Wild Ones on Wheels

Wild Ones On Wheels (1962) - Feature (Crime... by filmgorillas

Posted By: Paul - Sun Apr 23, 2017 - Comments (1)
Category: Clubs, Fraternities and Other Self-selecting Organizations, Motor Vehicles, Movies, Juvenile Delinquency, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1960s

Follies of the Madmen #311

Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 20, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Domestic, Stereotypes and Cliches, 1960s, Women, Skin and Skin Conditions

Allergic to wife

1966: After suffering from asthma for 15 years, Sigurd Lindh learned that he was allergic to his wife, Greta. He moved into a cabin 600 yards from their home, and his asthma cleared up.

It's pretty rare for spouses to be allergic to each other (as in, actually having a physical reaction to the other's presence, not just hating each other's guts). But it's doubly rare for a husband to be allergic to a wife. So Lindh was pretty unique. For whatever reason, the overwhelming majority of these spousal allergy cases involve wives allergic to their husbands. See here and here.

Detroit Free Press - June 2, 1966

Akron Beacon Journal - Sep 12, 1966

Posted By: Alex - Tue Apr 18, 2017 - Comments (1)
Category: Health, Marriage, 1960s

General Electric’s 1965 Walking Truck

Walking robots, such as those from Boston Dynamics, are all the rage these days.

But does their ancestor, the human-operated Walking Truck, ever get any credit?

Well, this fellow did a magnificent article on the device.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Apr 18, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Robots, 1960s

Vexations by Erik Satie

Eccentric composer Erik Satie wrote "Vexations," a four-line piece of music, around 1893, though that date is a guess because it remained undiscovered until his death in 1925. It was an unexceptional piece of music (by design), except for the instructions he attached that seemed to indicate that it should be played "840 times in succession" by a pianist who should "prepare oneself beforehand, in the deepest silence, by serious immobilities." It's not clear why he chose the number 840.

It was first performed in September 1963 at the Pocket Theater in Manhattan. Composer John Cage arranged for a relay team of 10 pianists to play the entire thing, 840 times. The entire performance lasted 18 hours and 40 minutes.

There was a $5 admission fee for audience members, but you got 5 cents back for every 20 minutes you listened to it. Joel Meltz sat through the whole thing, so ended up getting a refund of $2.80.

It's subsequently been performed a number of times and is, of course, available on YouTube. Check out the video below of the guy who plays the entire thing, alone, in under 10 hours.

San Bernardino County Sun - Sep 11, 1963

Posted By: Alex - Mon Apr 17, 2017 - Comments (6)
Category: Boredom, Music, 1960s

The New Colony Six

"Groovin' is easy, if you know how!"

Their Wikipedia entry.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Apr 15, 2017 - Comments (4)
Category: Music, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1960s

Numbered Towels for Hygiene

Somehow this reminds me of the set of seven panties with the days of the week embroidered on them.

I could not find such a product still commercially available, but I did find a DIY version.



Original ad here.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Apr 14, 2017 - Comments (1)
Category: Domestic, Hygiene, Baths, Showers and Other Cleansing Methods, 1960s

Real-Life Dick Tracy

Original article here.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Apr 10, 2017 - Comments (0)
Category: Law, Comics, 1960s

Operation Fragrant Cow

Back in the 60s, the U.S. Army employed scientists to sneak into Omaha stockyards and spray cows with deodorant. The logic behind this was to test how easy it would be for Soviet agents to spread hoof-and-mouth disease among American cows.

Unfortunately, I can't find any more info about this operation, which is a shame because it raises so many questions. For instance, the important part of the operation must have been to see how easily they could gain access to the stockyards. So then, why bother to deodorize the cows? Was it just to add a touch of realism? Why not spray them with paint so that they could later count the "infected" ones?

Southern Illinoisan - Aug 5, 1994

Posted By: Alex - Sun Apr 09, 2017 - Comments (2)
Category: Military, Science, Cows, 1960s

The High School That Rocked

"Before touring became big business for promoters who elevated rock shows to an art, even name-brand bands played pretty much anywhere. It’s an interesting component of the early rock era that’s explored in the upcoming documentary The High School That Rocked!, which takes a look at one Connecticut school that somehow managed to lure a slew of classic-rock legends — including Cream, the Doors and the Yardbirds, among others."

Posted By: Paul - Sat Apr 08, 2017 - Comments (1)
Category: Education, Music, 1960s