Tag: Retro & Vintage

Saturday Matinee – Leon Redbone (1892-2019)

“Why don’t they play pretty music any more?”

Leon Redbone was an iconic performer who reinvigorated the music of the late 19th to early 20th century, including blues, ragtime, dixieland jazz and country. That he pulled it off in the mid 1970s is an interesting commentary of the state of music of the time (mainstream rock was sucking donkeys). You couldn’t get more retro than Leon Redbone at that time, and he stepped right into the mix.

Rolling Stone described his repertoire as “so authentic you can hear the surface noise of an old 78 rpm.” During a 1974 interview (prior to release of any album) they asked where he first played in public. Redbone responded, “In a pool hall, but I wasn’t playing guitar, you see. I was playing pool.” Apparently he was pretty good at it.

I learned of the song “Ain’t Misbehavin‘” via some sheet music my late grampa had, and I liked the tune. I’d never heard of Fats Waller before I heard Leon Redbone’s version.

Then I heard Redbone’s over-the-top absurd version of The Sheik of Araby, a cover of this (1937) which was a cover of this (1922). I became a fan.

In the early ’80s I saw Mr. Redbone perform at The Golden Bear (a small but famous venue with no bad seats). His props were a rattan chair, a side table with a lamp, and his guitar. He was in the middle of a song when he saw the flash of a Kodak Instamatic camera. With lightning speed, he stopped, grabbed a Polaroid Swinger and took a photo of the photographer, then sat quietly humming until the image appeared. He held it up to view.

“Ahhh. Not a bad likeness.”

Then he resumed the song exactly where he left off.

I wasn’t aware of this until today, but there is a documentary on Leon Redbone. Here’s the trailer:

“He was always mysterious, he was always coming and going. It was almost like he was there one second and he’d be gone the next… and you never knew where he’d gone or why or how he’d even left, but suddenly he wasn’t there anymore.” – Jane Harbury, Publicist.

Here’s a link to the full documentary if you’re interested. It’s only 16 minutes, but it’s worth it.

Leon Redbone, you were a breath of fresh air into the stagnant late 70s music scene. May You Rest In Peace.

[Related posts here.]

Saturday Matinee – Hahn Beer, Ten Years After, Samantha Fish & Justin Johnson

Here’s another.

Okay, I think I see a pattern. Here’s one more.

Okay, I’ll stop, but not before I link to this Danier Leather commercial.

Alvin Lee & Ten Years After‘s “I’m Going Home” is one of the greatest speed metal rock tribute songs ever, and this live version dates to 1969 – Woodstock. TYA had only one Top 40 hit.

How ’bout some Samantha Fish?

Definitely dangerous. Hand her something with four wires nailed to it and she’ll jam it down your throat. I want to hear what she can do with a diddley bow.

That’s Justin Johnson playing classic Son House on a custom-made glorified diddley bow.

Have a great three-day weekend folks and please remember what Memorial Day is all about. See you back here tomorrow.

The .Gif Friday Post No. 585 – Pizza Face Belch, No Running In The House Cat & Your Time Is Up.

[2nd & 3rd .gifs found here and here. Top .gif was created from video found here, uploaded to Giphy, stole it back since they don’t give credit or allow downloading anymore, messed with it using JASC Animation Shop. Background story here.]

The All-In-One Radio Of The Future ca.1935

This telephone, radio, video, news link, photo transmitter/receiver, printer included a “Like” function to transmit audio applause. It was an all-in-one Victrola on steroids, a paleo Smart Phone that went up to 11.

[Images found here and here. More here.]

Mother’s Day Hot Links

Arthur C. Clarke‘s predictions in 1974 (45 years ago). Wow.

What happens in the dishwasher stays in the dishwasher.

Fun Facts To Know And Tell 1:
President Reagan once gave a speech about manure.

Fun Facts To Know And Tell 2:
It all has to do with electrons. Mammals need iron for energy. Octopi need copper for the same reason and their is blood greenish-blue rather than red.

Fun Facts To Know And Tell 3:
WWII fighter pilot Jack C. Taylor (1922-2016) retired from the military in 1945 and started a successful car leasing business in 1948. He named it after one of the aircraft carriers he flew missions from – the USS Enterprise.

Octopus Hentai Fail. Girl got her cheek beak bit (and no, she wasn’t trying to eat it). [Update: Sources say she WAS trying to eat it.]

I didn’t like Never-Trumper Ben Shapiro before, and now I like him even less. What a snot.

“Great Green Globs” as sung by Penn Gillette in 1994. It’s slightly different from what I remember:

Great big globs of greasy grimy gopher guts,
Dirty little birdy feet, mutilated monkey meat,
French fried eyeballs dipped in kerosene:
That’s what I had for lunch.

“All mixed up with all-purpose porpoise pus?” Nice addition. The differences are probably regional.

[Top image: “The Conversation” – William McGregor Paxton, 1940, found here.]

Still Shot circa 1900 [updated]

He was a musician as well.

[Found here.]

[UPDATE: That’s not a still. It’s apparently a steam engine. See comments below.]

Benjamin J.S. Cahill’s Contributions To The World

From the map inset:

“THE NEW STYLE WORLD MAP IS MADE BY CUTTING CROSSES AT 6 EQUIDISTANT POINTS ON THE COVERING OF A SPHERE WHICH IS THEN LAID OUT FLAT.

THE BUTTERFLY MAP

SHOWS THE WORLD JUST ABOUT AS ONE SEES IT ON A GLOBE WITHOUT EXAGGERATION OR DISTORTION OR ERRORS OF DISTANCE, AREA, OR DIRECTION. LONG DISTANCE FLIGHTS ALL OVER THE WORLD CAN BE ACCURATELY COMPARED ON THIS MAP AS ON NO OTHER.”

Bernard Joseph Stanislaus Cahill (1866–1944), cartographer and Architect, was the inventor of the octahedral “Butterfly Map” (published 1909; patented 1913).

At the start of his professional career in 1896, Cahill participated in the Phoebe Hearst competition for the design of the U. C. Berkeley campus. He was elected an Associate Member of the A.I.A. in 1899. He wrote articles for the “California Architect and Building News” and later for “The Architect and Engineer.” An early advocate of city planning, Cahill helped to define the concept of a “civic center” with his 1904 design of the San Francisco Civic Center, which he felt was the basis for the plan adopted by the city in 1912. He continued to be involved in the plan for the city, and wrote letters to the editor and articles expressing his ideas on the proper plan.

A specialist in mausoleum design and mortuary architecture, Cahill designed the catacombs and columbarium for the Cypress Lawn Cemetery, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (San Francisco), Evergreen Memorial Cemetery Memorial Building (Oakland), the St. Mary’s Cemetery mausoleum (Sacramento), and the Diamond Head Memorial Park in Honolulu [more here].

[Map found here.]

Saturday Matinee – Birdie Num Num, Death Pop, Favela Brass, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Jimmie Vaughan

A scene from The Party, a 1968 cult movie starring Peter Sellers.

I’m at a loss. Annoying death metal band lip-synchs to annoying pop band.

Favela means “slum” or “shantytown” in Portuguese. Awesome happens about 0:40 in. More here.

The Fabulous Thunderbirds were (and are) entirely awesome. Great lineup, including Jimmie Vaughan.

Yeah. Wait. That.

Have a great weekend, folks. Might have to go dark next week due to unfortunate family business, but don’t worry. We’ll be back soon enough.

 

Saturday Matinee – John Lee Hooker, Peter Wolf & the J. Geils Band & John Lee Hooker

The J. Geils Band cranked that blues classic 180 degrees in 1970.

John Lee Hooker doubled down and reclaimed it in October 1992.

 

Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here tomorrow.

Lobster Boy 1915

[Found here.]