aka Heart

You have to give credit to any woman that breaks into the rock and rolls scene even if you may not like their music (thinking Sheryl Crow, etc).

But Heart, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, whose music I adore (the first chords of Magic Man and Barracuda always give me chills) are particularly marvelous. Sure, they are beautiful, but they made their way as chicks who could really play and sing.

Style wise, they always stayed true to the deacde’s trends, yet remained always themselves: tough and scrappy while remaining feminine and just slightly vunerable. Satin jumpsuits, leather fitted jackets, blue eyeshadow, feather chokers, big hair and corsets – these girls could rock anything they wanted to.

Oh and those feathered bangs! Seriously, going through all these old photos of them, makes one want to book an appointment for that dated cut stat. (Honestly, I need you all to either tell me this is a great idea or talk me out of it before it’s too late.)

Plus, they win bonus awesome points for telling Sarah Palin to shove it when she tried to use Barracuda during her campaign :

“Sarah Palin’s views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song ‘Barracuda’ no longer be used to promote her image. The song ‘Barracuda’ was written in the late 70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women. (The ‘barracuda’ represented the business.) While Heart did not and would not authorize the use of their song at the RNC, there’s irony in Republican strategists’ choice to make use of it there.”

Click here for the rest of Ann and Nancy Wilson

See more: Style Icons: Female Musicians

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Posted on July 30, 2011

by Das Racist & Wallpaper (2008)

Once you’ve heard Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, there’s no way you could drive or walk by one without the song playing in your head. It’s such an absurdly catchy tune too, that you might find yourself walking by the local Pizza Hut Taco Bell a lot just to be reminded of it. Love that Das Racist brings humor to the often overly serious genre of hip hop. We love the Wallpaper remix.

See more: Songs 2000s Hip Hop

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Posted on July 29, 2011

Riegersburg and  Kapfenstein, Guest Written by Astrid

One of the many day trip options in Austria is going to see it’s castles, we were staying in Styria and decided to visit the more well known castle Riegersburg.

The fortress is built on volcanic rock and parts date back to the 1200s. It’s about a 20 minute hike up to the castle and as you get higher the view gets more beautiful, on clear days you can see as far as Hungary. The scenery alone is worth a visit! Once you’ve trekked up through the many entrance ways and moats you are rewarded with a beer garden (thankfully almost every tourist destination in Austria will reward you with beer and wine) where you can enjoy a cold Gosser or wine spritzer!

Riegersburg has a great witch “Hexen” exhibit where you can learn about the witch hunts of the 1600’s and check out some awesomely designed exhibits. The most interesting witch who’s story is on display is the Rose witch, who was burned and decapitated bc she was able to grow roses year round and during a particularly harsh winter.

After the witch exhibit you enter Riegersburg proper where there are some predictable but still breathtakingly opulent living quarters and banquet halls. My favorite display was a Knights feast of nobles stuffing themselves with food and wine, only to vomit after on the “vomiting bridge”.

If after this display of gluttony you start to feel hungry you can take a 15 minute drive to have lunch at castle Kapfenstein.

Kapfenstein is an old castle again with beautiful views, an amazing restaurant and vineyards that surround it. The family that runs the restaurant also owns the vineyard so the wines are not only affordable but really delicious. We had great weather so got to sit on the terrace and enjoy a lovely rose and lunch of new-austrian fare with a focus on seasonal and organic (yep everyone’s doing it). The chef is also a believer in making vegetarian dishes as relevant on the menu as the hearty meat fare (Marcus had Ox)!

Plus we saw a salamander scurry by during our meal, a memorable day…

See more: Places to Visit Austrian Guest Writer: Astrid

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Posted on July 27, 2011

A Compendium and Leading Web Resource of Film and Television Title Design

Whether it’s for a work of genius or Inner Space, you can find a comprehensive exploration of title sequence at the aptly named website, Art of the Title Sequence.

They include collages and information from films old and new, television series domestic and foreign.

Not only is there lots of images and videos, but often they will really get into the hows and whys with the sequence creators.

I discovered the site while looking up the most excellent titles to the less than excellent Gentlemen Broncos and found an involved interview with the director and photos of how they made it. (A photo of the books used in the sequence is after the jump).

There’s lots to go through and browsing will be a joy for anyone equally obsessed with what is sometimes the best part about a show or movie.

Click here for the rest of The Art of the Title Sequence

See more: Web Sites About Movies About TV Design

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Posted on July 24, 2011

Painter

You always remember the first time seeing a Lucian Freud, it’s just so… shocking and it’s rare that anything has that power anymore.

So tactile, unabashed and grotesque, his portraits are as strangely beautiful as they are frightening but simply depict a realistic,unflattering, and intense glimpse at the human form.

Grandson to Sigmund Freud, Lucian was considered Britain’s finest artists and he passed away this week at the age of 88.

An interesting history of his work and life can be read here.

See more: Style Icons: Male Artists

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Posted on July 22, 2011