Books unbound

A few months I began mucking around with an old German language dressmaking book - painting over a bit, pulling out a page here & there, wanting to but not feeling collage inspired.
A couple of weeks ago I read of a group show in the US called Altered States where artists get hold of a book, any book & make their own alterations.
A favourite illistrative artist, Shannon Freshwater  was included in this show and I got totally inspired. (when you click on her link scroll down her October 2009 blog to view her book alterations and then hit that arrow button & come back to me)
Sadly, as I've found out in the past, I can't draw for shit (probably why I really like artists who can!).
I retrieved a little UK printing of Grimm's Fairy Tales out from under the desk where I'd kept it for something - to cut up initially rather than stick things into.  I remembered a small pile dated photography magazines destined for the recycle bin & began cutting.
===

1. Bits On The Cutting Board #1-

(currently reading Joe Orton's "Head to Toe" a trippy story of parasites on a giant & other hallucinations  - not sure if it shows in the collages.. but what stimulations don't show? - next on the nocturnal reading list is Flannery O'Connor's complete stories - Southern US gothic with splashings of Catholicism)

2. More Bits On The Cutting Board #2

(had a little read of "Teach Yourself Ventriloquism" published 1917 before wondering what I'd get for it on Ebay - may hang on to it and practice putting words in other people's mouths) 

3. In the book - a city streetscape

4. In the book "The Waggish Musician" -

best refer back to reading Joe Orton... but who'd have thought how useful Judy Garland's hand on a microphone could be.  Is Judy worried?  See if you can find her on the cutting board...

I had a chat about my happy scissor distraction with artist Megan Yeo who has suggested we get a group show going for next year - good O, how fun (love to see what Meggs has in mind!) but why did I pick a book with so many pages in it!!!

Got to go,I've just found some old National Geographics - including the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II - includes men in fancy red outfits & little children in their best coats - goody.

nice fly

Hover Flies are about - they are a nice little fly that kills evil aphids and flit about the garden being happy sunny little hovery things.
but how long do they mate for???
this pair was out the front as I waved off AH just now... I watched them a while, chatted, pointed them out,  went inside, looked for the little point & shoot camera, came back out the front & they were still there...

so here they are - fucking little flies:

and what a good time they had!

the sun has set but what's the bet they're still out there...

Still Life at Midday Sunday

I repeat myself when under stress I repeat myself when under stress I repeat myself when under stressI repeat myself when under stress I repeat...
...
- anything in repititon has me reciting the above lyrics by King Crimson - (*here's) the song but you don't hear that line unless you let it play 2 thirds through -
*Postscript February 2010 - the link to the Youtube clip was removed and the only other version I could find was a live one but it's not such a good version - a bit over acted so I'm not replacing the "removed due to (some) violation"

but I'm not saying why I have the same 8 copies of the National Geographic

Spooky #4

shop window Parramatta Road, Camperdown the night before they cluttered it up

Spooky #3

more like - gosh, this looks like a job for Dr Who!

ouch, right in my eye (oh dear, my third eye!!)

Holy card bought in collectables shop yesterday - a bargain at 50c

there wasn't any other script on it - the back is blank, not even a prayer to recite in order to stave off Christian guilt

Still Life at Midnight Sunday

(corner of the kitchen counter - snip snip)

New exhibition...maybe (- part 2)

Re Wednesday's blog - mentioned it to AH - but I got stroppy because any reaction except for cheering sounds like negativity when I'm thinking out my next/current/past - any personal - work... I began with the title 'close to home' no, 'home?' hmmm "Burb?"
Burb ...
sounds good.
So, that's the working title and likely the title and now I've named, no one else is allowed to use it, ok?

Speaking of 'burbs' it's bucketing rain at this moment, which means the builders next door have to go home  

did I say next door? how about right above my head where I am working... then there's the guy that keep walking on the roof - our roof.  "Oh sorry," he says, "Did I give you a fright?"

no, just get off the fucking roof will you

burb:

New exhibition in the making...maybe

I've been going through images & negatives and have come up with the working title "Close to Home" for all the images I've taken in the last while in and around places I've lived in the Inner West of Sydney.

Below - the pie & drinks trailer for the Emu Plains Soccer Club was parked in Newtown a few years ago.  Not something I could easily walk past.

Spooky #2

Doolin - west coast of Ireland (October 2000).  No ghosts here but no paved road - this 500+ year old church & graveyard is off a long walking track - all tall, wet grass, slushy path (the waterproof treatment wore off my shoes the day before...) & brambles.  In the grounds the thick grass hides large holes where graves have sunk - not so much spooky as scary if you don't look where you're walking - that and the occasional stone that falls from the church wall.

Looking at this has prompted me to get some black & white film out of the fridge & load up a camera (stay tuned). 

Stand by your man (till you can stand it no more)

check out this advert a friend sent me (click on it & have a read)

Lysol as a 'feminine hygiene' product -this is a true advertisement.

Her husband is being indifferent towards her so she's told the cause is she pongs.

Lysol, toxic to fish & other creatures I'm sure, was a useful suicide tool, so the thought of using an old rubber bladder with hose filled with Lysol to flush out one's uterus & vagina is beyond me to find a singular word to describe my reaction.


Hopefully she knows to dilute it but if she believes this advert she's pretty bloody stupid.


Where Lysol can be very useful for her if hubby still won't let her sit on his lap and well, really her life is over. Forget turning to vodka or gin - a quick scull of everyone's household favourite, Lysol and her fame will be forever linked with poets and industrial leaders' wives.
Death by Lysol:

English poet, Charolette Mew in 1928
American 'singing' poet, Vachel Lindsay in 1931
Mrs Eleanor Lawson in 1921 (wife of the president of the Allman Gas & Machine Co USA)
and, of course it is the slow death favourite by the dispossessed and poor alcoholics.

Perhaps William Burroughs suggested using Lysol as a douche - although he was more into women using a popular brand of cola (can't remember which book - The Naked Lunch, Nova Express & Junky all merge into the same images of puss and disgust - hmmm, it was likely Nova Express, the most graphic of the 3 me thinks - I read them over 20yrs ago).
 Likely it was one of the promo men with a particular fear dislike of women that thought it would be good. Love and marriage is all about pleasing your man.
 (excuse me while I find a paper bag to yell/vomit into before committing gratuitous acts of heterocide)

love and marriage

she'll soon be using Lysol to hang onto her man...

Hyde Park Sydney Australia 2001 - The groom had a destination fixed in his head as he and his bride were being photographed on 'their day'.  I watched as she battled with her frock & shoes through the heavy mulch in the garden area following his lead.  He did not look back once. Paved walking areas are all over the park.  Such a nice start to a life partnership.

Spooky

I've been trying to find a particular negative - found it after looking for, oh about 2 hours... and along the way I've scanned up some old images such as the above.

This local front door, somewhere in Newtown, I spotted in Spring 2001 - seeing as it's October - season of eallra hālgena ǣfen - (All Hallows’ eve) well, one day really but may as well spook the whole month through.  31st Oct is also All Saints Day - so the word bubble 'help' could be anyone trapped in some foolish religion...

(Ilford HP5 black & white film)

torn

I'm having a series of a personal moral questioning moments today.

Roman Polanski is one of my favourite filmmakers. I've seen many of his films from his student shorts (thanks to SBS TV) and own DVDs of Macbeth, Repulsion, Frantic & The Tenant.
This week, as most people who listen to the news know, he's been arrested in Switzerland at the request of the USA authorities in order to be extradited to the USA for a 1977 offence, which he pleaded guilty of (of a lesser offence) but was not formally charged as he took off as soon as he was able - no formal charge = no statute of limitations.
In the last few years, there have been many priests of various religious denominations that are being charged with old crimes of rape and abuse and the general public is applauding that - "doesn’t matter how the bastard is, lock him up!" The people abused by these clergy are able to resolve some of how they feel and have ended up due to the horror of their childhood.

This is a comparison I've chosen but it's an uneasy comparison - many of the guilty clergy were systematic in their abuse & Polanski, although photographed talking to a couple of (very) young women in Europe around the same time (I recall the photo - he has a bicycle & is in white shorts talking to the girls - but it's in the open folks and everyone has their clothes on), is guilty of one crime at one time.

But what a crime! He talks the mother of a 13yr old into letting the child come unaccompanied to another man's house to photograph her, which he does but he does he drugs her and rapes her, including anally - the kid is 13. I mean, fucken hell, that's appalling.

So where is this girl's Mother? She lets her 13 year old go with him unaccompanied. I mean, does she trust this guy because he's a director? Hasn't she seen his films? In his films there's allsorts including in some; rape, descent into complete madness as well as murder... fabulous films, wonderful films but who lets their 13 year old be taken out of sight to be photographed?

I think when a parent breaches their duty of care with their child, that child is no longer theirs. The Mother had a duty of care, Mother blew that one, didn't she. Wonder why? The sparkle of a big star in her eyes? Her kid gets to be a movie star? This is reminding me of those child pageant fanatics.

Being highly creative and drug-fucked is often the excuse or reason in some cases for dreadful behaviour (John Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas is claimed to have raped his daughter on the eve of her wedding while both under the influence of masses of drugs) but there are plenty of other people who have not behaved this way under the influence and his pre-meditation is obvious when he asked to take photos...

Dreadful things have happen in Roman Polanski's life - he was separated from his parents as a little kid early in WW2 and survived the Krakow Ghetto in WW2 but his mother died in the Auschwitz concentration camp (his Father survived Mauthausen-Gusen).

Then, as we all know, his wife and their child in utero were brutally murdered by one of Charles Manson's followers.

Again, it's difficult to reason his raping a girl with his own sorrow and horror - can you imagine all Holocaust survivors and people whose partners have been murdered going around raping children? - then world comes crumbling down.

Having blog-bleated about all this, I need to mention the most notable argument for releasing RP is the survivor of the rape does not want this to go any further. She said no then and meant it and she's saying no again* and again, no one is listening - well the US authorities aren't - and they are the ones that surely should be.

(*now known as Mrs Geimer, the survivor has filed a legal declaration in Los Angeles formally requesting that the outstanding charges against Polanski be withdrawn and she also sued RP & was monetary compensated - so some of his due is "paid" )

The next point is the same as everyone is asking, why now? The clergy cases were not known of and have only come to light now. The Polanski case is 32 years old and the American authorities have no excuse, really.

Maybe the USA is just one big ego trip - and the ego does not want to be seen as being mocked by a foreigner who did a runner.

My last point is the guy is getting older, has made worthwhile contributions to society (- without art there is no society, I reckon -) and has not re-offended since.

The Swiss, who don't ever seem to offend anyone, are really setting themselves up to being immensely disliked.

The Scottish just let the Libyan, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi (say that 3 times fast!) go home because he's old and crook - he responsible (with others never caught) of killing 270 people (the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 that went down in Lockerbie, Scotland).

Scales of Justice? getting a bit wobbly at the moment I reckon.

I don't know where my soap box is today - it usually begins to crumple sometime but I am perplexed today. I don't think I'm even sitting on it.

How can a strong feminist - me - stick up for a rapist?
I'm not.

My dilemma is reconciling how much I really enjoy respect Roman Polanski's films with what he did. Is he sorry? Has he remorse? His victim, the survivor, has forgiven him but has he asked for forgiveness? To say he does not think about his crime is ridiculous and he surely does feel remorse. If I have any respect for his works, which I do, I have to believe this - just wish I could find his statements about all of this

I'm not reading any of the articles and opinions since I got 1/2 way through an article that parallels what Nazi war criminals did... mmm. Do I smell a celebrity lynching gathering momentum?
I have no respect for the American authorities and I think they blew this one - best you let him go, bow your heads and be humble for once otherwise you may have to explain why you didn't bother for all these years when the opportunity has always been there? He's never been in hiding.

Just when I was going to steer off and mention the USA authorities locking up Australian Greenpeace protesters in hand and feet chains... ummm, and how they treated an innocent man, Australian, Mamdouh Habib in Guantanamo "detainment camp"... oh yeah, Guantanamo...

...there it goes, my soap box just found, has now crumpled.

Postscript 2 October 2009 - It occured to me while discussing this over dinner with friends that none of us know what happened to Roman Polanski when he was alone, 'relying on the kindness of others' as a young child... Again, it's hard to comprehend any of this.
Also, I forgot to reference my information - it comes from all over the place - partly my memory & Wikipedia & various online newspapers - Australian, British, USA

picture this

One a wet day this winter (we did have a couple as I recall) - the only image maker I had on me was the old mobile phone but I had this image printed 48x39cm and it looks fab. 
 Paddington, Sydney Australia 2009

Mary Travers - if the cancer don't get you, the chemo will

Mary Travers - November 9, 1936 – September 16, 2009

How sad that Mary from Peter, Paul and Mary has died from the chemotherapy that was supposed to kill the cancer she had - guess it did but it killed her too.

Peter, Paul & Mary played a role in my growing up. When I was little we had limited choices of music to listen to - consisting solely on my Mum's records for many years. Of the few I remember Julie Felix (we played the Old Grey Goose (is dead) a lot), Glen Campbell (bit too boring to a kid although I know the songs - scary!), Harry Seacombe - the goon sang but it was too operatic for us kids.

The record we did play and played and played was the double live 1964 album, Peter, Paul and Mary in Concert. Not only was there some beautiful harmonised singing, it was funny too - Paul Stookey was also a stand up comedian (I still mimic "here they come, there they are, don't look at them!" about teeny girls 'not' talking to boys).
This record made such an impression, I bought myself a second hand copy of the LP as an adult and my Mum tells me that another of my sisters has done the same. I think there's a few of us who have this record (Mum had 7 kids).

PP&M sang folk with political & spiritual themes. Some of the music is early English folk - Oh Waly Waly (called "There is a Ship" on the album) & The Three Ravens - 15th Century songs performed more recently by Counter-Tenor Superstar, Andreas Scholl (sound bites of his versions can be found here ) and it's these folk ballad about loss and death I enjoy most. Even the more religious type spiritual songs of theirs move me... but the roudy folky all together now... well that will do for the moment...(let's not get too carried away)

- I was writing this blog this morning as I waited for the vet to come & have a look at my near 20yr old moggie to confirm the inevitable - that the cat would have to be put down.

 I telephoned my partner to come home from work & the deed was done.

I already had the PPM record on the turntable so I sat the needle to play 500 Miles while my very sweet little animal died.

Compostt - a sweet animal - and really fun company 1989-2009

From my collection - One a Penny Two a Penny Hot Cross Buns

One a penny... (photographer unknown) circa WWII

I have a couple of World War 2 photographs in my small photography collection that I can only make guesses about. 
This one is a real favourite of mine and I've just scanned it larger (it's a standard 3x4 inch shot) & have begun to clean it up.
This image has such a story - Airmen between jobs resting - but where? I thought it was a classroom but the chairs tell me different.  The old English Hot Cross Buns rhyme on the blackboard could possibly give away the time of year (originally thought to be Polytheist or Pagan, Hot Cross Buns is also used by Christians & is thought to have first been mentioned in the early 1700s & the 4 squares represent the 4 phases of the moon) - the cursive writing next to the hotxbuns is not in focus.  The clock looks like it's just after 4.30.  The Airmen are reading & resting - the one on the far left looks like he is reading a letter or he could be flipping through photos taken by the person taking this shot. 
I especially like the boot in the window - do you think it's smelly & getting an airing or was it wet...
The hats suggest (and I'm pretty sure here) these are Australians.
It's printed on Velox paper (a standard Kodak paper of the time) but there is nothing written on the photo - I have no names, or providence except I acquired this one in South Australia over 20 years ago.

"stop buying things online and come for a walk" - so I find a camera to buy

AH got me out of the house the other day - we had a look at some outdoor markets where I scored an excellent Ricoh rangefinder camera, complete with case & box, circa 1960.  I got the guy down to $40.00 (that's AUD) - a good price for a mint camera.  And it looks good too:

mmm, so shiny

So I put a roll of film in it and wound off a few.  The camera doesn't have a light meter so I have to wing it or cart around my rather clunky spot meter - I chose to travel light.

Oh, this little camera is my new good friend (Camperdown Cemetery Sept 2009)

Here comes Mother

My Mother-out-law is visiting Sydney next week. Partner, AH has booked accommodation.

We considered Bates Motel but found something better.




Folks gave up a few years ago in thinking it's OK to stay with us.
Seems I'm really grumpy with visitors in our little house... works for me.

City South End

(Sydney Australia October 2008)

Escape!

(Camperdown August 2009 - this follows the photo in the blog below when I looked up)

Number Five Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy Nine

(POSTSCRIPT - 29 September 2009 - Oh pooh, the short life of a rating in the speedy world of the internet - my ranking today is now 16054
POSTSCRIPT 10 October - now it's in the 500s - I love the site once again...
POSTSCRIPT Later that month - spent over a week at number 1 & to date at 2 November am at No.2 - has it generated any fine art photograph sales? no but I think someone from Latvia is nicking off with some digital copies...)

That's number 5779 out of 10,000 of the best websites worldwide - gosh!
my website is on the site: Top 10,000


According to their site:
Top10000.info is a compilation of the best websites on the Internet. We scan thousands of websites daily to provide users with the most up to date information.

annnd, people can write glowing reviews (hint hint, begging now...)

"Best" websites - yaye!

gosh, best I update my website... it's been a couple of months... a few


I would also like to point out that the site is my design, not the embedded hosts that put the framework together after which I spent 45 hours getting to look like it does. This is what an artist can do on a minimum (read: nil!) budget and by learning a basic CMS, one is also able to be in control and upload or change anytime.

==
Can't upload a new post with just script so here's a new photo:



sort of matches the subject...

Camperdown 25 August around midday - a bit of a trick to work it out but it's the straight shot as I saw it and I was standing when I took the shot, not squatting in a gutter.
Maybe that lets on I'm a shortarse...

Newtown

dusk sometime earlier this year taken with old mobile phone - while waiting to meet a friend

Francoise Hardy

been having a week of Francoise the Vogue years 1962 - 1967


Merveilleux!

After The Cheerleaders - revisiting Enmore

Sunday 3 or more years ago, I took a winter walk with a camera loaded with black & white film to see if I could find some good shots - one from that productive day I called "Cheerleaders" Enmore - after the paste up paper image of cheerleaders next a doorway here it is (a crop of the original negative):



This Sunday today, I've just finished working on an image - this time colour / cross-processed slide film - took a while and my eyes are dry from the computer monitor (would help if I didn't get so distracted in Wikipedia, IMDb, Ebay, Youtube... oh, and googling me - but I couldn't find the soft porn lesbian (fake straight chicks of course - Kak!) German webpage that has a link to my website... yeah, I don't fucken' know either)


== on with the art moment - here's Cheerleaders re-visited Winter 2009:


think I'll call it 'After The Cheerleaders"

I'm really pleased with this shot & AH has given it her seal of feedback approval.
(love the alien shadow on the footpath at the left too...)

Structure

I haven't got any in my life but here's structure in Leichhardt, Sydney Australia
30th March 2009 4.30PM

On the way back to Newtown...

I looked out of the bus window and spotted this image from City Road looking into Sydney Uni & got out the next stop, walked back & finished off a roll of old slide film in my little cheapie rangefinder (to be cross-processed at the lab by the weekend)

I also took a snap with the pocket digital for that instant gratification:



Wednesday 12 August 2009 @ 4PM EST
(image copyright)

Buying Records in Kings Cross

I worked a few hours in Screen Australia this week - the offices are in William Street, Woolloomooloo (spell that word 3x fast) with fabulous views overlooking The Domain & Woolloomooloo Wharf.

After paper shuffling for a bit, I made my escape and visited a back room of a Kings Cross bookshop - no, not a porn peep show but a room full of a couple thousand records neatly shelved with a fair amount of order along with a flash turntable & speakers to play potential purchases.

Two of the records I would've bought unheard just for their fabulous covers (good thing they sound OK too)

This 1950s Barbara Carroll Trio is a real treat - her piano playing is jazz perfect.



Barbara Carroll is now 84 years old.
Seems jazz players either die early (her double bass player, Joe Shulman died at 33)or seem to live forever (herself as example and Dave Brubeck is 89!)
Rummaging some more, I find an original Tamla Motown 'chartbusters' compilation LP



What else did I find... Well a very young Peggy Lee, Earl Grant making good jazz with an organ (yeah, get down!) and an excellent 1964 Della Reese...

but then I found in stunning condition:

LOOK! IT'S SHIRLEY




Shirley Abicair and her Zither looking seductive on the telly.

On the record she sings and plays up a storm - wow (best not to overdo it... maybe that's why the record is in such good condition...)

but what is that in the shorts of little boy on the left... maybe just a little too much starch (if you click on the picture, it will enlarge for a better rear of the shorts view)


As with all Phillips artists depicted on telly (Fontana was a Phillips company), the television is a top model Phillips brand - you may recall a previous blog with a Phillips telly on the cover



and here's a perfect example of what Shirley has to offer:



have a listen - it's Shirley!

Shirley Abicair hails from Melbourne but worked in America and the UK for a long time. She has played with Larry Adler, toured the Soviet Union (1962) and had her own London theatre show (in 1969)She is in her late 70s and is reportedly still globe trotting.

There goes the sun - 5.29PM Friday from my back yard

but what a winter sunset - colour & light like that in summer sometimes means there's a fire somewhere but I haven't heard anything (haven't listened to the news since this morning though..) - no storm brewing either...
just another gorgeous Sydney winter day

Nancy Sinatra - Because sometimes you just have to

These Boots Are Made For Walking -

The elusive 45 - How Can I Be Sure?

How can I (really) be sure I'll ever end up with this one final 45 to complete my 1963-1970 Dusty Springfield 45 & EP records released in the UK.

This 45 with How Can I Be Sure on side A & Spooky on the B is eluding me.
Sure, I can get it if I'm prepared to pay $30-60 when it does show up online but, oh really, I don't think so. If a 45 is going to cost that much... well, that's a good dinner out...it would have to be factory sealed and unplayed and another record entirely - I'd have to think about that - I have and I don't think there is one...

It gets me wondering what it is about this particular record that makes it so collectible - there are rarer ones about that sell for reasonable prices...

I am wondering about the popularity of this particular 45 - it may be all due to the B-side:
Could it be that Spooky was used in the soundtrack of that Guy Ritchie film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Haven't seen that film yet - will probably get round to it when it's back on telly and I notice it is, maybe but it has once again made Dusty cool and hip...

Could it be that in the film clip of Spooky, Dusty Springfield is wearing an Ossie Clark frock (called "Traffic Light Gown")
One of these frocks sold in 2006 for GBP600 - here it is in my Millers Collectables:




Ossie Clark (9 June 1942–6 August 1996) was a big fashion designer in the 1960s through to about 1974, disappeared into obscurity in the 1980s (not surprising - fashion in the 80s was often horrid) and was in the media again in 1996 after being murdered in his Kensington Council flat by a younger ex-lover whose mind had gone off the rails.

It could simply be that not many 45s of this were pressed in the UK (it wasn't released in the USA)- it reached 36 in the charts after 4 weeks in.

I dunno... I've also read the song was used to sell beer in the UK on telly in 2006.

What I do know is Dusty Springfield was an excellent live singer - there are many TV performances around to prove that - but she was a pretty hopeless lip-sync performer as can be seen here wearing said frock:

** postscript 25 September 2009- I don't believe it - some scabby corporate has taken this off Youtube - I dont think anyone is selling your video mate... in fact it may generate some legit sales - crusty scabby unfair - I'll find a photo & upload it soon - ahh, but I found a link with it - I wonder how long it will last.
so, here it is again:

==
and here she is singing the A-side live - not in an Ossie frock - this frock - it's a silk dress by Eric Plant for Darnell of London - is not such a good look in the frock sense but an excellent live performance (on the Morcambe and Wise show)
- the carnival-style sound with accordion mid-way is good stuff on the studio recorded version.




I have the A side on CD and an LP & the B side on CD only. As far as I can find out, was only released on record that one time - that may be the answer there on why this 45 still eludes me.

I do enjoy watching hard core buyers on ebay having a bun fight over this one and when they all have their own copy, I'll pop in and get a bargain*...

(*Postscript - and I did - in very near mint condition - nnyah nnyah)

Cool Jazz and Serendipity

I was feeling like the coolest ear on earth when I noodled about in ebay and scored this Dave Brubeck Quartet In Europe (live) picture cover 45 with Joe Morello on one of the best jazz drum solos during Watusi Drums

You wouldn't think him such a fabulous drummer to look at him - one could mistake him for an accountant but have a look at this gem of a drum solo - he makes it look so easy... even as he pushes his "bottom of bottles" spectacles up, he doesn't miss a beat.



Today was another of those gorgeous sunny Sydney winter days so I went on a 10km walk to Rozelle & back (don't be too impressed, it was a slow walk) - on a mission to get my twin her birthday present.
Gee, the 2nd hand markets just happen to be across the road from where I bought her a present - first stall I looked at had records - a quick flick and there's Joe Morello's 1962 LP, It's About Time in "New Orthonphonic" High Fidelity. I am assured on the back by RCA monophonic records can be played on stereophonic equipped for stereophonic reproduction"

Wow, that's a relief.
So I give it a bit of a clean and pop in on the turntable and it's very cool - no big big drum solos but very nice.



As you can read, this is his first solo but a quick search will bring up reference to a 1956 album - cheeky record company. (the image is a cropped version of the sleeve because I couldn't be bothered photographing it & bunged the cover in the scanner instead)

So now all I need for this week is a copy of Barbara Lewis singing Don't Forget About Me and I'm set

(- if you click on the link you'll have to scroll down to track 14 for a sample listen) - it's an excellent version - never was a hit in 1966.

At the moment I can't be bothered to set music up on the share box music thingy and have proper music listening links here... one day maybe.
Did I mention I'm reading the biography of Nico? she was a liar

Nostalgia, childhood, perfect pop and mystery singers

Brought home a cutie 45: Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) by Edison Lighthouse.
I was a little kid when this came out but like Melting Pot by Blue Mink amongst others, it is one of my favourites. It really is a fab example of perfect pop of its era - maybe now.
Do we as adults eventually revert to music, clothes and ideas we had as children that made us feel good?
I don't have any canvas beachcombers anymore but I still own some navy corduroy pants (OBVIOUSLY not the same ones I wore to the Italian wedding at the age of 7 or 8 with a maroon waistcoat - I loved that outfit). there's a flannie shirt about and yes, I have a maroon waistcoat - not velvet but... Then there's the salmon coloured slacks with the double eye-looking circles and the white sash belt! Loved those super dooper groovy pants from the early 70s - I don't think I could match those even bespoke.
Maybe we keep a collection of affectionate memories that sometimes spill out from where they were filed all that time ago in the mind - so one could exclaim, epiphany! so often instead of realising the memory trigger...
Like this song - story goes I sang a few lines of it after using a cosmetic that has rosemary in it. Turns out my partner had never heard the song - thought I was making it up... Thanks to YouTube, I found it & liked it so much that I went out & found a 45 that week - almost 40yrs after its release - this world is really good fun. And AH likes the song too - her first listen 39 1/2 years after it was released.

So, onto the mystery. Who is the most gorgeous guy I've seen from ages lip syncing in the clip?

(take no notice of the patched in monologue running across the bottom of the clip, it's mostly wrong but it's the best voice-video synced version I could find)

I looked them up & the singer comes up at Tony Burrows so I look him up and it's not the same guy - Tony Burrows being a bit ordinary to look at and very disappointing - well, a bit fugly really - I was expecting to see the cute one live and I'm wondering if it's one of the guitarists, Ray Dorey maybe. Naming the band members against photographs is eluding me and I'm usually an excellent net sleuth. As I was trying to find a picture that matched boy singer, the web search even came up with a photo of David Cassidy as the lead singer of this band!

ahh well, don't matter.. So - onto playing the song and that pretty, pretty fella! Not to mention that body shirt! pure polyester no doubt (armpits to be avoided within 15 minutes of putting it on)

Dolly

gosh




It's Dolly

Caught on film - no, sensor... umm, good art!

How do you say 'caught on film' when someone takes your photo on a digital camera?
That's me in the foreground the short one on the left with the hair & little sailor looking coat, talking to Megan's cleavage - can I say that?!!! bad, bad - best I go self-flaggelate... ahh , that's better (it looks more like I'm counting with my fingers... probably am)

I went to a group exhibition with a heavy bias on first night dips on Megan Yeo's work (I missed her last Gaffa Show and was spewing!) - I'd just got a hint about my tax returns (2 weeks and I still ain't got the bucks but - yikes, have I spent it all?) and figured there could be something there for sale so I could be challenged to create another vacant place on our wall.
And there was.


"Bring on the Ravens" by Megan Yeo - I'm bringing them home - yaye
AH reckons she may not cope with our Queen being in an in her face place so I may have to put her above the other bed... hmmm, that's an idea, best I check for a spot without loose plaster under the crappy wall paint - love an Inner West rental...

(thanks to Megan Yeo for letting me nick the images off her blog - now that I am asking post theft.. cheers cuz!)
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postscript - how to work at home with a cat lying across your wrists as you type - she managed to publish this post twice before I'd finished

Germans can be a bit potty (one more from my collection)

And here's the proof




This little photo (only 10cm x 6cm) was created by a Dresden photographer in 1889 to advertise Knapman's "BIG GUN" Tonic Ale.

That's some pretty clever edit work - Photomontage before the Dadaists made it their own...

I've enlarged it for viewing pleasure (click for a bigger view)

I'm liking the top hats (very Fagan / Artful Dodger) but it's the little one with her/his tongue out in the face of the clock at the top that really tickles me.

yes, babies on the pot have a lot to do with beer...

damn, Germans are fun!

No.., they really are.

And I am absolutely bias.



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