Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Summers



Tout-Gain-Gain Mercredi, y'all...

In 1971, Gainsbourg made a concept album called 'Histoire De Melody Nelson' detailing the doomed love affair between a drunken letch and the young girl he becomes obsessed with (who he first meets by hitting her on her bicycle with his Rolls-Royce); he promoted it with a half-hour TV special in France where he made little chromakey-heavy music videos for each track. Again, this was 1971. Ahh Serge, always on the vanguard.

(Salut, Gemear)

Minister of In-Flight Movies and Stewardesses



This guy must have been the Freddie Laker of pre-revolutionary Iran. The planes of Iran Air flew one mile higher than other airlines. I would have hated to be the guy who was sent out on the wing with a yardstick to make sure.

(via Adfart, courtesy of Dennis "Dr." Oetker)

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Wow...Waterbeds!

This is how they sold waterbeds to the 'cool cats' in 1981.



(Nice one, Love2register...)

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Fox News Explains It All To You


I find mideast politics quite confusing. Thank God Fox News is there to clear up matters somewhat. Here's a helpful map of the current situation, as featured on the John Gibson show yesterday. I think I get it now.

(Thanks to Amanda for the headz.)

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Gitanes...Moi Non Plus



I've decided French Pop Wednesdays this July is an all-Gainsbourg affair.

This is from some French variety special from 1967, where I guess they just planted Serge down on the set, gave him a pack of smokes and told him which camera to glare at.

The song is 'Initials BB', a tribute to you know who.

(Thanks, pgallagher4!)

Thursday, July 06, 2006

This Scud's For You

America and North Korea might want to get back to the bargaining table - I think I may have discovered some common ground.



Wednesday, July 05, 2006

'68 Bonnie & Clyde

with apologies to Beyonce and Jay-Z...accept no substitutes.

Here's one of the classics of French Pop - Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot's mighty 'Bonnie and Clyde', from Bardot's 1968 TV special. I lost count how many Gitanes Serge consumes in this video. I guess Serge was impressed by Arthur Penn's Nouvelle Vague influenced film of the same name (which at one point was actually to be directed by Francois Truffaut).



(Salut, MalkinWatch!)

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Turn Around, Bright Eyes...

...there's a Hurra Torpedo right behind you.



(Thanks, Exr!)