Products of the Universe

***Products of the Universe*** is Marsha Tanley's television show on the LH Shopping Channel. It showcases various merchandise. The credits indicate it take place around 1997.

## Featured guests

Dale Frandor is featured in season 6 episode 44, where he demonstrates various unusual items from the Vide Noir line of products to Tanley. He notes that you won't find his products anywhere else, and that they would have been illegal a few years ago. Tanley initially seems a bit hesitant about Frandor but becomes very enthusiastic after trying his products. Frandor shakes and vanishes from sight at the end of the show, to Tanley's amazement.

## Featured products

The segment on Frandor's products is fragmented so descriptions are incomplete.

The **Skygazer's Harness** (N-0615, $12.96) which is modelled by Heidi and is a white domed helmet that hangs over the face with an accompanying piece that is worn on the back using shoulder straps. Frandor explains that it "allows us to gaze into the sky and accept what it is giving us, for our health and the health of those around us." The helmet receives energy from the tube. It's unclear how the device operates because the description cuts off.

Frandor claims that **Mind Pigment** (N-0625, retail $180.95, LHSC $41.96) will help "relive the good old days and rekindle a lost love" and it also moisturizes. He also suggests "not only do you realize how other people affect you, but how you affect other people" and then compares it to the psychoactive brew ayahuasca. Mind Pigment is a colourful cream in a clear container. Tanley, under Frandor's instruction to "scoop and goop" it like sunscreen, applies it to Heidi's forehead to help her "accept the cosmic energy rather than repelling it." Heidi seems concerned before the application and is smiling after, with Frandor explaining the effects are instantaneous.

**Cosmic Ash** (N-0603, retail $31.49, LHSC $27.96) appears to be a grey powder. Frandor introduces it and says "with this new Vide Noir because who wants to end up black brained? And with Cosmic Ash such as this, there are no worries." The Vide Noir hotline separately confirms Cosmic Ash is a product to bring someone back from a Vide Noir overdose. Frandor says it is available in jumbo packs.

The **Cosmic Ash Diffuser** (N-605, retail $595.00, LHSC $389.96) is sold separately. You “tip and sip” the Cosmic Ash, if sipping is breathing through your nose, by placing your face into the diffuser. Frandor explains that "cosmic ash is the cremated remains [...] of living stars' rays and we've cultivated that through processes that are way too complicated for me to go into on this programme." Tanley is amazed by the effects of Cosmic Ash after diffusing some.

**The Balancer's Eye home edition** (N-606, retail $192.00, LHSC $189.96) is a device that looks like a large crystal. Frandor explains it receives its power from the Ojo de Equilibrio, which he discovered in "Aztecan Mexico" (1996) and it "basically this allows your vision to telescope through [...]"

The **Consciousness Neutralizer** (N-0667, $1199.96) is one of Frandor's "most popular products because it is most like a fun toy." The explanation almost entirely cuts out, but he says something about "[...] and begin to take over humanity and it's very easy! You just place the little crystal there inside the little hole [...]" There is then a screen notice explaining that they are sold out of consciousness neutralizers and those experiencing AI emergencies should contact local authorities.

Finally Frandor presents **Vide Noir** (N-0609, retail $99.99, LHSC $19.99), a dark liquid in a glass bottle. He says a few drops will slingshot the user out beyond the astral plane.

## Gallery

Consciousness NeutralizerSky-Gazer's HarnessCosmic AshCosmic Ash DiffuserBalancer's EyeMind pigmentVide Noir
## Promotion

*Products of the Universe* was initially released on a limited number of VHS tapes which were hidden in twenty-five record shops for people to find. It also aired on public access television and on television/VCR sets the band placed in coffee shops and thrift shops. It was later streamed online for a limited time and then released on YouTube. It was also available on VHS from Lord Huron's online store.

## Sources

1. ↑ Ads of the World

* IMDB