George,

I went into a local antique store 9 years ago and was amazed to see a human skull in a filthy and degraded condition. It was an old phrenology specimen.

I decided to bleach off the dirt of over a century and its texture made me think of artist canvas.Well...that led me to commissioning a motorcycle artist to paint Meatloaf's 'Bat Out of Hell' album cover.

Dean Forward (electronic mail, February 10, 2005)

Editor's Note: In March, I received the photos below. For related article, see Trophy Skulls.