Oh, gosh, what have I been up to? All of this heat makes the days melt together.

• Taking the dog on long walks in the August heat to get zucchini tacos at El Chilito.
• Listening to John Waters read his new book “Role Models” on my iPod everywhere: on the bus, on long walks, and passing endless hours at the DMV. In this, Waters recounts nearly everything, from his friendship with Leslie Van Houten and her life in jail to the brand and color of the pencil that he uses to draw on his signature pencil thin moustache. In honor of John Waters, I created a sundae this week called “Pink Flamingo,” which includes two tiny toy flamingos, pink sprinkles, and a Fingerstache temporary tattoo. So far only girls under 8 years of age have ordered it, which I think is kind of funny.
• I hope I’m like Vivienne Westwood when I grow up. Tangerine hair included.
• This is important: You must know about the Harlem James Gang! Snappy dressers, magic acts, catchy songs, and THE most handsome men I’ve ever seen! I hope they plan to come to Texas sometime in the future… but for now I’ll be jealous of all y’all who get to Huff with them.
• Speaking of other male performers that I’m smitten by, I hope everyone was cheering for Prince Poppycock’s performance on America’s Got Talent yesterday.
• In other reincarnation/timetravel news, I recently found out (via Darla Teagarden’s facebook feed) that my MOST favorite song from when I was a kid was not originally by Trout Fishing in America, as I had previously thought, but written in the 1930s and sung by a British radio and variety entertainers, Sovell and Wheldon. Warning! It’s a tongue-twister song that will be stuck in your head for days. Proceed with glee:

“Proper Cup Of Coffee” sung by Scovell & Wheldon 1934

Favorite filmstill I snapped this week: Marlene Dietrich, 1935 with teacup and upside-down heart kiss curls.

Prince Poppycock’s Striptease at Dances of Vice – be sure to watch until the end! Yow!

1. Alfred Cheney Johnson, Woman with Face Obscured by Fan 2. Dia De Los Muertos 3. Alfred Cheney Johnson Woman with White Mask
4. Prince Poppycock 5. Prince Poppycock 6. Roxanne Carter
7. Heart Lips 8. Glitter Lips 9. Cupid’s Bow Lips

I have a general rule where I don’t watch movies that were filmed after Man walked on the Moon, therefore, I seldom watch new-release movies in the theatre. I’m so fortunate to have the Alamo Draft House and Paramount theatres here in Austin that play old favorites of mine, that if I do seek out the theatre experience, it’s to see old classics on the big screen.

I was lured to a performance of Inception last week at the IMAX, and my mind was totally blown. I found it to be a riveting film, and I felt a mixture of stress/excitement when I thought back on it for days after seeing it (I did love the styling of the men! Very polished!). To cleanse my CGI palette this week, I’ve been doing heavy research into automatonic machines and other mechanical curios. I find that no matter how splendid the CGI in a contemporary movie, my heart is still aflutter after visiting places like Musee Mecanique or watching the player piano at Museum of Natural and Artifical Ephemerata here in Austin.

Here I am last March in front of my favorite arcade game at the Musee Mecanique in San Francisco. It’s called “French Execution” and a little bishop waves a crucifix while a curtain opens and the mini guillotine chops off the prisoner’s head.

Mommy Fortuna tells my fortune, while little dancers in the Theatre Automatique spin and twirl.

Video (not mine!) of various arcade games from Musee Mecanique in San Francisco. Be sure to watch at 6:40 when the mechanical horse goes on!

Video of American-made Orchestrion playing “Maple Leaf Rag.” This is a recently refurbished/rebuilt instrument, so the playing is very tight and on the robotic side. Still, it’s so neat to see the little hammers and mallets tick and hit in time.

Video of Orchestrion of “J’ai Deux Amours (Mon Pays et Paris).” I love how jagged and aged this instrument feels. It’s a bit cattywampus in the beginning but when the melody enters the music feels more focused.

Hand cranked Organette:

This generation best knows the Porter Music Box from the Bjork album Vespertine, where it was used on several of the tracks, including “Pagen Poetry.” Here she is on Letterman, hand cranking her Porter.

Porter Music Box playing “Fur Elise,” and the owner describes how it works.

The Cail-o-Scope or Mutoscope is a large flip reel (like a flip book) which tells a story. It’s a very early form of motion pictures.

Here’s another Mutoscope starring Charlie Chaplin. I was surprised at the amount of “tame” ones I found on youtube, the mutoscopes I’ve seen in person always promise to be naughty!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little rudimentary taste of mechanical machines! Any suggestions for me to check out?

• Yellow/Pink flower hairclips by Hello Kitty – Toy Joy, ATX
• Victorian/Damask black earrings – Urban Outfitters
• Sex Pistols Shirt – Urban Outfitters
• 1970s black sailor pants (made into shorts by me) – Military Supply Store, Seattle
• Black wedges – Melissa, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

I really debated on if I should post this outfit or not, since it’s not my normal 1930s style, but since it is technically 1970s, I guess it’s okay.
Plus, I don’t want any of you to think I’m a vintage snob/purist, although I do get put into the “Authentic Vintage” category by other vintage blogs
I have wanted a Sex Pistols shirt since I was 14!!!! I look for them on ebay every once in a while but they are always $75.
I know it’s not my normal style, and that it’s not very punk to shop at Urban Outfitters… but here I am in a t shirt!
When I sing karaoke, I always choose Sex Pistols songs or Outkast. Now you know all of my dirty secrets.
Here is my yellow eyeshadow. It’s by Makeup Forever and I like to bust it out for special yellow occasions.
Johnny Rotten is an adorable old bastard.
He falls into my ideal of suit wearing/crust punk gentleman.
I know I’m not supposed to say that the Sex Pistols are cute, but I will.

Here are some awesome Sex Pistols Songs:

• No Feelings – my favorite Sex Pistols song
• (I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone – Sex Pistols covering the Monkeys
• A Ukulele cover of “No Feelings”
• An acapella version of “Anarchy in the UK”

My vintage partner in crime, Miss Tetsie, and I are readily preparing for our Grackle Sister debut at this year’s SXSW. Part of our song and dance act involves a tap dance number, so last night as we were doing our hair I pulled up some videos on the Black Bottom Stomp for us to try out.

Une Petite Histoire: The Black Bottom is a dance that originated in New Orleans in the 1900s. The rhythm is based on the iconic Charleston dance, although it’s more sexual in nature. You bump your bottoms together, people! (See above diagram)  I read several places that The Black Bottom was more popular than the Charleston, but in our modern minds, the aforementioned Charleston is just more iconic of the flapper era.

Jelly Roll Morton wrote, “Black Bottom Stomp” and recorded it in 1926.
The Black Bottom is pretty simple to do – and it has a good learning curve. If you’re not into polished choreography dance, you can incorporate the stamps and little come-hither motions with the arms to give a flavor to your dancing.

Perry Bradford and his Georgia Strutters, “The Original Black Bottom Dance” from 1926
I love youtube videos of old men nerding out over their record collections. This collector does a really good job of introducing the record and giving some history. He has a beautiful phonograph too!

How to do the Black Bottom:
Hop down front, Doodle* back,
Mooch* to your left then Mooch to the right
Put your hands on your hips, Mess Around,
Break a Leg* until you’re near the ground
Now that’s the Old Black Bottom Dance

*Doodle = Slide
*Mooch = Shuffle forward with both feet. Hips go first, then feet
*Break a leg = Hobbling Step

This video has some great still images in the beginning of Joan Crawford doing the Black Bottom. You can also hear strains of the “Way down yonder on the Swanee River” dotted throughout. The popularity of the Black Bottom in society is shown by photos of nurses and teachers doing the Black Bottom too!

If you’re interested in the Black Bottom, you must watch this video in its entirety! It features a young Ruby Keeler and a dancing cow. It shows some of the origins of the dance along with a slow motion diagram of the dance. I think also that Baby Rose Marie dances, but I’m not sure if it is her.

Annette Hanshaw – Don’t Take that Black Bottom Away

“Snake Hips” dance from 1929, with Sharon Lynn
This song and dance is amazing, and features the lyrics “Do the wiggle waggle woo.” It’s not a strait-forward version of the dance but certainly shows influence of the Black Bottom and Charleston. Watch those costumes! OH! I’m such a sucker for glitzy chorus lines that are nothing but leg after leg marching on the screen.

When we get better at our routine I promise that I’ll share my version of The Black Bottom!

yours till Cats Kill Mountains,

Amelia

If you don’t already know her, I’m very pleased to acquaint you with one of my favorite singers!
Annette Hanshaw (1901- 1985) needs little more than a piano accompaniment, ukulele strum and cymbal punctuation to offset her dreamy, buttery voice. Her songs are filled with breathy pauses and hums as she pleads “Love me Tonight” or flippantly suggests, “What do I Care?” Through her extensive recordings, manages to effortlessly combines flapper ingenue with sweetheart pop songs. One quick glance through her catalogue and you’ll surely recognize standards like “Ain’t She Sweet?” and “Button Up Your Overcoat.” She’s instantly likeable and her songs will stick with you throughout the day!
I like to listen to Annette Hanshaw while I’m cooking a lengthy breakfast of baking powder biscuits, tofu scramble and strong Brazilian coffee. Her rhythms deliciously accompany any activity that involves wearing an apron, rolling dough, and singing to oneself in the kitchen. In fact, she even has a song called “Cooking Breakfast for the One I Love!” And, a girl after my own heart, she likes dogs, perfume and cooking, but dislikes diets, mathematics and bugs. Isn’t it silly that magazines today aren’t any better when profiling celebrities?

And who’s got plenty of that thing they call “it”?
And who can pet and love like Babe Ruth can hit?
Who?
Who takes the sheikin’ prize?
Who plays like Lindbergh flies?
Who-oo? You-oo, that’s who!

“Who-Oo? You-Oo, That’s Who” is one of my favorite songs because it references slang and celebrities of the age in lines like “Who loves like Lindburg flies?” and sheikin’ prize (what ever that may be!!). Her version of “Button Up Your Overcoat” mentions keeping away from bootleg hooch and Peroxide blondes!

Possibly my favorite part of her songs is that she always finishes the recording with a demure, “That’s all!”

Tiptoe through the Tulips

We Just Couldn’t Say Goodbye – Footage of her singing