malkovich as murnau

sorry, i couldn't resist. i've had john malkovich on the brain lately. i've had 'dangerous liaisons' on my regular rotation, as well as his theatrical effort as 'lee' from sam shepherd's 'true west.' (in which he starred opposite a young gary sinise.) i snatched this shot myself from the 'shadow of the vampire' dvd. and it wasn't easy. the quality of the transfer on the official dvd is like, the grainy-worst. maybe it was the fault of the photography in the first place, i dunno. all i know is it's murder trying to get a decent, clear freeze-frame from that movie. but here he is, my gorgeous and wicked mr. malkovich as the enigmatic freiderich murnau, in a freaky cave, bargaining with the vampiric creature known as 'orlock.' (played with hilarious brilliance by willem dafoe.) i think this movie is well worth a look. it also features eddie izzard, ronan vibert, cary elwes, and udo kier. it's an imperfect film, but great fun. it grew on me like wild ivy. its a very voyeuristic film. you get the feeling the actors have no idea anyone is ever watching. and i love that. (ps. this one enlarges gorgeously.)

ignore at your own risk

mmm, you know what i always say: anytime is the right time for a sexy screen capture of morrissey. (...mm, i don't 'say that.') anyway, here's a shot i took a long time ago from the 'oye esteban' dvd. its from the video for the song 'the more you ignore me, the closer i get.' its not one of my all-time faves by morrissey, but it IS a good one. and he looks very, very, good in the video. he gets a lot of 'face time.' ( i think that's the correct industry term.) so i managed to get this shot... which was tricky, because there's a lot of strobe-ish lighting, and the camera swoops around like a dragonfly. still, its a great picture. it almost makes me want to dig out the dvd... but yeah, i know... why go through all that trouble with the big, bad miraculous YT at my fingertips? (...yes, why indeed.) click to enlarge... it enlarges nicely.

lemon cologne

(i know the copy is a little delicate... so the caption is : '...i just don't like smelling like a lemon grove. i'm more subtle than that.' as if 'lemon' is 'real slutty' or something.)

yes, i have to admit, i dig most citrusy cologne. but i think this ad is for more of a 'body splash' than a cologne. actually, since the model is bagging on smelling like a lemon grove, i assume this ad was for a different fragrance, but i've cut off most of the copy, so i can't really tell which smell she was actively hawking. but i love her embroidered blouse, her jeans, her pretty make-up, and her wispy, sandy, gretel-braided hair. i wonder what book she's reading? 'are you there god, its me, margaret?' judy blume's more adult novel 'forever?' or 'wifey?' (i highly recommend 'wifey' by the way... its a hell of a good read.) or maybe she's reading (predictably) emily dickinson. or perhaps '101 of the world's most tasteless jokes.' and i dig the hazy dude in the yellow shirt in the background reaching down to pluck clover or something. i love this ad, just for the nostalgia. and the girl's a darling. i wish the grain and resolution was better, but hey... it was the best version i could find.

kate and cousin

i don't remember where i found this shot. but i love it. it shows a young miss kate bush and her young cousin. wow, she looks exactly the same, am i right? just like kate, but smaller. its 'kitten kate.' and her cousin looks groovy too, playmate-wise. what's that he's holding? a zither? or is it an 'autoharp?' all i know is that our music teacher used to use one back at kirkman park elementary school. i always wanted to play with it. and i think i did at some point, because my brain has sensory memory about like, what it felt like and all that. even at that age, she seemed to have the wild mind of a genius freaker behind her little british hazel eyes. groovy.

ash takes a peek

yeah, i spent some more time tonight rescuing some of the files i 'lost' when my computer crashed a while back. so, ummm, i don't really have any groundbreaking ideas, but just to mark my place i thought i'd post a shot of science officer ash. (ian holm from 'alien') i haven't posted a shot of him for a long time. here, you see him taking a sneakity-peek at the 'organism.' actually the 'peek' is not so sneaky... its his job. this might be the only thing i post tonight. i was literally awake until the sun came up last night, so i'm hoping to hit the pillow a little sooner tonight. i haven't rolled 'alien' in quite a while. i rolled it enough to memorize it, and the seasons changed and... well, that's the way it happens sometimes.

she wants paul

yes, being a huge sylvie vartan fan, i was thrilled when i learned she was the opening act for the beatles on several of their european tour dates. hey, yet another reason to want a big bad time machine, am i right kids? anyway, here's a publicity shot she and the liverpool lads posed for sometime around, mmm... '65? maybe? i know i could look it up, but i don't feel like digging around for info right now. i love the shot because they all look pretty good here. and check out miss sylvie's line of eyesight... is she giving paul the lusty 'hot broad' stare-down or what? hey, maybe she bagged him, i don't know. i mean, i think she was married then, but that wouldn't stop me, so maybe it didn't stop her. oh, and just for the record, i have no idea who the bloke is that isn't a beatle. but whoever he is, i'll bet he has a copy of this photo, and often reminds people of it.

shok!

i hope jean-lucien doesn't mind me posting this. its a gorgeous notebook illustration he 'collaged-up' a few years ago. i think its stained-glassy and very beautiful. the couple in bed are, yes... that's roger daltrey, and the chick in his arms in none other than nell campbell. she's the chick who played the sequined columbia in 'the rocky horror picture show.' why are these two cuddled in bed together? well, its from the wild and wonderful ken russell movie about the composer franz liszt; 'lisztomania.' (i hope i spelled that right.) its one of my favorite pieces jean-luc made around that time. i think its glassy and i can almost taste it, if that makes any sense. in enlarges pretty well too. so yeah, all credit goes to jean-lucien for this one. and if he objects, i'll take it down within 24 hours.

body cartoon

hey lovers. i'm still not feeling all that prolific. but at least i've got a fire going on a cold night like this. and my mood is good. so, until my creativity juices kick back in, dig on this one-frame cartoon i made using a shot from brian de palma's hilarious sex thriller, 'body double.'

(click to enlarge if you can't read it.)

the rope blokes

yeah, i'm exhausted. i just really feel like hitting the bed early tonight. i'm in a good mood and all, i'm just like, sleepy and junk. so, just to mark my page, here's a shot of the hair-sheen murderous dudes from 'rope!' that's john dall as 'brandon' on the left, and farley granger as 'phillip' on the right. i love that movie, man. (that's the film 'rope' by alfred hitchcock.) so umm, i love you all and hopefully i'll have more for you tomorrow night.

the real suzanne

now, i'm not the biggest suzanne somers fan in the world. yes, i dug 'three's company,' but that's pretty much the only thing in know her from. i'm posting this picture because i believe it speaks volumes about how twisted and weird the whole 'sex symbol' thing has become over the years. when this picture was taken, miss somers was considered one of the hottest bodies and faces in entertainment. i remember; i was there. now, if she was on some show, and this picture was published, i have no doubt it would be torn apart on all the fame mags. there would be all sorts of rude arrows pointing out each and every imaginary figure 'flaw.' but it just goes to show how much more real the girls were back then. these days, they'd airbrush an impossibly flatter tummy, boost up her already-natural and groovy boobs, they'd even out her skin tone, and even inexplicably do away with any fleshy folds and-or paleness under her arms. if i think about it too long, it makes me mad... man, all the artificial crap they do to modern starlet photos. i'm sure you wouldn't have to go too far to find a gaggle of brainwashed 13 year olds to testify with disgust that she was ... fat! wow, the longer i look at a picture like this, the more i realize how phony things have become. even her feet look far more 'real' than they do these days. you hardly ever see naked feet anymore. bizarre.

the lighter side of fall

yes, its my favorite season; autumn. outside my door, the leaves are falling. i love it. i love the crisp smell of smoke in the air. and i also love the comic genius of MAD magazine's brilliant realist, mr. dave berg. as for actually physically raking leaves? i think i've only done it about four times in my life. and that may be a generous estimate. i don't think its 'below' me or anything, i just haven't done it all that much. i remember trudging through leaves on the way home from kirkman park elementary school and blindly stepped on a discarded board with a nail sticking out of it; and the nail went straight through my shoe and my foot. i don't remember it even hurting... i just remember being fascinated by it. it was the only time i ever got a tetanus shot. it was on ferris avenue, if i'm not mistaken. but that's beside the point. i love the old dave berg strips. they were the best.

click to enlarge.

sandy serves herself

"...silly me, i already had dinner... i didn't know there would be this much food..." (2-3-4) "...its for my dog... he likes fruit..." mmm, that's wonderful. the way she says it, its like she can't even convince herself that it doesn't sound like 100% totally transparent BS. there's so much funny about this shot. i mean, her lines alone are a scream. but i've always thought it was hilarious that she's trying to shove a napkin full of ripe, fresh grapes into her rigid little brown suede purse; a purse that doesn't even look large enough to hold a hairbrush, face powder, and keys. and i also dig looks on the faces of the upper-crust couple she's feeding the line to. do you think they're buying it? i don't think they're buying it. comedy gold.

a good reed

yeah, this is just straight-up hilarious, if you ask me. i've been sitting on this one for a long time. i almost don't think i need to comment on it. i mean, i think the humor speaks for itself. the title is just like, well... it sounds like i or jean-luc made it up. but seriously, i found it just like that. i'll bet it's an interesting book, though. i think its been pretty well established that the late, great oliver reed knew a thing or two about 'raising the ol' pint,' as it were. like i suspect the chapters would be something like, 'the night i got into a fight,' then like, two chapters later, 'yet another fist fight,' then two chapters later, 'drunken fisticuffs in the midnight hour,' then one chapter after that, 'you should see the other bloke.' then the next one like, '...pardon, constable.' i'll bet the book is almost impossible to find, even today with our robot-auctions and booksellers named after south american rivers. god bless, oliver. sleep well.

morrissey, so coy

yes, i wanted a little color, and i also wanted a little morrissey. this is a fine example of jean-lucien's video sharpshooting. this shot was taken from the video for the 1995 single 'dangenham dave.' it can be found on the highly recommended 'oye esteban' dvd. at first i didn't think i liked the song, but it grew on me. seriously, about 90% of his solo stuff is excellent. (in my opinion) if you've seen the video, you'll know that this shot was pretty hard to get. in the video, morrissey is walking (rather briskly) through a dimly-lit pub. jean-lucien managed to get one of maybe only three actually usable frames. just perfect. and jean-luc did the 'tricking' too. i just love it. i even used it for one of my few full-color notebook covers. i love the coy look on his face. and the grain is just silky and gorgeous. so dig his hot face, and if you happen across the video, dig on that, too. (click to enlarge)

palin and bush get my vote!

only ummm, not the 'palin and bush' you might think. yes, my big bad groovy vote goes to the terribly cool couple of python's michael palin, and the exotic and talented miss kate bush! now there's a team i get 'get behind,' coolness-wise. i have no information as to like, what kind of event this picture was taken at. probably some kind of 'prince's trust' something-or-other. they seem to have a 'prince's trust' shindig over there like, every other weekend. it looks like they're holding some kind of award? who knows. it could be a 'child's bank' for all i know. i've given it a close look, and it looks like a little... gallows or something? who knows. hey, at least they look happy. actually, judging by their clothes, the event doesn't look all that formal. anyway, i thought it was a cool picture. i wonder who else they hung out with that night? (cut to a smoke-filled back room. on the sofa, locked in a 'make-out three-way' are kate, mr. palin, and david byrne.) ...i'm going with david byrne on that one? sigh...

rag dolls

man, i really don't feel very inspired tonight, but i wanted to mark my place. so, i love looking for old and interesting paperback covers when i go pearldiving. i found this one a while back, and i love it. its probably not surprising that i've never heard of this piece of classic literature. but i dig the vibe, and i like the cover. i like the fact that live models were used instead of the far-more common use of illustration. i would've loved to have been hanging around during the photo shoot. and where are these people now? as far as the subject matter goes, i don't think 'the fashion world' would grip me, grip me by the page-turning brain. i don't even watch 'project runway.' (despite a weirdly bewildering amount of people telling me that i '...just have to watch it!!') but yeah, i dig this cover, in all its late 60's manufactured freakiness. let's take a look at the small print. if you click to enlarge, you'll see it says: '...they were the Rag Dolls - London's top young models and designers who set the style in kicky clothes and kinky sex...' mmm, sounds great.

hot pink nick

wow... i'm sure there was a time in my teenage life where i dreamed about a moment such as the one depicted here: getting to meet nick rhodes. (!) here he is in ther earlier part of the 80's, judging by his barbie-colored headband. you may tease, but i think he totally 'pulled it off.' i mean, i don't hear anybody cutting down jack sparrow for wearing a headband... i think nick was just ahead of his 'new romantic' time. and he's such a reasonable gentleman. wicked smart, as they say up here in the american northeast. that dotted pink scarf suits him, and makes me want to 'teen' swoon. (and i also think its funny that the vertical-lined building he happens to be standing in front of looks very '80's-photo-shoot,' ... although i'm sure that was purely coincidental.) i love nick. or should i say '...i still love nick.'

harrison's basement

i found this one a while ago, i don't remember where. but its clearly a youngie harrison ford, looking good, apparently in some kind of room devoid of wall decor. dig that flash-bulb 'caught' look on his face. it strikes me as kind of creepy. sure, he's gorgeous and all, but do you see that shadow of hanging handcuffs? hey, i didn't airbrush that... i found it exactly like that. and that's pretty unmistakeable, image-wise. like there's virtually no way you could say, '...hey man, those aren't handcuffs.' and what's he doing with his hands? it looks like he's trying to 'mcgruber' connect two wires or something. i'm pretty sure this was mid-70's... like, somewhere in between 'american graffiti' and 'star wars.'

yet another van, man!

i can't think of anything terribly clever to post, so i thought i'd go with another smokin' van, man! yeah, can't wait to drive around in a van with a cartoon human footprint on it. i mean, yeah, i'm from the 'tarheel state,' so if it was my van, it might make sense... but the odds tell me the dudes in this vehicle aren't from the gorgeous, Old North State. California is where i'll bet they're from. i love this ad not only for the honey color, but for the groovy floor plan diagram. is there anything funny in the small print? let me see... it says there's plenty of room to 'do your own thing.' well, that leaves a lot open, does it not? it also boasts: '...lots of livin' room.' cool. yeah, i have to admit, i miss the 'van scene,' and feel a certain degree of privilege having been driven around in one early in my life. i have so many tiny, distinct memories concerning vans. some euphoric and charmingly innocent... some far blacker. still, if i was a rich man, i'd try to get my hands on a van. hey, if you can get the gas and choose the company, weather, and radio station, then its the only way to travel. (click to enlarge)

teenage troopers

yeah, i hope jean-lucien doesn't mind me posting this one. this one was more of a notebook illustration than a full-blown painting. plus, it was about three years ago. in case you don't recognize the subjects, that's an 80's dana plato on the far left, with her one ponytail on the cool side. and next, your basic stormtrooper, then the sometimes-foxy jason schwartzmann from some movie i don't remember the title of. i had added the caption on jason's side before i ever sent the shot to jean-lucien. i love it. i mean, its only a few images, but it definitely gets the point across. (click to enlarge)

sigh

man, she looks like she's feeling the blues that often weigh on me around sunday night. this is, of course, the gorgeous miss jessica lange in the title role of frances farmer in 'frances.' you'd be surprised how hard it is to find a good 70's-80's era shot of miss lange. almost all the shots are very recent and of the 'red carpet' variety... which is arguably some of the worst photography alive. but i think this one is gorgeous, and just in case its the only thing i post tonight, please remember i love you all. and i wish you much happiness in the coming week. love.