Run, Rudolph, Run

Extending our warmest wishes to our friends and readers for this holiday season. See you in 2011!

GG&S

As Tears Go By

We will miss you and love you forever, 할머니! You were an amazing woman! We are very sad without you!

Rest in peace.

Searchin' In The Wilderness

See, we weren't kidding about keeping busy for the past few weeks! We've been engaged in some big game hunting lately, so here's an extra large update to satisfy y'all and fill you in on some of our recently bagged trophies.

It isn't often that we're left completely dumbfounded by the objects we excavate. This is one of those rare exceptions. In 1971, Mac Mann Industries laid claim to the dubious distinction of producing the original afro bone comb, known simply as The Bone. Besides its obvious function, the original packaging suggests its potential uses as a wig-holder or stylish bit of flair. Pittsburgh delivers the goods yet again! We found these vintage Dream Pets at one of our favorite haunts over this past weekend and we're hoping their undeniable cuteness softens the blow of such blatant racial disregard.

Pittsburgh also supplied us with some Italian delicacies: a lucite elephant produced by Guzzini and a rhino fashioned from Travertine limestone and designed by Mannelli—identical to the pachyderm we found a few months back (which we subsequently stuffed into this photo).

Pittsburgh's #1 Ol' Moon Stomper supplied us with the above Splash 4 poster gratis—after he busted us salivating over his display copy. Thanks again, Hone!

Unbeknown to us, our buddy Steve shipped us an original press release for the Saints' I'm Stranded LP. Thanks a million, hombre! The glossy is now proudly on display in our picture gallery.

Just to prove that we don't totally hate LPs, here are some of the big records we've picked up lately. The original Ike and Tina on Sue, Les Baxter (so minty!) and Jack Nitzsche albums were scored at the Atlanta record swap; the weirdo exploito Batman LP turned up in Pittsburgh; the MAD, Jonny Quest and Velvet Underground (white label promo—allegedly a different, dryer mix—sounds the same to me) records came from our favorite local record hole. Lastly, our buddy Collin sent us the Jazzbo LP cuz he (rightly) figured we'd dig the cover. Thanks, dude! Did we mention how much we like free stuff? Oops, I almost forgot to mention the op art 12" carrier we just found, too.

Our pal Justin provided these mod plastic hangers that Valery fell instantly in love with. Thanks again! They're a very welcome addition to Valery's dressing room.

Found these stacking Kartell tables a while ago and we're still undecided as to where they're going to end up. The white stool was manufactured in Germany in the 60s and we bought it online for an unbelievable $9.99 (+ shipping, of course). Finally, we couldn't pass up on the space-age heater—which mimics our fireplace so perfectly—when we spied it at a local shop ...in spite of the fact that it'll likely never be used. Nothing screams fire hazard quite like a vintage heating device.

Here's another batch of goodness we've hauled away over the past few weeks. A vintage Bulova clock found at a nearby thrift store for $12; an amazing piece of German enamelware from the 60s; a psychedelic decanter, ice bucket and suitcase; a bizarre people feeder shaped like a bird; an orange pod full of coasters; a Pyrex Moon Deco dish; two Gedy containers designed by Makio Hasuike; an atomic era candy dish; a space-age shelving unit and matching mirror. Whew!

We've definitely saved the best for last this time 'round! We couldn't believe it when we glimpsed this beauty at our favorite monthly sale. One of two Broyhill Brasilia pieces that we absolutely had to have, this Gentleman's Chest was our early Christmas present to ourselves. It makes a nice perch for our freshly acquired donut phone and mid-century feline, too.

Until next time!

Plastic

It's been awfully quiet 'round GG&S lately, though that doesn't mean we've been slacking off—it just means that we've been too busy to fill y'all in on many of our recent scores. So, without further ado, here are the 45s we've dug up in the past few months. We should also mention that we've picked up some LPs here and there, but long-players don't really thrill us, so we're just going to focus on the singles for now. Enjoy!

All manner of rodent represented. Two 45s from Satan's Rats and Mouse and the Traps' Maid of Sugar, Maid of Spice 45—which includes two of the most blistering guitar solos ever committed to wax.

Here we have a French copy of the Saints' Know Your Product single with a unique & handsome PS. Also included are Jet Staxx and Jetsons 45s procured for us by our pals Mike and Justin. Thanks, dudes!

Justin's been supplying us with the goods (a lot) lately. Here are two more: a rare Alan Vega 45 from his Collision Drive LP and the withdrawn sleeve for the Cramps' UK Garbage Man 45. So dark!

Here're three glam recs that Valery snagged recently. We decided to obscure the Zappo graphic and save y'all the misfortune of having to see it. Not even remotely close to good/bad.

More UK punk from the Favourites, Sham 69's finest hour and one of (two?) XS Energy's 45s. Thanks, Deez!

Here's the 1979 release by Decatur, Georgia's Razor Boys / XYZ—we can't tell you how proud we are that these guys are from our own backyard! A copy of the New York Dolls' Who Are the Mystery Girls 45 turned up at the last Atlanta record swap (period appropriate Mercury sleeve needed, plz), and the Verge record from Albany's been a tough one to turn up for cheap ...until recently.

We found this mysterious bubblegum single by the Panda Peeple in Pittsburgh, which features their cover of the song made (mildly) famous by the Middle of the Road. Percy and the Gaolbirds' Who Can Help Me is one of the bossest German Beat tracks, and we've been able to track down one more EP by our favorite Belgian chanteuse, Chantal Kelly.

Lastly, we were happy to finally land the US pressing of the Creation's How Does It Feel to Feel 45. Strangely enough, the domestic pressing contains a tougher, shorter and better alternate version that's displaced the UK recording on every subsequent retrospective. What's even better is that we lucked out and got the stock version of this single, which was reputedly non-existent. Bunker Hill's Red Ridin' Hood and the Wolf is another screamer whose arrival has really thrilled us. Joey Levine's Come On My Baby rounds out the post with another bubblegum classic!

Trick Or Treat

Just a quick post to wish y'all a Happy Halloween and let you know that GG&S isn't out of commission, we're just taking a break until next week. We'll have a few posts in store for you soon, including our recent spoils from Steel City. Until then, stay sick and turn blue!

GG&S

Outside View

Greetings, gentle readers!

We just entered our recently renovated record room (whew! how's that for alliteration?) into the Room For Color 2010 contest being hosted by Apartment Therapy.

You can find the link here.

If any of you enjoyed our renovation (or the blog in general) enough to sign up and designate our room a favorite, it would be much appreciated. Thanks!

GG&S

Ageing Had Never Been His Friend

September was an unusually hectic month. We participated in the wedding of some good friends, provided a guided tour for our new Japanese buds (Hello, Atsushi and Mikki!), a pal from Austin paid us a welcome visit and my blessed 35th rounded out the month. I know we'd promised y'all an overview of our recent vinyl acquisitions, but time is still in short supply, so you'll have to make due with these birthday gifts instead!

Valery upped the ante this year and presented me with paperbacks showcasing covers by my two favorite sleaze artists: Eric Stanton and Gene Bilbrew. I'd been hesitant to buy any of these books for myself, as I knew it would inspire me to start collecting something else ...and, as I feared, I just worked up a preliminary want-list over the weekend. Anyone with spare works by these two greats is encouraged to drop me a line! BTW, Passion Tramp is by an unknown (to me) artist, but the mix of butt and bandit mask is in keeping with our personal aesthetic.

The Dot Vaeth Group 45 was the last Texan biggie that had evaded my clutches. Fortunately, my buddy Ryan found a small stash of 'em and Valery seized this maximum gift-giving opportunity. Ryan was also nice enough to supply an unused ticket for a CRAMPS show at the Mab (1978, natch), which makes a nice addition to the record room's decor. Is there a Napa State Hospital ticket? Anyone? Lastly, this vintage Japanese Batman figure had haunted me ever since we saw one in a NYC collector's shop last year. The $300 price tag seemed a tad too steep, so I was stoked when I scored him (her?) on eBay for $11 a few weeks ago!

We're slowly making progress on our home office and Valery contributed two new potential inhabitants. Our winged lizard is fairly tame, but we were both taken aback by the size of our Gorey-esque walking stick. We couldn't even imagine glimpsing something like our li'l mantid out in the wild!

Our pal Kevin came through with this previously unseen promotional poster for Loli and the Chones' punk rock meisterwerk, P.S. We Hate You. As it's easily in our top ten favorite punk long-plays of the 90s, we're really glad to have this one on display!

A big thank-you to Ryan, Kevin, Brad, Tim, Christine, Corey, Susan, and Chris who shared in this year's birthday festivities—special thanks to Kevin, Tim and Christine for supplying the prerequisite tequila 'n toonz!

Something To Do

Last month's home renovations did little to slake our thirst for new acquisitions. Busy as ever, these're the standout items for the past month or so. Most of 'em picked up on the relative cheap or, in the best-case scenario, gratis AND hand-delivered.

A criminally neglected Laurel lamp found on Atlanta's Craigslist was the source of last weekend's adventure. We've turned up a few in the past year, but the hand-blown glass shades were always missing or the lamp bases were badly chipped / pitted. Fortunately, that wasn't the case this time. We purchased it off the original owner who'd babied the lamp until its eventual release. Easily one of our favorite lamps of the 60s!

Valery's love of planters continues! This speckled ceramic beauty was found at our favorite local antique store. We tried fruitlessly to get the speckling to show up in the photograph. It's really an awesome piece ...and quite heavy!

This small op art painting was found languishing in the dark corner of a nearby store. Though it could stand to be a little bit larger in size, we're thrilled by how perfectly it fits the room. Staring at this piece for extended periods is guaranteed to induce physical distress.

Ever the good house-guest, our pal Collin refused to show up empty-handed during his last visit, lugging a salvaged General Electric "Show 'n Tell - Phono Viewer" around as a present. We're always happy to accept more vintage electronics ...especially when they're free! If Collin could only find us a nice copy of the Louvin Brothers' Satan Is Real, we might let him sleep in the house next time! Thanks again, dewd!

Our Flickr buddy, Wooden Donkey, introduced us to this li'l guy a short while back. Manufactured in Germany in the 60s, this porcelain decanter was produced by a company called Altenkunstadt. There are a few others in the series and we're hoping we can track 'em all down eventually. Thanks again, WD!

Last but certainly not least, we were finally able to track down this scarce piece of Metlox Contempora. This jawbone / boomerang serving dish has been a long-standing want and we're glad to finally have one around the house. There are still several other pieces from this line that we're actively seeking out, so if you have any for sale, please let us know!

That's it for now. Stay tuned for our recent record scores!

I Only Panic When There's Nothing To Do

Yes, it took nearly the entire month of August to accomplish, but the renovation of our downstairs record room is FINALLY (almost) complete. Rest assured, lots of painting, carpet-pulling, tile-laying, name-calling and tear-shedding ensued. The above photo is the blank canvas, as it was presented two years ago when the house was first purchased.

Here's your first peek from the staircase.

A wider shot. Please note the absence of the room's original carpet and the newly introduced Vinyl Composite Tile. It took five (grueling) days to get the 400 square feet fully covered—adhesive invariably finding its way into any/all available crevice(s). An entire day was also spent applying coats of sealer and finisher to the VCT, until it shone like spun gold! Many thanks to our friend Kevin who was kind enough to help us with getting started, and our numerous subsequent consultations.

The replacement tiles for the drop ceiling are another dramatic improvement. Fortunately, we hadn't brought any of the furniture back in before we attempted to swap out the originals—a cloud of dirt, dust, fiberglass debris and other misc. nastiness exploding and blanketing the floor upon removal. Good times!


Two more shots of the lounge.

One of the driving forces behind this renovation was our recent procurement of modular Umbo shelving from the early 70s. Our pal Justin, knowing that we were aggressively seeking out any examples, casually mentioned to us that he'd finally seen some in person ...and in the least likely antique store in Atlanta! Somehow, amid all of the candelabras and suits of armor, the store's proprietor had chosen to erect an 8' x 8' monster shelf. He also informed us that he had extra pieces laying in a dank breezeway in the back. After two days and three filled-to-capacity sedan rides later, we had 90+ individual pieces securely placed under lock and key. Needless to say, we are thoroughly convinced that Justin is the absolute best!

The shelves, which were originally used for display in some long-since-forgotten department store, were grimy after years of disuse, so we spent 20+ minutes on each individual piece (36 of 'em pictured), scrubbing the thick ABS plastic in an attempt to resuscitate 'em. We'll eventually get 'em professionally repainted at an auto-body shop, returning 'em to their original albino glory.

Also, plenty of stools're placed nearby to aid Valery in reaching that top tier.

This also represents the merging of our record collections. We're left sitting on nearly 500 duplicate LPs and 45s (not pictured). Plans are currently underway to sell these off next year in anticipation of our honeymoon. A link to the sale(s) will be posted.

Another modular shelving unit—designed by Olaf von Bohr and produced by Kartell—got the deep clean and now houses our furry friends.


Here are the majority of our 45s. We were really pleased when we realized the boxes we settled on fit our built-in shelving so perfectly. One of the few things that worked out without any hassles.

Two Bertoias, a Herman Miller table and a space age umbrella stand manufactured by Artemide flesh out this side of the room. Dig the Drumbos!


Saving the most agonizing part for last (literally), the spiral staircase represents one of the most infuriating aspects of this entire process. It was originally painted a delightful mauve (as seen here), as was the room's trim, and required a thick coating of spray-paint and many (many) touch-up jobs. Did we mention that we forgot to address the staircase until after we'd already painted the walls? Torture. All paint-related kudos are explicitly due to Valery's nimbleness and unerring precision with a brush.

Despite the fact that the room is technically unfinished—we're still working on the staircase (thanks in advance, Kevin!)—we successfully welcomed our new addition with local friends (Tim and Christine), a wayfaring Mississippian (Collin) and a couple of errant Canadians (Fen and Jeff). We were very happy to be able to celebrate this massive undertaking with friends and we're truly grateful for all of the help!

Picture Book

We've decided to take a break from our home renovations and introduce you to some recent arrivals from Japan. Circa 2002, my buddy Mike gave me the thief (center) as a birthday gift, figuring (rightfully) that he'd be a welcome addition to my home. At that point, I knew nothing about the figure or its creator, Mr. Ryohei Yanagihara. A long while later, when Valery and I first started dating, she spied the li'l jailbird and fell in love immediately. Thus began the search for other figures and further information concerning their creator.

We'd soon discover that Mr. Yanagihara had been a popular illustrator in Japan, and that he'd made his creative mark through advertising and book covers. Some of his most recognized work was for the Suntory Whiskey company, where he created Uncle Tory in 1958—the character would later manifest itself repeatedly in print ads, TV commercials and collectible advertising figures.

The two figures at top are vintage promotional items that originally housed toothpicks. The three toys in the foreground were part of a series that was released in the early 00s. We're both eternally grateful to our Japanese pal, Hidehisa, who was kind enough to navigate auction and retail sites in an effort to help us procure these four items ...in exchange for records, of course! Thanks again!!

Here's a link to a great blog post with plenty of info. Below are more favorites:






Should anyone have any Yanagihara toys or promotional items that they'd like to get rid of, please don't hesitate to contact us! We're especially interested in any of his viking figures!!

For those of you who care, the record room is almost done. Be on the lookout for an update toward the middle of this week! Now it's time to get back to work.