When I was a little girl creating fun adventures for my Barbie dolls, her career choices probably included Fashion Model, Lifeguard, Stewardess, Ken’s Girlfriend, and that’s about it. Now of course, Barbie can be whatever the fuck she wants to be, even a Robotics Engineer. Yes, I just typed that. Here’s what Mattel’s website has to say about 2018’s Career of The Year Barbie:
Dream big with the Barbie® Robotics Engineer doll! This Barbie® Career of the Year doll comes with a laptop and robot figure to play out all kinds of cool stories. Kids can explore exciting opportunities in the high-tech world and code their own futures!
Great gadgets include a purple laptop that shows a screenshot of her robotics project — and a silvery robot with arms that move at the shoulder.
Barbie® has partnered with Tynker, a game-based platform that teaches kids how to code and inspires them to explore STEM ( which stands for science, technology, engineering and math,) opportunities!
Her versatile workday outfit is designed for success with a trendy graphic t-shirt and denim jacket, accessorized with protective goggles.
I love how they specifically say ‘kids” and not “girls” in order to be gender inclusive. And hey, if this fashion-challenged, nerd Barbie (this one has deep-purple hair, excellent) encourages kids to learn to code, I’m all for it.
Photographed as Part of the Exhibit Countryside: The Future Exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum in NYC.
The illustrious legacy of country music’s leading lady, Lynn Anderson sparks an impression on a new generation while captivating long-time, dedicated fans as the Rose Garden Deluxe Collector’s Edition is made available on Pink Vinyl. This exclusive anniversary release contains never-before-seen notes written to Anderson from country music star Reba McEntire and legendary producer Clive Davis, while sporting a unique translucent pink color. The Lynn Anderson Rose Garden Deluxe Collectors Edition Vinyl will be released on June 13th, 2020, in coordination with Lynn Anderson Day on June 15th, when a few other surprises will also be revealed. There are only 1,000 vinyl records available, so be sure to get yours and join the celebration. Information on how to order your copy can be found at This Link!
“This has been such an exciting year for all things Lynn Anderson,” says daughter Lisa Sutton. “Mom’s career left a lasting mark on country music and this has truly been the year for her to shine. With the re-release of four albums, the 2020 Lynn Anderson Rose, the ‘Iconic Women of Country’ PBS special and the 50th Anniversary release of ‘Rose Garden’.”
Lynn Anderson is featured in a special program on PBS, ‘Iconic Women of Country,’ which premiered May 31st. The program is co-produced by Transform Films and TH Entertainment, LLC and depicts a detailed look at the legendary female artists that shaped an era of country music and their stories and songs that have weathered decades of storms. Original interviews and classic recordings dive into the sweet southern sense of Lynn Anderson and pay tribute to other icons of country music including Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee and more. ‘Iconic Women of Country’ features live footage of Anderson’s hit single, “I Never Promised You A Rose Garden,” and testimonies from modern female country stars who speak of these legendary women as a great source of inspiration. Check local PBS listings for details.
Sony Legacy Recordings recently re-released four digitally remastered albums of Lynn Anderson’s: ‘Cry,’‘Listen To A Country Song,’‘Singing My Song’ and ‘Stay There ‘Til I Get There.’
About Lynn Anderson:
Lynn Anderson’s six-decade career charted 12 #1 singles and a total of 18 Top 10 hits, with more than 50 Top 40 hit singles total. Aside from being named “Female Vocalist of the Year” by the Academy of Country Music twice and “Female Vocalist of the Year” by the Country Music Association, she also won a Grammy Award for her signature song “Rose Garden.” Anderson later won a People’s Choice Award, and was the very first female artist to win an American Music Award. In 1974, she became the first female country act to sell out Madison Square Garden. Record World, a major music trade magazine of the 1950s to the 1980s, honored Anderson as ‘Artist of the Decade’ for 1970-1980. Anderson’s memory continues to live on through her legions of fans from around the world.
In this age of downloading all music purchases from the Internet, it’s easy to forget how much fun it can be to browse the weird, music-related shit that can be found in a good, old fashioned record store. I was wandering aimlessly in Rough Trade Records of Wiliamsburg, Brooklyn when I spotted this neato- thing that exists: a Residents Classic Eyeball Limited Edition Bobblehead! Yes, I just typed that.
The backstory, for those not in-the-know, is condensed as follows: The Residents are an American art collective best known for their avant-garde music and multimedia works. Since their first official release, Meet the Residents (1974), the group has released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects, and ten DVDs. Throughout its existence, the individual members have ostensibly attempted to operate under anonymity, preferring instead to have attention focused on their art output. In public, the group appears silent and costumed, often wearing eyeball helmets, top hats and tails — a long-lasting costume now recognized as its signature iconography. This figure, fabricated of high quality polyresin, and standing 7.5-inches tall, is available in an edition of just 1,000 hand-numbered units. You can get yours for just $26.99.
Amsterdam-based designer Germans Ermics has worked extensively with frosted, ombre and colored glass in his furniture design studio. The Presence – Absence Table expands on his ideas with a design made from hardened laminated glass mirror with graduation from 100% Mirror to 100% Red Glass. It is really quire stunning.
Presence – Absence was originally created in collaboration with Iskos – Berlin for the Side by Side Outside SE exhibition at the Danish Museum of Art & Design in 2017. A statement on the table is below:
“The clearest way to perceive and define the world is through negation, through opposites:
We understand the meaning of light when it becomes dark; we first understand what our parents mean for us when they are gone; the presence of loved ones is truly grasped in their absence.
Presence and Absence walk together – Side by Side – as inseparable as day and night”
Photographed at The Salon Art & Design in NYC. Limited Edition of 8 Pieces, Available from Galerie Maria Wettergren, Paris.
A mostly forgotten (if not widely-known) fact about me is that, in my high school years, my nickname was Wizard. The backstory on that takes way too long to talk about, but Wizard is nevertheless a word and a thing that has remained near and dear to my heart through the years. So, to come across a Pink Wizard: that is a pretty big deal! While Geoffrey and I were making the seen at this past weekend’s Five Points Festival in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, we came across this little guy in the booth for Sad Salesman, a collectible figure and toy company run by Eric Althin, who used to own the late great Bold Hype, one of our favorites among the Chelsea Art Galleries. We miss them so much, so it’s awesome to know that Eric is still making cool art and bringing it to the masses! Eric designs and sculpts all of Sad Salesman’s original characters!
Eric told me that The Wizard was the very first sculpture he sat down to make with the intention of it being a designer toy. “I made others following it,” he explained, “but after hearing feedback, it seemed to be everyone’s favorite. I crossed my fingers and went ahead and produced it as a limited edition vinyl toy, via Pretty In Plastic. I also wanted to have an even more “special edition” and had the factory make a translucent pink version!”
Created in a limited edition of just 70 pieces, the Pink Astral Wizard (so named for his powers of Astral Projection) is 9-inches tall, with a vinyl body and resin legs. He is giving you the side eye, because he knows all. Eric tells me that there are few of the Pink Astral Colorway Wizards remaining from sales at Five Points Fest, so if you weren’t able to make it out to Brooklyn, you can get yours now at This Link! And be sure to check out Sad Salesman’s other cool toys and figures while you are there!
Stay Tuned for our Spectacular Full Coverage Five Points Festival Coming Soon!
A couple of weeks ago, we made a run by Chamber on West 23rd Street to check out their newest collection of functional, limited edition artworks and home goods. As usual, more than a few items piqued our interest. We especially like this lamp by London-based blown glass artist and designer, Jochen Holz.
The Neon Desk Light is a unique, freestanding light sculpture made of free formed borosilicate glass tubing. Each is one of its kind and part of a small edition. Says Holz about this creation, “I am using much bigger tubing diameters and wall thicknesses to create shapes which couldn’t be achieved with conventional neon making. The forms play with the light emitted by the different rare gases, the undulating tube subtly manipulates the light, softening and intensifying it in turns. There are no coatings or filaments, just the pure light radiating from within the tube. The lights have an estimated lifetime of about 30 to 40 thousand hours.”
This fun modern lamp also comes in Red. Contact the store at info@chambernyc.com for pricing.
Photographed at the Chamber Boutique on 23rd Street, West of the High Line / 10th Avenue.
If you’re in the market for a new sweet ride, why not consider the first car named for its own hastag — Volkswagen’s 2017 limited-edition #PinkBeetle? We had the opportunity to see the #PinkBeetle all up close and personal at a fun launch party earlier this week, and it looked like it was just made to be the Pink Thing of the Day, so here we go!
Fresh Fuchsia Metallic is the color of this beauty’s vibrant pink-hued exterior. The 2017 #PinkBeetle is powered by a 1.8-liter turbocharged engine matched with a 6-speed automatic transmission that produces 170 horsepower and 184 lb.-ft. of torque. The special pink designer Beetle will be available in coupe and convertible configurations when it reaches dealer showrooms this fall.
Pink Drinks!
On the exterior, the new #PinkBeetle is trimmed with gloss black mirror housings and black running boards. Coupes will ride on 17-in., multi-spoke aluminum wheels and the convertibles will be equipped with 18-in., 5-spoke Twister design wheels. New bi-Xenon headlights and other LED lighting systems are standard.
Curry Chicken Tacos
Festive Pink Straws!
The cabin of the #PinkBeetle is set up with a black dash trimmed in pink with a leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel with paddle shifters. Heated front seats and back seating are upholstered in black Pink Club cloth inserts that are plaid with pink striping.
An MIB II multimedia system is standard and comes with a 6.3-in. touch screen with VW’s Car-Net app suite that offers connectivity for all three major smartphone platforms. A rearview camera, keyless entry, and push-button start, plus a 3-month satellite radio subscription, are included.
Beef Filet on Toast
Everyone enjoyed looking at and being photographed with the #PinkBeetle while also sampling tasty snacks and refreshing beverages!
Avocado Toast with MicroGreens
Be the first to own the #PinkBeetle by taking part in the CharityBuzz auction sponsored by The Pink Agenda. Bidding is live now at This Link, and closes on September 22nd at 4:00 PM EDT !
The 2017 Volkswagen #PinkBeetle goes on sale this fall. Pricing will be announced closer to the launch date. VW says the model will be sold in limited quantities, but we were unable to procure actual production numbers.
Dr. Martens has partnered with LA-based artist, Gary Baseman, to design collectible, limited editions of Doc Martens footwear, featuring Baseman’s popular characters, Toby and Hot Chachacha. Sweet.
Here you can see a bespoke, punk version of Toby frolicking on this yellow boot.
These boots kick so much ass.
Baseman has also designed a shoe featuring the Hieronymus Bosch-influenced devilish imp, Hot Chachacha.
There are also Baseman-designed T-Shirts to match the shoes.
Toby the Punk and Hot Chachacha Doc Martens were spotted at The Dr. Martens Store, Located at 193 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211.
Do you remember where you were the first time you heard Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” ? I sure do. I was 14 years old, just hanging out in my bedroom, and when “Bo Rap” — as we used to call it — came on the radio, I thought it was the most mind-blowingly amazing thing I had ever heard in my life up to that point. In a lot of ways, it still is.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” was the song that changed everything; a song that recalls a special moment in music history that — like the greatness of The Beatles — will never repeated. At The Q Awards, held October 20th, in London, Queen were presented with the Classic Song Award, marking the 40th Anniversary of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which was originally released October 31, 1975.
To mark the occasion, and just in time for Black Friday Record Store Day, “Bohemian Rhapsody” will be released as a 12 inch limited edition vinyl, with the original B-side “I’m In Love With My Car,” on November 27th.
But wait, there’s more: on November 20th, Queen will also release Queen, A Night At The Odeon, Live At Hammersmith ’75, on CD, 2 LP vinyl and Super Deluxe Box Set formats, via Hollywood Records, and on DVD, SD Blu-Ray through Eagle Rock Entertainment. This show was the culmination of the 26-date Queen Invite You To A Night At The Opera UK tour, the first tour in which the band had ever performed “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Spirits were high within the band for this show; “Bohemian Rhapsody” – universally hailed as one of the most ground-breaking ‘pop’ songs ever released – was in the middle of its record-breaking nine week run at #1 in the UK charts. Their fourth album, A Night At The Opera (the most expensive record ever made to that point) was climbing the album charts on its way to the number one spot, which it achieved three days after this concert.
Queen guitarist Brian May recalled recording “Bohemian Rhapsody,” offering that “[It]was a great moment, but the biggest thrill for us was actually creating the music in the first place. I remember Freddie coming in with loads of bits of paper from his dad’s work, like Post-it notes, and pounding on the piano. He played the piano like most people play the drums. This song he had was full of gaps where he explained that something operatic would happen here and so on. He’d worked out the harmonies in his head.” Fascinating.
Queen spent days overdubbing the vocals in the studio using a 24 track tape machine. By the time they were done, about 120 vocal tracks were layered together. The opera parts alone took longer than 70 hours to complete. At the time, it was the most expensive single ever made and upon presenting it to their record label, they were told by various executives that 5 minutes 55 seconds was too long and the song would never be a hit. But after the song was played 14 times in two days by DJ and friend of Freddie’s, Kenny Everett, it was destined to be a hit. Hordes of fans attempted to buy the single only to be told by record stores that it had not yet been released. Here in the US, it was the same. American radio RKO managed to get a copy of the tape and started to play it across their stations, which forced the hand of Queen’s then-US label, Elektra, to release the song in its entirety.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” was Queen’s first ever #1 single and the 1975 UK Christmas #1, holding the top position for nine weeks. It is also the first song ever to get to number one in the UK twice with the same version.
40 years after movie audiences began singing along to such hits as “The Time Warp,”“Sweet Transvestite” and “Dammit Janet,”The Rocky Horror Picture Show fans can own a piece of history with the newly re-mastered Absolute Treasures soundtrack. Due out July 31st on Ode Sounds & Visuals and distributed by The Orchard, the soundtrack will be available as a limited-edition Red Vinyl two-disc set, and CD and as a digital release, which includes a bonus track will be available on August 21st.
The red vinyl was created to honor the film’s legacy and the devotion from fans to create something unique to celebrate this historic occasion. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show has always had a mind of its own fueled by the insight and direction of its fans,” says producer, Lou Adler.
The influence of the cult classic, which has been entertaining movie audiences since its debut, now spans four generations. “I recently heard a story about a man who went to see Rocky in the early 70’s,” says Adler. “He later had a daughter who went to see Rocky in the 90’s, and she now has a son, who just turned 15, and is seeing Rocky in the 2000’s. Proves that what I always said: ‘Rocky Horror is a family film.’ Because The Rocky Horror Picture Show is generally screened at midnight, age is a factor. But as tweens become teens, they come to be the next generation of fans. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is in a way a right of passage.”
The digital release of Absolute Treasures will include the movie’s vocal version of “The Sword of Damocles.” According to soundtrack producer Richard Hartley, “There were two artists who recorded ‘The Sword of Damocles.’ Director, Jim Sharman and I were looking/listening for the ‘Glam’ rock sound of a Bowie and or a T. Rex. We wanted a falsetto voice for Rocky, because after all he was just born. The vocal performance in the film is that of an Australian singer. It was recorded live on the set–I think on the 19th of December 1974. And that’s the version that’s in the film. The one that has been included on soundtrack albums is the alternate take by one of the backing singers, which was used as something for the actor playing Rocky to mime to.”
The Rocky Horror Picture Show — the longest distributed theatrical release in motion picture history — debuted as a London theatre production in June 1973. The show came to America in 1974 with nine months of performances at Adler’s Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles. On September 26, 1975, The Rocky Horror Picture Show held its U.S. premiere at the UA Westwood Theatre in Los Angeles.
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW ABSOLUTE TREASURES track listing is as follows:
