Name: The Eccentropedia: The Most Unusual People Who Have Ever Lived
Author: Chris Mikul (Author), Glenn Smith (Artist)
ISBN: 9781900486828

The Eccentropedia: The Most Unusual People Who Have Ever Lived book cover

The Eccentropedia: The Most Unusual People Who Have Ever Lived

Author(s): Chris Mikul (Author), Glenn Smith (Artist)

Publisher: Headpress
Publication Date: June 25, 2012
Language: English
Print length: 528 pages
ISBN-10: 1900486822
ISBN-13: 9781900486828

Book Description

Info to follow The contrarian is the individual who probably springs most often to mind when people hear the word ‘eccentric’. Contrarians are the people who do not give a fig for social conventions and determinedly go their own way, whether it’s in their clothing, habits, beliefs, hobbies or living arrangements. Their spiritual father is Diogenes, and they have absolutely no doubt that they are the sensible ones and it is the rest of the world that is out of step. Contrarians, especially in England, are often associated with the aristocracy (who after all, do often have the time and money to be able to live exactly as they please), yet they may come from all walks of life, and indeed, some of the most notable have literally lived on the streets, becoming in the process well-known and often well-loved individuals. It is the contrarians that John Stuart Mill was thinking of when he wrote in On Liberty, ‘That so few now dare to be eccentric marks the chief danger of the time.’ Mill under

Editorial Reviews

Review

“E-gads, what a book! Impossible to put down.” — The Spectator for Bizarrism

“… be reassured by these tales of real eccentricity, or if you’re trying to stand out take some tips from the experts.” — Beat Magazine for Bizarrism

About the Author

Chris Mikul grew up in Sydney, Australia, a city with a particularly rich heritage of eccentrics. He’s spent years researching the lives of these splendid individuals, whose lives shine so brightly amidst a sea of dull conformity.

Glenn “Glenno” Smith is an artist living in Sydney with his beautiful wife Gina and cats, Pishy and Cha-chi. His work can be seen on www.glennoart.com.au.

LIBERACE (1919-1987), PIANIST:
Wladziu Valentino Liberace, who was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, emerged from the womb with a caul on his head, traditionally an omen of greatness. His father, Salvatore, was an Italian immigrant with a fiery temper. He played French horn in various bands and, considering himself an ‘artiste’, was reluctant to take other work, which meant the family was often poor. He insisted that all four of his children have music lessons. His mother, Frances, of Polish extraction, protested.
It was soon apparent that ‘Wally’, as he was known, was a prodigy. According to family lore, he was playing pieces by ear at the age of three, and was working professionally before his teens. His idol was Paderewski, the flamboyant pianist and Polish nationalist, whom he met backstage after a concert when he was eight or so. He was a typical ‘Mama’s boy’ who loathed sport but loved cooking and sewing, and he was already a fancy dresser. Picked on by other boys as a sissy, he learned the trick of exaggerating his differences to make people laugh.
To the disgust of his father, he was as happy playing popular tunes and jazz as classical pieces. As a teenager, he played in theatres, saloons, strip clubs and even at stag parties, where he provided the musical accompaniment for pornographic films. In 1939, he hit upon a new gimmick, playing pop songs like ‘Three Little Fishies’ in the manner of various classical composers. He continued to hone his act during the forties, mixing the classics with boogie-woogie, and concentrated on playing intimate venues where he could exercise his considerable charm on the audience. He was now going by the single name Liberace (which he took care to emphasise in publicity materials was pronounced ‘Liber-AH-chee’). A brilliant self-publicist, he acquired a huge, gold-leafed Blüthner grand piano for $25,000, which he billed as ‘the world’s most priceless piano’. It weighed in at 1,700 pounds (771 kg) and he took it wherever he was performing. He also adopted the candelabrum as an essential stage prop.
Liberace moved to Los Angeles, and by 1950, when he played at the White House, he was a major star. His television show debuted on a local L.A. station in 1952, then was syndicated across the country. It mixed sophistication (his tuxedos and candelabra) with folksy humor and family values (his brother George conducted the orchestra, his mother was usually sitting in the front row). The critics gagged, accusing him of schmaltz

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The Eccentropedia: The Most Unusual People Who Have Ever Lived

The Eccentropedia: The Most Unusual People Who Have Ever Lived

Book Description

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

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