Even the desert has a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow, as the Desert Gang kicks up their heels to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Los Straitjackets Jet Set Video
This video is so cool, they need to invent a new word for cool. It mashes up iconic scenes from around the globe with two other pop-culture icons (James Bond of the ’60s and El Santo, Mexico’s most famous lucha libre star from the mid-century). And the song is great, too. Los Straitjackets are surf music icons in their own right and make us want to hop on the next plane headed to the coast.
300 Bowl Building and Modernism Week
To celebrate Modernism Week (even though I’m not able to take in Palm Springs’ famous festivities this year), I give you an original illustration of mine inspired by the 300 Bowl Building in Phoenix. The words “bowling alley” do not do justice to the soaring lines of this Googie-style building at Christown Mall. More appropriately, the steeply pitched twin roofs make this a veritable “bowling palace!” It’s a classic, and one of not many remaining examples of this fun and funky architectural style in the Valley of the Sun. For those of you lucky enough to be in Palm Springs Feb. 14-24, Happy Modernism Week!
Happy Valentine’s Day from the Desert Gang
Above is an illustration in my Desert Gang series celebrating the holidays desert style. Surprisingly, wildlife abounds on the desert trails in the Phoenix area, and this series pays homage to the creatures I come across while out hiking. The lovebirds — inspired by the flock of wild lovebirds I hear in my neighborhood every day — are a fitting addition to the lineup of characters for Valentine’s Day. The Vespa-riding rabbit couple was inspired by Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in the 1953 classic romance “Roman Holiday.” See the trailer here:
Entertainment Mid-century Style I
Because we we seem to be living in an era of pessimism and anxiety about the future, I consider it highly relevant to confront our current state of mind by contrasting it with that which existed in the middle of the 20th century — a time of optimism and exuberance. By reflecting on an era when the future held great promise, and when growing prosperity and technology gave people greater means to enjoy leisure time, we see a society emerging from its bleak wartime existence to celebrate life with new vibrancy, color, and sounds.
I spent some time last fall exploring Mid-century Modern society via a series of illustrations focused specifically on the vibrancy and exuberance of live entertainment — music, dance, and lounge diversions.
My intention was to produce the pieces in this series using silk screen printing because it reflects the Mid-century spirit in a way that no other medium does. By the 1950s, silkscreening had become so widespread for industrial and publicity purposes that it was firmly entrenched in the popular consumer aesthetic.
Music, dance, and the lounge lifestyle had also become part of popular consumer culture. Representing these scenes with stylized illustrations further evokes the industrial and promotional look embodied in much of the era’s silkscreen printing.
My overarching theme with this series is that by looking to the past, we may be able to view the future more optimistically.
I’ll post more of my illustrations from this series in the coming weeks.
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass The Lonely Bull
More fantastic footage from the 1960s: the über-cool Herb Alpert plays his first big hit, “The Lonely Bull,” in a Tijuana bullring. The story goes that he was inspired by a mariachi band revving up the crowd at a bullfight in Tijuana and adapted his trumpet playing to a tune written by collaborator Sol Lake. He called the song “The Lonely Bull” and the single became a Top Ten hit in 1962. Shortly afterwards “The Lonely Bull” became the first album ever released on A&M Records (the label he co-founded). Mix mandolin, trumpet, maracas and a surf beat, and you get pure magic!
By the way, the song has been covered many times in the last 50 years. I think one of the best covers is by the ska group The Untouchables. Listen to it here:
Gold Pants Dance from the film Pop Gear
This jewel, the Gold Pants Dance, is from the 1965’s film Pop Gear. The tune, the hair, the hip-shaking, and the bosoms are all so perky! The cheerleading squad meets King Midas. You couldn’t ask for a better dance to make this funky instrumental song come to life.