Forget Thrasher magazine, Powell Peralta and old footage of Tony Hawk as a goofy kid, check out these reeeeeaaalllyyy old school skateboarding photos from 1965. I can't imagine any of these kids pulling off 360 flips but that doesn't make them any less cool.
They are taken from Life magazine and can all be found, plus the original article here: LIFE MAGAZINE
It's not very often an album completely blows me away. I find that music is so much more accessible nowadays that you have to wade through a lot of shit to get to the good stuff. Alt-J are one of those bands that stop you in your tracks. They really expose all of the crap out there and act like a beacon in the dark that is the modern music industry. The album 'An Awesome Wave' has not left my iPod since it's release on 28th May 2012. It's close to the most infectious album that has ever blared out of my headphones. I find it incredibly hard to listen to the whole album in one sitting because as soon as one song finishes, I have to listen to it again...and again...and again. It's like this with every song on the album. I received it on white vinyl this morning so it's not going to leave my turntable anytime soon either. Seriously...check these guys out!
Let's face it, TV adverts are shit. We tut and sigh every time our favourite show gets interrupted by an advert break and we either switch channel or put the TV on mute. But not all adverts are bad. Once in a while an advert that you look forward to seeing comes along. Here is a collection of my favourite adverts and you'll notice that there isn't a meerkat or a fat idiot with a stupid moustache screeching "go compare" in any of them...enjoy.
Look at the advert, then back to me then to the advert. A genius way to reinvent Old Spice. The whole series of these are so funny and a pleasure to watch...I'm on a horse.
Whenever you're in a pickle...think of this advert.
One of the greatest things that has happened in the last 5 years or so is Adidas releasing their Star Wars range of clothing. Just as Star Wars was diving deep into the pool of geekyness, Adidas pulled it back. Yes, this advert is a bit of a celeb fest but I think that's what makes it work, I mean Snoop Dogg with a lightsabre, legendary.
I never thought Robert Carlyle prattling on about whiskey for six minutes could be so interesting and entertaining.
Let's just chuck a shit load of bouncy balls down the street, film it, stick on a nice song and see what happens.
Such a simple concept, executed perfectly.
My kind of cooking! Such a simple advert that appeals to the everyday man more than Jamie Oliver can ever imagine.
The thing I love most about this advert (other than the fact it's based around Star Wars) is even though the kid is dressed head to toe in a Darth Vader costume, he somehow manages to portray their emotions across to the audience perfectly. The kid deserves an Oscar!
Ain't life wonderful?
Squeak, Squeak, Squeak, Squeak, probably the funniest piece of footage in the world, Squeak, Squeak, Squeak, Squeak, Squeak, Squeak, Squeak, Squeak, Squeak,
I don't know who to cry more for, the dog or the rabbit.
If you're a Star Wars fan in your early 30's, like me, you will of grown up on this guys artwork whether you knew it or not. He was a conceptual artist that worked closely with George Lucas to create the look and feel of Star Wars. I have always been in awe of his paintings and can spend hours looking at them.
"When words could not convey my ideas, I could always point to one of Ralph's fabulous illustrations and say, 'do it like this'." - George Lucas.
Summer is finally here! I've probably jinxed things by saying that...sorry. This sort of weather calls for many things, BBQ's, beer gardens, less clothing, sun glasses, Cornettos, happy faces, beaches, the list goes on and on but it all needs accompanying music. Everyone has summer music but the soundtrack to my summer and pretty much every summer since I was 16 is supplied by G. Love & Special Sauce. They do a beautiful blend of Blues and Hip Hop like you've never heard before. The lead man, Garrett Dutton, grew up listening to both genres of music and tributes them both accordingly. He plays a solid blues guitar with blasts from his harmonica interjected into the music for good measure whilst lazily MCing in his own sloppy way. Stir all that up with a solid jazz drummer and double bassist and you've got toe tapping unique music that will have you smiling whilst enjoying a cold beer in the sun.
When I was at college a friend handed me a tape saying it's something I might like. In my hand I held G. Love's first Self Titled album. My friend had amazing taste in music so I couldn't wait to get home and listen to it. I hated it...I really hated it! there was maybe one/two songs on the album I liked but over all I thought it was lousy. A week later, that tape never left my Walkman. G. Love is definitely a grower and something happened in that week between being given the tape and it never leaving my Walkman. I don't know what, but I'm glad it did.
G. Love & Special Sauce has now stuck with me since then and there's no signs of them going away. I would say that they are my favourite musicians just because they've stood the test of time and every time I listen to then it still sounds fresh and new to my ears. I can relate G. Love songs to every aspect of my live and reminds me of endless good times.
I have to add that I met G. Love a few years ago in Bristol at an after show party. Backstage passes fell into my hands in the most luckiest of ways. It was a strange feeling shaking hands with your life long idol and look him in the eye whilst telling him how awesome the show was. He gave me a can of Guinness and on my way I went. I'm not a "I'm your biggest fan" sort of person so a hand shake was all I needed.
If you've never heard of G. Love & Special Sauce go check them out but remember, they're a grower. If you know about them then the time has come to break them out of their winter blues.
This series of posters are really something else. Beautifully created whilst in keeping with the original feel of travel posters. A perfectly executed combination of two genres that oozes creativity. I love them and want all eight of them hanging on my wall...if I had the space. It's making me want add more illustration in my own posters.
If you grew up on a steady diet of Garbage Pail Kids, The Last Starfighter, Bill and Ted, Ghostbusters and 8-bit graphics like I did then you seriously need to check out this website containing some awesome and original tees.
