing with the consequences of it instead. It’s what they touched upon in Halloween 2018 but didn’t really follow through on.

What I will say that honked my chuff a little bit whilst Dan was initially exploring the Overlook was when he got to the infamous bathroom with the door panels chopped out. He goes so far as to stick his head through in a Nicholson esque manner, only for the movie to really drive it home by cutting to a flashback scene they recereated with the actress replacing Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance. New Nightmare did this a bit the other day too where they’d really signpost where they were making call backs to the first movie which is fine, you can’t always guarantee that people will always have it fresh in their head and it’s nice to give them that ‘Oh hey, it’s that!’ moment. But to do it here just felt very condescending, like who’s not going to know about that scene from The Shining? Not least people going to see a sequel to it. It’s one of the most iconic moments in the history of cinema, it’s the box cover for all manner of physical media releases and it forms 7 of the top 11 image results for The Shining on Google (your results may vary). It just feels insulting that the movie needed to go to such lengths to point out what it was reminding us of.

In spite of it’s epic runtime this was one I enjoyed, really interesting mix of dealing with the original whilst then moving on to tell its own story and the whole production aspect behind it is intruiging to me as well with the way Flanagan had to keep all these different plates spinning to please all these different people; King, studio execs, Kubrick fans... I’ll have to see if there is an interview with him about it or maybe look at getting the blu-ray if there’s some extras about it.

It’s a movie that gained some fans but was a bit of a miss at the box office, falling below the other King adaptations of that year in It Chapter Two and Pet Sematary. I kinda get the first one given that had a big initial release with all the cool kid actors who were in vogue after Stranger Things, plus you have all the viral marketing of the scary clowns and stuff, but I remember Pet Semetary having a mixed reception at the time. The lacklustre boxoffice takings were enough to kill off a possible prequel with Dick Hallorann but it seems there might be interest in continuing on with a new story on young Abra Stone somewhere down the line.

[laskinpublishing]

At one time no self-respecting hi-tech company* would ever do business without the ubiquitous mission statement — or using the word ubiquitous.

Donald Neal Laskin’s uncalled for commentary on just about anything that’s often none of his business

They put down their forks and peered up at me. Their little faces had a quizzical look. It was one I’d been seeing often lately, “What kind of steak is this? It tastes different. Hard to chew.”

“Harder to swallow,” one added.

“Prime cut. Maybe Mommy overcooked it. Try ketchup.” I was dancing around the truth like a lawyer at a Liar’s Club Ball.

Before it had ever gone this far, I’d tried to convince the little carnivores to become vegetarians. I staked out (no pun intended) the high moral ground because I knew the “veggies are good for you; meat clogs your arteries” would resonate with these kids like school without summer vacation.

I asked in semi-­rhetorical fashion, “Bambi’s mom…YOU would murder and devour Bambi’s Mom!”

“Bambi’s mom,” they replied in a dreamy unison reminiscent of Homer Simpson, “Bambi’s mom. Mmm.”

“Well, how’d you like it if somebody chowed down on you!” I shot back. “How would you feel?”

“Dead,” came the answer. These kids were more cold­blooded than a cobra in an ice house. It was hopeless. So, I was forced to plan B: Marinating bologna in vinegar, A­1 steak sauce and Worcestershire and trying to pass it off as steak. I’d had some success substituting tofu. But, now I couldn’t even afford tofu. And the kids picked up immediately that this adulterated bologna was pure unadulterated baloney.

I had to fess up. Business was lousy…worse than lousy. We couldn’t afford meat. Suddenly, the children looked at us in a different light. We hid all the knives in the house and their mother and I took turns standing guard at our bedroom door at night. Believe me, it ain’t a whole lot of fun being regarded by your children as an entree.

I had to do something. I studied what I was doing wrong in my business. My work was…well, outstanding. More like brilliant. My prices were extremely fair. I did my share of selling. What could be wrong?

Then, it came to me. It was the one thing I didn’t have that every successful business (hi-­tech business at least) had. The one ingredient that was lacking:

A Mission Statement

As the world leader in advertising, promotion and public relations of every conceivable type, description, variety and degree of comprehension, we strive to create and develop communications that clarify or obfuscate the positions, capabilities and capacities of our clients so that they can interact in a proactively successful way in the global marketplace. By providing the highest quality work at the lowest possible prices, we ensure our customers always come first and we are committed to them, their goals, and precious bodily fluids (See Dr. Strangelove).

Upon finishing the Mission Statement, I was informed that Mission Statements had fallen out of fashion and Vision Statements were in. Guess I should’ve had the vision to see it coming.

The preceding was excerpted from When the RANT Is Due: Thinking Outside the Box, a compilation of some of the best of twenty-five years of “Observations” — a type of blog used to connect with Don Laskin’s Lone Writer advertising clients. Written by Donald Neal Laskin and illustrated by Stacey Laskin.

*In the late 90’s Scott Adams, Dilbert’s creator, was passed off as an expert consultant hired to help executives formulate a new mission statement for hi-tech firm, Logitech. Introduced as Ray Mebert, Adams diagrammed and double-talked executives into a mishmash of a mission statement: “The New Ventures Mission is to scout profitable growth opportunities in relationships, both internally and externally, in emerging, mission inclusive markets, and explore new paradigms and then filter and communicate and evangelize the findings.″

Donald Neal Laskin books on Amazon

Liana Laskin’s Talara II on Amazon

Stacey Laskin’s TheGrinDragon art and design on Redbubble

Email: LaskinPub@gmail.com

[ubiquitousdoctorstrangelove]

Since I figured I'd start at the beginning with the last post, here are some clown/jester looks I did in the earliest days, back when I was…. ahem. We'll say barely legal.

Look 1: around 2007-2008, doing the first red and black look that would eventually lead to my trademark style as The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove, as well as both the characters Clopin the Mad Harlequin and Laughing Loki. Look 2: Around 2006, doing what I now consider to be a failed attempt at a blue and violet clown/jester look, that I may at some point reprise to do a better job of.

Look 3: Also around 2007-2008, doing the first red, black and white look that would eventually become my character Pierrot L'Amoureux Look 4: This was in 2012, the very first "Pro" clown makeup look I ever did, before I really understood the makeup. This was my very first debut on the scene as an actual clown, and at the time I went by Kato the Clown. While the makeup was fairly bad, it wasn't long after this that I learned the right way to do it, and eventually auditioned for Barnum and Bailey (2014) after a couple years of being a clown as predominantly a fire performer.

[ubiquitousdoctorstrangelove]

Probably the first "Official" look for The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove, when I had finally decided I wanted to have that black and red color scheme in not just my Laughing Loki and Harlequin characters, but overall. While I had been doing clown stuff for a LONG while by this point, everything was still undecided for me. I was still working freelance without a real name, under the banner of my fire performance troupe, Laughing Loki Fire. I half-used the name Kato the Clown, but that was a joke nickname given to me by someone I no longer wanted to associate with. I had started using The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove as a moniker online for awhile by this point, and this was when I decided that I should make that be my Clown name. Things kind of exploded for my clown career from here, and I was on the road doing gigs pretty much every weekend from this point.

[ubiquitousdoctorstrangelove]

A quick look at my first fire performance as a clown, at a birthday party for a friend I met in the BDSM scene. This features the same whiteface clown look I showed in the prior post, along with my black industrial jacket, and some leather boots- I debuted myself as Kato the Clown, as a joke between myself and my best friend/room mate at the time, and later took the name The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove as my official clown name. This party was very unofficial, and I was asked along to get the night started and hype things up a bit, but it was a small house party where they had me doing my thing in the back yard most of the night. When this set was taken, I had been doing fire performance for around 3 years, but had just started doing it professionally a few months prior, and wasn't used to big shows at major venues yet. While I didn't get many pics or vid of this night, it was a night to remember for all involved. Excuse the slightly NSFW commentary by my partner at the time, but really you should expect at least as much from anything I'm involved in.

[ubiquitousdoctorstrangelove]

I'm about to make the internet absolutely sick of seeing me, so prepare your assorted holes.

I'll start y'all off with a clown look from 2020, when I found a baby me in my very first clown look and wanted to give an homage to younger me. I had a lot of fun with this look and it's one of my favorites to date.

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Other places I post this don't have the room, but I can be as long-winded as I want there (I won't be for most of my clown posts). As I drop this look I do want to take a moment to note some important things about clowning and the history of it, as it pertains to this look. For anyone who is experienced with clowning, they would likely know this, but for anyone knew, it may be new information. I bought this rainbow wig originally because a client required me to wear it. I used it for one event in 2014, and then didn't touch it again until 2020 when I did this look- and the only reason I did so was because I did want to be true to the look of my original clown look when I was 9. That said, if you are attempting to get into clowning, avoid using these wigs. The "classic" rainbow afro wig that we see everywhere is rooted deeply in racist tropes made popular by the Minstrel shows of the early- and mid- 1900s. The wig ties directly into both racism and classism, and was originally used to demean and make fun of the poor, disenfranchised, and marginalized people of the time. Similarly to this, the Hobo clown looks, oversized shoes and clothes, and a wide variety of other things all trace themselves right back to these racist performances-

But clowning is at least a 400 year old tradition, and multiple cultures have their own versions of it. The modern Clown that we all know in love can first be traced back to Barnum and Bailey, which can in turn be traced back to the performer Joseph Grimaldi and his work with the character named Clown (from whom we take the name Clown) in the Harlequinade of England, which can then be traced back to the Commedia Dell'arte, in which the clown characters (called Zanni) were used to punch up at the rich and powerful, portraying those same marginalized groups as characters in their struggles and trying to fight against their oppression and mistreatment by those in higher social castes. And the Commedia can be traced back to court jesters and roving performers going as far back as the middle ages. So, learn your history as a clown, learn to separate the good and the bad, and never EVER let your jokes punch down as a clown.

[ubiquitousdoctorstrangelove]

Hmmm. Let's see, my last post was ALL of 2014 whch didn't really give a good idea of specific performances of characters I was creating for myself. If you've read the pinned post you know that while I am The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove, I do have characters other than that while I clown, each based on specific aspects of my personality. So let me start by introducing them, with my very first character- Clopin Trouillefou- also known as Clopin the Mad Harlequin. His name is taken, originally, from the Hunchback of Notre Dame, although I generally never refer to him more than Clopin or Harlequin because he isn't the character from that story- I only used the name. The images I'm attaching are the progression of this character, in order of how I created him- started with my very first Black/Red makeup look from around 2008, the DnD character that makeup inspired, leading all the way into today.

Prior to making Clopin The Mad Harlequin into one of my clown characters, or deciding what I wanted him to be, or ANYTHING about that, he was a makeup concept and then a DnD character. Before that, however, One of my favorite things was the Commedia Dell'Arte, out of Italy. i had spent years studying it and loving it- the Zanni characters where like, kind of an ideal for me. I always loved jesters but it was the Zanni I felt the most connection with. In the Commedia they had what were referred to as Stock Characters- the Zanni (which where the term "Zany" comes from) being one type of stock character; Clowns type characters that often took a role of someone from a lower caste of society- a worker, or a drudge of some kind. And the stories could be a variety of things, but MANY of them were focused on comedy where these Zanni characters would Punch-Up using slapstick comedy and pantomime. These performances were a massive inspiration for future clowns in the 18- and 1900s, as well as just heavily influencing me as a clown. The most popular stock characters among the Zanni may be known to anyone reading this: Harlequin/Arleccino, Paggliacci/Pierrot/Pedrolino, Pulcinella, Scapino and Brighella, as well as the character who gave his name to Clowning, Clown (a Zanni was expanded and given international fame by Joseph Grimaldi of the Briish Harlequinades, in the early 1800s).

But how does that relate to Clopin the Mad Harlequin, other than the name? Well, While I was working as a fire performer and in the early time working as a clown, I started to realize fairly quickly that parties have different moods and themes, and different energies and reasons- and while I COULD just show up as whatever general clown character I AM, I felt like maybe creating a group of stock characters I could use that would work for different TYPES of parties would be really helpful- And even though I am starting out with Clopin, I actually started creating him as my clown character alongside Pierrot L'Amoureux; Because just like in the Commedia, I wanted one who was more egocentric, hubristic and in your face, and one who was more reserved, demure, and romantic- Foils of each other just like Harlequin and Pierrot.

And that is where everything started. Eventually I would expand which clown characters I had, stepping away from JUST Zanni and including things like "Birthday Clown" as well as the three standard circus clown types: Auguste, Whiteface and Hobo (I lvery quickly stopped using Hobo though, as there are some pretty gross implications with that kind of character that I really fucking hate. To me clowning is about using humor to punch up and speak on issues in society with humor, among other things- and the Hobo and Minstrel types of clowns do the opposite- and the standard "Party Clowns" and "Clowns for Christ" leave the politics at the door for basic family-friendly entertainment- which to me, hollows out clowning to it's fucking core.

I always think of the Commedia as something akin to Punk before Punk, that birthed Clowning- in a similar way to how jesters had Jester's Privilege, but where the performances could incite people to actually think and make changes instead of it JUST being comedy and entertainment.

So, Clopin is my Ego and Hubris. Pierrot is my Love. My "Party Clown" is my childhood. Clown the Adversary is my struggle with Mental Health. Laughing Loki is my Pyromania, channeled into a safe and fun activity that I can do as a performance- and so on and so forth. These characters are the Zanni I have created that I perform as under the banner of The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove, and this idea is integral to how I perform.

And so, as time went on, Clopin evolved further and further, until around 2018 when I realized that I just needed to shelve my ego and hubris, and heal a bunch of things about myself before I took the mantle of Clopin back on, even as just a performance.

Anyway, that's the history of my very first Zanni/Clown character, Clopin the Mad Harlequin.

[ubiquitousdoctorstrangelove]

The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove

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Code of Conduct For Readers of This Blog:

Respect and consent are key, in all things. Trolls, right-wing/maga/etc, Christians, Racists, Sexists and Fascists will be blocked on-sight. This is your warning not to bring that shit here.

If you follow that rule, I accept:

Private Messages - So long as you remain respectful.

Questions and Submissions - Anonymous or otherwise, regarding any topic I post about on this blog.

However:

If you wish to inquire about my art or Commissions, please send your message to either the Ash Something Art Blog or via the Commission Request form on my website.

If you wish to inquire about Lokean Heathenry/Lokabrenna, send your questions to my Lokasenna Blog.

I am always happy to receive comments and discussion, as well as reposts and likes.

The content herein will be presented for educational purposes, or raising awareness for various topics, as well as just an outlet for me to be myself.

I was originally active from 2007 (2012 on Tumblr) to 2018, before a hiatus from basically everything. I have decided to return from my hiatus I don't entirely know what that means yet, as I just made the decision to start moving forward again, this week (First week of Feb, 2025) With Tumblr, the hiatus came with the 2018 ban on adult content, which mutilated this, and all of my side blogs. In life, the hiatus came from.... Well. Life.

If you do not like the content here for any reason, please block, and don’t report.

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Welcome to the Circus!

I am The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove

Clown, Artist, Priest and Alt Lifestyle enthusiast.

Forgive the long-winded, seemingly narcissistic, and potentially repetitive nature of this post; For a long time I have put a halt on many aspects of my life, and in the past this blog was the central hub for those things. As I return, the stopper on those things is opening, and as such I want to introduce myself in each aspect I still find important to me. As that implies, this is my Central blog, for my personal life, relationships and goings-on that don't pertain to my art, my religion, or my Alt Lifestyle interests.

I go by The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove, Ash Vindhler-Lokasson, and Ash Something. I will tell you the context of those names in the subsections below. I am, at my core, a clown. I am 36 as of the time of writing this. I am Polyamorous, Grey-Romantic, Hypersexual, and Pansexual I am gender-nonconforming and I prefer it/its pronouns, though I am fine with any gender-neutral ones (Thon/Thons, They/Them, Ae/Aer, etc).

I am an appreciator of the dark and macabre, as well as the inane and frivolous.

In the past, I have gone by many names; on stage, in my art, and in my personal life. Those who may have followed or known me before 2018 will likely recognize me as any of the following:

The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove

Ash Vindhler-Lokasson

Ash Something

The Muspellheim Maskmaker

Laughing Loki, Loki, or Laughing Loki Ash

Kato the Clown

Blue/PoiBoy Blue

Slaughterhouse Ten

Or just Ash.

I have left behind most of these names/nicknames, and do not go by them anymore; Aside from the ones I mentioned at the start of this intro. Just like when I was active in the past, I still wear many masks aside from the mundane daily life endeavors, hobbies and the like.

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The things I believe to be the central aspects of myself are as follows:

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I am The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove

Fire performer and Clown Extraordinaire.

I am no longer a professional clown or fire dancer. After 10 years doing it professionally, I started the transition in 2017 to being a lifestyle clown, and doing my fire performance for myself instead of as a career. This change was due to the fact that I preferred adult performance over family-friendly performance, and there aren't as many opportunities to do that professionally- so I do it for myself.

Fire Performance and Object Manipulation:

I am proficient withPoi, Juggling pins, Staff and Double staff, Hoop, Fans, Fire sword, Fire Eating and Breathing, Rope Dart, and Fire Orb As well as Fleshing, Fire Floggers, and Firecups.

Clowning as a lifestyle:

My clown content and performances should be considered 18+ and not safe/intended for minors, and ties into my Kink Scene section below.

As a clown I am proficient in many forms of VFX makeup, as well as balloon twisting and face-painting.

I distinguish "Myself" from "My Characters." I am The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove, that is the all-encompassing clown persona that is essentially the truest version of me as a person. Each of the other characters and their traits will come through in my presentation as The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove.

The characters are aspects of Myself; an ideal, an emotion, or an outlet for part of me, given life as their own persona, with a separate makeup style, costume, and personality that depends on the mood I want to bring with me to wherever I'm taking them. I also have clown mascots (OCs which I have created, and which I use in my art).

My Clown Characters are:

The Ubiquitous Dr Strangelove - Myself

Clopin the Mad Harlequin (Requires FL Login) - Egotism/Hubris/Pride

Laughing Loki (Requires FL Login) - The Pyromaniac

Pierrot L'Amoureux - The Unrequitted Lover

The Knave of Hearts - The Hedonist

Clown ,The Adversary - Mania, Anxiety, and delirium

Potentially more to come

My Clown Mascots are:

Ash Something The Art Clown (Variants- Normal, Great Muppety Ash, and Ash The Dummy, featured in that video)

Clopin Trouillefou (The original Inspiration for my clown character, above)

Pierrot L'Amoreaux (Inspired by my Character above)

Dizzy Dripps

Oberon The Unseen Hand

Dorian The Grey

D. Zaster

Magenta Dreams

Sanguine

Oddrey Mains

Whimsy The Mime

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I am Ash Something, the Artist

The name Ash Something started as a joke because people couldn't pronounce my name (Ash Vindhlér-Lókasson), and started to introduce me to others as "Ash... Something?" and I found it amusing. You can find my art blog at Ash Something Art My art is the only thing I didn't step away from during my hiatus. I am a multidisciplinary artist, using both digital and traditional media. My personal focus is to continue working towards achieving an ideal style in pinup/erotic pulp and dark-fantasy styles similar to what one would see in the works of Luis Royo, Frank Frazetta, and Brom. I accept commission work in any style and field that I work with, through my professional channels. If you are interested in commissions, please do not message me here, but either through the Official Ash Something Art Blog, or my Website.

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I am Ash Vindhlér-Lókasson, High Priest of Loki:

I am an Independently-Ordained Goði, and practitioner of Seiðr and Rune Magic. I practice my own modernist form of Northern-European Pagansim, dubbed Lokabrenna, which honors the Æsir and Vanir, as well as the Thurs and the Rokkr. At this time, Lokabrenna is only a minor cult, even among minor cults: It is not registered as a religion, nor as a nonprofit (I also do not make money from it, or intend to). It is safe to say that while I have taught others and spread my ideals to a degree, (only to those who have approached me about learning Lokean and Northern European Paganism), that I am currently the sole practitioner. I have created a side-blog for the religion, which can be found at Lokabrenna: A Modernist Lokean Theology. The study and practice I have put into this have spanned over 15 years, though I have not presented it publicly until now (Feb, 2025)