Painting Sabatoge, DIY Earrings, & Special Agent Dale Cooper

 

[ Fig. 1: Foreground: Yours truly in my snazzy new DIY earrings (plus new sweater via Old Navy - I know, who'd of thunk?). Background: The painting with the dreaded halo as it stands now. ]

I've been on a Netflix spree of recent. I got tired of listening to music while I was painting so I started watching television shows. I re-watched all of "Twin Peaks" [see Fig. 2], which if you haven't seen your life is not complete. It's suspenseful, funny, and just plain weird. Well, it's David Lynch. So there you go. Next I'm conquering "Damages." Which looks really gnarly. Glenn Close is terrifying just to look at.

 

[ Fig. 2: Agent Dale Cooper (left) with Sheriff Harry Truman (right) of Twin Peaks. I have an unexplainable crush on Agent Coop. You will too, be you man or woman. Don't believe me? It's on Netflix Instant Watch. Just do it. ]

My painting is SO close to being done. A slight wrench was thrown into the machine when I ruined the halo [See Fig. 1]. I made it too small. I couldn't find anything bigger than the saucepan lid in my kitchen to use as a circular guide, and I thought it would be big enough, but alas it was not. I'll figure it out. I just had to walk away from it and cool my jets before I did something compulsive that I would later regret. 

 [ Fig. 3: Dangly, feather earrings. ]

So instead of painting last night, I got crafty and made some earrings. I used to have these great black feather earrings, but I left them somewhere. I wish I could remember where that somewhere was. So I decided to make some new ones. I bought feathers, silver chain, and ear hooks, and busted out my pliars and clippers. It only took about 30 minutes - if that. And voila - long, daingly, fun earrings [See Fig. 1 & 3]. I need my own show on HGTV.

- Amy

Listening to: Middle Brother's "Blue Eyes"

Pop Culture Lesson Of The Day: Graham Hill

"I am an artist. The track is my canvas, and the car is my brush."

- Graham Hill

Graham Hill by the Numbers:
2 World Championships
14 Grand Prix Wins


A Quick Look At The Mustachioed Man of Speed

• This Brit was one of the first Formula One media stars. His quick wit and love for the spotlight made him a fan favorite.
• Was not as talented as other drivers, but through determination, acute attention to detail and hard work, he rallied with the best.
• Born Feb. 15, 1929, Hill grew up in London during WWII and the Blitz. 
• When he was a teenager he got in a motorcycle accident one night that broke his thigh making one of his legs permanently shorter than the other.
• Was forced to do his national duty and join the Royal Navy. Not too fond of this, he grew a neat thin mustache against naval regulations as a little sign of rebellion. It would become his trademark.
• Began racing after randomly trying a few laps in a F3 car. He had been "bitten by the racing bug" as he put it, and there was no cure. After overcoming his two main setbacks - one, that he barely knew how to drive a road car let alone a racecar (he didn't get his road license till he was 24), and two, that he had no money to fund his newfound love - he began to etch his name into the history books.
• To raise money and learn about cars he got a job as a mechanic at a racing school where he soon became an instructor. Talk about starting from the bottom up.
• Started racing with Team Lotus in 1958.
• He was a mustachioed man of mischief pulling such shenanigans as dancing on tables, giving impromptu strip tease acts, streaking, flirting shamelessly with the ladies despite his married state.
• Had a serious dark side with a fierce temper and sharp tongue.
• Hill was the only driver to this day to win the Triple Crown of Motorsports: The Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of La Mans, and Monaco Grand Prix.
• He died, not in a car, but while trying to land his plane in thick fog in 1975.

Check out this cool little video about Hill below. That slicked back hair, that thin little mustache, those piercing eyes... he was quite a handsome devil if you ask me. 


- Amy
Listening to: Dead Man's Bones' "In The Room Where You Sleep"

[ C. 1963: Graham driving a replica of Henry Ford's first vehicle the Quadricycle. ]

[ Graham and his son Damon, who also became a driver. They are the only father/son pair to both win the Formula One World Championship. ]

[ Graham Hill: Ladies Man. ]

Turfing, Dance Circles, & The Black Angels.

I just found this rad video on one of my favorite blogs, A Time To Get. It's this crazy dance form called Turfing. It's like pop and lock x 10. 

POP CULTURE LESSON OF THE DAY: Turfing

• TURF stands for "Taking Up Room on the Floor" and was coined by Turf dancer Jeriel Bey.
• It originated up north in Oakland, CA when kids were literally "Dancin' in the Street" in the words of Martha and The Vandellas. They would bust moves at house parties and in alleyways. 
• It started in the 1960's and made a comeback with a fury in the 90's. 
• Jeriel and his company The Architeckz promoted TURF dancing and started "Lourd of The Rings", the first 1-on-1 freestyle battle of Turfing between cities: Oakland vs. LA.
• According to an article by Lisa Hix in the San Fran Chronicle, it was used as a way to settle disputes between members of different turfs in the Oakland community. Nothing like a good old fashioned dance off to settle things right!  If only a dance off could solve the problems we've got today.
• The first Turfing video sensations were Rawnay, Yun Shep and Dav 2.0 thanks to artists/filmers Keak da Sneak, Baby Bash and E-40. 
• Turfing dance elements include popping, locking, miming, and optical illusions. 
• It's basically awesome.

A fun little documentary about "The Architeckz."

Want to learn? Instructional videos here! I'm so watching these tonight. There's nothing like a good dance circle, and I can't think of anything that would make people want to form one more than this. I'm pretty positive my white hips and limbs won't move this way, but a girl can dream.


Listening to: The Black Angels' "Telephone"
These guys are an awesome gritty band from Austin. Why is Austin so cool? One day I will experience it first hand. 

The History of Danish Tattooing, Jon Nordstrom, & My Dream of Becoming The Ultimate Cocktail Party Date

[Fig. 1: Danish Tattooing by Jon Nordstrom.]



INSPIRATION OF THE DAY: Danish Tattooing

I found this rad video on Cool Hunting. I am extremely intrigued by tattoos and especially the history of tattooing. Today it is much more socially acceptable to have tattoos. Heidi Klum has one for heaven's sake. It's almost more strange nowadays NOT to have some ink. Which is why it's so much more interesting to me to learn about the eclectic group of misfits on the fringe of society who got tats way back when. 

The guy in the video is Jon Nordstrøm, author of Danish Tattooing [see Fig. 1], which has just been added to my wish list. It's chock full of anecdotes, facts, and photos old and new chronicling the rich history of the tattooing subculture in Copenhagen. The video above is just a brief glimpse of the Danes and tattoos, so I'd really like to get the book for some new pre-pillow time reading. I'm on my third read of Sherlock Holmes, so I'd say I need some new material for my meager (it's about quality not quantity folks) library. Not only that, but it will give me just another near-useless-but-totally-interesting set of facts to throw out when conversation wains thin at the next social gathering I show my face at. I'm damned and determined to become the greatest living cocktail party date candidate through my plethora of random pop/counter culture knowledge. I don't think anyone loves a good meat and cheese platter as much as this girl.

- Amy

Listening to: Sonny and The Sunsets' "Too Young To Burn" (Finders fee to Chris Steblay.)

George Jones Illustration, A Pop Culture History Lesson, & Mourning The Loss of "Nashville's Possum Holler"

[ Quickie poster in dedication to ole' George Jones in his famous rose colored glasses. ]

I did this poster the same way I did my John Wayne illustration. Used the pen tool to draw shapes that eventually made a face that sort of looked like George's. This one didn't turn out AS cool, but it was a fun little project to get the creative juices flowing. No one had a country twang quite like George. Boy did he sing a good honky tonk love song.

POP CULTURE LESSON FOR THE DAY: George Jones

My friend, Andrew Peterson, lived down the street from George and his lovely, and ever-faithful, wife Tammy Wynette for a while in Nashville, TN. He said that one time when Tammy took the keys away from George so he couldn't drive to get more beer (George was ALWAYS on drank - he famously missed 50 concerts because of it and was thus dubbed "No Show Jones"), he saw George riding his riding lawn mower down their street to the local liquor store. Soooo classic.  Some other fun facts:

• George has a dog food and sausage with his name on it.
• He has a daughter named Georgette. (Now that's just cruel.)
• He's a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame
• He partied like a rockstar: Demolished hotel rooms (with the likes of Johnny Cash), unpaid bills, drunken antics, he even smashed guitars on stage. It was probably the cocaine or the bourbon, or both.
• He owned a bar called "Nashville's Possum Holler". Man I wish that were still around. 
• He owned his own theme park called "Jones Country". Talk about frivolous spending. Your own theme park?

- Amy

Listening to: George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today"

The Clash, Bob Gruen, & When Rock Stars Go Soft

[ What a bunch of studs. ]

INSPIRATION OF THE DAY: Bob Gruen's Photographs of The Clash

Some things I know about The Clash:

1. They were a bunch of extremely dapper and stylish gents.

2. They were not really gents. More like punks. Which makes me like them more.

3. They were inspired by The Sex Pistols.

4. They hated the Beatles, Elvis, and The Stones... or that's what I learned from "1977." Funny how they hated "classic rock," but then ended up opening for The Who on their farewell tour. I guess everyone ends up going soft. It happened to Clapton, it happened to Sting, it happened to Aerosmith... sighhh.

4. They were rebels with a cause - frequently in trouble, and often singing about or for social matters.

5. Joe Strummer scored the soundtrack for Walker, starring Ed Harris. I know - who knew?

6. Strummer at one time wanted to be a cartoonist and was enrolled in the London Central School of Art & Design, before getting kicked out.

- Amy

Listening to: The Clash's "London Calling"

Constellation Tattoos: The Bear, My Current Muse: Marianne Faithfull, & Cat Fights with Kate Moss

Here is the second installment of my poster series/study on constellations for use as tattoos (available now on Etsy!). I want to get a tattoo of a constellation, but I want to make up my own, so I am sketching out my ideas which you guys will then vote on to decide which I will get! The first poster was of a reindeer. Which turned out pretty rad. Items I'd still like to try are a classic car, a motorcycle, a banjo or some other hillbilly instrument, and a jackalope. I think the jackalope is going to turn out amazing. I also really liked the gun constellation I drew in my John Wayne illustration. It's equal parts dainty and tough - like a sexy woman drinking a whiskey straight up. Vote for which of the above you like best. Like I said, We'll pick the best option from each poster and then have a final death match between those winners to see which I should get inked on!

Which Bear Constellation Tattoo do you like best? From top to bottom:

The First The Second The Third The Fourth

[ Marianne Faithfull in The Girl on a Motorcycle. ]

CURRENT MUSE: Marianne Faithfull

Speaking of dainty and tough, I present to you my current muse: Marianne Faithfull. Particularly Marianne Faithfull in The Girl on a Motorcycle directed by Jack Cardiff. Wearing a fur coat on a bike? She's my hero.

Marianne was equally as cool in real life however. Here are a few reasons why:

• She's the daughter of a baroness and a WWII spy.
• The first time f*** was used in a movie was by her in I'll Never Forget What's'isname.
• She was Mick Jagger's special lady. It's said that some of the lyrics in "Wild Horses" are about her and Mick's breakup.
• Went through some crazy ups and downs going from being a member of rock royalty to having a serious drug problem which left her homeless on the streets in SOHO.
• Not only has she collaborated with the Stones, she recently collaborated with Beck, Billy Corgan, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey, Rufus Wainwright, and Lou Reed. 
• She made an album of covers called Easy Come Easy Go which included her version of songs by Morrissey, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Decemberists, Billie Holiday, and Dolly Parton. Great taste, Marianne.
• She's gnarly. She recently called Kate Moss a "vampire who stole my style." If you've seen her these days, that's a terrifying threat. The drugs didn't do her well. I love Kate Moss and don't think style is any one's to own, but it's kind of rad that ole' Marianne's still got some bite in her nonetheless.

Happy Friday people!

- Amy

Listening to: Beirut's "After The Curtain"

Gorgeous George, Amateur Botany, and A Historical Pop Culture Lesson

[Fig. 1: Gorgeous George in all his glossy green glory.]

That's old George - Gorgeous George (Fig. 1) to be exact. I've been meaning to dedicate a post to my leafy friend for quite some time. I can't have a pet, because I rent a room in a house with a landlord with allergies and a revulsion for pawed critters. Because I couldn't have a bunny or a puppy I decided to do the next best thing and fill my space with pretty plants.

[ Fig. 2: Gorgeous George from Guy Richie's "Snatch."]

I started with something easy so as to test my caregiving skills and named him after the fighter in Guy Richie's Snatch [see Fig. 2], (who was most likely named after the famous American wrestler of the same name [see Fig. 3]), because he'd have to be a fighter to survive living with an absent minded amateur botanist like me. A fighter he turned out to be - and a champion at that, because not only did he MAKE it, he's doubled in size since I got him as a wee fern!

[ Fig. 3: Gorgeous George Wagner, Pro Wrestler.]

CULTURAL LESSON FOR THE DAY
"Gorgeous George": American Pro Wrestler

• First Wrestler to heavily use entrance music. Often his elaborate entrance show (to the tune of "Pomp and Circumstance") was longer than his actual match.
• Was like the Elton John of wrestling showing up to fights dressed wildly in feathers, capes, and sequins.
• Grew his hair long and bleached it blonde. Wore bobby pins in it that he would give away to the audience like Elvis' scarfs. 
• Because of his metro-, girly antics he got much attention (just as he wanted) and people came in throngs to mock him. He was one of those guys the people loved to hate, and he liked it that way.
• Was a sneaky SOB who was always cheating in the ring. Anything to win a fight.
• According to The Profession Wrestling Hall of Fame, Wrestling was the first hit TV program on, and that was much owing to Ole' George: "Gorgeous George was was directly responsible for all of the commotion. It was a turning point for Wagner, wrestling, and the country itself. Gorgeous George was probably responsible for selling more television sets in the early days of TV than any other factor. There was once a well known saying that Frank Gotch may have put wrestling on the map, but Gorgeous George brought it to the world..."
• May 26, 1950: Gorgeous George defeated Don Eagle for the American Wrestling Association World title.

Have a great weekend folks. 

- Amy

Listening to: The Morning Benders' "Dammit Anna"