Release the Hostesses
Found in a box: a 1969 photograph of my Pop surrounded by 8 lovely Korean hostesses at a party in Inchon. He looks like the cat who just got the cream, doesn't he?
February 24, 2008
February 3, 2008
Bagshot
[Link: Alice Bag's L.A. Punk Rock 1976-1981 Flickr Set]
August 12, 2007
The 5,000 Contract Hotties of Dr. T
There are always a bunch of great images over at If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger..., but this publicity still from the classic Dr. Seuss film, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, jumped out at me today. It's always been one of my favorite movies. As a child, I watched it over and over on my parent's black and white teevee, never realizing that it was actually filmed in Technicolor. I finally got the chance to see it on the big screen in a revival movie house a couple of years ago in all of its multi-hued glory, and all I can say is that it's a revelation.
Did I mention how much I want one of those hand beanies?
[Link: Official trailer]
[Link: Elevator Dungeon Song]
[Link: Dungeon of Scratchy Violins]
[Link: Doe-Me-Doe Duds]
March 22, 2007
Obviously, Sadly, and Horribly Mistaken
"We all had a moment in our lives where we looked in the mirror and thought, 'Damn, I look cool! Looking back, though, it becomes apparent that we were obviously mistaken."
[Link: the I Thought I Was Cool Flickr Pool]
February 20, 2007
Fezgasmic
You can see this, and a whole bunch of other fantastic fotos of folks flashing fezzes at the fabulous Flickr Fez Pool. I can only imagine what these two fraternal fellas were arrested for. Reckless mini-car driving? Maybe they were caught giving sips from their hip flasks to sick kids at the Shriner's Hospital? The guy on the right is a dead ringer for my father. I don't think he ever lived in Boise though, and he wasn't a Shriner either.
[Link: The Flickr Fez Pool]
February 5, 2007
Marvelous Moai
On a trip to Rapa Nui in 2004, Wouter Velthuis took this series of absolutely stunning black-and-white photographs.
[Link: Easter Island Photographs]
Hmm, I had a feeling those guys weren't from around here.
November 10, 2006
Jackalope's Alibi
Click for Larger Image
Ace Jackalope tours the tiki bars of the Pacific Northwest and comes up with another gorgeous batch of photos like this blacklight hula-girl mural from The Alibi in Portland.
[Link: Northwest Tiki]
October 22, 2006
Tiki Noir
© Jim Ferreira 2006
Alright youse (tiki) mugs, take a slant to the hip, noir-style portraiture of Bay Area photographer, Jim Ferreira. His dark, moody style lends itself well to Tiki, Burlesque, and Exotica themes, like this series shot at Forbidden Island in Alameda, and these adorable shots of Tiki News founder, Otto Von Stroheim, and his burlesque-y frau, Baby Doe, goofing around in their home tiki bar.
Watch your back!
June 8, 2006
Whittier Punks and Glam Corndogs
I've been working feverishly all week to preserve the old 35mm negatives I shot back in 1976-77, that chronicle the incipient punk scene in Whittier, California (such as it was). These photos feature long-forgotten bands playing private house parties for stoned, drunken teenagers, and I was there. Please revel in their proto-punk goodness, won't you?
[Link: Punked Out In Whittier]
While putting this photo album together, I experienced an extremely odd moment of serendipity: I had just uploaded a series of photos of a band at a house party in Pico Rivera. I couldn't for the life of me remember who they were, so I just called them "The Glam Corndogs" in my photo captions. Out of nowhere, an e-mail appeared in my inbox from someone named Dennis Catron who'd stumbled across my weblog while browsing Michele's Flipside magazine fan site [Link]. Dennis pointed me to the site he'd put together for his old band, the Mechanics [Link], and when I started looking at his photos I instantly realized that the Glam Corndogs and the Mechanics were one and the same! Turns out I'd photographed their very first party gig when they were called the L.A. Brats. Too, too weird!
I also received an e-mail from the Brats' bassist, Brett Alexander [Link], who filled in a few more blanks by pointing me to the current whereabouts of drummer Sandy Hancock [Link], and singer Scott Hooglin, who is busy playing with Rick Agnew's Poop [Link] these days (gawd, I loved saying that).
April 4, 2006
Encountering the Encounter
The 'Lope has posted a beautiful photo essay of one of my favorite Los Angeles landmarks, The Encounter Restaurant. This joint is one of the best examples of 1960s-style retro-futurist architecture on the planet, (their food and drinks ain't half-bad either). Plus, you just can't beat the 360-degree views of the airport runways. I always make a point of hanging out here to enjoy a cocktail and some nouvelle nosh whenever I pass through LAX.
[Link: The Future Was So Cool in 1961]