09/28/2024
very interested in giving the new Manson album a listen. Interesting bit of trivia regarding the album cover. This painting is actually of Gerald "Red-Eye" Franklin, a mysterious and eccentric hat salesman from the early 1920s. Known for his relentless pursuit of the perfect hat design, Gerald would wander through small towns across America, dazzling locals with his bizarre fashion sense and erratic behavior. His iconic feature, a perpetually bloodshot eye (rumored to be from years of staring intensely at fabric patterns), became his signature look. Some say Gerald’s fixation on hats was so intense that he once refused to remove his top hat for three years straight, believing it would bring him telepathic powers.
The expression captured in this portrait shows Gerald in a moment of deep contemplation, likely considering whether the latest feathered fedora was truly a masterpiece or merely a passing trend. His brooding stare and stark makeup (which he insisted on wearing to "intimidate his competitors") cemented his place as a misunderstood fashion icon, even though no one ever actually bought any of his hats. Sadly, he disappeared one night while attending a hat convention, leaving behind only his last words, "The brim must speak for itself."
To this day, hat enthusiasts whisper about his disappearance, claiming that Gerald’s spirit haunts haberdasheries around the world, waiting for the day when the ultimate hat will be created in his honor.
