Dustin Schöne is a filmmaker in Germany who sent me this short video he shot for the fashion tradeshow for cool brands– Bread & Butter Berlin. There’s a quick little shout-out from a young designer who named The Selvedge Yard as one of his favorite sites to look to for inspiration. Thank you, sir. If anyone can put a name to the face, I’d love to send him a personal thank you note.

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Speaking of Bread & Butter & inspiration– I’ve had the good fortune this last year of getting to know Donwan Harrell of PRPS Denim. Donwan and I share a lot of the same loves and interests– including vintage Mopars, bikes, music, films, art, craftsmanship, etc. He’s one of those guys that you always look forward to seeing– because the conversation is filled with nostalgic stories of American style & culture back in the day, as well as what’s happening now in terms of design and denim innovation. You can’t help but be inspired around guys like him. The video below (by Highsnobiety) perfectly captures the Donwan (Black Bird) I know.

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“Georgia O’Keeffe hitching a ride to Abiquiu, Ghost Ranch, 1944″ AKA ”Women Who Rode Away.” –Image by Maria Chabot @Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. The painter, Maurice Grosser, visited his friend O’Keeffe’s ranch in 1944. Maria Chabot photographed O’Keeffe and Grosser on his 1938 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead. It’s an amazing image that celebrates denim, machine, and the joy of the open road. That look on O’Keeffe’s face says it all.   

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Initially I was interested solely in wanting to know more about the superficial circumstances around this incredible image. You know– the motorcycle, driver, etc. It soon became very clear that there was/is this unresolved, controversial account of the exact nature of Chabot and O’Keefe’s friendship that’s fascinating in itself, and added mystery and tension to this incredible shot and the close connection between the two women. There has been speculation for decades that they were involved in an intimate same-sex relationship. There are those convinced that Maria Chabot was obsessed with O’Keeffe to the point of being jealous, possessive, and an embellisher of their history together in order to paint the relationship as she wished it were. And then there are the close to 700 hauntingly personal letters written by the two women, back and forth to one another, that more than hint to something deeper than just friendship. Eventually O’Keeffe matter-of-factly requested that Chabot leave her Abiquiu house for good unless personally  invited back by O’Keeffe herself. So, what really happened?

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“The O’Keeffe Saga”–

“(Maria) Chabot had lived with Georgia O’Keeffe off and on between 1941 and 1949. She was the de facto contractor in the building of O’Keeffe’s adobe home in Abiquiu. In 1946, when O’Keeffe was informed that her husband Alfred Stieglitz had had a serious heart attack, it was Chabot who drove her directly to the Albuquerque airport so she could take the next flight to New York and O’Keeffe got to see Stieglitz before he died. The next day, Chabot flew out with suitcases of O’Keeffe’s clothes so the artist could stay in New York and take care of the estate. In short, Chabot had lengthy and privileged access to the immensely private artist. O’Keeffe and Chabot wrote regular letters to one another, letters that were kept a closely guarded secret by both parties despite the efforts…of biographers…to get a look.

Chabot refused to share her treasure, claiming that she was using O’Keeffe’s letters to write her own book on the artist. Chabot had aspired to be a writer and her letters prove her style and observations to be lively. Yet, no book materialized. She died on July 9, 2001, at the age of 87. Her letters were left to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Research Center, whose director Barbara Buhler Lynes is author of the O’Keeffe catalog raisonne. Lynes and Ann Paden then completed the book that Chabot never finished, compiling copious and often fascinating correspondence between the two women. Along the way, Lynes discovered that many of the stories with which Chabot had regaled biographers were apocryphal, at best.

Chabot clearly saw her years with O’Keeffe as a high point in her life. She had gone on camping trips with the artist and watched her paint her canvases of the rolling ebony hills she called the Black Place. Chabot was only 26 when she met the 53-year-old artist. She was looking for guidance and O’Keeffe provided it in letters that offer a rare insight into her own philosophy of life. After O’Keeffe’s death, however, Chabot embellished and expanded her role in the artist’s life, re-writing the history as she wished it had been. The letters and Lynes hard-headed commentary clarify what aspects of Chabot’s lively saga are actually based on facts.

In gossip and in biography, there have been assumptions for a long time that O’Keeffe had bisexual tendencies, assumptions largely based on her friendship with Chabot. Lynes states frankly that Chabot was intimately involved with another woman for several years before she met O’Keeffe. It is clear from their correspondence that Chabot was in love with O’Keeffe. It is equally clear from the correspondence that O’Keeffe had no such inclination and tried to quell this young woman’s infatuation.

She was able to douse the flames but Chabot’s obsession with the artist continued to smolder. Chabot spent three years on the reconstruction of the crumbling adobe that the artist purchased in Abiquiu. She oversaw the cutting of timber, the mudding of walls, the placement of windows, the lay-out of the rooms while O’Keeffe remained in New York to settle Stieglitz’s estate. She regularly told O’Keeffe that she would accept no payment for her work, that she did it out of love and respect. O’Keeffe paid her anyway, sometimes with works of art, and attempted to maintain some sort of relationship.

Chabot struggled to control her obsession with O’Keeffe and wrote to her in February, 1949 that she was ‘becoming a person who can walk with you without gravitating toward you. . . While obliging you I could never again really be obliged. This is a new slavery in which we may both rejoice. . . I have a kind of reverence for you that began before you had ever to. . . forgive me.’ As the house was completed that summer, however, Chabot could not hide her jealousy of O’Keeffe’s new assistant, Doris Bry. That fall, O’Keeffe told Chabot not to return to the Abiquiu house unless invited. Chabot’s luck with powerful women continued. She worked for the wealthy Bostonian, Mary Wheelwright, who adored her and ultimately bequeathed to her a sizeable New Mexico ranch, Los Luceros.”

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–”The O’Keeffe Saga” by Hunter Drohojowska-Philp

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(Lt.) Maria Chabot, Bernie & Max Martinez, and Georgia O’Keeffe, Ghost Ranch House, 1941 –Image by Jean Armstrong (Rt.) Maria Chabot, 1944 –unknown photographer 

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Moments in Time, Photographs by Maria Chabot–

“Maria Chabot believed that her letters and photographs were important historically, and by the early 1980s envisioned publishing them. Although she made significant progress over the years, the project was far from finished at the time of her death in 2001, when she bequeathed her literary estate to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Research Center. Under the auspices of the Research Center, editors Barbara Buhler Lynes, who is The Emily Fisher Landau Director of the Research Center, and Ann Paden, who worked for Chabot on the project from 1999-2001, were able to realize Chabot’s dream by finishing the book, which has been copublished by the Research Center and the University of New Mexico Press: Maria Chabot/Georgia O’Keeffe: Correspondence, 1941-1949. 

According to Lynes, ‘The never-before-seen-images provide fascinating glimpses into the day-to-day lives of these two strong and independent women and of their camping trips to a place 150 miles west of Abiquiu that O’Keeffe called the Black Place.’ It also includes Chabot’s photographs of O’Keeffe’s house in Abiquiu, which provide the only visual record of how the house looked as a ruin in 1945, but also of the various remarkable stages of its restoration. In addition, the exhibition presents photographs by other photographers who were friends with both women, such as Ansel Adams, John Candelario, Laura Gilpin, and Eliot Porter.”

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Georgia O’Keeffe and Orville Cox (her Ghost Ranch wrangler), Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, 1937. –Image by Ansel Adams © Trustees of The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust

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I love Texas. There are more Rock, Country, Folk and Blues music greats from the Lone Star State than you can shake a stick at– not to mention the colorful and storied scene they created that lives-on today. The loyal fans who were around back then dutifully keep it alive through a rich oral history.

My buddy Bruce is one of those guys. Ask him if he recalls when the Sex Pistols toured through Texas in ’78 and his eyes light up like a Christmas tree. Before you can catch your breath, out come tales of the filth, fury & raucousness of that time like it was yesterday– “You mean that Sid Vicious kid?  Yeah man, of course I remember it. It was a mess! He was runnin’ his mouth, spittin’, and swingin’ that bass around like a baseball bat on stage– mowin’ people down.  They wanted to kill him!” Ask him about Charlie Sexton, and out come tales of the early days of him and his lil’ brother Will playing in clubs before they were teens…then with the Vaughan brothers (Jimmie & Stevie Ray)…and Charlie’s much-loved band, Arc Angels, with Doyle Bramhall II, son of the legendary Doyle Bramhall…and how Doyle (Senior) and the Vaughan brothers own history together (among many others, Jimmie and Doyle both came out of the legendary band, The Chessman) was foundational in laying the groundwork for the Dallas / Austin music scene in the 1960s & 1970s that is so prolific, relevant, and vital to this day. Whew.

These three families– The Vaughans, the Bramhalls, & the Sextons, are forever entwined with one another in the history of Texas music. Everyone knows about Jimmie & Stevie Ray Vaughan, ’nuff said. Doyle Bramhall (Senior) is a legend who left his mark on this world that sadly lost him back in November. Doyle Bramhall II is known for his early days with Charlie Sexton in Arc Angels. Young Doyle went on to be a singer in his own right, and a much in-demand guitarist who has backed-up some of the greats like Roger Waters and Eric Clapton. Then we have the Sexton brothers…

Charlie Sexton was often railed as a Post-Wave pretty boy, which he definitely was during his mainstream popularity. (I remember a few of the hip girls in High School with Charlie Sexton posters on their walls, and tee-shirts emblazoned with his pouty lips & piled-high coif on their budding chests.) His rising star somehow failed to reach its promised heights back then, but over the years Charlie has silenced his critics by becoming a very well-respected musician (his guitar playing is simply incredible) and producer who has toured and recorded with some of the biggest names in the business– Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, to name just a few. And for you hipsters out there– he even played with Spoon on Austin City Limits back in 2010. Will Sexton is less known, but no less talented– and perhaps even the more sensitive, thoughtful musicians of the two. Definitely more folksy, in a good way. (In all fairness, the video clips I chose of the Sexton brothers are of when they were very young, back in the ’80s, in fact. I think it’s safe to say we all have some fashion / hair moments from those days that we’d all like to forget. Go on YouTube to see their current work, which is very solid.) Charlie and his little brother Will went off on different musical paths, but those paths will bring them together again, as both make their mark in the annals of Texas music history for us to savor, and the next generation to discover.

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July 4th, 1982 — A very young Charlie Sexton,13-yrs-old, playing with the Joe Ely Band (which toured as the opener for The Clash back in the day– you heard me right, this kid opened for The Clash.) at Gilley’s, Pasadena, TX. That Rockabilly look would carry through to Charlie’s next band, the Eager Beaver Boys– in fact, the hair would get higher and higher. –image Tracy Hart

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1979 — Great shot of Joe Strummer of The Clash, and Texas music legend Joe Ely at the Tribal Stomp II concert. –Image by © Roger Ressmeyer/Corbis

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Another old, undated pic of the very young Sexton brothers, Charlie & Will, playing together in Texas. Both Charlie and Will were taught to play guitar by Texas legend and “Godfather of Austin Blues”– W.C. Clark (who along with the Vaughan brothers, Doyle Bramhall and others, was critical in laying the early  foundation for the Austin Blues scene). In 1988, the brothers formed the band “Will & the Kill” and released a 38 minute self-titled album produced by Joe Ely that featured Jimmie Vaughan on a few tracks. The album was recorded at the Fire Station Studio and released on MCA Records.

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On many occasions, the extraordinary, young Sexton brothers– twelve-year-old Charlie and ten-year-old Will opened for Stevie Ray Vaughan and joined him on stage. –via Cheatham Street, San Marcos, Texas. Whate were you doing when you were 10? Good God.

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Charlie Sexton’s big hit single “Beat’s So lonely” broke into the Top Twenty charts back in 1985. Yep, it’s Teen Beat fodder, but the kid was a no slouch– check out the pick harmonics during his guitar solo in the video below. 

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Classic freakin’ clip of  young Will Sexton being interviewed during the “Will & the Kill” days, so ’80s! If you were around back then, this will slay you.

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The band Arc Angels was formed sometime around 1991 featuring Charlie Sexton and Doyle Bramhall II, backed by the legendary Tommy Shannon & Chris “Whipper” Layton of “Double Trouble” (Stevie Ray Vaughan’s backing band) fame. “Arc Angels” released a self-titled album on Geffen Records in 1992, produced by Steven Van Zandt. Personally the band couldn’t hold it together– communication issues, drugs, etc, began to break them down. It would be the band’s only official release, and “Arc Angels” would break-up within 3 years. In the video below, check how Doyle’s left-handed guitar is strung, high strings on top– its the opposite of how Jimi Hendrix (the most famous lefty guitarist) strung his. 

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Another shot of “Arc Angels”, featuring Charlie Sexton and Doyle Bramhall II, backed by the legendary Tommy Shannon & Chris “Whipper” Layton of Double Trouble (Stevie Ray Vaughan’s backing band) fame. In 1995, Charlie formed “The Charlie Sexton Sextet” and released “Under The Wishing Tree” that while being somewhat of a commercial flop, was critically well received.

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Charlie Sexton, Stiv Bators, Adam Bomb, Johnny Thunders and that’s the Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones just out of frame. Limelight VIP room in NYC. This shot was published in Melody Maker. —-image via Adam Bomb

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February 1991– Doyle Bramhall II & Charlie Sexton of the Texas band Arc Angels –image Tracy Hart

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March, 1991– Doyle Bramhall II & Charlie Sexton, the Arc Angels performing at Austin Music Awards –image Tracy Hart

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Feb, 1991– Charlie Sexton and Chris Layton at Bon Ton Room in Houston, Texas –image Tracy Hart

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You can’t mention Doyle Bramhall without paying tribute– one of the forefathers of the Dallas / Austin music scene. Bramhall (on drums) partnered with Jimmie Vaughan in Dallas (on guitar, of course) to form a blues band– The Chessmen during the 1960s. Later the two, along with Jimmie’s younger brother, and soon-to-be- Blues God, Stevie Ray Vaughan (he played in Bramhall’s band The Nightcrawlers in the 1970s, and it’s widely recognized that Bramhall was a major influence on Stevie’s vocal style), headed south to Austin to help create the the rich & vital music scene there that is still a hotbed of talent today. Many take solace in the thought that Doyle and Stevie are now together again making music in heaven.

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Matt Smith & JP check out a ’65 Triumph Bonneville T120C rebuild at Matt’s shop Quaker City Motor Works in West Chester, PA. –Image by Ashley Smalley

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My Friend, Matt Smith, vintage Brit bike restorer at Quaker City City Motor Works & Smoke and Throttle, has joined forces with some very impressive talent–  avid motorcycle collector and racer John Lawless, ex-dirt bike racer and experienced filmmaker Ed Buffman, and former director and editor at NBC Shel Brown. The result is this great little trailer for a television show being pitched that Matt would host, called– “Retro Moto”. I’m really excited about it because it’s exactly the kind of show I’d want to watch– all about classic bikes, their history, and the people who love to ride ‘em. Check it out after the jump and let us know what you think.

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Matt grew up steeped in motorcycle culture in his home state of Pennsylvania, where he resides today. His father the late, great Robert”Snuffy” Smith raced vintage bikes, and Matt’s cousin John Mcllvaine was a mechanic for Gary Nixon’s protege, Gary Fisher. In fact, you can see some rare and never before published pics of a young, string-bean Gary Nixon taken by John here.

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Gary Nixon wins again (picture courtesy of the John Melniczuk Archives– Mr. Melniczuk is Matt’s mentor in bike restoration, and owner & proprietor at J & M Enterprises in Cedarville, New Jersey) See more old, unreleased images of Nixon here @ Smoke and Throttle

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Gary Nixon started racing when he was 15-yrs-old– professionally at 17. Short and wiry at only 89 pounds– his slight size gave him an advantage over many of his bigger and more experienced competitors. Nixon would have his break-through year in 1963– winning his first AMA National road race, following-up 3 weeks later with a convincing victory in a short-track National race. He would finish the ’63 season ranked sixth in the Grand National Series.

Nixon’s speed, strength and skills accelerated, and the wins kept coming. In 1966 he was AMA Grand National runner-up to Bart Markel– and took the top honor of National Cycle Champion for 1967 & 1968. Nixon was known as one of the most tenacious and tough competitors ever, who often rode injured. For three years he raced with a battered leg held together by an 18-inch rod of stainless steel. The injuries would soon catch-up with Nixon, and he would be limited to mainly road racing. True to Nixon’s legendary skill and determination to win, he became one of the best pavement racers on the scene.

The history books should also reflect Gary Nixon as the 1976 World Formula 750 series champion, and the first American to win this honor– but Nixon was screwed by the bureaucratic governing board’s late decision to throw out a controversial race during the season. This would cost Nixon precious points, and ultimately the title.

Gary Nixon will not only be remembered  as a great champion who earned the respect and admiration of teammates, competitors, and fans alike– he was also one of the most colorful characters to ever grace the sport.  RIP Gary Nixon.

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“Back in the day, you had to do like everything– dirt track, road race, TT, short track, mile, 1/2 mile…  when I was a young kid, I was kind of a sports freak. I liked playing baseball, and playing football– but then everyone got big and I stayed small… Then, playing baseball, I got hit in the head with the bat– and I thought, man this is not it! So, I’d seen a couple [motorcycle] races, and some pictures in magazines, and I thought– Well, I want to do that, you know! Then, it just so happened that a guy came into town and had a bike that needed a rider…”

–Gary Nixon

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Gary Nixon, 1967 National Motorcycle Champion– who held the AMA #1 plate in 1967 & 1968. ”To those who follow the sport, Nixon is the American dream, the champion– and that’s what earned him the right to blur around tracks this year with No. 1 displayed on anything he rides.” –Baltimore Sun, Sunday Magazine, 1968

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“Gary had the ego of a racer, and you need an ego to be a racer. He was known to go to the starting gate before the start of a race and say, ‘Which one of you is coming in second?’ He rode injured, and for his size was a strong man. He did one arm pushups for strength. He said, ‘If you want to go faster– you have to brake harder than anyone else when going into curves.’ And in order to keep the bike from wobbling, he had to have strong arms.”

–Robert Glick

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Arguably one of the most iconic and loved images of motorcycle racing legend Gary Nixon. Taken at the old Ascot Park Speedway back in 1967– Nixon, tongue out, sliding into the half-mile oval track turn.

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“At a press session someone asked Gary Nixon what his advice would be for someone who wanted to pursue motorcycle road racing. His reply– ‘Anyone who wants to road race motorcycles is here this week doing it!’ Room goes quiet, as we all realized that his short and simple reply said it all. At Loudon, Gary Nixon was amazing. Every race where he was close to the front, we’d all wait for his signature move– on the final lap he’d simply “out-brake” the 1st place rider in the final lap and win by a few bike lengths. “Out-brake” is an understatement– he was seemingly doing the impossible.”

–Mike Barone

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Gary Nixon– Many old-school fans during Nixon’s Triumph days, who rode Triumphs themselves, took great pride and joy in seeing their champion regularly beat the bigger Harley-Davidson bikes on his little 500cc twin.

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“When Nixon rolls up his shirt sleeves his arms look like road-maps, scars tracing a history of his career in motorcycle racing. He is the oldest in the United States and, perhaps…one of the most daring motorcycle racers in the world. He is certainly one of the most battered… I guess it’s like a woman having a baby– I’m told that it is a horribly painful thing, yet women keep having babies. Your body forgets how the pain was.”

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–Jim Holechek & Sandy McKee on Gary Nixon in The Evening Sun, 1978 

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“Gary Nixon was a master of going fast on a bad handling motorcycle. I believe it was Gary who figured out how to get the bike stopped, then turn it hard, stand it back up, and get on the gas. If you wanted to know what tire to use– you looked at Gary’s tires. I was always proud to introduce him as the two-time AMA Grand National Champion…Grand National Champion meant that you had to excel at five types of motorcycle racing– often on dangerous tracks. Most of the tracks back then had the same safety system– a few hay bales placed where most of the crashes occurred.” – Jerry Wood 

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June, 1968– National Motorcycle Champion 1967, Gary Nixon, on a Triumph 500 competing at Loudon, New Hampshire (the old Bryar Motorsports Park), known for holding the oldest motorcycle race in the country– The Loudon Classic. Cliff Guild is pictured tuning Nixon’s motorcycle. –Image via

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June, 1968– National Motorcycle Champion 1967, Gary Nixon, on a Triumph 500 competing at Loudon, New Hampshire (the old Bryar Motorsports Park). –Image via

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1969– Gary Nixon chin to the tank, torque-twisting the rear tire on his Triumph.

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(Teammate and fellow rider in Bruce Brown’s epic “On Any Sunday” rider starring Steve McQueen) David Aldana points to one of the biggest problems for the American team in the inaugural 1971 Trans-Atlantic Match Race Series (launched by BSA/Triumph), Gary Nixon’s broken left wrist. American motorcycle road racing was beginning to emerge as a separate entity from the country’s flat track roots. The question arose at a bar in Daytona Beach in 1971 between the American and British BSA/Triumph big wigs as to who were the best road racers between the Americans or the British. While the liquor flowed the concept of the Match Races emerged and, in the simpler times of the early 1970s racing scene, the event was quickly organized. According to 1971 Daytona 200 winner, Dick Mann, the match wasn’t exactly fair. “If I had been in the bar that night, I would have asked our guys ‘what were you thinking?’ But I didn’t get that chance, so about mid-week [at Daytona] we got handed a packet that included an itinerary for a trip to England. We were told it was just some kind of exhibition. When we got to England we found it was more like Custer’s Last Stand. Here we were matched up against the likes of Paul Smart, John Cooper and a bunch other British short circuit veterans on the tracks they had all grown up on and all of them with new “Low-Boy” BSA and Triumph triples. Only Mann and Gary Nixon (who was riding Romero’s Daytona bike) were on “Low-Boys” and the rest of us had the taller, heavier year-old machines. We ended getting smoked pretty badly in that first series, but we still had fun and set the stage for a series that eventually would see Americans winning over there.” –via The Rider Files, image courtesy Jim Greening Collection

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“Mid-life, I moved to SE Pennsylvania– maybe an hour from Gary Nixon’s shop, and would stop by and see him every so often. I have to say it took some courage to do this, as I was just a fan. I always rehearsed the questions I wanted to ask…and this provided time with him that I will never forget. He never once showed any indication that all these visits from fans like me were an inconvenience.” –Mike Barone

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“The thing with Gary, he wasn’t a real politician– and he kinda said what he felt and believed what he felt, really believed it. If you were his friend, he’d do anything for you…”  –Erv Kanemoto, legendary bike tuner who partnered with Nixon to win the 1973 U.S. National Road Racing Championship for Kawasaki

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Gary Nixon fitted with a camera on his helmet to shoot action footage for Bruce Brown’s epic 1971 motorcycling film, “On Any Sunday”. Gary Nixon is introduced at around the 8-minute mark when they get into the riders and specific racing styles, events, etc.– you can watch the entire film below.

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“Winners Go with Bell” –Gary Nixon ad for Bell Helmets from probably back around 1968.

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Triumph Motorcycle promo publication with the foreword written by none other than Gary Nixon. Also featured is Marlon Brando– he rode his own Triumph for the iconic 1953 film– The Wild One

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Great old shot of a young Gary Nixon in a Triumph t-shirt– here you can see his legendary arms. One of  his signature quips was–”So, how many one-arm push-ups can you do!? They don’t count unless your pecker and your nose touch the ground at the same time.”

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Gary Nixon was a cult figure in the US, and across the pond– definitely for his epic riding in the British-American match races during the 1970s, but also because (Suzuki) teammate, and fellow racing legend, Barry Sheene (above, 1974) proudly raced with a Gary Nixon Enterprises T-shirt under his leathers.”[Sheene] really liked Gary– every time you see the leathers open, he’d have the Nixon t-shirt.” –Erv Kanemoto, legendary bike tuner who partnered with Nixon to win the 1973 U.S. National Road Racing Championship for Kawasaki

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]]> http://theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/gary-nixon-so-which-one-of-you-sorry-s-o-b-s-is-coming-in-second/feed/ 7 JP Gary Nixon 1967 national motorcycle champion BW Gary Nixon Tongue Gary Nixon dirt track race gry nixon motorcycle dirt track racer Gary Nixon Triumph motorcycle Gary Nixon Triumph motorcycle racer 1969 Gary Nixon flat tire photo Gary Nixon broken wrist gary nixon motorcycle racer profile gary-nixon gary nixon on any sunday On-Any-Sunday_helmet-camera gary nixon bell helmets bw triumph gary nixon motorcycle ad Gary Nixon Triumph motorcycle t-shirt Gary Nixon Barry Sheene http://theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/peace-on-earth-bing-bowies-epic-and-timeless-holiday-classic-duet/ http://theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/peace-on-earth-bing-bowies-epic-and-timeless-holiday-classic-duet/#comments Sat, 24 Dec 2011 15:59:35 +0000 JP http://theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com/?p=28090 ]]> -

“Peace on Earth” has long been one of my all-time favorite Holiday tunes. Even more so when I learned about the odd and magical pairing of David Bowie & Bing Crosby many years ago. It was an epic moment in music history that almost didn’t happen– in more ways than one.

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Bing Crosby & David Bowie taping the TV special “Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas” back in 1977.

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When the producers of Bing Crosby’s “Merrie Olde Christmas” TV special asked Bowie to sing “The Little Drummer Boy” with Bing in 1977, he flatly refused.

Ian Fraser, Buz Kohan and Larry Grossman left the set and found a piano in the studios’ basement. In about 75 minutes, they wrote “Peace on Earth,” an original tune, and worked out an arrangement that weaved together the two songs. Bowie and Crosby nailed the performance with less than an hour of rehearsal. Bowie liked it.

Bowie, who was 30 at the time, and Crosby, then 73, recorded the duet Sept. 11, 1977, for Crosby’s “Merrie Olde Christmas” TV special. A month later, Crosby was dead of a heart attack. The special was broadcast on CBS about a month after his death.

It’s unclear whether Crosby had any idea who the Hell this Bowie kid was. Buz Kohan says he was never sure Crosby knew anything about Bowie’s work. Fraser has a slightly different memory: “I’m pretty sure he did. Bing was no idiot. If he didn’t, his kids sure did.”

via The Washington Post

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September 11th, 1977– Iconic crooners Bing Crosby & David Bowie shake hands during the taping of the television special “Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas”.

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David Bowie agreed to the duet with Crosby on his Christmas special only if Bing would also air a Bowie solo performance. Bing introduced and showed Bowie’s progressive video for “Heroes”– and when you think about how this must’ve stuck out like a sore thumb on Bing’s special, it’s pretty amusing. It was also pretty ballsy of Bing, given his audience– it’s a pretty trippy piece in this context.

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BING CROSBY, THE FIRST HIP WHITE PERSON BORN IN THE UNITED STATES 

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Honda CL350 motorcycle built by GLORY Motor Works for the film, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” –Image by © COOP, see more here

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In case you missed it– Bike EXIF ran a great piece on the bike build by Justin Kell and crew at his GLORY Motor Works in LA for the highly anticipated David Fincher film, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. After seeing the 2009 original, I’ve been going nuts waiting for Fincher’s release– as he’s bound to take Stieg Larsson’s riveting novel to cinematic greatness. He obviously picked the right guy to bring Lisbeth Slander’s bike alive– it will no doubt become a prime object of obsession in itself. Justin chose the humble Honda CL-350 (an unlikely hero, much like Lisbeth herself), whose classic, clean lines don’t need much finessing to quickly blossom into the ultimate bare-bones damaged bastard that packs more punch than meets the eye.

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Honda CL350 motorcycle built by GLORY Motor Works for the film, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” –Image by © COOP, see more here

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Here’s Justin’s own words on the epic experience for which he was given just 30 days, via Bike EXIF–

“I got the call to meet with [director] David Fincher and discuss motorcycles for a new film he was doing [The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo]. I bought all three Larsson books and read them in three days: the character of Lisbeth Salander is killer. As I read the books, I kept thinking that Lisbeth’s bike would be the kind of bike most 20-somethings with limited financial resources would ride. She wouldn’t have an expensive modern bike– she would have an inexpensive, older bike that would be customized to fit her personality. I had to convince Fincher that we could build vintage bikes to be as reliable as modern bikes. David leaves no detail untouched– he knows that a broken motorcycle can delay production and cost the film company thousands of dollars.” 

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Honda CL350 motorcycle built by GLORY Motor Works for the film, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” –Image by © COOP, see more here

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Honda CL350 motorcycle built by GLORY Motor Works for the film, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” –Image by © COOP, see more here

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Honda CL350 motorcycle built by GLORY Motor Works for the film, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” –Image by © COOP, see more here

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Honda CL350 motorcycles built by GLORY Motor Works for the film, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” –Image by © Jacqui Van Ham, see more here

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Honda CL350 motorcycles built by GLORY Motor Works for the film, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” –Image by © Jacqui Van Ham, see more here

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The three Honda CL350 motorcycles are now back in LA being rebuilt by GLORY Motor Works for the follow-up to “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” –Image by © Jacqui Van Ham, see more here

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Honda CL350 motorcycle built by Justin Kell and crew at GLORY Motor Works for the David Fincher film, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” –Image by © Jacqui Van Ham, see more here

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The three Honda CL350 motorcycles are now back in LA being rebuilt by GLORY Motor Works for the follow-up to “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” –Image by © Jacqui Van Ham, see more here

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Honda CL350 motorcycle built by GLORY Motor Works for the film, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” –Image by © COOP, see more here

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Honda CL350 motorcycle built by GLORY Motor Works for the film, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” –Image by © COOP, see more here

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“The ­motorcycle was the thing I ­really didn’t want to do. You know, you’re ­going to be raped, be naked… But as soon as he was like, ‘You’re going to have to ride a motorcycle,’ I was like, ‘Oh, really?’” –Rooney Mara.  

“She was sent over to me to start teaching her to ride,” says Kell. “She had never been on a bike before, so we had to start easy. I’ve trained many actors to ride over the years, and I must say that Rooney was one of the best. She was fearless, but smart. In three days, we had her doing everything that she needed to do on camera at 35 mph.” –Justin Kell

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1968 brochure detailing the Honda CL-350 Scrambler specifications

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1968 brochure detailing the Honda CL-350 Scrambler specifications

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Read the full story at Bike EXIF

See Coop’s incredible photo stream Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: Honda CL350

See Jacqui Van Ham’s photography website– The Vintage Advantage

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So, I stumbled across this little gem on the internets… actually my friend Aaron clued me in.  Cute. Complex Magazine has wittily and succinctly summed-up the men’s style blogger landscape. I’d say that you probably couldn’t have picked a better category than the one we fell into. Actually, we’re in pretty damn good company. Though I do pride TSY on being eclectic enough to dodge pigeonholing.

That said, yes, I would like a Schott Heritage Perfecto jacket.  I dare say it is the epitome of “badass.” Sons of Anarchy???  Trust me– never seen it.

Check, please.

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“You try to put the screws on me brother– and I’ll screw right from under ya”

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A couple of quick announcements for two cool, upcoming happenings– 

Photographer and friend Scott Toepfer is screening his epic short “It’s Better in the Wind”, yes!

Wednesday, 11/30 @ 9pm at The Mandrake Bar – 2692 S La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90034 (between Venice Blvd. &  Washington Blvd).

TSY BFF East Side Moto Babes will be in attendance, and there will even be a screening of SHUTTER SPEED. Come on, come all!

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See See Motorcycles (Portland, Oregon) is unveiling 21 Helmets. Huh? 21 white Bell helmets that were custom-designed by noted weirdo artists, including photographer Ray Gordon of Throttled fame.

21 Helmets: Dec. 9th – 10th, 5pm – 10pm, See See Motorcycles, 1642 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland, OR

Plenty of PBR will also be on-hand… so shit– get there.

Related TSY posts:

THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF RAY GORDON | — THROTTLED –

THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF RAY GORDON | BONNEVILLE– HOT RODS IN SPACE

FINALLY — “IT’S BETTER IN THE WIND” | A FILM BY SCOTT TOEPFER

“WHATEVER IT IS– IT’S BETTER IN THE WIND”

A TIME TO GET BUSY WITH NICK’S RAD PRE-PARTY PHOTOS OF SHUTTER SPEED

YOU KNOW IT’S A GOOD NIGHT WHEN… THANK YOU SECRET SERVICE LA & NICK

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I was chatting with my friend Don a couple weeks ago about epic car films, and Two-Lane Blacktop quickly came up. Don is a major car nut (particularly classic Mopars) and so he quickly segued from Blacktop to American Graffiti– correctly stating that it was the same ’55 Chevy (built by Richard Ruth of Competition Engineering of Sunland, CA) for Blacktop that Falfa drove in George Lucas’ classic American Graffiti. Well there were actually two ’55 Chevy hot rods from Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) that were used in American Graffiti (1973). Both were built using Richard Ruth’s own ’55 Chevy as the blueprint. Producer Gary Kurtz (Two-Lane Blacktop & American Graffiti) had visited Ruth who took him for a pulse-quickening ride in his big-block hot rod. That same evening Kurtz promptly ordered three cars from Richard Ruth– two exactly like Ruth’s, and one stunt car.

Two of these original cars would survive to live another day in George Lucas’ American Graffiti: 

Main Car 1– Equipped with a 427 crate motor, M-22 Muncie, 4.88 Olds rear, fiberglass front end, doors, and trunk lid, straight axle front suspension when built and later modified and used in American Graffiti.

Stunt Car– All steel-bodied car equipped with a 454 crate motor, TH 400 automatic, Olds rear of unknown gearing, modified for American Graffiti. It was used for interior shots as it was equipped with an auto tranny and drove smoother than a stick.

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Shot of Mel’s drive-in from the 1973 classic, “American Graffiti” — Image by © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis Mel’s drive-in was actually out of business, and was reopened just for the filming of American Graffiti– then promptly demolished after filming was finished. American Graffiti was George Lucas’ semi-autobiographical teenage tale (Lucas grew up in Modesto, CA during the heyday of cruising and hot rods) that starred a treasure trove of young talent– Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips, and the list goes on. It also created a huge resurgence in American 1950′s & 1960′s culture–  inspiring a long string of films and TV shows, most notably “Happy Days.” Hot Rod magazine even listed the ’55 Chevy and ’32 Ford deuce coupe (the true stars of the film) at the top of their list of most influential hot rods of all time.        

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Paul Le Mat in the George Lucas’ 1973 classic car film, “American Graffiti.” George Lucas had  the license plate on the ’32 Ford hot rod read: THX-138. This was a reference to THX-1138, his 1971 sc-fi flick. Later in his Star Wars saga, the yellow airspeeder Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan use to chase bounty hunter Zam Wesell is said to be a tribute to John Milner’s iconic coupe in American Graffiti.

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Wolfman Jack on the set of George Lucas’ “American Graffiti” — Image by © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis Wolfman Jack has hand-picked to star in American Graffiti because of his own found memories listening to the raspy, deep-voiced deejay back in his youth. Wolfman Jack is classic– as a kid, I myself had a “Wolfman Jack” impersonation that I was quite proud of.

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Pal Le Mat, Cindy Williams and Ron Howard in George Lucas’ 1973 classic film, “American Graffiti”

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Cindy Williams (Laverne & Shirley) in George Lucas’ 1973 classic car cruising film, “American Graffiti”

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Young George Lucas on the set of his 1973 classic film about 1950s & ’60s cruising, “American Graffiti”

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George Lucas on the set of his 1973 classic, “American Graffiti” — Image by © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis

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Young Harrison Ford in George Lucas’ 1973 classic hot rod cruising film, “American Graffiti”

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Harrison Ford in George Lucas’ 1973 film, “American Graffiti” — Image by © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis

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 Charles Martin Smith and Candy Clark on the set of the George Lucas’ 1973 classic coming-of-age film,”American Graffiti” — Image by © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis

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Charles Martin Smith, Candy Clark on Ron Howard in Lucas’ 1973 classic car film,”American Graffiti” 

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Candy Clark from George Lucas’ 1973 car classic, “American Graffiti” — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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Richard Dreyfuss in George Lucas’ classic, “American Graffiti” — Image by © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis

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Richard Dreyfuss and Bo Hopkins on the set of the George Lucas’ 1973 car classic, “American Graffiti” — Image by © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis

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Paul Le Mat (John Milner) on the set of George Lucas’ 1973 classic car film, “American Graffiti”

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Mackenzie Phillips & Paul Le Mat on the set of George Lucas’ 1973 classic car film, “American Graffiti”– Image by © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis

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Old write-up on the ’55 Chevy that starred 2 epic car films– American Graffiti and Two-Lane Blacktop

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Related TSY posts:

TWO-LANE BLACKTOP | UNDER THE HOOD OF THE EPIC 1971 ROAD FLICK

REQUIRED VIEWING “BULLITT” | THE GRANDDADDY OF CAR CHASE SCENES

HOLLYWOOD’S INNOVATIVE KUSTOM KULTURE LEGEND | DEAN JEFFRIES

THE LEGENDARY STRIPER VON DUTCH | STILL ALIVE AND LIVING IN ARIZONA ’72

ED “BIG DADDY” ROTH | RAT FINK KING OF SOUTH CALI KUSTOM KAR KULTURE

FLAT-OUT ON THE SALT FLATS | THE 1954 BONNEVILLE HOT ROD SPEED MEET

GREAT 1950′s T-BUCKET HOT ROD RIVALRY | KOOKIE KAR VS. THE “OUTHOUSE ON WHEELS”

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In 1964, Mopar unleashed their 426 Hemi-powered fleet at the Daytona 500 and swept Ford clean off the track– taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Richard Petty (NASCAR 1959 Rookie of the Year, which was amazingly the same year that his father Lee won the Daytona 500) led for an impressive 184 laps, and handily took the win.

That year an outmatched Chevy did not even compete in NASCAR. Ford attempted to debut their new SOHC 427 just days before Daytona– but not only had they failed to list the engine with NASCAR 45 days prior as required, this was not a stock engine at all. Ford was flatly denienied, but even worse than that– Mopar somehow got drug into the high-performance engine debate (many say Ford was muddying the waters for Mopar behind the scenes) that spiraled into the 426 Hemi (reportedly capable of producing 600 HP in NASCAR trim…), which truly was a stock car engine sold to the public, being banned from future NASCAR races.

This easily could have spelled the end of Mopar’s 426 Hemi– arguably the most legendary and iconic American muscle car engine ever. But what Mopar did next was surprising– they decided to turn the tables and boycott NASCAR. This was potentially a major setback for Richard Petty’s racing career, as he was on pace to win the championship that year.

As fate would have it, drag racing was becoming a huge draw– as fans gathered in fevered hordes to see the new wave of super-powered big-block Motor City madness go head-to-head on the drag strips. Plymouth and the Petty crew announced their abrupt move to drag racing– although Petty had no real serious drag racing experience. It would be an exciting, and short-lived venture that would produce a couple of badass Hemi-powered Barracuda dragsters. Unfortunately it was also a period marred by a tragedy that would affect Richard Petty forever.

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August 16th, 1964, Huntington, West Virginia — Original caption: Richard Petty of Randleman, North Carolina flashes a winner’s smile after winning Mountaineer “500″ late model stock car race near here 8/16.  Helping him hold the winner’s trophy is pretty June Patton, “Miss Huntington” and “Miss Mountaineer 500.” — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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February 28th, 1965, Dallas, GA — Original caption: Richard Petty’s supercharged dragster flashes down the strip here in this picture made just an instant before the vehicle veered off the track and into the crowd.  Petty’s car plunged into the spectators just left of the pole at right.  An eight-year-old boy was killed and at least eight other spectators were injured. “Outlawed” on the side of the car refers to the fact that the vehicle, a (Hemi-powered) Plymouth, was recently banned from NASCAR stock car racing. Petty, one of the top NASCAR drivers last year, normally doesn’t drive drag races. — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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February 28th, 1965, Dallas, GA — Original caption: Volunteers load one of the injured into an ambulance after stock car driver Richard Petty’s car roared off a drag strip here and plunged into a crowd of spectators.  One youth (an 8 yr old boy) was killed and at least eight others injured in the mishap. — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis. Petty suffered minor injuries in the wreck, but was permanently scarred emotionally and has never publicly discussed it. The dragster was promptly hauled behind the Petty’s shop where it was buried– he never wanted to set eyes on that cursed ‘Cuda again. Reports say that Richard Petty walked away from the wreck cussing the car that he now hated– saying over and over, “I’ll never drag race again”. Many cash offers were made for the twisted wreckage– but Petty flatly refused. True to his word– he was determined that no one would ever see it, let alone have it, again.

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Richard Petty in his Hemi-powered Plymouth Barracuda 43/JR. drag racer that replaced the original “Outlawed” ‘Cuda dragster wrecked in the tragic crash. Due to Bill France’s decision to allow Hemi’s to race in NASCAR again, the “Outlawed” badge was retired. 

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Richard Petty’s Hemi-powered Plymouth Barracuda dragster. Street production ‘Cudas would not see a Hemi engine until 1967, when along with the Hemi, the 383 and 440 V-8 engines were options. The new 2nd generation Barracudas were now bigger by 2″ in width and length to house the new torque-twisting power-plants.

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Richard Petty pictured here with his 2nd Plymouth Barracuda (43/JR.) drag racer. The original had sported a bumper sticker that thumbed its nose at the NASCAR ban of Mopar’s Hemi engine– “NASCAR, If you can’t outrun ’em, outlaw ’em.” “Outlawed” was also defiantly painted on the original ‘Cuda’s doors to further make the point. Here you can see that the ‘Cuda’s headlight openings are covered in aluminum and the front bumper has been removed for better performance. 

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Related TSY posts:

“WE’LL DROP A HEMI IN THE REAR– AND RUN LIKE HELL.” | HEMI UNDER GLASS

THE ’66 DODGE CHARGER | MY FIRST TRUE LOVE/WHEELS

THE ULTIMATE CARROLL SHELBY MUSTANG | THE GT500E SUPER SNAKE

THE FORD MUSTANG GT350 | CARROLL SHELBY & THE AMERICAN PONY WAR

CARROLL SHELBY & THE FORD GT40 | FOUR YRS OF DOMINATION AT LE MANS

THE SNAKE & THE STALLION | HOW SHELBY KICKED FERRARI’S ASS

THE 1950′s T-BUCKET RIVALRY | KOOKIE KAR vs. THE “OUTHOUSE ON WHEELS”

SEX & SPEED | “JUNGLE PAM” HARDY & “JUNGLE JIM” LIBERMAN LIGHT ‘EM UP

OLD SCHOOL HURST GIRLS GONE WILD | GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES

1950 – 1959 THE SANTA ANA DRAG STRIP DAYS | THEY DID IT FOR LOVE

FLAT-OUT ON THE SALT FLATS | THE 1954 BONNEVILLE HOT ROD MEET

RELIVE DRAG RACING’S TOP RIVALRY 11/10 ~ THE SNAKE VS. THE MONGOOSE

SCUDERIA FERRARI FROM SILVERSTONE TO MONACO | LIFE MAGAZINE, MAY 1956

REQUIRED VIEWING “BULLITT” | THE GRANDDADDY OF CAR CHASE SCENES

1970 12 HOURS OF SEBRING RACE | STEVE McQUEEN’S BRUSH WITH VICTORY

TWO-LANE BLACKTOP | UNDER THE HOOD OF THE EPIC 1971 ROAD FLICK

MID-ENGINE DUEL THAT NEVER WAS | THE 390 AMX/3 VS. THE 351 PANTERA

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Check: The History of Petty Racing & The History of Richard Petty’s Drag Barracuda & Petty’s 1964 / 1965 Barracda

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Emilio Pucci is a name synonymous with incredibly chic prints that rocked runways, movie stars, and rich socialites alike during the ’60s & ’70s. (Sophia Loren and Jackie Onassis were among the many fashionable tastemakers to follow him — and Marilyn Monroe was even buried in a Puci dress.) His look was so signature in its modern, graphic designs and rich colorations that you could literally spot a Pucci a mile away. Emilio Pucci’s look became iconic, and lives on as an ever-present influence in womenswear today.

His design talent notwithstanding– I’ve always found Pucci’s personal story even more colorful than his designs. Born with noble blood, the young Pucci enjoyed a life of academic excellence (earning his Master’s degree Social Science from Reed College in Oregon, along with his Doctorate in Political Science from the University of Milan), civil service (Pucci rose to the ranks of Captain and served as a torpedo bomber pilot in the Italian Army during WWII, he even befriended Mussolini’s daughter and aided her escape from Hitler’s vengeful grasp), and was an accomplished athlete who was on Italy’s Olympic Ski team. It was his love of skiing that first led him to design outfits for his team at Reed college. In 1948, while on a trip to Switzerland, Pucci’s striking ski designs this time caught the eye of a Harper’s Bazaar photographer, and set his career as a fashion designer in motion. Stanley Marcus was an early supporter of Pucci’s and was instrumental in establishing him in the US. The rest, as they say, is history.

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1959, Florence, Italy — The legendary fashion designer, Emilio Pucci, with examples of his work. — Image by © David Lees/Corbis

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1959, Capri, Italy  – The Florentine fashion designer, Emilio Pucci, lunching with his wife Christina. Pucci once had the guitarist who is serenading them flown to London to lend authentic Italian atmosphere to a show. I love this picture. — Image by © David Lees/Corbis

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1959, Capri, Italy  – The Florentine fashion designer, Emilio Pucci, lunching with his wife Cristina. Pucci had been introduced to the beautiful Roman Baronessa, Cristina Nannini, at his boutique in Capri. Pucci would later marry her, proudly claiming– “I married a Botticelli.” – Image by © David Lees

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1965, New York — Emilio Pucci, leading Italian fashion designer from Florence, Italy, visited backstage with Barbra Streisand tonight at the Winter Garden Theater to talk about proposed designs for the star of “Funny Girl.”  The visit gave Barbra a chance to practice her Italian. — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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1963, London — The fashion designers (l to r) Emilio Pucci, Pierre Cardin and Mary Quant with fashion expert James Laver at the Hilton Hotel in London, during the rehearsals for the presentation of the International Fashion Awards, 1963. — Image by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS

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1966, Acapulco, Mexico — Fashionable Bunch: Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (Right) and his wife chat with T. Reed Vreeland (Left) and Italian fashion designer Emilio Pucci at an Acapulco party. Pucci hosted the party with members of Braniff International’s executive set. He designed uniforms for employees of the airline, which recently became the first U. S. line to offer direct flights to Acapulco. — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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1967 — Legendary Italian fashion designer Emilio Pucci and his wife, the Baronessa Cristina Nannini. — Image by © Yousuf Karsh

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May, 1960 — Fashion designer Emilio Pucci showing a new printed scarf to clients in the showroom of his salon.  – Image by © David Lees

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May, 1960 — Fashion designer Emilio Pucci in his salon.   – Image by © David Lees

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ca. 1964, Florence, Italy — Emilio Pucci standing before a fresco in the Palazzio Pucci — Image by © Condé Nast Archive/Corbis

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1964, Florence, Italy — The legendary designer Emilio Pucci on a photo shoot styling the model himself. — Image by © David Lees/Corbis

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ca. 1964 — The Italian fashion designer Emilio Pucci watches over his signature garments being made.  – Image by © Condé Nast Archive/Corbis

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Florence, Italy — Granaiolo villa owned by designer Emilio Pucci. — Image by © Massimo Listri/Corbis

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Related TSY posts:

THE TSY FASHION FLASHBACK | AMERICAN MENSWEAR DESIGNER ICONS

HISTORY OF DENIM THROUGH THE AGES | WESTERN WEAR GOES HOLLYWOOD

1950′s BRIONI ROMAN STYLE TAKES TINSELTOWN | SACKING IVY STYLE

BILL BLASS CLASS

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Yep. Back-to-back Scott Toepfer action. It’s that good. Ghost Town, USA is a short film that Toepfer did for the Harley-Davidson RIDEBOOK campaign that brought together folks from different artistic / lifestyle backgrounds to celebrate life on the open road, and the history of American motorcycle culture. Here photographer & filmmaker Scott explores America’s past through the lens of ghost towns and the haunting lessons they hold.

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“The visitable ghost towns across the Western U.S. are few and far between today. Most have either decayed beyond recognition, or have turned into gift shop trinket towns selling $10 keychains and fake gold. Thankfully, Bodie, California has a different story. A gold mining town established in the late 19th century, it quickly became one of California’s largest cities – and as any famed mining town would, it was filled with saloons, brothels, and other establishments of ill repute. Much of the town burned in the fires of 1892 and 1932, forcing most of its remaining residents to leave one of the toughest towns in the west. When the last of the residents left in the 50’s, the California Park Service took over in ’64 to preserve the structures and share its history… with us, and a few hundred other tourists daily.”   

–Scott Toepfer

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Click above to watch “Ghost Town, U.S.A. by Scott Toepfer

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See more of Scott Toepfer here

Visit the Harley-Davidson RIDEBOOK here

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I know I’m a little late to the game with the rally, but damn if Scott didn’t produce one helluva film. I’ve been anxiously awaiting the fruits of Scott’s labor of love and he didn’t disappoint. Wish I could say the same. Please enjoy this little taste of heaven, after the jump.

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For the last two years I have been taking still photographs for a personal project entitled ‘It’s Better In The Wind,’ all the while collecting video footage from each ride as we traveled around the Western United States together.

I have been slowly editing the footage into a visual scrapbook of sorts for those who partook, and those who followed us via the web. No preaching the triumphs and failures of the motorcycle industry, no divisive commentary between manufacturers and styles…just a collection of imagery that will hopefully inspire more people to take to the road and discover what there is outside of our respective communities.

Chuck Ragan was kind enough to collaborate with me to write an original soundtrack for the film, to give me some anthemic tunes to edit with, and I can’t thank him enough for the kind gesture towards a fellow traveler.

Please, enjoy the film, everybody who took part in it is family, we are all grateful for your support these past two years while we tried to build a concept around the positive nature of motorcycling.

–Scott Toepfer

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A few weeks ago I had the great pleasure of meeting with the Italian tailor and menswear designer Andrea Campagna. I will always remember walking by Barneys that day and stopping to look at the window (a shrine, really) that they had dedicated to Andrea, and his lineage. I was profoundly struck by the incredible legacy that he is a part of– and is now passing down to his own son.

You see, Andrea’s father was the master tailor– Mr. Gianni Campagna of Sartoria Domenico Caraceni, who himself had apprenticed under the master tailor Mr. Giovanni Risuglia– whose most notable personal client was the legendary style icon Gianni Agnelli. Both men are considered to be among Italy’s finest tailors ever. When I tell him this upon our meeting (like some idiot), he says to me modestly and with a warm, acknowledging smile, “Yes. It’s a good start for me.”

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“My father, he started very young. Usually, our tailors, like my father, all start between 6 and 10 yrs old. Actually, my son is now doing some stitching after school. The tailors are kind of jealous when they teach their trade– so they teach you very slowly. What you could learn in 4 yrs– they teach you in 10 yrs. First, they want to see if you’re the right person. Second, they are a little jealous. It’s a process, that took them all their life– and they don’t want anyone to learn it faster than them.” 

“The first thing you learn to do is the stitching under the chest and the collar. There is one operation that takes a lot of hours called “Punti Lenti” (expertly joining and shaping the fabric and canvas at the lapel and collar with thousands of beautiful hand-stitched marks, that looks like herringbone) which now everyone does by machine– from the top-quality brands in the market like Kiton and Brioni, down to the lower brands– they all do it by machine. I still like to work it by hand, because I firmly believe that the handwork brings the jacket to life and cannot be duplicated by machine. A jacket, when it is stitched by machine, has to be worked on a flat table. They don’t have the ability with the machine to turn the fabric and to shape it. By doing the stitching by hand, you roll the lapel– roll it, and roll it, and roll it, until it takes shape. Without this important handwork, which takes hours (instead of minutes by machine) you cannot get the shape– it is fundamental.”

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“Today, something that I really don’t like in the business is that everybody’s telling me that the client doesn’t understand anything– they will not realize if it’s by hand or machine. Sometimes it’s true that they don’t understand, but don’t consider them stupid, and treat them as stupid– when they are not. If someone can afford a suit for $3,000 or $4,000 or $10,000– he made his money with his brain. He is a clever person, that’s for sure. That’s the point where I start from. Maybe they don’t know about fashion. Maybe they don’t know about hand-stitching– but if they are smart people they will have a friend or someone they will meet who will tell them– they told you it’s by hand but it’s by machine. So I firmly believe that if you say it’s handmade it has to be by hand. There is some good quality clothing, but it is still a very industrial suit that is only finished by hand. Whatever you see on the outside is by hand, and whatever is hidden inside the garment is by machine. Right now in the market there is not a real handmade suit. There is no protection, no agency like in the food industry to keep people honest– so everyone is claiming whatever they want. It is not fair. My philosophy, because I’ve been in the tailor shop since I was a kid, and my father before me, he learned at Caraceni which is our company now– it’s a matter of respect for the work that was done before me– by my father and his master tailor before that. I believe firmly that it is important and useful to make this handwork and to keep this quality from the past alive. And I’m struggling to find young people to train.” 

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“For me, in today’s time, there is no more this extreme division between the boring old people wearing suits with shirts and ties, and the young architect or people in entertainment who are going out at night and wearing crazy stuff. I don’t believe in that. Life is no more like it was in the past– nobles and poor people. People now like to mix things in life, there is no longer this separation. I don’t like these stores where there are floors for Classic, floors for Fashion, everything is divided– because that is a setup that was given many years ago that in my opinion is no longer valid.”

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“I’m keeping the quality from the past, but to try to see things from a different point of view. I like to take ideas from the past.  In the past, if you see pictures, there were not two men dressed the same as one another– the colors were different, the styles were different. The more you go back– the more you see that. We became flat– all the same layers, all the same uniform. I like to go back to the past– but to bring it back in a new and modern way. A tailored jacket worn over a pair of jeans that cost 50 bucks. Going back to Gianni Agnelli for example– the elegance was to try and experiment with new things. To wear the suit in a chic and nonchalant way. These people were wearing a jacket since they were a kid. They were used to it, so for them it was the most normal thing– wearing a jacket. Today, people wearing a jacket can look very stiff– like they tried it for the first time yesterday. So the real elegance for me, is like when Agnelli put on suede boots with a flannel suit for a serious industrial meeting– this was a revolution. This was many years ago– and there are still people copying him. If as a designer you don’t try something new, and offer something different then it’s not the client that is stupid– it is the industry that is stupid for not giving them any options and direction.”  

“I’m trying first myself to give an option, and they can come to me and say I want a grey suit because that is what I need for work. Fine, at least we make it in the proper way. But at least I try to give them an option– like they do in Women’s. They give quality, and they give style. Men’s for some reason became like– if you try a something a little too different you must gay or in entertainment. It’s not true. You can express yourself in a suit without being extravagant. I’m not talking about fashion, I’m talking about style– and quality and style fit together.”

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“The suit that we made in 1954 for Agnelli– I saw this suit and for me it was like, Ok, I have to start from here. I began to think– what was it that made Agnelli so elegant? It was that he was never looking perfect. You don’t want to look like you just went to the barbershop, then went here and bought a suit, then went to the next place, and someone else made-up your style. With Agnelli there was always something that wasn’t perfect that made his elegance. My most elegant clients, when they try on a jacket they don’t stand there and stare at themselves in it– they feel themselves in the jacket. You went to test a car, you try it in the curves. It’s the same thing.”

“When I saw the Agnelli suit, it was 60 yrs old and the buttons were very used and I wanted to give the same kind of look. So I used painted bone buttons and then stonewashed them, same process as a jean, to make them look and feel worn. I try to make it as if it was coming out of the past. The fabrics are from Italy and England– woven on the old original wooden looms where I can weave small runs of 20-30 meters. The new machinery today cannot reproduce the same fabric patterns and designs of the past. I try to make them in a softer hand, because the old ones were very stiff– you  could not wear them in today’s time. But I like to keep the same big patterns, because I believe they have more character. And then maybe to put a patch pocket to make it more relaxed, more chic. Personally, I like unlined jackets even for the winter when the fabric allows it, I think it’s very chic. It takes much more time and handwork to sew an unlined jacket, which most people don’t understand. It’s a lot of work. Also on my jackets, the front panels are all one piece, there is no pattern interruption and the quality is better.”  

–Andrea Campagna               

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