It’s Tuesday on The AIR  and that means it’s Radio Free Charleston time, and we also have a new edition of The Swing Shift for you enjoy. You simply have to point your cursor over and tune in at the website, or you could just stay here, and  listen to the cool embedded player found elsewhere on this page.

We have three full hours of music, much of it new, local and not, at 10 AM and 10 PM Tuesday.   This week our latest Radio Free Charleston has killer new tunes from loads of artists, and I’m going to tell you all about them now.

We open the show and also our second hour with tracks from the new Payback’s A Bitch album, This Is My Life. What’s cool about this (other than it’s the first PaB album in years) is that this is a punk rock operetta in four acts (plus and overture and an epilogue) written and performed by Thom Copher.  It tells the story of The Hooligans, a London-based punk band contemporary to The Clash, The Sex Pistols and The Ramones, who released a couple of singles in 1976, and didn’t quite find the acclaim of that the other bands of the day did. It celebrates the raw energy of punk rock and combines it with the surreal aspect of surviving your dreams and wondering what the hell happened.  We’ll be hearing more tracks from this project in the coming weeks.

Folowing that, we have a preview track from a Chicago-area team up between the progressive pop band, Tautologic,  and the traditional Cletic band, Character Fleadh (that’s pronounced “Flaw” which makes the pun work–thanks to Ethan from Tautologic for saving me from mangling that word).  This preview track from an album due next March features world-renowned Irish accordionist John Williams.

Also from our Chicago pipeline, we have a track from Daniel Gunderson, who has been performing in various venues for the last 40 years, across a variety of instruments and musical styles. He has mostly played in bands (and often as a backup instrumentalist) but has now stepped out on his own as a solo performer.  Ravenslake Music has just released his solo debut studio album. The album Remember, a collection of Gunderson originals and covers of tunes by Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and The Rolling Stones,

Another cool band making their RFC debut is The Routes, who, on their album The Twang Machine, perform surf-guitar covers of songs by Kraftwerk. They turn  up in our first and third hours because, well, you know…”surf-guitar covers of songs by Kraftwerk.”

Throughout the show we continue our mix of local, independent and major-label artists, just to keep you on your toes.  This week chunks of the show veer a little country, then a little New Wave-y, then we sort of go all over the map.

Check out the playlist below to see all the goodies we have in store. Live links will take you to the artist’s page…

RFC V5 109

hour one
Payback’s a Bitch “This Is My Life”
Logical Fleadh “Merry Blacksmith-Swinging On The Gate”
Tyler Childers “Jubilee (Jubilee Version)”
Daniel Gunderson “Gravel From The Dirt”
Annie Neely “Patchwork Quilt”
Paul Callicoat “The Hills Beyond”
Heavy Set Paw Paws “(Pressin’) The Leather”
The Routes “Pocket Calculator”
Frenchy And The Punk “Blood”
Nervous Twitch “It’s Going To Be OK”
The Company Stores “A New Leaf”
Madness with Paul Weller “Audition/The Harder They Come”
J Marinelli “Everything Begins”
Carl Perkins “Gone, Gone, Gone”
The Paranoid Style  “Doug Yule”
Stark Raven “Radio”

hour two
Payback’s A Bitch “Johnny and Jenny”
Buni Muni “Old School
Erasure “Rock Me Gently”
Danny Elfman “We Belong (Squarepusher Remix)”
David Synn “Conception of Aries”
The Smashing Pumpkins “The Good In Goodbye”
Yoko Oginome “Nudist”
Bane Star “Perfectly Designed”
Aurora “Cure For Me”
Animal Hospital “Paralarva”
Spencer Elliott SE3 “Insignificant”
Agile Thumb “In One Ear (Out The Other)”
Mike Batt & Friends “Stel Me, Free Me, Shake Me, Save Me”

hour three
The Routes “Autobahn”
Fitz & The Tantrums “Heaven”
Novelty Island “Elizabeth”
The Lickerish Quartet “New Days”
Jordan Andrew Jefferson “Crybaby”
Emmalea Deal “Sugar and Champagne”
Joseph Hale “Church of Paranoia”
Mediogres “Chef’s Kiss”
Christine and the Queens “Tu sais ce qu’il me faut”
Bobby McFerrin “Sunshine of Your Love”
Three’s Company Blues “Pray For The Thunder”
John Entwistle “Left For Dead”
Speedsuit “Riddle”

You can hear this episode of Radio Free Charleston Tuesday at 10 AM and 10 PM on The AIR, with replays Wednesday at 9 AM,  Thursday at 3 PM, Friday at 9 AM, Saturday at Noon and Midnight,  and  Monday at 11 AM, exclusively on The AIR. Now you can also hear a different episode of RFC every weekday at 5 PM, and we bring you a marathon all night long Saturday night/Sunday morning.

I’m also going to  embed a low-fi, mono version of this show right in this post, right here so you can listen on demand.

After RFC, stick around for encores of  MIRRORBALL at 1 PM and Curtain Call at 2 PM.

At 3 PM we have a new hour of The Swing Shift that’s loaded with a combination of unexpected surprises and Swing Music standards.  Check out this playlist…

The Swing Shft 134

Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown “I Want You For My Girlfriend”
Tyler Pedersen “Striden on Europa (Mellotron version)”
David Campbell “Birth of The Blues”
Minor Swing “Scooterville”
Sugarpie And The Candymen “Otherside”
Benny Goodman and Peggy Lee “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good”
Duke Ellington “I’ve Got The World On A String”
Jelly Roll Morton “Kansas City Stomp”
Phil Harris “Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy”
Louis Jordan “Choo Choo Ch-Boogie”
Amos Milburn “Down The Road Apiece”
Quincy Jones Big Band “Happy Faces”
Nat King Cole “But She’s My Buddy’s Chick”
Pink Turtle “Billie Jean”
Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne “Stewball”
Glenn Miller “Sweet Potato Piper”

You can hear The Swing Shift Tuesday at 3 PM, with replays Wednesday at 8 AM, Friday at 10 AM and 8 PM and Saturday afternoon, only on The AIR . You can also hear all-night marathons, seven hours each, starting at Midnight Thursday and Sunday evenings.

Last week we told you about retro board games, but today in The 2022 PopCult Gift Guide we’re going to recommend NEW board games for the gamer on your holiday shopping list.

You Lying Sack
by Exploding Kittens and Penn Jillette
$19.99
Available exclusively from Exploding Kittens

You Lying Sack is an honest-to-goodness game about lying. It is a first-of-its kind collaboration with Penn Jillette of the legendary magic-duo Penn & Teller. To play, reach into the Lying Sack, grab something, then look into each player’s eye and lie to them. Or don’t. They must decide: are you lying about what’s in your hand? Will you outsmart your opponents? Or will you get caught?

As we have seen, lying is an essential talent needed to advance in conservative politics, so a young kid might hone the skills with this game that they can use to run the country into the ground in the future!

It’s a fun game, for ages seven and up, and for two to five players. Average gametime is around fifteen minutes.

Target: Rats | The Board Game
by Transit Tees
$45 This is a pre-order that will ship on November 30th, in plenty of time for Christmas
Available from the Transit Tees website

In every alley in the city of Chicago, you can find a bright yellow poster with a mean-looking rat under a red cross hair, warning you of how dangerous rats are and to alert you that exterminators have planted rat poison in the area. Printed in bold red letters on the poster is the slogan, “IF RATS CAN’T FEED, RATS CAN’T BREED.”

In this game, you will be playing as the head of a family of rats trying your best to survive in this hostile environment. You must lead your family to victory by scavenging for food to feed your rats, then breeding to produce more rats, and establishing new nests to grow your territory. Finally, you must become Da Big Cheese to control Rat City at the heart of the underground. But beware! In the big city, a rat can meet danger around every corner!

Suitable for ages ten and up, and for two to four players. Average gametime is 60 to 90 miinutes.

Contents:
1 20″ x 20″ Game Board
48 Painted and Screen Printed Wooden Rat Pawns
1 Painted and Screen Printed Wooden Exterminator Pawn
8 Painted and Screen Printed Wooden Dumpsters
1 Painted and Screen Printed Wooden Deep Dish Pizza
4 Painted and Screen Printed Wooden Sewer Covers
16 Chipboard Nest Markers
79 Cards full of Prizes and Perils that a city rat might encounter
8 Custom Six-sided Dice

This is a great way to turn a problem into a fun way to pass the time, and if you scroll down the page you order from, you’ll find lots of Rat-related merchandise.
Not recommended for the rat-hater on your shopping list.

GO GO GARGOYLE! THE GAME
by Archie McPhee
$24.95
Available from Archie McPhee

The Horrible Horseman has defeated the gargoyles that defended Crowning Castle and thrown everything into chaos. A new batch of baby gargoyles has been birthed from the fire demon to retake the castle and protect it from future attacks.

These gargoyles have got to save the kingdom! This simple game takes you through a magical kingdom full of ghosts, cryptids and grumpy wizards. Includes a fantastic detail-filled game board, four 1-1/8″ tall gargoyle tokens and 54 standard-sized, 2-1/2″ x 3-1/2″ illustrated cards.

It’s a game about brave little gargoyles. A game board, cards and mini-gargoyles are included.

Race to the castle to defeat Horrible Horseman, battle monsters, traverse the catacombs and mediate a divorce.

Recommended for ages eight and up, and for two to four players.

Horrified: American Monsters Strategy Board Game
by Ravensburger Games
$31.99
Available from Target

This is a new edition of a game I recommend last year. This time, instead of fighting the Universal Monsters, players work together to save the town from classic cryptids monsters: Bigfoot, Mothman, the Chupacabra, the Jersey Devil, the Ozark Howler, and the Banshee of the Badlands.

That’s right, Point Pleasant’s own harbinger of doom is one of the characters in this game.

Each unique monster requires different strategies and tactics to be defeated. Adjust the difficulty by facing different groups of monsters, each represented by a sculpted miniature. Will you be victorious against American’s legendary cryptids?

Recommended for ages ten and up, and one to five players. Playing Time can range from 45 minutes to two hours, depending on how you play.

Game Contents: 1 Game Board, 6 Monster Mats, 6 Monster Figures, 7 Investigator ID Tiles, 7 Investigator Standees, 13 Citizen Standees, 22 Bases, 60 Item Tokens, 45 Monster Tokens, 1 Terror Marker, 1 Frenzy Marker, 30 Monster Cards, 20 Perk Cards, 5 Reference Cards, Item Bag, 3 Dice, Rules

Space Explorers
by 25th Century Games
$25
Available from Amazon

The conquest of space was one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century. In 1957, the first satellite – named sputnik 1- was launched into orbit. Just four years later, Yuri gagarin was the first human in space, aboard the spaceship vostok 1.This game is dedicated to the early space explorers: all the outstanding people who worked to make space travel possible. As Yuri gagarin said at the moment of his launch: “let’s go!”

In this game you are the head of a research & development hub in a space research center, competing with other such hubs in the spirit of the Golden age of astronautics. Your goal is to complete large- scale space projects by gathering The best and brightest minds humanity has to offer.You score progress points by recruiting specialists and completing projects. The game ends when all available projects are completed, or you have recruited 12 specialists to your hub. The player who made the most progress Is the winner!

Specialists are assigned to the divisions according to their skills. The more specialists you have in a division, the easier It is to recruit new ones to that division.

All specialists have unique abilities. Only the ability of the top card in each stack is Active. Therefore, by adding a new specialist, you often get a new ability but lose the other one. Think carefully what is more important for you at that moment in the game!

Recommended for teens and up, this game features absolutely gorgeous graphics that capture the retro-space program feel of the Apollo era.

That’s our new board game recommendations for this year. Tomorrow The 2022 PopCult Gift Guide will recommend more graphic novels!

This week’s art is a quick pastel crayon expressionistic imaginary city scene.  Parts of it are inspired by photos I took in Chicago, New York and Columbus, but since I wasn’t going for a high-detail depiction of anything, it doesn’t really matter.  This was a small piece done to limber up my fingers and present a non-specific sunny day in an urban setting.

Because it’s been so bleak and dreary here, this was my little bit of escapism.

To see it bigger try clicking HERE.

Meanwhile, Monday at 2 PM on The AIR, we bring you a new episode of Psychedelic Shack, and then at 3 PM a new edition of Herman Linte’s weekly showcase of the Progressive Rock of the past half-century, Prognosis.  You can listen to The AIR at the website, or on the embedded radio player elsewhere on this page.

Since I’m still waiting on these shows and their accompanying playlists as of Sunday evening, I have no way to tell you what’s going to be in these shows.

On Psychedelic Shack, Nigel Pye offers up an hour-long mixtape of Psychedelic Music, which is how he do.

Psychedelic Shack can be heard every Monday at 2 PM, with replays Tuesday at 9 AM, Wednesday at 10 PM, Friday at 1 PM,  and Saturday at 9 AM.

On a classic Prognosis, Herman Linte presents another mysterious new program.

You can hear Prognosis on The AIR Monday at 3 PM, with replays Tuesday at 7 AM, Wednesday at 8 PM, Thursday at Noon, and Saturday at 10 AM. You can hear two classic episodes of the show Sunday at 2 PM.

Tonight at 8 PM you can hear an hour of classic musical comedy from Noel Coward on The Comedy Vault. Wednesday evening at 10 PM, we’ll have another rerun this week because somebody is busy writing a gift guide.

Then, at 9 PM we bring you an overnight marathon of Psychedelic Shack, with a fun selection of random episodes from the last five years.

And check back around noon. That’s when we plan to post Day Six of The 2022 PopCult Gift Guide! Today we have five new board games to suggest.

Mark Scarpelli and Dan Kehde’s rock opera, MARY,a Charleston tradition, opens this coming Friday. This is the first production of the show following the death of its composer, Mark Scarpelli, earlier this year, and while it’s bittersweet, it is good to see the tradition carry on.

To get you in the mood for this production by Charleston Youth Arts Company, you can sample a Radio Free Charleston playlist of clips from previous  productions in the video at the top of this post. This year MARY happens at the Elk City Playhouse at 218 W Washington St, Charleston, on the city’s historic West Side.

I’m going to quote from their event page for the rest of this post, but if you haven’t seen MARY: A Rock Opera, you really should…

Scarpelli & Kehde’s annual production of MARY: A Rock Opera returns for its 26th season on Friday, November 25th and runs through December 4th. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.

The story follows Mary, the young girl destined to be the mother of Jesus, through the 9 months prior to the birth of Christ. MARY paints a poignant picture of an ordinary girl thrown into the ultimate of extraordinary circumstances.

The cast features Maddie Wright as Mary, Maddy Solange as Gabriel, Maddy Stull as Elizabeth, Blaize Hurlbutt as Joseph, Mattie Connelly as Herod, and Justin James and David McMahon split the role of Zechariah.

Our angels this year are Erin Martin, Kayla Skidmore, Sophia Mallory, Sara Jo Bender, Erin Cazad, Beaux Reynolds, Katie Marberry, and Julia Carriger.

Seating is limited, so we suggest you purchase tickets ahead of time HERE.

From January 2008 comes the thirty-fourth episode of Radio Free Charleston, “Lucha Mask Shirt (Show Without Words #1) which featured music from Charleston’s Blues legend Raymond Wallace, WV’s Latin Stars Duo Divertido, and Parkersburg’s master of the 12-string Josh Buskirk. This episode was online briefly as part of the RFC Archives MySpace page, but went down with that ship, and is now available again for the first time in well over five years.

In addition to the music, we also had fresh animation from RFC Big Shot Frank Panucci and a special visit from the then Commander in Chief. Best of all, this episode of RFC featureed NO VOCALS! The music is all instrumental, as is the animation, and even the President doesn’t have much to say.

Of course there were the host segments to contend with. I hosted the show with duct tape over my mouth. There are subtitles for my mumbling. We even recorded a special version of the theme song, and non-verbal jingles for this show. A lot of effort went into this as an afterthought.

We remembered to record them while we were shooting the host bits on the fifth floor of the Quarrier street parking building at the Charleston Town Center, and the new jingles and theme were recorded in the car while RFC Big Shot Melanie Larch and I were warming up between segments. It was very, very cold  when we shot these.

The “Show Without Words” became an irregular feature of Radio Free Charleston, with three more wordless episodes in the ensuing years. This one was the first. We sort of got the hang of it later. You can read the original production notes HERE.

While people seem to have moved on from physical formats of video, you can’t wrap a stream, so today The 2022 PopCult Gift Guide will recommend five boxed sets of Blu Ray or DVD collections for you to wrap and put under the tree for the luddite on your holiday shopping list.

Links below the titles will take you to the online retailer who had the best price as I write this.

The Ultimate Richard Pryor Collection: Uncensored
DVD
$31.89

From his groundbreaking stand-up to television appearances, blockbuster films and beyond, Richard Pryor always told the whole, hilarious truth. A once-in-a-generation innovator, changing the game and inspiring everyone who came after him, Richard’s intimate storytelling made the world feel like we knew him and loved him.

Richard Pryor lived his life out loud, sharing the pain of the lowest lows and dazzling us from the highest heights. There’s simply never been a comedian like Richard: totally genius, outrageously funny and perfectly human.

This six-DVD boxed set includes Richard’s full-length concert films—Live & Smokin’ and Live in Concert, plus his groundbreaking 1977 NBC TV special including guests John Belushi and Maya Angelou and all four innovative and controversial episodes of The Richard Pryor Show, featuring Robin Williams,Sandra Bernhard, Tim Reid, Marsha Warfield, and more.

You’ll also get rare footage from Richard’s final shows at the Comedy Store and the hilarious documentary short I Ain’t Dead Yet, #*%$#@! as well as never-before-released footage from Richard’s infamous first film, Uncle Tom’s Fairy Tales.

Perfect for the fan of edgy comedy on your shopping list.

Batman: The Complete Animated Series
DVD or Blu Ray
$44.96/$53.99

I’m pretty sure I’ve recommended this before, but in the wake of the death of Kevin Conroy (Batman’s voice), and since this is now available in a much less-expensive package, I’m going to recommend it again.

Batman: The Complete Animated Series includes all 109 episodes (Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures) of the critically acclaimed, Emmy-winning series that redefined the Dark Knight with its thematic sophistication, aesthetics, voice acting, and orchestral score.

All of the episodes feature the 2018 remastering and are now all here in this stunning Blu-ray or DVD boxed set that’s spread over 10 discs, which also includes Also includes 2 Bonus Discs of Animated Films Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero.

Any fan of Batman of any age will appreciate this collection, considered by many to be the definitive version of The Caped Crusader. And in honor of Mr. Conroy, it just might bring a tear to their eye, too.

The Outer Limits Season One
Blu Ray
$54.95

This seven-disc set collects the first season of The Outer Limits. While The Twilight Zone gets all the love (and revivals), this 1963 science fiction anthology series had just as many memorable moments, and some amazing names that turned up in its cast. Plus it had just as iconic an opening as Rod Serling’s show did.

“There is nothing wrong with your television. Do not attempt to adjust the picture.” Here are the classic tales of awe and mystery from the first season of ABC’s sci-fi anthology series that aired from 1963-65.

You’ll see guest stars as Cliff Robertson, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Culp, Sally Kellerman, Donald Pleasence, Martin Sheen, Chita Rivera, and many others.

This collection includes 32 episodes on 7 discs, for a total 27 1/4 hrs running time. You’ll also get subtitles and commentary tracks.

This is perfect for the fan of classic science fiction on your shopping list.

Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection
Blu Ray
$49.99

Originally released two years ago, this collection of classic Bugs Bunny cartoons is perfect for the fan of classic animation on your holiday shopping list. This deluxe collection, which has three BD discs and a glittering Funko Pop of Bugs that doesn’t reall look like him is now under fifty bucks, and wrapped, it makes a nice gift to put under the tree.

Bugs Bunny first hopped onto the screen in 1940 and he’s been a pop-culture icon ever since. More than eight generations have enjoyed the timeless antics of the carrot-munching wise guy who always outsmarts his rivals. Cartoons, movies, TV, comics, music, sports and more – this wascally wabbit has done it all. Clever pranks and one-liners are here, along with interviews with today’s most renowned animators, historians and superstars. Enjoy the full range of his silly and smart-alecky personality with 60 theatrical shorts restored and remastered to their original 4×3 aspect ratio on Blu-ray for the first time.

Over a third of these cartoons have never been on DVD or Blu Ray ever before. Another 10 of them were on sets before but were never fully restored like they are here. The rest have the formatting fixed to the correct original aspect ratio of the original theatricalreleases.

It’s a great set, and there’s no guarantee that HBOMax will continue to include these once they get merged with Discovery + next year, so this set might be your best bet for Bugs.

Ultraman Nexus: Complete Series & Ultraman: Next
DVD
$22.99

This 6 DVD set is the perfect gift for the fan of Kaiju-battling superheroes. In Japanese, with English subtitles, this set includes 37 episodes of the 2004 reboot of this beloved franchise, Ultraman: Nexus, and also the theatrical movie, Ultraman: Next, which acted as a prequel to the series.

In an era of global instability, how would people react to a mysterious alien that battles deadly monsters on Earth? Would a suspicious human race be capable of viewing Ultraman as a friend or foe?

Kazuki Komon joins the Night Raiders, a secret group that fight murderous monsters called Space Beasts. Komon’s life is changed after Ultraman saves his life, but is shocked to find that the Night Raiders view Ultraman as a threat. Ultraman the Next: Will Maki prevail or will the reptilian beast destroy him? And even if Maki does win, can he retain his humanity and avoid ending up becoming a dangerous monster just like the reptilian creature?

This collection includes over 900 minutes of  primo Ultraman Content on 6 discs.

And we are now at the halfway point of The 2022 PopCult Gift Guide. We will resume on Monday, but I haven’t decided what our theme will be that day, so you’ll just have to check back and see. And don’t forget PopCult‘s regular weekend features, either.

The PopCulteer
November 18, 2022

It’s Friday and we have a few suggestions for STUFF TO DO in Charleston, and points all over WV for the next few days. That’s pretty much all we have on the agenda again for this week’s PopCulteer because your humble blogger is toiling away on The 2022 PopCult Gift Guide.  Later today we’ll have some gift ideas of boxed video sets.

Before we jump into local events, I need to remind you about a really cool online auction that benefits an important cause. I told you about it last week, but the auction still continues.

The Monsters vs Madness auction is the brainchild of author, pop culture expert, producer and co-chair of the Monsterama Convention, Anthony Taylor. Last summer, outraged by the misguided Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs case, Taylor decided to do something to help correct this disastrous overstep from the court. He came up with the idea of auctioning off custom-painted reproductions of the Marx Movie Monsters from the 1960s.

Creators from the world of movies, television, comics, literature and more are donating their efforts to raise funds and awareness to help our country cope with the desires of a fanatical minority of radical politicians who have put their personal ambitions ahead of the health of women, and in the process have endangered the medical freedom of every American citizen. In order to bid, you must register at the Auction Page (https://bit.ly/3MS54DT) where you can also donate without bidding, view the auction catalog and learn more about the cause. Bidding began at midnight November 11,  and ends November 27.

Let me take another moment to mention that, if you create a simple graphic that includes the details of your event–what’s happening, where it is, age restrictions and admission fee–then I’m far more likely to include it in a post like this in PopCult. It’s free advertising. Just meet me halfway and put your information where I might find it on social media. Even better, email it directly to me at rudypan@protonmail.com.

Live Music is back at Taylor Books. There is no cover charge, and shows start at 7:30 PM. Friday it’s Gerald Potts. Saturday sees my old friend Alan Dale Griffith play at Charleston’s beloved Bookstore/coffeehouse/art gallery institution.  You know he’s serious because he’s using his middle name!

Please remember that the pandemic is not over yet. Many people who have very good reasons are still wearing masks, and many of us, understandably, are still nervous about being in crowds, masked or not. Be kind and understanding  while you’re out.

If you’re up for going out, here are a few more suggestions for the rest of this week, roughly in order.

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

WEDNESDAY

NEXT FRIDAY

I’m giving you a full week’s notice for this annual Charleston tradition, which will also be featured in our Sunday Evening Video this week…

That is it for this week’s PopCulteer. Check back for our regular features and come back later today and every weekday for the next two weeks as we continue The 2022 PopCult Gift Guide, which returns after this afternoon’s post on Monday.

PopCult is a blog about pop culture, and today The 2022 PopCult Gift Guide gives you five recommendations for books about pop culture. It’s a grand type of synergy.

Britmania: The British Invasion of the Sixties in Pop Culture
by Mark Voger
TwoMorrows Publishing
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1605491158
$43.95

This is another of Mark Voger’s great explorations of pop culture. I’ve recommended his books in the past, but this one is near and dear to my heart, since I’ve been an anglophile from early in my formative years.

Let me quote the publisher’s blurb here:

Remember when long-haired British rock ’n’ rollers made teenage girls swoon ― and their parents go crazy? Britmania plunges into the period when suddenly, America went wild for All Things British.

This profusely illustrated full-color hardback, subtitled “The British Invasion of the Sixties in Pop Culture,” explores the movies (A Hard Day’s Night, Having a Wild Weekend), TV (The Ed Sullivan Show, Magical Mystery Tour), collectibles (toys, games, trading cards, lunch boxes), comics (real-life Brits in the DC and Marvel Universes) and, of course, the music!

Written and designed by Mark Voger (Monster Mash, Groovy, Holly Jolly), Britmania features interviews with members of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Who, the Kinks, Herman’s Hermits, the Yardbirds, the Animals, the Hollies and more. It’s a gas, gas, gas!

Britmania is just a pure delight, and is the perfect gift for the Brit-inclined person on your holiday shopping list. You can order it direct from the publisher, or from Amazon at a discount.

KELLOGG’S: The Story of America’s Breakfast King
by Christopher Lock
Independently published
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8411749359
$19.95

This book may not be part of a complete breakfast, but it will tell you everything you want to know about the company that made “cereal” a household word. Let’s consult the oracle of the publisher’s blurb:

KELLOGG’S! Just saying that enchanted name conjures up childhood memories of eating breakfast at the family table with a bowl full of Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, or Rice Krispies! And if a delicious mouthful of sugary cereal wasn’t enough to excite you as a kid, the boxes branded with Kellogg’s mascots certainly did. Colorful images of Tony the Tiger, Toucan Sam, and Snap Crackle & Pop began your day.

And how many times did you beg your Mom in the grocery store to buy Kellogg’s cereal, especially when the front of the box contained the words “FREE INSIDE”? After it, it could be the highly-coveted Baking Powder Submarine!

But of course, Kellogg’s is more than simply a cereal enterprise. Since its beginnings in 1906 in Battle Creek, Michigan, the Kellogg Company has provided quality convenience foods for families and individuals around the world. To this day, Kellogg’s continues to innovate and purchase companies in order to provide us with some of the world’s best-known brands such as Corn Flakes, Pringles, Eggos, and Cheese-Its to name a few.

More than just an international food company whose origins were based on nutrition, Kellogg’s made eating fun, especially for us kids who couldn’t wait to sink our spoons into a bowl of tasty cereal while staring at the vibrant box in front of us. Even today, enjoying Kellogg’s cereals is like spending time with an old friend; one who starts your day with amusement and imagination, be it a spirited Tiger or a colorful British Toucan.

This book covers the in-depth history of the Kellogg Company; its foundation, products, and motivations for commercial growth. It explores the riveting biography of the Kellogg brothers; their background, personal life, and business interactions – both successful and volatile.

KELLOGG’S: The Story of America’s Breakfast King then covers the products that made Kellogg’s a household word . . . from nutritional convenience food to the cereals enjoyed by generations of kids, including the brands, the mascots, the marketing & advertising, and the merriment that Kellogg’s brings each day.  This book is more than a historical account of Kellogg’s – it’s a literary trip down memory lane of the great convenience foods and fun cereals we grew up with and continue to enjoy.

KELLOGG’S: The Story of America’s Breakfast King is a great gift idea for anybody who has an interest in the fascinating history of breakfast cereal, or the growth of the packaged-food industry. And it’s way more substantial than reading the back of a cornflakes box over and over. Available from Amazon.

I Pity the Dolls
by Greg Rivera Quang Le, Mike Essl
Schiffer Publishing
ISBN: 9780764357244
$34.99

It may not have crossed your mind, but somewhere in the world, some people worship Mr. T. The man born as Laurence Tureaud is a pop culture icon. Part of this is due to his role in the “Rocky” movies. Some of it’s because of his starring turn in The A Team. A portion of the reason has to do with his time in the WWF or as the star of a Saturday morning cartoon.

It might be hard to figure out, but people love the big guy.

This book features the largest collection of Mr. T memorabilia in the world, including over 150 homemade soft sculpture dolls collected and documented over the past 25 years.

The dolls were made from a pattern book by Miss Martha Originals from Gadsden, Alabama, that in 1983 could be bought at thousands of craft stores in the country, including Walmart.

Inspired by the Cabbage Patch Kid craze of the 1980s, the dolls were made in an unknown amount but probably exist in the thousands. Each doll is a labor of love and represents the skill level of each artisan.

As modern-day folk art they have been recognized as such by the American Folk Art Museum in NYC, and they have toured the world in art exhibitions, including in NYC, San Francisco, Toronto, and Paris, France.

I Pity the Dolls is a hardcover document of this strange phenomenon, with over 300 color images and the complete story of merchandising of a pop culture icon. You can order it direct from the publisher, or from Amazon at a discount.

Knock-Offs : Totally Unauthorized Action Figures
by Brian Heiler
PlaidStallions Press
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0991692262
$24.99

Knock-offs, in case you don’t know, are those cheap, unlicensed toys you find in discount stores, flea markets and other “off the grid” retailers that are inexpensive imitations of popular toy franchises. You’ve probably seen “Spider-Hero,” “Space Wars,” or “Ranger Powers” at some point.

I love this outlaw segment of the toy industry. It’s usually hilarious, often borders on parody, and it’s ultimately validation that the original toy was successful enough to imitate. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, and some of that flattery is absolutely hysterical. When you find a knock-off of a toy, that almost always means the original toy was a huge success.

Heiler has wisely chosen to let the pictures do most of the talking here. In most cases, there is little to offer in terms of background information as the makers of the toys operate in the shadows. Oftentimes the manufacturers are anonymous Chinese toy factories who sell their product to distributors who may, or may not, sell them under a particular brand. Brian does a great job of introducing the chapters, and usually says everything there is to say about the toys in the captions. The photos are big, clear, well-lit and make for a great-looking book.

Heiler does a great job covering different eras, too. There are knock-offs in the book dating back to the 1960s, and much more recent things, like the multi-figure packs that combine heroes from Marvel, DC Comics, Pixar and The Power Rangers. Different chapters cover different topics: superheroes; monsters; space toys; movie knock-offs. He devotes the last chapter to “art” knockoffs made by people like Sucklord and Mr. Dan, who make small-runs of bootleg toys, usually for a higher artistic purpose (or parody).

Highly recommended for the toy collector with a healthy sense of humor on your shopping list.You can order Knock-Offs : Totally Unauthorized Action Figures directly from the publisher, from Amazon, or from any bookseller by using the ISBN code.

Calendar Girls, Sex Goddesses, and Pin-Up Queens of the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s
Jon Ortner
Schiffer Publishing
ISBN: 9780764357886
PRICE:
$50.00

For the sophisticated aficionado of the female form your shopping list, we have a lovely coffee tabe book that collects and amazing array of some of the most beautiful women ever photographed.

Jon Ortner is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning photographer and author, with six books in worldwide distribution. An avid collector of ephemera, he has spent more than three decades assembling one of the world’s largest collections of photographic pin-up calendars.

From that collections comes a stunning showcase of more than 350 commercial pin-up images, many never before seen, from the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s. Reproduced with meticulous attention to detail, the evocative images include some of the most alluring and spellbinding women of the 20th century. From playful “girls next door” to Marilyn Monroe’s first pin-up, this is a must-have for any collector and is a classic tribute to the legendary pin-up queen.

Calendar Girls, Sex Goddesses, and Pin-Up Queens of the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s may not seem like your typical Christmas gift, but there are plenty of people out there who wouldn’t mind finding these beauties in their stocking.

Available from any bookseller or direct from the publisher.

The 2022 PopCult Gift Guide continues tomorrow withour picks for video boxed sets.

November 16th is a very important day in the history of The Beatles. It was on this day, sixty years ago, that George Martin met with the band and gave them the greenlight to record their first album.

With that as our excuse, The 2022 PopCult Gift Guide devotes this day to the Fab Four, with a three of our gifts devoted to the era of the Revolver Album. These gift suggestions, naturally, are for the devoted Beatles fan on your shopping list.

The Beatles Revolver Special Edition Super Deluxe
Available where ever boxed sets are sold on CD and Vinyl

In the grand tradition of The Beatles’ “Super Deluxe” boxed sets comes a special edition of Revolver, one of the most beloved albums by the group.

Unlike the later-era Beatles albums, Revolver did not have a wealth of multi-track recordings available, so this new mix (by Giles Martin) was created using sonic isolation technology developed by WETA during the production of last year’s Get Back documentary mini series. The results are amazing, while still respecting the original released version.

Bonus tracks are revelatory, showing us that history was not correct about who wrote which song and showing that The Beatles were much more of a collaborative than people realized.

This Special Edition of The Beatles’ REVOLVER features a new mix by Giles Martin and Sam Okell, plus the original mono mix, a 4-track EP, 28 session takes and home demos, a 100-page book with a foreword by Paul McCartney, an essay by Questlove, detailed track notes, photos and ephemera including handwritten lyrics, tape boxes and extracts from Klaus Voormann’s graphic novel on the making of the cover art. On 5 CDs or 4 LPs  in a 12.56” x 12.36” slipcase.

Prices vary, but expect to pay over a hundred dollars for the CD version, and over $170 for vinyl.

ICONIC – The Graphic Novel of The Beatles Revolver Cover Artwork
by Klaus Voorman
Pre Sale Price: 33 Euro, plus shipping
Regular Price: 38 Euro, plus shipping
This is a limited edition, on sale November 25, available directly from Klaus Voorman.

This hardcover edition is limited worldwide to 1000 books, each handsigned by Klaus Voormann.

Klaus Voormanns’ graphic novel about the cover artwork of the Beatles’ legendary album REVOLVER first appeared as key chapter in his book, Birth of an icon REVOLVER 50, released in 2016.

Excerpts of the graphic novel (7 pages) are also included in the hardcover book of the new The Beatles Revolver Super Deluxe Boxset. In response to many requests, for the first time, the graphic novel will be released as a limited hardcover book (English language) under the title ICONIC. In addition to the complete graphic novel, the book contains two more text stories, illustrations and photos.

Quote from Paul McCartney:

“His skills as an artist were first explored by our band for the cover of the Revolver album. His work was spot on and fitted precisely with what we were doing at the time“.
-Paul McCartney, October 2022

Quote from Ringo Starr:

„… I would like to thank my friend for the cover of Revolver. Incredible! And now he‘s doing a book that will show us the many moves he made to end up with that great cover…I can only say I love you man. It‘s always great when we get together in LA…Take care my friend. I send you Peace and Love,
Ringo, yeah Ringo.“
Ringo Starr, October 2022

This is a pre-order, but the book may sell out before its scheduled November 25 release.

The Beatles Rubber Soul to Revolver (Beatles Album Series)
by Bruce Spizer
498 Productions, LLC
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0983295792
$39.99 (discounted at Amazon)

The Beatles Rubber Soul to Revolver is the latest installment in Bruce Spizer’s Beatles Album Series, covering two of the Beatles most important albums, Rubber Soul and Revolver, as well as Capitol’s Yesterday And Today LP and the singles associated with these albums.

I just discovered Spizer’s incredible work last year, and I became an instant fan. I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to books about The Beatles, and unless it’s a book by Mark Lewisohn I tend to pick up a new Beatles book, flip through it and find a dozen mistakes. That’s not the case with Bruce Spizer, whose books are meticulously researched, and who presents the material like an updated and vastly expanded version of The Beatles, An Illustrated Record, one of the most fun books about The Beatles every written (back in the 70s).

Rubber Soul and Revolver set new standards for pop and rock records, and presented a maturing and evolving Beatles to the world. The 16 tracks recorded during the Rubber Soul sessions are among the group’s finest.

With Revolver, the Beatles were looking for more color in their recordings, trying new instruments and techniques. But they were not using studio wizardry to cover weaknesses; they were looking for new sounds to enhance their already brilliant songs.

The book contains chapters on the British, American, and Canadian perspectives, an extensive treatment on the infamous Butcher Cover (featuring all of the significant images from the photo sessions and the true story behind the controversial cover). There are also chapters on the recording sessions and album covers, as well as on the news, music, and films of the era to place these albums in their proper context. And, of course, dozens of fan recollections.

This one is a must-have for the die-hard Beatles fan.

Joy and Fear
The Beatles, Chicago and the 1960s
By John F. Lyons
Permuted Press
ISBN13: 9781682619322
$19.99

Published last year, this intriguing book escaped my notice until about a month ago, and it’s a fascinating time capsule how Beatlemania played in Chicago. As the blurb says, it’s “A riveting look at the polarizing nature of the Beatles phenomenon, and how it transformed a generation, through the lens of a singular city in the center of America.”

For many, the Beatles offered a delightful alternative to the dull and the staid, while for others, the mop-top haircuts, the unsettling music, and the hysterical girls that greeted the British imports wherever they went were a symbol of unwelcome social and cultural change. This opposition to the group—more widespread and deeper rooted in Chicago than in any other major American city—increased as the decade wore on, especially when the Beatles adopted more extreme countercultural values.

At the center of this book is a cast of characters engulfed by the whirlwind of Beatlemania, including the unyielding figure of Mayor Richard J. Daley who deemed the Beatles a threat to the well-being of his city; the Chicago Tribune editor who first warned the nation about the Beatle menace; George Harrison’s sister, Louise, who became a regular presence on Chicago radio; the socialist revolutionary who staged all of the Beatles’ concerts in the city and used much of the profits from the shows to fund left-wing causes; the African-American girl who braved an intimidating environment to see the Beatles in concert; a fan club founder who disbelievingly found herself occupying a room opposite her heroes when they stayed at her father’s hotel; the University of Chicago medical student who spent his summer vacation playing in a group that opened for the Beatles’ on their last tour; and the suburban record store owner who opened a teen club modeled on the Cavern in Liverpool that hosted some of the biggest bands in the world.

Drawing on historical and contemporary accounts, Joy and Fear brings to life the frenzied excitement of Beatlemania in 1960s Chicago, while also illustrating the deep-seated hostility from the establishment toward the Beatles.

Joy and Fear: The Beatles, Chicago and the 1960s should be available from any bookseller, using the ISBN code.

Ringo Starr – EP3
Available on CD, Vinyl and cassette from Ringo, himself.

Ready for shipping later this week, you’re safe getting Ringo’s new EP in any physical formate, in plenty of time for holiday gift-giving.

Ringo Starr’s newest EP, cleverly named “EP3,” features 4 brand new tracks featuring longtime collaborators Steve Lukather, Linda Perry, Dave Koz, José Antonio Rodriguez, and Bruce Sugar. With Ringo’s instantly recognizable vocals, feel-good lyrics, and easy-breezy melodies, EP3 is now available on CD.

The four songs included are:
World Go Round
Everyone and Everything
Let’s Be Friends
Free Your Soul (feat. Dave Koz and José Antonio Rodriguez)

If you’re a fan of Ringo, you need this. Now that he’s sworn off albums for annual 4-track EPs, Sir Ringo has been treating his fans to a steady supply of great, fun new tracks, recorded in his home studio with a rotating crew of guest musicians.

It’s the music of Peace and Love, so sit back and enjoy.

Tomorrow The 2022 PopCult Gift Guide will recommend pop culture books.

Yesterday in The 2022 PopCult Gift Guide we offered up five “Retro Cool” ideas, and today we’re still in a retro mood, only with board games.

Back in the dark days of the pandemic, board games had a surge in popularity as folks decided that staying in was better than dying of a horrible disease. As people ordered the classic board games they remembered from their youths, some of them were distraught to discover that they had been changed, some quite dramatically.

This has actually been going on for some time. As such a market developed for retro versions of the classic board games that stripped away decades of “updates” and “improvements” and presented these games just as they were back when they were introduced.

Today we have five board games that are all retro-d out the wazoo, with vintage graphics and packaging and more nostalgic button-pushing than you shake a vintage stick at. The cool thing is that you can share these games with your kids or grandkids, and they’ll like them too, because the games play pretty much the same. These are all great gift for anybody who enjoys playing board games.

You can find some of these games at a wide variety of retailers, but I’ll be providing links to either Target or Amazon, because they have the best price as I write this. Be aware that they might change their prices several times a day, so it won’t hurt to shop around if you’re not in a hurry.

Retro Series Sorry! 1958 Edition
Available from Amazon for just under $32

Fondly remembered by people of a certain age who grew up watching The Carol Burnett Show, this game figured prominently in one of “The Family” sketches as Mama, Eunice and Ed play Sorry! until civility breaks down.

This Retro Series Sorry! game looks like the 1958 edition, with bold vintage graphics and classic wooden pawns.

The packaging mimics the orginal 1958 design, with a big “RETRO” logo there to make sure nobody tries to pass it off as original on the collector’s market.

This set Includes full-sized gameboard based on the 1958 edition, SORRY! card deck with retro graphics, 16 classic wooden pawns, and instructions

Classic Battleship game Retro 1967 edition
Available from Target for under $16.

Since 1967, the Battleship game has been thrilling would-be naval commanders. This retro edition is inspired by the original favorite game where 2 players try to sink each other’s hidden ships. It’s full speed ahead to hunt, hit, sink, and win! The first player to sink all 5 ships in the enemy fleet wins. The average playing time is 20 minutes per game.

Plus you’ll get the fun of picking up all those pegs when you forget to close the game all the way and then pick it up.

Includes 2 self-contained game kits (each has an ocean grid, barrier lid, and storage compartments), 2 fleets of ships (each has a Carrier, a Battleship, a Cruiser, a Submarine, and a Destroyer), and 2 sets of marker pegs (white and red). Ages 7 years and up.

Classic Yahtzee, An Exciting Game Of Skill And Chance
Available from Amazon for under $13.

Yahtzee has been one of the most popular dice games in the world since its introduction in the 1950s, with Over 50 million games sold each year. This speical edition “Classic Yahtzee” features the same styling as the original.

The name of the game is also the name of the best hand. The odds of rolling a “Yahtzee” (5 OF A KIND) on your first roll are 1295 to 1, so you won’t see that happen very often!
While luck plays a big role in Yahtzee, strategy makes a huge difference. You score each combination just once, and the number of different combinations you can score is equal to the number of turns in the game.

The game ends after each player has 13 turns and has filled every box in the column with a score or a zero. The Player or Team with the highest total score for all games (up to six) wins.

The game includes five white dice, a score pad, eight bonus chips (four red, four yellow), and a storage tray and instruction sheet. Plus this retro dice cup has the original aluminum rim. All in a package featuring the original graphics from the first edition, which was released almost 70 years ago.

Pressman Retro Mastermind
Available from Target for under $15.

One of the best-selling games of all time now features a great retro look that goes all the way back to 1989. Return to an old favorite with Retro Mastermind, the classic game that brings together a Codemaker and a Codebreaker with a great retro look.

Break the hidden code in this game of cunning and logic where players take turns setting and solving secret codes. The Codemaker will give clues to the Codebreaker, who will need to use logic, deduction, and maybe even a little luck to break the code.

With more than 2,000 possible codes, every game is guaranteed to be a brainteaser. This retro version is complete with built-in storage trays for pegs and a flip-top code shield that stays securely in place. For 2 players, ages 8 and up.

RACK-O, Retro package Card Game
Available from Amazon for under $12

Rack-o was originally released in 1956, and since then families have enjoyed this Rack’Em & score fun-filled card game. This retro edition, featuring fine quality cards with bold numbers, will delight players young and old. Rack-o is timeless fun.

The game play is sort of like Rook or Gin Rummy, only with completey different rules and the addition of neat little plastic racks into the process. Who doesn’t like neat little plastic racks?

Players randomly slot 10 cards on their rack. The race then begins to draw and discard until one player positions 10 cards in numerical sequence from low to high. Sound simple? it is – but you will need skillful play, concentration and just a little luck to win. We include a deck of (60) playing cards, (4) plastic rack-o racks and instructions. Recommended for ages 8+, 2-4 players.

Those are today’s five picks for The 2022 PopCult Gift Guide. Check back tomorrow for five more fresh gift ideas!