Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Retro: Kimmer

Retro: Kimmer

Link to Retro: Kimmer

SAM AND DAVE : SOOTHE ME....

Posted: 25 May 2011 07:21 PM PDT



One of the best things about having Scott Morgan for a friend is the super soul tunes he sends me via email. I never know what is coming next. Tonight he sent the Sam and Dave tune "Soothe Me". Oh man do I love this tune! Scott said,"you know if these guys had a good band they might be able to make it." LOL

Scott told me the band is Booker T and MG'S with the Memphis Horns backing up Sam and Dave. Otis Redding was on this tour and told the promoters that he'd never follow Sam and Dave again....

Oh I wish I could have seen this show...

JOHN VARVATOS/ALL STAR 10 YEAR AD CAMPAIGN

Posted: 25 May 2011 10:38 AM PDT


John Varvatos

John Varvatos was born in Detroit and grew up in Allen Park, a downriver community situated downriver from the city of Detroit. He attended Allen Park High School. Varvatos joined Polo Ralph Lauren in 1983. He then moved to Calvin Klein in 1990 where he was appointed head of menswear design and oversaw the launch of the men's collection and the cK brand. In 1995, he returned to Ralph Lauren as Head of Menswear Design for all Polo Ralph Lauren brands and created the successful Polo Jeans Company.

In late 1999, Varvatos started his eponymous company, debuting his first clothing line at the end of 2000. The collection consisted of tailored high fashion wear, the brand now represents an entire lifestyle that includes belts, handbags, footwear, eyewear, limited edition watches, luxury skincare and fragrances (including one for women).


John Varvatos Website

I first heard about Designer John Varvatos from Deniz Tek, Scott Morgan, and Al King. As Powertrane they played at JV's store 315 Bowery in NYC which used to be CBGB's. JV bought the location and turned it into his famous store.



The Powertrane guys had a great time at JV's store and I heard all about their gig there. After hearing their accounts I met JV via email. He was in town for the Stooges gig last month but I sadly didn't get a chance to meet him.

John hails from Allen Park just downriver from Detroit... JV is a HUGE Detroit rock n roll fan. We definitely have that in common...

John Varvatos has a huge 10 year ad campaign and it incredible! Check it out HERE

I heard that the MC5 was up for an ad too and have my fingers crossed on that one.

Here is the current spot running with The Stooges...

Don't miss John's Sirius XM Radio Show "Born in Detroit"


SCOTT RICHARDSON AND THE SRC REUNION SHOW

Posted: 25 May 2011 07:35 AM PDT


Scott Richardson

Just got off the phone with Scott Richardson. The upcoming SRC (Scot Richard Case) reunion show is in full swing. The Magic Bag show is almost sold out so if you haven't got your tickets best move on that right now... Buy Tickets HERE

The Official SRC Line up will be:

Scott Richardson (vocals)
Glenn Quackenbush (keyboards)
Gary Quackenbush (guitar)
Steve Lyman (guitar)
Ray Goodman (guitar)
Ralph McKee (bass)
Ralph Serafino (drums)

6/25/2011
Event Hotline: (248) 544-3030
The Magic Bag in Ferndale
22920 Woodward Avenue
Ferndale, MI 48220-1737
(248) 544-3030

SRC
WSG Outrageous Cherry
$25.00 (SRO)
Doors open 8pm

Here is a little video I made for Scott R...



THE FUGITIVES/SRC STORY Bruno Ceriotti

[New post] The Outer Limits: The Borderlands

The Outer Limits: The Borderlands

dailypop | May 25, 2011 at 8:33 am | Tags: outer limits retro tv science fiction | Categories: Cult SciFi, Cult TV | URL: http://wp.me/p4kUt-2Fw

"The mind of man has always longed to know what lies beyond the world we live in. Explorers have ventured into the deeps and the heights. Of these explorers some are scientists, some are mystics. Each is driven by a different purpose. The one thing they share in common is a wish to cross the Borderlands that lie beyond the Outer Limits."

The Outer Limits: The Borderlands

Season One, Episode Twelve
December, 1963

________________________________________________________________________________

I know that there are fans of Star Trek and fans of the Twilight Zone who will claim that their favorite programs pioneered the way for TV science fiction. Of course there are several predecessors in that field including Quatermass, One Step Beyond and more... but personally I hold the Outer Limits in high regard. It combined the elements of pulp sensibilities with modern story telling techniques along with the latest in cutting edge special effects to produce some of the weirdest and most enduring televisual statements of the 20th Century.

The program ran for a scant two years yet many avid TV viewers recall at least or two episodes in sharp clarity due to the nightmarish visuals and evocative cinematography. I have been randomly reviewing episodes of the Outer Limits for about four to five years now, often throwing a disc in and choosing at random.

The twelve episode of the program's first year was initially intended as the first, but it lost out to the stellar The Galaxy Being. The Borderlands is a very clever story that functions on several levels. As a pulp sci-fi tale it involves the use of magnetism, that invisible force that binds the universe together, to cross over to another dimension. From another perspective it is about the need for some to believe in the unbelievable as well as the short-sightedness of others who seek power above all else, refusing to see beyond the five senses.


The story opens with Ian Frasier conducting an experiment with electromagnetism. The result is startling and alters not just his imagination but his body as well, transforming his left hand into a second right hand. This gives him a glimpse into a world beyond this one, perhaps traversable if enough power could be generated to create sufficient force. Looking for a backer, he finds the ideal candidate in local money bags Dwight Hartley who desperately wishes to contact his recently deceased son.

Hartley has ardently searched out a means to contact the 'other world' through clairvoyants. Fraisier and his associates attend one of these seances and reveal it to be a hoax. The psychic insists that she has reached Hartley's son, and her associate devotedly backs her up as the only hope that Hartley has, but after their trick has been revealed they don't really have a leg to stand on. Ironically, Ian Frasier then pitches his scheme using magnets as method of inter-dimensional travel, appearing to be a much more flamboyant scam artist to Hartley's fellow executive and business partner, Edgar Price. But Hartley is sold.

By blacking out the entire power grid of the local area and dedicating those resources to the experiment, Frasier hopes to break through the sundered veil between this realm and another. Strangely, no one ever theorizes that the other world is the after life yet Hartley is sure that the experiment will grant him the opportunity to contact his son. The preparations are intense and arduous, made all the more uncomfortable by Edgar Price, who reminds Frasier that he is a contractor and any obliged to report any otherworldly discoveries to him directly. Similarly, Frasier's wife reminds him of his importance to her and her fears of losing him (though it appears that she has already lost him to his work).

As the scientific crew prepare for the event, the psychic and her associate manage to somehow sneak into the installation, thinking that the entire operation is nothing more than some colossal con. By tampering with the equipment, they damage the experiment, almost trapping Frasier in the other world as he experiences bizarre feelings of disorientation and views strange alien landscapes that overlap our perceived world. His devoted wife manages to grab his (now 'fixed') left hands and drag him back to reality, thus proving that there is one invisible force running throughout the universe more powerful than any other.

However, Hartley's need to contact his son proves too great, prompting him to enter the magnetic field and disintegrate into atoms.


The Borderlands is a very slow-paced episode, but there's a lot to love here. Ian Frasier is your typical hard-as-nails 1950' scientist that many fans of magazines and comic books will recognize. So single-minded is he that he even distorts his own body in search of his goal! Played by veteran actor of stage and screen Peter Mark Richman (familiar to MST3K fans from Agent from H.A.R.M. and from his appearances in Star Trek the Next Generation and the original Battlestar Galactica), Frasier is intensely distracted by his work, much like a pioneer or alchemist on the verge of a breakthrough. He has clearly taken many parts of his life for granted, seemingly detached from his wife and friends and ambivalent to the possibility of getting lost in another reality. Frasier is a compelling character, stoic yet surprisingly passionate when he is faced with the vastness of the unknown and realizes what is most important to him.

Unlike all other Outer Limits stories, the Borderlands does not feature a single monster (the network insisted that every episode featured one), yet it does contain one of the trippiest sequences ever shown on TV at the time as we witness Frasier's image distort, duplicate and overlap in a silently screaming expression, his words out of sync with his mouth. The sequence sees to extend for ages and takes on a hypnotic if not meditative effect on the viewer.

While not a stand out of the golden standard variety, The Borderlands remains one of the more ambitiously intelligent and sincere of the Outer Limits series.

watch?v=ZrolKTXtt_M

For the finest source of Outer Limits reviews and articles, I highly recommend the siteWe Are Controlling Transmission.

Recommended:

Outer Limits: The Official Companion

The Outer Limits Original Series Complete Box Set

TIME ENOUGH AT LAST & Other SF Stories that Inspired Classic Episodes of The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Tales of Tomorrow, and Other Classic SF Television Series

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Latest articles from Retro To Go

Latest articles from Retro To Go


Floral Print Palazzo Trousers from Boohoo

Posted: 24 May 2011 10:25 AM PDT

Palazzoprinted

As skinny legged trousers fall back out of favour with mainstream fashion, designers have gone in the opposite direction in this season's fit. Both fifties and seventies style wide-legged trousers are popping up everywhere, with these Floral Print Palazzo Trousers from Boohoo offering something for the braver retro lovers out there.

The palazzo cut is heavily seventies influenced, with a high waistline and loose wide-leg the silhouette is ideal for the luxurious and flowing feel of seventies Riviera style. The bold floral print, while not for the faint of heart, recalls the decadent feel of the mainstream taste of the time.

They're now available online from Boohoo for £20.

Find out more from the website

Eastern Embellished Tunic from Wallis

Posted: 24 May 2011 10:00 AM PDT

Orangetunic

The use of Eastern and African influences in vintage fashion is often best remembered in later sixties looks, worn on almost everyone from The Beatles to Woodstock kids. The hippy aesthetic didn't die with that decade, however, with the 1970s taking those influences further into the mainstream.

This Eastern Embellished Tunic from Wallis taps into that time in seventies fashion, with a print and loose fitting cut that provides a more polished version of folky sixties style. The use of intricate paisley print, rich bright colours and a loose chiffon fabric combines to create a look that's just ethereal enough for the masses of the era.

It's available now from Wallis for £36.

Find out more from the website

Helen Rochfort "Smell me Cherry" Handbag

Posted: 24 May 2011 07:14 AM PDT

  Helen Rochfort

We've featured Helen Rochfort's retro-inspired handbags in these pages before but the "Smell me Cherry" Handbag deserves a special mention.

Based on a vintage frame box-bag design it has a fabulous shape and is capacious enough for the proverbial kitchen sink. The silver bag is decorated with a hand-printed design of fruit-machine cherries adorned with some diamante for extra bling. The interior is pink and silky, with a zipped coin purse for your loose change. Best of all, it actually smells of real cherries in a nod to the scratch 'n' sniff sticker craze of the early eighties.

The bag is part of a linited run of 200 and costs £69. You can buy it from Helen's online shop here.

'Too Many Gadgets' Tea Towel

Posted: 24 May 2011 06:18 AM PDT

Tala_teatowellg 
The kitsch image of a 1950s housewife has perhaps been overused, but this 'Too Many Gadgets' Tea Towel made me smile as we've featured several of Talia's retro kitchen products on this site.

It features an image from Talia's archive and shows a housewife surrounded by her Talia labour-saving products.

The tea towel costs £10.50 from The Laundry.

Vintage 'Bossy Woman' Pictures

Posted: 24 May 2011 05:58 AM PDT

Bossy 
 
Brigitte Herrod has created these limited edition Vintage 'Bossy Woman' Pictures exclusively for Rockett St George.

Each box frame consists of a vintage dolls with her hands on her hips and a message. Ready-made messages include Are you listening Frank!, Tea's Ready!, Put the kettle on!, Now wash your hands!, Happy Birthday! or I love you! (the latter two somewhat at odds with her stern expression). You can also opt to have a personalised message instead.

The pictures cost £59 from Rockett St George.

eBay watch: 1950s George Nelson desk by Herman Miller

Posted: 24 May 2011 05:36 AM PDT

Desk

Sadly the auction is out of America, but the seller does offer worldwide shipping of this stunning 1950s George Nelson desk by Herman Miller.

we actually featured this desk in 2007 when it was reissued, with an asking price of a hefty £2,936. We're not sure if this is an original 1958 version or a reissue, but either way, it's an official one by Herman Miller, which is the important thing.

Solid walnut sides, a white laminate top, four hardwood dividers, chrome-finished steel-tube legs, adjustable glides and a 'grommet' for cable management are the features, with the seller claiming it is in 'excellent condition' and 'shows hardly wear'. Bidding right now is at £6.20.

Find out more at the eBay website

Special Edition Miniature Books Tin from Tank Books

Posted: 24 May 2011 02:13 AM PDT

Tankbooks2_1 Cigarette packaging has long been a rich vein of design insipration - notably in the opening credits of indie flick Thank You For Smoking   and now in this Miniature Books Tin from Tank Books.

Six literary classics including Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde come in miniature form (but complete and unabridged), packaged in flip-top cartons complete with clear cellophane wrapping and silver foil. The carton designs use iconic cigarette branding to re-imagine each book's design.

Individual titles are £7.65 each or you can buy the full set, boxed in a  tin, for £42.35.

Find out more at the Tank Books website.



Retro school notebooks from Dotcomgiftshop

Posted: 24 May 2011 02:03 AM PDT

Notebooks

You may be relived to never have to open a school book again but should you be harking back to your school days, you may want to invest in these retro school notebooks from Dotcomgiftshop.

Each notebook is in the style of a classic school notebook, with 30 pages in each and space to write your name, subject and class information on the front cover. They are decorated with an illustration for each subject - the atom and the rocket on the front of the science notebook certainly enhances its retro look.  

They cost £3.95 for the set of three.

Buy them online

Orla Kiely sample sale Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 May

Posted: 24 May 2011 02:02 AM PDT

Orla bags 1

London dwellers will be able to snap up a bit of Orla Kiely at a bargain price later this week, at their sample sale.

The sale promises past season and sample goodies from one of our favourite designers, so if you want to try and grab a good deal, you'd better head over to the Old Truman Brewery. The sale starts on Thursday 26 May at 11am and runs through to Sunday 29 May. 

Entry costs £1, with the money raised going to charity. 

Find out more online

 

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