Posts Tagged ‘1960s’

Death of an Electric

Thursday, June 26th, 2008

Above: Robert Edgar Broughton of the Edgar Broughton Band. Wasted blues from 1968 till the present, after starting as a more straight head blues band in the late 60’s, and what British rock group didn’t start that way, the Broughton Band let things get a bit looser and ended up twisting Howlin’ Wolf and the MC5 into some sort of anarchist free blues heaviness. Charting in the UK, their most popular single foreshadowed mashups of today, nonsensically mixing a cover of The Shadows’ hit “Apache” with a raw take on Captain Beefheart’s “Apache Dropout”. Here’s an ealier live performance, minus the “Apache” sections.

Speaking of 1968, the new issue of Aperture Magazine showcases famous and striking photographs from 1968.


Drawing: The Nonist digs up drawings by people suffering from various psychological afflictions. The lettering sketchbooks of Linzie Hunter. Aza Raskin’s Algorithmic Ink paints organic patterns within your browser using the Javascript port of Processing.

Some sort of disorder, or perhaps a bit too far left of wasted: hypnotizing footage of the infamous Royal Trux stumbling mightily through radio IDs. Five Dials, a magazine. Abandon NASA Photography by Richard Harrington, snapshots of decaying futures (via MB). Even more ghostly, Vincent Fournier’s Space Project channels Solaris, Sputnik, and the modern world’s vanished dreams of not so long ago.

Nina Katchadourian stacks books to creates meaning (via Coudal). A full album of outtakes for download from drone conjurer Jefre Cantu-Ledesma’s out of print Shining Skull Breath.


Easier and cheaper than a whiteboard plus a projector: transparent Post-Its (via Torrez). Guidelines for Online Success by Rob Ford, published by Taschen. Ford attempts an all encompassing analysis of completed successful online projects, I look forward to viewing a hardcopy. Sometimes it can be inspiring to see a site’s humble genesis, ink and all (via TMN).

Pinstriped Gas Tanks

Thursday, June 5th, 2008

The Family Dog Presents

Alton Kelley passed away this week. Kelley’s work with Stanley Mouse and the Family Dog collective has become iconic of the Summer of Love. Their psychedelic blend of a hodgepodge of found visuals and intricate lettering graced the covers of albums by the Grateful Dead, the Steve Miller Band, and Journey as well as numerous posters and handbills.

More 1960’s counterculture, but conveyed through architecture: Drop City, Solux/Lama, the Prickley Mountain gang, etc.

Arresting retro noir and gloss photography from Alex Prager’s Big Valley exhibition. Her blending of Hitchcock peril and golden suburban sheen are currently being shown in the UK at the Michael Hoppen Gallery.

Other recent ogling: Wonderland, a magazine. Photo reps: New Blood Agency. The wooden scenes of Alison Elizabeth Taylor. The art of Graph drome.