Category: Retro & Vintage

Here is the church and here is the steeple: Locklear’s & Elliot’s Contribution To The World

Steeple Crash

He meant to do that. Stunt pilots Lt. Ormer “Lock” Locklear and co-pilot Milton “Skeets” Elliot were filming The Skywayman, a silent movie released in 1920, and crashing the church steeple was part of the script.

From Wiki:

Principal photography on The Skywayman began on June 11, 1920, with DeMille Field 2 as the main base of operations. Despite Locklear’s public claim that new stunts “more daring ever filmed” would be involved, the production would rely heavily on models and less on actual stunt flying. Two stunts, a church steeple being toppled by Locklear’s aircraft and an aircraft-to-train transfer were both problematic and nearly ended in disaster.

Their final stunt did end in disaster, a nighttime dive that killed both Locklear and Elliot instantly when they didn’t pull up in time.

[Image found here.]

One Chord Hot Links

WHATEVER

Amazing Naval weaponry: Lasers, Railguns and Hypervelocity Projectiles. If this is unclassified, just think of the stuff that is.

Greek Fire was a weapon used successfully to thwart invasions by muslim pirates in the early 7th century.

The Crusades were fought in response to Islamic aggression in the 11th century.

Who were the Barbary Pirates?

Okay, so the carpet caught fire. Big deal. It was an act of God.

Here are the rules for Kingyo-sukui.

Ruining Rock Paper Scissors. Look. Just throw the same 3 times in a row, then double your bet and throw the one that beats your previous three.  Pocket your winnings and leave the neighborhood asap. Coming up next: How to get dibs on a baseball bat.

Wild Man From Borneo by Kinky Friedman. One of these days he’s going to have a Tribute band.

I’m not a “gamer” so I’m not sure what to make of The Stanley Parable, but it looks pretty cool.

[Top image from The Greatest Rock Video Under Two Minutes Ever.]

Saturday Matinee – Wagon Train, Tauba Auerbach & Eric Bibb

One of the prettiest theme songs ever, and one of my favorites.
Then the Missus ruined it for me forever by singing this:

Wagons here, wagons there,
There are wagons everywhere;
Some are short, some are long,
And they’re even in this song;

On a ship, on a plane,
You can find them on a train;
This is what we call the Theme to Wagon Train.

Very cool paper sculpture books [via].

How ’bout some country blues? Eric Bibb does it right.

Eric Bibb (vocals, acoustic guitars, baritone guitar, resonator guitar, contra bass guitar, cigar box diddly bow, 6-string banjo & footstomp), Grant Dermody (harmonica), Dirk Powell (fretless banjo, fiddle, mandolin, accordion, upright bass, banjo & harmony vocal), Cedric Watson (fiddles & backing vocals), Danny DeVillier (drums & tambourine), Christine Balfa (cajun triangle).

Aside from the video bloopers and bad cuts, I’d have never guessed so many great ones played on that track.

Have a great weekend, folks, and remember that Memorial Day is not about hot dogs and beer.

A Late Happy Birthday.

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You might still be able to find this great parody on the internest if you know where to look. It’s one of those rare recordings that you could play in the background at a party and few would notice until someone says “Wait a minute! That’s not Bob!”

Copyright lawyers knocked it down years ago and spoiled the fun. Go figure.

Cigar Box Bass Diddley Bow

Cigar Box Bass

I’d love to know who those guys were and what that bass sounded like. Gimme a heads up with a link if you know.

[Found here.]

Saturday Matinee – Postmodern Jukebox with Morgan James, Herbie Hancock with Miles Davis, & Frank Zappa

Postmodern Jukebox (featuring the amazing vocals of Morgan James) always gets my attention. Nice ’60s kinda sound happens here.

“Watermelon Man.” Herbie Hancock teams up with Bill Evans, Al Foster and Miles Davis on his 1962 soul/jazz/funk classic.

One of my favorite Zappa songs, “Black Napkins,” performed on the Mike Douglas Show in 1976. Kinda reflects my mood these days, but I’ll snap out of it. Meanwhile, have a great weekend, and for those of you in the midwest, have fun with the cicadas.

VoIP circa 1951

Ham Radio Beer

“Here’s a message from Milwaukee”
This thoughtful wife knows that the moment her husband tunes in on Schlitz the reception is good. For Schlitz has a very special taste that beer-lovers are changing to with ultra high frequency. Taste Schlitz, yourself. You’ll soon know why–

Something’s wrong with that picture. His code key is missing, he should be drinking Hamm’s and he’s leering, but why? Maybe he knows that The 2016 Amateur Radio Relay League Field Day is 25-26 June.

[Image found here.]

Ridin’ the ‘booth

Ridin' the 'booth

[Found here.]

Elie Aghnedes’ Contribution To The World: The 1954 Rhino

Rhino 1954

Rhino 1954 2

Greek-American inventor Elie Aghnides amassed a fortune coming up with clever inventions.

One of his more unusual creations was the “Rhino,” an amphibious four-wheeled vehicle designed to patrol and defend the vast roadless wastes of Alaska and Canada.

Weighing in at five tons, the four-wheel-drive machine could hit speeds of 45 miles per hour on the highway.

Defining features were its massive front wheels, which had six-foot diameters and weighed 1,500 pounds each. Their hollow, hemispherical shape gave the Rhino its unique all-terrain capability. As the vehicle sank into mud, sand, or other soft surfaces, the bearing surface of the ribbed wheels increased, giving it greater traction.

The Rhino’s massive wheels and low center of gravity also meant it could tip 75 degrees to either side without toppling over.

In the water, the hollow wheels provided flotation, while a rear water jet provided propulsion at speeds of about four miles per hour.

The Marmon-Herrington Company of Indianapolis built one prototype of the Rhino for demonstration. The United States military declined to purchase any, reportedly out of concern that the wheels could be punctured by gunfire, sinking the vehicle [via].

Rhino 1954

Not only could it float, it had such a low center of gravity that it was nearly impossible to overturn. Here it is in action:

Elie Aghnides didn’t stop there. He created another prototype amphibious vehicle named “The Cyclops,” but for some reason the prototype construction failed. Aghnides won a $120.5K settlement with The Marmon Group in 1972.

I want one, if only to crash Burning Man without paying.
[Images from here, here and here. Found here.]

Saturday Matinee – The Cabin Kids, Too Many ZooZ & Lucky Chops

The Cabin Kids from “Teacher’s Beau” in 1935. [via].

Too Many Zooz crank it.

Trumpet player Matt Doe, baritone saxophonist Leo P. and drummer David “King of Sludge” Parks have been rocking the [NYC] subways since August [2013]. Doe, 21, and Leo P., 22, first became friends while attending the Manhattan School of Music, while Leo P. and Parks played together in another busking band, the Drumadics. They all came together with a simple goal: to make some extra cash [via].

[h/t Bunkessa]

Lucky Chops is/are a bit more elaborate and include some cool moves (the trombone player even does the Mashed Potato).

Not bad for buskers. Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you shortly.