If you were a part of The Beatles Fan Club in the 60's, you would have received the following Christmas-themed 7" records from John, Paul, George and Ringo. I can think of much worse gifts.
12/22/2011
11/29/2011
V is for Vivian
Sounds like a Hitchcock film, doesn't it? Photo taken during a friend's wedding at ArtSpace111 in Ft. Worth, TX. If only I had 2 grand, then I could have legitimately bought it.
11/28/2011
11/23/2011
Birds Meet Byrds
To pay honor to the timeless tradition of Thanksgiving and all the golden birds we will consume across this great land of ours tomorrow, below is a bird collage paired with a song by The Byrds. These pictures were hanging in a mini-exhibit at the San Francisco airport over the summer and I snapped photos of them via my trusty Hipstamatic iPhone app. Not sure what artist is responsible for them but they are pretty excellent. The songs associated with them are some of my favorite songs by the mighty Byrds. Take flight and gobble-gobble.
Natural Harmony
Dolphin's Smile
I See You
You Ain't Going Nowhere
11/14/2011
The Wonderful Adventures of Nils
1969 Swedish children's book about a boy who in his mischief is shrunken to the size of an elf and how he befriends a tame goose who wants to be a wild goose. Sign me up. Not going to say too much more as I discovered these beautiful illustrations on one of my favorite blogs Toys and Techniques. Mark my words, my kids will be forced at gunpoint to read books like this and not on a fuckin' Kindle either. The real deal or nothing at all. Sigh.
A few choice images below.
11/11/2011
The Mad Dog Killer
...aka Beast With A Gun aka La Belva Col Mitra aka Wild Beasts With Machine Guns (there are 17 titles for this film). Regardless of the title you choose, it's a 1977 Italian exploitation film about a sadistic criminally-minded killer named Nanni Vitali who escapes from prison with a group of misfits and unleashes a wave of fury on innocent people in the form of murder by gun, murder by karate and several forceful rapes. You may recall several clips of the film played in Tarantino's Jackie Brown during the scenes with Bridget Fonda and Robert De Niro getting stoned. As with most exploitation films, the overall quality (dialogue, acting, sequences) are low budget and almost laughable, especially the english language overdub on actors clearly speaking Italian, but it is this consistent flaw that makes films of this genre so intriguing. What is great about this film is the music, high-octane action scenes and tough-as-nails attitude of Nanni Vitali. The man is a complete savage and Helmut Berger gives one helluva performance. The films tagline is spot-on: Out of Prison ... Out of Control ... and Totally Out of His Mind! Below are some stills from the film I captured that should give you an idea of how cool and gritty the film is from a visual perspective.
09/04/2011
Lilys - Won't Make You (Sleepy)
First of many posts that will be dedicated to Kurt Heasley and his ever-evolving Lilys outfit. An artist in the truest sense of the word. Over the course of decades past, Kurt has crafted near-perfect albums across a wealth of stylings, never fully repeating himself on the next release. Shoegaze, Dreampop, Garage Rock, Krautrock, 80's British Revival, its all there...and more. This particular tune comes from their 2003 EP, Selected, and is a revamped version of one of their earliest songs, officially laid down proper with some of Philly's finest groovers. This song slays me every time.
A brief description from the liner notes...
"Often referred to as the last epic, 'Won't Make You (Sleepy) was regarded as one of Lilys' most ethereal pieces both on stage and bootlegged recordings. This studio realization brings closure to an intent but poorly documented chapter in the ensemble's lifetime. In short, what would make you want to shut your eyes? To feel the world inside! Left to your own devices, we hope for your best."
Martin Newell - Late Night
Just discovered this DIY, spazz wave tune thanks to the mighty Turquoise Wisdom and his prolific DJ sets via Cinespia (check them out, folks). Musician responsible for this magic is Martin Newell (british guitarist/songwriter/poet/author). Made this in 1985 via a limited-run cassette called Songs For A Fallow Land. Martin played every instrument and it's all quite good, but this cover of Syd Barrett's 'Late Night' is really something. Get into it.
More on Martin here
LP reissue here
08/31/2011
A Nostalgic Mind Is Born
The birth of my blog. The concept is simple. Music, film, design and odd things from the past that blow my mind. I am constantly on the hunt for this kinda stuff and it brings me great joy when I unlock a hidden treasure. I generally find the past (60's, 70's, 80's) to be much more exciting artistically than present times, but there are certainly exceptions to this rule. More on that later.
