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Thanks for all the comments and support. I've had a rethink about the blog and I've decided the way to go might be compilations of stuff that interests me and maybe even podcasts. I've downloaded a few of these recently and some are very good indeed.

I'll give it a go anyway and depending on the interest and reaction of the one or two people still visiting this site I'll see whether this will be a viable way of sharing my interests in music.

Posted: 11 Dec 2008 | 11:42pm US/Eastern Source: http://xtabaysworld.blogspot.com/

forget warhol, THIS is pop art

i am so enamoured of this image that i will for sure buy a copy once i put the finishing touches on my basement bar.

it is by dave avenell, whom i contacted with a request to blog about his wonderful imagery. he never replied to say yes, but he never said no either, and silence implies consent ~ if he tells me to take this down, i will.

but til then, totally check out his stuff! it's wonderful, it's like he scanned my brain of stuff i would love to hang on my walls.

now knock off the negative waves!

Posted: 27 Feb 2008 | 9:44am US/Eastern Source: http://jjohnnydollar.blogspot.com/

how to frug

Posted: 26 Feb 2008 | 11:03am US/Eastern Source: http://jjohnnydollar.blogspot.com/

Ambient Visions

Imagine this. You're sailing in a yacht in the South Seas when you suddenly find the yacht sinking. You scramble ashore on a deserted lagoon after a long struggle in the sea.

The island has enough food and sealife to ensure that you won't starve although you'll be hungry most of the time. You don't even have a basketball you can christen Wilson and carry on imaginary conversations with.

You sit on the shore with your palm frond hat ruffling in the breeze when you spy some wreckage from the yacht. In the wreckage you see a storage box and amidst the holiday clothing and plastic tourist idols you see an ipod! Your joy is shortlived when you realise it only contains a compilation entitled you guessed it, Ambient Visions.

You realise the battery has got wet and will only last one playthrough of this compilation so you listen feverishly committing every note to memory as this will be the soundtrack of the rest of your life unless you are somehow rescued which is highly unlikely indeed.

Now dear visitor you have the opportunity to download this compilation here and decide whether (a) Yes this is something you could listen to for the rest of your life, (b) Rip the earphones from your ears and howl to to the uncaring sky who is this Xtabay and why has he done this to me! or (c) Mutter to yourself hmm yes its OK but I'd rather listen to American Idol's latest greatest hit album.

Please vote as I'd be interested in knowing what you all think.

Oh by the way I don't think I'll give you a tracklist as the files will contain that. I havent attempted to program the comp just left it in alphabetical order. I'll upload a couple of tracks to box player to give you an idea. The files have been left in original bitrates and have been normalized with replay gain so make sure your player supports that. Most of it hopefully has an azure sky, cool breeze type of atmosphere which should keep our castaway happy.

Part 1

Part 2

Posted: 25 Feb 2008 | 9:16pm US/Eastern Source: http://xtabaysworld.blogspot.com/

Puppets...In....Spaaaaaace!

I'll bet you've always wondered how to make your own pair of retro space puppets. Well, now you can sew Andy Astronaut and Mandy Martian from this handy pattern and have hours of fun re-enacting bad science-fiction films with...

Posted: 24 Feb 2008 | 9:15pm US/Eastern Source: http://www.mrbalihai.com/goof/

Release the Hostesses

Found in a box: a 1969 photograph of my Pop surrounded by 8 lovely Korean hostesses at a party in Inchon. He looks like the cat who just got the cream, doesn't he?...

Posted: 24 Feb 2008 | 7:22pm US/Eastern Source: http://www.mrbalihai.com/goof/

Britiki Cheerio

Click to Embiggen Aloha, I have returned from England. My body is 5 pounds heavier, and my wallet is a couple-hundred pounds lighter. I had several fun and interesting meetups with various blogger-friends during the 2 weeks I was...

Posted: 24 Feb 2008 | 8:46am US/Eastern Source: http://www.mrbalihai.com/goof/

jonesin'; indy label

ye may be perchance agog to find this most obscure and most unread blog to be discussing this particular topic, but you got something more than you bargained for; i'm yer golderned indiana jones blogger.

viewing the recent trailer for indiana jones 4 (us old timers used to call the movies "raiders,") made me to muse upon my viewing of the original movie in 1981, temple of doom in 1984, and last crusade in 1989.

i saw temple of doom at congressional theater in rockville, and for some reason i think my dad got me the OFFICIAL COLLECTORS EDITION program. neener, neener. i dunno if it is worth anything these days, but is is fun to look at.

also about that time i purchased the OFFICIAL REPLICA HAT at britches great outdoors in montgomery mall. the hat has outlived the stores in the mall, hah. well this hat is copyright 1984 so i guess it coincided with temple of doom. feels like walking on fortune cookie!

anyways there are some photos of indy looking all buff etc etc. i am invited by the ever enthusiastic snay to view all the first three movies in a marathon before number 4 comes out, so perhaps i'll bring it along.

dr. jones... he is... nefarious...

Posted: 20 Feb 2008 | 7:13am US/Eastern Source: http://jjohnnydollar.blogspot.com/

Critiki Mobile

Critiki hits the road: Critiki Mobile It’s not really quite finished — there are some more tweaks I want to make — but I think it’s close enough that I don’t feel right keeping it from the tiki-lovin’ travelin’ souls of the world. Critiki Mobile: http://mobile.critiki.com It’s primarily designed for the iPhone, because a) it’s a dead sexy [...]

Posted: 20 Feb 2008 | 2:32am US/Eastern Source: http://blog.humuhumu.com

Flickr

This is a test post from

, a fancy photo sharing thing.

Posted: 14 Feb 2008 | 9:28pm US/Eastern Source: http://jjohnnydollar.blogspot.com/

Rue Brittannia

I'm off to the Peoples Paradise of the United Kingdom for the next 2 weeks, and will only have Internet access from work, as I refuse to pay the extortionate fees that my hotel charges for daily connectivity (£25/day!). Consequently,...

Posted: 8 Feb 2008 | 8:37am US/Eastern Source: http://www.mrbalihai.com/goof/

Caliente Tropics Tikis

Sven and Sabu give us a nerdrific lesson in the history of two tikis at the Caliente Tropics.

Posted: 6 Feb 2008 | 9:37pm US/Eastern Source: http://www.swankpad.org/blather

The Joker Is Me

World of Kane continues to dig up brilliant stuff, like this fine pair of posts on British singer, Anthony Newley and his lyrical partner, Leslie Bricusse. Newley, while not technically a great singer, brought a completely over-the-top delivery to...

Posted: 6 Feb 2008 | 8:23pm US/Eastern Source: http://www.mrbalihai.com/goof/

Trader Vic’s Warehouse Sale, Richmond, CA

[ February 23, 2008 to February 29, 2008. ] Trader Vic's mothership in San Franciso is having a mysterious, once-in-a-lifetime "warehouse sale" from February 23-29 at a facility in Richmond, California. We are happy to offer you a once in a lifetime opportunity to get your hands on all different types of Trader Vic’s merchandise & memorabilla, both old & new. Due to the fact [...]

Posted: 6 Feb 2008 | 4:44pm US/Eastern Source: http://tikitalk.astropad.com

why i love lent

mmm... PIEROGIES...

Posted: 6 Feb 2008 | 9:03am US/Eastern Source: http://jjohnnydollar.blogspot.com/

get a piece of me, part 1

okay so me and the missus like to take a trip to the REAL o.c. during the off season, and this year due to circumstances, we figured the trip would be contingent on funding other than the ol' household expenses since like we're dipping dry in the ol' well of ducats so to speak. so we're shuffling off some junk from the vault, for fun and profit:

above: the mean ol' dirty bastard tiki mug, on the evil-bay:

a model 1918 german combat helmet - perhaps a technicality, but it's not knotzee, see?

hand painted lead role playing game figures - i painted them myself back in the crusty days of the 1980's. this was before everyone was on the internets playing virtual multiplayer combat. the 1980's were a strange and wonderous era.

a die-cast luger cap gun, made by lone star in england. that is kind of an odd cultural amalgamation, a british company named lone star making lugers. anyways, for the roll-type caps. remember them? before having a toy gun instantly made you a criminal?

and meanwhile, with the good folks at woodward's auction house over in hampden, we have many lots of our stuff on the chopping block. this is not all that is there, but merely a sampling, an amuse-bouche so to speak.

vinyl records! no download required!

fans - start your own club.

cameras and radios! no flash memory or usb cord required!

that auction at woodward's is listed for today starting at 4PM, really, they have lots of interesting stuff there - if you've never been to an auction, it is an experience you should have once in your life.

Posted: 5 Feb 2008 | 8:49am US/Eastern Source: http://jjohnnydollar.blogspot.com/

And Awaaaaaaay We Go!

Jackie Gleason takes LSD in prison and sees God (Groucho Marx), in Otto Preminger's Skidoo! Pow! Zoom! Straight to the Moon, Alice! Be grateful I didn't post the clip of Carol Channing doing a striptease. [Link: Jackie Gleason Trips...

Posted: 3 Feb 2008 | 8:51am US/Eastern Source: http://www.mrbalihai.com/goof/

Bagshot

[Link: Alice Bag's L.A. Punk Rock 1976-1981 Flickr Set]...

Posted: 3 Feb 2008 | 8:42am US/Eastern Source: http://www.mrbalihai.com/goof/

Vintage Oceania IV: A Day at the War Canoe Races

Click to Embiggen It's been quite a while since I've found anything worthy of adding to my Vintage Oceania collection, but today I stumbled upon this lovely illustration from the April 29, 1871 issue of Harper's Weekly, that depicts...

Posted: 2 Feb 2008 | 3:09pm US/Eastern Source: http://www.mrbalihai.com/goof/

Aeroflot: You'll Never Forget It!

Check out these great advertisments from Aeroflot's 1968 News for Travellers. Back in 1966, I flew Aeroflot between Moscow and Leningrad with my parents, and it was indeed a most memorable, if not exactly enjoyable, experience: we suffered through...

Posted: 2 Feb 2008 | 9:08am US/Eastern Source: http://www.mrbalihai.com/goof/

Day 7: More Pork

Mike Nesmith's Television Parts Home Companion shares the remarkable account of one man's heroic attempt to prove that the ancient Hawaiians could've crossed the Pacific in a Polynesian restaurant and sailed to America's western shores. More video ex-Monkeeshines here...

Posted: 1 Feb 2008 | 7:07pm US/Eastern Source: http://www.mrbalihai.com/goof/

Anaheim Vacationland

When not living overseas with my parents during the Sixties, I spent much of my childhood in Southern California. I vividly recall the area surrounding Disneyland as a marvelous jumble of Googie- and Polynesian-style motels, like the Kona Kai...

Posted: 31 Jan 2008 | 9:02pm US/Eastern Source: http://www.mrbalihai.com/goof/

Pour a Little Sugar (Cane) On Me

My pissy rant against the Labour government's usurious taxation schemes nonwithstanding, I am excited about one aspect of my upcoming trip to the UK: the opportunity to visit London's newest Tiki bar, Sugar Cane. Designed by artist, Cheeky Tiki,...

Posted: 31 Jan 2008 | 7:55pm US/Eastern Source: http://www.mrbalihai.com/goof/

get me a bromo!

wow, the bromo seltzer tower has been renovated and transformed into artist's lofts and a gallery/coffeehouse!

i took a tour last nite, sponsored by the baltimore historic resources committee and led by baltimore office of promotion and the arts, and azola associates, the project contractor.

it's great to see such an iconic part of the city being put to a good use. it was originally the corporate offices for the bromo seltzer factory, which was right adjacent to the tower, on the site of what is now the fire station and a parking garage.

more info can be found at the website for the bromo seltzer tower here.

Posted: 31 Jan 2008 | 9:53am US/Eastern Source: http://jjohnnydollar.blogspot.com/

Free giant tiki head in Arizona?

Magic Carpet Golf tiki head According to an article in today’s Tucson Citizen, the new owners of the shuttered Magic Carpet Golf are practically begging for someone to remove the whimsical cement course hazards, which include the giant moai pictured here.

“I would be delighted to have somebody come and take them,” said Ted Chapman, president of Chapman Automotive and new owner of the now-defunct miniature golf facility, still packed with dozens of giant statues dating to the early 1970s.

If the statues aren’t removed, they may become part of another facility if funding can be obtained from the state. In the meantime, the iconic hazards are seemingly up for grabs.

Read the article at the Tucson Citizen | Photo courtesy of the Roadside Architecture website.