“Confess your sins” is carved in gothic letters on the wood above the crimson-curtained entrance to a strange little booth tucked inside the Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles.
And sure, rock stars and country singers, rappers and jazz musicians have definitely done their share of sinning in the past. But that’s not what this temporary display is about.
No, this is the Ghost pop-up devotional, a confession booth, a photo booth, loaned to the museum by the theatrical Swedish metal band Ghost.
In it, fans are invited to “bare their souls about why they think Ghost are the best rock band in the world,” according to a news release about the odd little addition to the museum. “Make amends and leave atoned.”
The devotional’s arrival at the Grammy Museum in late August is timed to a pair of Ghost shows at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Sept. 11-12 and will remain on display until Sept. 17.
On a wall next to the booth a sign titled “MESSAGE FROM THE CLERGY” – also the title of the band’s 2023 EP – introduces the pop-up.
“We wish to inform you the #GhostDevotional is now open for you to confess your sins to Papa Emeritus at the @grammymuseum,” it reads. “We implore you to visit the exhibit, sit in the handcrafted confession booth and share why you think Ghost is the Best Rock Band In The World.”
Papa Emeritus, or Papa Emeritus IV, to be precise, is the current persona of frontman Tobias Forge, who cofounded the band in 2008. A sort of demonic-looking pope character, Papa has gone through various looks and incarnations over the years.
The Grammy Museum also currently has a display of his Papa Emeritus III outfit – known by fans as the Dead Astaire costume – which was worn to the 2015 Grammys when Ghost won best metal performance for the song “Cirice.”
Forge appears on stage in skull-like makeup, religious vestments and holy hats, including recently a cornette, which looks a bit like a nun’s wimple blown out and…
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