Nadya’s party (Newark, DE), Caffe Gelato Halloween (Newark, DE), and C’rolA’s party (Wilmington, DE), 2008
| No main costume in ’08, but we scrounged up three costumes. My magician costume was inspyred by Candace sending me the cape I’d borrowed in ’04. The theme of the Caffe Gelatto party was “Celebrities and Celebutantes,” tho don’t think too hard, we’re just generic characters. Having used my sailor cap for the military angle in ’07, I went the yachter angle in ’08, and K’lyA had the perfect matching dress. |
ME’s party (Newark, DE), Erica’s party (Vestal, NY), and Dougin’s party (Lawrenceville, NJ), 2007
| Once I found a girl who loves dressing up as much as me, it was no less than three Halloweens a year! The Mario theme was obviöusly the big attraxion in ’07, not least thanks to K’lyA making me custom green overalls. Also, notice that Matt and I switched colors form the previöus year. The other costumes came from some leftovers: for the musketier costume, notice the sash from ’06, most of the outfit from ’99, and the cape from way back in ’87! The medals on my Coast Guard uniform (and the aviätors) are also from ’06. |
Candace and Erica's Party, Vestal, New York, 2006
| To justify my purchase of these genuïne aviätors — with matching beret — from the Keeseville Army/Navy, I decided I'd've to coördinate my whole Halloween costume around them. Two months later I'd grown the necessary facial hair and made that trip to the fabric store for raw materiäls for my medals and sash and Matt's frock. While he and I hot-glued the former together, Candace whipped up the rest in record time, and there we were: a third-world, military dictator and a disgruntled Tinkerbell: world's unlikeliëst Beirut champiöns! |
Candace and Erica's Party, Vestal, New York, 2005
| Despite that Candace and I went shopping together, our outfits weren't so much coördinated: she entyrely in cool colors, me in warm; her a distinguished tea party lady with matching dress and pocketbook, me a rock star in search of a guitar. Still, in their disimilarity, there was a certain resonance. Also pictured is Erica, whose pixie costume became an irreälity five minutes into the party when she found her color-coördinated wings to be inconvenient for her narrow hallways. |
Candace and Erica's Party, Vestal, New York, 2004
| There was no time like the present for my Ra's Al Ghul costume, especially with a movie coming up for this particular Batman villain in which he looks like this—'twas easiër to dye my hair then shave it all off. As long as I was tarnishing his sophistication with that trinket around my neck, I figured I'd arrange photo evidence of him playing Beirut, rather than, say, destroying the human race. Click on either Ra's photo to see a few more. |
Bates College, 2002
| This costume is dedicated to the Displaced SIT Madagascar Sciëntists of 2002: to Nancita who encouraged the purchase of the shirt, to Zorra who encouraged the purchase of the helmet, and to Céliä who, astoundingly, was there for both! In th'accompanying picture: Who needs The Lady and the Tiger when Saida gives you both in one easy-to-carry package? |
Hood College lounge, Strasbourg, France, 2001
| Altho it's true that hip-hop superstars such as myself are not known for spending time around pixies, their relationship to scantilly clad women is well-documented. Thanks to Jessica and Mary for posing for these pictures, and no thanks to a certain French airline for losing all my velvet clothes from this photo! |
| Bates College, 2000 | Bates College, 1999 | Party in Pennington, 1998 |
 |
 |
 |
| The famous crimefighter Crimson Wildcat and his faithful assistant Water-Fountain Boy take a rest after a hard day of saving the world! | My pirate costume was to be seen again at an IL and in no less than two plays that I went on to direct, tho for many people this is their first glimpse of th'ellusive Casije. | A day before, it was just a hat I'd gotten randomly, but with all black clothes, a red neckerchief, and the crucial white gloves, this became a crowd-pleasing Cat in the Hat costume. At least Schiffto seems pleased. I was so busy hosting this party, it was my first year with no trick-or-treating. |
George School and Trick-or-Treating Costumes, 1995-1997
| I began my high school career surprised that students just wore their costumes to school. As a freshman, I left my punk-witch costume (th'only time I dressed in drag until many years later) at home. Sophmore year I wore my father's old brown pinstripe suit, trenchcoat, and fedora, and even packed my schoolbooks into an attaché, an outfit which would, by senior year of college, be suitable for any day at school. Junior year I put together a cowboy ensemble, of which there is even a picture somewhere. Those clothes, including not only jeans, but a denim shirt, would become less important to my day-to-day wardrobe. |
Trick-or-Treating in Pennington, 1994
| I have distinct memroies of using Logowriter© to make a mobile about Groucho Marx for a biögraphy project in elementary school. From that, it was more or less inevitable that I'd be him for Halloween—I even talked Evan into playing Harpo Marx, using his red clown wig from a previöus costume. Mark, who was supposed to be Chico, stood us up. Having only actually seen Animal Crackers (in which Groucho portrays African Explorer “Captain Spaulding”) the pith helmet was th'only way to go. |
Trick-or-Treating in Pennington and Penn View Heights, 1991 and 1993
| I was so enamoured with my “Spirit o'Halloween” costume that I used it twice, and I'm not even entirelly sure if I'm 11 or 13 in these pictures, tho the good money's on 11. I like to think that I did a little bit better job with't in '93, adding a cape and perhaps a more realistic wig. Here I am posing with Jack (my first scarecrow), Granny (goodness knows what she thought of the whole thing), and Evan, portraying Beaker from the Muppets. In '92, Jack inspyred me to be a scarecrow, in what may've been my worst costume ever—thank goodness no photos survive! |
Trick-or-Treating Costumes and School Parade costumes, 1988-1990
| Second grade is th'only year for which I cannot remember the costume, tho without these photos lyïng about I might well've forgotten a few more. In third grade I finally stepped into the large footprints of my literary hero Babar, and even tho my father found me an eccelente elephant mask, I spoïlt it by making a shirtboard crown and not fitting my green pants thus having to wear non-sequitur yellow sweatpants. For fourth grade I really went all out: employing similar costume components, I was Mickey Mouse during the day and a Pi-Rat for Trick-or-Treating. |
| YMCA Party, 1987 | Trick-or-Treating, 1986 | Trick-or-Treating, 1985 |
 |
 |
 |
| When my neighbor Megan told me that she was goïng to be Snow White for Halloween, I decided I would be Prince Charming. Thus began my love affair with th'ascot, and I even wore that cape thru th'end of high school. I would never again wear a tiära, tho... | The years are pretty much guesses here, tho my mother (appearing with me as a fellow vampire) agrees that they are possible. It seems they must be two years in a row, for after this I seem t'have abandonned the notion that all costumes must involve a black mask, and then there is that they employ the same cape—th'other side is black, so I used it for all 'twas worth. | |
Enough of this...
...more of else