Roger Ebert deeply appreciated and celebrated both high culture and pop culture, and he did so with great wit and honesty. I watched him on TV, and I’ve been reading his reviews (and only his reviews) for more than 20 years. His words and his unrehearsed demeanor are part of my life, and I’ll miss him.
Archive for April, 2013
Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel Defend Star Wars Against Uptight Douchebag (1983)
Published April 4, 2013 In Memoriam 2 CommentsVideo Arcade Footage, 1981
Published April 4, 2013 '80s Decor/Design/Fashion , Video Arcades , Video Games 13 CommentsVery cool stuff via The Retroist via atarigames1/YouTube. Watch the kid put his quarter on the Defender machine (1:04), say something to the kid playing (i.e. “Are you any good?”), then take the quarter down again. Intimidation was a foundational ingredient of early arcade culture.
The game sights and sounds (especially Defender), the wall art close-ups, the braces, the Nikes, the bemused mom handing out quarters—it’s a complete, high quality time capsule. I found another video at the same channel that’s shorter but equally fascinating.
It’s a 7-11 in the same year, 1981. Those dudes are us.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Instant Rub-Down Picture Transfers (1981)
Published April 3, 2013 D&D , D&D Art , D&D Non-Gaming Merchandise , David C. Sutherland III , David Trampier , Presto Magix/Dry Transfers 4 Comments
Wicked. These appear to be Trampier’s and Sutherland’s illustrations from the original Monster Manual (1977). And they’ve been marked down to 25 cents each!
Images are via the brilliant Monster Brains. Go there to see all of the transfers and other killer stuff.
‘I Remain Now and Will Always Be… A Duckman’
Published April 2, 2013 '80s Decor/Design/Fashion , High School 1 Comment
Coral Gables High School, Florida, 1986. (Photo: Erica Berger/Miami Herald)
This stylish gentleman is asking a question of Vice President George Bush during the latter’s visit to the former’s high school. That night, filled with newfound confidence, he (the stylish gentleman, not the VP) surprised Molly Ringwald at the prom.
(Photo via the Boston Archive/eBay)
Marx Toys: Captain Blood and the Buccaneers Play Set
Published April 1, 2013 Marx Toys/Playsets 3 Comments
That alligator has a working jaw, mateys. And thar be a treasure chest as big as a pirate ship!
2 Warps to Neptune 