This is the first page of four.  It doesn’t end happily for the woodcutter.

Merde à la Belle Époque is now available from Black Scat Books! Doug Skinner has chosen, translated, and annotated a choice selection of scatological texts from Paris’s Bohemian heyday. The texts range from 1883 to 1902, and include poems, stories, a play, a rebus and a letter. You will find Alphonse Allais, George Auriol, Georges Courteline, Edmond Haraucourt, Vincent Hyspa, Maurice Mac-Nab, and Erik Satie, all devoting their considerable talents to toilet humor.  The book is 48 pages, elegantly printed in black and brown, designed by Norman Conquest, and limited to 310 copies.

Praise for Merde à la Belle Époque:
“BLACK SCAT BOOKS has launched from the pits of lit this shameful little anthology, wonderfully translated and prefaced with futile brilliance by Doug Skinner. I was immediately disgusted and attracted by these turn-of-the-century French luminaries indulging in dirty little boy lyrics and lunatic stories, many of them in the scatological society that hung out at Le Chat Noir…”
—Alain Arias-Misson

“Incroyable!… Alfred (a fart man from way back) Jarry would surely relish this collection–one which combines force-feeding with delicate odoriferous leakage—something for every taste!”
—Nile Southern

“These dirty little secrets are canonical secretions of literary genius. Fin de siècle Parisian scatology at its best.”
—D. Harlan Wilson

There’s a glorious town at the end of the earth…  It’s a wonderful place, but, unfortunately, they won’t let you in.

Here’s the start of it, with its doleful three-part harmonies.

“The Fussbudgets’ Ball” is a sprightly tune for viola, baritone horn, tuba, and guitar (ad lib). At its first performance, I played the baritone part an octave higher, on an alto melodica. That seemed to work too.

Every year, I do a show around the time of my birthday, January 7.  This year it took place at Jalopy Theater on January 3.  Joining me were David Gold (viola), Ralph Hamperian (tuba), and Doug Roesch (guitar).  Despite snow, unusually low temperatures, and speeches from the mayor urging all New Yorkers to stay at home, there was a nice crowd.

We played my songs and instrumental music, with a few covers:

The Star-Spangled Banner (as rewritten by Hoagy Carmichael)
Oh Dear, Oh Dear
The Fussbudgets’ Ball
Insects Have Taken Santa’s Place
Gravity
To the Lions with Them
Your Parents
In Memoriam
Don’t Talk to Me
We All Work So Hard
The Glorious Town
Laughter
My Face Is in the Sand
Viola
Mindin’ My Business (Gus Kahn & Walter Donaldson)
Volare (Domenico Modugno)
It’s Your Loss, Boss
People Like You
No More

Encores:
Buenas Noches, Little Roaches
You Better Go Now (Bickley Reichner & Robert Graham)

Videos of me reading from my translation of Alphonse Allais’s book, Captain Cap: His Adventures, His Ideas, His Drinks, have been posted here and here.  Thanks to Farewell Debut for shooting them; and to Derek Pell for posting them.  And thanks to Anthony Matt for the photo.