snow day in Boston!

Yahooooooo! Go sledding! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh! Look out!

all the kids...

are getting these. I can't wait to visit on carrot and spaghetti day!

Or pineapple and raspberry day! Or mashed potatoes and gravy day!

Santa's trailer down by the river

I see this trailer every year, and every year I say I'm going to take a photo. Tonight was the night. The vendor went into it and closed the door so I could see the whole mural thang. I think the painted Santa is going to give me nightmares tonight. Trust me, the pics are better blurry. I mean that in a good way! Thanks Christmas tree guy!

Mapparium in Boston

I took some family members to the Mapparium at the Mary Baker Eddy Library on Mass Avenue near Berklee. We'll never forget it. GO THERE! Great multi-media show. It's cheap. Beautiful exhibit and exhibit space. Walk around Boston and look at the Christmas lights.

I can't stop watching this

It's a Scopitone from the
early 60s by a group called
The Condors. Great version
of Ain't That Just Like Me.
Another by The Searchers.
Yet another by The Hollies.
Put on yer bikini and shake it!
Love the guys' entrances.
Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!

Lite-Brite making things with light

In 1970, I received a Show 'N Tell and Lite-Brite (under the table) for Christmas. It was on this thing that I played my older sister's 45s.

one of the best things about Turkey Day...

gravy on my mashed potatoes! Whoooooooohooooooo!

yippppeeeeee!

oh my gourd

Every fall my friend Laura paints gourds for Halloween. They are the COOLEST and they sell like hotcakes. How can you resist these gouly gourds? If you're in the Marlboro area, go buy some at Trombetta's Garden Center and have some delicious homemade ice cream while you're at it. These gourds look like evil friends. AWESOME!

1960s 45s

When I was a kid I played my sister's 45s (shown here) and LPs. They collected 45s from 1963-1966. Most of them were by The Beatles, The Dave Clark Five and other British Invasion groups. I played these records long after their heyday. Now with YouTube, I'm able to see tv performances of these groups and it's such a gas. I love all kinds of music but have a special affinity for this era. Shake it but don't break it!
Some of the other records they had: The Supremes, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, Peter and Gordon, Chad and Jeremy, The Four Seasons, Diane Renay, The Searchers, Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, ? and the Mysterians, The Chartbusters, Ronny and the Daytonas, The Shangri-las, The Beach Boys, Bobby Rydell, Trini Lopez, J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, The Mamas and the Papas, The Association, The Electric Prunes, The Young Rascals, Glen Campbell, Sonny and Cher, Roy Orbison, Lou Christie, The Jefferson Airplane, The Fifth Dimension and Sly and the Family Stone.

Above are school pictures of Kathleen (Hopkinton High School class of '68)
and Mary (class of '69) from 1963, '64 and '65 at the height of their 45 collecting.

Above are Kathleen's and Mary's senior photos.

This is a Polaroid of Kathleen and Mary before a football game in September 1967.

Here I am in red knee socks with my siblings on Easter morning in 1968.

Here are my grandmother and sisters in May of 1965, one month before I was born.

excuse me...

... while I retire to my fur-lined sensory deprivation skull designed by Joep van Lieshout of Atelier Van Lieshout. I'll take one please.

Disc-O-Teen Halloween show, 1967

Disc-O-Teen was a local, afternoon, dance show from Newark, New Jersey that aired from 1965-1967. Here's a 1967 Halloween episode featuring Alex Chilton and The Box Tops. Alex died this year at the age of 59. He was only 17-years-old in this clip. Here's more info.

completely awful song...

...but excellent footage of The Buddy Deane Show circa 1962. Some chick is singing a horrible song that she wrote. This was at the beginning of the dance craze era that started with the Twist, The Pony and Mashed Potato. Where in the crowd is the Amber Von Tussle character? They all look like secretaries. Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!

The Flintstones are 50!

The Flintstones was the first primetime TV cartoon. Read 15 things you don't know about The Flintstones. Here are Wilma and Betty watching The Beau Brummelstones (The Beau Brummels) on Shinrock, a parody of Shindig! with host Jimmy O'Neilstone.  The term "Beau Brummell" means well-dressed man and is named after Beau Brummell. Here are some other performances from the show:
• Ann-Margret as Ann-Margrock
• In Bedrock, Twitch Twitch
• Fred is like, squaresville

Alexandra Hotel in Boston, 1875

At the corner of Mass Ave. and Washington Street is the Alexandra Hotel, built in 1875. The Church of Scientology bought it and they started cleaning it up. Read about it here.

Allen House in Boston, 1859

I love having this groovy mansion in my neighborhood. It's a mix of the Italianate and French Second Empire styles. The Hite sign and building no longer exist.

The Larry Kane Show, 1962

Many 1950s and 60s teen dance shows are no longer with us because the tv studio tapes were erased. Here's rare footage of the Larry Kane Show from Houston, Texas. It ran from 1959–1972. 

Beat-Club

Beat-Club from Germany looked like an incredible show. It ran from 1965-1972. The performances were mostly live with lots of audience shots. Love the beautiful and cool hostess. Here are some clips:

• I Can't Let Go, The Hollies - 1966
• Eric Burdon and the Animals - 1967
• documentary footage
• The Tremeloes - 1967
• Peanut Butter, The Liverbirds - 1965
• Happy Jack, The Who
• Out of Time, Chris Farlowe - 1966
• Fire, The Crazy World of Aurthur Brown - 1968
• A complete episode - 1965

rocket!

1968 dancing

Boogaloo and Shing-a-ling along with the kids on Teen Time from Stubenville, Ohio in 1968. Culottes, big hair and a Nehru jacket. Check out the album commercial at the end. Money back if not delighted.

Groove along to one of the coolest songs of the 1960s. What a gas for these people to see their teenage selves. Or maybe they're cringing.

WABC in NYC

From December 1960 to May 1982, WABC in New York City was the definition of Top 40 radio. It was the most influencial music radio station of its day and had the power to make hit records. Check out the website music radio 77 and listen to the actual deejays, jingles, promos, contests, slogans, commercials and music. What a gas to hear what rock radio sounded like from the 1960s through the 80s.

I Slept With Joey Ramone

I just finished reading
the book by Mickey
Leigh (Mitchel Hyman)
about his brother Joey
Ramone (Jeff Hyman).
When I was a teenager,
and my peers were
diggin' bands like Van
Halen, Journey and REO
Speedwagon, I was grateful
for The B-52s and groups like
The Ramones. Of course I had
to buy The Ramones Greatest
Hits cd while reading it. I've
forgotten how many songs they
had. When was the last time
you heard Pet Sematary?!
I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend,
live in concert, 1980

sit ya big butt down

I have a passion for chairs. This one is from the 1950s. It has fabric
embedded in a hard plastic mold. It looks like it's based on the designs
of Ray and Charles Eames, the fantastic husband and wife design team
and two of the greatest designers ever.

let's go Red Sox!

I love when a friend calls me at 5:30 and says "wanna see the Sox
tonight?" We sat in the front row of the bleachers. The bleacher section
gets drunk and loud. It's funny to a point... then shut the hell up!

let's get outta here!

Love these! Check out Vintage Chrome Postcards and get inspired to go away for the weekend to a cheesy little motel with a pool. It'll be a
swingin' good time. Whooooooooooooaaaaahhhhhhhh!

hubba hubba

One-stop shopping for vintage girlie mags at Vintage Girlie Mags.
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Apollo Theatre, 1962

Let's head down to the Apollo for a good show and a steak.

Ready Steady Go tv show

Ready Steady Go aired in Britain from 1963 - 1966. Manfred Mann's 5-4-3-2-1 was the theme song. The show was hosted by Keith Fordyce, Dusty Springfield and Cathy McGowan, known as the "Queen of the Mods" as a result of her hosting gig. Anyone who was anyone was on this program. They ran theme shows featuring The Beatles, Otis Redding and the hugely popular Motown acts.

• Otis Redding Special, 1966
• The Sounds of Motown, 1965

Dusty was instrumental in showcasing Motown on the show.

Olmsted's Emerald Necklace

Learn about the series of Boston parks that make up the Emerald Necklace. This is great info to know if you live in Boston. Sharing is caring. Go to the Emerald Necklace Conservancy web site.

Boulder Dash rollercoaster

This cool rollercoaster bombs alongside a mountain and through the woods. It's at Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut. Check it out and go for a ride. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!