John Belushi, Muddy Waters, Johnny Winter & Dan Akroyd, date unknown, probably late 1970s.
[Screen cap from here.]
Category: True Stories
Saturday Matinee – Johnny Winter (1944–2014)
Johnny Winter, legendary guitarist and one of the most recognizable icons of Texas blues and rock passed away at the age of 70 earlier this week after a long career.
In a documentary released this year entitled “Johnny Winter Down and Dirty,” he laughed, “Made my first record when I was 15, started playing clubs when I was 15. Started drinking and smoking when I was 15. Sex when I was 15. Fifteen was a big year for me.”
According to Wiki, at age 10 he and his 8 year old brother Edgar played on local TV in his hometown of Beaumont Texas. Johnny Winter performed for an astounding 60 years, and he died while on still on tour.
RIP, Johnny. You made our roadtrips a hellalotta fun.
R.I.P. Erdélyi Tamás, aka Tommy Ramone
Another punk bit the big one.
Erdélyi Tamás, aka Tom Erdelyi, aka Tommy Ramone, assembled and helped create one of the most influential bands ever. The Ramones never had a hit single, despite hiring the legendary (and mentally disturbed) Phil Spector.
Tommy Ramone was not new to the recording industry when he and other Brooklyn friends decided to form a band to provide an alternative to the pre-packaged marketing-department formulaic garbage that infested the airwaves in the mid to late 1970s. The Ramones went back to rock and roll garage-band basics, with a twist – they played louder and faster.
That The Ramones rose to popularity by playing 3-chord rock in an obscure venue in the New York City Bowery district says a lot. Punk was born at CBGB’s, and although The Ramones’ garage-band style never garnered them a hit, their influence was huge.
Their message was, “Screw Emerson Lake and Palmer, Yes, Kansas, Foreigner and ELO! Screw CSN&Y and Boston! Listen to C, F & G!”
And The Ramones were spot on. R.I.P. Erdélyi Tamás, and thanks.
Space and Time and Trig and Stuff
Any website called “Trigonometry Is My Bitch” that includes an inverse hyperbolic tangential hailstorm .gif gets an instant link on our sidebar. Tangents rule in my world, and I’m off on another one.
[Found here.]
Hot Links From The Valley Of The Jolly
Back Up Truck P0rn. Watch the whole thing. Awesome happens at about 07:42.
Much retroness found here. I remember some of the stuff.
It’s pronounced “tchar-leenah.”
One of the greatest movie soundtracks ever.
Out of isometric graph paper? Here you go. [Found here.]
Play God. Create an island [via].
Hey, buddy. Got a light?
What surprised 18 3rd World immigrants once they immigrated to 1st World Nations. (Yeah, there appear to be a couple of trolls, but the others are interesting).
Top image: The Vibraniques (?).
Olayami Dabls’ African Bead Gallery & Museum
Thought this was an odd image until I found out that it’s a cool strange oddity. Dabl’s African Bead Gallery exists. In Detroit.
“Olayami Dabls–esteemed fine-artist, museum curator, and historian, has lectured extensively on African Material Culture to international audiences for over 30 years. As a curator, Dabls is a founding member of the African American Sports Hall of Fame, housed in the Wayne county building. He was also Artist-in-Residence at the Museum of African American History (1973-1982) as well as at the Detroit Psychiatric Institute (1985-1989). Dabls has served as Executive Director for the Rosa Parks Arts Center (1982-1984) as well as produced and hosted a radio program on WNEC4 (1978-1981).
In 1983 Dabls and his wife opened Dabls Perette’s Gallery, to great acclaim and the gallery has thus become known all over the African world. He has received numerous awards and has been featured in articles in every Detroit newspaper outlet.”
[Found here. Other images found at Dabl’s website.]
6 JUNE 1944 – The Fallen
“The objective was to make a visual representation of 9000 people drawn in the sand which equates the number of Civilians, Germans Forces and Allies that died during the D-day landings, 6th June during WWII as an example of what happens in the absence of peace.
“There will be no distinction between nationalities, they will be known only as ‘The Fallen’. It does not propose to be a celebration or condemnation, simply a statement of fact and tribute to life and its premature loss.” [via]
The creators’ motives appear to be honorable. Although the work was temporary, it’s stunning – a visual example of the thousands of lives sacrificed in the name of Freedom. As bloody and violent as it was, this particular D-Day and H-Hour was the beginning of the end to violent warfare in Europe.
Was there fear on 6 June 1944? With out a doubt, yet the men who selflessly stormed the beaches and cliffs of Normandy had amazing courage and unimaginable fortitude to fight for what they believed in against incredible odds.
And they won.
[Archive for our D-Day tributes here.]
Graduation Day
[Story and image found here.]
Conceptual Art installations? Nope.
[Images & reader comment found here, via here.]