Monday, May 9, 2011

Retro: Kimmer

Retro: Kimmer

Link to Retro: Kimmer

ORIGINAL DETROIT ROCK BUTTONS FROM SCOTT MORGAN

Posted: 09 May 2011 05:16 PM PDT


The MC5

Hey gang! Look what I found today in my office! Scott Morgan gave me a big bag of original Detroit Rock buttons from back in the day. They are so cool that I just scanned them all and want to show them to you guys.

Stanley T. Madhatter (miss you my friend RIP) would have gone crazy trying to wrestle these gems away from Kimmer!


SRC (Scot Richard Case)


The Second Chance (rock club in Ann Arbor)


Flirt my friend Skid Marx's old band


Fender guitar button


Four Tops (MY FAV) Fan Club button


A big CKLW button I just love this one!!!

There are a bunch more in the slideshow below... Thanks Mr. Morgan! XXOOK

DENIZ TEK AND SONIC'S RENDEZVOUS FLYERS

Posted: 09 May 2011 02:27 PM PDT



Deniz Tek and Radio Birdman have the coolest graphics!



Iconic shot of Fred "Sonic" Smith
both flyers are gifts from Scott Morgan.
Thanks Scott!

MACHINEGUN THOMPSON IS IN THE WOODSHED

Posted: 09 May 2011 01:50 PM PDT


Dennis Thompson and his gorgeous Taye Kit

Talked to MGT today and he is back in the woodshed and the sweat shop gearing up for his upcoming gig in France with Iggy and The Stooges... MGT is hotter than ever and still can pound that kit better than anyone... Here are a few fun videos we made together to get it started...









Visit Machinegun's Blog
Dennis Thompson on Facebook
MGT Myspace
MGT Twitter

[New post] Quick review: Moon Knight #1

Quick review: Moon Knight #1

Quick review: Moon Knight #1

By Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev
The fourth (or is it fifth) volume for this character is here. I remember back in the day seeing grainy ads for Doug Moench and Bill Sienkewicz' run in the pages of Daredevil or Uncanny X-Men, thinking it looked cool. When I finally got to flip through a few issues I was struck at how modern and slick the style was. It read like an action movie, predating tough guy mercenary programs that would become popular in the 1980's. Many people call Moon Knight a second or third rate Batman, those people have usually never read an issue of Moon Knight or they'd see that he is nothing of the sort. He throws crescent darts much like Batman uses batarangs, pilots a crescent moon-shaped copter just as Batman uses a Bat-copter, operates as a debonair playboy by day but that's where the similarities end. Batman may have a kind of 'super sane' way of dealing with the death of his parents and his war on crime may be one of obsessiveness taken to a new level but Moon Knight is a whole other deal.

Once a soldier of fortune, Marc Spector operated with a band of cut-throat ex-special ops soldiers, offering up their skills to the highest bidder. His partner in crime, known as Bushman, took to the life and had himself surgically altered; his face tattooed and teeth filed to points in order to appear more beastly. When Spector and his crew stumbled upon an archeological dig ripe with treasure, Bushman and Spector finally butted heads and Marc paid the price. Gunned down and left for dead, he was placed at the feet of the Egyptian god Konshu. Spector believes that Konshu revived him to be the god's weapon on Earth, resurrected to do the deity's bidding.

Moon Knight also developed four distinct personalities (to mirror the four phases of the moon), including cab-driver and mustache maven Jake Lockley, the hard as nails soldier of fortune Marc Spector, the playboy Steven Grant and the fist of Konshu, Moon Knight. His initial run remains a cult hit with readers which explains why he keeps getting revived over and over. His most recent run consisted of the hyper violent Charlie Huston issues in which Spector took a dark turn and brutalized crooks in the name of his god followed by the reinvention of the character as a seemingly sane crime fighter who had turned his back on Konshu and even killed off his Marc Spector persona (by Gregg Hurwitz). They are all great comics that not only build on what made the character cool back in the day but give him an edge that makes him brand new.

The latest iteration of Moon Knight comes from that blockbuster team that gave us an incredible run on Daredevil, Spider-Woman and currently Scarlet. Bendis and Maleev have a fantastic collaborative vibe that immediately brings attention to a title. The new series follows Moon Knight after he has become a member of the Avengers and appears to have made good on his decision to turn his back on the madness and just be a vigilante dressed all in white fighting bad guys.

Fortunately, this is not the case and Moon Knight is far nuttier than he has been portrayed before simply because he is unaware of his madness. In the past he would see manifestations of Konshu speaking to him as either his former foe Bushman or a miniature goblin version of Konshu. But these days he is as sly businessman operating in LA as Jake Lockley. Shopping the story of Marc Spector and the legend of Moon Knight as a syndicated TV program.

The issue opens with Wolverine, Captain America and Spider-Man arriving to give Moon Knight a talking to and a reality check to make sure he can perform the duties of LA' resident superhero. This is significant since the ads and cover show Moon Knight possessing similar abilities to the three Avengers with the tag line that he is 'all the Avenger you need.'

Yeah, I thought it was a lame tag line too.

Some East Coast supervillains are relocating to sunny California to start up business and the Avengers need to be sure that Moon Knight is capable of taking care of them. Somewhat flippant and distracted, Lockley tries to assure the team that he has a handle on things and immediately gets involved in something way over his head.

A business deal for stolen arms turns out to involve a discarded Ultron robot and a very nasty unknown supervillain capable of intense explosive acts. Retrieving the Ultron head, Moon Knight holds a meeting of the Avengers in his lair, comparing notes and theories. As he concludes that it's a good thing the Avengers have his back, it is revealed that Moon Knight is in fact alone and talking to himself.

While this is a much subtler and more underplayed opening issue than the previous two attempts at the character, I have to admit that it does intrigue me. Stylistically, the new series has captured the 80's noir feel of the Moench/Sienkewicz series and that's a very good thing. I do worry about how long this high profile creative team will be attached to the series and if they do leave soon, will that once again curse the fist of Konshu to an early cancellation?

Who can say.

In the meantime, I recommend picking up an issue and giving it a try. If you are a fan of the street-level Batman, Miller and Janson's Daredevil or the current Black Panther book, this is right up your alley.

Recommended:

Essential Moon Knight, Vol. 1Moon Knight: Countdown to DarkMoon Knight, Vol. 1: The BottomVengeance of Moon Knight, Vol. 1: Shock and Awe

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Latest articles from Retro To Go

Latest articles from Retro To Go


Puma Suede reporter bag

Posted: 08 May 2011 01:45 PM PDT

Suede

Interesting idea from Puma, match up retro sports bag with its classic trainers. As it has done here with the Puma Suede reporter bag.

Available in four colours (red, green, blue and black), it's apparently modelled after the classic Puma Suede trainers, an early 70s basketball shoe and regular on the reissue circuit.

It's made of velour leather, with a double zip, adjustable strap, Puma contrast log, some branding in gold and plenty of capacity - enough for a laptop for example. £45 gets you one directly fro m Puma.

Find out more at the Puma website

eBay watch: 1960s Joe Colombo Elda armchair

Posted: 08 May 2011 12:32 PM PDT

Colombo

You can buy them in the UK, although they're both expensive and incredibly hard to find. So this used version of the iconic Joe Colombo Elda armchair could be worth considering, if you want one in your home.

Amazingly, it sates back to 1963, although it's generally considering a seat of the 70s - perhaps because of its widespread use in sci-fi movies and TV shows of that era.

For your money you get a reinforced ABS plastic swivel seat, with a plush interior of contrasting leather, in this case brown. The current owner has had it for a few years, but describes it as being in 'good condition' with 'a few marks' from age on the shell and obviously, some wear on the leather. £2,300 is the price.

Find out more at the eBay website

Creepy Tree retro-style greetings cards and wrapping paper

Posted: 08 May 2011 11:31 AM PDT

Creepy

We've been meaning to feature Creepy Tree for some time, mainly because we love their retro-style greetings cards and wrapping paper.

Most use cartoon-like images, which remind us a lot of the vintage travel posters of the 60s, the Royston Cooper ones in particular. Cards are available for virtually every occasion, with wrapping paper in colourful repeat designs.

All are made and printed in an eco-friendly way and all are available online from the Brighton-based company. Cards are around £2 plus postage, with gift wrap around the same price per sheet.

Find out more at the Creepy Tree website

Mick Jagger: Young in the 60s photo exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery

Posted: 08 May 2011 11:06 AM PDT

Jagger

It's easy to forget he was ever young, but Mick Jagger was Young in the 60s - and that's the name of a new photography exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

The exhibition documents the singer's early rise and coincides with the British edition of the Arles publication Mick Jagger: The Photobook, being published by Thames and Hudson in May. It includes the first NPG image of Jagger, a Cecil Beaton shot taken in Morocco in 1967, as well as more recent acquisitions, include portraits of the singer by Gered Mankowitz, including one with his prized Aston Martin DB6, an image from the Rolling Stones's first official photo shoot by Philip Townsend, a previously unexhibited colour photograph by Colin Jones (1967), Michael Cooper's study of the Rolling Stones for the cover of their album Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967) and Michael Joseph's decadent image of the group posing with a large menagerie of animals for the gatefold of the Beggar's Banquet album (1968).

It runs from 3rd May - 27th November 2011 at the Bookshop Gallery, admisssion is free.

National Portrait Gallery website

Via Modculture

For sale: 1930s six-bedroom art deco property in Templeogue Road, Dublin

Posted: 08 May 2011 10:58 AM PDT

Dng1

Big thanks to Greg Stevenson on Facebook and Under The Thatch on Twitter for flagging up this stunning 1930s six-bedroom art deco property in Templeogue Road, Dublin. But it does come with a good amount of notoriety.

The house was built in 1939, but gained that notoriety in 1940 when the house was owned by a 'go-between' between the IRA and the German Nazi regime. Indeed, it was used as a safe house for an SS officer - and when it was raided by the police, the owner was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison. The SS man had already departed. You can read the full story from the Irish Times here.

Dng3

That's all ancient history now, with the house escaping that past and making a name for itself as a stylish example of art deco architecture, with plenty of original features still included - a curved sitting room and master bedroom, a mix of marble and parquet floors, corner windows and tiled mantelpieces for example.

However, there is a downside to this uniqueness. Other essential modernising is still to be done, including re-wiring, and updates to the kitchen and bathrooms. But on the plus side, there's plenty of room, with those six bedrooms, reception hall, inner hall, lounge, dining room, living room, study, kitchen, utility room and a bathroom with separate WC. There's also 1/2 acre of walled secluded gardens with a variety of mature trees, hedging, and lots of off street parking.

If you want it, the asking price is €1,250,000. See the agent's site for lots more images.

Find out more at the DNG website

Dng2

Don't Be So Quick to Overlook the Maserati Grecale Folgore

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