Surveying the Gen X landscape and the origins of geek
Looks like a post-Christmas shot to me. Organ, LPs, a giant Roman statue replica (!), a “self buttering popcorn popper,” a Golden Book on the glorious red carpet, newspaper basket, round rug hanging on the wall, and what appear to be giant keys attached to the kitchen wall. It was fun while it lasted.
More living rooms here.
(Photo via eBay)
Another beauty from another immensely gifted illustrator, Jim Fitzpatrick. You can see details of this issue of Fantasy Crossroads here.
(Image via Cap’n’s Comics)
Beautiful work posted in its entirety at The Golden Age. I talk about my admiration of Sienkiewicz here.
Gandalf’s Garden was a shop and mystical community in Chelsea, London, that was active between 1969 and 1972. Founded by Muz Murray (a.k.a. Ramana Baba), now a “world renowned Mystic and Mantra Yoga Master,” the community downplayed psychedelics, instead embracing meditation, yoga, and various Eastern religious practices. A magazine of the same name was produced by Murray, Jaya Amler, and friends, running to six issues. Here’s a section of the introductory manifesto from the first issue:
Gandalf the White Wizard from the trilogy of THE LORD OF THE RINGS, by J.R.R. Tolkien, is fast becoming absorbed in the youthful world spirit as the mythological hero of the age, as graven an image on the eternal psyche as Merlin of the Arthurian legends. In the land of Middle Earth under threat of engulfment by the dark powers, Gandalf unites the differing races, mistrustful of each other through lack of understanding and communication, in a final effort to save the world. The crusader spirit in Gandalf is echoed in the cry of the Now Generation seeking an Alternative to the destructive forces of today’s world, by spreading human love and aid, for the unity of all the peoples of the Earth.
GANDALF’S GARDEN grows in that same spirit. For GANDALF’S GARDEN is the magical garden of our inner worlds, overgrowing into the world of manifestation. GANDALF’S GARDEN is soulflow from the pens of creators – mystics, writers, artists, diggers, delvers and poets. A wellspring of love and anguish that those with searching thirsts may drink thereof. As in the Stone Gardens of the Orient, where Soul Wizards sit within the stimulus of their own silences, contemplating the smoothness of the million pebbles, so should we seek to stimulate our own inner gardens if we are to save our Earth and ourselves from engulfment.
You can read more about Gandalf’s Garden, and thumb through the magazines, at the tribute site maintained by two original “gardeners,” Rosemary and Darroll Pardoe. All of the photos except the first one were taken by Colin Bord.
And there’s a short video “capturing a gathering of ‘heads’ outside Gandalf’s Garden” here. The video was shot on July 5, 1969, the day the Rolling Stones played the free show in Hyde Park.
(Images via Pardoes, Pinterest, and The Library Time Machine)
Our parents, they want the best of stuff for us. But right now they gotta do what’s right for them, ’cause it’s their time… their time—up there. Down here it’s our time. It’s our time down here. That’s all over the second we ride up Troy’s bucket.
(Photo via Bo Nash)
Where else would a black hole be, Schaper? Actually, there was a never produced game based on the Black Hole movie (below, as seen in Marx’s 1980 The Black Hole catalog) that looks exactly the same, except Marx’s version makes sense and looks cool. I’m not sure why Schaper thought the silly thing would sell separated from the movie, especially when presented in that godawful box!
(Images via eBay and Plaid Stallions)
From the makers of the AD&D Cool, Cool Candles and the AD&D Woodburning Set (!). The diorama set includes “semi-precious stones and foil for decorating”! Looks like the same art used for the LJN action figure cards. The backgrounds are very well done and might be the work of Ken Kelly.
I recently talked about Milton Subotsky’s Thongor: In the Valley of the Demons, scheduled for a 1979 release and nearly the first sword and sorcery film, and now I find out that Paul Morrissey had plans along the same lines in 1977. Of course, plans for a live-action The Lord of the Rings film go back to 1969, and there were several earlier films (Harryhausen’s fantasy output, notably) that are true to the spirit of sword and sorcery, all the way back to Fritz Lang’s Die Nibelungen (1924). However, the phrases “sword and sorcery” and “heroic fantasy” weren’t coined until 1961 and 1963, respectively, and were meant to describe a very specific genre descended from the pulps.
Paul Morrissey is best known for directing a number of barely watchable Andy Warhol vehicles in the late ’60s and early ’70s, and I’m not sure Torc would have been any better. The Variety ad, meant to garner interest at Cannes, is clearly trying to emulate the underground fantasy comics of the time, including Heavy Metal and Richard Corben’s Fantagor.
(Image via Temple of Schlock)
2 Warps to Neptune 