listen to me kids!

this is what i might classify as a 'shameless post.' i am posting this entry for only one reason: to persuade more people to explore the genius music of michael nesmith; inside and outside of 'the monkees.' he was one of two genuine songwriters and musicians that were hired for the 60's tv show. he fought tirelessly for the right to play their own instruments on the records that were produced during (and indeed after) the show's popular run. i would post a musical example, but the way youtube is these days, its bound to be taken off within days. i love this shot of mike. it shows the underlying ferocity and dedication with which he approached his craft. i put him right up there with joni mitchell, r.e.m., etc. his boundless imagination, sterling voice, and superior musical ear combined to make some of the Best Stuff I've Ever Heard. the double album 'the first national band complete' is truly a 'desert island' selection. his work is varied in style, but consistent in quality. nesmith shoots often, and almost never misses. a National Treasure.

happy birthday walt disney

okay, first of all, in my defense, i want to say that i'm only paying tribute to walt disney because i kind of HAVE to... as an American girl who grew up in the 1970's and '8o's, my childhood was greatly influenced by the work of this odd man. in fact, the first movie jean-luc and i saw in the theater was the one depicted here; 'snow white and the seven dwarves.' (dwarfs?) i remember there was a big poster or standee in the lobby. i also remember it was before either one of us had glasses... so there's almost no doubt what we saw illuminated huge on that screen was considerably distorted. i remember being scared in a good way. but, in retrospect, i don't think it was anything on the screen that freaked me out... i think i was afraid and awed when i realized the Power of the Screen in general. it was the glimmering scarlet and black 'first kiss' of a lifelong love affair. i also remember that my mother and younger sister were not with us. it was just jean-lucien, my late step-father, and myself. HE made sure we saw 'snow white.' and for that, i thank him. (well, i realize it might not have been his idea, but he physically made sure we were there.) so um, thanks, walt disney... for all your insanity. some of it was, and still IS, truly lovely. had he lived, he would've been 108 on the 5th.

revelations

jean-lucien (artistic genius) has made it clear to me that he would be happy for me to post more of his glorious work. he created this one a little while ago... and, what can i say? like all of his stuff, it is glorious. breathtaking in the use of color, spellbinding in its composition. truly, he is my favorite visual artist. this swooping visual sermon consists of a spinning half-naked nun, (from ken russell's masterpiece, 'the devils') and the underrated anthony perkins from ken russell's underrated underground hit 'crimes of passion.' it has a 'stormy sky' sense to it that i positively love. and i am so glad that the scanning technology is keen enough to reveal, in places, his delicate and careful scissor cuts. remember, all the assembly is done by hand. computers only come into play in the scanning and posting process. wow, i could gaze at his work for hours. sometimes i can't believe how lovely and lush it is. so please, dig on it hard, and know that its all for The Cause. (click to enlarge)

guess who owned this book?

well, i guess technically, jean-lucien and i still DO. i even have a clearish memory of the day we talked our mother into letting us buy it from a record store that was at the top floor of the four seasons mall in greensboro, nc. i don't remember exactly the name of the shop... i think it was 'the record bar.' i DO know, that by the time i moved from there, there was an optical thing in its place. i know, because i got some contact lenses there. but, back to the duran book... i remember after we saw that book on the rack, we literally came right out and asked our mother to buy it for us. (something we almost NEVER dared to do.) i don't remember if she relented that day, but i DO know that we ended up with the very excellent book, (which was almost completely in japanese... but hey, we didn't care... we just wanted it to worship the pictures.) i remember we also got a similar book, with same glossy-type cover, but it was more like, red and orange-schemed. i'd love to have that book in my hands right now. man, i was so in love with those guys. (well, three of them.)

chug it!

hey, what's better than those candid black and white shots that reveal the hedonistic goings-on at studio 54? and this is a great shot to illustrate what i mean. its seems like, whoever happens to be pictured, celebrity-wise, seems to illicit the response, "...well, of course they were there." like, if you tried to make up a group of celebs who'd be hobnobbing at studio 54, no matter how mismatched the group seemed to be, you'd still believe they were actually there together. like, if someone told you they had a photo of tatum o' neal, gore vidal, divine, and a naked dude, you'd be like, '...sure, okay.' or like, perchance the grouping of bianca jagger, olivia de haviland, joey dellesandro, lou reed, and a tiger cub, you'd be like, "...i'm not even blinking." in THIS photo, it looks like we have bianca jagger, andy warhol, jerry hall... and are those last two people like, calvin klein, and lulu...? yeah, i'll bet THAT was a wild night that absolutely nobody remembers. i can't lie, though... part of me would love to have been there. coke it!

red and ragged

alright, this one's gonna be short and sweet. here we have the 'important' three duran's in their early days headlining in Birmingham's 'Rum Runner.' okay, first, let's get the horserace out of the way. and, from where I sit, its an easy one. john. mr. nigel john taylor wins this one pretty handily. simon looks very 'don't talk to me, i'm 'in between looks.' and nick seems to be saying, 'don't look at me, this is the worst look i'll probably ever have.' john looks a little vacant and pale, but doesn't seem to be ashamed of his look. in the interest in full disclosure, i admit i cut roger and andy completely out of the picture. because, let's face it, they were never really in the running to begin with. in closing, i would like to point out that they're all sitting at a big giant mirror. umm, all the better to 'chop chop' that white powder on, no doubt.

take a step that is green...

wow, this one hardly needs any comment, does it? i think most of the 'planetcoolers' are also 'three's company' fans. and when i say 'fan,' i mean, even as much as i love the show, i'm the first one to call 'cheesy' on the show when it gets, well... cheesy. which, let's face it, was (is?) pretty darned often. awww, sweet john ritter. how we miss him. what a knockout smile. i think this shot is pretty funny because, among other things, it stresses the 'chef ' aspect of jack's character. i also think its pretty 'sex'-ploitative, what with the girls leaning over with their mouths wide open like they're gonna give some hot california 'f'llatio.' i wonder how late this tv guide-style photo shoot lasted? probably quite a while.... which means most of that 'food' and 'vegetables' were probably fake. and we all know that green backdrop is just a sheet. i like the way 'chrissie' looks bored, with her hand on her hip and her eyes wandering. and there's like, salad oil and peppermills hanging on. man, i love that show. can you get the whole series on dvd yet? does anyone know? the best. (oh, and i think its also worth mentioning that suzanne's tummy-curve is visible in her black jeans. knowing these days, a sex symbol as famous as suzanne was then, would have her little tummy shape airbrushed out without fail. sigh... ) anyway, dig it!

total bull

okay, the original image i'm using for this one is kinda small, so i hope it's readable. jean-luc pointed out what we both think is a pretty lame tagline: "...they were the world's greatest con men... almost." i have no clear memory of this movie (which apparently came out in 1990...!) so i punched it up on the ol' IMDB. according to the synopsis, the two stars play 'dual roles.' (groan!) wait, it gets better. ah, what the hell... here's the whole plot outline. "Roger Moore and Michael Caine play dual roles in this off-beat and highly silly caper-- a pair of smalltime con men and a partnership of nuclear physicists. As con-men, they use their uncanny resemblance to the high-living scientists to con their way to the scientists' safety deposit boxes, but in doing so, become entangled in a shady world of spies and international intrigue." Ugh! Apart from the two leads, the only other name i recognize -at all- in the cast is Sally Kirkland. just to make sure, i even expanded the IMBD credits, and scrolled alllll the way down, and... credited dead last, is... john cleese, who plays, 'man on the beach who looks like john cleese.' no, i am NOT making that up. and, two names above Cleese is patsy kensit, as 'sick lady on train.' all in all, it sounds like a winner. again, anyone out there who has ever seen this 'gem,' i welcome a review.

umm, i don't dare

okay i know its been a real long time since i posted anything over here. so hey, bear with me whilst i try to jump back on this dark horse that rides through the night sky, dazzling all witnesses with its coolness. i guess this is as good a place to jump back on as any. hey, i love movie posters, and this is a real sweet one. now, i know cher has been a huge star for a long, long time... but i can't find anyone who's ever seen this movie. and the poster is a scream. first of all, maybe its the way this poster was once folded, but i don't seem to remember cher's boobs ever being that big. and, speaking of 'flat,' what about that award-winning expression on her face. she doesn't look very alluring, or afraid, or even all that tough. and hey, how about that high quality pencil-type drawing of a truck pulling away in the background? i'm surprised there aren't even like, 'chug-chug' puff-puff exhaust clouds coming out of the tailpipe. if anyone has ever seen this little bit of cinema gold, i would LOVE to hear the review.

mike is cruisin

i saw the 'cruisin'' video long before i got 'into' the monkees, sometime around summer 1986. i'm sure a lot of people think this song is called 'lucy and ramona and sunset sam.' but its actually 'cruisin.' and mike looks his shaggy best in the video. and the rollerskating sweethearts aren't too shabby, either. so hey, now i think i have to hit that bed... thanks for being patient as i try to learn this new snowleopard machine.

miss vivien

hey, its the wild and apparently very bisexual miss vivien leigh. i admit, i don't know all that much about miss leigh... but i love to watch her face on film. if you watch her, she actually mugs and makes a lot of faces and really 'gives it up.' i know it sounds ridiculous, considering 'gone with the wind' and all of that, but i happen to generally think she's slightly underrated. in lesser known movies like 'waterloo bridge,' 'that hamilton woman,' and 'the roman spring of mrs. stone,' she kills every single scene she's in. and she could hardly be more beautiful. she's one of those few women that i would trade bodies with. and i love the sound of her voice. and hey, apparently she 'bagged' laurence olivier. hey, i'll bet there aren't too many broads out there that can say that.

suspiria creaps

okay, for the next several days, you guys are gonna have to give me some slack. i'm working with a whole new operating system. i'm still trying to learn it... like driving a car with a foreign shift. BEN: "...do you know how to work a foreign shift...?" (2-3-4... mrs. robinson shakes her head) "...you don't...?" so i'm more or less still practicing... in other words, please take all posts and typos easily... some of the posts may not seem marvelously relevant, and some of the typing skills may not be a hundred percent... but, as pete townshend says, i gotta 'keep on working.' so, recently, i was fortunate enough to enjoy a 'gratis' rolling of 'suspiria.' online, i found a few shots from the visually arresting flick. i used some of those shots to practice my new photo-trick program on... here is one slide, re: the juicy results. i hope you dig it. that's the starlet, jessica harper on the right... i'm sorry to say i don't know the other actress's name. dig it.

testing

okay, its been a little while, but i'm back-with-a-mac, thanks to my angel, lucynell. and here goes a test, and who better to honor lucy than with a rare shot of her fave guy from the fab four. (wait, john is your fave, isn't he?) well, even if he isn't, you'll have to dig this cool shot of him recording. judging by his hair and stuff, i'd guess it was around 'revolver' era. (mmm, i'm not used to typing on a flat keyboard... but hey, i'm getting the hang of it.) well, here goes... let's see if this photo uploads like its supposed to. hey, sweet... it looks like it works! this might be the only thing i post tonight... its been a long day, and i'm pretty tired. its good to be connected again.

the machine stops

wow, my computer totally bit the dust today. i don't know if it can be repaired or what, but in the meantime, i'm managing. just popped into the main house to check my boxes and whatnot. i hate not being 'plugged in.' oh well, it comes with the game. i must send a huge thanks to my good friend linda... who brought me a radio, so i can play mix tapes and cds and the radio until i get a system up and running. so, to convey my pouting mood, here's a gorgeous collage jean-lucien made some time ago. it stars the pouting and fantastic miss sylvie vartan. dig it. i hope to have more soon. love.

ant doll

hey lovers! i know i haven't posted a lot latley, but i had a busy week. and tonight, well... i'm just pretty tired. so, to hold my place here on planetcool, please dig this funky little adam ant doll! jean-lucien sent me the pic. hopefully, the coming week will bear more groovy fruit.

happy halloween from planetcool

happy halloween everybody! hey, the freaks come out at night, so i guess that makes me a freak. (mmm, something new for me.) here's a shot from ken russell's marvelous 'mahler,' where the composer encounters a painted pumpkin head outside his lake house. the man is robert powell... and we suspect his wife alma, (played by my darling, georgina hale) is responsible for the startling placement of the pumpkin-guy. i love all my friends, and wish them all the treats they can handle, and only the best kind of tricks.

video veritas

jean-lucien and i have always had a good eye for facial recognition. which is kind of odd, since we're both so nearsighted its not even funny. (actually, that may account for our keen sense of ID... the blinder you are, the more vulnerable you inevitably feel; hence, the more vital it is, survival-wise, for you to be able to evaluate visages and deem them as threats or trusted ones as quickly and efficiently as possible.) anyway, jean-lucien has been swearing for quite some time that the chick in adam ant's very great 'stand and deliver' video was none other than the slinky and sensual actress, miss amanda donohoe. well, i did some googling around tonight, and it turns out, jean-luc was absolutely right. apparently it was among her very first acting parts when she was trying to 'make it in the biz' over in england. i also have to give jean-luc credit for capturing this shot. it was his quick fingers that snagged this shot of amanda in her KILLER DRESS! like, adam wants 'your money or your life,' me? i just want THAT DRESS...!!

pets allowed

hey, just recently, a good friend was kind enough to say she thought 'planetcool' was the 'home of sexy.' i couldn't be more flattered. that encourages me to 'keep the sexy coming,' you know? so, here's what i have for you tonight. i didn't have to dig too deep to find this gauzy 70's doll. i know the image is less than perfect. it was obviously scanned from a magazine cover that was like, 30 years old. but it's just the kind of 'cake' i like, you know? she's brunette, all bohemian, and all willing to show her 'cookies,' for lack of a better term. with her black lacy bra pulled down, we can see her pretty all-natural jewels. smallish, but beautiful. like i said, i wish this was a better-quality scan, but hey... you can see what i'm talking about. dreamy.

natural hussey

i am totally in love with olivia hussey, and have been for a long time. she's just about perfect. a true groovy brunette, with those bright brown eyes, deep dimples, her cool expressive voice, and a saweeeet d-cup shakespearean 'treasure chest,' if you know what i mean. she's an accomplished actress, best known for playing juliet in the 1960's. and she was also a doll in 'death on the nile' in the 70's. in the 80's, she showed up in a bizarro sequel to 'Psycho' with henry thomas. but here, she's starring in a lovley cosmetic ad. i lovvvve cosmetic ads. like, if there was a website out there with absolutely nothing but cosmetic ads on it, i'd waste a hell of a lot of time on that website. here, miss hussey is shilling for the (i think) british makeup company, 'Yardley.' i love the art nouveau slant that Yardley uses for its stuff... and its a great picture of olivia. i love white lace blouses on 70's ladies. love, love, love them. makeup, olivia, and a white lace blouse.... sighhh. (click to enlarge)

the game

okay, jean-lucien sent me this earlier today. its apparently a board game, somewhat-kinda-sorta-based on duran duran...!?! now, i just wanna say up front, that i didn't know any duran fans crazier than WE were, 'back in the day,' and we here at planetcool have absolutely NO MEMORY of there ever being a professional, real board game based on the band-on-tour. like, it was put out by Milton-Bradley! you can't get any more legit than that. i can't imagine it being any fun. (well, i have to admit, i don't really enjoy board games in the first place.) unfortunately, this is as large as the original image gets... so i can't tell you how sorry i am that i can't blow it up and read the directions. like, in that last shot... look at all that small print! how damn complicated is this game? i would KILL to read that stuff. like, you know its gotta mention their names. like, for instance: '...if you recieve a Simon card, advance two spaces.' or like, '...the Nick card allows you an extra dice roll.' and man, if you think that looks like a lot of directions, there are like, a ga-zillion game pieces. (let me try to see if i can upload all four of the shots jean-lucien sent me.) yeah, there... look at all that crap!! man, i'd love to read what's on all those little cards. does it mention like, 'getting torn apart by fans,' so you have to go back four spaces, or what? i can just see like, 'john' pieces being eaten up by the spitty family dog. or 'andy' pieces being stolen by the weird girl down the street who loved andy. like, does it mention their songs? man, the curiosity is killing me. i looked it up earlier, and it seems some people are selling theirs, but hey... i don't want it THAT bad. just makes me wonder what ELSE is out there that i never knew about.