What's Goin' On: 28 February-6 March, 2011

Here's the 'appenings in London this week!

5 March:

Happening!
The Drop
Below The Three Crowns
175 Stoke Newington High Street
‘Happening’ has now established itself in London as the grooviest place to sample the delights of the Shindig! universe. The leading magazine for ’60s and ’70s music, in conjunction with Sweet but Deadly Promotions, have made a corner of Stoke Newington, The Drop, their own little subcultural haven, inviting the best band’s and DJs to stoke the sonic fires. Come meet, greet and party with like-minde...d souls ’til your head explodes with delight! Plus you can pick up copies of the quarterly Shindig! tome.
Live acts: headliners this month are garage rock’n’roll adventurists THE KITS (http://www.myspace.com/thekits), promoting their new single “Wild At Heart”. All the way from Bristol come psychedelic warriors THE MOLES (http://www.myspace.com/themolesuk), and taking up the rear are local new gang in town FUNERAL CAKE (http://www.wix.com/funeralcake/1).
The Acid Gallery DJs Phil Istine, Nico & Charlie Salvidge will spin your world via ’60s/’70s dancefloor psychedelia, garage, beat, and general rock’n’roll wondermints!
8pm-4am
£5 entry
****Dolly says, "In order to prove how shiny and nice I am, I'm promoting an ex's band. Now, aren't I a sweetie...darling....sweety darling, sweety darling!!???"

I'm fanatical about Fanatic....

Hello my lovelies!
I was slightly bored last night and began flipping through the options in the 'free movie' section of On Demand. I found a title that made me do a little happy dance: Die! Die! My Darling!...or Fanatic, as it was titled in it's UK release. This was a film I'd originally found a couple of years ago on youtube and watched a couple of times. This was a chance to watch again!
It's a Hammer film, my favourite studio, released in 1965. As usually happens, the cast caught my eye first: Tallulah Bankhead as the title 'Fanatic', Stephanie Powers, and a young Donald Southerland
as the mentally disabled...somebody...it really never reveals his relationship to the family, so I'm really not sure!
It begins when Patricia (Stephanie Powers) comes to England with her new fiance Allen. We soon learn that this isn't Patricia's first engagement. Her first was to a man named Steven who passed away.

Steven's mother had asked that if Patricia was ever in England, that she should come visit her. And that's just what Patricia does....which we the audience can already sense is a huge mistake.
When she gets to the home of Steven's mother, Mrs Trefoile, she discovers that the woman is religious, VERY religious. Almost puritanical in her beliefs and habits. She won't allow mirrors, makeup, perfume, or even the colour red ("the devil's colour") in her home....yeah, that's right folks, she's looking more and more of a nutter every minute!
One of the things that impressed me about this film was Tallulah Bankhead's ability and willingness to look, well, old and ugly. Let's face it, she was one of the most beautiful women of the '20s and '30s. And she was still beautiful in the mid '60s when this was made.

I remember hearing a Bette Davis quote once about how you could tell a good actress when she's not afraid to play unattractive women. Well, then Tallulah is a great just based on her 'Mrs. Trefoile'.
I won't go into great detail about the plot, as you simply MUST watch the film to appreciate it and I'd hate to ruin the story for you with spoilers. I'll only say that Mrs. Trefoile is not only a Jesus freak, she's also certifiable...and so are her horny handyman, Harry (played by the great Peter Vaughan), and his long suffering wife, Anna (Yootha Joyce, later of Man About The House), who is the muscle behind Mrs. Trefoile's violent threats.
As a Vintagista, I have to admit that one of the loveliest things about the film are Patricia's clothes. The candy floss pink coat that she wears in the opening scenes is just gorg....as is the car she drives to Mrs. Trefoile's!

She wears a chic little wine coloured, sheer sleaved mini dress to dinner that I would Die! Die! for!

Even the 'conservative' outfits are gorgeous. I love the brown oversized sweater and A-line brown skirt paired with the oh-so-chic leopard print headscarf.

Then there's the frothy pink number that Anna pulls out of Patricia's suitcase when...oh, nevermind...I said no spoilers!!
If you lot haven't seen this before, I highly recommend it. If you have, I recommend seeing it again. This was my third viewing and it really was just as good as the first two times I saw it!
Right now it's on Comcast On Demand in the free movie section. If you don't have Comcast...well, it's availible on Amazon, but a little pricey....or you can cheat and just watch it on youtube.
Here's a great bunch of snippits from early on in the film...so don't worry, no spoilers!....

Singer Sewing Library, 1960

I spent this past weekend with my two favourite hippies, my 'brother' Josh and his wife Heather, in Knoxville. They and their two 'kids', Dirty Little Hippie and Rasta, have just moved into an adorable little house that I've named 'The Mini Brady House'. It's precious!
While I was there, Heather mentioned that she had a couple of 'how to' books of her grandmother's from the '60s that she would never use and asked if I wanted them? DID I WANT THEM???!!! YES!!! OF COURSE!!
They're lovely! Not only are they quite good guides, but some of the graphics are just fantastic!

What's Goin' On: 22-27 February, 2011

25 February:

Jukebox Jam
The Alley Cat
4 Denmark St
WC2H 8LP
We welcome back a Jukebox Jam favourite - the one and only Big Boy Bloater, one of the best R&B artists these shores are yet to produce! Bloater returns after a year off, having regrouped and come back with a whole new line-up and promising a significant switch in direction. New band the Limits is so top-secret that we have only just received the merest sneak preview - a one song demo - and we have to count ourselves damned lucky for that!
We also feel mighty privileged that Bloat has chosen the Jukejam to offer a first preview of what's to come in the months and years ahead. Not to be missed!
Joining the resident DJ's is this months guest, TOMAS McGRATH, the young wunderkind behind cool 60s soul and R&B hangout PORK and BEANS. As ever, expect the very best Blues and Rhythm sounds of the 50s and early 60s that you're ever likely to hear - along with a sprinkling of Ska, Rock and Roll and more...
9pm til 3am
Admission is £4 before 10pm / with flyer. Otherwise £6
****Dolly says, "Yayyy, Tomas!! Fab Dj, and an even better dancer....there's a reason we call him 'Slinks'...and a darn nice guy! Love 'im to bits!!"

What's Goin' On-Weekend of 18-20 February, 2011

Only one amazing night this weekend in London:

19 February:

BOOM SHAKA LACKA meets PORK & BEANS
Dogstar
389 Coldharbour Lane
Brixton, SW9 8LQ
Two of London’s best underground club nights combine to give you a veritable musical feast… an all-nighter sure to get you going!
From Rocksteady to Rhythm & Blues, from 60’s Soul to Ska and back to Latin, we promise to bring it to you all – as long as it makes you want to hit the floor!
The Dj’s for the night are:
French Fred
Giordano Di Stasio
Giulio Veronese
Jamie Parr
Tomas McGrath
9pm – 4am
£6 entry
****Dolly says: "You can't go wrong with either of these two club nights...and putting both together? Whoooosshhh! Brilliant! Tomas and Jamie are the best! Get in!!"

5 Movies I Must See This Month...

I'm an old movie junkie. Have been all my life. Even so, there are so many great films I've yet to see. I come across them all the time, mainly on youtube. Quite honestly, that's where I discover the best forgotten ones. Some random person will post some random trailer for some random drive in movie and I'll just as randomly stumble on it. The whole process is just as exciting as vintaging and usually just as rewarding. Here are a few I've tripped on in the past few days....



Beat Girl(1960)-Released in the US as 'Wild For Kicks'. Basically a teen/youth going to hell flick so common in the fifties and early sixties. The main reason I want to see it is the cast...Christopher Lee, who I'm shamelessly in love with...a very young, very pre-Bill Sykes Oliver Reed, who got better looking as he got older...yé-yé, Gillian Hills...and best of all, scored by the great John Barry.




A Kind of Loving(1962)-A kind of love story. Takes place in, as the Pythons put it, "The Third World"...Yorkshire. One of those working class muddling through life films of the sixties. Young couple fall in love...or more aptly put, in lust. Girl comes up preggers and the boy proposes. They then have to deal with the consequences of both those choices. I like these plain, unadorned, real British life dramas of the decade so I'm sure I'll enjoy this one!




The Wild and the Willing(1962)-Two words: Jeremy Brett. The man who would later play the absolute best Sherlock Holmes in history is another crush of mine. How I adore seeing great actors when they were young and just starting out. It's a university drama who's plot sounds a bit like Dead Poets Society meets Oxford Blues with a bit of Animal-House-teacher's-wife-hanky-panky thrown in for good measure.



The Innocents(1961)-My favourite genre, gothic horror...and 60s gothic horror at that. Based on The Turn of The Screw. Creepy, possessed children, young governess, ghosts....sounds lovely, even if maybe a bit predictable. I remember seeing the 1990s remake of this, The Haunting of Helen Walker with Valerie Bertinelli and it was actually quite good, so this original version must be utter perfection! I'm most excited about this one. Can't wait!



You're A Big Boy Now(1966)-I feel I simply must have a good laugh with all this drama and horror! In truth, I've seen the first half hour of this film once before and it was just getting good when I was interrupted and never got to finish it. Early Francis Ford Coppola. The main premise is a bumbling, clumsy boy searching for the man he will become. His father wants him to take responsibility for his life and settle down, his mother is neurotic and treats him like a baby. Soundtrack by The Lovin' Spoonful...BING!

Meeting Your Heroes

As today is technically a 'fashion' post day, I thought I may as well do a post on my biggest inspiration, Barbara Hulanicki, founder of BIBA.
I was lucky enough to meet Babs...I don't know if she'd mind me calling her that or not, but I feel that kindred spirits shouldn't be too formal with one another...anyway, I met her about a year and a half ago at the V&A premier of Beyond BIBA. To set the stage for the meeting and what it meant to me, I simply must relate the story that I related to her:
Being obsessed with London, fashion, and the 1960's since childhood, I had heard of BIBA and was familiar with the clothes. But being from the United States, I was quite unfamiliar with the actual branding or the store itself and had no idea that such a thing even existed. My second term at uni, I had a class called 'Design Research'. They might as well have called it 'Brand Creation' because not only did we have to design a collection, but we more importantly had to decide on a brand image, from the name to the setup of the stores to creating packaging.

It was in this class that 'DollyBird' was created. A mega-store with an art deco/silent film theme, it would be housed in an old art deco theatre. There would be a shop in the lobby (complete with a shop girl whose only job was to change out the records on a huge Victrola in the middle of the room), silent films would be shown in the theatre itself, the balcony would be a restaurant, and of course there would be a members only 'speakeasy' club in the basement. The garments I designed were in dark, deep, rich colours, the sketches all wore turbans, feathers abounded both real and in prints.

The final week of term, I had finished everything for that particular class and was in the library doing some last minute research for another class. I got bored of the subject I was researching and decided to find something else to read for a few minutes. I came across the book, The Biba Experience, which was in completely the wrong part of the library...I've since come to the conclusion that it was MEANT for me to find it there...and sat down to flip through it.

I was mortified. Here was my store, more or less. I was convinced that my teacher would surely fail me, as it would certainly appear to him that I had just stolen my ideas directly from Barbara! Lucky for me, he didn't and I actually got an A! But I was even luckier than that in that I had found BIBA...or at least a part I never knew about.

The more I read and researched the store, the more disappointed I became that I, and the rest of my generation, had been robbed of the opportunity to experience Big Biba. But I suppose it wouldn't be the same today anyway. I mean, after all, every incarnation of the brand since Barbara called it quits has been a flop...the latest House of Fraser line will no doubt fail as sure as the others. Sometimes someone comes along with the right idea for the right time. For BIBA, the time was the '60s/early '70s and the person was Barbara. But time marches on.
These days, she lives in Miami. She focuses her talents on illustration and interior design now, but when I met her in London, I still felt that I was in the presence of fashion design greatness. A legend. Even so, she is one of the friendliest and approachable people I've ever met.

In the question and answer period after the two showings I attended (the other at the Gate Cinema in Notting Hill) she spoke candidly about her experiences in the fashion/retail world, mistakes she had made, disappointments she'd had, the joy that success brought. She was and is, just a regular girl with a passion for clothes....and who, by the way, admitted that she loves to shop at Primark!
After the V&A showing, I stood in line for what seemed like ages. Barbara patiently listening and talking with every person who had waited to meet her. When I finally made it to the front of the line in my best gold and black BIBA knock-off (hey, I was a poor university student after all!)I told her how I 'discovered' BIBA and she smiled and said it sounded like 'fate'. She wished me luck in the industry and signed my copy of From A To BIBA, which from that moment on became one of my most prized possessions.

Vintage Sheet Music: Late '60s-early '70s edition...

Hello dearies!
Your beloved narrator is an addict. My drug of choice is vintage. Although the 60s are my 'gateway drug' and my go-to style, I must confess to being a collector of pretty much anything of interest from the 1920s-the mid '70s. I've titled this post "Late '60s-early '70s edition" because I'm sure at some point I'll be sharing more of my sheet music collection from other periods as well!
I absolutely adore old sheet music. They are often works of art...in fact, I have plans to frame a few of these once I move back to LDN. I love the colours, the artist photos, the layouts...all of it!

Here are some scans...unfortunately my scanner isn't A3, so it cuts bits off of a few of them!















PS...I'd like to dedicate the Glen Campbell to my old flatmate, Heidy. For some reason every now and again she'd spontaneously break into, "Like a rhinestone cowboy...."!

Catching Up!

Right, so I know I've been neglectful of my blog the past week! Sorry bout that, chickens! I've been busy...and still am...helping my mom plan my Pappy's 90th birthday party and getting everything sorted for my new visa application so I can 'get back to where I once belonged', London.
Anyway, I did a bit of shopping yesterday. It was freezing so the flea market in Jonesborough wasn't exactly packed with shoppers or vendors either for that matter!
I wore my cute black and white Office shoes and nearly froze my little toes clean off!!

Even so I was able to find a single great piece, which is always worth it!
My new-old vintage '60s basket purse:




It's quite Brigitte Bardot and will be even more so when I add one of my vintage fruit picks to the loop in the latch! I'd been looking for a nice one for ages and ages, so when I saw this one on a lady's table I of course went straight for it! At only $1, I couldn't pass it up, now could I?
Apparently the woman I bought it from smokes like a chimney, as that's exactly what the purse smelled like! Ewww. It was a bit dirty as well so I used a little detergent and a soft brush on my new lovely. Once that was done, it was bright white again...it still smells of fags, but now it's fags mixed with detergent! So it's been stuffed and wrapped with newsprint and a couple of dryer sheets (Dolly's household hint of the day for removing nasty odors from things) and tied in a small plastic bag. It should be right as rain in a few days! Even if I find a nicer one, this one will do for the time being. It's so spring-ish! Now I need some actual spring!!

DollyBird
xx

What's Goin' On: 7-13 February 2011

I've been away my dears and have neglected my blog something awful this past week! But I'm back and will soon get caught up! Here's the events I'd be going to this week in The Smoke:



10 February:

No Time For Heroes
Proud Camden
Chalk Farm Road
Camden Town
DJ sets from...
KASABIAN DJ (Dan Ralph Martin)
Official DJ for Bristish supergroup KASABIAN, Dan is very well known and respected DJ, also regularly providing the soundtrack at some of your favorite club nights around the country.
PRETTY LITTLE LIARS
and NO TIME FOR HEROES residents..
Matt & Nicholas A.M spinning the finest post punk, disco, hip hop, funk, soul, rock and roll) and intelligent electronic music.
Doors: 7.30 - 2.30am
Entry: £5 before 10pm/£8 after 10pm
LADIES GET IN HALF PRICE ALL NIGHT
****Dolly says: "I love Proud. It's almost always a good time! I'm sure I've probably met Dan at some point in time during the tour Kasabian did with Oasis a few years ago, but I honestly don't remember him if I did! Should be an interesting night regardless!"



11 February:

Double Shot O' Soul
The Drop
Below The Three Crowns,
175 Stoke Newington High Street
London, United Kingdom
Get your soul kicks from the stage and from the 45s! At the new venue, new format Double Shot O’ Soul there is live music from rhythm'n'bluesters MFC CHICKEN (http://www.myspace.com/mfcchicken), followed by DJs Smart Phil & Mickee spinning the best music ever made: think Tamla Motown, Stax Records, northern & club soul and more to keep you dancing all night long.
9pm-4am
£5 entry

The Sound of 007....

I can't honestly believe how many of my heroes we've lost the last few weeks. Unfortunately John Barry, the man behind the signature sound of the Bond films has also passed. I must confess, I'm a sucker for the Bond themes. Have been since I was kid...especially Goldfinger. And it was the intro and the song that hooked me. The horns, the snakey mystery of the orchestra, and of course Shirley Bassey....chill inducing....or should I say, "Shocking".
By the time it came to Goldfinger, I feel that Barry was at his best. He'd gotten the signature Bond 'sound' down to a science by then and the result was a masterpiece that quite frankly made the score worthy of a best supporting actor Oscar. The Barry sound is 007's co-star...and at times even threatens to steal the limelight....





I would spend the night listening to my 007 Theme Album in honour of John, but unfortunately, my old 1970's Juliette turntable has the flu, or the mange, or quite possibly death...I'm really not sure what the matter is, but she's gone silent and until I can get her fixed or find a new (old) player, well, I'm out of vinyl luck. Boooo, hiiiisssss.

What's Goin' On: 31 January-6 February, 2011

Here's the weeks events for London's beautiful people....

3 February:

Kai's LIVE & LET JIVE

Ronnie Scott's Bar
47 Frith Street
Soho W1D 4HT
02074390747
Get hip to the tip, lads and ladies! EVERY FIRST THURSDAY it’s time for KAI’S LIVE & LET JIVE – your monthly 40s & 50s party featuring queen of the vintage vocals Kai Hoffman and her fabulous felines Kai’s Cats! Featuring tunes by ‘King of the Jukebox’ Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five, Kai’s jazz-b...ased boogie shuffle, rhythm & blues is sure to float your boat - so grab a cocktail, dig that jumpin’ jive and dance the night away! You can dress up or dress down, drink champagne or have a burger plain, be frisky and get risky with Kai’s Cats!
*CANDY*PRIZES*DANCE FLOOR*LIVE MUSIC*SWING*JUMPIN'JIVE*KITSCH DECORATIONS GALORE*PRIZES*SMILES*AIR CONDITIONING*COCKTAILS*GREAT FOOD*GLAMOUR
Sponsored by Vivien of Holloway – the best of 40s & 50s reproduction clothing making the world a more glamourous place.
JIVE CLASS at 7:45pm and LIVE BAND at 9:15!
DOORS 6PM. BAR TIL 3AM
ENTRY ONLY £5/£8 after 11
****Dolly says: "Kai and I have lots in common...we're American, we love vintage, and we both have our hair done at Nina's Vintage Hair Parlour...which is where we met. She's lovely, as is the Sponsor, Vivien of Holloway...gorgeous repro retro!"

5 February:

Happening!
The Drop
Below The Three Crowns
175 Stoke Newington High Street
London, United Kingdom
‘Happening’ has now established itself in London as the grooviest place to sample the delights of the Shindig! universe. The leading magazine for ’60s and ’70s music, in conjunction with Sweet but Deadly Promotions, have made a corner of Stoke Newington, The Drop, their own little subcultural haven, inviting the best band’s and DJs to stoke the sonic fires. Come meet, greet and party with like-mind...ed souls ’til your head explodes with delight! Plus you can pick up copies of the quarterly Shindig! tome, plus it’s sister publication, also entitled Happening.
Live Acts (from 9pm):
Headliners this month are garage beat maestros THE MASONICS (http://www.myspace.com/themasonics), with an equally exciting supporting cast of Chester’s blues twangers THE SUNS (http://www.myspace.com/00thesuns00), London/Nottingham fuzz-trio ULYSSES STORM (http://www.myspace.com/Ulysses storm) and opening things up for us is folkpunk singer AL BAKER (http://www.myspace.com/alandhisguitar).
The Acid Gallery DJs Phil Istine, Nico & Charlie Salvidge will spin your world via ’60s/’70s dancefloor psychedelia, garage, beat, and general rock’n’roll wondermints!
8pm-4am
£6 entry
****Dolly says: "Start out here, end up at FB Park."

MOUSETRAP R&B ALLNIGHTER
Orleans
259 Seven Sisters Road
Finsbury Park N4 2DD
We are very proud to announce the 20th anniversary of THE MOUSETRAP on Sat 2 April. Twenty years at the same venue with the same owner is a rare achievement in the fickle World of club land. To celebrate this momentous occasion we will give everyone who attends a free 45. The owner will also give a free beer, glass of wine or shot to all customers who arrive before 11.30pm. Huge thanks to the regulars and thousands of visitors over the years who have attended and will testify that Mousetrap generates an atmosphere like no other. The basement venue with kicking sound system and lots of nooks and crannies is perfect for an underground club night, but don’t just take out word for it come and grab a piece of the action.
DJs: Filippo Liti (Italy), The JJs & Yann Vatiste (Va Va Voom)
8pm-6am
Tickets are on sale now through paypal @ £10.50 per ticket to new.untouchables@virgin.net
£12 on the door
****Dolly says: "NUTs night....which is ALWAYS a good thing! If it were me, I'd head to Stokey for early drinkies and then get to on over to this before 11:30!" ;)

Lucky 7 Club
Rhum Jungle downstairs at Cottons
70 Exmouth Market EC1R 4QP
Lucky 7 - New Breed R&B and Popcorn Club.
Hosted by DJs El Nino & Scott Charles.
Well, we had a great night in January and were very pleased to have Linda 'Popcorn' Couldstone as our guest DJ.
Sat Feb 5th we are joined by DJ Slim from Italy.
EXPECT HOT FLOOR FILLING 45s ALL NIGHT!
9.30pm til 2 am
£5 before 10.30 and £7 after.

The Munroes Play The Grove
The Grove
2 Morden Road SW19
Also playing:
Connett
Ravens in Paris
Lamplight
Doors open at 8pm till late.
£5 on the door
****Dolly says: "If you're on the other end of LDN, go see my mate, Rob, and his band, The Munroes. You'll be quite glad you did."