What would a night in Paris be without the music of our beloved, Joséphine Baker?

Hailey Tuck will be delighting our audience with her renditions of a few of our favorite Baker tunes!
If you didn’t have the pleasure of seeing her sing at the very first Vintage Vivant (Paper Moon), then here’s your chance to catch her again!

Here she is performing at Dr Sketchy Paris:

Princess Tam Tam!

One of her last performances at The Royal Variety Performance – London,1974. Sourire!

Her stage costumes are just outrageously beautiful – I love that she kept performing up until the end of her life,
and was always full of elegance, vivaciousness and verve! She is such a huge inspiration to us!

The story of Edith Piaf is all at once unbelievable, inspiring, and beautifully tragic. Abandoned by her parents, she was raised by her grandmother who owned a brothel in Normandy. The prostitutes helped to raise little Edith, who was blind for most of her childhood but is said to have been granted sight by her devotion to Saint Thérèse (Jack Kerouac, also a devotee).  When she was 14, she sang in the streets with her father, a street acrobat. Piaf grew as a flower from the dirt-soaked streets of Paris, singing in Place Pigalle and in and around Belleville.  Piaf was only 4 foot 8 inches tall, but the voice within was enormous enough to define her as a French icon. She also has a minor planet named after her!

I love these photos of Edith and Marlene Dietrich. The two met while Piaf was touring the US, and remained friends for the rest of her life. Dietrich was her matron of honor when she wed Jacques Pills in 1952.

Edith Piaf in 1935 – I’m not sure of the context of this movie but it’s interesting to see all of these women lounging languidly around Edith’s feet as she sings.

Piaf song from “Étoile sans lumière” in 1946. Piaf sits in the audience, watching the screen (1:46)

La Foule. This video has some really spectacular photographs of Piaf as a young woman and some candid shots throughout her career. This song gives me the giddy shivers.

Edith Piaf – Milord.

Padam Padam

Edith Piaf – Non, je ne regrette rien with Charles Dumont. Filmed in the early 1960s.

La Vie En Rose (2007) Trailer with Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf. I can’t think of a movie that is so inspiring, yet makes me cry so consistantly.

Pomplamoose sings La Vie en Rose

I was secretly thrilled when Edith Piaf’s song “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” was used as the “kick” in last summer’s blockbuster, Inception. For weeks after the film was released, I kept hearing the song as ringtones when I was out at the grocery or cafe. Now a whole young generation has been exposed to the little sparrow! This video is a demonstration of how Zimmer used Piaf’s song “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” as a foundation for the movie’s soundtrack.
The Little Sparrow, by tattoo artist Angelique Houtkamp

Edith Piaf inspired makeup: red lips and pencil thin eyebrows.

Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf in 2007

Christina Ricci as Piaf, makeup by Kevyn Aucoin

Edith Piaf pink choker on etsy

Necklace with Piaf’s face and vintage charms

Edith Piaf drawing by Bett Norris

On May 29th, Vintage Vivant will present an evening of Hot Jazz, sex and sin inspired by Storyville, vintage lingerie and secrets of the boudoir. Before we get to the eyecandy of inspiration posts, we present a little history lesson about New Orleans and it’s infamous Red Light District.
In the early 20th century, photographer E. J. Bellocq became known for his portraits of prostitutes of Storyville, which was the Red Light District of New Orleans from 1897 through 1917.

Between 1895 and 1915, “blue books” were published in Storyville. These books were guides to prostitution for visitors to the district’s services including house descriptions, prices, particular services and the “stock” each house had to offer. The Storyville blue-books were inscribed with the motto: “Order of the Garter: Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense (Shame to Him Who Evil Thinks).”

At the turn of the century, prostitution was an even more unusual subject for photography than today, and the experience of being photographed was far different. At that time, it would have been a special occasion, a form of attention that required time and collaboration. In spite of the large, unwieldy 8 x 10 camera, Bellocq’s pictures appear natural, and the women seem open and trusting. There’s a nonthreatening presence with an unprecedented degree of empathy permeating his work, rather than the usual sense of someone in a power position objectifying his or her subject. Bellocq’s photos do not show prostitution as a reductive identity. - Nan GoldinThe birth of Jazz is often associated with Storyville, although it did not originate there – it was played all over town, but many people heard it there for the first time. The better Storyville establishments often hired a piano player or small bands to entertain clients. Jelly Roll Morton is one of the better-known piano players to come out of the Storyville district. In the brothels, he often sang smutty lyrics and it was at this time that he took the nickname “Jelly Roll” – slang for female genitalia.

Here are some videos of jazz musicians who made a name for themselves in Storyville:

King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band – Dippermouth Blues (Sugarfoot Stomp) 1923

Jelly Roll Morton – King Porter Stomp

It Should Be You – with Pops Foster on piano

Jimmie Noone – You Rascal you

On May 29th, Vintage Vivant welcomes pianist Reese Gray, who got his start playing New Orleans in his younger years.

Reese Gray plays “Tiger Rag” with the White Ghost Shivers in Berlin, 2009.

Your loving hostesses in our Sunday best!

This picture just melts my heart into marshmallow goo!

I think the bunny might’ve been proposing to me – but it was too hard to hear what exactly he was proposing behind that fuzzy mask!

Norah, our adorable door-bunny!

Suzie + Sarah, the sweetest flowers in the garden!

Lynne Koehlinger gettin’ cozy with Mr. Bun-Bun + a dapper young fella

Kick up your heels, y’all – Spring is here!

What did that naughty rabbit whisper in Sassy Delure’s ear? Oh lawd!

Jenny Woys, cute as a bakelite button!

Pretty in pink!

Lookit this cute Bunny Warbucks we found! Hope he’s got some lettuce lining those pockets!

Amelia and Erik of Djamberry Caravan, who play the sweetest Django Reinhardt ditties – we love them!

Fine as hell, and twice as dapper

Kissin’ Mr. Bunny like that might get you some goodies in your basket!

Babes in blue, and Stefanie in the best easter bonnet ever!

Could we get any cuter here? I hardly think so!

Rabbity hijinks! Yowza!

Our wonderful DJ for the evening, Mr. Dennis Campa was clearly egg-static to be posing with the bunny!

Cute critters in fine apparel populated our soiree. I have a feeling some bestial acts may have occurred! Oh, Lambie-kins!

Maybe your vintage style is more inspired by 1983 than 1923? That’s cool with us, especially if you are a bunny or a lamb!

Anyone who know Angie (in the turban!) knows what a big deal it was for her to get dolled up all fancy,
in a fuschia dress, no less! Hopefully it was the first, but not the last time! Whatta buncha cut-ups!

Megan + Fiona, pretty as a picture!

Aidan definitely wins this prize for most-dapper, best-dressed – and all the rest! So good!

We’ll have to have this gang back for our “Vamps + Tramps” party! “Tramps” as in Charlie Chaplin, hey!

Ty, of Fatbottom Cabaret (who were absolutely amazing!)

Devi + Jackie did it again! These girls are the greatest -
we look forward to the joy and energy (and awesome props!) they bring to the photobooth everytime!

See Devi’s full set of photos from the night on flickr:
Vintage Vivant Bunny Hop Bash

Miss Amelia was a gloriously scandalous showgirl in a coin-spangled halter à la Joan Blondell!

I wore pieces from my Mardi Gras costume – re-styled to be a Ziegfeld Follies fantasy!

Miss Allyson from Coco Coquette looking like the cat’s meow!

The ever-lovely Callisto, and a dapper fellow gettin’ sassy at the bar…

Olivia + Hailey – what a pair of fetching dames!

Lynne Koehlinger (on the right) is an amazing dancer (and dance instructor at Four on the Floor!)
who we hope will soon be showing our crowd how to do all the greatest moves from back in the day!

Here she is doing the Charleston with Peter Varshavsky at the 2008 Gatsby Picnic in San Francisco. Amazing!

Cuties!

Westen Borghesi (aka. Shorty Stump) wailing on his banjolele.

Reese brought his gorgeous phonograph, much to our delight!

Mizarre + Sassy Delure did a charming rendition of one of my favorite numbers from Cabaret.

They tore it up on the dance floor too!

Red hot!

Toot-toot-tootsie – too, too cute!

Who let that bum in here? Aw, it’s just Jordan Moser, cuttin’ up!

What a fabulous crew of randy dandies and glittering dames!

Kiss-kiss until next time, babies! Stay tuned for the next installment of photos from Goldiggers!

Agent Ribbons: everything I love. Imagine if The Zombies and The Boswell Sisters collaborated on an album that was recorded in a Victorian house decorated by Dame Darcy. From the tick-whir of the Super 8 Projector on Rubix Cube to the sweet cirrus cloud melodies of Grey Gardens, Natalie Ribbons has a voice like a siren: crooning from within a closed closet door, her mermaid scales slough off into collected piles of shoes and clothes.

The best part, is that I am fortunate to be a part of this magic. Agent Ribbons recently relocated to Austin this spring. Natalie and I met over Ban Mi & young coconuts at a Vietnamese sandwich food cart one night in August. Since then, we’ve gone on adventures nearly every week, including cheersing Sonic Youth, Bocce Ball games in graveyards, and caterpiller races.
I made a second deer antler head dress & yesterday we headed out to the Texas prairie to catch the last few moments of winter sunshine. I like how these turned out like hand-colored tin type photographs.

The World is a Cigarette

If you’re in France, Spain or Portugal, be sure to catch Agent Ribbons on tour starting next week. They will also be in a future issue of Bust and touring the West coast in the end of 2010. Buy Chateau Crone from Antenna Farm Records on CD or Limited Edition Vinyl. Hooray!

1. Agent Ribbons, 2. The World is a Cigarette, 3. Agent Ribbons,
4. agent ribbons, 5. agent ribbons on the ticket, 6. Agent Ribbons

Greetings modern anachronists and fellow phonograph enthusiasts!

I have an exciting documentary to introduce to you. Bison Grass Films from the UK is making a film about modern-day phonograph collectors and creators. They are traveling this spring through the UK, Australia, Japan and the USA to find collectors & the like to interview. I am helping with the Austin/Texas leg of the production, where we hope to spotlight Jim Cartwright of Immortal Performances, as well as gather together a group of 1920s/30s enthusiasts to peform and be interviewed. I am so excited for this film! Take a peek at the clips, below.

Talking Machines from Lucas Jedrzejak on Vimeo.

Talking Machines – another clip from Lucas Jedrzejak on Vimeo.

To find out more about this project, please visit Talking Machines, and be sure to toss some money their way! Small donations will help this crew travel the world to unearth Old Codgers and Mouldy Figs. Let’s make this happen, people! Thanks!

Here is Reefer Madness (1938), if you’ve never seen it.

My favorite musical number from Reefer Madness musical.

Have you ever met that funny Reefer Man?

• 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 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?