I Spent The Rent

As another birthday quickly approaches, I decided to entertain the idea of treating myself with one of our longest held wants. I'd spied the Weltron 2005 immediately after it was listed and I'd kept an eye on it for the entire week, debating whether or not I would make a grab for it. I finally decided, with a few hours left in the auction, to toss in a low-ball bid and hope for the best... seriously doubting that I had any real hope of winning. So, needless to say, it came as a total shock when I realized that we'd actually won—and at way less than half of its current going rate.

Tony spent all day, in agony, as he dutifully waited for me to come home so we could open the packages together. The seller did a great job packing this up. She only charged us $45 and she had it Fed-Exed to us within three business days of the auction's end! I'm sure she ended up paying a lot more on her end. Thank you!

I really wish we'd taken some before photos because the record player was extremely filthy when it arrived. Tony used some miracle cleaner that his sister-in-law had given us the last time we visited his family and he methodically cleaned it for over two hours! I still can't believe what a huge difference it made!

Coincidentally, we'd found a pair of 70s Nivico sphere speakers on Craigslist a few days before the stereo auction ended. We managed to get the seller to negotiate with us and he priced 'em down and within our budget. No, these won't get hooked up to the Weltron—instead, we're running them through our main stereo system downstairs. We can't wait for the next soiree, so we can give 'em a good workout!

Up Against The Wall

Always in search of promo photos, fliers, posters and whatever other junk shop music-related paper items we can find, we decided that we should showcase our private gallery and some of the ephemeral trophies we've scavenged over the years. Enjoy!

Also, as always, make sure to click on 'em for a bigger picture.

Here's the view from the foyer. We hope that Nobunny, Supercharger, the Cramps and the Ronettes (among others) make you feel immediately at home...


A few more shots of the glossies. Highlights include ? & the Mysterians, Unrelated Segments, Gories, Dickies, Wire, Devo and DMZ photos.

Posters and fliers for fests and shows attended over the past few years...a few of 'em even designed by Gonked, Glooked and Slurped!'s own Valery.



Our obsession with 70s PUNK and the (early) Cramps should be obvious by now. Months of begging and pleading finally convinced my pal Howie to hand over some of his vintage Cramps' goods—including the Human Fly promo flier pictured in Punk is Dead, Punk is Everything. Come to think of it, he's also the same benefactor who forked over the record release poster for the MAD's I Hate Music 45...still the only example of it we've ever seen. Thanks again, Mr. Pyro!

Other notables included are a signed photo of the Gears, a shot of the Cramps playing LA circa '79 (taken by the Middle Class' manager) and a group photo of the MAD (from the same session as the interior of the Digusting EP's sleeve). We've also got a Screamers flier handsomely silkscreened by Mr. Gary Panter, a silkscreened Feederz flier from '78, original Undertones, Teenage Head and Starshooter record store posters, Automatics, Devo and Milk 'n' Cookies magazine ads and, lastly, a Trend flier / set-list from '80.

We're still waiting on a few things to arrive / get framed, so we can seal up the holes in this display ...and then there's always the stuff downstairs...


Our last stop on the tour and it concludes with a photo of our fish wall. They certainly do provide a welcome shot of color and life into this museum.

Cheap Rewards

It would seem like our New Year's resolution was to keep our spending habits on the cheap, since our last three purchases have been obscenely inexpensive—either via poorly listed items or through sheer good fortune at a flea market.

Poring over eBay listings on an insomnious jag, we discovered a Colani elephant bank ($10) and a set of Bosse's nesting hedgehogs ($15) for mere peanuts. However, the real topper has to be the 70s Guzzini mushroom lamp we located in the unlikeliest Athens, GA flea market a few weeks ago ...and at a measly $5! Whew!!!

We really hate the thought of jinxing ourselves and ruining this spate of good luck, but we couldn't keep it a secret any longer. Here's hoping for similar steals throughout 2010!

Glittering Prizes

It'd be fair to say that Santa treated us extra-special this year. Here are a few selected highlights for your perusal.

An original member of the Kay Bojesen (inspired?) Zoo Line series from 1959, this jackass has been a longtime favorite—and we were especially excited to welcome him aboard. This braying slackjaw actually arrived complete w/ spectacles, but we removed 'em because he looks way more dapper this way.

Feeling the need to adopt a mascot for our home, this noble Jonathan Adler creation made its way into the great room. The lion pauses to take careful measure and proudly survey its sprawling kingdom!

Couroc of Monterey produced hundreds of different objects from the 1950s through the 90s, utilizing phenolic resin, shells, coral and whatever other materials lent themselves toward interesting designs. Manufactured in the late 50s or early 60s, the Mod Birds trays have always been our top Couroc want ...and we were lucky enough to snag two (of the three) sets this year.

Although best known for his planters and kitchenware, ceramicist LaGardo Tackett designed the iconic Egghead in 1959 for use as a condom holder. As they were available for sale via Esquire and Playboy mail-order only, these have become increasingly hard to track down. Here we find our pal resting for a spell—after all, he's pretty tuckered out from his recent arrival (thanks, Mike!) and a truly debaucherous New Year's.