Description: While record labels were scouring the Pacific Northwest for every band with the 'Seattle Sound,' Diamond Fist Werny was doing their own thing, and doing it better than anyone else with the gravitational pull of a stellar black hole. An indie band with ethereal, Indian vibes coupled with quirky, sparing guitar rhythms, DFW took fans on a trip with their blurry grooves, breaking the boundaries between musical genres. And just as fans had been lulled into a sense of space though their succulent sound, churning, aggressive guitars worked to accommodate the swaying motions of the crowd, quickly reminding them that they were listening to a rock band. If you haven't heard them, you are missing out to say the absolute least.
Description: Triton motorcycles were hybrid motorcycles built from the '50s through the '70s that involved fitting Triumph engines into Norton frames. The aim was to combine the best elements of each marque, and thus gain a bike superior to either. Because no factory offered these hybrid motorcycles, they were typically privately constructed, however, some UK dealers offered complete bikes. The name 'Triton' is a contraction of Triumph and Norton; 'Triton' was the name of a mythological Greek God.
Description: Cumming is a city in Forsyth County, Georgia, and the sole incorporated area in the county. It's a suburban city, and part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, with a population around 7,500. Surrounding unincorporated areas with a Cumming mailing address have a population of approximately 100,000. The community is commonly thought to be named after Colonel William Cumming, though in alternate theory proposed by a local historian posits the name honors Rev. Frederick Cumming, a professor of Jacob Scudder, a resident of the area since 1815 who owned land in present-day downtown Yet another theory is that the town is named after Alexander Cuming, the son of a Scottish baronet.
Description: The practice of preparing shrunken heads originally had religious significance. Shrinking the head of an enemy was believed to harness the spirit of that enemy and compel him to serve the shrinker, and prevent the soul from avenging his death. Replica shrunken heads became popular with the rise of Tiki culture, making the ability to 'keep a cool head' a lot more realistic option for people wanting such things.
Description: The Cramps were an intentionally amateurish garage band formed in 1976 that were truly masters of their art. Credited as progenitors of the psychobilly subgenre, uniting elements of punk rock with rockabilly, the band drew considerable inspiration from the aesthetic of kitschy B-horror movies. The band was the ultimate embodiment of sexiness and cool with a dark, campy twist that personified everything weirdos appreciate. Halloween was the one night you could guarantee to find the Cramps playing, as they went with the holiday like hand in glove. On October 31, 2000, one such show played out at The Fillmore in San Francisco, and from what we hear, it was one hell of a party.
Description: Hot Dog…The Movie is a sex comedy ski film released in 1984. The film was somehow well received compared to its contemporaries and went on to gross over $17 million. The story focuses on Harkin Banks, a farm kid from Idaho who is also a skiing ace. He is headed to the freestyle skiing championships in California along with a runaway, named Sunny. He meets his adversary in the form of Rudy, a self-centered European skier who doesn't take a liking to Harkin or his new-found friends, led by veteran skier Dan O' Callahan. Harkin has many misadventures with Dan and his buddies, but doesn't lose focus in his attempt to become a world champion.
Description: When it comes to '80s album covers, one of the most iconic entries has to be 1981's Ghost in the Machine. Featuring a sixteen-segment digital display-inspired graphic depicting the heads of the three band members, the album cover remained a mysterious visual in the years before the internet made obscure information much more attainable.
Description: While '70s era Firebirds evoke images of tire smoking big block V8 models, Pontiac recognized that for every V8 model sold, five V6 models would leave dealerships, often to women. Women had become 30% of the Firebird market by 1977, and many potential buyers, regardless of gender, appreciated the more low-key models. To that end, Pontiac added color coordinated flair and decals to appeal to the fairer sex (and less macho men) in 1977 with the “Color Birds” series. These designer Firebird Esprits with a themed color and options had their own versions of delicate looking bird graphics with plenty of curves and flowing scripts. The first was the 1977 Sky Bird, a model with a light blue exterior and interior.
Description: Cannabis has been cultivated in Colombia since the late colonial period, when hemp was grown for its industrial fibers. However, even at that early state, cannabis was recognized for its psychoactive uses, but recreational use remained illegal, and largely confined to the fringes of Colombian society. By the 1920s, wider use of cannabis emerged, leading to the government further restricting its use. In the '60s and '70s, American cannabis traffickers made inroads into Colombia, leading to booming production in the wake of American's new-found love of genuine Colombian cannabis.
Description: It's hard to imagine a city like Seattle not having a Mexican restaurant, but as of the early '70s, that was still the case. Casa Lupita changed that when it opened its doors in 1971 next to the airfield, five miles south of downtown. After experiencing the best Mexican food they had ever had in a small truck stop restaurant in rural Texas, two business partners made the proprietor, Guadalupe 'Lupita' Alvarez Darst, an offer she couldn't refuse. The deal would have Lupita running a brand-new restaurant in Seattle, the use of her name, and of course, her secret family recipes. The original Casa Lupita was a rousing success, and the small original location was eventually closed in favor of two larger restaurants.
Description: Ruthless Records was founded by rapper Eric Wright (supposedly with money made as a drug dealer) and music industry veteran manager Jerry Heller in 1987. Ruthless was the home of several pioneering gangsta rap artists, and is credited with elevating West Coast hip hop beyond fringe audiences and into popular culture.
Description: The Jesus Movement was an evangelical Christian movement which began on the West Coast of the United States in the late ’60s and early 1970s and primarily spread throughout North America, Europe, and Central America, before it subsided in the late ’80s. Members of the movement were called Jesus people, or Jesus freaks. Its predecessor, the charismatic movement, had already been in full swing for about a decade. It involved mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics who testified to having supernatural experiences similar to those recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, especially speaking in tongues. Both of these movements held that they were calling the church back to a more biblical form of Christianity.
Description: The Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S; reporting mark SPS) was a railroad in the northwest United States. Incorporated in 1905, the SP&S was a joint venture by the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway to build a railroad along the north bank of the Columbia River in Washington State. The SP&S railway was simultaneously known as "The Northwest's Own Railway," "The North Bank Road," and "The Columbia River Scenic Route" during its 65 years of offering both passenger and freight service. The SP&S was merged into the Burlington Northern in March 1970, and the remnants of the line are still in operation today.
Description: Founded in 1962, Amicus Productions was a small-budget film production company, based out of Shepperton Studios in England. It was founded by American screenwriters Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg, who moved production to the UK to reduce costs. They started off making rock ‘n roll musicals, but soon found success with a horror anthology film called Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors. It proved to be a successful formula that they would return to, again and again, whenever in need of a success. Between 1962 and 1977, Amicus released 28 films, the bulk of them being horror, but also had several science fiction and traditional thriller titles in the mix.
Description: Haddon Salt, born October 18, 1928, in Stanfree, Derbyshire, England, emigrated with his wife and three children to California in 1964 with US$10,000. Salt opened "Salt's English Fish & Chips Shop" in Sausalito in 1965. By 1967, Salt had opened three more stores, and his restaurants were now called "H. Salt, Esq. Authentic English Fish and Chips Shoppe." Salt sold his restaurants to a national fast food chain wanting to take the formula nationwide in 1969. The new owner was not successful in the large-scale expansion of the H. Salt Esq. chain, and cut its ties with the business by 1987. Franchisees were allowed to purchase their restaurant, a move that resulted in a few independently owned locations that are still up and running today.
Description: Dr. Shock was a prominent '70s horror host that was created and portrayed by magician Joseph Zawislak from 1969 and 1979. The character was created as an on-air host for the broadcast of B-rated horror movies for WPHL Channel 17 in Philadelphia that included three different show titles during his career: Scream-In, Mad Theater and Horror Theater. Dr. Shock, whose sign-off, "Let there be fright!," became a mantra for legions of school-age fans in Philadelphia for this local beloved celebrity. The character he played was costumed as a lively zombie with slicked-down hair, a black frock coat and white spats, assisted in his laboratory by a one-eyed hunchback named Boris. His usual entrance was from inside a coffin.
Description: Saturday Night Special is a 1976 sexploitation crime film written by Joel Seigal, directed by Sam Bloch, and starring Georgette Jennings, Jamie Gillis, and Jeffrey Hurst. The story centers around a gang of crooks who botch a diamond heist by shooting the guards and taking hostages. Instead of making a run for it and going on the lam, they to head back to their hideout to blow off some steam with a few beautiful women. Anyway, I think you can see where this is going, and also understand how it landed an X rating, but nonetheless, the film is a must-see for cinephiles and fans of potent '70s cinema who are not easy to offend.
Description: In the '70s, Moynaq was still a bustling fishing community with tens of thousands of residents, but a Soviet government program to grow cotton in the region would forever change Uzbekistan's only port city. In the '60s, diversion of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers sapped the endorheic Aral Sea of its inflows, causing the lake to begin drying up. The lake began to shrink, and so did the economy of Moynaq. The receding waters coupled with polluted agricultural runoff from the cotton fields turned what was left of the Aral Sea toxic, and by the year 2000, all that was left was a couple of separate lakes separated from the former port city by a newly formed Aralkum Desert. Today, the former seaport is a 150 km from the water.
Description: The 101st Airborne Division ("Screaming Eagles") is a specialized modular light infantry division of the U.S. Army trained for air assault operations. The Screaming Eagles have been referred to by journalists as "the tip of the spear" as well as one of the most potent and tactically mobile divisions. The 101st has a history that is nearly a century long. Renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, Operation Market Garden, liberation of the Netherlands, and the Battle of the Bulge in WWII, the 101st also participated in several major battles in Vietnam, including Hamburger Hill. In the late '60s, the 101st was reorganized as an airmobile division and then, in 1974, as an air assault division.
Description: Di Salvo Trucking Company got their start in the 1940s when Russ Di Salvo bought himself a used farm truck and began offering cartage services in and around San Francisco. Within ten years, Di Salvo added more trucks, hired drivers, and extended well beyond the Bay Area. By the 1960s, Di Salvo Trucking had a sizable fleet and was moving freight throughout California, and their red cab over semi trucks were a common sight up and down the I-5 corridor. Fast-forward to 2002, and Di Salvo Trucking Co. had finally reached the end of the road, where the line was shuttered and facilities and equipment sold off to other LTL haulers looking to expand into California.
Description: Billed as the tallest, fastest and steepest stand-up roller coaster in the world when it opened on May 11, 1996, Mantis was a destination ride for any coaster aficionado during its near twenty-year run. The ride featured a 119-foot tall vertical loop, diving loop, and the first ever inclined loop. Trains on Mantis traveled up 145 feet in the air, before being dropped back down to earth 137 feet at 60 miles per hour.
Description: When Bespoke Bicycles opened in Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood back in 2009, it was the first of its kind on many fronts. The neighborhood didn’t have a bike shop, let alone one offering custom-built, British-inspired steel frames that were made to spec. In addition to built to order cycles, Bespoke also carried a thoughtful selection of off the rack porteur and randonneur bikes, and cycling accessories. They shop also offered complete service to keep your two wheeled transportation in tip-top shape.
Description: Kingdom of the Spiders is a 1977 American science fiction horror film directed by John "Bud" Cardos and produced by Igo Kantor and Jeffrey M. Sneller. The screenplay is credited to Richard Robinson and Alan Caillou, from an original story by Sneller and Stephen Lodge. Part of the eco-horror subgenre, the story follows local veterinarian Rack Hansen as he investigates the mysterious deaths of a number of farm animals, only to discover that his Arizona town lies in the path of hoards of migrating tarantulas. Before he can take action, the streets are overrun by killer spiders, trapping a small group of towns folk in a remote hotel.
Description: "There's a Wheedle on the Needle. I know just what you're thinking, but if you look up late at night, you'll see his red nose blinking." Wheedle on the Needle is a 1974 children's book about a large, round, furry creature called the Wheedle who lived in the Northwest. From 1978 through 1985, the Wheedle was the official mascot of the SuperSonics, and was part of the organization when they won their only Championship in 1979.
Description: Strawberry Switchblade was a Scottish new wave/pop duo formed in Glasgow in 1981 by Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall. During their five-year run, they released seven singles, and just one self-titled album in 1985. The group is best known for their song "Since Yesterday" from their album, and their flamboyant clothing with bows and polka-dots.
Description: Apollo–Soyuz was the first crewed international space mission, carried out jointly by the United States and the Soviet Union in July 1975. Millions of people around the world watched on television as a United States Apollo spacecraft docked with a Soviet Soyuz capsule. The project, and its handshake in space, was a symbol of détente between the two superpowers during the Cold War. The mission was officially known as the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (ASTP). The three American astronauts and two Soviet cosmonauts performed both joint and separate experiments. The pre-flight work provided useful engineering experience for later joint American–Russian space flights, such as the Shuttle–Mir program and the International Space Station.
Description: For a little over fifty years, locals and those passing through the border town of Piedras Negras, in the Mexican state of Coahuila knew that Eberardo’s Cantina was the place to go for an authentic Mexican cantina experience. Established in 1965 by Eberardo Gutierrez, Eberardo’s Cantina was originally a traditional cantina that only served men, so it was more of a place to knock back beers and play dominoes and cards. Over the years, Eberardo’s became more of a restaurant where women and even children were welcome to enjoy regional botanas and scrumptious meals, though there was still no shortage of beers for those who imbibe.
Description: Spellcasting 101: Sorcerers Get All the Girls is a raunchy adventure of the best caliber. This DOS adventure game was the first installment of the Spellcasting series from Legend Entertainment, and was released in 1990. The player helps bumbling nerd and wizard wannabe Ernie Eaglebeak escape the clutches of his evil stepfather and realize his dreams of becoming an apprentice wizard. Puzzles involving spells are very clever and logical, and numerous little details enhance the atmosphere. The raunchy aspect of the game is that Ernie has to please the women he encounters throughout the game, some by simply doing chores, others by providing sexual favors.
Description: Carello S.p.A. was founded in Turin, Italy in 1876, initially manufacturing traditional oil lanterns. Carello made their first electric headlamp for motorcars in 1912, and would soon become the number one supplier of OEM lighting products to Italy's auto industry. In addition to designing and manufacturing lights for Italian exotics, Carello was a leader in auxiliary lighting for high performance driving applications. From fog lights and driving lights, to extreme duty rally lighting systems, Carello was at the top of their game for decades, and could be found on the front end of race cars and enthusiast vehicles alike, lighting the road ahead.
Description: Nothing's Shocking is the debut studio album by American rock band Jane's Addiction, released on August 23, 1988. Nothing’s Shocking is considered by many to be the first truly mainstream alt-rock album, managing to successfully infuse the nascent alternative movement with a surreal vision of Hollywood hedonism, and deliver it with a bang. The album was well received by critics, peaking at number 103 on the top 200 charts, and the single 'Jane Says' reached number six on the modern rock charts. Decades later, the record is routinely included on various 'greatest albums of all time' lists and was nominated for numerous awards, winning many of them.
Description: The U.S. Bicentennial saw a series of celebrations during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the events leading up to the creation of the United States of America as an independent republic. The Bicentennial culminated on Sunday, July 4, 1976, with the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Founding Fathers in the Second Continental Congress. The county saw increased patriotism and unity during this time, and this '70s era design is just one example. Including interlocked hands and E pluribus unum (Latin for out of many, one), a traditional motto of the USA, along with the olive branch and arrows that denote the power of peace and war.
Description: Pélican was a popular brand of unfiltered French cigarettes in the early 1920s, and while we've never seen a Pelican smoke, this one seems to be enjoying it. Made in France with premium Virginia tobacco from America, they were considered an upmarket brand compared to the more common brands made with dark tobaccos from Syria and Turkey.
Description: What do you get when you mash up hot rods and monsters? In 1980, the answer would have been Weird Wheels trading card stickers. Featuring a checklist of colorful creations along the lines of the late ’60s Odd Rods cards, the set blends Kustom Kulture with matinée horror. The cards themselves have monsters and other creatures driving absurdly customized cars, trucks, and motorcycles. As cool as the cards looked, they came out at a time when the Kustom Kulture was well past its peak, and the set flopped, but that doesn’t mean they’re still not cool! This one features the ‘Slab Cab’ taxi themed hearse driven by the phantom from card #5.
Description: Zork is a text-based fantasy adventure game series that was first released in 1977 under the title Dungeon. The game was made for PCs, the first version being made for the PDP-10. The game features no graphics or art, and is entirely text based, playing out like an interactive book. The developers, as the company Infocom, expanded and split the game into three titles—Zork I: The Great Underground Empire, Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz, and Zork III: The Dungeon Master—which were released commercially for a range of personal computers beginning in 1980. Players take on the role of an unnamed adventurer who is trapped in a dungeon called The Great Underground Empire and type in contextual commands to escape the dangers of the dungeon.
