Dreamboat #15: No Jousting

Riddle us this. While the economy is plummeting and even cracks in the AI boom are beginning to surface, the American National Retail Federation (NRF) projects that U.S. Halloween spending will reach a record $13.5 billion in 2026. Meaning that despite rising prices and possibility leaking out of a hole somewhere on spaceship earth into infinite space, more people will be spending more money on impressing acquaintances with their fantasy of being a sexy demon fighting robot. Imagination migrates to microplastic. In 2025 $4.3 billion US dollars was spent on Halloween decorations. Your fantasy is a fraction of a figure, baby! Speaking of fantasy, former and cherished Dreamboat of the Week (DOW) Zola Gorgon takes a trip to Spandau for the Gauklerfest, reporting for Dreamboat on the Renaissance Fair, only to stumble on a chilling paradox: capitalism seems to have even unspooled time and embedded itself within Medieval Europe. And why was plastic sword fighting banned from the fair? Zola concludes with what should be the Dreamboat mantra: one’s cynicism is only proportional to that of the world’s itself.

But don’t worry, just because you are one of the sensible ones not dressing up as a pirate this week doesn’t mean you’re missing out. Here are a list of reasons not to be dismal this week: The Cashmere chat is blessed with a new member. Lula was reelected Brazilian president, and by dint becoming DOW this week as well as breaking instagram as Marianna found out. Serbia also got rid of a baddie, as we found on on Shamezam. Plus, Yerin tells us why to screw Tuesdays live and direct from Hamburg, the return of Maultrommel in a digestible (good!) new wave song, and the one and only DJ Grrr serves up a proper line or two in everyone’s favourite metrical and entendred segment: Can I have a line? It’s segments galore this week on Dreamboat. We hope you enjoy!