Friday, June 10, 2011

[New post] Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling "EPISODE 1: ARRIVAL" Music Video

Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling "EPISODE 1: ARRIVAL" Music Video

Here's the first music video from the band Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, inspired by Patrick McGoohan's ground-breaking program The Prisoner. Filmed throughout Massachusetts , the video is an astounding achievement. Painstakingly accurate to the source material, the video isn't just a shot-for-shot homage to the classic ITV program, but the song itself is really great.

Featuring a replica of the signature Lotus 7, every camera angle is replicated along with McGoohan's unique facial expressions (performed by lead singer Sophia Cacciola).  As a fan of the original Prisoner I was very impressed by the attention to detail, then taken in by the song as well.

The video recently premiered at the annual Prisoner convention in Portmeirion, Wales (Portmeiricon -http://www.sixofone.co.uk/), where The Prisoner was originally shot and it played at the Boston Underground Film Festival. The online premiere was on Magnet on 6/9/11.

Spread the word, tell your friends and watch.

A still tongue may make a happy life, but silence is far from from a burden in this case.

watch?v=GbUhmwSObto

Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling is a female-fronted duo of drums/vocals and bass. The band name and songs are all inspired by the '60s cult spy-fi TV show The Prisoner. We're loud, arty, minimalist rock working in the realm of proto-punk/new wave/no wave bands and dark songwriters like Joy Division, Einsturzende Neubauten, The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, Diamanda Galás, Nina Hagen, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey, and Leonard Cohen.

The band name Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling is also taken from the title of an episode of The Prisoner - which in turn was taken from the refrain of the theme song to the movie High Noon. The song and film are about honor, moral obligation, fear, and death. The Prisoner is an allegorical science fiction show about breaking free from societal norms and maintaining individuality under the thumb of faceless hierarchy and big-brother style totalitarianism. We thought these were interesting and always-relevant themes to work with, and of course, particularly compelling in the modern political climate.

The band is currently two EPs (April 2010's The New Number 2 and June 2011's Questions Are a Burden to Others) into a project to write and record 17 songs, each one based on/inspired by an episode of the '60s cult spy-fi TV series The Prisoner.

For more info, visit the official website and listen to some songs.

Special thanks to Johnny Caples for sending me this.

Below is a flyer prepared by the band that showcases the original opening and the video. Sterling work!

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[New post] Doctor Who Big Finish- The Chimes of Midnight

Doctor Who Big Finish- The Chimes of Midnight

The Chimes of Midnight

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without my plum pudding!

Story 29
Written by Robert Shearman

Released February 2002

The Doctor and Charley arrive in a dark old house in 1906 to find that time has stopped. None of their actions seem to have any effect on their surroundings, yet Charley is slowly becoming enthralled by sounds from the kitchen and a haunting memory from her childhood. Trapped in a temporal paradox, the Doctor and Charley are witnesses to a series of brutal murders, though the diminishing staff of the house insists that they are suicides. The Doctor's whimsical interest in the anomaly turns to anxiety as Charley becomes part of the repeating events, with a death occurring at the chimes of midnight.

Robert Shearman is an excellent writer, contributing several fan favorite scripts for the audio range of Doctor Who in addition to the 2005 classic Dalek. In addition to his grand ideas, his masterful touch at combining science fiction concepts and drama along with deeply emotional elements make his stories memorable. Even so, I had difficulty in connecting to Chimes of Midnight. Using time travel concepts in a brilliant manner, Shearman's script is an inspired adventure that feels more at home in the world of Sapphire & Steel (a compliment in my book).

The house is populated by a staff that are not only limited in their dialog but also in their very character. They cannot understand anything outside of their world but neither can they address their confusion to out the Doctor for the stranger that he is. They are strands of a trap that entice the Doctor and Charley into their fiction. The cook only wants to talk about her plum pudding, the lady's servant moans about having to do the work of the scullery maid who had killed herself, the chauffeur can't figure out what model car he drives and the butler vehemently refuses to let the Doctor go upstairs. And none of them want to talk about the body that the Doctor and Charley are fussing over as Edith was a nothing and a nobody.

The story's temporal anomaly insisted that the same event kept occurring over and over while refraining from explaining the mysteries of what they meant. At first I found this intriguing but it soon became grating. The emotional tumult toward the conclusion as Edith and Charley both yearned for death while the house itself rallied to live was a bit too much for me but I may have been exhausted from listening to the same thing happen over and over as the Doctor struggled to unravel the riddle of what could have caused the anomaly and who was controlling it. When it is revealed that the house itself is alive and coldly causing the deaths of its inhabitants, I was surprised but ready for the road to that revelation seemed far too long.

McGann and Fisher are once again excellent and one cannot help but think to the Tom Baker/Lis Sladen combination when listening to them in these adventures. They clearly enjoy each other's company and make for one of the most memorable Doctor/companion matches in the program's history. The over-arching story regarding Charley's death on the R-101 is like a peek into the future of the BBC Wales series that still uses a single plot to thread throughout a set of tales. In this case it is intriguing and also speaks to the Doctor's character as he stubbornly refuses to leave her to die as he loves her too much. The romance up to this point (I have yet to hear Scherzo) is very well told. The Eighth Doctor is a deeply passionate individual but also unable to relate to humans in a romantic manner, at least in a fashion that would resemble the Tenth Doctor's teenage trist with Rose years later. In short, I quite like how the production team chose to tell this kind of story and wish that the modern TV program had learned from Big Finish's successes. As Davies was such a follower of the audios, I cannot see why this didn't happen.

The Chimes of Midnight is held in high esteem by fans and there is a lot in it that earns that respect. For myself I found it a bit slow moving but even so I highly recommend it.

Doctor Who – The Chimes of Midnight can be purchased at local retailers such as Mike's Comics and online from Big Finish.

Read other Big Finish reviews at the Daily P.O.P. here.

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[New post] Daredevil joins the Avengers

Daredevil joins the Avengers

dailypop | June 10, 2011 at 7:43 am | Tags: bendis avengers, daredevil avengers marvel comics | Categories: Avengers, Daredevil | URL: http://wp.me/p4kUt-2IM

Daredevil's previous brush with Avengers membership in 1970

The Man Without Fear is finally a member of Marvel Comics biggest superhero team, the Avengers. Joining the ranks of Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and that guy who looks like Wolverine but is actually Demolition Man, DD is classically a loner, though many fans knew that Brian Michael Bendis had planned to include Murdock in his New Avengers line up when the comic book rebooted several years ago.

Present on the Raft during the supervillain breakout, Murdock strangely didn't join the team after the initial tussle that brought Wolverine, Spider-Man, Captain America, Spider-Woman and Luke Cage together. Even though a character resembling Daredevil appeared on the cover and promotional material, that wasn't actually Daredevil, it was a new mystery hero named Ronin. Bendis revealed in a USA Today interview that he was waiting for the right time for old horn head to join the ranks of the Avengers and that the clean slate that is on its way via Mark Waid is the perfect opportunity.

Just don't expect Daredevil to have mellowed just because he's an Avenger now. Not only is he is regular old loner self, he's also still got an eye for the ladies.

"Daredevil, particularly — and I'm to fault for this as anybody — is never really involved in any of the big events," Bendis says. "His story line just never lines up with Skrulls or whatever the hell else we're doing. It was nice to get him in line for an Avengers team, but at the same time have him involved in some of this crazy mishegas we've got going on."
During Fear Itself, the New Avengers are dealing with the Worthy's all-out blitzkrieg on New York City, and Daredevil comes to the rescue as Avengers Mansion comes under siege with Jessica Jones and Luke Cage's little baby inside. "That opens his eyes to maybe this is a good place for him to be right now," Bendis says.

"He needs to rediscover his relationships with the other Marvel characters, and the New Avengers team is filled with a lot of characters he has a lot of history with — some good history and some bad history, and that makes for what we writers call 'awesome drama.'"

Bendis looks forward to writing banter between Daredevil and the likes of Luke Cage and Doctor Strange, whom he has that familiarity with. And then there are the new women in his superhero life.
"Let's not forget that he is one of, if not the, Marvel horndog of all time — no pun intended," Bendis quips. "He does always find a way with the ladies, and we do have a house full of ladies for him to do his extrasensory hitting on that he does. Look forward to some of that!"

Full article here

The Avengers have been very hit and miss with me, but I have to admit that Bendis' enthusiasm for the title has contributed to its high ranking in sale figures. Bendis' adoration for Daredevil is also evident as his award-winning run is still very worthy of recognition today. Combining these two great successes seems like a no-brainer. But should Daredevil be an Avenger at all?

What do you think?

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Latest articles from Retro To Go

Latest articles from Retro To Go


eBay watch: 1960s Phono Boy 7-inch portable record player by Dario and Mario Bellini

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 08:38 AM PDT

Phono

Also known as the Minerva after the company that made them, the Phono Boy 7-inch portable record player by Dario and Mario Bellini actually made its name when Grundig started selling them. But this is one of the original Italian models.

A very hip vintage item from 1968 and a useful one too. Slip in a 45 and you get to play singles, which is useful at record fairs, charity shops, car boots and the like.

According to the seller, it is n 'excellent vintage' condition, with one or two very small marks. Battery-powered, so no worries about changing the electrics. £30.53 is the price right now.

Find out more at the eBay website

Dwell Mixed Message Mug

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 07:28 AM PDT

400-111899 
New in at Dwell is the Mixed Messages Mug.

The mug comes with 150 numbers and characters so you can create your own personalised message. The end result looks rather like a ransom note, which always brings to mind a punk aesthetic. It looks as if it would hold quite a lot of tea too, which is always a good thing in our book.

The mug costs £16.95 from the Dwell website.

V&A and Liberty Art Trays

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 07:17 AM PDT

107782 
You would be forgiven for thinking the print on this V&A and Liberty Art Tray comes from the middle of the last century. In fact, it dates from much further back than that – 1797 to be precise.

The V&A Shop and Liberty Art Fabrics have collaborated on a limited edition collection o f18 printed cottons, featuring designs from quilts in the V&A's collection. The fabric designs have now been put onto a range of different shaped and sized trays.

The trays cost between £18 and £35 from the V&A Shop.

Jonah retro-styled sofa and armchair by James Harrison at Made.com

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 07:14 AM PDT

Jonah

We are loving the retro curves of the Jonah sofa and armchair by James Harrison at Made.com.

As ever, it's a limited deal at Made, so you'll need to get in quick to get this heavily discounted. If you do go for it, take your pick from an armchair, two-seater sofa or three-seater sofa, all with those angles legs, curved arms, sloped back and single seat cushion. There's also a choice of grey or red for the linen mix fabric covering.

Full prices are up to £1,699. but if you order in the next three or so days, the three-seater is £599, the two-seater £499 and the armchairs are £375.

Find out more at the Made.com website

Two suede reissues of the Adidas Spezial trainers

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 07:02 AM PDT

Spez2

A 1970s classic is back on the market in two colours of suede - the Adidas Spezial trainers.

Originally created for that niche sport of handball back in 1979, it was soon picked up for the terraces and has been a pretty popular choice ever since. This reissue has a suede upper, matched with a perforated gum sole for extra cushioning, finished off with gold branding and 'oval' laces.

Take your pick from the navy and Argentina blue above or a blue and white pictured over the page. Both retail for £55.

Find out more at the End Clothing website

Via His Knibs

Spez1

U & I Graphic Art Print by Hunter Jones

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 03:55 AM PDT

  Uandi1
So many graphic prints look beautiful but don't say anything you could live with reading on a daily basis. This U & I print by Hunter Jones takes it's inspiration from vintage chat up lines and manages to come up with a romantic phrase that's also a type-setting pun.

The print reads "If I could rearrange the alphabet I would put U & I together." in a variety of  different monochrome fonts, punctuated with a red heart. It's printed on A3 110 gsm paper and costs £20 (frame not included).

You can buy it from Supernice here.

 

Kangaroo table by Mathieu Mategot

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 03:04 AM PDT

Kangourou_01_500
Gubi are offering a re-issue of a witty design dating back to the 1950s, this Kangaroo table by Mathieu Mategot.

The design dates to 1954 and is made from perforated steel. Why a kangaroo? Well, take a look - this table is in fact made up of two tables, one fitting inside the other one - just like a kangaroo carries her joey in her pouch. 

Available in five different colourways, the table costs £272. 

Buy it from TwentyTwentyOne

Hubert Leslie range at the National Portrait Gallery

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 02:55 AM PDT

Silhouettes_stickynotes

The National Portrait Gallery has produced a new range of products based around the work of Hubert Leslie. Though not a household name, Leslie is known for the cut-paper silhouettes he produced while working on Brighton Pier between the war. 

The product range includes notebooks, mugs and trays based on his striking silhouettes, There's also a couple of badges available featuring two of his most well-known portraits - Anita Loos and opera star Leo Sheffield. 

Prices start at £3 for the stick-it notes pictured. 

See the range online

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