Friday, October 30, 2009

guest post: peter from i heart guitar - retro revival favourites

today i have asked for a guest post from peter, who writes the world's best guitar and music blog: i heart guitar. i may be biased, though! full disclosure: he is my boyfriend... or maybe i should say, he is my polygamist boyfriend: i have to share him with a bunch of guitars. either way he is great and knows great stuff.

take it away, peter:

I’m a guitar geek. I’m a big ‘ol guitar geek and there’s nothing anyone can to do help me. Ever since I saw guys like George Harrison and Mark Knopfler on telly when I was a kid, I was addicted to that combination of wire and wood. I didn’t realise it at the time but most of the designs I really liked happened to be vintage models from the 50s and 60s. Sure, my tastes later developed into pointy, neon-coloured 1980s heavy metal guitars from Japan, but even now I have a soft spot for cool retro and vintage designs. Well there’s a Chinese company named Eastwood which has revived a lot of these great designs – sometimes exactly, and sometimes with a few bits changed for practical reasons. Here are a few of my favourites.

Airline 59 Custom 2P

Probably best known these days as ‘That guitar Jack White plays,’ the coolest thing about the Airline 59 Custom 2P is its rubber body binding. Why? Nobody really knows…

Airline MAP

Another cool Eastwood reissue of an Airline guitar. I dig the MAP for that cool striped pickguard and let’s not forget the colour. Sure, the colour doesn’t have an actual impact on the sound (the paint and clearcoat do, but that’s a far geekier matter for another time), but I swear you could play two structurally identical guitars of different colours, and come out with a completely different musical attitude for each.

Gemini
I like this because it looks like a cartoonist’s idea of what a guitar might look like. I don’t know who designed it but they should be decorated with the highest awards in the land. It comes in two colours: Lollypop Red and Taffy White. If I was born a woman I’d change my name to Taffy White.

RS-II

Unlike most of my vintage guitar fetishes, the RS-II would look like a quite sedate, respectable instrument for guys in tuxedos to play at weddings, if not for the big ‘ol Ziggy Stardust-style lightning bolt awesoming it up. Also note the solitary ‘chicken head’ knob all alone while its four circular colleagues pal it up.

Saturn 63

Dig all that chrome. The Saturn 63 continues Eastwood’s tradition of reissuing guitars that feature completely unnecessary yet absolutely indispensable accoutrement. Why is there chrome binding on the body and around those holes? Nobody knows. Nobody needs to know. It’s just awesome, and that should be enough.

Breadwinner
This is Eastwood's version of the famed Ovation Breadwinner used by Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra. I could go on but what more needs to be said that that? ELO, people!

Wandre DLX

Here’s another guitar that falls into the ‘probably not designed by a guitarist’ category. It’s so out-there, from the asymmetrical shape to the cool apostrophe graphics around each of those three switches. I love how voluminous the headstock is, and the stars on the neck… how could you possibly not want to invite a guitar with stars on the neck into your life?

EEB-1

Finally there’s the EEB-1 bass. Not content with merely having violin-style f-holes cut into the top of the body, the EEB-1 has them going all the way through the freaking body. And not only that: the majority of the body is covered in a plastic scratchplate. I love how bold this design is, and how it messes with traditional design schemes.

For more on Eastwood guitars, visit their website at http://www.eastwoodguitars.com. Oh and feel free to visit my blog, iheartguitarblog.com if you want to read about more of this kinda stuff. It’s okay if you don’t.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

fashion favorite: early 70s sears catalogs




i do believe early 70s fashion is my favorite. i do like bits from other eras, but early 70s is just so cute and bold and girlish! aren't those girls above sweet? i think i would wear every one of those dresses. check out all that ric rac on the left! and all the hair in pigtails or 'bunches' if you will. i'm rockin' some bunches right now, but alas, no cute sandals or big collars. all the images in this post come from a book published by schiffer, called 'fashionable clothing from the sears catalogs: early 1970s' by tina skinner. the books (there are also 60's and 80's editions in the series) contain a price guide and are just crammed with fab photos. its really amusing seeing how catalog modeling and styling has changed.





oh no! don't step on the tiny lady between your legs! middle girl probably can't see past that ENORMOUS collar. i bet being crushed to death by a clog was the leading cause of death in the early 70s. my favourite here is the floral dress on the left. what a perfectly proportioned, crisp, collar. i'm really not sure what the point of the tiny pixie lady...




more clogs and some maxi dresses! i think the girl on the right wants the girl in the middle to join her for a key party... left side girl is just thinking about how virginal she is. she won't be knocking clogs with anyone anytime soon! she's heading straight home after this shoot to brush her hair 100 times before sliding into bed in a maxi nightie.




embarrasing! you show up to a shoot and you're both wearing an autumnal toned 'waves' ensembles! what to do!? pose nonchalantly? or plot to destroy your tunic wearing twin? if you answered (b) you're the model on the left and you're currently serving out your remaining 50yr jail term in a high security facility. if you answered (a) congratulations! you were the tunic wearer, and you spent a few more years modeling before settling down to start a family, working part time in the school office and furthering your interest in creative writing and embezzeling. oh, sorry i meant bedazzeling.





i think i just died of a frock love attack! please can someone provide me with a time machine so i can go back and get that dress with the daisies and cherries/apples? i promise i will bring back original star wars merch that you can ebay for mega bucks! however if you already have a spare time machine lying around i'm guessing money probably isn't a worry for you. in conclusion: buy me that dress!




and last but not least: its that uniform you were always promised you'd get to wear in the dystopian future!! all the comfort of dacron, with none of the personality or breathability of those other ridiculous fabrics from the 'olden days'. the good news is if you catch fire, your suit will just melt down into a handy plastic container you can store leftover soylent green in! i'm pretty sure the mother is just about to tell us how much she loves The Leader. apologies for mixing my futuristic concepts.


Wednesday, October 28, 2009

what's hot and what's not



yep! it's another meme today. go on, indulge me, readers. it's so late in the day and my brain is a bit broken today. i promise i'll show you lots of pretty pictures tomorrow ok? this one comes courtesy of the charming looby lu. so what is hot & not hot on planet pilgrim?

what's hot:

✽ getting organized and booking hotels and transfers for the draw! pilgrim tour of california 2010. actually booking stuff makes it so much more real and exciting! next step: planning fun stuff to see and do.

✽ spending a carefree day poking around in the chapel street bazaar and emerging with some vintage treasures. pictured above.

✽ planning costumes for a friend's halloween housewarming party. pics next week. yay!

✽ spring days full of sunshine and birdsong, and crisp cool evenings full of stars.

✽ amazing youtube find prisencolinensinainciusol its not english, its not italian, its gibberish in an accent! and its catchy!

✽ finding a post about my sweet neighbourhood by neryl walker on design*sponge.

✽ learning to love wearing all those silk scarves i have accumulated.


what's not:

✽ spending spring days full of sunshine and birdsong indoors, beavering away.

✽ my boyfriend always having work to do during business hours. sniffle. its so very unreasonable of him to not be able to meet me for an impromptu afternoon drink.

✽ feeling un-svelte and out of shape. i'm no health nut, but i need to stop eating so much rubbish. and drink more water! and get an early night!

✽ grocery shopping and cooking dinner: boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooring (see also washing dishes)

✽ hearing my son cry out in the night due to a bad dream. he's forgotten by morning, but it always sounds so sad.

✽ cats who vomit = not. hot. just hairy and unwelcome.


Tuesday, October 27, 2009

pilgrim's place: 'my place & yours: bedside'


my bedside, pillow-view

this week i thought i would join in on the 'my place and yours' meme fun-times, as started by the unstoppable pip from meet me at mikes! so for your voyeuristic pleasure, here is what i wake up to each morning.


starting from the top left corner and going clockwise you can see:

my lovely vintage wallpaper lampshade, from drawflowers a little solar powered plant that, as much as i try, i just can't kill ✽ a handy little green and pink mug that holds hairclips mostly ✽ a pink box to store my moisturizer and lip balm etc ✽ current bedtime book 'the ten cent plague: the great comic book scare and how it changed america' ✽ the fabulous yellow alarm clock ✽ and last but not least a sweet little plastic box made by swimmer with bunnies and toadstools and hula hoops and filled with earrings that i'm too lazy to put away ✽

Monday, October 26, 2009

vintage graphis: '79 posters


Graphis Posters '79: Posters

from a series of posters about the poster. 1. black and white 2. black and white on grey brown, 3. red, yellow, black, and white, the text on 4. explains to children the essence of transience of the poster.

artist: alain le quernec


Friday, October 23, 2009

black and white week: graphic fashion

a black and white outfit: always crisp and chic! while crisp and chic is good, i can't say i'm a chic girl.. let alone crisp (let's just say i'm not entirely sure where our iron is) and i do love my color. so, i saw this as a challenge: put together some dream outfits that are colorful in other ways.

please click on the image if you want to find out where each piece is from. WARNING! puns ahead.


Spots

prim & polka dotty: black and white date night



checkered

chillin' in some checks: whimsical weekend wear



monochrome floral

never mind the pollock, here's some flowers: abstract + floral = prim & preppy



houndstooth


houndstooth of the baskervilles: return of the sexy librarian!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

vintage children's book: the garden of abdul gasazi

i can't think of a more beautifully illustrated 'black and white' book than 'the garden of abdul gasazi' written and illustrated by chris van allsburg. i've had this book for as long as i remember, and the illustrations have always fascinated me. it's not in the usual style i post here, but they're the most beautifully rendered pencil drawings, so finely done, and i spent so much time curled up in bed pouring over them. so i hope you enjoy them despite their lack of over-the-top vintageness.

turns out either i'm a terrible ignorant parent or i lead a deprived childhood, because i only just learned that chris van allsburg also wrote jumanji, the polar express and zathura (none of which i've read or seen the movie of, but its nice to know my preciously loved 'garden of abdul gasazi' wasn't a one off!)




The story starts with miss hester leaving her disobedient pitbull dog fritz with alan mitz while she visits her cousin. Alan does his best to keep fritz from chewing the furniture and finally they settle down for a nap. alan makes sure his beloved hat is safe from fritz who loves eating hats even more than furniture!



later alan takes fritz for a walk and lets fritz lead the way. they come across a sign: "ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NO DOGS ALLOWED IN THIS GARDEN," signed by abdul gasazi, retired magician. fritz breaks free and bolts straight through the door with alan chasing behind him.


alan falls and can't keep up with fritz, who disappears into the garden. alan is desperate to find fritz before mr gasazi finds out they've been in his garden.


alan searches for fritz everywhere and finally comes across some dog tracks which lead to the great and imposing house belonging to this mysterious abdul gasazi


alan asks for the dog back and gasazi says "certainly you may have your little fritzie, follow me." leading him outside to a gathering of ducks. he tells alan how he detests dogs who dig up his flowers and chew on his trees. "do you know what i do to dogs i find in my garden? I TURN THEM INTO DUCKS" alan is horrified to learn that only time can turn fritz back - maybe years maybe just a day.


alan takes the bird in his arms and heads for home, devastated. behind him gasazi laughs. alan's hat blows off and the duck flies off with it and disappears.


alan is convinced fritz the duck is lost forever, though he is comforted by the thought he at least had a hat to chew on. he tells miss hester what has happened to fritz, but she tells him it must have all been a joke: fritz is home, eating his dinner.


alan heads home, feeling silly, and is convinced he won't be fooled again. miss hester calls fritz back into the house and he drops alan's hat at her feet.

the end

and for once, you too can get your own copy of this beautiful book!


Tuesday, October 20, 2009

black and white week: foto reporter sehen die welt


in his younger days my dad worked as a photographer, first for the air force and later for a hospital. while there is some grizzly evidence of the latter role, today i'm sharing with you some photos not taken by him, but from a book he owned - 'foto reporter sehen die welt.'

i don't know where this book came from: i'm guessing it was probably a gift from my mother, seeing as she was always a good gifter, and she seemed to be the one who came by all the great old art books i now own. the images are all from around 1968 and earlier.

the photos are captioned with translations from the book but i couldn't find any mention of who took the photos. i ssearched, but mein deutsch ist nicht so gut.


posters in munich



beatles fan, london



a boy (whose mother had used thalidomide while pregnant) with a "heidelberger arm"



a bunny at the playboy club in london



wedding, 1968


fashion at the racecourse


model twiggy and her manager justin de villeneuve


model twiggy and "television hero" john steed


french education minister forbids pupils from wearing miniskirts, 1967




Monday, October 19, 2009

vintage graphis: 76/77 elton john

Graphis Annual 76/77: Elton

detail from a cover of time magazine containing a feature on elton john.
artist: don weller

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