Woman & Man+
by Craig Yoe
Clover Press
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1951757090
$49.99

Today’s first entry in The 2024 PopCult Gift Guide is a bit hard to describe. It’s a great gift for anybody who can handle challenging art.

It’s a graphic novel, told without the use of dialogue, with a surreal narrative and execution.

And…it’s freaking brilliant.

Craig Yoe’s name should be familiar to PopCult readers because I’ve been enthusiastically telling you folks about his work as a comics historian and preservationist for years. However, he’s also a creative force of no small talent, with stints as a creative director for Jim Henson Productions, Disney, Nickelodeon, MTV and others. Heck, he even hired Steve Ditko to draw an issue of Big Boy Magazine once.

But before all that, Craig was a cartoonist. To be specific, he was a second-wave underground cartoonist, turning up in the very early 1970s with a style that combined elements of Bill Holman, Salvador Dali, George Herriman and Robert Crumb.

His new book, his first full-on cartooning job in decades, is his reaction to the dissolution of his marriage, and dealing with starting over again in his twilight years after relocating to Europe with his wife and young children.

This is not a weepy “poor me” tell-all book. It’s a primal scream of surrealism and searching. Less a narrative story than an explosion of surreal art, Woman & Man + is like somebody gave James Joyce a pen, kept him sleep-deprived for a week and told him to tell a story without using using words.

I can’t even write a comprehensive review because this book demands more than one reading. I can see people studying it for years. It’s equal parts touching, frightening, erotic, action-packed, confusing, confounding and comforting…all at the same time.

Let me go to the publisher’s blurb:

Woman & Man+ is a wildly surreal autobiographical telling of its artist, Yoe, losing his love, his country, and, some say, his sanity–and his struggle to reinvent himself. His passion for drawing comics was sidetracked for over a half a century by a career as a creative director for Jim Henson and the Muppets, Disney, Nickelodeon, and MTV. Coming back to his roots, he now dives deep into sex, horror, and drama, with a hint of humor and a whiff of hope. This highly anticipated loudly wordless graphic novel Woman & Man+ has a revolutionary approach that breaks all the rules of conventional comic storytelling. Steranko meets Hieronymus Bosch by way of R. Crumb and Dali. The unique art style has been deemed, “Yoe-Brow!”

Woman & Man + can be ordered from any bookseller using the ISBN code above. You can also find slipcover, signed edition and more from Clover Press. And if you want to be cheap about it, you can go to Amazon.

This is the perfect gift for the thinking fan of counter-culture comix.

As we enter the final week of The 2024 PopCult Gift Guide, your humble blogger actually managed to create a new piece of physical artwork.

Even more impressive, this is a mixed media painting (small-scale) based on photos I took last Friday during a return trip from a secret mission that you will learn about next week.

On thick illustration board, this painting was created using acrylic paint, watercolor, Winsor Newton ink, white-out, razor blades and X-acto knives, a variety of brushes and straight edges. This idyllic winter scene is based on a series of photos I took standing at the end of the outlet shopping center in Flatwoods, WV. To the immediate right of this peaceful scene is a Walmart.

Which is a good example how composition and framing are key to making art.

To see it bigger try clicking HERE.

Over in radioland, Monday beginning 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.

At 2PM, Nigel Pye brings you yet another hour of Psychedelic Rock from many eras. Check out the playlist…

Psychedelic Shack 095

Vanilla Fudge “Stra/You Keep Me Hanging On”
Astral Magic “It’s All In Your Mind”
Aphrodite’s Child “The Four Horsemen”
Rain “One Is All and All Is One”
The Gypsy Wizards Band “The Brightest Light”
Psychedelic Witchcraft “Slave of Grief”
The Turtles “It Ain’t Me, Babe”
Susanna Hoffs “Bell Bottom Girls”
Oingo Boingo “War Again”
Jimi Hendrix “All Along The Watchtower”
Led Zepplin “Dazed and Confused”

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.

At 3 PM Herman Linte pays tribute to iconic Prog-rock lyricist (and co-founder of King Crimson) Pete Sinfield, who passed away less than two weeks ago. Herman treats us to a mixtape show featuring some of the legendary Prog bands for whom Sinfield provided lyrics, along with a sampling of his sole solo album.

Check out the playlist:

Prognosis 122

Peter Sinfield “The Night People”
King Crimson “Moonchild”
Emerson Lake and Palmer “C’est La Vie”
PFM “Photos of Ghosts”
King Crimson “Formentera Lady”
Pete Sinfield “The Song of the Sea Ghost”
King Crimson “In The Wake of Poseidon”
PFM “Mr. 9 to 5”
Chris Squire and Alan White “Run With The Fox”
Emerson Lake and Palmer “Karn Evil 9 3rd Impression”
King Crimson “Cadence and Cascade”
Pete Sinfield “Still”
Emerson Lake and Palmer “Taste of My Love”
King Crimson “Indoor Games”
Emerson Lake and Palmer “Pirates”
King Crimson “Cirkus”
PFM “Promenade the Puzzle”
Emerson Lake and Palmer “Benny The Bouncer”

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.

At 8 PM you can hear an hour of conceptual random comedy a classic early episode of The Comedy Vault.

Tonight at 9 PM for the Monday Marathon we devote ten hours to five more early episodes of Prognosis.  For the time being we are back to alternating between Prognosis and Sydney’s Big Electric Cat, because we’re going to be pulling the early episodes of those shows from the server soon to make room for newer programs. After they’ve been offline for a year or so, we’ll bring them back into rotation but for now, you can hear them Monday evening into Tuesday morning, and then those episode will go on hiatus.

The plan is to have all-new musical specialty programs this week,  during the last week of The 2024 PopCult Gift Guide, which, coincidentally, continues later today.

We’re at the beginning of Thanksgiving Week, and what better way to celebrate than by recycling old Radio Free Charleston content from the blog?

“Duh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh Nuh BATMAN Shirt,” henceforth known simply as “Batman Shirt,” was episode nine of Radio Free Charleston Volume Two and originally appeared November 14, 2006, and was our first and only Thanksgiving video show.

This is one of our most-watched and least-watched RFC video shows. Since being remastered and posted to YouTube over a decade ago, it has been viewed more than nine-thousand times. However, most viewers bail out after about ten seconds, probably disappointed that it isn’t the theme song sequence from the Batman TV show.

It is, however, a great local music showcase that features songs from Stephen Beckner and Mother Nang, a Pentagram Flowerbox cartoon, the short film, Hell for Turkeys and funny host segments from the pre-demolition food court at The Kanawha Mall. End credit music is by Greg Wegmann.

Still recovering from our first big Halloween shows, we took a low-key approach to this episode of RFC. Stephen Beckner returned with a second song recorded at the second-ever RFC recording session at LiveMix Studio, which also gave us his song for episode two. “Olive Or Twist” was on his “Apples” CD.

We also bring you archival footage of Mother Nang from 1992 performing “Knee Deep In Wine.” After this show was originally posted to The Charleston Gazette in 2006, Mother Nang reunited and appeared in more modern times on the show. Their frontman, Spencer Elliott, has gone on to become a big-shot amazing fingerstyle guitar recording artist for CandyRat Records.

There is an epic-length Pentagram Flowerbox Thanksgiving cartoon on hand, as Timmy and his grandma go hunting for a giant turkey and pay tribute to the late Iron Eyes Cody.

There’s much more in this edition of Radio Free Charleston: a glimpse of turkey hell, a brief visit by the Talking Adventure Team Commander, and end credit footage of The State Capitol Grounds, including the now-extinct fountain.

It’s hard to believe this was over eighteen years ago. Time flies when you’re having fun!

If you didn’t get enough RFC from the above show, here’s a “DVD extra,” the trailer I made to promote the show, back when we could only post trailers to YouTube because of their time constraints…

And on top of that, we have an audio bonus of sorts. At the bottom of this post you can hear a compliation special that combines the 2019 Radio Free Charleston International Thanksgiving Special, which is 90 minutes of yours truly and his lovely wife, Mel Larch, playing music and joking around…and then the rest of this show contains the 2019 Paul And Spike’s Too Grumpy Critics Thanksgiving Special, which is half an hour of holiday humor, and the final hour of this show is The Relax Radio Show, created and hosted by George Daughtery, the beloved and much-missed, Earl of Elkview.  This is a compilation from 2021 that ran in the regular RFC Volume 5 timeslot during the holiday week.

This is all to get you in the mood for what the French call, “Journée de la Dinde.”  The plan is to wrap up The 2024 PopCult Gift Guide, with the Master List being published Friday, and also bring you all-new music specialty programs on The AIR this week.

You thought we were done with our coverage of FestivALL 2010 a couple of weeks ago, but I warned you!

From September, 2010, here’s an episode of Radio Free Charleston that was assembled entirely out of stuff on the cutting room floor for episodes 102-107.  Even the host segments were shot back in June.

This show brings you more music from Brian Diller and The Velvet Gypsies, plus extra music from Craig D’Andrea and Ron Sowell, and footage of the balloon sculptures at The Charleston Town Center.

It just goes to show you how much stuff we shot that summer for FestivALL. Too bad a few years later when they started paying people to shoot video they never asked us.

Retro-A-Go-Go

Retro A Go Go just makes cool stuff. Whether it’s jewelry, T shirts, parasols, tin signs, wallets, posters or giant Ben Cooper Halloween masks that you can hang on your wall, this is THE place that just epitomizes coolness. You can find designs by Doug P’Gosh, licensed Ford and Chevy stuff, Monster stuff, Betty Page clothing and decor and all sorts of the coolest things on their planet.

I have recommended them in previous Gift Guides, but this year they’ve added several cool new things that are particularly Christmas-y.

They have some of the coolest-looking gift wrap available, and if they don’t sell out by the time this post goes live, they have some really cool retro 3d wall decor.  Plus they’re the only place around where you can get ornaments of Bela Lugosi, Betty Page, and Warren horror mascots.

But this year they also have the perfect line for a certain curmudgeonly type that you might have on your holiday shopping list. If you have a Grinch on your list, someone who really doesn’t like the holidays at all, then you can help them celebrate with Cruddy Christmas decor! You have your choice of an Angry Elf, a dishevled Mall Santa, Road Kill Rudolph or Krampus, to help ring in the holidays with good natured hostility and malice.

Just check this stuff out…

Visit their website for the perfect gift for the coolest or grumpiest person on your holiday shopping list.

The PopCulteer
November 22, 2024

Our big themed PopCulteer entry this week in The 2024 PopCult Gift Guide is devoted to what looks to be the big pop culture event of the season, a movie that opens today, it’s Wicked, the popular musical which comes to theaters (well, halfway, they’ve split it into two movies, with part two coming next year) today.

Now, I have to confess…I haven’t seen the musical. I’ve heard some of the music and it’s quite catchy, but I was never really a big Oz fan, and the premise of the book that the musical is based on is the type of “what really happened” reboot that’s old hat to fans of comic books and speculative fiction. But I can’t deny that millions of people love the musical, and it’s likely going to be the biggest movie of the year, and there’s plenty of merchandise tied into it, not all of it controversial.

Speaking of the controversy…it seems that scalpers have descended like locusts and snapped up all of the fashion dolls because of the snafu with the website pointing buyers to a porn company. As I write this, some of the dolls, particularly Elphaba, are nearly impossible to find online. However, they seem to be well-stocked in brick-and-mortar stores, so if you have a Wicked fan who’s into Barbie, you can probably find some out there in the real world.

If you have a rabid fan of Wicked on your holiday shopping list, these are the gift ideas for you…

Wicked: The Soundtrack

If they love the movie and show, chances are they’ll love the music. Available everywhere music is sold on vinyl or CD, Wicked: The Soundtrack features performances by the stars of Universal Pictures’ new cinematic event with music and lyrics by legendary composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz.

The album includes songs performed by Emmy, Grammy and Tony-winner Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Grammy-winning, multiplatinum superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda. Also featuring Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh as the regal headmistress Madame Morrible; Olivier Award-winner Jonathan Bailey as the roguish prince Fiyero, and Jeff Goldblum as the legendary Wizard of Oz.

Based on one of the most beloved and enduring musicals of the past 20 years, the spectacular, generation-defining film adaptation is destined to be the most talked-about films of the holiday season. Featuring iconic Wicked songs “Defying Gravity,” “Popular,” “Dancing Through Life” and more. Consider this a no-brainer for fans of the musical.

Wicked Collector’s Edition: The Inspiration for the Major Motion Picture in a Deluxe Edition with Green Sprayed Edges

This is a collector’s edition of the book that the musical is based on. You can also find it much cheaper in softcover form. Let’s go to the publisher’s blurb:

The beloved multimillion-copy-bestselling novel and basis of the Tony Award–winning musical and movie, in a deluxe hardback edition with green stained edges, a ribbon marker, and an elegant foil-stamped cover.

With millions of copies in print around the world, Gregory Maguire’s Wicked is established not only as a commentary on our time but as a novel to revisit for years to come. Wicked relishes the inspired inventions of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, while playing sleight of hand with our collective memories of the 1939 MGM film starring Margaret Hamilton (and Judy Garland). In this fast-paced, fantastically real, and supremely entertaining novel, Maguire has populated the largely unknown world of Oz with the power of his own imagination.

Years before Dorothy and her dog crash-land, another little girl makes her presence known in Oz. This girl, Elphaba, is born with emerald-green skin—no easy burden in a land as mean and poor as Oz, where superstition and magic are not strong enough to explain or overcome the natural disasters of flood and famine. Still, Elphaba is smart, and by the time she enters Shiz University, she becomes a member of a charmed circle of Oz’s most promising young citizens.

But Elphaba’s Oz is no utopia. The Wizard’s secret police are everywhere. Animals—those creatures with voices, souls, and minds—are threatened with exile. Young Elphaba, green and wild and misunderstood, is determined to protect the Animals—even if it means combating the mysterious Wizard, even if it means risking her single chance at romance. Ever wiser in guilt and sorrow, she can find herself grateful when the world declares her a witch. And she can even make herself glad for that young girl from Kansas.

Recognized as an iconoclastic tour de force on its initial publication, the novel has inspired the blockbuster musical of the same name—one of the longest-running plays in Broadway history. Popular, indeed. But while the novel’s distant cousins hail from the traditions of magical realism, mythopoeic fantasy, and sprawling nineteenth-century sagas of moral urgency, Maguire’s Wicked is as unique as its green-skinned witch.

Any bookseller should have this in stock, or you can just resort to Amazon.

Dragon Glassware x Wicked Ozpresso Cups

This is another Amazon entry. These cups have an enchanting design, inspired by the whimsical world of Wicked. These Wicked cups feature a spellbinding finish, making every sip feel like a magical moment.

The perfect Size for Any Brew, At 8 oz, these Wicked coffee mugs are ideal for espresso lovers and fit comfortably under most brewing machines, reminiscent of the cozy settings in Oz
These Wicked mugs come beautifully packaged, making it a perfect gift for fans of the musical or coffee enthusiasts who appreciate a touch of enchantment in their daily routine.

They are sustainable and reusable. We’re talking about a lead-free, high quality, crystal clear coffee mug set that is microwave, refrigerator and freezer safe; suitable for daily use and easily cleaned. These espresso glasses come with lifetime limited manufacturer’s warranty.

You can find them HERE.

Monopoly Wicked Edition Board Game | Inspired by The Motion Picture

Pay no attention to the banker stuffing his pockets. This specialized version of Monopoly is based on Wicked. I’m going to quote from the description because I don’t want anything to think I actually use words like this:

Explore the amazafying land of Oz! The Monopoly Wicked Edition game combines classic Monopoly gameplay with art, storylines, and characters from the Wicked film

6 THEMED GOLDEN TOKENS: Includes 6 golden zinc Monopoly tokens: Elphaba’s hat, Elphaba’s Broom, Elphaba’s Bottle, Glinda’s Crown, Glinda’s Trunks, and The Grimmerie

AMAZAFYING LOCATIONS FROM THE MOVIE: The board features properties from the land of Oz—from Shiz University to Emerald City! The more a player owns, the more Ozian coins they can collect. The last player with coins when all other have gone bankrupt wins

MUNCHKIN HOMES AND EMERALD CASTLES: In this Monopoly game, Munchkin Homes and Emerald Castles replace houses and hotels. Players who own them can collect more Ozian coins

DEFY GRAVITY AND TOTALLY OZMOPOLITAN CARDS: “Rejoicify! Madame Morrible gives you a training wand. Collect 20 Ozian coins.” These cards, featuring moments from the film, can bring good—or something bad

THRILLIFY FAMILY GAME NIGHT: Add some magic to game nights, vacations, and more! This indoor game for kids and adults is a fun family board game for ages 8 and up

FANTABULOUS GIFT FOR WICKED FANS: Stunningly designed with fan-favorite details, this Wicked-themed Monopoly board game is an ideal gift for kids and adults who love the Wicked movie and the Monopoly games

Yeah, they lay it on pretty thick there, but the game looks pretty cool. My only beef is that they didn’t make ruby slippers one of the tokens. It’s around $25-$30 wherever board games are sold.

Wicked The Game

If you like boardgames, but not Monopoly, there’s also this original game based on the movie. Again, I’m quoting here again because the wordplay is embarrassing:

Players team up across Oz in a race against the Wizard in this family game based on the new movie, Wicked!

Work with your friends to unlock the chapters of your story & make Thrillifying Magic before the Wizard Track can reach 13.

If you can Defy Gravity by reaching the Emerald City first, you win! If the Wizard Track beats you to the end, His Royal Ozness becomes too strong & convinces Oz of your wickedness.

Play as your favorite characters – Elphaba & Glinda – to collect card sets to create magic & advance the chapters. It’s up to you to save Oz!

Fans of musicals, Wizard of Oz & the Wicked movie will love the Emerald City 3D centerpiece & reliving the magic of the timeless story at home.

Includes Gameboard, 1 First Player Marker, 4 Character Boards, 170 Story Cards, 12 Chapter Cards, 15 Wizard Cards, 1 Wizard Track Mover, 1 Emerald City Holder, 20 Thrillifying Magic Tokens, Instructions.

This sounds like it’be perfect for the game-playing Wicked fan on your shopping list. Look for it anywhere games are sold for around $25.

LEGO Wicked Welcome to Emerald City Building Toy

LEGO has several sets inspired by Wicked, but this set, that retails for around a hundred dollars, is the most impressive. Let’s go to the description:

WICKED COLLECTIBLE TOY – Kids can go on a LEGO building adventure as they relive an iconic scene from the Wicked movie with this 3-story Welcome to the Emerald City tower set

5 LEGO WICKED MINIDOLLS – Includes Glinda and Elphaba, The Wizard, Madame Morrible and Fiyero, as well as an Emerald City scene

This 945 piece Welcome to Emerald City playset measures over 15.5 in. (39 cm) high, 14.5 in. (37 cm) wide and 5 in. (13 cm) deep

Take kids ages 9 and up on a magical LEGO adventure to the land of Oz with the Welcome to Emerald City collectible toy. Young builders can recreate scenes from the Wicked movie as they build this detailed 3-story tower toy and explore the model’s many features. With 5 minidolls included, this fantasy toy lets kids play out Wicked friendship moments between the Fiyero, Glinda and Elphaba minidoll figures as they browse the cosmetics store, buy cakes or grab a drink from the bicycle coffee vendor.

For more play inspiration, kids can scan the set’s hidden QR code to access unique online LEGO Wicked content. This enchanting dollhouse playset LEGO toy makes a special gift for any fan of the Wicked movie.

You ought to be able to find this anywhere you find LEGO.

This just scratches the surface of available Wicked merchandise. It’s all over the place, and if you have a Wicked fan on your shopping list, your job just got really easy. There are cosmetics, Fisher-Price Little People, shoes, t-shirts, costumes, Vera Bradley bags, drinkware and more. So…knock yourself out.

And that is today’s first entry in The 2024 PopCult Gift Guide and this week’s PopCulteer. Next week the PopCulteer will present the Master List for the Gift Guide. Meanwhile, remember that we’re taking weekends off this year. There will be a second entry later today, then we’ll be back Monday with more gift ideas.

But PopCult will have fresh content every day, and all of our regular features, too.

The second monstrous pick today in The 2014 PopCult Gift Guide is the newly-revived Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine. Now owned by Corey Taylor of Slipknot fame, this new incarnation of the original Monster Kids’ Bible is back to its original format on newsprint, and loaded with cool articles about the monsters of the movies.

There are two issues out so far, and both can be ordered from the publisher.

The first issue, published last April, includes an interview with Jim Warren, the original publisher of FMoF (along with Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella). There’s also an interview with Tim Burton, and articles on 90 years of King Kong, The Exorcist, Dragos The Conquorer and the subject of the cover painting, Sid Haig. You can order it HERE.

The Second issue features cover art from Terry Wolfinger, depicting The Tall Man, from Phantasm. It includes articles about Phantasm, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Lon Chaney, plus 13 Questions with David Dastmalchian, AND MORE! You can order it HERE.

This revived magazine is another great gift idea for Monster Kids of all ages. You might even consider buying them a subscription, which comes with all sorts of extra perks. You’ll have that option when you order either of the issues listed above.

Our first pick today in The 2024 PopCult Gift Guide is the perfect gift for the lover of obscure toys of the 70s, cheesy horror movies, or both. It’s the long-awaited revival of the Lincoln Monsters action figure line, brought back to life by the folks at Odeon Toys, Absolutely Retro and White Elephant Toyz.

It’s not a full-on reproduction of the original Lincoln International toy line. For one thing, these won’t fall apart if you look at them sideways. The original Lincoln International figures were notoriously fragile, with cloth outfits that seemed more like cheap paper. They were knockoffs of knockoffs, and came with all the joys and pitfalls.

These new monsters come on a sturdy new S-typle MEGO-sized body. The heads and outfits are based on the original unlicensed public domain monsters that were sold in the 1970s. The heads are direct reproductions, but the clothes have been upgraded substantially. Still, the charm is in the cheese.

Bringing these guys back has been a distant idea of Brian Heiler (of Odeon Toys and Plaid Stallions) since I’ve known him. The twist is that they’ve been reimagined as being based on imaginary Z-grade drive-in movies. The box art reflects this with one side of the box featuring reproduction art, and the other featuring “what if?” movie posters in the same style.

The first two figures in the line are Frankenstein and Dracula, and they’re also available in a limited edition two-pack.

Lincoln Monsters The Power of Frankenstein

It’s Alive! Dr. Frankenstein’s fabulous creation has been reanimated for 2024. Based on the classic Lincoln International Frankenstein figure but upgraded with a type S body and new custom tailoring.

Each Power of Frankenstein figure comes in a solid box depicting the Lincoln Monsters movie poster on one side and the classic Lincoln artwork on the back. They even kept the misspelled name from 1975.

Lincoln Monsters The Evil of Count Dracula

The dark lord of the Carpathians is back from the dead in this new 8″ action figure. Based on the classic Lincoln International Dracula figure but upgraded with a type S body and custom tailoring.

Each Evil of Count Dracula figure comes in a solid box depicting the Lincoln Monsters movie poster on one side and the classic Lincoln artwork on the back.

Lincoln Monsters The Blood-A-Rama Shock Festival Pack

Get both the Lincoln Monsters for a special price. Each co-pack will comes in an exclusive sleeve and with an exclusive Lincoln “Monster Club” kit (while supplies last)

Each 8″ Tall Lincoln Monster figure will come in a solid box with the movie poster by Chris Franklin.

Each figure sells for around thirty bucks. The pack of two goes for around fifty-five.  These are great gifts for the Monster Kids on your holiday shopping list. You can order them from Odeon Toys, Absolutely Retro or White Elephant Toyz.

The Surfrajettes
Easy As Pie
Available on CD, LP or download

Today’s second pick in The 2024 PopCult Gift Guide is Easy As Pie, the latest album by the female surf-quartet from Toronto, The Surfrajettes. This is the perfect gift for fans of surf-rock, independent music and girl power.

As they say in the PR…

ORDER UP! Welcome to THE SURFRAJETTES DINER, where your favourite surf-slinging waitresses are serving up this fresh outta-the-oven album! A buffet of delectable delights, this menu certainly has something for everyone. Hope you saved room for dessert! So grab a fork, turn up the stereo, and enjoy a delicious slice of “Easy as Pie”

Hi-Tide presents the second LP from the world’s premier surfing combo – The Surfrajettes!

First pressing includes limited “The Surfrajettes Diner” 8×10″ placemat, designed by Courtney Reader

The album includes a mix of thrilling originals and select covers, including their take on “Spice Up Your Life,” the Spice Girls classic. I’ve been playing loads of tracks from this album on Radio Free Charleston recently, and the reaction has been electric.

Check out the title track, “Easy as Pie,” right here…

You can get this new album on colored vinyl, CD or download it from Bandcamp if you’re too lazy to wrap.

Menards O Scale Train Sets

Our first pick this morning in The 2024 PopCult Gift Guide is a little pricey, but it’s perfect for the beginning model railroad enthusiast. Because it’s the larger train in O scale, it’s great for kids. They call it “O Gauge,” but to me it’s O scale.

For years Menards has been quietly making and selling their own line of model railroad accessories, starting with O scale structures, and then expanding to track, rolling stock, scenery, and HO scale accessories. Last year they released their first locomotive, which sold out before I could recommend it in the Gift Guide.

This year Menards has released several complete O scale sets that are ideal “starter sets” for the beginning toy train enthusiast. These are basic sets with a locomotive (with remote control sounds), one or two pieces of rolling stock, a transformer and enough pieces of their quality track that form a simple oval.

Sometimes it’s hard to figure out the exact price at Menards because they have sale prices, then they tack on a 11% rebate making it cost even less if you buy in the store and remember to claim your rebate, but if you order online they stick you with a handling fee plus shipping.

Which is why I’m not listing a price for these. The sets I’m mentioning here will run you somewhere between two hundred and two hundred fifty bucks. In terms of O scale electric trains, that’s a bit of a bargain. Some tricked-out locomotives go for more than double that, without any track or extras.

Having just been to the Menards in Barboursville last weekend, I know that they have the first two of these sets in stock. The third set is the one I’d be most likely to grab for myself, but probably not online. I am including the online links for my readers who don’t have a Menards nearby. Be aware of the price flucuations. There are other sets in their online store, as well as structures and rolling stock.

Each locomotive comes with an easy-to-use handheld wireless controller.

It’s easy for youngsters or adults to hold and use. The remote functions include: Easy rotating forward-reverse directional control; Select horn or bell sounds; Trigger crew communications; Adjustable volume control; and they have quick battery replacement.

It’s a cool gateway to the more complicated remote-control sound features that more advanced train sets have.

O Gauge Milwaukee Road Train Set

This set Includes: (1) O gauge locomotive, (1) O gauge coal hopper, (1) O gauge gondola, (1) wireless remote control, (8) sections of O-36 curve track, (3) section of 10” straight track, (1) section of 10” straight track with power connection, and (1) 18-volt power adapter.

Firmly rooted in the steel mills and factories of Chicago and the upper Midwest, the Milwaukee Road’s influence reached as far west as the ports of Seattle and Tacoma. Manufactured goods headed west and agricultural products moved east. In 1950, the railroad had more than 11,000 miles of track with traffic supported by 1,307 steam, diesel, and electric locomotives keeping commerce moving.

You can find this set online HERE.

O Gauge Chicago & North Western Train Set

This set includes: (1) O gauge locomotive with two powerful motors, lights, and sounds, (1) O gauge Great Northern coal hopper, (1) O gauge Norfolk and Western gondola, (1) Wireless remote control with buttons to trigger BELL, HORN, and CREW TALK. (1) 56″ x 42″ oval of Menards tubular track, with a track section with power connection plugin, (1) 18-volt power adapter.

The Chicago & North Western covered the upper Midwest like no other railway. The line operated 12,000 miles of track, and in 1950, powered it with 6,266 locomotives. Cargo and travelers were hauled between Chicago, Illinois; Ishpeming, Michigan; Oakes, North Dakota, Casper, Wyoming; and hundreds of other towns in-between.

This set can be found HERE.

O Gauge Santa Fe Train Set

We didn’t see this smaller, slightly less expensive set at Barboursville, but it comes with the distinctive “Warbonnet” engine which always catches our eye. Also with this set you’ll get: (1) O gauge locomotive with two powerful motors, lights, and sounds, (1) O gauge caboose with lights, (1) Wireless remote control with buttons to trigger BELL, HORN, and CREW TALK (1) 36″ x 42″ oval of Menards tubular track with a track section with power connection plugin, (1) 18-volt power adapter.

This set features an iconic locomotive, often dubbed “the diesel that did it,” in the transition from steam to diesel locomotives. The Menards engine features America’s most recognized railway graphics – the classic Santa Fe Warbonnet livery that set a new visual standard for railway graphic design.

The Santa Fe set can be found HERE.

Any of these sets would be the perfect gift for the budding model train enthusiast on your holiday shopping list.