The Ephemerist

While waiting to post some christmas cards, I picked up these new Duostamps from my local post office. Duostamps are typically standard value stamps that have a second stamp attached with a certain topical image. In this case, from left to right, the following themes are used :

• The smurfs, with elements from several Smurfs albums (rather shoddily cropped, if you ask me). It would seem that these stamps were issued just in time for the 50th anniversary of Peyo’s characters, which will be celebrated this year.
• A set of five stamps with characters by Hergé, branded with the “Une Vie, Un Oeuvre” logo. These stamps feature Totor, Leo et Lea, Quick et Flupke, Jo et Zette and Tintin, respectively.
• A second set of stamps with Hergé art (featuring Tintin and a portrait of Hergé himself. This set too is branded with the “Une Vie, Un Oeuvre” logo.

These stamps are available from Belgian post offices, and (most probably) also on the De Post Eshop. (Smurfs © Peyo; Totor, Leo et Lea, Quick et Flupke, Jo et Zette and Tintin © Moulinsart)

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In 1975 British prog rockers Pink Floyd were in their youthful heydays. Flying pigs and clashing egos were still a long way away, and punk, which would denounce their experimental and long-winded music as derivative, self-obsessed and elitist, was still an idea in the head of a very keen shop owner. Pink Floyd was subversive, and young, and hip with the times.

And so, to keep up with those times, they presented the programme for their 1975 tour in the form of an underground comic. Each of the band members have their own strip : Roger Waters is a Roy Of The Rovers clone, Nick Mason is a sturdy captain taking on WWII U-boats, Richard Wright may as well have stepped out of a Spain Rodriguez cartoon and Dave Gilmour is a poor-man’s Evel Knievel. There’s even a Gerald Scarfe center spread !

Enjoy (and thanks to the scanner who provided us with this gem) !

(update - according to JazJaz, this post is NSFW, so you’re warned) 

Read the rest of this entry »

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The Fantastic Three are a French instrumental surf / rockabilly combo. I wonder where they got their name from…

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Quite a nice, albeit overwhelming, poster for Bob Dylan’s radio show, by one of the Hernandez Bros (I keep mixing them up).

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This cover was drawn by Adrian Tomine for Yo La Tengo’s WFMU benefit album “Murdering the Classics”. I like the way Tomine weaved a little story in the art, and also commented on the music (which, if I may say so, is not the Tengo’s best)…

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Jeff Smith brings to our attention that the new double CD by New New Wave Rockers Say Anything was released yesterday. Why, you ask ? Well, since he did the cover art. Which is quite awesome and new, albeit a bit menacing. I only wish the music was just as impressive, and not the Joy Division meets Sisters Of Mercy rehash.

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Kingly Books is a veritable treasure trove of strange materials, such as the Hairy Hi-Fi Archive, with interviews and articles about rather strange music, and Get A Trade, trade advice by John Bagnall. Most interesting to us comics afficionadoes, however, is The King’s Aquarium. In this little hidden gem the lyrics to the Beach Boys’ tune “Till I Die” are illustrated with ocean-themed frames from various comics by Jack Kirby.

I said it before and I’ll say it again, there still isn’t enough weirdness around…

(The Sandman ™ and © DC Comics, ‘Till I Die’ Lyrics by Brian Wilson © 1971 Brother Publishing - BMI)

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One more example of the superhero trope : Roy Meriwether’s Soul Invader album from 1968, with artwork by Will Eisner / Murphy Anderson (although The Incrowd has his doubts - thanks anyway !)

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By chance, I came across this cover art for Nick Lowe’s new album, At My Age. I saw Lowe a few years ago performing solo (with the fabulous Geraint Watkins as support) and this image totally captures the man. He is that thin and he is that cool and his hair is that white.

I haven’t heard the music yet, but if it’s on a par with the cover, it can’t be bad. Now, if only I knew who drew this…

Update - Thanks to Jesus L (see below), I found out that the illustration was done by Phil Hankinson. Judging from his other work on his agent’s website, here’s another name to keep on the lookout for.

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In 2001, Jim Woodring did the art for a jazz CD by guitarist Bill Frisell, performing together with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones. I hadn’t seen these before, but they got me pretty curious about the music (which, in my humble opinion, is a bit of a letdown).

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