Older readers may remember our Pulitzer nom series Kurse O' Th' Kaftan®, which Noam Chomsky was kind enough to describe as "delightful ... at once wryly humorous, insightful, and strangely elegiac" in his Blogwatch column for the New York Review. The series traced the devious stratagems employed by flower power bands to distance themselves from the love beads and headbands at the end of the 'sixties, and it's my pleasure to continue the much-loved FoamFeature™ with this timely and provocative piece on The Staccatos, out of Canadia, who morphed into Five Man Electrical Band.
The Stacks, as they were known to the Lumberjack n' Mountie diaspora, released a number of singles and a debut album which gained some traction in the snow-girt timberlands of Canadia, but failed to make any impact anywhere they had record stores. A planned second album, for Capitol, Catch The Love Parade, had already missed the parade and was scrapped by the time the band changed their name to Five Man Electrical Band. Fabulous False Memory Foam Island© is pleased to offer it as a FoamExclusive™, for the first time anywhere, together with the original cover art! Oboy!
(Incidentally, if you can tell me what that is on the cover of Goodbyes & Butterflies, I'll be grateful.)
Should youse bums be desirous of spinning these swell long-playing L.P.s on th' den Victrola, simply send postcard (or add comment) describing your favorite garment! Be it snood, codpiece, or magician's cape - what item of apparel gives you most pleasure?
ReplyDeleteSuspenders. JUST suspenders!
DeleteOch, laddie, tis me kilt. Not many non-bifurcated garments for us lads, in this modern age.
ReplyDeleteIn Siam, older men still wear the wrap-around cloth "skirt", but not in towns.
DeleteSchott Perfecto 118, the real deal motorcycle jacket. It's the one Brando wore in The Wild One. Bought it in the late 70s, it now has a patina to die for. Dress it up, dress it down...
ReplyDeleteDoes it still smell of Brando?
DeleteSilly boy.
DeleteI think I'd be stunning in an anteater skin loincloth and pushed back cuticles.
ReplyDeleteI'm reminded of the punchline to an ancient joke:
Delete“The thong has ended, but the malady lingers on.”
There's something very funny about men in thongs, or Speedos, or....
DeleteMy Last Punk Rock Jacket, circa 1983.
ReplyDeletePlease define "punk rock jacket", mine was a 50p Black Dinner Jacket from the Oxfam shop -quality stuff, lasted me all through Poly from 1977 to 1980.
DeleteMy red leather waistcoat, from Cecil Gee in Shaftsbury Avenue. It belonged to my mate Tig and I won it off him playing cards in the mid sixties.
ReplyDeleteI take great pleasure in lounging around the house all day in my sweat pants -- the preferred work-wear of the modern white-collar Pandemic telecommuter everywhere.
ReplyDeleteA long sleeve black shirt with a button-down collar and dozens, no, hundreds of small red, yellow or white flowers.
ReplyDeleteI could use a new CCM Gordie Howe jersey, as I tend to wear mine overly much and it's starting to look like Gordie's after the Gordie Howe hat trick, a goal, an assist and a fight!
ReplyDeleteI like my superhero pyjama bottoms, a couple of t-shirt in particular and a Japanese silk jacket that I've only worn once.
ReplyDeleteMy sleeveless Oingo Boingo T-Shirt.
ReplyDeleteCalifornia Dreeman
Oingo Boingo...not a band you hear mentioned very often. I like their "Boingo" album, although it's a little overwrought at times.
DeleteThere's just something about a man in a cheesehead.
ReplyDeleteA black cape that my grandmother made me with a secret pocket.
ReplyDeleteMy life long friend dave and I would put on our monster makeup and walk around our small town (600) nad enjoy the looks we got.
Except one day we were walking in the center of town (about a hundred feet from the outskirts) and this lady in high heels got out of her siver sports car and she had a leopard on a leash.
Needless to say we were NOT the talk of the town that day!
John
I hope Babs is reading this - A LEOPARD ON A LEASH!
DeleteSome swell garb detailed here! Me, I have a pair of Italian Chelsea boots, zip ups, pointy toes, that I haven't had on me feet for what must be fifteen years. It'd be a stupid look out here, especially with shorts. Can't bring myself to throw them away.
ReplyDeleteLoaddup coming shortly. Wasted on youse bums, but this is Ecstatic Pop of the Heavenly Harmony Church, a holy hymnal for sunshine seekers that'll give your soul an everlasting tan! The first two albums sit happily in a Spanky & Our Gang/Mamas & Papas/Association mix, and there is no higher praise.
Thank you Mr. III.
ReplyDeletejohn
Thank you for the pre-emptive thanks, John. Your courtly finesse has earned you today's Grand Prize - this swell glow-in-the-dark pocket protector, proudly emblazoned with th' IoF© logo!
Delete
ReplyDeleteKaftan headband.
Various hats and Adhere Blues Bar t-shirts, but these last ones have all disappeared. My wife claims to have no idea what kind of t shirts I'm referring to...
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about a fav piece of clothes but I used to see The Staccatos play around town all the time when I was a kid. They had a friendly rivalry with The Esquires.
ReplyDeleteIf I was prone to jealousy, I'd be jealous about this. As it is, I'm happy for you. Love these guys.
Delete