[Editor's note: While your Flavorwire editors take a much-needed holiday break, we're revisiting some of our most popular features of the year. This post was originally published July 30, 2011.] It’s the last weekend of July and summer is in full swing (it won’t last forever, though, so if you haven’t busted out your bathing suit by now, you’d better do it soon). We already know that many of the literary greats we admire liked to flit around the beach in their bathing suits, but what about their sonic storytelling counterparts? Turns out they fancied a swim now and again too. Not surprising, since their days were most likely filled with sticky tour bus rides and sweat-inducing live performances. Also not surprising: they tend to look just a little better in their next-to-nothing duds than our dear group of authors, since for many of them, part of their job was inspiring teenage lovesickness. Click through to see our gallery of rock stars from the 60s, 70s and 80s as they frolic, pose and pout in their swimsuits.
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One final stop in England (for now, at least) on our ongoing musical world tour: Merseyside, which has long been a hotbed of UK musical talent, from a band called The Beatles (you may have heard of them) through post-punk icons like Echo & the Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes to more recent types like The Zutons and Ladytron. So, as ever, we’re choosing our five favorite songs about the city — this isn’t meant to be a definitive list, but rather a personal selection, and suggestions are always welcome.
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Mark Hall-Patch describes his small-scale watercolor paintings of threadbare band tees, letterman jackets, denim relics, and Cosby sweaters “compulsory garments.” The tiny works are like a snapshot of your closet in the past, and will have you missing that favorite t-shirt from high school. You know, the one you held on to and wished you never put in the washer, only to watch it unravel before your very eyes. (Sigh.) Click through for a peek at the artist’s nostalgic garment gallery. Read More »
Among his many talents, Daniel Handler is the master of painting the precocious youth in moments of existential peril — his alter ego is Lemony Snicket, after all, though we admit we like his lusciously written books for adults even better. In Handler’s newest novel Why We Broke Up, illustrated by the great Maira Kalman, teenagers Min and Ed have, well, just broken up. And now, “arty” girl Min is writing her basketball-playing ex a novel-length letter as to just exactly why, following the trail of their failed relationship’s trinkets and detritus — sugar bowls, ticket stubs — until she reaches the bitter end. The tale is as simple as it gets, but expertly rendered and, as far as we’re concerned completely true to the teenage experience.
We’ve all been through it, whether we’d like to admit it or not, so to ease the pain, we’ve asked Handler (who in addition to being a successful novelist just happens to be the sometime accordionist for the Magnetic Fields — who would have ever broken up with him?) to put together the ultimate playlist to help you get through any breakup, whether you’re sixteen or sixty. Click through to listen to Handler’s picks and let us know which tracks you count on to heal your own broken hearts in the comments. Read More »
If you really want to know what a famous person thinks about other famous people, get him to do some word association. At least, that seems to be the lesson of this fan-made questionnaire John Lennon filled out in 1976. We’re sure the document was filled with plenty of interesting tidbits, but Lists of Note — our new favorite blog, from the gent who brought us the wonderful Letters of Note — is right to pick out the page of word association. It’s interesting to see what came to mind for Lennon upon seeing the names John, Paul, and Ringo, and information-freedom fans will be gratified to see that he thought bootlegs were “good.” But we couldn’t help getting an immature chuckle at the word he associated with Elvis — “fat.” Bowie, meanwhile? “Thin.”
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As a tribute to the 40th anniversary of The Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover, Penney Design created pixilated versions of several of the Brit band’s iconic sleeve images. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magicial Mystery Tour, and a boxy version of the famous rooftop concert at 3 Savile Row are also given the digital treatment. Hit the jump to get your pixel art fix. Read More »
Ever since “Hansel and Gretel” came on the scene two centuries ago, gingerbread houses have been a staple of the season — whether or not the Brothers Grimm are directly responsible, or just fueled the trend with their cautionary fairy tale, is still up for debate. But regardless of their origin, these cookie cottages have come a long way since they first appeared. Before you set the oven to 350 degrees this year, you might want to consider giving your classic construction with a more modern update. Check out some of our favorite pop culture homages in gingerbread, which range from an ode to surprisingly adorable miniature version of CBGB to a delicious looking take on Doctor Who’s TARDIS, after the jump. Read More »
We talk a lot, here at Flavorpill, about our favorite characters from books, film, and TV. And, although we’ve made a habit of compiling mixtapes for everyone from Nancy Drew to Josef K, it isn’t often that we consider the music world’s own fictional creations. After the jump, we attempt to right that oversight with an incredibly subjective roundup of music’s most memorable characters. Add your suggestions in the comments; if we get enough great ones, we might just publish a follow-up post of reader picks. Read More »
Before the vocals and melodies of some of our favorite tunes are ever recorded, the maestros behind the music put pen to paper and construct songs. Whether these working drafts are scribbled on legal pads, neatly spelled out in ink, or scribed alongside silly doodles, the ritual of writing out lyrics unites everyone from The Beatles to Lykke Li. We’ve rounded up a collection of hand-scrawled lyrics to beloved songs, in all their first-draft glory, after the jump. Read More »
In a project more theoretically interesting than sonically pleasing, British DJ Ramjac has layered all 226 Beatles songs — their entire catalogue — together, working backwards from longest to shortest, to create a sound crescendo clocking in at just over eight minutes. It’s listenable enough at the beginning, but the sheer onslaught of music turns into a sea of crashing nonsense by the end, the name for which might or might not just be ‘overkill.’ Click through to listen, and let us know if you think this a worthy project in the comments.
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