scraps & lagniappe

Sunday rewind: songs that I like to sing along to

So, for today's Rewind, I give you my favorite songs I like to sing along to.  If I'm being really honest, it's more like songs I think I can sing the hell out of.  

They're mostly one-hit wonders, but such good stuff.  Oh, and these videos are some 80's gold.

First up is one of my all-time favorite 80's songs evah.  T'pau's "Heart and Soul."  Best line: I used to have a lover with a Midas touch.  IF I HAD A NICKEL, PEOPLE.

T'Pau Heart and Soul
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Next would be my theme song, "Goody Two Shoes" by the one and only Adam Ant.  Best line: You don't drink, don't smoke/What do you do/The subtle innuendos follow/There must be something inside.

Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes
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This one would be a duet.  It's "Obsession" by Animotion.  It's the song that spawned a million stalkers -- if you listen to the lyrics, it's nuts.  The video makes exactly ZERO sense.  Best line: My fantasy has turned to madness /And all my goodness /Has turned to badness. 

Animotion-Obsession
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Lastly, totally not a one-hit wonder and completely the opposite of the other videos today -- The Commodores with "Nightshift."  I love this song.  Major love.  When I sing this one in the car it's dangerous, because I have to do the hand motions.  It's a fab song, more subtle than "Brickhouse," (obviously) and it's about Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson, who both passed away in 1984, the year before this song came out.  The Kerry Blog is all about musical education, is it not?  This video is perfect.  The outfits at the end SO remind me of Isaac from the Love Boat, it's good times.  Best line: At the end of a long day/It's gonna be okay/On the Nightshift. 

Commodores - Nightshift
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new obsession alert

I'm obsessed with letterpress. 

Those of you who know me well know that I love everything about the written word, typeface, fonts, color, printing, and imagery.  Letterpress is the one medium that combines all of those things in an organic way that is unlike anything else I've seen.  Maybe it's because I learned to type on an actual typewriter and not a computer, but I love the feel of paper, I like ink, I adore the uniqueness that is only obtained by doing something by hand. 

I've been dabbling in computer graphics for a couple of years now, self-taught in Photoshop Elements, and I enjoy it quite a bit, but there is nothing like paper and ink.  A year ago, I drew an image for the ScrapFest! t-shirts and I hadn't had that much fun working on a project in years.  I love a Papermate Felt-tip Flair pen in a multitude of colors, they make me happy. 

Over the past week I've been looking for inspiration for the new ScrapFest! print materials we send to our vendors and I'm tired of the over-worked look I see so much in posters lately.  A few years ago, I saw a feature on Hatch Show Print, a letterpress shop in Nashville, on the Martha Stewart show and I Googled them.  I knew I liked the look of letterpress, but I was blown away with the work they've done and decided I needed to pare down and do something in the vain of Hatch Show Print. 

Here's a great little documentary on Hatch Show, so you'll see what I'm talking about. Their work is a who's who of country and rock music, and they do custom work for weddings and all kinds of cool stuff.  Take a look.

In the words of Liz Lemon from 30 Rock: I want to go to there.  I was in Nashville a couple of years ago and SO wish I would have gone to Hatch Show Print.  I need one of those monoprints.  Need.  I think a trip to Nashville is in order, who wants to come? 

So, all this digital work I do is great and all, but there's nothing like touching the stuff.  That's why I'm getting this little letterpress for myself.  Yeah, I'm getting it. 

a little perfection for your Wednesday

Y'all know I love my Counting Crows.  I needed a little "St. Robinson and His Cadillac Dream" this morning, and not just because my name is in the song.  It's one of my favorites, lyrics are fun and love the mandolin and how Adam does my favorite line of the song.  I'm sure you can guess it, it's not hard. 

the Kors quote post: I feel like a pope at a sex club

Can we just talk for a minute?  I've taken cough medicine and started this post.  I am medicated and motivated, people.  I am wired.  But enough about me, let's move on to the me in my head.

Do you watch the Project Runway?  Huh?  Do ya?  Well, ya should.  Here's the rub: Michael Kors and Nina Garcia have been missing for weeks and I have missed the bitchy, sarcastic, snarky, bitchy, hysterical, ridiculous, bitchy judging styles of Michael Kors.  He's like my fairy godfather of bitchy comments and I've missed him.  He's like me, only male and gay -- judgmental, with sarcasm and you know he says things out of love, like moi.  He's like me, only orange.

The Kors and I have been BFFs in my mind since season one of PR.  Here are his best quotes from the six previous seasons.  Keep in mind -- these quotes are about outfits, that's what makes The Kors hilarious.

It's a little like a woman going out to eat ribs.

It looks like toilet paper caught in a wind storm.

It's a little mother of the bride.

I thought it looked farty.

She looks like a paper brioche.

You're a mess just standing there.

If you didn't do that jacket in fleece I would have been like give me a Xanax, I'm asleep.

Nina Garcia: You went from a wedding to a funeral.  Michael Kors: ...Or a French maid at a funeral.

It's a little Shirley McClaine when she played a hooker with a heart of gold.

She needed a feather duster.

That was so Paris hooker 50's.

I think she looked like $29.99 prom.

AND my top 4 fave quotes:

Next thing you know, it's big button earrings and you're on 'The Facts of Life.'

Scarlett O'Hara ripped drapes down and made a couture dress...this, she ripped the sheets off the bed and ran out the door.

She looks like Barefoot Appalachain Lil' Abner Barbie.

I feel like a pope at a sex club.

Don't we all just feel like a pope at a sex club sometimes?  That's what I like to call 1992-97.  I'm telling you, I was/am the goody two shoes Adam Ant sang about.

Well, honeys, he's back.  Here's the preview.  And yes, he says "teal charmeuse disco pumpkin" which is now what I want to be for Halloween.  Has anything more festive ever been said?  Teal charmeuse disco pumpkin?  Shut up. 

have a great weekend or else

Have a great weekend.

Do it for Chaka Khan Chantal Biya, the First Lady of Cameroon (who is not Chaka Khan).  Mrs. Biya wants you to have a good weekend, don't let her down.

This photo is from Wednesday's trip to the Met.  First Family pic courtesy of the U.S. State Department. 

This is what the State Department's Flickr page says: This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, or promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

The Kerry Blog is pretty much a news organization.

I found even more glorious photos of Mrs. Biya from around the interwebs.  Let's take a look at my new favorite person.

Here's Mrs.Biya meeting the Pope.  Yeah, Barack -- don't think she just gets gussied up for you.  

Somewhere in Detroit, Aretha Franklin is on the phone with her milliner bitching him out.

Oh, and if you don't have a good weekend, don't say I didn't warn you.

Mrs. Biya will cut a bitch.                                                                                     

in honor of tonight's Project Runway premier

Here is my all-time favorite moment in Project Runway history -- Zulema's request of the model walk-off.  OMG.  Daniel V said it best, "it's a mothereffin' walkoff!" 

what would hemingway do?

The Pottery Barn catalog came yesterday.  Usually I flip through the catalog and toss it, but not today. 

Someone at PB has read my mind.  As I've written about before here on the blog, I'm a sucker for typewriters.  I love everything about old typewriters -- the ding one makes when the carriage returns, the sound of hitting keys, and smack of the letter striking the page.  I love the way typewriters look, the anti-tech of the machine.  I love that my favorite old authors were discriminating typists and that my man Hemingway would only write on a Royal. 

I have to think he would approve of my next purchase.

Those are six beautiful canvases, aren't they?  

Writers are a weird breed, as I've said on occasion.  We have little superstitions, write only with certain pens, are fond of particular notebooks, specific times of day to write, but that's not all.  Weird things about writing creep into everyday life.  Like these canvases.  I haven't made up my mind as to where to hang them.  Common sense says the scrap office, but these are so special they may hang in the living room on the wall I still haven't figured out what to do with after four years in this house.  I'm fairly certain they will be hanging on that wall soon. 

I'm working on a post for later tonight, but right now I'm going to check Ebay for that elusive  Olivetti Valentine.

Sunday Rewind: Simple Minds edition

EDIT:  If you saw the blog earlier, there were videos I had lovingly captioned for you, but I couldn't figure out why they were playing automatically.  I'm sorry, I don't know what the problem was, so I took them off and put in the regular vids.  I'm beyond bummed that you can't see the fun captions, but I couldn't have the vids annoying you.  If I figure it out I'll put them back up. 

I'm sure a few of y'all were wondering when I'd get around to Simple Minds.  Please.  Like there was a doubt I'd get to my boys from Scotland.  Simple Minds are best known for their song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" from The Breakfast Club, but they have quite the history and music catalog.  The guys started out as a punk band named Johnny and The Self-Abusers in 1977 before changing their name and putting out a rock album, then settling into the "New Romantic" side of New Wave.  In 1985, The Breakfast Club launched Simple Minds into overnight American success and they had their only #1 U.S.  hit. To capitalize on their new fame, the band released Once Upon a Time which included the hits "Alive and Kicking," "Sanctify Yourself," and my fave "All the Things She Said."  I usually don't offer video commentary, but we have to talk about the videos today.  I put actual work into this post, which you can't see now.  "Sanctify Yourself" and "All the Things She Said" are so good I had to caption them myself.  People, 80's videos get no better than "All the Things She Said."  I forgot the degree of awesomeness it achieved and and actually said "shut the eff up" when I watched it earlier -- yes, it's that good.  Enjoy the videos. 

Simple Minds Don't You Forget About Me
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this summer's blockbuster

This just in: the movie of my life is coming to a theater near you. 

Hell yeah!

*saw the movie poster on Planet Fabulon, but grabbed the image from a movie poster site.  I'm not linking to PF because Planet Fabulon is most likely not safe for work, unless you work in the arts (and work naked around other naked people from time to time). 

Sunday Rewind: Psychedelic Furs edition

Ah, one of my first loves, The Psychedelic Furs. 

The Furs came out of post-punk England in the late '70s and had some success in the US with 1981's Talk Talk Talk and the songs "Dumbwaiters" and "Pretty in Pink," but it wasn't until the 1986 movie of the same name that the Furs were a household name.  Well, the song was anyway.  They are an easy band to love with songs like "Heaven," "Until She Comes," and "Heartbreak Beat" and Richard Butler's hoarse voice is just lovely. 

Without further delay, here are the videos.  Lots of videos today because the Furs make me happy and I love that voice.  I'm giving you a the gift that is the original version of "Pretty in Pink," which is the stripped-down, moodier version.  Also in today's line-up are "Heartbreak Beat," "Ghost in You," "Love My Way," and the 1991 Letterman show performance of "Until She Comes" -- one of my faves, just for you because you're special.  Do yourself a solid and go get their Greatest Hits, put it on and quote Iona  from Pretty in Pink, "applause, applause, APPLAUSE."  Now that I think of it, we may be due for an 80's movie review (as if I don't talk about PIP enough).  Enjoy the Furs.