Description: Siouxsie & The Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. The Times called the group "one of the most audacious and uncompromising musical adventurers of the post-punk era." During their career, Siouxsie & The Banshees released 11 studio albums and 30 singles. The band experienced several line-up changes, with Siouxsie and Severin being the only constant members. They disbanded in 1996, with Siouxsie and Budgie continuing to record music as the Creatures, a second band they had formed in the early 1980s. In 2004, Siouxsie began a solo career.
Description: Eagle Force was a military-themed action figure line produced between 1982. The figures were unique both in their 2.75" (70 mm) size and that they were made of painted die-cast metal. Produced during Ronald Reagan's first term as president, the Eagle Force toy line carried the popular message that the United States was not going to be pushed around anymore. The primary concept of Eagle Force is that it is an elite United States Government counter-terrorist task force organization composed of special forces experts. In their fictional universe, Eagle Force was created to combat the Roving International Organization of Tyranny (R.I.O.T.), a terrorist organization driven by the desire for world domination.
Description: If you’ve ever opened a book by or about Hunter S. Thompson, there’s a good chance you’ve seen something known as the 'gonzo fist.' This is a red fist with two thumbs that is clutching a green peyote button. Thompson's work was first described as being 'gonzo' in 1970, and he immediately embraced the term for his own unique style of literary chaos. Later that year, when he ran for sheriff of Pitkin County, in Colorado, the gonzo fist was visualized and used on his campaign posters.
Description: When Bob Eubanks' teen nightclub 'Cinnamon Cinder' closed up shop in their Studio City location in 1966, the 'Magic Mushroom' soon popped up in its place. The venue's new resident hit the scene with a psychedelic theme and hosted lots of big name bands. In the grand scheme of things, Magic Mushroom was only around for a couple of years, but made musical magic in the time they were around. The venue would go on to be home to numerous venues over the years, and until 2022, the building that housed Cinnamon Cinder and Magic Mushroom at 11345 Ventura Blvd. was amazingly still standing, but appears to have since been demolished.
Description: Ham n' egger was a slang term for unskilled workers that entered the American lexicon in the early 1900s. Despite its somewhat pejorative roots, many all-day breakfast joints used the term, such as this The Ham n' Egger at 58 West Randolph Street in Downtown Chicago. Located between the Garrick Theater and a popular nightclub, The Ham n' Egger was a popular late night spot for those enjoying a night on the town looking for some greasy breakfast to stave off a morning hangover. The diner boasted that it was “Chicago’s foremost eating spot where stars of radio, stage and television meet to eat!” Sound legit to us, and at this point, who are we to argue, right?
Description: Located in Contra Costa County, California, El Cerrito is part of the greater San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of around 26k people, El Cerrito is one of the smaller cities in the region, but for over 30 years, it was home to Armadillo Pizza, which was one of the town's undisputed favorite places to grab a bite. Their homemade dough and signature pizza sauce kept locals and out-of-towners coming back again and again, and if you couldn't make it in, their generous delivery area meant they could bring it to you, even a few towns over!
Description: Swan Song Records was a London-based label that was launched on May 10, 1974. The logo that adorned the label's record center stickers featured an Icarus symbol. This was heavily based on a drawing done sometime around 1870 by American painter, William Rimmer. Rimmer’s drawing is called Evening (The Fall of Day), and is said to be a depiction of the God Apollo, though others have considered it to be a depiction of Lucifer, or Icarus. Unfortunately, nobody can ask him, so it's anybody's guess. Regardless, Swan Song ceased operations in 1983, and the label's catalog was absorbed by a larger label.
Description: If you lived in the greater Seattle area in the mid to late '80s, then you probably remember seeing the occasional TV ad for a rock 'n roll hair salon called Rockutz. With an infectious heavy metal jingle that screamed “Rockutz… look like a staaaarrrrrrr!!!!,” it stuck with you, and if you ever decided that you (or your whole band) needed a new hair metal inspired hair do, then you knew that you needed to make the trip out to Rockutz so that you could look like a star.
Description: Named after the Student Corps of Germanic university cities, and brewed in Covington, Kentucky, Student Prince Beer began brewing in 1933 after the end of Prohibition. The signature brew was a sparkling Amber ale produced in what was known as Baden style of brewers from Rhine River Valley wine country of Southwest Germany. The first ads for Student Prince called it the aristocrat of beverages, and the royalty of bottled beers. It was also described as a beer brewed for those who know good beer. Ads described a sparkling amber beer, made with toasted, or kiln dried hops, with a subtle hop flavor, and that it, despite the modern brewing equipment, was slowly aged in oak barrels, a signature of Baden style brewing.
Description: They say that there is someone out there for everyone, but that they can be hard to find. So when you do find your person, you'll not only know it, but things will click, and you'll stick together for the long haul. Long story short, you bastards keep looking for that bitch who can put up with your shit.
Description: The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream was a multi-artist happening featuring poets, artists, and musicians held on April 29, 1967. The event was probably the closest London ever got to duplicating the infamous Acid Tests that Ken Kesey held in California in the mid '60s. Not that there were no gatherings in the British capital where people were turned on to hallucinogens, or where a combination of music, lights, and mixed media attempted to create an atmosphere conducive to the psychedelic traveler, but this was the biggest event to contain all of the above, and more. Despite featuring a veritable who's who of the counterculture, the even has been largely forgotten, though this is most likely because those in attendance were tripping balls.
Description: Radio Veronica was a Dutch pirate radio station that began broadcasting in 1960 from a ship anchored in the North Sea, catching much ire from authorities. It was set up by independent radio, TV, and household electrical retailers in the Netherlands to stimulate the sales of radio receivers by providing an alternative to the state-licensed stations of the Netherlands. Broadcasts began on April 21, 1960, with the station announcing itself as VRON (Vrije Radio Omroep Nederland; Free Radio Station [of the] Netherlands) but changed to Radio Veronica, after the poem "Het Zwarte Schaap Veronica" (The Black Sheep Veronica) by the children's poet Annie M. G. Schmidt. Radio Veronica became the most popular station in the Netherlands.
Description: The original company that made Johnson inboard motors and outboard motors was the Johnson Brothers Motor Company of Terre Haute, Indiana. They started building inboard 2-cycle marine engines in 1903 in a barn behind the house, along with matching boats. By 1908, they were making V4, V6, V8, and V12 aircraft and marine engines. In 1910, they built the first U.S. monoplane to exhibit their aircraft engines. Starting in 1922, they designed and built a radical new, lightweight outboard made largely of aluminum. By the mid-1920s, they were dominating the outboard racing scene, and continued to innovate and produce amazingly powerful and reliable outboards. The company was acquired by Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) in 1935
Description: The Blazer’s story began in 1969 when the first K5 rolled out to compete with the similar sport utility rigs on the market. Based on full-size pickup truck frame underpinnings, the Blazer was larger than the competition with an interior that could be configured to hold one to five passengers and for an open-air experience, the rig’s fiberglass top could be removed. Options included air conditioning, power steering, power brakes, push-button radio, heavy-duty shocks and springs and an auxiliary battery. In its first year of production, customers could only get their Blazers with four-wheel drive, but chose from three different engines ranging from a 4.1-liter inline six-cylinder to a 5.7-liter V8.
Description: The unheralded college rock band Dharma Bums garnered a passionate cult of fans, especially in their hometown of Portland, Oregon, but the group broke up just when the Pacific Northwest was attracting media attention for its underground music scene. Originally calling themselves the Afterludes, they later changed it to the Dharma Bums. The group used money from sold-out gigs in Portland to visit Seattle in search of a label, finding one with PopLlama. In 1988, they released the Dharma Bums' first album, Haywire. "Boots of Leather" was a smash on college radio, leading the band to a new deal with Frontier in 1989. Many expected the Dharma Bums to be a breakthrough alt-rock act of the Northwest music scene, but that wasn't in the cards.
Description: Birmingham's WAPI launched on December 1, 1947 as WAFM, and spent most of its time on air as varying forms of adult contemporary. After a sale in 1980, WAPI switched formats in August 1981 to become Birmingham's second album rock station under the new name of '95 Rock.' During the mid '80s, Top 40 regained popularity, and in 1984, the album rock format was dropped in favor of Top 40. First calling itself '95 FM,' by the end of the year, it was re-launched as 'I-95,' billing itself as 'Birmingham's Hit Rock.' Within a year, I-95 became the dominant Top 40 station in Birmingham.
Description: Growing out of the groove-oriented sound of the early '70s, disco emphasized the beat above all else, even the singer. Disco was named after discotheques, clubs that only played records for dancing. Most discotheques were gay clubs in New York, where DJs specifically picked soul and funk records that had a strong groove. Disco albums typically didn't have many tracks, just a handful of long songs that kept the beat going. Similarly, singles were issued on 12-inch records, which allowed for extended remixes. DJs could mix these tracks together, matching the beats. Disco lost momentum as the '70s became the '80s, but it didn't die... it morphed into a variety of different genres, ranging from dance-pop and hip-hop, to house and techno.
Description: In May 1942, the 37th Infantry Division sailed under the Golden Gate, arriving in Fiji in June 1942. Within the division was the 37th Recon Company, responsible for leading the charge with reconnaissance and operational preparation of the environment. The 37th drove ashore at New Georgia in July 1943 with the Marine Raiders, fighting on until they chased Yamashita and his puppet government from the hills of Baguio, summer capital of the Philippines in 1945. The brave men from Ohio faced a relentless enemy almost continuously for two years straight, and the 37th Recon Company was at the forefront. The 37th played a key role in the Pacific Theater, that started with Japan controlling the entire area, but ended with victory by the Allies.
Description: 1976's Fury of the Dragon is an interesting piece of cinematic history, though not necessarily a good one. Nine years after The Green Hornet TV series finished its single season in 1966, someone decided it was a good time to cash in on the success of dragon series of kung fu films. Stitching four random episodes of the series starring the late Bruce Lee and releasing them theatrically was how they decided to go about it. The resulting movie was a nearly incoherent mishmash of edited episodes, and while it was less than awesome, Bruce Lee does rock the Kato gear, and the hyper editing of scenes makes this not terrible to watch if you're a fan of the genre.
Description: Megasaurus is a transforming robotic dinosaur modeled after a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Built on a Sherman tank chassis, this robo dino has hydraulically activated arms, grasping claws, and jaws, as well as a flamethrower to give the effect of breathing fire from the mouth. He initially appears as a military vehicle during performances, but transforms into dinosaur form, standing roughly 30 feet tall at maximum extension. Megasaurus primarily destroys cars by ripping them apart with his claws and jaws at motorsport events, especially monster truck competitions.
Description: 'Sometimes if you stand further away from something, it does not seem as big. Sometimes you can stand so close to something you can not tell what you are looking at' is a 7” released by Cap'n Jazz in 1993. The Chicago emo band formed in 1989, and after a number of name changes, the band built up a solid cult following throughout Chicago and the Midwest. With one studio album, two singles, a bunch of complication appearances, and a posthumous anthology after the band's 1995 breakup, Cap'n Jazz was relatively short-lived, but made a huge impact on the emo genre.
Description: If you lived in the great San Diego area in the '70s and '80s, odds are you remember radio, TV, and print ads for Beau Gentry’s Waterbeds. Beau Gentry was a retired western actor that lent his name to the enterprise that started up when America began going wild for waterbeds in the early '70s. Starting with one location in Lemon Grove, by the late '70s, they had four locations - Clairemont, Lemon Grove, National City, and Santee. Unlike a lot of the waterbed shops at the time, Beau Gentry’s actually made their own beds. They manufactured their own bed frames, bladders, and associated furniture, billing themselves as the biggest waterbed manufacturer on the West Coast. Sadly, the fad sprung a leak by the end of the '80s, it was all over.
Description: The 1979 World Championship Series was played at the conclusion of the 1978–79 season. The Western Conference champion Seattle Supersonics played the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets, with the Bullets holding home-court advantage, due to a better regular season record. The series was a rematch of the 1978 Finals, which the Washington Bullets had won 4–3, though this time around, the Supersonics defeated the Bullets 4 games to 1 putting themselves in the history books as the 1979 World Champs. This design celebrating their win includes their mascot, Wheedle, of Wheedle on the Needle fame. He was their official mascot from 1978 through 1985 before being retired.
Description: Earl 'Bud' Batteate was born November 20, 1918, and grew up on his father's Oakdale, California cattle ranch. He got the rodeo bug when he was just 7 years old and rode his first calf. Ten years later, Batteate was a young rodeo champ, got married, had a son, and decided to take up cattle hauling to support his new family. His dad transported cattle, but mostly for their own stock, so Batteate knew the business and undoubtedly had his dad's help in getting him going. Starting out with a single truck as Batteate Livestock Transportation Co., he grew his business to more than 30 trucks by the mid '40s, continuing to drive himself, while also riding rodeo nights and weekends for over 60 years.
Description: "Hey baby, you going my way?" Beginning back in the Depression, it used to be very normal to see someone sticking their thumb out in an effort to signal that they needed a ride and get a passing motorist to pick them up. Whether people were just looking for conversation on a long drive, hoping to get lucky, or just being nice, hitchhikers were a ubiquitous sight across America. Nowadays, hitchhiking is perceived as dangerous, and few drivers are willing to pick someone up. Police discourage it, and many states ban it. Since the '60s, the percentage of households that own cars has steadily increased, and the proportion of those with multiple cars has grown even faster. As cars have lasted longer and gotten cheaper, fewer people need a lift.
Description: Without question, Re-bar was one of the Seattle's most historic nightclubs, hosting countless local and touring bands over its three decade run. Born into the grunge scene in 1990, the building it called home at the foot of Capitol Hill was built in 1930, and certainly playing into the venue's quirky charm. When it wasn't hosting live music, this anchor of the alternative arts scene presented work from local artists, theatre and comedy, and held rocking dance nights. Re-bar was routinely filled to the brim with hipsters, freaks, geeks, artists, gays, intellectuals, punks, rockers, ravers, and clubbers – a true showcase of the eclectic diversity of Seattle. The fact that they made some mean cocktails was just the icing on the cake.
Description: The Columbus Comets were a minor league pro basketball team out of Columbus, Ohio that played two seasons in the Midwestern-based North American Basketball League (1964-1968). The Comets featured top stars, including Gary Bradds. Bradds was a two-time All-America center and College Player of the Year for 1964. The Baltimore Bullets made Bradds the #3 overall selection in the 1964 draft, but he spent much of the mid-60’s bouncing around the NABL, which had bus league stops in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. The Comets sold Bradds’ contract to the Oakland Oaks of the new American Basketball Association in 1967, playing several seasons in the ABA. The Comets played a short scheduled of just 21 games in 1966-67 and 18 games in 1967-68.
Description: Watergate was a political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon between 1972 and 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's attempts to cover up its involvement in the June 17, 1972 burglary of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Washington, D.C., Watergate Office Building. As the evidence piled up and impeachment was looking to be inevitable, the public voiced their opinion on the matter. Shirts and bumper stickers using the 'Jail to The Chief' slogan, featuring various caricatures of 'Tricky Dick' behind bars, were without question the most popular.
Description: The Dungeonmaster is a gleefully bizarre example of a sci-fi/fantasy anthology film that refuses to play by its own rules. Divided into seven distinct story segments, each written and directed by a different person, it’s disjointed, and often incomprehensible, but full of imagination. The story is about a demonic wizard who challenges a modern-day computer programmer to a battle of technology vs. sorcery, with the programmer's girlfriend as the prize. The film features an appearance by the heavy metal band W.A.S.P. and is largely known by cinephiles for the line of dialogue "I reject your reality and I substitute my own." Filming began in 1983, but the film was shot and edited in 1988, but never completed.
Description: The San Diego Sockers were a soccer team based in San Diego, California, that played from 1978 to 1996. The team played in the indoor and outdoor editions of the North American Soccer League (NASL) until 1984, as well as the original Major Indoor Soccer League and CISL. The Sockers are considered the most successful indoor soccer team. They made the playoffs in all but one of their 16 seasons of playing indoors. The franchise folded in 1996 and was the last surviving NASL franchise. This design is based on their 1980 logo that featured a scrappy cartoon soccer player ready to duke it out on the pitch.
