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MACLAINE
Maintaining a running collection of the things I find online that interest me.
Fences - Thorp, WA on Flickr.
This is my third and most successful attempt at large format photography. Hopefully this is the start of a trend.
Here’s a great video of a young, groovy Terry Gilliam explaining how he made one of his classic animated segments for Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Just watching him describe his process makes me laugh. The amount of painstaking effort each of his animated segments must have taken boggles my mind. Also of note, I used to think his particular way of speaking was a result of years of living in England, but watching this, it seems as if that’s how he’s always talked.
A page from UNCANNY X-MEN #138 by John Byrne and Terry Austin.
This is a page from the very first issue of X-Men I ever read. I got it rolled up in my stocking for Christmas, which started a tradition that continued well into my teenage years. I still have it, too. It’s yellowed and beaten to hell, but I still reread it from time to time. As first issues go, it would be hard to beat this one, as it manages to sum up 15 or so years of X-Men history in a few dozen pages. Brilliant storytelling by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. VERY cool seeing the original artwork.
Volunteers - Jefferson Airplane
I think for the majority of people, Grace Slick is the first and only person that comes to mind when they think of the voice of Jefferson Airplaine. My guess is this is because of the longevity of “Somebody To Love” and “White Rabbit” on classic rock radio. It’s unfortunate, because her male counterpart Marty Balin (who started the band, incidentally) has his own fair share of great songs. Despite what the band would become, the original incarnation had moments of real rawness and ferocity.
This is my favorite song of theirs, and this video is an absolutely blistering version of it. At first I thought that maybe the tape was sped up a bit, but comparing it to some other versions on YouTube, it seems like they are just really keyed up here. I’ll leave you to make your own conclusions as to why.
BONUS: Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy some of the band’s later hits. I think their many stylistic shifts from the ’60s until the ’80s are pretty bizarre, but I can’t fault them for doing what they had to do to stay viable as a band. I tend to think of each phase as almost a completely different band.
Here’s what’s probably the most bizarre moment in their history: an appearance in the abysmal 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special. If you’re not familiar, go here first, then watch this video as the band is introduced by Art Carney (?!). Listen as Marty Balin struggles to hit some arena rock high notes while singing about vanishing “in a star-shaped object”. Shakespeare wept.
Full-scale mockup of Space Shuttle Orbiter Constitution (OV-101) 1975 - Donwney, CA by aharvey2k on Flickr.
A full scale mockup of the Space Shuttle, 1975. Without all the paint on it, something about it seems quite a bit more ’70s looking, although I can’t see much of a difference between it and the final version.
Sam & Dave - I Thank You
The incomparable Sam & Dave performing one of my favorite songs of theirs on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1969. The riff in the chorus is so boneheadedly simple and yet so perfect. Everything about this song is stripped down to the absolute essentials and executed flawlessly by an ultra-tight band. This is just a glimpse into what was apparently their legendary live show.
(Source: youtube.com)
Letters of Note: Forget your personal tragedy
I was just reading about F. Scott Fitzgerald a bit last night, and this popped up in my Twitter feed this morning. I didn’t know he and Hemingway were such close friends. This letter is refreshingly honest, although probably not what Fitzgerald wanted to hear when he asked what Hemingway thought of his latest effort. There’s some great advice in there for any creative type, though, not just writers. Hemingway constantly emphasizes the importance of having your work reflect the truth as much as possible, even if it has to create its own truth.
Also of interest: for a writer, Hemingway’s letter is laden with typos.
The Flyer by John White
A Secotan Indian man painted by John White in 1585. British Museum, London.
Read about this and other rare images from some of the earliest European contact with the indigenous people of North America in this excellent blog post at the Public Domain Review.
Letters of Note: Blade Runner will prove invincible
It’s a shame Philip K. Dick didn’t live long enough to see the final movie, although it’s a small consolation that he wasn’t around for its initial flop. Chances are he wouldn’t have made it long enough to see it resurrected and put in its proper place.
NPR Music: The 13 Most Useless College Majors (As Determined By Science)
What a relief! At least my degree isn’t in the Top 10.
1. Fine Arts
3. Film, Video, and Photographic Arts
4. Commercial Art and Graphic Design
5. Architecture
6. Philosophy and Religious Studies
7. English Literature and Language
8. Journalism
