matouenpeluche

Princess Margaret

Glamorous Princess Margaret was a great beauty in her youth and was famously fond of hanging out with artists, musicians, actors and other cultural types. However, did you know that in 1953 she directed a West End play called The Frog? You can read more about this incident here in an article published in The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper on Thursday, the 3rd of June 1954. I particularly liked this quote from the article: "... the mink and diamond audience applauded tumultuously". 

Images from The Apartment, Motilo and The Daily Mail.

Four things I've learnt so far this weekend...

1. Pantone have decided emerald green is 2013 personified. Yes, Pantone have an "it" colour for 2013 and it's green number 17-5641.

Image from here.

2. When author Gabriel García Márquez was writing One Hundred Years of Solitude he listened to The Beatles for inspiration. In fact he says he played some of their records so much he wore them out.

Image from here.

3. Mad Men season six is really wonderful. I watched the first two eps. and they were super fine!

Image from here.

4. Steven Soderbergh’s Liberace bio pic Behind The Candelabra: The Secret Life of Liberace looks like it could be a lot of fun. See the just released trailer here. 

Images from here.

Bits and pieces

This post is dedicated to nothing in particular - just things I have found on my travels.

This site ---> The Infinite Jukebox. As the site says: For when your favourite song isn't long enough. Now I can listen to my favourite Beatles song for like forever man! Yeah! Tragic stuff I know.

This site ---> Emergency Compliment. Hmmm... I'm strangely attracted and comforted by it. Click "I still feel crappy" at the bottom if you want to see the complete range of compliments. Here's a couple to start you off:

I scanned this ad from my mother's stash of old Life Magazines. It's from the 1960s. When I saw it I thought to myself - boy do we live in another universe today or what? What do you think it's an advertisement for? Here's a multiple choice for you:

a) cigars

b) a dating service

c) ghastly hors d'oeuvres

d) an airline

Yes, that's right. It's an advertisement for KLM Airlines - it's obvious once you know, isn't it?  

Rodney Graham is from Vancouver, Canada. He is described as an artist/ musician/ humourist...hmmm am going to explore that further. I'm intrigued.

Speaking of Canada, I found this strange Pierre Trudeau paper dress on Etsy. Trudeau was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and again from 1980 to 1984. Apparently it was made for attendees to the Liberal convention in 1968. Bizarre.

And while we've on the subject of Canada (*ahem*), I saw the most brilliant crime/ thriller/ biographical film the other day about French gangster Jacques Mesrine. It is in two parts: Mesrine: Killer Instinct and Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1. Jacques Mesrine was a totally unhinged, violent French criminal who rampaged about France and then Canada in the '50s,'60s and '70s. He had a penchant for disguises and was known as "The Man of a Hundred Faces". He was also incredibly charismatic and always had a glamorous gal on his arm. Anyway, it is very well done and stars my favourite *cough cough* French actor Vincent Cassel. Here's the trailer.

How mean does Cassel look in that last poster! As they say in France: zut alors!

Images from here.

Well, that's my post. I trust everyone is having a grand weekend!

Pussy cats x 7

Non-cat people look away now.

Steinberg - cat stools

Cat + pineapple

Dreamcats Calendar

John Lennon and his cat

Russian folk art

Vivian Leigh and her cat

Lillian plays with an abstract thought

O.K. that's enough. I feel better now that I've got that out of my system...

Candid Music Photos X 2

These photos of The Rolling Stones were found at a flea market recently. I think that discovery would have felt like you'd just won the lottery. They are now being exhibited at a gallery in Los Angeles called The Dilettante. 

...and this is The Beatles during their 10 minute photo shoot (only 10 minutes!) for the cover of Abbey Road. 

Photos of The Rolling Stones from The Stool Pigeon and photos of The Beatles from Norweigan Wood.

Moog Monday

The Moog synthesizer (Moog rhymes with vogue), as you may or may not know, is the "It" synthesizer when it comes to synthesizers. Incredibly versatile, they can either sound kitsch or pulverising.

The Beatles recording Abbey Road. Paul meets a Moog. 

Designed by Dr. Robert Moog, the Moog Synthesizer can refer to a number of analogue synthesizers first manufactured by Moog Music in the early 1950s. However, it was not until The Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967, where it was demonstrated, that it started to become more commercially successful. After Monterey, acts such as The Byrds and Simon and Garfunkel started to incorporate the Moog into their work. The Beatles used the Moog Synthesizer extensively on their Abbey Road album. Shortly after recording Abbey Road, George Harrison even produced an entire album using the Moog called Electronic Sound.

For your listening pleasure, I have compiled a list of ten songs that featured the iconic Moog Synthesizer:

1. Strange Days - The Doors, Strange Days (1967)

2. Maxwell's Silver Hammer, Because, Here Comes the Sun and I Want You (She's so Heavy) - The Beatles, Abbey Road (1969)

3. Wish you Were Here - Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

4. I Feel Love - Donna Summer, I Remember Yesterday (1977)

5. Whip It - Devo, Freedom of Choice (1980)

6. Rio - Duran Duran, Rio (1982)

7. Blue Monday - New Order, Power, Corruption and Lies (1983)

The Guardian has a great potted history of The Moog. Also here is a pretty definitive list of albums and songs that feature the Moog.

Images from here and here.

Slide Guitar Sunday

Intake - Bridget Riley

The weather in Sydney over the last 48 hours has been spectacularly crummy. It's been cold and rainy with 100km winds. Not a good combination in anyone's books. So, what's a girl to do under such conditions? Why, make a chronological list of her favourite ten songs that feature the slide guitar. I've always liked the slide guitar - even Hawaiian music gets my vote.

So, here's my list. If you click on the song title it will take you through to a You Tube video of that particular song.

1. I Fall to Pieces - Patsy Cline (Patsy Cline Showcase 1961)

2. Night Life - Ray Price (Night Life 1963)

3. Heart of Stone - The Rolling Stones (Out of Our Heads 1964)

4. All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix (Electric Ladyland 1968)

5. For You Blue - The Beatles (Let It Be 1970)

6. Tangerine - Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin III 1970)

7. My Sweet Lord - George Harrison (All Things Must Pass 1970)

8. Old Man - Neil Young (Harvest 1972)

9. John Sinclair - John Lennon/ Plastic Ono Band with Elephant Memory and Invisible Strings (Some Time  in New York City 1972)

10. Fade Into You - Mazzy Star (So Tonight That I Might See 1994)

Ten Great Years

I thought this poster by Argentinian graphic designer Max Dalton was pretty neat. You can see more of Max's work and posters here --> Max Dalton.

In other Beatles news, I see that Yellow Submarine has been cleaned up and restored. Ah! I have such fond memories of that fine film! When it was having a re-run at the Roseville cinema, my Dad used to take me to see it most weekends. It was a very enjoyable way to fill in a few hours together. The music's fantastic and the fab animation certainly appealed to a me as a small girl. You can see the trailer here.

Poster image from here. Yellow Submarine from here.

Love part 2 - Epic love triangle

When someone says "epic love triangle" to me I immediately think of George Harrison, Pattie Boyd and Eric Clapton. I'm sure there have been other epic love triangles, but none that are as recent or legendary as this one. Pattie had a thing for iconic guitarists and they had a thing for her. She had several love songs written for her by these two gentlemen; the three most famous being Something, Layla and Wonderful Tonight. Incidentally, Frank Sinatra said Something was the best love song ever written.

As you may or may not know, Pattie Boyd was a model and the "It" girl of swinging sixties London when she first met George Harrison. They met on the set of "A Hard Day's Night" and instantly fell in love. Two years later they were married. However, George was allegedly a bit of a philanderer and when he was not allegedly philandering he was meditating. Meanwhile, George's close friend Eric Clapton starting pursuing the lovely Pattie in a most romantic manner. Several years of the epic love triangle followed. Anyway, one thing led to another and Pattie ended up leaving George for Eric.

Pattie was with Eric for a decade or so before they too divorced. She is now a well thought of photographer and the author of a book about her famous loves and life called Wonderful Today: George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Me.

My first instalment of "Love" can be read here.

All images from here and here.

Famous musicians + their dogs

I always think portraits of people with their pets are the best portraits you can get. The pet seems to bring out an inner loveliness in the person I find. Flavorwire has a nice round up of 10 famous musicians with their dogs here which I've added to and subtracted from in this post.

Top: Paul McCartney and his English sheep dog Martha, Doris Day and Mrs. Mike, Robert Plant and Strider, Elvis Presley and Foxhugh.

Top: George Harrison and his sausage dog, Billie Holiday and Mister, The Beatles and assorted pooches (Paul McCartney with Martha again) and Johnny Cash and his dogs Hell and Redemption.  

Happy Wednesday all! I hope your week has been going swimmingly so far!

Top three photos via, George Harrison via, Billie Holiday via, The Beatles via, Johnny Cash via.