SpongeBob Squarepants, if you don't know, is a mental cartoon that defies most logic and is the natural successor to Ren & Stimpy. As a result, SpongeBob must be a big hit with the stoners of the world. Now, said stoners can rack up a Sonic Youth LP and plug in a SpongeBob guitar and strum along!
Josmar Madureira (a.k.a Katkiller) is an artist and designer based in Brazil - as well as being the person responsible for these superb Katkiller pop culture dolls.
Take your pick from...well, just about everyone from Amy Winehouse (complete with tattoos), Joey Ramone and David Bowie (Aladdin Sane era) through to the Star Wars characters, Twiggy and Andy Warhol. All are approximately 21 inches tall and weigh around 195 grams. They're made of cloth (raw cotton and polyester), stuffed with synthetic anti-allergic fibre, then painted with silkscreen ink.
Check out the full range via the link below. We don't know the details of price and ordering as yet - currently chasing up the designer and will update as soon as I know more.
Find out more at the Katkiller website
Via Retro To Go
Forget the little yellow fella, if you want a rock 'n' roll bath, you need a rock 'n' roll duck - and they don't fit the bill anymore than the Gene Simmons duck.
Complete with face paint, long tongue and metallic suit, your Kiss buddy comes in a presentation box and needless to say, floats around to your heart's content.
sadly, the rest of the band's aren't available - but this one can be picked up online for £13.99.
Have you seen the new Nirvana/Kurt Cobain trainers? Well, they're causing a bit of a brou-ha-ha.
Converse, as worn by many-a punk, including Cobain, have put out a range of trainers (or sneakers to our American readers) featuring Kurt Cobain scribbles and doodles. This, of course, has sparked a debate amongst young men and women furiously self harming on the internet.
The shoes - versions of the One Star and Chuck Taylor styles – will feature Cobain’s signature, his handwriting, even his sketched design for a custom electric guitar, subsequently built and marketed by Fender as The Jagstang. Of course, Cobain is seen by many as an anti-establishment icon, so the sole that reads “punk rock means freedom” hasn't gone down all that well. [insert spinning in grave comment here]
If you want to read some of the fuss (to nod along with or laugh at... it's up to you) read the comments on The Daily Swarm here. If you can't be bothered, I've picked some of the more choice comments and pasted 'em over the jump.
Continue reading "Converse's Nirvana/Kurt Cobain trainers cause a stink" »
For $22, you can dress up your newest addition to the family like an old school convict, workin' the chain gang and learning harmonica behind the bars.
Of course, this grounding will give your child a good solid platform from which to build their life... and with any luck, they'll end up sounding like Johnny Cash.
With this romper suit thing (I'm not sure what they're called), you can have your baby gurgling along to the San Quentin Live album and shooting men in Reno jus' to watch 'em die.
Never mind football cards, how about trading Legends Of Rap collectors cards?
It's an illustrated history of hip hop by Florian Braun, ignoring all the new faces of rap, keeping it very much old school. The 32 full-colour illustrated cards include portraits, biographical stories and selected discographical data of each featured artist. There's also a fold-out poster of Grand Mixer D.S.T. and an extra card showing all the artists.
Which artists? Well there's...Kool Moe Dee, Melle Mel, Whodini, Busy Bee, Kool DJ Red Alert (is the great man), Fab 5 Freddy, The Treacherous Three, Kool DJ Herc, Doug E Fresh, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, Double Trouble, Fantastic 5, LL Cool J, Roxanne Shante, Grand Wizard Theodore, Afrika Bambaataa, Crash Crew, Kurtis Blow, Bobby Robinson, The Beastie Boys, Cold Crush Brothers, The Sugar Hill Gang, The Sequence, The Fearless Four, Funky Four Plus One, The Fat Boys, Run DMC, Spoonie G, DJ Hollywood, Rick Rubin + Russell Simmons and Sylvia Robinson.
Yours for £25.
Find out more at the Design Museum website
Via Retro To Go
Flavor Flav is no stranger to the screen. I mean, he's been in loadsa music vids for Public Enemy (getting it back on to play It Take A Nation Of Millions... LIVE) and of course, that reality show which saw his lust woo Sly Stone's ex. Now, he's returning with a new half-hour comedy series called Under One Roof.
The show is described as "a classic fish-out-of-water story" with Flav playing Calvester Hill, a former convict who moves in with his wealthy, conservative brother. Calvester turns the Hill family's life upside down, parading his old prison cronies through the house, teaching his nephew to be a gangsta rapper and butting heads with Walter's snooty wife. Sounds like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to me.
As no-one is prolly gonna watch this, I'll pad this article out with a Flavor Flav alarm clock. They're pretty rare now, so if you want one, get on eBay (there's one here).
What do you think of when someone says "John Lennon"? Well, if you're anything like me, you'll think "why hasn't anyone ever turned him into a bus. While I'm at it, how about a tie. Some pyjamas would be alright too". Well bucko, this could be the best day of your life!
At the annual twatfest, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Yoko Ono unveiled the new “John Lennon Educational Bus.” The vehicle will travel to schools across America to teach children about the fundamentals of recording music. Not only that...
Following in the aftermath of the uproar over the Kurt Cobain Lunchbox word on the street says Warriors have made second base and that Ono is in final negotiations with outfitter Ralph Marlin and Company to lease out her late husband’s artwork so that it could transformed into a line of ties and underwear. Imagine there's no heaven... but a Beatle covering your balls! Ha! Is nothing sacred? Of course it isn't. Next week; Joy Division oven gloves and R Kelly rape alarms.
You've sung Mandy to death. Not literally of course. I'm sure all those Mandy ladies out there a tougher than death by croon. Where was I? Oh yeah. You've sung (the song) Mandy to death. You've thrown your knickers around to Club Tropicana. God dammit, you're a Barry Fanilow. You probably have a sticker on your car that says I SUPPORT MANILOW MUSIC... and believe, I've seen these stickers... they exist.
You reckon you're a super Barry Manilow do ya? Well, you ain't shit unless you've got pissed on Baz. Again, don't read that wrong. Don't go golden showering Le Nez. Where was I again? Ah yeah, Barry Manilow has got some plonk out and he wants you to sup and yell "could it be magic?!" No way buddy! It's a 2003 Californian Cabernet Sauvignon! 25 bucks? Looks like we made it motherflickers!
Who would have thought it? We got game. To think that this is a game where you dish out kickings to various members of Radiohead (inventors of the wheel) and praise obscure psychedelic bands is a little optimistic.
This is an actual game from the '30s where you place yaw bets, spin a large tin thing and put an iron ball bearing into it which flies out of a hole. It's all about gamblin' ma'am. Oddly enough, you can buy a copy of it too (not that you'd want to of course... only the writers in the offices here are autistic enough for that).
Manchester illustrator, DJ and recording artist Mr Scruff is a man after our own heart - he loves a cup of tea. In fact, not only does he love a cup of tea, he adds team rooms to some of the venues he plays and has now released his very own brew - packed into the Mr Scruff 'make us a brew' tea caddy.
Available online or at selected stores (including Selfridges), the caddy features Mr Scruff's instantly-recognisable images and text, along with '50 proper organic English breakfast tea bags', full bodied, malty and very tasty. I know because I have some on the go right now.
But even if it was like dishwater, it would still be worth buying purely for that tin. You can pick it up for around £5.
Find out more at the Shot Dead In The Head website
Via Switched On Set
You've bought the album, been to the gig, even got the t-shirt - but for the devoted Oasis fan, there's only one thing worth owning in 2008 - the Oasis Liam and Noel teddy bear.
According to the Daily Star, the Oasis teddy will soon be in the stores - Japanese ones at least. Both will carry the Oasis logo and even come with rock 'n' roll costumes. We'd love them to be talking too, but then they wouldn't really be suitable for kids.
After some enquiries around our Japanese contacts today, we managed to get hold of some photos of the prototypes - and very cute they look too. But please note, the design could change a little before they hit the shelves - so don't set your heart on one of these beauties just yet. We'll keep you updated with any developments.
Oasis official website
I'll admit it - I registered for tickets for Led Zeppelin at the O2. I didn't win, but I have just been spammed by the organisers, asking me if I would like to buy merchandise for a gig I'm not attending.
Mugs, t-shirts and programmes, all branded with details of the line-up for the show. Maybe some non-attendees will want this stuff - and some of the money even goes to charity. But I'm suspecting that this ticket lottery has been an exercise in email harvesting - I don't recall opting in for anything other than to win tickets. And merchandising is a serious money-spinner.
This reunion is suddenly developing an ever-so-slightly nasty smell...
Hard to find an interesting 7-inch record box, but we've unearthed this White Stripes 45 record box from the band's website.
Designed by Todd Slater, there's just 1500 of these available, each holding 30 records and featuring the band's name and psychedelic mosaic design. And as an added bonus, there's a rather smart 7-inch slipmat included, which you can't buy anywhere else.
Limited to one per customer, they retail at $40 (around £20).
Find out more at the White Stripes website
Via Retro To Go
Art or transport? You get the option of both with these classic rock skateboards.
All are officially licensed and sold without wheels, giving you the option of hanging the boards on your wall or using as they were intended. The boards have plain uppers and designs on the rear, including the likes of The Ramones and Jamie Reid's Never Mind The Bollocks and God Save The Queen Sex Pistols artwork.
They retail for around £45.
Find out more at the 991 website
Via Retro To Go
With The Beatles still the most popular band in the universe, there is a lot of unusual merch tagged to the group. One unusual thing that I've never seen before is this bonkers Help! cover.
This original 1969 Parlophone stereo LP features the Shell logo behind the Fab 4. This rare Swedish issue of the LP was only ever issued to Shell employees and was never available to purchase in the shops. Crazy eh?
Of course, with this being a collectable, it's going for quite a lot of money. You don't get extra/alternative tracks... so one for the enthusiast only. Click here to make a bid.
Bo Diddley always created usual chopping rhythms on his guitar. When you look at what he was playing on it's hardly surprising. His gorgeous square axe is one of the most recognisable things in rock'n'roll... and that iconic imagery comes at a price.
For those wanting to pay tribute to the great man, but without splashing silly cash on a copy, you could buy yourself a miniature version and sit it on your desk or mantle. These mini-guitars are hand crafted from wood and approximately 10 inches tall and comes with it's own display stand and clear plastic box packaging.
Click here if you want to bid on a very rare and special vintage Uni-Vibe guitar pedal. If vintage equipment isn't tempting enough, no matter how great the condition of it is, and the fact it comes with the original speed control pedal, maybe the documentation regarding its very unique history will draw you in?
The bidder informs that "Documentation from both the dealer where it
was purchased, and from Al Anderson himself (renowned guitarist of Bob
Marley and the Wailers), states that the unit was taken out of David
Gilmour's Pink Floyd rig in the mid 1970's, and given to Al Anderson."
The letter that accompanies this item reads "I Al Anderson owned the
Uni-Vibe sold to [name of dealer]... sold to me by Dave Gilmour during
the Animals tour..." and so on. Al Anderson has played with The Rolling
Stones, James Brown, Peter Tosh, and Stevie Wonder, as well as The
Wailers". Bloody hell. Click the link above for more info and history!
The Beatles were a band with their finger firmly on the merchandise pulse. Example? This fabulously named Flip Your Wig board game.
Apparently, this is pretty sought after and is in excellent condition. This Beatles Flip Your Wig Game is complete and has all four of the game pieces and all the cards. The box is in excellent condition except for what appears to be a small grease spot on the cover and also the original price sticker is on the cover.
What can you do with old records? Turn 'em into ashtrays? Personally, I play 'em. In saying that, there's an awful lot of surplus LPs around, some of 'em sound awful but have lovely middles, so with these recycled vinyl LP books the latest way of getting that surplus down.
What you get are 90 blank pages for your sketches and notes, as well as a couple of pockets for your pens and stationary. When the paper has been filled, you can use standard sheets from any stationers to sit between your records.
Available online, you can pick one up for $28 (around £14).
Find out ore at the Buy Olympia website
via RetroToGo
Russian dolls are ace. They're a bit creepy too... but y'know, they're still ace. Well, there's a shop online that sells themed versions from Russia - including these Beatles Russian nesting dolls.
The Beatles range contains a number of different looks, from the early mop top to the late hippy days. There's even one with Yoko. The set here is from Yellow Submarine, five dolls handmade in Russia from linden wood and coated with lacquer.
And you can pick it up online for $40.95 (around £21).
Find out more at the Russian Legacy website
via RetroToGo
David W Barrow was born in Parbold near Wigan, spiritual home of Northern Soul and began painting seriously at the age of 19. He's had his work displayed in all kinds of grandiose places, but I'm sure that doesn't interest you none.
He's been commissed by Liverpool Football Club and painted a cover for Ocean Colour Scene's album cover. Don't hold that against him though as Mr Barrow is also rather fond of painting Wigan's most famous nightclub, Wigan Casino.
I imagine his works will set you back a fair bit, but for real aficionados, paintings of the legendary soul club will be a must. If you contact the painter himself, he may have some prints for you at a cheaper price. Click here for more info and prices and the like.
Check this rascal out. It's the newly-reissued Stylophone, which is being offered for sale by Firebox in October. For those of you who just can't wait, you should get yourself down to HMV, which is offering the new Stylophone now - and in white.
Just like the black version, this one has all the new features,
including the volume control, the MP3 function so you can play along
and the new sounds to play alongside the classic sound. But if you want
one in white, you can only get in from HMV - and only while stocks last. Powered by 3x batteries (not included), it retails in the retro packaging for £14.99. What's this got to do with rock'n'roll? Ask Kraftwerk and David Bowie about Stylophones...
Find out more from the HMV website
Fancy getting Bob Dylan to send a message on your behalf? Well, you can write on the cards from the iconic Subterranean Homesick Blues video and tell someone you love them... or call them a jessie. It's up to you! Click here if you want in on this brilliant idea!
Over at Retro To Go, we mentioned a few weeks back that Lambretta Clothing was issuing an officially-sanctioned range of Who Clothing. Well, that clothing hits the shops in September - and we have images of some of the replica pieces.
There were initially two ranges - Tribute and Iconic - but these have now been merged. But you might have to check out some higher-end stores for the replica clobber, such as the blazer and shirts.
And we haven't prices as yet. But for now, check out some of the items above and over the turn.
Continue reading "Lambretta's Who clothing range - pictures" »
Once upon a time some stupid moron thought that vinyl had had its day, and decided to melt classic LPs into bowls. Record collectors the world over wept. Well, Vinyl Products by Brooklyn artist Jeff Davis have a range in fine Vinylux Bowls, and are available from a UK stockist, Pop Guru. Thankfully, you won't have to ruin your fave psych LPs to make 'em!
Pop Guru will let you pick the record you want for the bowl. Already in stock are titles by the Beach Boys, the Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Sly & the Family Stone and the Rolling Stones. If none of those are to your taste, unlike most DJs, they do take requests. The bowls are suitable for serving dry snacks, but with a credible choice of artist, you won't have to worry about needing to cover up the record's label.
Available in either a Smooth or Stepped finish design, they cost £20 each. [via]
There seems to be a lot of Ramones-related merchandise doing the rounds these days - but with most of the band dead, I guess there's very little in the way of objection. Converse are the latest company to jump on this particular bandwagon, producing the Ramones-themed Converse Chuck Taylor.
The Red Chuck Taylor (to give it the official name) are made of distressed denim - just like the brothers' jeans. It also features a Ramones logo ankle patch on one side, with the Converse logo on the other, as well as the band name embroidered on the tongue and Converse 'Red' detailing.
You can pick them up on the Converse site for $61.99 (around £32).
Find out more at the Converse website
Via Retro To Go
Quite what rock'n'roll and food have in common (apart from the dubious deaths of Elvis and Mama Cass) is beyond me.
That said, it doesn't stop people putting out lunchboxes with your fave singers adorning the front. We've already featured a Ramones lunchbox, now, in tribute to Paul Ramon (or Paul McCartney if you prefer), you can get yourself a Beatle lunchbox.
Featuring the cover of the Fab Four's debut LP, Please Please Me, the box can hold... well... all the things you'd put in a lunchbox; Butties, drinks, Mark Chapman's hitlist...
During the late sixties, George Harrison had a beautiful guitar and he named it Rocky. Of course, if you wanted to get your hands on it, you'd have to sell your soul to the devil. Thanks to eBay, that won't be necessary.
Coming in at 9 inches tall, you can get your mitts on this miniature Rocky and display him in the house. It's handcrafted in genuine mahogany wood and is an amazing and detailed replica of the famous Stratocaster. Also comes with a mini display stand. A measly $19.95 gets your dad the perfect present for father's day!
Johnny Thunders was a pivotal rock'n'roll guitarist and singer, first with the New York Dolls, the proto-punk glam rockers of the early '70s. and later, a hugely important figure on the New York punk scene, both with The Heartbreakers and as a solo artist. His influence on punk is massive and now, you can capture some bespoke footage thanks to eBay.
Up for grabs is some Super 8 sound film of Johnny Thunders appearing solo at legendary venue Max's Kansas City, New York City, 1976. Film made by Bruce Balboni and the picture is good, sound quality is OK and the film includes several songs and some off camera scenes outside Max's. Essential for fans of music with a bit of cash behind them.
Bono, does a lot of work for charity, doesn't like to talk about it. Well, actually he does - he never stops. I bet he Googles himself everyday and keeps a league table too.
If, like me, you're sick of the site of every politician's trendy mate, you need a Bono Dartboard. Sadly, it's not commercially available right now, but you can see it up close at One Hundred and Eighty Things I Hate About You - an exhibition of screenprinted dartboards featuring the things the artists in question hated the most.
Miles Donovan (for it is he that created it) I salute you.
180 Things I Hate website
Growing up comes to all of us - and to many, so do kids. If you are a goth and can't face sticking your kids in the brightly-coloured gear on the high street, we have some good news - there's now a Gothic Range of kids clothing available at Stardust.
And best of all, this includes Sisters Of Mercy t-shirts and playsuits. Yes, kit your kid out in black from head to toe, with the added bonus of a child-friendly Sisters logo proudly displayed on the front. And if that doesn't appeal, there's also a punk and Elvis range. Prices start from £12.50.
For rockers the world over, death has always figured highly, be it raising the sign of old Lucifer or listening to Stairway to Heaven backwards.
Well, now the kings of dodgy merch, Kiss, have come up with a solution. The Kiss Kasket. Emblazoned with Kiss Forever! and images of the make-up clan soft metallers, the Kiss Kasket aint cheap. One source has 'em going for $4000+. Still, if you buy one now, you can still get some use out of it before you snuff your lid as the Kiss Kasket doubles up as a cooler for your beers. No, seriously. Find out more
Looking for a quirky iPod case? You can't go wrong with these 7-inch single iPod cases.
All the cases are made from reclaimed 45rpm records that are custom-fitted to your iPod. In fact, they're ideal for the job - the centre hole is same size as an iPod click wheel. The sleeves are also one-offs, so you'll have to be quick off the market to catch your favourite tune. And if it isn't there, check back every Friday - because new ones are added each week.
Available online now, you can pick one up for $45 (around £25). Oh yes, the one feature here is Revolution by The Beatles - and it's just sold. But fear not - Olivia Newton-John's Physical is still available.
Find out more at the 45 iPod Cases website
Via Retro To Go
At the time of writing, interested punters have just over 18 hours to bid for a slice of recent UK music history, before some lucky Garage Punker wins Billy Childish's Sound City valve amp on Ebay.
According to the item's decription, the Medway's most famous son has "used but not abused" the amp, which has seen "active service" in Thee Headcoats.
Click here to see the auction. International bidders beware, local collection only!
Forget Bob The Builder, your kids' credibility will only be enhanced by them turning up at school with this Ramones Road To Ruin lunch box.
It's just one item from the gloriously tacky online store at the Official Ramones website. Listen to the departed bruddas spinning in their graves as you browse the Ramones-branded alarm clock, wall clock, scented candles, hat and scarf set, shower curtain and flip flops.
The lunch box is $20 (around £10). Go on, you know you want to.
See the full selection at the Official Ramones store
The first in what's sure to be a long-running series of Weird Merchandise is a classic from 1990 - the Inspiral Carpets milk bottle.
In 1990, the Inspiral Carpets had the world at their feet. A new album destined for the top of the charts, a t-shirt empire that probably brought in more cash than their records and a range of silly haircuts copied by students throughout the land.
To give their album an extra push, they released some branded milk bottles, which arrived in time to give the album sales a healthy nudge. With a play on the "cool as f**k" logo, it read "cool as milk", featuring a cow in shades, album details and an image of the band on the rear.
I had loads of them, but gave all but one away over the years. These days they change hands for around £10-£15.
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