Lou-

When David Bowie burst onto the scene in the early ’70s in full Technicolor Ziggy Stardust Glitter Rocker Regalia– he forever changed the Rock ‘n’ Roll landscape, and revolutionized a new genre of pop star and multi media artist like no one before.  His influence was felt and reflected in music, culture, dress and attitude.  The doors of self-expression and exploration were thrown wide open– with musical and artistic avenues never before explored now becoming ripe, new territory for a young and hungry generation.

BBC considers David Bowie’s 1972 performance of Starman on Top of the Pops nothing short of…

An iconic moment. Broadcast on July 6th, 1972 but recorded the day before, this performance caused a bit of a stir up and down the country. It was the first time many had seen Bowie, and the sight of him camping it up in a multicoloured jumpsuit (with his arm curled limply around Mick Ronson’s shoulder) infuriated some and delighted others. Ian McCulloch (Echo and the Bunnymen): “All my other mates at school would say, ‘Did you see that bloke on Top Of The Pops?’ He’s a right faggot, him!’ And I remember thinking, ‘You pillocks’…It made me feel cooler.”

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1974, New York — David Bowie performs as Ziggy Stardust on TV in a room at the Delmonico Hotel. — Image by © Henry Diltz/Corbis

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1972 — David Bowie, as Ziggy Stardust, in concert in the US. — Image by © Neal Preston/Corbis

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David Bowie & Mick Ronson.  Mick (in white on the Les Paul) was a major collaborator w/Bowie through 1973. — Image by © Michael Ochs Archives/Corbis

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1973, LA — Rocker David Bowie backstage with fans — Image by © Michael Ochs Archives/Corbis

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Glitter Rocker David Bowie Performing as Ziggy Stardust — Image by © Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis

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David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust) — Image by © Mick Rock

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1973, NY — David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust) at Radio City Music Hall. With him is guitarist Mick Ronson. — Image by © Neal Preston/Corbis

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1973, Los Angeles — Rocker David Bowie signing autographs for fans.

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1973, NY — David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust) at Radio City Music Hall. With him is guitarist Mick Ronson. — Image by © Neal Preston/Corbis

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1973, NY — David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust) at Radio City Music Hall. — Image by © Neal Preston/Corbis

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1973, NY — David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust) at Radio City Music Hall. — Image by © Neal Preston/Corbis

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1973, NY — David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust) at Radio City Music Hall. — Image by © Neal Preston/Corbis

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1973, Long Beach, CA — David Bowie Onstage — Image by © Michael Ochs Archives/Corbis

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July 9th, 1973 — Rock music legend David Bowie — Image by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis

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July 4th, 1973, London — At the party given by pop star David Bowie at the Cafe Royal here following Bowie’s “final” public concert.  Lou Reed, Mick Jagger and David Bowie.  Standing is Lulu. —  Bettmann/Corbis

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1972 — Legendary Rockers David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust), Iggy Pop & Lou Reed  – Image by © Mick Rock

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1972, Santa Monica — David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust) live in concert — Image by © Jon Levicke

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1972 — David Bowie & Mick Ronson in concert, live in Santa Monica — Image by © Jon Levicke

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David Bowie & guitar great Mick Ronson

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1973 — David Bowie and Mick Ronson enjoy lunch on the train. — Image by © Mick Rock

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Tailor Nazareno Fonticoli & socialite Gaetano Savini founded one of Italy’s most iconic fashion brands in Rome, 1945.  The pair wanted a name that would evoke both the ultimate in luxury, as well as being short and memorable for the American, fashion-forward men they were targeting. They chose “Brioni” — a small island off the coast of Croatia (once owned by Italy), that was playground to the rich and famous.

Fonticoli’s sartorial skill and Savini’s social networking prowess proved to be a potent one-two punch that rocked the boxy Ivy League sack suit, and stuffy Savile Row, back on their heels.  Their reputation and legend grew strictly by word of mouth, as Hollywood’s biggest stars (Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, and John Wayne to name just a few) became faithful customers and highly visible spokesmen for Brioni– a brand that would not see the need or desire to advertise in the traditional sense until some 40+ years later.

Along the way, they set the gold standard by preserving and innovating the art of fine Italian tailoring. In 1978, Brioni opened what is now one of Italy’s most highly regarded tailoring schools– offering a four-year program that not only keeps Brioni’s own talent teeming, but also the world’s best fashion houses and clothiers.  Bravo!

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Brioni Roman Style S.p.A. co-founder, Gaetano Savini with handsome Hollywood icon, John Wayne.

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In 1960, the young tailor from Abruzzo and the entrepreneur from Umbria made their mark as the world’s ambassadors of Italian Sartorial excellence.  Brioni melded ancient sartorial principles with modern industrial organization, thus staying ahead of evolving fashion trends and technology. via

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Hollywood stars Henry Fonda (with co-founder Fonticoli) & Clark Gable were early Brioni believers.

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1950 — Italian luxury brand Brioni’s formalwear and sportswear collection for men.

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In 1952, Brioni forever changed the idea of the fashion show at Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Italy– by featuring men on the catwalk for the very first time. via

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Breathtaking Brioni fashion show.  Yes– they are in water.

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From LIFE magazine, 1955.

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1957 was a turning point in the history of men’s fashion: Brioni added a touch of color to men’s formalwear and in particular, to a series of dinner jackets: culminating in the Hess collection pictured below–

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From The Diplomet, March, 1957. “Rome, which in the past has shown little imagination in men’s attire for the cocktail hour, the theatre, and the not too-formal dinner, now is doing something about it. Specifically, Gaetano Savini of Brioni has designed a series of men’s suits for the parties to which women wear cocktail dresses. He feels that the business suit is too workaday, sportswear not right, and the black tie too formal for the after-5 social hours, so he has created the cocktail suit for men. Here are three of the more conservative models imported by Hess Brothers of Allentown, Pennsylvania, (from whom you can buy them). They are photographed in the newly-opened Bird Cage Bar at the Pierre Hotel in New York. The ‘little dinner’ dresses herewith pictured are all from Fontana of Rome.”

A cutaway jacket with shawl collar in Giorgione blue wool flannel, with trousers of charcoal grey mohair. The vest is gold-colored, single-breasted, with shawl collar. Mushroom pleated shirt with ruffled edges and collar. Skinny bow tie in gold brocade. $400.00. (All photos by Hale Haberman) via

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From The Diplomet, March, 1957. Brioni iridescent copper-colored Diipioni silk jacket, doublebreasted, with shawl collar and Roman cuffs. There’s a double breasted vest (not seen) in copper and black. Black silk tapered trousers. The shirt is mushroom pleated, with lace edging on bosom and color. $500.00. via

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From Sports Illustrated, January, 1959.

Ivy Style Suit a favorite today from Madison Avenue to Market Street, has three buttons, unfitted shape, flap pockets, notch lapels, center vent.  For many American men, it is the only way to dress and has been since their fathers’ day. They are not very likely to change their minds in the near future.

Continental suit jacket is about one inch shorter — in the Italian manner: has darts to give custom fit look at waist — ala Bond Street.  It has two (sometimes three) buttons, peak lapels, side vents, slanting flapless pockets, an unpadded, more forward shoulder, is worn with neat, spread collar shirt.

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Brioni Roman Style S.p.A.  ”To have believed in an Italian style when it was difficult, almost impossible one might say to believe in it, is one of the most important facts in the Brioni history– perhaps the most important and decisive.”

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(Lt.) 1967, NY — Actress Joanna Pettet posing with male model wearing a white oxford-weave wool cardigan jacket made by Brioni. — Image by © Condé Nast Archive/Corbis

(Rt.) 1964, Florence, Italy — Model standing in a niche in the Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, wearing Brioni’s light blue wool gabardine double-breasted blazer. — Image by © Condé Nast Archive/Corbis

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(Lt.) 1963, Pitti Palace, Florence, Italy — A male model wears a fur trimmed tuxedo designed by Brioni of Rome for a fashion show in Florence’s Pitti Palace. — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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1970 — Brioni formalwear smoking jackets for men and women.  Pioneers in luxury cocktail attire.

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circa 1970 — Brioni formalwear smoking jackets for men.  Style pioneers in luxury cocktail attire.

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In 1978, Brioni opened what is now one of Italy’s most highly regarded tailoring schools– offering a four-year program that not only keeps Brioni’s own talent teeming, but also the world’s best fashion houses and clothiers.

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“Clothes were where my aesthetic instincts came out then. They helped make the group accessible.”

–Paul Simonon

~*~

Back in 1976, it was the wily manager, Bernie Rhodes, who instructed Mick Jones to recruit Paul Simonon into the group that would soon become The Clash, simply because he looked the part. “I was a bit Bowie, a bit suedehead back then,” says Simonon. “And, more importantly, I was at art college. Mick liked that. He was always big on pop history. He knew all about Stuart Sutcliffe, who was Lennon’s best mate in the early days of the Beatles, and a proper artist. I remember Mick introducing me to all his mates– ‘This is my new bass guitarist, Paul. He can’t play but he’s a painter.’”

The rest, as they say, is rock’n'roll history. Together, at Rhodes’s urging, they recruited Joe Strummer to the cause, and the Clash became the coolest punk group on the planet.  When the London punk scene began, Simonon was a fledgling painter, fresh from Byam Shaw art college which, back then, was just up the road in Notting Hill. In the spirit of the times, he  drip-painted his bass guitar in the style of Jackson Pollock and learned how to play by writing out the chords and sticking them on to the instrument’s neck. His reggae-influenced bass playing soon became integral to the group’s sound.

Simonon’s traditionalist approach to painting is surprising given that, within the often volatile creative dynamic of the Clash, he was the conceptualist, the one who paid most attention to the visuals, the image. He painted the backdrop to the Clash’s rehearsal studio, and designed some of the later stage sets, including the dive-bombing Stukas that echoed their often explosive performances. You could tell the Clash were art-school punks from the start, what with those shirts stencilled with slogans and that paint-splashed bass guitar.

“That was the art student in me trying to find a look that would make us stand apart from the Sex Pistols,” he says, laughing. “The Buzzcocks were very Mondrian, and we were Pollock. As a painter, though, I’m essentially old-fashioned. Conceptualism just doesn’t do it for me. I love Walter Sickert, Samuel Palmer, Rubens and Constable. That’s just the way I am. I love putting paint on canvas, getting lost in the process of painting.”

–Sean O’Hagan

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The Clash, 1982– Joe Strummer, Terry Chimes, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon.  –photo by Bob Gruen

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The Clash, 1982– Joe Strummer, Terry Chimes, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon.  –photo by Bob Gruen

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1981, London– Paul Simonon & The Clash on a London street. –Image by © Tim Page/Corbis

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1979, California, USA– The Clash on First U.S. Visit –Image by © Roger Ressmeyer/Corbis

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Paul Simonon onstage with The Clash.

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Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, Paul Simonon & Topper Headon of The Clash.

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1981– Paul Simonon of The Clash posing against a yellow cab–Image by © Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis

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1982, CA– Mick Jones, Terry Chimes, Joe Strummer, and Paul Simonon of The Clash –Image by © Neal Preston/Corbis

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June 1983, CA– Paul Simonon onstage with The Clash. –Image by © Neal Preston/Corbis

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(Lt.) Paul Simon, Mick Jones, and Joe Strummer of the Clash. (Rt.) 1981– Paul Simonon –Image by © Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis

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1980– Paul Simonon and Clash band mates sitting backstage. –Image by © Corbis

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Paul Simonon & Joe Strummer of The Clash

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I saw this pic and immediately assumed it was Paul Simonon of The Clash – the titled hat, rings, face.  Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree – it’s his son Louis in an ad for Loewe…

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1982, USA — Members of The Clash Getting Out of a Car — Image by © Neal Preston/Corbis

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The Clash, 1982– Joe Strummer, Terry Chimes, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon.  –photo by Bob Gruen

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New York, 1982–  Andy Warhol and publicist Susan Blond are shown backstage with members of The Clash (Paul Simonon, center, Joe Strummer and Terry Chimes, right) at their epic Shea Stadium show where they opened for The Who. –photo by Epic/Legacy Records

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1978– Paul Simonon onstage with The Clash at the Rock Against Racism concert.

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Paul Simonon backstage

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1979– The Clash perfoming in Boston –photo by Bob Gruen

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(Lt.) Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon of The Clash –Image by © Mike Laye/Corbis

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Mick Jones, Terry Chimes, Joe Strummer, and Paul Simonon of The Clash

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New York, 1982– The Clash (Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Joe Strummer, and Terry Chimes) backstage at the epic ’82 Shea Stadium concert, opening for The Who. –photo by Bob Gruen

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The Clash backstage in their dressing room –photo by Bob Gruen

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The Clash in their backstage dressing room –photo by Bob Gruen

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June 1983, CA– Paul Simonon onstage with The Clash. –Image by © Neal Preston/Corbis

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The Palladium, NY, 1979– Paul Simonon passionately smashing his bass, used for the epic cover shot of The Clash’s “London Calling” album.  –photo by Pennie Smith

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From the desk of Contributing Editor, Eli M. Getson–

LeRoy Grannis, considered by many to be the premier photographer of California’s thriving surf culture in the 60’s and 70’s, started out not as a professional or trained artist– but as a hobbyist.  He didn’t even begin his epic career until the ripe age of 42 yrs old.  That was back in 1959– prime time to document America entering the golden age of surf mania, and capture it with a keen eye and insight that only a true surfer could possess.  They say sometimes you fall into a golden situation and make the most of it– I would say Grannis did that, and then some.

LeRoy “Granny” Grannis was born in Hermosa Beach in 1917, and raised a few blocks from the ocean.  He began surfing at the age of fourteen, and was one of the first generation of mainlanders to pick up the ancient Hawaiian sport.  He started out on body boards, then graduated to riding the massive eleven-foot redwood boards that weighed up to one hundred pounds.  It was with his friends, Lewis “Hoppy” Swarts and John “Doc” Ball, that he became one of surfing’s first true devotees.  Even the Great Depression did not slow the cash-strapped surfing trio down– they built their own boards, sewed their own trunks, and pooled their limited funds for trips to catch the bigger waves at Malibu or San Onofre.  It was Ball, himself a self-trained photographer, who would later introduce Grannis to the art.

With the onset of WWII, many of the young men in California enlisted (including Grannis), and surfing went quiet for awhile.  After the war, Grannis returned to Hermosa Beach, took a job with Pacific Bell, and settled down.  He surfed on-and-off, but otherwise became absorbed in the demands of a full time job, wife, and four children.  In 1959 he was diagnosed with a stress related ulcer and his doctor recommended he take up something relaxing– that’s where fate stepped in.  Surf photography was a natural– he lived a few blocks from the beach, knew the sport, and his son had begun to surf.  At the time there were more than a few young surfers in Hermosa who wanted to see themselves in action– so with an East German 35mm camera he began chronicling the flourishing surf scene in Southern California.  What he recorded is the surf scene exploding in a riot of Technicolor.  California in the 1960s was the place where the “new” was always happening– it held a mythical place in our imaginations as the land of endless sun, surf, and possibilities.  LeRoy Grannis will go down as one of the men who helped create this mythos, and left us with some of the greatest photos I have personally  ever seen.

Eli M. Getson

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–Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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–Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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1960s, Hawaii Surfer. –Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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1965, Greg Noll Factory, Hermosa Beach. A pair of Australian surfers drove this classic Westfalia Kombi throughout Europe before shipping it over to pay homage to the surf mecca.  –Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.  via

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1970, Midget Farrelly, Pupukea.  –Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.  via

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1969, Sunset Beach, Duke Classic finalists. –Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis. All rights reserved. via

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–Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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1967, Aikau Family, Sunset Beach. Myra, Mama, and Sol Aikau watching Eddie compete in the third Duke Classic. Eddie won the contest in 1977, and died three months later.  –Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved. via

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1965, Huntington Beach Pier.  –Photograph by ©LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved. via

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–Photograph by ©LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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1968, Margo Godfrey-Oberg, Makaha. via

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–Photograph by ©LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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1967, Malibu.  When Grannis returned with a friend to Malibu shortly after World War II, they found a crowd of twelve people surfing. “That’s it,” he said. “This place is ruined.” –Photograph by ©LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved. via

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–Photograph by ©LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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1975, Makaha.  –Photograph by ©LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved. via

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–Photograph by ©LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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Hap Jacobs, Hermosa Beach, 1963. Surf legend Hap Jacobs handcrafts one of his prized surf boards. Today, a mint-condition Jacobs from this era can fetch thousands of dollars at auction.  –Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.  via

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1964, Mike Hynson, Hermosa.  The brash and stylish San Diego surfer went on to costar in the 1966 documentary, The Endless Summer.  –Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.  via

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1963, Chris Cattel, Huntington Beach.  –Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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–Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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–Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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1965, Hermosa Beach, CA, Donald Takayama & Bettina Brenna.  –Photograph by ©LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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1964, Dive, Makaha.  –Photograph by ©LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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–Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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–Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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Legendary surfer Dewey Weber.  –Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved. via

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–Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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1965, Johnny Fain, Miki Dora, Malibu, CA.  The infamous Dora “tap.”  Dora’s most famous prank was releasing a jar of live moths during a surf movie premiere.  –Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.  via

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–Photograph by © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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1969, LeRoy Grannis surfing Hermosa Beach with his Calypso amphibious camera, invented by another aquatic legend– Jacques Cousteau. Photo by John Grannis.  –Photograph © LeRoy Grannis.  All rights reserved.

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(Lt.) Photographer Bunny Yeager with Bettie Page (Rt.) The 5′ 10″ Bunny Yeager in her modeling days

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The pairing of pinup Bettie Page and shutterbug Bunnie Yeager was a deadly one-two punch combining beauty and brains.  It was Bettie Page’s trademark black baby bangs, blue eyes, and red lips that are seared on our mind’s eye– but Yeager deserves a lot of credit for the photographic talent behind many of Page’s most memorable shots.  Together they undoubtedly created some of the most iconic, influential, and titillating pin-up images ever that paved the way for the countless female models, actresses, artists and performers that would follow.

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Photographer Bunny Yeager

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Bunny Yeager

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Bunny herself knew from an early age that her life’s desire was to be a model, and set out by studying the “come hither” poses of classic painted pin-up art, and snipping pictures of sexy screen sirens Betty Grable, Jane Russell, Rita Hayworth, etc., that were hoarded away in her growing collection of scrapbooks.  Right after high school Bunny Yeager made it official. “I took a modeling course from an agency with the finest reputation in Miami,” she recalled.

Soon Bunny Yeager was Florida’s most stunning and sought after model. “I was never a pinup model,” she was quick to point out. “I did not pose for men individually like Bettie Page did.” Bunny made a name for herself as a fashion influencer as well– designing and donning her own two-piece bathing suits.  “All the other models were wearing one-piece Jantzen and Catalina suits. I made my own and am beginning to think I invented the bikini, after the French did it.”

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The famous Jungle Bettie / Bunny Yeager shoot.  Bettie Page made the leopard print costume herself.

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The famous Jungle Bettie / Bunny Yeager shoot.  Bettie Page made the leopard print costume herself.

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It was 1954 when Bunny Yeager, now married, decided to make the switch and get behind the camera. Her own formal modeling experience and creativity gave Bunny a sensitivity, insight and eye that no male photographer could touch. Female models instantly found themselves comfortable working with her, and appreciated the refreshingly caring and honest approach.  It was this same year that Bunny met the baby-banged beauty who will forever be hailed as the gold standard of saucy pin-ups– Bettie Page. Up until that time Bettie was working with the likes of Irving Klaw, and anyone else who would pay, posing for pictures that were exploitive and fetishist at best, and pornographic (by 1950′s puritanical standards) at worst.

The union of Bettie & Bunny was short, but sweet. The famous Boca Raton-based Jungle Betty shoot, and Bettie Page’s 1955 January Playboy Playmate Christmas pic, are two notable highlights of their epic partnership. Bettie Page soon drifted away– posing periodically for a few more years here and there, before disappearing almost entirely from the limelight. The tabloids sizzled with sensational speculation on Page’s mysterious disappearance.  Bunny Yeager recalls the day she witnessed firsthand the shift in Bettie Page’s priorities–

“It was in the Florida Keys that one night she saw a neon cross on top of a little church, and was drawn to it to go inside. From that day on, she got religious and decided to give up posing.”

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A slew of Bettie Page pics after the jump–

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(Lt.) Photographer Bunny Yeager (Rt.) “Jungle Bettie” Page, Bunny Yeager and cheetahs in Boca Raton

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The iconic 1950′s “Queen of Pinups” ~ Bettie Page

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The sexy & scandalous pinup, Betty Page ~ who hung-up her bras & bikinis for the Holy Bible in 1958.

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Bettie Page

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Bettie Page ~ the red-hot, banged-beauty whose iconic, sexy look is adored and emulated to this day.

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Bettie Page

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Bettie Page

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Bettie Page

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Bettie Page, 1951

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Bettie Page

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Bettie Page in a leopard outfit she made herself. –Photo by Bunny Yeager

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Bettie Page

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Bettie Page and Bunny Yeager working on a photo shoot

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Keith Richards with German model/actress Uschi Obermaier during the Rolling Stones’ 1975 Tour of the Americas. –Photo by Christopher Simon Sykes/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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The sexy German model was with the Rolling Stones on their ’75 tour, and bedded both Mick & Keef. Uschi later rated the boys, saying, “Mick is the most charming man in the world, but Keith is the better lover. He just knows the anatomy of women…”

When Anita got word of Keef’s tryst with Uschi, she furiously charged at him, and grabbed him by the hair and screamed, “You f*cking messer, You’ve been messing with this bird!”

Uschi makes it clear that she and Keith loved each other– and that while Anita often lamented over Keef’s lacking libido, Uschi, by her account, had no problem keeping her man in bed for days at a time. “With me, there was never a problem.”

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December 18th, 1968– The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards with Anita Pallenberg in a departure lounge at London’s Heathrow Airport. –Photo by Central Press/Getty Images

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“I wanted everything from this world. I wanted to experience it all

and to live in the here and now.” –Uschi Obermaier

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The biography on Uschi Obermaier, High Times, chronicles her wild, sexy life and times–

“Uschi Obermaier was the erotic symbol of the counterculture, the pop icon of the sixties and seventies, a model, film star, groupie, and lover– yet never let herself be pigeonholed or stereotyped. Her life of sex, drugs and rock’n'roll was like a road movie– dynamic, wild, at dizzying velocity, and completely freed from all bourgeois values. ‘I would betray any revolution for this woman,’ said Rainer Langhans, at whose side she posed unclad for Kommune 1. Turning her back on the politically ineffectual revolutionaries, she set off to do her own thing, to search for fun times and the ultimate kick. Jimi Hendrix, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards– Uschi was craved by many. When something was going on she was always there, right in the middle. Finally she fell into undying love with Dieter Bockhorn, the Prince of Kiez, and travelled with him in his RV around the world.”

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“Don’t dream your life. Live your dreams.” –Uschi Obermaier

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Guitarist Keith Richards with German model/actress Uschi Obermaier during the Rolling Stones Tour of the Americas, 1975. –Photo by Christopher Simon Sykes/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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Uschi Obermaier– mouth agape, eyes sleepily searing through you, chest pouting.  Death by Uschi.

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Uschi Obermaier

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Uschi Obermaier

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Uschi Obermaier

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Uschi Obermaier

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Uschi Obermaier

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Uschi Obermaier

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Uschi Obermaier

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Uschi Obermaier

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These days, Uschi Obermaier designs jewelry and lives in LA’s Topanga Canyon.  Love. Her. Place.

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There’s also a 2008  flick about Uschi Obermaier’s life, “Eight Miles High.”

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The Selvedge Yard did a (very) little piece for DETAILS magazine’s online blog– The Daily Details here.

There was something about those lips, the flirty peek-a-boo eye, and that sexy, sweeping hair that’s seductive beyond words.  Yes, Veronica Lake just had “it.”

Other pinups of her day may have been more racy (Bettie Page), more leggy (Bettie Grable), or more busty (Jane Russell), but in my book none of them can touch her stunning beauty, poise and indelible mystique. Standing a scant 4’ 11’ and weighing only 90lbs., Veronica Lake deftly filled the camera’s lens with more sex appeal in her little left eye than most beauties managed wearing half as much, and trying twice as hard.

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“I will have one of the cleanest obits of any actress. I never did cheesecake like Ann Sheridan or Betty Grable. I just used my hair.”  –Veronica Lake

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Sadly, Her story was a tragic one.  Beset by a troubled childhood, broken marriages, schizophrenia, and drinking woes (most likely in an attempt to self-medicate)—Veronica Lake was washed-up in Hollywood too early, and with little to live on besides her fading looks.

When one-time lover Marlon Brando heard she was working as a barmaid, he promptly had his people deliver her a check for $1,000.  Too proud to cash it, Lake instead chose to have it framed as a memory of days gone by, and a not-so-subtle notice to others that she was once Hollywood’s reigning sex symbol.

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“I wasn`t a sex symbol, I was a sex zombie.”  –Veronica Lake

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“Hollywood gives a young girl the aura of one giant, self-contained orgy farm, its inhabitants dedicated to crawling into every pair of pants they can find.”  –Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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Veronica Lake

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September 1955– American burlesque performer Blaze Starr poses for American painter Joseph Sheppard in his studio as he finishes a 4′X6′ portrait of her. Starr wears a semi-transparent bra and panty set with high heels. –Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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(above, left) ca. 1954, San Francisco, CA– Designer James Berry strips tape and jersey form from the body of Burlesque queen Tempest Storm in preparation for a mannequin of the buxom striptease in San Francisco, where a celebration will mark the 1,000,000th dollar she has drawn through box offices to date. The completed mannequin will adorn the theater marquee where she appears.  As part of the event. –Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

(above, right) ca. 1954, Hollywood, CA– United Press Hollywood correspondent Vernon Scott muses over his tape measure after checking the dimensions of stripper Tempest Storm’s curves.  Scott interviewed the 24 year old strip queen in regard to the one million dollar insurance policy she has taken on her body with Lloyd’s of London. She said she took the policy, “to protect my million dollar income.”  She claims she amassed the million dollars in only four years of shedding her clothes on burlesque stages. Also, she is afraid she might injure herself as she did recently. For Lloyd’s of London, she listed her measurements as follows– neck, 16 inches; wrist, 6; ankle, 9; bust, 41, waist, 24; and hips, 34. She shed a sweater for her press conference but when gawking reporters asked if she’d ever visited a nudist camp, she blushed. “I shouldn’t say not,” she exclaimed. “That wouldn’t be nice at all.” –Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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Legendary stripper and burlesque dancer “Blaze Starr” was born Fannie Belle Fleming in 1932, in West Virginia. She ran-away when she was fifteen yrs old, and ended up in Washington, D.C., where she was discovered working as a hat-check girl by her first manager Red Snyder– who convinced her to strip. It was Snyder who gave her the stagename “Blaze Starr.” Their time together would be short lived after he tried to rape her. With her fiery red hair, and voluptuous 38D-24-37 figure, and sultry, energetic and captivating stage presence (her stage routines included a comedic exploding coach gag and having a large trained black panther untie a ribbon on her costume which made it fall to the floor), Blaze became a major headliner at the “Two O`Clock Club” in Baltimore, Maryland and earned the nicknames “Miss Spontaneous Combustion” and “The Hottest Blaze in Burlesque.”

Blaze Starr made $1,500 dollars per week at the peak of her stripping career. She achieved national stardom after she was featured in the February 1954 Esquire magazine article, “B-Belles of Burlesque: You Get Strip Tease With Your Beer in Baltimore.” Starr also appeared in many other men’s magazines, including– “Sizzle,” “Ace,” “Scamp,” “Sir!,” “Best for Men,” “Rogue,” and “Modern Man.” She also posed for noted fetish photographer Irving Klaw (as did Bettie Page). Starr achieved her greatest notoriety in the late ’50s for her affair with Louisiana governor, Earl Kemp Long. Their affair inspired the 1989 feature film “Blaze,” in which  she had a cameo role as a stripper.  Blaze Starr retired from stripping in 1983, and  now owns and operates the “Two O`Clock Club” in Baltimore, Maryland. via

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Stripper “Tempest Storm” poses under a theater marquee for her burlesque act, 1954. The marquee reads– “Final Week/Tempest Storm and Her Bosom Pals.” –Photo by Graphic House/Getty Images. Storm was born Annie Blanche Banks in Eastman, Georgia. By the age of 20, she had already been twice married and divorced, and decided to head for Hollywood. Her natural beauty landed her work as a chorus girl– but her menacing figure and magnetism led her to a highly successful career in burlesque. She adopted the stage name “Tempest Storm” and made her professional debut at El Rey Theater in Oakland, CA.

Tempest Storm was legendary for her physical endowments– 44DD-25-35, and her natural, fiery, red hair. She was featured in numerous men’s magazines and burlesque movies, including Irving Klaw’s 1955 “Teaserama,” which also featured Bettie Page. In the late 1950s, her breasts, or her “moneymakers” as she called them, were insured by Lloyds of London for one million dollars. Storm officially retired at 67 yrs old, but would strip occasionally well into her eighties. via

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circa 1955– Portrait of American burlesque performer Blaze Starr, wearing a bikini and high heels, sitting on a patio and holding up a beach ball to her lips. –Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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Stripper Tempest Storm  –Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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Blaze Starr and her furry little friend

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The temptress Tempest Storm

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Burlesque stripper extraordinaire– Tempest Storm

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Burlesque striiper– Blaze Starr

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Tempest Storm and Bettie Page, who starred together in Irving Klaw’s 1955 fetish film “Teaserama.”

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Burlesque Queen– Blaze Starr

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Stripping sensation– Tempest Storm

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Burlesque stripper Blaze Starr standing in front of her marquee

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The legendary Blaze Starr outside her “Two O`Clock Club” in Baltimore, Maryland.

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Related TSY posts:

BETTIE PAGE AND BUNNY YEAGER | LEGENDARY QUEENS OF PIN-UP

HOW TO MOTIVATE THE MALE MORALE | THE PERSUASIVE POWER OF THE PINUP

THE 1970′s PUBERTY PIN-UP WARS | FARRAH FAWCETT VS. CHERYL TIEGS

VERONICA LAKE | THE PEEK-A-BOO PINUP OF HOLLYWOOD’S GOLDEN AGE

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“Lee came to Coolidge (AZ) while I was still going to high school, and he had just gone to a disc jockey school… a broadcasting school, I guess they called it– Columbia School of Broadcasting in Hollywood. He graduated that, and he got his first job.  And it happened to be as a disc jockey– and it happened to be in Coolidge, Arizona. So, I had a friend who wanted to be a disc jockey at the time, and he said, ‘You gotta come out and meet this new guy– he’s really a hoot. Ya know, really funny and all this, and he’s playing Country music.’  So, I went along with him, and I met Lee Hazlewood the first time.”

“At that time, uh, I used to sing… and play too.  And I sang with this other guy, Jimmy Dell.  We sang together– we did up-tempo Country things… just around town there, you know, mostly.  Lee heard that, and like it, and we went in and tried to make a record of that… the two of us with some songs that Lee wrote– his first attempt at songwriting. His first attempt at producing, we went up to Phoenix to someone’s studio… in the back of their house, and well– it was the only studio we knew of.  It was, like, 1954– late ’54 or ’55. And uh, we made a couple of tracks.”

“Lee was gonna put it out on his own label, but Jimmy went and got ‘saved.’  And uh, came in one day and said, ‘I’m saved!’ and I said, ‘Saved from what?!’ And he says, ‘No, in church!’ And I said, ‘Oh, great! Congratulations.’ And he says, ‘Yeah, well, it’s not so good.’ and I says, ‘what’s the matter?’ Jimmy said, ‘I can’t sing with you no more.’ And I says, ‘Oh. Why not?’  He said, ‘Because I can’t sing worldly music no more.’ And I said, ‘oh, oh, well you get to tell Lee that then– he’s just invested all this money in these records.’ So they ended-up sitting in Lee’s garage– and never did get out…”

“So that’s how I met Lee.  Later that year he moved to Phoenix, and got a job at a Country station up there, KRUX. And it turns out he was the first one to ever play Elvis Presley in Phoenix, on the Sun label.  A guy there, brought these records from  down in Texas, a local Country artist who got on a show with Elvis, and he brought these records back and played them for Lee– and Lee thought they were great. So he scheduled them, and started playing them, and it caused all kinds of ruckus! He almost got fired over it… It was a big change!  You know, Elvis doing ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’ like that, and all…”   –Duane Eddy

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From DJ, to producer, to songwriter/lyricist and singer– Lee Hazlewood would produce a striking string of hits over his career– first with the young guitar legend, Duane Eddy, and later with the down-on-her-luck daughter of a true American icon, Frank Sinatra.

Nancy and Lee were an oddly powerful duo. His thinly-veiled lyrics of drugs and decadence were delivered with such wooden stoicism that nary a soil thought twice. But when Nick Cave himself cites you as one of his biggest influences– you must have been doing something wrong, oh so right. Hazlewood created a signature moody sound– filled reverb, space and mood a-plenty.  Phantasmagoric, at times.

And while his sound had psychedlic elements, he was anything but a hippy, or even Rock ‘n’ Roll. It filled a void in radio that no one else could. Brought up in Oklahoma, and ramblin’ ’round Texas, Arkansas and Arizona in his early days– he had little chance of running into anything remotely hip or forward– he truly crafted his own niche unlike what anyone else was doing.  In fact, he was so unhip, that he was truly ahead of the times. He made “uncool” cool. The Beck of his day, but without the looks and moves.

That’s right– Beck.

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(Lt.) Lee Hazlewood   (Rt.) Sanford Clark, Al Casey, Lee Hazlewood & Guitar Great Duane Eddy

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Lester Still, Duane Eddy & Lee Hazlewood

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“Ghost Rider” by Shawn Dickinson

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A product of SoCal, Shawn Dickinson grew up inspired by the surrounding counterculture of custom Hot Rods, Surfers, and the iconic art that was produced by the legends before him– you see the classic Rat Fink and Tiki influences that, in his hands, are at once timeless and fresh.  He got his chops as a cartoonist for the underground Untamed Highway, which was chock full of 1950′s Kustom Kulture. Dickinson went on to illustrate posters for Rockabilly and garage bands, not to mention numerous comic projects and commissioned works. 

I’m a big fan of the guy’s work.  As he describes it, Dickinson’s creations and medium are a throwback fusion of, ”Imagery stylistically inspired by 1930′s cartoons (what I feel was the craziest era for cartoons), mixed with iconic imagery inspired by 1950′s & 1960′s rock n’ roll, cars, bikes, etc. (what I feel was the craziest era for all those things). And I still paint with watercolor and India ink.”  Love it.

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Shawn Dickinson featured in Car Kulture DeLuxe Magazine

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“Smooth” by Shawn Dickinson

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“The Inker” by Shawn Dickinson

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“Beyond the Watery Grave” by Shawn Dickinson

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“Bonemobile” by Shawn Dickinson

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“Skeleton Surfer” by Shawn Dickinson

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“Bad Neighborhood” by Shawn Dickinson

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“Tiki” by Shawn Dickinson

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“Spanish Beach Girl” by Shawn Dickinson

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“Spare” by Shawn Dickinson

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“Shitzles Der Cat” by Shawn Dickinson

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“Pass” by Shawn Dickinson

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See Shawn Dickinson’s work here

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Related TSY posts:

HOLLYWOOD’S INNOVATIVE KUSTOM KULTURE LEGEND | DEAN JEFFRIES

ED “BIG DADDY” ROTH | RAT FINK KING OF SOUTH CALI KUSTOM KAR KULTURE

THE LEGENDARY STRIPER VON DUTCH | STILL ALIVE AND LIVING IN ARIZONA ’72

KENNY HOWARD | THE MASTER PAINTER & STRIPER ALSO KNOWN AS VON DUTCH

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“Peace on Earth” has long been one of my all-time favorite Holiday tunes. Even more so when I learned about the odd and magical pairing of David Bowie & Bing Crosby many years ago. It was an epic moment in music history that almost didn’t happen– in more ways than one.

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Bing Crosby & David Bowie taping the TV special “Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas” back in 1977.

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When the producers of Bing Crosby’s “Merrie Olde Christmas” TV special asked Bowie to sing “The Little Drummer Boy” with Bing in 1977, he flatly refused.

Ian Fraser, Buz Kohan and Larry Grossman left the set and found a piano in the studios’ basement. In about 75 minutes, they wrote “Peace on Earth,” an original tune, and worked out an arrangement that weaved together the two songs. Bowie and Crosby nailed the performance with less than an hour of rehearsal. Bowie liked it.

Bowie, who was 30 at the time, and Crosby, then 73, recorded the duet Sept. 11, 1977, for Crosby’s “Merrie Olde Christmas” TV special. A month later, Crosby was dead of a heart attack. The special was broadcast on CBS about a month after his death.

It’s unclear whether Crosby had any idea who the Hell this Bowie kid was. Buz Kohan says he was never sure Crosby knew anything about Bowie’s work. Fraser has a slightly different memory: “I’m pretty sure he did. Bing was no idiot. If he didn’t, his kids sure did.”

via The Washington Post

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September 11th, 1977– Iconic crooners Bing Crosby & David Bowie shake hands during the taping of the television special “Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas”.

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David Bowie agreed to the duet with Crosby on his Christmas special only if Bing would also air a Bowie solo performance. Bing introduced and showed Bowie’s progressive video for “Heroes”– and when you think about how this must’ve stuck out like a sore thumb on Bing’s special, it’s pretty amusing. It was also pretty ballsy of Bing, given his audience– it’s a pretty trippy piece in this context.

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TSY RELATED POSTS:

1972 DAVID BOWIE IN TECHNICOLOR | CH-CH-CH-CH-CHANGES ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

BING CROSBY, THE FIRST HIP WHITE PERSON BORN IN THE UNITED STATES 

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English artist and motorcycle fanatic Conrad Leach is having his first solo exhibition in the US– happening February 9th at Subvecta Motus Gallery in LA. His graphic Pop style is instantly iconic, and not to be missed– especially when you have the rare opportunity to be face-to-face with the large-scale punchy paintings. Leach’s work will knock your socks off. –Curated by friend Stacie B. London of Triple Nickel 555 & ESMB.

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Lucky 13 by Conrad Leach

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Norton Jack by Conrad Leach

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Speedway by Conrad Leach

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Two Finger Salute by Conrad Leach

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Big One by Conrad Leach

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Gloves Off by Conrad Leach

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United State by Conrad Leach

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Lost in Space by Conrad Leach

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Gold Star by Conrad Leach

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VISCERAL EXPERIENCES OF SPEED
“United State, Selected works by Conrad Leach”
Opening February 9, 2013

Subvecta Motus Gallery | 518 West Garfield Avenue, Glendale, CA

“United State, Selected works by Conrad Leach” expands upon Leach’s dialogue of the body’s relationship with the machine and the visceral experiences of speed. The physicality of the style of Leach’s paintings and his use of high pigmented colors depict charged moments saturated with erotic tension depicting and re-examining the familiar narrative of freedom and the open road. It is easy to be swept away by the meticulous precision of Leach’s strokes and his use of bright and punchy colors. Leach comes to art making via the fashion industry, which is evident in his culturally driven yet stylistic approach to his art practice. He has shown extensively in London with Gauntett Gallery London, where he resides, and in Tokyo with Cafegroove Tokyo. “United State” is Leach’s first solo exhibition in the United States and his first in a series at Subvecta Motus Gallery.

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In case you missed it over on the TSY facebook page I’ve been obsessed with the below piece of work for quite some time, and finally posted it up and asked the beloved The Selvedge Yard clan for help in identifying the artist. It took about all of 2 seconds.

As a kid, my healthy diet of Happy Days, Sha Na Na, and flicks like The Lords of Flatbush deeply engrained a love of greaser culture and style that will surely remain until I die. “Bad Girls” by James Alfred Meese slays me with every viewing. Obviously the cover art was intentionally as lurid and enticing as possible to get you to part with your money and buy the “pulp” paperbacks that were named after the cheaply produced paper they were printed on. Here are a few other fine examples of pulp art, which really peaked in the ’50s & ’60s, in my humble opinion.

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Bad Girls — paperback cover art by  James Alfred Meese, 1958

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Bad Girls– They prowl the fringe of the underworld for kicks – cover art by  James Alfred Meese, 1958

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Prize Pupil — unsigned paperback cover art, 1966

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Prize Pupil, by Amy Harris – unsigned paperback cover art, 1966

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The Snatch — paperback cover art by Mitchell Hooks, 1958

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The Snatch — Will these three men finally commit the most dangerous crime of all? — 1958

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Too good not to include…

Women Who Prowl for Men — Robert Emil Schulz

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CHECK OUT:

Book Covers: Vintage Paperbacks, Mars Sci-Fi’s photostream

StevieB44′s photostream

Mitchell Hooks photostream

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RELATED TSY POSTS:

HOW TO MOTIVATE THE MALE MORALE | THE PERSUASIVE POWER OF THE PINUP

VINTAGE PLAYBOY LANGUAGE OF LEGS | THE STUFF OF MALE SEXUAL DELUSIONS

BETTIE PAGE AND BUNNY YEAGER | LEGENDARY QUEENS OF PIN-UP

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From the archives of Nostalgia on Wheels comes this lil’ peek at Barred Outlaw Motorcycle magazine– a biker exploitation rag written not for riders, but for voyeurs looking for what makes those bad boys tick. Think of it as a primer for squares on bikers. There’s just enough laughable, inaccurate and hyperbolic writing that when they do actually mention the true 1%’er  MC’s it kinda lacks any sting. Hell, they can’t even get the year right for when The Wild One (the Godfather of all biker exploitation flicks) was filmed… ca. 1960??? What I do love about the magazine is the use of images, the layouts, fonts, etc. It is pure gold for the design-minded among us. It’s kinda refreshing compared to all the stripped-down aesthetic out there right now.

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BARRED OUTLAW MOTORCYCLE SPECIAL– ANGELS FROM HELL! Today’s rebels on wheels, living a legend of violence and excitement. Their love is hate…for everything and everyone– but each other!

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The outlaw clubs usually have names such as– the Galloping Gooses, Satan’s Slaves, Road Rats, Cavaliers, Outlaws, El Diablos, Chosen Few (a Negro group), Gypsy Jokers, Rod Regents, Tiki’s, East Bay Dragons (a Negro group), Vikings, Sportsmen, K-Lifts, Devil’s Henchmen, Monks, Coffin Cheaters, Iron Horsemen, and several others scattered throughout the state.

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Hanging out at some taco joint or roaring down the highway hell bent for mischief… They command attention and this is exactly what that want and get. Oddball attire, blunt-scissor haircuts, beards and goofy headgear. Add it all up and you’ve got a bunch of Barbarian bastards…or some claim, the mod generation gladiators. Read, look, and decide for yourself after all (as they say) isn’t this a dimocrazzy!

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HANGOUTS! Taco joints, drive-ins, low budget coffee shacks– these are “outlaw” hangouts. They love joking and re-living recent episodes in their bizarre lives…stolen bikes, latest spots to obtin a fix, who’s locked up this month…it’s all trashed-over…over a weed!

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…on purpose a fellow in a large truck ran into the back of a kid who was riding a little Honda. When the kid got up off the ground, the truck driver walked over and punched him. Unnoticed by the truck driver several outlaw motorcyclists were standing there and saw the whole thing. What happened to the driver and truck in the next few minutes shouldn’t happen to anyone. They literally tore the truck and driver to pieces. A bully is one thing the outlaws don’t like. Anyhow, it gave them a chance to do their good deed for the day…

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(Irish Rich spotted that the chopper rider above is a young Clifford “Sonny” Vaughs)

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“Outlaws” are not of this world…dope, orgies, you name it…they’ll do it!! Outlaws want to smash through the square world that hems them in. They leave no past, expect nothing in the future, they live for the moment, the instant thrill!!

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PARTY TIME!! Party to an “outlaw” means six-packs chug-a-lug with any bottle handy…Bay Rum to Jim Beam! Cocktails are for citizens! Petting…that’s for children!

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A stamp of individualism are the many Nazi souvenirs which are worn on the “outlaw’s” jackets. Members are not followers of any anti-government movement, but they collect these souvenirs much like a stamp collector. Many times they are seen swapping them with fellow outlaws from different parts of the state.

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…In the meantime, while they are stealing the dying outlaw, one of the caucasian roughnecks rapes a young, beautiful Negro nurse– but is in such a hurry that he doesn’t really have time to get her pregnant. This pointed out the fact that the gang is not prejudice. They get the nearly dead cyclist back to the pad to give him first aid through a marijuana cigarette. To their surprise he dies. Well, that’s OK, because it’s a blast to have a funeral…  –Name this biker flick!

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Most outlaw motorcyclists range in age from a minimum of 21 all the way to about 50. The majority are in their middle twenties. The average outlaw lasts about 6 years– he either has too many problems with the law, or he may want to hang it up for a different type life. To be an outlaw motorcyclist means that you must expect to get hassled by the police many times.

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Few employers ever want to hire a person who is branded as an outlaw motorcyclist. You have to learn to live away from a conventional society and be looked upon s a non-conformist, beatnick on wheels, or just plain individualist. You’ll have learned to abide by club rules. If a citizen provokes trouble with any of the outlaws, they will always get the blame because of their past reputation.

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What is necessary to become a president? Presidents are spokesmen for the club. They don’t necessarily need to be the toughest member– but should be able to hold their own in a good physical brawl. They re usually more articulate and have a fair ability to express themselves. Being an excellent cyclist and having an outstanding motorcycle is very important. On most runs they are road captains and will set the pace. He has to make sure his members make their bail bond payment on time.

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(A young Sonny Barger of the Hell’s Angels spotted in the pic above)

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When a new member joins a club he is issued his colors which are usually a sleeveless Levi jacket with the club’s name and insignia on the back. They re laid out on the ground to be “initiated.” All members will stand around it urinating, pouring beer, mustard, oil, grease. One member might “flash” (a term for vomiting), and anything else that might add to the filth will be thrown on the colors. They will then jump up and down on the jacket, making sure the dirt and filth is penetrating into the jacket. After the colors are official, the member is never able to wash it, for this is his party cloth and riding outfit.

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Brawls are quite common among the Barbarian breed of cyclist. What else might there be to do when the party gets boring? They have never been known to fight fair, or according to the rule book. In some cases after the fight is broken up, they will even shake hands. Then the madder of the two, while his opponent is walking away, will sneak up behind him and rap him over the head with a chain or whatever else might be handy at the time. Then the contest of who can fight the dirtiest will start all over again. To be considered a handsome outlaw, one should have at least several battle or accidental scars. It also makes an excellent conversational piece to reminisce about.

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You can never underrate an outlaw motorcyclist. Many of them are well educated and they’re a tough bunch of guys living the rugged life they live. A noted sociologist once said, “there is a touch of this in all of us, so that is why society tends to aggrandize the barbarian outlaws of the modern day.”

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NOSTALGIA ON WHEELS LINK

RELATED TSY POSTS:

THE 13 REBELS MOTORCYCLE CLUB | 1953′s “THE WILD ONE” INSPIRATION

THE STORY OF THE PARASITE | JERSEY’S OWN TWIN-ENGINE TRIUMPH DRAGSTER

GARY NIXON | “SO– WHICH ONE OF YOU SORRY S.O.B.’s IS COMING IN SECOND?”

DUBBLE TRUBBLE TRIUMPH DRAGSTER | BRITISH HYBRID HELL ON WHEELS

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN | BRITISH RACING LEGEND BARRY SHEENE

“BIG JOHN” SURTEES | THE LONE RACER MOTORCYCLE & F1 WORLD CHAMPION

“THE DUKE” GOES COMMANDO | GEOFF DUKE DOMINATOR & SNORTIN’ NORTON

A RICH LEGACY OF REBELLION | TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES

HARLEY-DAVIDSON | AMERICAN IRON, INGENUITY & PERSEVERANCE, PT. II

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“Norm Grabowski”s monster– the Corvair-powered “Six Pack”. Neil East (another rodding icon), owned AutoBooks in Burbank, CA, and Colorado Carbooks here in Denver told me that Norm used to come to L.A. Roadster club meetings on the Six Pack, and he said Norm had no problem kick starting this bike, when it was time to leave. It had no electric starter!” –Irish Rich 

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Norm Grabowski’s epic “Six Pack” — an air-cooled, flat-six Corvair engine mounted on the frame of a ’41 Indian shaft drive with no transmission, just a clutch. Another future Kustom Kulture legend pin-striped the bike– Dean Jeffries. Irish Rich (whose website is the authority on old school builders, and is due a ton of respect for his own incredible work) saw this impressive bike himself back in ’65, and has chronicled it well. Norm actually built 2 Corvair-powered “SIx Packs” — the other mated with H-D tranny called “PP ‘n’ Vinegar.”

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ARTICLE FROM BARRED OUTLAW MOTORCYCLE MAGAZINE, 1966–

Norm Grabowski lives in a beautiful ranch type home in the Sun Valley Hills with his mother and father. He stands 5′ 9″, 210 lbs, blues eyes, strawberry blond hair but cannot grow a beard. Almost every morning Norm takes his racing bicycle for a twenty mile ride. Works out every day and also takes a dip in his swimming pool. He doesn’t smoke and only drinks beer on weekends with his outlaw motorcycle buddies. He is in perfect physical condition. His only hang-up is his mother won’t let him drive his famous “Six Pack” Corvair-powered motorcycle out at night– but he does sneak it out occasionally.

Norm’s only comment about his “Six Pack” is that once you ride it, you won’t want to ride anything else. His only other gig other than motorcycles and acting is a nightclub act which he has done extremely well at. He sings like a girl or something unusual like that.

Two years in succession he has been on crutches for a period of several weeks. The first time a motorcyclist ran through a red light wiping Norman out. His buddies which were following in a truck picked him up thinking he was dead– but Norman survived. Just recently he shot himself in the leg practicing a fast draw with “Cold 45″– the kid has a 1966 4-door Lincoln Continental and a pretty sister to chauffeur him around. The lucky cat has three films to be released in which he plays important supporting roles” Out-of-Site” for Universal-International, “Happiest Millionaire” and “Gnomobile” both for Walt Disney Productions.

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ARTICLE FROM BARRED OUTLAW MOTORCYCLE MAGAZINE, 1966 CONTINUED–

Norm says, “Well, I loved doing the role on “Run For Your Life”…I thought it was good for a TV show considering what we could get away with. I think Barrymore did a great job of acting with his role, but he didn’t like the ending and walked off the set once– but like in most cases the studios have it their way and you’re working for them. Barrymore just didn’t think the character should die like a coward. And I sort of agree with him– but you can’t win them all. I don’t think the show did the outlaw world justice. I can’t regret playing the role because if I didn’t play it someone else would have– anyhow the paycheck was helpful.

I just hope one of these days I’ll get cast as “Joe Good Guy” instead of the bad guy all the time in these Hollywood motorcycle pictures.

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When Norm Grabowski added the sidecar the Corvair-powered ‘Six Pack’ it then became known as– the ‘Six Pack plus Sidehack’. “Norm Grabowski took a German-made Steib sidehack frame, and added a narrowed and sectioned fiberglass T-bucket body from CT Automotive to it. He did this around ’67-’68. Tony Nancy did the upholstery, and Jeffries matched in his striping.” –Irish Rich 

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Norm Grabowski’s only comment about his Corvair-powered “Six Pack” is that once you ride it, you won’t want to ride anything else!

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Norm Grabowski flexing with his epic Corvaired-powered “Six Pack”  - turned – “Sidehack” motorcycle.

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Norm is packing heat in this pic (see the revolver strapped to his leg…), which is kind canceled out by those hippy-trippy sandals he’s sportin’. “Norm Grabowski and his “Six Pack” on the back cover of the Defrance & Defrance (D&D Cycles) catalog, circa 1969.” –Irish Rich

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Norm Grabowski’s epic “PP & Vinegar” — an air-cooled, flat-six Corvair-powered motorcycle.

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Norm Grabowski’s epic “Six Pack” — an air-cooled, flat-six Corvair-powered motorcycle with a very over-the-top 1970s looking airbrush paint job.

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Norm Grabowski’s epic “PP & Vinegar” — an air-cooled, flat-six Corvair-powered motorcycle.

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Norm Grabowski’s epic “PP & Vinegar” — an air-cooled, flat-six Corvair-powered motorcycle now on display at Rocky’s Great Outdoors and Cycle in Burton, Michigan.

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R.I.P. Norm Grabowski (February 5, 1933 – October 12, 2012)

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Brian Duffy photograph of David Bowie for the Aladdin Sane album cover, 1973. “Bowie’s sixth studio album marked the birth of the ‘schizophrenic’ character Aladdin Sane who was a development of the space-age Japanese-influenced Ziggy Stardust. To create the compelling album cover image, Bowie collaborated with photographer Brian Duffy and make-up artist Pierre Laroche. The result was one of the most recognizable images in popular culture– a ‘lightning flash’ design which has been reproduced in multiple forms world-wide.” via

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Unless you’re living under a rock (which may be the case if you depend on TSY for current affairs), there’s no way you could not feel the intense media blitz that’s happening around all things David Bowie. The release of the new single and album “The Next Day”…the 40th anniversary of Ziggy Stardust…the “David Bowie is” exhibit at London’s V&A…even the whole androgyny thing that’s sweeping the fashion scene bears his mark. Bowie is everywhere you turn, for chrissakes.

Look, there are those that revere Bowie as an ahead-of-his-time visionary who revolutionized Rock ‘n’ Roll. And there are those who see him very black & white, as a plodding opportunist who coldly studied what was happening around him (heavily borrowing from  true innovators at the time like Marc Bolan), and then expertly went about merchandising himself for mass commercial consumption. Both are fucking true. Bowie is an epic genius who learned through years of toil, trial, and error how to create a magical out-of-this-world persona and artistically sell it to us on a silver platter. No one has done it better in recent memory, and it’s unlikely that anyone in our lifetime will top him. Period. End of story.

There’s an incredible account by Glenn O’Brien in the recent issue of Out Magazine. Gay or straight, get over it, go buy it, and devour the entire spread on David Bowie. It is brilliant. You can read a chunk of it here after the jump. Now go– oh, you pretty things.

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 who revolutionized Rock ‘n-

“David Bowie (AKA Ziggy Stardust) wearing a sensational creation by Kansai Yamamoto. Born in Yokohama in 1944, the Japanese fashion designer was only 27 when he held his first international fashion show in London in 1971. The Japanese division of RCA records made MainMan aware of Yamamoto’s work and Bowie purchased the “woodlands animal costume” from Kansai’s London boutique– which he wore at the Rainbow Concert in August 1972 and which was later remade by Natasha Korniloff. Bowie subsequently viewed a video of a rock/fashion show that Kansai had staged in Japan the previous year and reportedly loved the costumes which were a combination of modern sci-fi and classical Kabuki theatre. Kansai and Bowie met in New York where he gifted Bowie two costumes during the 2nd US Tour. Kansai was then commissioned to create nine more costumes based on traditional Japanese Noh dramas for Bowie to pick up in Tokyo in April 1973. These were the flamboyant androgynous Ziggy Stardust costumes Bowie wore on the 3rd UK tour in 1973.” via The Ziggy Stardust Companion –photo by Masayoshi Sukita, the David Bowie archive

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David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust –photo by Mick Rock via

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David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust –photo by Mick Rock via

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David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust for the Pin Ups album and promo material, 1973. –Photo by Mick Rock via

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David Bowie (as Ziggy Stardust wearing an eye patch) performs “Rebel Rebel” on the TV show TopPop in Hilversum, Netherlands, 1974. This was Bowie at the end of his Ziggy era. (Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns/Getty Images) via

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David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust –Photo by Mick Rock via

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David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust –Photo by Mick Rock via

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David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust rocking the famous platform boots from his Aladdin Sane tour.

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David Bowie and Mick Ronson on stage during the Ziggy Stardust tour, December 1972 / January 1973. Bowie is wearing a pair of platform shoes decorated with palm trees by Pelican Footwear, New York. –Photo by Mick Rock via

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David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust –Photo by Mick Rock via

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David Bowie on stage in Scotland during the Aladdin Sane tour, 1973. –Photo by Mick Rock via

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David Bowie on stage in Scotland during the Aladdin Sane tour, 1973. –Photo by Mick Rock via

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Lou Reed, Mick Jagger and David Bowie, Café Royale, 4th of July. 1973. “After the very last Ziggy gig at Hammersmith Odeon on 4 July 1973, came the Ziggy Farewell Party in Piccadilly. All kinds of characters showed up, including Ringo Starr, Jeff Beck, Bianca Jagger and Lulu, but David spent much of his time chatting and laughing with Lou Reed and Mick Jagger. From all the photos I took, you can see how focused they were on each other. Later Mick and Lou even danced together (I have the photo). The most famous photos are the ones with all three of them in a kind of cuddle and the shot of Lou and David about to kiss. This shot has only been published once previously.” –Photo by Mick Rock via

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David Bowie with Cyrinda Foxe, 1972. “Cyrinda travelled with us for part of the first Ziggy Stardust US tour. She’s the blonde in the now classic Jean Genie video that I directed. She was spawned by Warhol’s Factory and was a light-hearted fun person to be around. This shot is from a series of photos I took in some old bar in the Hollywood Hills. David liked it because it looked like something from an Edward Hopper painting. One of the shots was copied as an illustration for the original US Jean Genie single release ad. Recently it has been used on the picture disc limited edition re-release of the single, but in a colourised version.” –Photo by Mick Rock via

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David Bowie prays at the window, 1973. “Backstage, Scotland, May 1973. I’m not sure that he’s necessarily praying, but he’s certainly in deep contemplation, thinking no doubt about the continued vertical trajectory of his career! It’s one of my favourite shots of Bowie, although it took some 30 years for it to be published in my book collaboration with David, Moonage Daydream in 2002. It’s taken before the show, and from the light streaming through the window you can see that it’s still daylight. Quite often on that tour the gigs were in the early evening starting around 6pm.” –Photo by Mick Rock via

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David Bowie in make-up, 1973. “David was very adept at applying his make-up and did it himself mostly in those days. Lindsay Kemp had taught him the rudiments in the days when David had studied the art of mime with him in the late 60s. On his trip to Japan earlier in 1973 he had had met with Tamasaburo, the Japanese Kabuki star, who had given him a lot of tips on how to apply Kabuki-style makeup. David brought back with him a whole array of exotic make-up. In Moonage Daydream he writes, ‘I used to enjoy doing the make-up. It felt relaxing and put me in a kind of serene state before the show.’ The slew of photos I have of him applying make-up bear witness to his focused demeanour.”  –Photo by Mick Rock via

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David Bowie lunch on the train, 1973. “Taken on the train up to Aberdeen for the first gig of David’s final Ziggy tour, 15th of May, 1973. Another image that got lost in the archive until it finally surfaced in Moonage Daydream. I have a slew of photos on the train and in the stations of David in that amazing jacket. But the favourite one for fans is this one. Of all my limited edition fine art prints, this may be the one that has sold the most. Maybe it’s got something to do with the ridiculously ‘glam’ look of the magic duo and the obviously mundane nature of their British Rail lunch – lamb chops, boiled potatoes, peas with the bread rolls and pats of butter. But also perhaps something to do with the warm conspiratorial way they are looking at each other. They had the rock scene by the horns and they were savouring it!”  –Photo by Mick Rock via

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Who wouldn’t want to be there when Bowie met Warhol for the first time?

For OUT magazine by Glenn O’Brien

In 1971, David Bowie was having his Greta Garbo moment. On the cover of Hunky Dory, he looked a bit like her and sang a song called “Oh! You Pretty Things.” That was his vibe when he came to visit Andy Warhol at the Factory, on September 14, 1971. He was with his manager, Tony DeFries. They were in town to sign with a new record company, RCA, and Bowie wanted to pay homage to Warhol. Andy had been a hit in London in ’71 with his play, Pork, and Bowie had recorded a single, “Andy Warhol,” and he wanted to sing the song to Andy in person.

I don’t know if they had an appointment, but I remember someone saying, “There’s somebody here named David Bowie to see Andy.” I had been reading about Bowie and had heard The Man Who Sold the World. It had Bowie with long curly locks reclining odalisque-style in a vintage dress on the cover, and it only reached 105 on the Billboard charts. The Factory was the world’s HQ for drag queens at the time, and I thought that Bowie was jumping on the bandwagon. But something was in the air; hippies were wearing feather boas, and, unbeknownst to us, the New York Dolls were rehearsing somewhere. I said that Bowie was pretty famous and that we should, of course, let him in.

David had long hair and was wearing huge Oxford bags-style trousers, a floppy hat, and Mary Janes with one red sock and one blue — he was clearly aiming for a sort of eccentric androgynous look. I was immediately struck by his eyes, with their electric pupils. I was also struck by David’s wife, Angie, who looked more boyish than David and had quite a presence, and by the contrast of Tony DeFries, who looked like a Sicilian Elvis impersonator. Not very glam.

Bowie had studied with the famed mime Lindsay Kemp and had toured with Kemp’s company, so he certainly had the best mime credentials, but none of us knew quite what to make of the mime he performed for Andy. Then he sang “Andy Warhol.” I don’t think Andy could tell whether it was an homage or a send-up, with its rather ambiguous lyrics, but everyone was very nice and polite. I’ve recently seen the silent black-and-white video [of the visit]. The Factory’s video technique was even worse than its film technique, and I’m curious about the conversation I can be seen having with Bowie, my hair almost as long as his. I recall David asking me where he could get a copy of the Index Book and I recall that I had no idea what that was.

I don’t know what Andy thought of that day — probably not much, but he had that sense of judging a person’s self-esteem, and I think Bowie passed on that count. The next time I saw him was in London. RCA Records had gotten behind him big time, and, in 1972, they shipped a bunch of editors and writers over to see his new incarnation, Ziggy Stardust. It was a total transformation, with Bowie gone futurist with radical red hair, makeup, and Japanese designer clothes. It was fantastic. He was a new dandy prototype, a Beau Brummell for the publicity millennium. I saw the band play a great concert in a medium-sized hall in Aylesbury, and I hung out with David and his very friendly wife, Angie. We went dancing at Yours and Mine, a hip disco under a Mexican restaurant and, yeah, I danced with David Bowie. Fabulous!

Read the complete story here…

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“David Bowie is” — Victoria and Albert Museum

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1967– Sharon Tate for a spread in Esquire Magazine, 1967, in a t-shirt printed with the Vietnam Star. –Photo by William Helburn

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So this is what the internets are recently abuzz about– The Mad Men costume designer channeling the essence of Sharon Tate, circa Esquire magazine 1969, by placing the same Vietnam Star T-shirt on Megan Draper. Which, mind you– was probably not for sale at your local Hot Topic, head shop, or Amazon.com back then, so kinda random and creepy. It’s a pretty good ploy to generate some buzz– made me look twice, and I haven’t watched the show in a few years now. Probably exactly what they were going for. I will say, for the record, that the original photography by William Helburn is amazing– downright titillating, even.

But if you find this kind of stuff remotely interesting, the real tingler is how Steve McQueen himself almost ended up a part of the Manson massacre, and could have shared in Sharon Tate and the other’s gruesome fate…

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Sharon Tate for Esquire magazine, 1967 –Photo by William Helburn

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1967– Sharon Tate for a spread in Esquire Magazine, 1967, in a t-shirt printed with the Vietnam Star. –Photo by William Helburn

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From The Daily Mail, the alleged accounts of McQueen’s infidelities and loathsome ways that put him on the road to creeps-ville, and in the path of Manson’s murderous crew–

“For years, as his [a young Steve McQueen's] career failed to ignite, he leeched off a successful dancer called Neile Adams — spending her earnings on new cars, drugs and other women.

Eventually marrying her in 1956, he landed a small role soon afterwards in the film of Harold Robbins’s trashy novel, Never Love A Stranger. Within days, he’d embarked on an intensely sexual affair with the film’s leading lady actress Lita Milan — and then proudly told his wife about it. According to Neile: ‘Lita would be the first in a long line of flings that would plague me throughout our married life. OK, I thought, I can handle it — I have to — as long as he doesn’t flaunt it.’

But, as McQueen’s career gathered pace, he never stopped flaunting his affairs — with co-stars including Jacqueline Bisset and Lee Remick, not to mention a host of starlets and fans. Perhaps as a test of his wife’s devotion, he made indiscreet phone calls within her hearing and left lipstick smudges on his shirts (and trousers) and love notes in his pockets.

By 1960, Neile had given up work and given birth to a son and daughter. Still struggling to be the kind of wife he wanted, she’d boil up the high-grade peyote he bought from Navajo Indians, and then disappear while McQueen got stoned with his friends.

He also started going for all-night benders at the Whisky a Go Go club on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, where he met one of his chief partners in crime: a womanising hairdresser called Jay Sebring. The two men, fuelled by alcohol and cocaine, shared the sexual favours of a Bambi-eyed starlet called Sharon Tate, often in the same bed at the same time. And their friendship continued even after she married the director Roman Polanski.

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Sharon Tate for Esquire magazine, 1967 –Photo by William Helburn

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On the afternoon of August 7, 1969, Sebring went to McQueen’s house to give him a trim and suggested they attend a party that evening at Sharon’s house. McQueen said he’d be there. Before setting out, however, he was called by a young and beautiful blonde he was seeing at the time. Come along to the party, he said — but she told him she had a better idea for just the two of them.

Thus, by a whisker, Steve McQueen avoided being massacred by the Manson ‘family’, the hippie followers of the manipulative psychopath Charles Manson, who butchered Tate and three guests — including Sebring, who was shot and stabbed. Ironically, McQueen’s adultery had saved his life.

Two months later, when the killers were arrested, police discovered McQueen’s name on a hit-list of people whom Manson had decided to kill. It turned out that someone at McQueen’s production company had once rejected a screenplay by Manson. From then on, the actor carried a loaded Magnum at all times.

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Letter written to McQueen’s attorney, Edward “Eddie” Rubin on Le Mans / Solar Productions letterhead, by Steve McQueen, documenting his concerns about Charles Manson and his murdering crew of misfits. He, as wells as, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, and Tome Jones (good company…) were believed, through an investigation of the murders, to be targeted for assassination by Charles Manson’s crew.

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Dorothy Stratten – Playboy Playmate of the Month for August, 1979 & Playmate of the Year for 1980.

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Anyone who lived during the time of the brutal killing and tragic loss of Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten, probably will never forget how utterly shocking and saddening it truly was. It spawned 2 movies (including the gripping classic, Star 80), books (including ‘The Killing of the Unicorn’ by Peter Bogdanovich, her boyfriend at the time), and many songs written in her memory. Fellow Canadian Bryan Adams actually co-wrote 2 songs about her. The crime is no less shocking today, and we are left with her story of a young girl who seemingly had acheived the American dream of fortune and fame, only to have it violently stolen from her, along with her young fragile life, by an insecure, low-life punk, whose name is not even worth mentioning. RIP Dorothy Stratten. You live on.

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“The Medieval Knight stands bold in its shining armour as Miss World of Wheels, Dorothy Hoogstraten (AKA Dorothy Stratten) dubs Ron Bergsma, who is one of the ‘Macho Man’ contestants from Universal Olympic Gym at the World of Wheels Custom Car Show, August 16th, 1978.” –Photo by Paul Snider.

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Dorothy Stratten in a bikini with the 1979 Firebird Trans Am custom-built by legendary George Barris and that starred in the Steve Martin film “The Jerk”. 

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OK, I couldn’t resist… here’s a photo of John Travolta with “Firebird Fever” signed by George Barris. “The most famous Pontiac Firebird ever to hit the streets was designed by famed car customizer George Barris who is also responsible for the ‘Batmobile’, the ‘Munster Koach’, the ‘General Lee’ and the ‘Monkee Mobile’. Hollywood promoters wanted to create a special car that would fit Travolta’s superstar image and tied into ‘Saturday Night Fever’. ‘Travolta Fever’ was built to promote John Travolta and his rising career. In 1980, when Travolta inspired a nationwide country music craze with ‘Urban Cowboy’, George Barris transformed the interior of ‘Travolta Fever’ with an ‘Urban Cowboy’ theme complete with appointed cowhide seats and an authentic saddle for the center console. ‘Travolta Fever’ is also equipped with NASCAR-inspired, sculptured fender flares and a large rear whale tail. Revell, the famous plastic model maker, produced and sold scale model kits of the Barris customized Firebird. In fact, John Travolta’s ‘Firebird Fever’ was one of the first celebrity car model kits ever offered by the company. After a short time of being shown on the West Coast, ‘Travolta Fever’ made its way to the Midwest, where it was leased from Barris by American car and custom hot rod designer Darryl Starbird and featured in several of his shows.” via

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Dorothy Stratten posing with the 1979 Firebird Trans Am wide-body custom-built by none other than the legendary George Barris, and that starred in the Steve Martin film “The Jerk”. Barris built it, and the “John Travolta Firebird Fever” Trans Am, side-by-side at his shop. “FF” sported a high-performance Pontiac 455 engine, custom interior with Recaora seats, custom flared fenders, Racemark steering wheel, T-roof with tinted panels, opening “Shaker” hood, rear “Whale tail” spoiler, Hooker side pipes, real rubber Firestone S/S radial tires, colorful “Fever” decals, custom instrument panel. “Firebird Fever” was released in conjunction with Revell’s matching 1/25 scale plastic model kit to capitalize on Travolta’s mass popularity at the time. Photo by William LaChasse, via Autoculture

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Dorothy Stratten – Photo by William LaChasse, via Autoculture

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Dorothy Stratten with a Harley Panhead chopper – Photo by William LaChasse, via Autoculture

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Dorothy Stratten signing autographs at a car show  – Photo by William LaChasse, via Autoculture

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1980 Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten and that low-life pimp husband of hers, Paul Snider. -

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Dorothy Stratten and the man she left Paul Snider for — film director Peter Bogdanovich. He was so grief stricken at her loss, that he stopped film-making to write a book about her — The Killing of the Unicorn – and then years later, after cultivating her from the age of 12 yrs old, he married Dorothy’s younger sister, Louise.

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The Passions of Peter Bogdanovich | People Magazine, 1989–

She was, director Peter Bogdanovich would admit, an obsession. Blond, delicately featured, a Playboy Playmate of the Year, Dorothy Stratten was so beautiful she seemed luminescent, as if lit from within. A year after he first met her in 1978, when she was 18, Bogdanovich cast her in a movie and, though she was married, they soon became lovers. “I could hardly believe that she really existed, that she wasn’t a dream,” he later said of their affair. “There was something miraculous about Dorothy Stratten.”

In just five months, however, the director’s dream became a nightmare: Dorothy’s estranged husband, crazed by her decision to leave him and marry Bogdanovich, raped her, killed her with a point-blank shotgun blast to the head, and then killed himself. Her murder left Bogdanovich desolate, devastated. “I haven’t been dating,” he said, 16 months after Dorothy’s murder. “I’m a widower. I don’t know if I can ever love as totally and completely as I loved Dorothy.” He gave up making movies to write a book about her death, and he became devoted to Dorothy’s mother, Nelly, and her 12-year-old kid sister, Louise.

Too devoted, some said. He sent Louise, an insecure, pudgy girl with none of her sister’s delicate features, to a private school and to modeling classes. He bought her a baby grand piano and took her along on trips to Paris and Hawaii. He gave her a gold-and-diamond necklace and, when she graduated from high school, a Pontiac Trans Am. In 1986, he gave her a movie role.

Two weeks ago, Bogdanovich married Louise, now 20, in a small ceremony in Vancouver, renewing speculation about just when his interest in the girl became more than that of a close family friend—and about just what it had become. Skeptics suggested that Louise’s motivation had a practical side; her marriage to Bogdanovich would solve a chronic problem she’d had coming from her native Canada to work in the States. Those who know the couple discounted that—and saw in the relationship an eerie reprise of the director’s intense love for Louise’s sister, Dorothy.

When allegations of a romantic attachment between Bogdanovich and Louise first surfaced in 1984, when she was 16, they were silenced by a slander suit filed by Louise and her mother. (The suit was later dropped.) Some of those who know Bogdanovich best expressed little surprise at the marriage. Polly Platt, Bogdanovich’s first wife and mother of his two daughters—who were friendly with Louise during her frequent sojourns in L.A.—says the pair “had been together for a long time.”

But Louise’s mother, hearing of the marriage at her home in Vancouver, was distraught. “I feel he wants her because of a guilt trip,” she said. “This happened to my other daughter, who got her head shot off, and it’s gonna happen to this one. He didn’t do it, but he was involved. If he is in love with one daughter, how can he be in love with the other daughter?”

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1979 — Dorothy Stratten working at the Century City Playboy Club. RIP

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Evel Knievel shared a long and colorful history with Harley-Davidson– professing that his very first motorcycle was a Harley that he stole when he was just 13 yrs old. Legend has it in 1960, Evel Knievel strapped his day-old son Kelly to his back for the boy’s first motorcycle ride. The 22-year-old Robert (not yet the larger-than-life Evel) Knievel fishtailed the brand new Harley on their maiden ride home from the maternity ward to the family trailer in Butte, Montana. He was so shaken by almost wrecking with his newborn baby in-tow that he promptly sold the bike.

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A great shot of Evel Knievel showcasing the beauty of his white leathers with navy and red trim. Knievel was buried in a leather jacket like the one you see here when he passed away in 2007. Pal Matthew McConaughey offered this eulogy– “He’s forever in flight now. He doesn’t have to come back down. He doesn’t have to land.” And yes, McConaughey was probably stoned. A bit of an odd pairing if ever there was one, but I ask you– Who doesn’t love Evel Knievel? 

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The iconic daredevil Evel Knievel poised on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Knievel’s surviving 1972 Harley-Davidson XR-750 is now on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Knievel also donated a leather jumpsuit, cape, and boots that he wore during jumps. –Photo by Ralph Crane

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Evel Knievel pulling a wheelie on his epic Harley-Davidson XR-750 stunt motorcycle of steel, alloy, and fiberglass that weighed-in at about 300 lbs. The Harley had enough power that it could be geared to allow Evel to take-off from a dead stop in 4th so that he could approach the ramp and build speed without shifting, eliminating the risk of missing a gear. It’s also been suggested that Evel’s throttle was setup by his mechanics to turn clockwise instead of counter-clockwise. That way when he landed the throttle would roll off to idle, instead of wide open– because the impact of landing made his wrists and hands roll in the counter-clockwise direction of the grip. 

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“I guess I thought I was Elvis Presley. But I’ll tell ya something–

all Elvis did was stand on a stage and play a guitar.

He never fell off on that pavement at no 80 mph.”

– Evel Knievel

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1975 — Evel Knievel on his Harley-Davidson XR-750 gearing-up for the Wembley stadium bus jump.

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Evel Knievel outside the Harley-Davidson factory with a trio of bikes.  via

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Evel Knievel signing an autograph for a young fan – Hell, who wasn’t a fan of Evel’s back then?!

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1975 — Evel Knievel promo shot on his Harley-Davidson XR-750  for the Wembley stadium bus jump.

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1973 — Evel Knievel and AMA Hall of Famer Roger Reiman,who in later years became Evel’s head mechanic in-charge of his stable of Harley-Davidson XR-750 stunt bikes.

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1970s shot of badass daredevil stuntman Evel Knievel on his Harley-Davidson XR-750 motorcycle.

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Great shot of Evel Knievel in white leathers on his Harley-Davidson XR-750 motorcycle.

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1975 — Evel Knievel on his Harley-Davidson XR-750 gearing-up for the Wembley stadium bus jump.

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1975 — Evel Knieve’famous  motorcycle jump of 13 Greyhound buses at Wembley stadium, UK.

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1975 — Evel Knievel, on his Harley-Davidson XR-750, jumping 140 feet at 90 mph over 13 buses at Wembley stadium. He barely cleared the last bus, and crashed on landing. Knievel suffered a broken hand, pelvis, and compressed vertebrae.  –Photo by David Ashdown / Keystone / Getty Images

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1975 — Stuntman Evel Knievel crashing his Harley-Davidson XR-750 motorcycle on landing following a successful 90 mph jump over 13 buses at Wembley Stadium.

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1975 — Evel Knievel crashed on landing following a successful 90 mph jump over 13 buses at Wembley Stadium. Knievel promptly announced to the crowd that he was done– there would be no more jumps. Still shaken, he stated to the crowd that they were “the last people in the world who will ever see me jump. I will never, ever, ever, ever jump again. I am through”. Injuries and all, Evel Knievel stood and insisted to be taken off his stretcher and walk out of the stadium. Once out of the stadium he was placed back onto a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance, and then rushed to the hospital. – Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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1976 — So much for no more jumps! Here’s Evel Knievel successfully jumping 10 vans at Worcester, Massachusetts on his H-D XR-750. 

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1977 — Evel Knievel loading his .38 Smith & Wesson handgun in a New York City hotel room. After receiving kidnapping threats against his children Evel began sleeping with the loaded gun every night.

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WHAT I’VE LEARNED: EVEL KNIEVEL | For Esquire magazine, 2007

You can fall many times in life, but you’re never a failure as long as you try to get up.

Loving someone doesn’t mean that you can love her for six days and then beat the crap out of her on the seventh.

Women are the root of all evil. I ought to know. I’m Evel.

This country has become a nation of the government, by the government, and for the government. Our politicians are destroying us. We need a revolt!

When you’re mad at someone, it’s probably best not to break his arm with a baseball bat.

Heaven is a place you can go and drink a lot of draft beer and it don’t make you fat. You can cheat on your wife and she don’t get mad. You get a beautiful female chauffeur with nice, hard tits — real ones. There are motorcycle jumps you never miss. You don’t need a tee time.

Anybody can jump a motorcycle. The trouble begins when you try to land it.

The Internal Revenue Service is more ruthless than the Gestapo. Abolish the IRS! Stamp out organized crime!

I don’t believe in hell. I don’t believe in gods or Jesus Christ or sacred cows. I don’t believe in that big, fat-assed Buddha. Show me one piece of Noah’s ark. Show me one piece of the tablets that Moses was supposed to have brought down from the mountain. People need a crutch. They need to make up stories. I don’t want to do that.

You can be famous for a lot of things. You can be a Nobel-prize winner. You can be the fattest guy in the world. You can be the guy with the smallest penis. Whatever it is, enjoy it. It don’t last forever.

One day you’re a hero, the next day you’re gone.

People say they take responsibility for their own actions all the time, but that don’t mean they really do.

I think that all of these so-called born-again Christians should ask their preachers why they don’t hand out organ-donor cards. If you donated a kidney or a heart or an eye or whatever to your fellow man to keep him alive, you couldn’t be closer to God than that.

You can’t forbid children to do things that are available to them at every turn. God told Eve, “Don’t give the apple to Adam,” and look what happened. It’s in our nature to want the things we see.

If God ever gives this world an enema, he’ll stick the tube in the Lincoln Tunnel and he’ll flush everybody in New York City clear across the Atlantic. And that would just be a start.

We must tax the churches. Freedom of religion is bullshit when it’s tax-free.

You are the master of your own ship, pal. There are lots of people who fall into troubled waters and don’t have the guts or the knowledge or the ability to make it to shore. They have nobody to blame but themselves.

I’ve done everything in the world I’ve ever wanted to do except kill somebody. There are a couple of guys I know who need shooting. They represent the rectums of humanity.

If you don’t know about pain and trouble, you’re in sad shape. They make you appreciate life.

Everything in moderation is okay, except Wild Turkey.

If a guy hasn’t got any gamble in him, he isn’t worth a crap.

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Francoise Hardy on the ‘Grand Prix’ film set seen wearing co-star James Garner’s helmet, 1966.

Francoise Hardy was a wistful breath of fresh air during the sex, drugs & rock ‘n’ roll of the 1960s. Mysterious, sweetly naive, and utterly desirable. She was adored by Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, and more. The incredible enduring images of Hardy, particularly those by famed photographer Jean-Marie Perier (who shot her donned in Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Andre Courréges, and Paco Rabanne), made her an instant and timeless style icon. With her faraway gaze and lazy smile, Francoise Hardy is like a melancholy dream that you simply don’t want to wake up from. Her unease with fame and adoration is at times clearly evident in her photos– serving only to make her even more alluring.

Francoise Hardy perched atop a Honda motorcycle is an all-time internet #babesonbikes favorite.

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Francoise Hardy resting in a Formula One race car during the filming of Grand Prix, 1966.

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Francoise Hardy sittting in a Formula One race car during the filming of Grand Prix, 1966.

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Francoise Hardy, Antonio Sabato, and director John Frankenheimer on the set of 1966′s Grand Prix, which won three Academy Awards. The four stars— James Garner, Yves Montand, Brian Bedford and Antonio Sabato did their own driving on real GP tracks. World-famous “Grand Prix” drivers who appear in the picture include 1962 world champion Graham Hill, Jack Brabham, World Champion in 1959, 1960 & 1966; five-time World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56 & ’57), and 1961 World Champion Phil Hill. via

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Francoise Hardy with Formula One racing legend (Sir) Jack Brabham, three-time World Champion, during the filming of Grand Prix, 1966. Brabham was the first driver in history to be knighted for his services to motorsport, and the only Formula One driver to have won a world title in a car of his own construction – the BT19 – which he drove to victory in 1966. The following year the Brabham team won its second successive world championship when New Zealander Denny Hulme drove the BT20 to victory. via

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Francoise Hardy snapping photos during the filming of Grand Prix, 1966.

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Francoise Hardy – Photo by © Jean-Marie Périer

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Francoise Hardy posing at her Paris home (in a 670/671 Eames lounge chair?), 1970— Image by © Leonard de Raemy/Sygma/Corbis

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Francoise Hardy – Photo by © Jean-Marie Périer

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Francoise Hardy playing guitar

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Francoise Hardy in Central Park, 1969. — Image by © JP Laffont/Sygma/Corbis

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Francoise Hardy in Montmartre – Photo by © Jean-Marie Périer

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Sylvie Vartan & Francoise Hardy on French TV. — Image by © James Andanson/Apis/Sygma/Corbis

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Francoise Hardy at Olympia Hall in Paris, 1965. — Image by © Pierre Fournier/Sygma/Corbis

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Francoise Hardy in Amsterdam, 1969. – Photograph by Joost Evers

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Singers/songwriters/spouses, Jacques Dutronc & Francoise Hardy, 1965. — Image by © Leonard de Raemy/Sygma/Corbis

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Georges Moustaki and Francoise Hardy, 1969 International Pop and Rock Festival of the Isle of Wight. — Image by © Jean-Louis Atlan/Sygma/Corbis

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Georges Moustaki and Francoise Hardy on a Honda motorcycle in Paris, 1970. – Photo by © Jean-Marie Périer

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