Collage art of David Peters, 1981 -1983

I'll guess that like many, the first place I can remember seeing the art of David Peters was on the short-lived ABC-TV sketch comedy show 'Fridays', back in the early 1980's.

He supplied memorable collage and animation work for the program's opening titles and commercial break cutaways. To my recollection, it was sometimes the most memorable part of the show, and like the show, steeped in a very west-coast, very '80's new-wave style.

Peters was born in Los Angeles in 1949, and over the years his work has appeared in video and film animation, magazines, and on album covers.

These images are from his '1984 and Beyond' wall calendar, printed in 1983 by Great Northern Publishing.

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Get Along Little Doggie ⬆

Meditation ➚

Inter-View ➚

Rocket Motel ➚

Self Portrait ➚

The Next Step ➚

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From what little information I've been able to find, David Peters continued in the field of collage, photography and animation, eventually turning to illustration via the computer.

His interests in aviation and vintage aircraft restoration has led him to 3-dimensional artwork.

Some of Peters' recent sculptural work can be seen online at the del Mano gallery website, along with biographical information covering some of the lifetime of achievements the artist has had in the intervening years since these images were made.

(further linkage) If you like the collage work of David Peters, you may also enjoy checking out The Montage Art of Winston Smith.

Humans - I Live In The City (1980)

This song appeared on a 1980 gatefold 4-song ep released jointly by the City Records label and I.R.S.

It was probably the closest the band Humans came to having a 'hit'.

The band was based out of Santa Cruz, California - - the live tracks that were on the B-side of the record were recorded there, at the renowned Catalyst nightclub.

Performing as a unit from the late '70's to late '80's, Humans was a new-wave band with with surf overtones, a connection they came by honestly.

The two leads and the bass player had all been with one of the premier Southern California surf bands back in the early 1960's, Eddie And The Showmen.

Humans line-up:

Sterling Storm - Lead Vocals, Guitar
John Anderson - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Eric Gies - Bass, Vocals
Jerome Deupree - Drums

Additional Musicians: David Larstein - Keyboards, & Lee Stewart - Keyboards

- - From their 1980 7" ep 'Play', listen to: Humans - I Live In The City (click for audio)

A taste more Godfrey Cambridge; Kool-Aid print ad, circa 1973

The man had a great face...

...Just a wee quickie follow-up to my previous post regarding comedian Godfrey Cambridge.

George 'Wild Child' Butler - Open Up Baby

George 'Wild Child' Butler
(1936-2005) came from rural Alabama and began performing in the late 1950's.

He performed steadily for decades, but didn't achieve too much commercial success until the late 1980's, when well-seasoned elder bluesmen were coming back into vogue.

These few selections are from a down & dirty harp-driven blues album issued on the Charly label back in 1985, collecting tracks recorded in Chicago between 1966-'68.

They'd originally been released on a handful of 45's on the Jewel record label, the sessions produced by the legendary Willie Dixon.

To back Butler's vocals and harmonica in the studio, Dixon gathered together some of the elite blues session men in Chicago at the time, including Jimmy Dawkins, Phil Upchurch, Johnny Twist, and
Cash McCall, as well as Big Walter Horton to carry the lion's share of blues harp alongside Butler's vocals.

Some blistering tough stuff!


Listen to: George 'Wild Child' Butler, from the Charly reissue LP 'Open Up Baby':

Open Up Baby
Axe And The Wind
Jelly Jam
Hold Me Baby
Put It All In There
Hippy Playground

(click for audio)

- - OR download all 6 tracks in one 14.1MB zipfile.

Reasons To Be Cheerful: week of 06/22/07

1. Tears Of The Black Tiger. I mentioned a few weeks back that I was looking forward to this film's US-region 1 DVD release.
I finally got a chance to watch it the other night. It's amazing, a special, exotic confection of a film.

If you've not heard of it, it's something of a Thai spaghetti-western, released in 2000, mixing astonishing use of stunning color imagery with action, violent and gory special effects, epic romance and surrealism.
A darn good time.

If some of the film's references to Thai folklore and its homages to Thai film are lost on me, the fascination is not.
If anything, it makes it come off as even more otherworldly. That quality fits well with the unique saturated colors achieved through a complex process involving transfering the film stock to beta video and later back to film.

Put the DVD on your list, in your queue, whatever - - but check it out if you get the opportunity. It's something different from what you've seen!

2. I was one of the faithful, lined up around the block in 1977, but I've never thought of myself as *too* much of a Star Wars geek.

That being said, darned if I didn't get a surprisingly big kick out of last Sunday's 'Robot Chicken Star Wars Special' on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.

Click the link and check out some clips, if you missed it. I'd already been warming up to the show, but this clever concoction put me over the top.

3. Sally Timms! She makes me happy, even if her songs are often not what one would call 'cheery'.

I'll always tend to be interested in any of the recorded output of all that Mekons crowd. Fortunately they tend to be prolific; Seems that Jon Langford and crew are always releasing a new record.

It's been almost three years now since Sally Timms' album 'In The World Of Him' came out, but I was just having another listen to it the other day. It's still working for me, it's *still* growing on me. Her voice and phrasing are stunning, haunting.

I've just happily discovered that there are some nice live recordings of Timms in concert available over at the Internet Archive site. Dig in, have a listen!

Appreciating Arnold Roth, and on picking through 'Pick A Peck Of Puzzles'

So let's see, how does this story go, again??

Recently I stumbled upon the spot illustration to the left in a 1962 issue of The Saturday Evening Post, attached to an editorial titled 'The Abominable Experts'.

It reminded me how much I've always enjoyed the artwork of Arnold Roth.

I'd seen a fair amount of his cartoons in various publications over the years, and I'd been lucky enough to catch the retrospective exhibition of his work when it passed through San Francisco's Cartoon Art Museum a few years back.

It was an eye-opener.

Reminiscing, I started poring over some of the Roth books I have, including some of his children's books.





Inevitably, I got cozy and began to flip through his 1966 book 'Pick A Peck Of Puzzles' (W.W. Norton)

It'd been the very first place I personally had ever encountered his illustrations.

I'd loved that book as a little kid, couldn't get enough of it.

Sure, puzzles, brain-teasers. rebuses, optical illusions - - that was all well and good for my elementary school eyes, but I remember lingering over his linework, the somehow both iconic and playfully devilish style.

Perfect, and a big influence on my young mind.









Now, I have *no* doubt that I had stared at this book enough as a child that its images became a part of my long-term subconcious.

Still, paging through the book this time, I was struck by Roth's running 'question mark' motif recurring throughout.


Something suddenly clicked, and it helped explain a few things in my life, including my design choices for one of the two tattoos I chose to 'punctuate' myself with long ago.

Honestly, wasn't the influence obvious??
But why hadn't I grasped the connection before???


...Happier than ever with the 'tats, in case you were concerned - - (!!!)



➔
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For just a bit more about Arnold Roth, here's a link to a nice article by cartoonist / illustrator
Steve Stiles.

78s fRom HeLL: Joe Biviano - N.B.C. Polka

Looks like this bouncy little record was released around 1949.

In searching around the web for further information on accordionist Joe Biviano, what comes across most is that he was greatly revered as an instructor.

From one of his former students, at a Joe Biviano Tribute Forum;

"It is my understanding that Joe Biviano began his long impressive career on the Staten Island Ferry and in vaudeville.
Mr. Bivano was then heard on broadcasts on the radio station WEAF.
During the time that I studied with Joe Biviano, I believe that he was staff musician for NBC as well as other popular stations. He was President of the American Accordionists' Association from 1942-1945, 1948-1949, 1967-1968.
He appeared on several TV shows, in films, broadway productions, on radio, recordings, and published several accordion books.

"Joe Biviano founded the Accordion and Music Studio in New York City in 1936. I do not know the exact date that the school was closed. However, I believe that it was in the 1970's.

"I am very honored to have known and studied with Joe Biviano at The Biviano Accordion Center and School of Music on West 48th Street, New York City."

Furthermore, 'accordioning' to Mr. Smarty Pants' Accordion Page, "On April 18, 1939, Joe Biviano, Abe Goldman, and Gene von Halberg became the first people in history to play the accordion in Carnegie Hall, performing Bach's 'Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor'."

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that there's a big trove of information available out there about the history of the NBC chimes. Start with this link to the Wikipedia entry, and if so inclined, follow the links at the bottom of the page to further sites with photos, videos, etc.

Listen to: Joe Biviano with RCA Victor Accordion Orchestra - N.B.C. Polka (click for audio)

Westinghouse Duo ad, 1947: Phonograph with 'portable' radio

I love old hybrid audio equipment like this.

This model is just an older cousin to that fancy gadget you saw at the Megalo-Mart the other day; the table radio/CD player that'll also dock with your iPod.

So let's see - - the radio nests in the the front part of the phonograph cabinet.

Does the phonograph play through the radio's speaker? Or are they completely separate?

The radio can be removed and set up elsewhere, but it doesn't look like cordless battery operation is an option. I'm also amused that the radio doesn't seem to have any sort of handle for removal or portability. 'Lift out, carry about' - - yes, technically, though perhaps not handily. I guess maybe true portables were still a thing of the future, to say nothing of the boombox...

Gotta love the impressive 'automatic' play feature though: "This revolutionary set plays ten 12-inch or twelve 10-inch records... up to *50* minutes of uninterupted recorded music." Imagine!

- - But the geeky audiophile in me still cringes at the thought of the 'convenient automatic play' afforded by those horrid record-stacking spindles. As long as you're scraping all your discs together, why not just use a sandpaper turntable mat and be done with it?

The Soulful Strings - selections from Paint It Black (1966)

The first album by this Chicago studio band delivered some choice cuts among its stack of cover tunes.

Their arrrangement of the Stones' 'Paint It Black' takes the tune further off into a raga realm.

It sounds to me like the version that Eric Burdon and War delivered a few years later owes some its inspiration to this recording.

For some good background information on The Soulful Strings and producer/mastermind Richard Evans, please take a look at this post at Funky 16 Corners.


- - And for just a bit more of Soulful Strings, click over to Office Thug.

From The Soulful Strings' 'Paint It Black' LP (Cadet Records, 1966), Listen to:

Paint It Black
Eight Miles High
Take Five
The Sidewinder

(click for audio)

Two Special Faces Photographed: Fernandel reacts for Philippe Halsman, Anna Russell on Positive Stinking

I recently found a nice old copy of renowned Life Magazine photographer Philippe Halsman's book, 'The Frenchman: A Photographic Interview With Fernandel'. Published by Simon & Schuster in 1949, it's an odd and quietly surprising little book, fitting right in with Halsman's oddly wonderful style.

I vaguely knew of the French actor Fernandel. I've not seen his films, but it's near impossible to forget that face.

The charm of the book put me in mind of another quirky little book, Anna Russell's 'The Power Of Being A Positive Stinker: A Practical Guide On How To Inspire Nobody'. 'Perpetrated' by the incomparable Ms. Russell, with photographs by Arthur Jacob, and published in 1955.

If you're not familiar with her, I strongly encourage you to investigate the works of British-Canadian comedienne Anna Russell. She was one of the coolest people to ever draw a breath.

Anyway, I just thought it might be fun to line up a few of the photos from the two books and see how they got along...


























































































In Ms. Russell's book, as she draws the reader through her 'guide to life', the recto pages contain a photograph corresponding to the verso side text.

In 'The Frenchman', a recto page will contain one stark 'interview question' posed to M. Fernandel, and his response is discovered upon turning the page.

(Click on the example to the right for a demonstration)➔

Though both books have long been out of print, it turns out that 'The Frenchman' has recently been reprinted.

There's more info about the new edition at the Taschen Books website, and you can read Phillippe Halsman's original foreword to the book there as well. I confess I'm a little curious about the new version. Looking at the page count, it's over twice as long as the original. What's the story there?



- For related facial studies on this blog, follow links to:
'Zero Mostel's Face, Zero Mostel's Life' and
'Victor Borge mugs in Smörgås Borge'

A brief Del Close reference leads us along to: Michael O'Brien & John Elk - How To Speak Modern (1980)

ONCE upon a time, long, long ago, there was a curious and wonderful LP recorded, called 'How To Speak Hip'...

The *quite* curious and colorful
Del Close recorded the album in 1959 with John Brent, and it's remained much-beloved by kooky hipsters all over the land.

This would be in between the period of his appearances with The Compass Players in St. Louis, and just prior to his settling in Chicago, where he'd rejoin his compatriots now in The Second City, and help lay the foundations for change in the world of improvisational theater and performance comedy.

There's a charming web page where you can hear the entire 'How To Speak Hip' LP as streaming audio. (Flash plug-in needed)
Amongst the beat-centric links included there is a nice Del Close bio.

Close's previous LP, 'The “Do It Yourself” Psychoanalysis Kit' is likewise floating out there in its download-able entirety, in an old post at PCL Link Dump.

MEANWHILE, in 1980, some twenty-one years later, a small independent San Francisco record label released a 7-inch EP inspired by the album - - An 'update' called 'How To Speak Modern'.

It attempted to capture (in just under twelve minutes) some of the same flavor of its predecessor with the lingo and habits of a new generation.

It was relatively successful in it's attempt as I recall, but listening to it today (gasp! - - twenty-seven years later!?!) it seems almost more dated than the original.

Perhaps as a by-product of its 'modern' stance, the pre-digital age it comes from is more noticeable. No CDs, no e-mail, no voice-mail or personal phone directory on your non-existent cell-phone, no ubiquitous home computers...

...Maybe we're overdue for another update? How To Speak Post-Modern? Or... hmmm.



From Michael O'Brien and John Elk's 45 rpm EP 'How To Speak Modern' (Gamera Records, 1980), Listen to:

Side 1
Side 2

(click for audio)


POST-SCRIPT: A side question for you - - who can supply further information about Michael O'Brien and John Elk and 'How To Speak Modern'?

And another one - - "Music on (the tracks) 'Punk' and 'Wave' by Spys".

I think I vaguely remember a California group, 'Spys' from back in that era. There was apparently also a Canadian 'The Spys' - - ?

Is the 'Spys' in the background of this EP the same group as remembered in this article?

Any info, clarifications, etc from anyone out there is much appreciated. It's got me curious...

Fashion ads from Ebony Magazine, 1970 - '76

A few amazing artifacts, culled from pages in a stack of old Ebony Magazines.

Some of these seem like a great value for mail-order fashion, even at mid-'70's prices.

Why, consider all the material used in the lapels alone...

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Nine-inch dog ear collars,
two-piece double whammies,
studded elephant bells,
zocko two-tone fronts,
and no,
I'm not forgetting the GREAT puff sleeves flowing into the nine-inch barrel cuffs - -

- - I just wish these photos were *all* in color!

I'm sure we're missing some of the full effect... -sigh-

Regarding these last two images:
The color photo at left is obviously not an ad, but part of a 'his and hers' fashion spread.

Likewise the B&W 'androgynous look' above right is from a ladies' style spread. It goes back to a 1966 issue, while all the others date from 1970 - 1976.