It's T-Shirt Friday 6 !

Cities On Flame With Röck and T-shirts...... 

So did you get last weeks T-Shirt Friday Conundrum? It was a bit of a tricky one. Mainly also because there is some dilemma as to who came up with the name 'Napoleon Dynamite'. Jared Hess the director of the film, believes that he met someone of that same name around 2000. Elvis Costello used the name on his now rather famous album from 1986 'Blood & Chocolate'. He also used the name as early back as 1982 as a pseudonym. So if you got Elvis Costello or even Elvis Presley you still did very well! Perhaps you could celebrate by buying yourself an Elvis 'onesie' jumpsuit or even go one step further and get a Rhinestone Nudie suit made... just for the weekend! You could do all of that or maybe just have a nice cuppa and treat yourself to a jammie dodger! Whatever way you decide to celebrate... Well done! Which now brings us full circle to another t-shirt. Which much like Jammie Dodgers and Nudie Suits has a story of nostalgia to it. But also has an element of adventure and it rocks like Godzilla!!! What could this t-shirt and it's story be about...? Well here goes...

Today's T-Shirt is from : http://www.rockbandtees.com

Way back in 2006 my great friend Dave and myself found ourselves in the now sadly closed down and demolished but at the time rather sticky floored London Astoria. We were having our brains blown out and our faces melted by a band that it's fair to say at the time we both knew little about. They were not a new band even then. They have a couple of staple songs that really will last 'together in eternity' but the real surprise was just how good everything else was that they played! It was a riff-tastic guitar and song fest of epic proportions and we left that night blown away by the them, vowing to discover more about their history and their songs. The band was the not to be confused with the 'British Oxygen Company'... 'BöC' (Blue öyster Cult got the umlaut the British Oxygen Company never did!)
Often referred to as the 'American' Black Sabbath BöC packed a plectrum wielding punch that night! One that hit so hard that along with the sticky floors the memory of it all propelled itself through the timelines and has stayed with us ever since...

The taste of salt was on both Miss Russell's and my lips, everywhere we looked was just pure white and the light was so bright that by default we had to wear sunglasses. Old shoes or trainers had to be worn for fear of corrosion, the very floor that we were walking on could degrade rubber and plastic materials. The Jeep that along with 4 others we had been members of for the past 3 days had just dropped us off in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. The only things marking our way were small heaps of pure white salt which every now and again might have a discarded spade or tool left on top of one of them. We were in Salar De Uyuni, the world's largest salt flats and when you're there it's like you are viewing infinity itself! Our journey had begun in Santiago, Chile, we then travelled via a 24 hour bus to San Pedro de Atacama, to which we then began the trip in the jeep through the Atacama Desert into Bolivia and to our final salty goal. 6 years on from BöC there we both were, Miss Russell and me standing in the most outworldly place we had ever been, thinking back over our epic journey and looking forward to what was next to come. All the time I had been wearing the below Blue öyster Cult t-shirt! - So while all of these new thoughts and experiences where happening a certain nostalgia crept in... times spent back home in London with Miss Russell, wondering how friends and family were, what they were doing, Dave and myself having a few beers at the sticky floored Astoria watching BöC... it's funny what a t-shirt can do! 

When we were planning our trip to Chile and South America, it became apparent quite soon that we would need to invest in some new clothes to take away with us. I had regretted not buying a BöC T-shirt at the time of the gig. The T-shirt design is taken from Blue öyster Cult's first album in 1972 called strangely 'Blue öyster Cult' and the wonderfully mysterious image was designed by Bill Gawlick who incidentally also designed the bands now iconic logo and the album cover for their second album 1973's 'Tyranny and Mutation' as well. 
I ordered the Blue öyster Cult T-shirt in preparation for our trip, plus the now elusive 'Waiting For Columbus T-shirt' (But that is a whole other story...) without really even thinking about it, the reason for my purchase only became apparent right there out in the middle of the Bolivian salt flats. It served as a way of remembering and giving back great memories...
A stairway to the stars!

Well, well, well, it's time again for the T-Shirt Friday Quiz Conundrum, so here we go.... this week it's a question that will test your knowledge to the full. A kind of geographical t-shirt question... How large in square kilometers is Salar De Uyuni?

Interested in BöC? check these sites out:
http://www.blueoystercult.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Öyster_Cult

If you like cowbell check out 'Don't Fear The Reaper' - it's a cowbell-fest!

And Bill Gawlick:
http://www.blueoystercult.com/History/history4.html

P.S. Incidentally, It's thought that Blue öyster Cult began the trend in heavy rock and metal to use the umlaut in their logos that bands like Motörhead made famous!
Go... Go... Godzilla Yeah!

It's T-Shirt Friday 5 !

A Dynamite Tee...... 

Goodness gracious 5 t-shirts down the line already! And this weeks T-shirt might get you eating steak, drawing strange mythical creatures... 'Ligers', playing tetherball or maybe even voting! But first there is the rather important task of letting you know the answer to last weeks 'Big Lebowski' T-Shirt Friday Quiz Conundrum! If you thought that the electro band was... Kraftwerk then you were very nearly right. As the 'fictional' band in Maude's collection are actually called 'Autobahn' which is a kind of homage or perhaps parody (who knows?) to Kraftwerk. They made a very famous fourth album called 'Autobahn'. If you thought the band's name was 'Kraft Cheese' then why not celebrate and have some in a sandwich for your lunch today! And now it's time to unveil this week's tee. So get yourself a quadbike (but please don't break your coccyx) it's time for T-Shirt Friday...

Today's T-Shirt is from : http://www.truffleshuffle.co.uk

It's probably a bit foggy now... but if you think back to 2004, two phenomena appeared. Can you think what they might be? Clue : They are connected in this story. I first became aware of them both, (As usual for me) the wrong way round. Everywhere I went people were wearing the below T-shirt. Everywhere I looked, my eyes could only focus on the red typography coming out at me. People in the street would pass each other by. Both wearing the same T-Shirt, They would nod to each other knowingly. As if they were in some strange secret society. I really wanted in!!!  - If for nothing else just to understand what that elusive red slogan meant. Then the strangest thing happened! For my birthday that year, I received a present from my Sister and Brother-in-law. As I opened it the red lettering glared out at me! Wow! I was now also an owner and honorary member of this rather odd cult of 'Vote For Pedro' T-Shirt wearers. Except in my case I still had absolutely no idea what it was all about. I felt like a fake. A charlatan. Wearing a T-shirt I knew nothing of. This was surely a huge case of style over content and it felt like something had to be done.... But I did continue to wear the T-Shirt. I was very drawn to it. If someone passed me by and made a comment or gesture to suggest they too were a Pedro supporter, I would calmly acknowledge it, making it seem like I new exactly what they were on about. I actually felt better for it. The thought did cross my mind at one stage that maybe none of us in this Pedro T-Shirt society really new what this thing was about? Thus making us all a bunch of people just not really knowing... but keeping the faith by wearing the shirt... Were we all waiting for a moment when the government would be overthrown by Pedro and when it happened would we be called to arms and asked to cast our cultish votes for him? Well... Errr 'no' as it worked out. It was nothing like that at all really. The day finally dawned when everything was revealed... It all started (and this is the second phenomena now) when my Sister popped round with a DVD. We often get together as a family on a Friday night. It's otherwise know as 'Curry Night' and usually includes watching a film too, I'll set the scene. We had all just polished of a fantastic and very tasty Rogan Josh, cooked by my Dad and were all settling into the sofa with a cuppa. On went the DVD. The film was called... Napoleon Dynamite... Nothing has ever been the same since that fateful day. Straight after watching it, all I wanted to do was go out into the street (Of course firstly having shaved my hair off, due to feeling too hot) hands in the air, shouting out to the world "I get It... finally I get it!" If you haven't seen the film then I recommend you do. Then you'll get it too... well maybe... I'm still not actually sure if I 'really' do...

Well there we go. So now as tradition would have it. Here is the T-Shirt Friday Quiz Conundrum: The name 'Napoleon Dynamite' was used previously to the film being made by which musician? And as we are giving clues this week : It was used on their Album made in '1986'... Now that is a sticky tricky one...

P.S. The second phenomena was of course the Rogan Josh!

It's T-Shirt (Good) Friday 4 !

A T-Shirt For It's Time And Place...... 
And this week we have a Coen Brothers Extravaganza! But before that it's time for the answer to last weeks T-Shirt Friday Quiz Conundrum. It was quite a tricky one. But it was Schrödingers cat. If you knew it or guessed correctly make sure that you give yourself a treat with your cup of tea today. Perhaps a Hot Cross Bun?! If I may be so bold. Now... before reading the below. I strongly suggest putting some Creedence on. So get your tapes of Chronicle 1 & 2 out of your glove box, dust them off and press play!

Today's T-Shirt is from : http://www.allposters.co.uk

Way out west there was a T-shirt, T-shirt I want to tell you about, t-shirt by the name of The Big Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' makers gave him, but it never had much use for it it's self... I only mention it 'cause some- times there's a t-shirt-I won't say a a-pparel, 'cause what's a a-pparel?-but sometimes there's a t-shirt. And I'm talkin' about the t-shirt here-sometimes there's a t-shirt who, wal, it's the t-shirt for it's time'n place...
You can spend a lifetime searching for a really great t-shirt and then other times the t-shirt will find you... Which is pretty much how the Big Lebowski t-shirt came into my possession. The Big Lebowski is more then just a fantastic classic Coen Brothers film. It's a total cult! There is an annual get together every year to celebrate the film and the character of 'The Dude' transcends celluloid. There is in fact a Dudeist religion, you can join here: http://dudeism.com  If you can be bothered. It is perhaps more 'Dude' to not be bothered... anyway... It is one of the easiest religions you could follow, You just have to be very 'Dude'!
It's fair to say that it's a film that keeps on giving. Many people take quotes from it, mainly because it is such a quotable film and other people like my good colleague from Eagle Rock Entertainment, Creative Director, Nikkie Amouyal buy the t-shirts! As in the case of the below tee. But after She purchased it (...and this is where the real shock horror of the story is... ) It became an unwanted gift! An unwanted Big Lebowski t-shirt? I hear you say, surely not? But it is in fact true. A sad, sad day for The Dude. But this terrible drama did not continue for long, as Nikkie very kindly gave me the t-shirt and it has warmly nestled itself ever since around my slightly squidgy rotund upper half. A nice happy ending this week for t-shirt Friday. The End! ... Or is it... No! Grab yourself a white russian or a sarsparella and have a go at this weeks T-Shirt Friday Quiz Conundrum! Which is : In the Scene where the Dude is looking through Maude's vinyl album collection what is the name of the German electronic band?

It's T-Shirt Friday 3 !

A Tale Of Two T-Shirts...

So here we are again... these Friday's come round quick don't they?! Did you know or guess last weeks 'Rock Snob T-Shirt Friday Quiz Conundrum' ? It was a tricky one. The answer is that Lowell George was in the 'Mothers Of Invention' before he formed Little Feat. It's believed that Frank Zappa fired him because he wrote the song 'Willin'. Although there is a lot of mythology and hear say to Lowell George a bit like Orson Welles (see Jackson Browne) Lowell can be heard on 'Weasels Ripped My Flesh' and incidentally the famous cover for Weasels... was designed and illustrated by Neon Park who went on to illustrate and design nearly all of Little Feats covers from 'Salin' Shoes' through to 'Ain't Had Enough Fun'.

Anyway we have another T-Shirt to talk about now, although to say that we are talking about just one lonesome t-shirt would be quite incorrect. This story has a shadowy second t-shirt involved. It's a story of mystery, conspiracy, lost love, revenge, jealousy, deceit, anger, murder and t-shirt packaging. Hope you are ready for the murkier side of t-shirt Friday?

Bazinga! Actually this story has none of the above at all. Well... maybe a little, the t-shirt packaging and the conspiracy! Have you ever been in a similar fix at all? Here is a description of the situation so you can picture it. It's hurtling nearer and nearer to Christmas, although you're doing quite well with the Christmas shopping there is one person that your pen always ponders over on the list. You just keep re-writing a question mark next to them. This happened to us this Christmas just gone. Both Miss Russell and myself were really lost on what to get my sister. There just appeared to be nothing out there in the world of e-commerce websites that was offering itself as a viable present. But then in a flash of inspiration my sister's love of 'The Big Bang Theory' filled our heads. Sheldon's was the path we would follow, he was the Jedi that would show us the way forward to a T-shirt for my sister! And so it was and so it shall be that we got the below purple Bazinga! T-shirt from: http://www.8ball.co.uk

A couple of weeks passed by. We wrapped up the Bazinga t-shirt and prepared for Christmas and then as so often happens, there it was, Christmas day! Miss Russell leant over and gave me a present from my sister and brother-in-law. With a bit of a chuckle Miss Russell then said "Why don't you open that one" So without any more thought, I did. Only to discover that they had got me a...... Book... Bazinga! Actually what they had got me was a  Bazinga T-shirt too! It was as if we were telepathic or something.... The Red Bazinga t-shirt is the one that they got me. 

It all came out later on though that Miss Russell was a double agent spy and had conspired with my Sister and knew that we were both buying each other the t-shirt! On the other hand though it's still nice to think that there may on some level have been a kind of Jedi, sci-fi, sub-conscious, group telepathic, t-shirt, thing going on!

Well 3 t-shirts down and many more to come, but now as is customary to T-Shirt Friday here is the T-Shirt Friday Quiz Conundrum! - In The Big Bang Theory Episode 'The Tangerine Factor' whose cat does Sheldon use as an example to advise Penny about her date with Leonard? Wow! that is one for the fans!

...It's T-Shirt Friday 2 !...

....And This Friday's T-Shirt Is...

Ok so it's finally that time again and finally time to unveil the answer to last Friday's T-Shirt conundrum the answer to 'Which continent has the largest number of countries?' is dah... dah... dah... 'Africa!' give yourself a good pat on the back if you got it right, there will be another T-Shirt Friday Quiz Conundrum at the end of this post, so look out for it! Anyway I digress. Today's choice is a very nice Lowell George T-shirt which was designed by Bathroom wall T-Shirts, check out their website: http://www.bathroomwall.co.uk

Greenwich Market makes for a really nice visit, Greenwich itself if you haven't been there has a touch of the maritimes about it, it also has a touch of the mean time's too if you fancy a nice pint! or if your interested in time and space! Anyway it is a lovely place to visit and there is a lot there to do. One of the many things is a visit to Greenwich market, it's open most of the week but Tuesdays and Sundays are really good times to go. One particular visit, found both Miss Russell and myself looking strangely at a T-shirt stall, it was an intriguing one for two reasons, firstly the designs were unusual, quite surreal and very creative and secondly there was a photograph of the stall owner with Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding from The Mighty Boosh! As our eyes gazed over the uniqueness of the t-shirts the un-named chap in the photograph came to life from round the back of the stall! He stared straight at me in what you might call a rather non-subtle way looking firstly at my face then at the t-shirt that adorned my rather rotund top half. In an inquisitive but kind way he asked "Is that you?", "Where?" I answered. Miss Russell looked around. "On Your T-shirt?" he replied "Ha ha" I laughed, looking down at the shirt I was wearing "No 'fraid not, It's Lowell George... from Little Feat?" I answered ending the answer with a question, he stared at me blankly... "Ha ha! I thought you'd made a t-shirt of yourself playing guitar" "Cool Idea!" he added "No... no it's Lowell George" I laughed. We then all joined in laughing. We said our goodbyes and moved on. The T-shirt advertises itself as 'The Rock Snob's T-shirt' and my guilty pleasure when thinking back to that incident is that poor chap had no idea who or how great Lowell George was. For 5 minutes I felt like the biggest rock snob in the world and I'll let you into a little secret it felt really good! Miss Russell and myself spent the rest of that day wandering around Greenwich laughing about it all and planning what T-shirts we would like to be on next!... 

So now we are at the end again of T-Shirt Friday but don't fear T-Shirt Friday will be back err... next Friday but for now a Rock Snob T-Shirt Friday Quiz Conundrum for a Rock Snob T-Shirt : Lowell George was famous for being in 'Little Feat' but what band was he in before the Feats? - all will be revealed next week!

Interested in Lowell George and Little Feat? Check these out :

Mark Brend's book : 'Rock and Roll Doctor' is excellent! : http://www.definitearticle.org.uk

Little Feat's Official Site : http://www.littlefeat.net
& Wikipedia on Lowell : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowell_George

I'm also on and off, writing a small book about my love of Lowell and Little Feat, plus 4 other bands that have featured heavily in my life. Perhaps one day it will see the light.... anyone out there interested in publishing it?!

'Healing' In The Digital Age

A Therapeutic Line
Where I previously used to work we often used to discuss how in the midst of all the craziness of doing adverts, flyers and posters while balancing about 3 or 4 other projects, plus whatever else was being handled at the time, we would often find it a very calming experience to be given a retouching job. You can just shut yourself away in your own little clone tool world! It can be a very therapeutic way of spending your time...

So it was really nice when Dawn Rey from I.B.Tauris approached me about doing a retouching job. You can see the before and after below. We also did a little bit of colour correction on the image too. The Image will be used on their Catalogue cover. 
I.B.Tauris publish some very interesting books, check out their website : www.ibtauris.com

Music Listened to while working on I.B.Tauris / Mrs Rey's line project

Planet Rock Online - Many repeat playings of The Temperance Movement's 'Ain't No Telling'

A Tab In The Ocean by Nektar - do check out : www.itsaboutmusic.com

Cressida by Cressida

Songs In the Key Of Life by Stevie Wonder

It's... T-Shirt Friday!!!

....And This Friday's T-Shirt Is...
You may or may not know that I really love t-shirts, the designs on them, collecting them and wearing them, it's an ever growing collection that I have and often they have a story or two connected with them, so every Friday a t-shirt from the collection will be showcased, so here it is the very first tee for T-Shirt Friday (seems almost like there should be a drum roll...) The below t-shirt was bought for me by my lovely girlfriend Miss Russell and it was designed by 101 Apparel, check out their website: http://www.101apparel.com

There we were, a late night heading home on the Bakerloo Line when on got a chap at Baker Street. Holding a bag and looking rather cool in a pair of designer sunglasses. 

He sat down opposite us in the carriage no sooner had he done this the lady that he had seemingly been chatting up got up and off the train at the next stop. His concentration turned to the t-shirt I was wearing which just so happened to be the one below. "Wow!" 

he exclaimed "That's a fantastic T-shirt". His amazement at the t-shirt slightly startled us, 

"I'm from Africa and that T-shirt shows the whole world coming together in peace and music". It was pleasing to hear how much he liked the shirt, he said again "That really is quite some t-shirt" but this time telling the chap who had taken the place of the lady that had shunned him earlier, the tired chap next to him could do nothing but agree, nodding politely. "I must give you something" for a minute it seemed that he might like to swap something for the t-shirt but we made it apparent to him that it had been a present from Miss Russell, he seemed to understand that the t-shirt was not up for grabs. "Here, you must have these" he thrust the designer glasses that he had been wearing at me, the chap next to him came to life "But if you give him the sunglasses, what will you do tomorrow when it's sunny again?" it was a very valid question and for a moment I felt bad for having taken the glasses "No problem" he answered, while pulling out of the mystery bag another pair of designer sunglasses which he perched on his forehead, where the others had been only moments before. We left the train thanking him and feeling both amused and slightly bemused!

P.S. We often go to a pub quiz on a Thursday night. It's a good way to relax and test our knowledge. One particular pub quiz night both t-shirt and quiz question collided in perfect harmony. All day it felt like there was a reason why I was wearing the below tee and it all unfolded like a well packaged piece of apparel right there in the pub. After quite a number of non-t-shirt related questions along came the clincher, the one we and the shirt had been waiting for... "Which continent has the largest number of countries?" after a long pause, 

we looked around almost trying to resist the obvious. Until suddenly we could resist no more, all eyes were on the t-shirt of knowledge. Busily counting the countries... 

Anyway to cut a long story short the t-shirt provided the answer and proved that a shirt 

can be both decorative and informative... As for the answer, why not have a go yourself? 

You could even order yourself the same shirt to find out or there is of course the slightly less interesting option of just opening up an Atlas. Next Friday I'll reveal the answer. 

Clue: It's the 'sunglasses' guy in the first story's favourite continent. 

Good Luck!