Poster EXPLOSION....and Cool Hippy Gear!

It's a darn shame you can't get cool gear like this anymore, at least not this cheap! I'll bet you anything that there is a warehouse full of this new/old stock somewhere just rotting away.

I a little puzzled by this seemingly unlicensed Zappa poster. What did he do that begs forgiveness? Maybe they didn't mean for it to be Zappa, like he's just a representation that ALL men need to be forgiven for the dumb crap they do? Hahahaa!

I'd love to have this mega sized op-art poster to gaze into. It would probably make me go blind...

Advertisement from Co-Ed magazine, March 1971.

Some 60's Comics

I picked up a lotta groovy loot this week at a few estate sales, so I have a ton of new stuff to share! Here's a couple of the comics I bought:

Banana Splits #1 from 1969

 The Adventures of Bob Hope #96 from 1966. Seriously, even Bob Hope had a comic? I couldn't pass up these groovy ghoulies!

Please, no chicken jokes!

Colonel Sanders on the cover of Laugh-In Magazine, March 1969

Patch-odelic!

Check out these crazy iron-on patches! These wacky hippies come in day-glo and are on reflective material too! I don't know who these guys are supposed to be, but they are way cool.

Sex To Sexty Magazine

Basically this magazine is just a collection of adult themed jokes and cartoons. There a lot of funny pokes at the hippie culture too. The coolest thing about this issue is the cover, which is printed in psychedelic day-glo ink! Printed in 1969.

Freak Out, U.S.A

"....This is a Copyrighted term, those of you out there who might be planning to use the word "Freak Out" in conjunction with some business- naughty, naughty. We'll sue you to death. A magazine was about to go onto the market called Freak Out, U.S.A. and they have received a telegram saying 'cease and desist you fools because it will cost you a great quantity of money'..." -Frank Zappa interview, 1967

Frank is referring to the Mothers of Invention's 1966 album titled "Freak Out" and the sudden interest and overuse of the phrase in popular culture. Frank claims to have coined the phrase, which we now use in our everyday vernacular.

So here is Freak Out, U.S.A.- which oddly enough features an interview with Zappa. The publication was very short lived ( I think only two issues), but is a really cool, if cheesy, document of the music scene at the time. I, being a huge Zappa fan (although he can be an a-hole at times) couldn't pass this up.

Like I said, I'm a huge Zappa fan, more specifically the stuff featuring the original Mothers of Invention line-up. They were the freakiest, ugliest, greasiest, weirdest group of the time and that's my bag folks. This collage mimics the style used by Zappa and frequent collaborator Cal Schenkel on the early Mothers LP sleeves.

And the interview itself is quite telling as Zappa explains his anti-drug philosophy and the true meaning of "freaking out"

These are the Fugs who, like the Mothers, were also very greasy, grimy and weird.  I love this dude's custom army coat! I'm working on spiffing one up my self...

Super cool posters! Notice the Jefferson Airplane poster...it's the same one I spotted (see last post) at the Antique Mall the other day!

Valentine's Day Antiquing Fun!

On Valentines Day I took a trip with my pals Andy and CC to a crazy junk store and a nifty antique mall. While the junk store craziness I will save for another day, here are pics of some of the cool stuff I saw at the antique mall in Williamston, MI. This place was chock full of far out stuff with far out prices to match, so it's more like visiting a museum of  pop culture history than anything. A boy can dream though!

Spin these glasses around and you can see their tushes (and sometimes more)! Unfortunately these were locked up and strategically placed so I didn't have the pleasure.

I kinda liked these Florida guys. I have a fondness for any kind of  vintage souvenirs anyway.

My Grandpa made me a clock exactly like this when I was a little tike. I think it was a kit that you put together yourself. Unfortunately mine broke and I really don't know whatever happened to it. This one brought back good memories.

......And this brought nightmares!

Wowza. These naughty amateur photos were also locked up tight, and cost $15 a pop!

Alrighty then...

Ooh La La!

These original 60's psychedelic concert posters had me drooling all over myself. They were only about $1000 dollars each. Think I'll go pick one up when I get my allowance.

Andy and Colleen stopped to pose by the King Kone stand in Perry, MI on the way home. It was just a teeny bit cold out!

I really didn't find much that day, I did nab one little treasure that I'll share at the end of the week, but all in all I had a lotta fun looking for treasures and hanging with my buds on Valentines day!

Children of the Flaming Wheel

The following is an excerpt from Spirit World #1 Fall, 1971. Spirit World was the brainchild of the legendary comic artist Jack Kirby and only made it as far as the first issue.

Kirby was a pioneer in more ways than one. Aside from the fact that he was one of the greatest comic illustrators of all time, he also incorporated far out collages into his work on occasion. This is my favorite shot from the spread and it showcases a little bit of Jack's great collage work. It really blows my mind!

Estate Sale Finds Jan 28

Thursday I went to a very cool estate sale with my folks and found a couple nice items but not much. I guess I feel kind of overwhelmed at these sales sometimes and miss out on great stuff that requires a little more searchin' and diggin'. So, I almost always go back later when the crowds have died down and I have a clearer focus....and for the most part, I usually find the best things on my return visit. Here is some of what I found:

 A bunch of 60's-70's Down Beat Magazines. These cover Jazz, Blues and even Rock music. They are a very cool read and have great pictures and ads for vintage music gear. I will be sharing more from these later on.

A big leather wallet. I mean REALLY big at almost 6" long! I have been needing a better wallet anyways and I like these big "pass case" styled ones. 

 A Hot Wheels Trantula Dragster from the 60's. It's a shame that its busted up and missing some parts, but I couldn't pass it up for next to nothin'.

 A couple vintage Gillette razors. The one in back is adjustable. Not sure if these are for sellin' or keepin' yet.

The elusive two-headed Troll doll. Most likely from the 60's or 70's. I've seen a lot of Trolls but never a two-header. Weird! Buried at the bottom of a box of clothes in the attic, I rescued this dude so he could tell his story.

A very psychedelic piece of Beatles sheet music. Oddly enough "And I Love Her" is a very un-psychedelic song from the groups earlier days.

I found a pile of these business cards for the Billy Lewis Quartet. The deceased (Floyd Mooreland of Flint MI) was a sax player (and one hell of a player at that) and played with many groups. I heard that he even played with some of the greats when they rolled through town. I really don't know if the sax player in the pic is him or not though. That leads me to the best of my finds...

A box of 1/4 inch Reel to Reel tapes containing one of a kind live recordings of a group called the Four Gents recorded in 1970 and 1976. These are really great sounding (most likely soundboard) recordings of the group playing jazz, soul, r&b and more. Really an enjoyable listen and hours of it too. One of the best performances I listened to so far was a really smooth jazz interpretation of the Beatles' Eleanor Rigby. There were also literally hundreds of cassettes of live recordings too from later years. I hope that they will get into the right hands and not be lost forever. I'm so glad I went back to the sale!