Author: Julia Grant

Categories / Music

Tip for 2007: Candie Payne

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Candie_payne When an artist’s MySpace page lists Dusty In Memphis, Marlena Shaw, Billie Holiday, Serge Gainsbourg, John Barry, Roberta Flack, Peggy Lee, Nina Simone, Minnie Riperton, the Band and Jonathon Richman as influences, they’ve got to be worth a look, as is the case with Candie Payne.

Candie mixes the big and bold sixties-style production with her own distinctive voice, producing superb retro-styled pop that really does stand out from the crowd. She released one single this year (‘All I Need To Hear), with an album and single out early in 2007.

If you want to hear the girl in action, check out the tunes on her MySpace page – I guarantee you’ll like what you hear.

Visit the Candie Payne MySpace site

Categories / Design and Interiors, Sportswear

Makaha 1963 – the original skateboard

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Makaha If you have a copy of Phaidon’s Design Classics (and everyone really should), you’ll notice at number 609 is the Makaha Skateboard – the first professional-quality skateboard to hit the stores in 1963. And if you want to own a piece of history, you’ll be pleased to know that the skateboard’s originator, Larry Stevenson, is selling reproductions of his original boards.

The Makaha 1963 is a reissue of the first board – 29" solid oak or ash deck hand-crafted to the exact design and dimensions as the original. It comes equipped with NOS SureGrip loose ball bearing trucks and Makaha clay wheels, plus original 1963 decal. The trucks are not drilled through – they’re attached with wood screws exactly as they were in the 60s.

Selling with a collectible booklet and DVD, stock is limited, with each board retailing for $159.99 (around £82). Or if you’re feeling a little more flush, check out the Originator Limited Edition Signature Series – a repro 70s board with patented kicktail and signed by Larry Stevenson – yours for $399.99 (around £205).

Find out more at the Makaha Skateboards website

And big thanks to Leslie for the tip off!

Categories / Gadgets and Tech

Space Age Talking Alarm Clock

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Spaceageclock
Very retro looks, but very modern at the same time is this Space Age Talking Alarm Clock.

The looks are very 60s/70s – ideal for your space age pad. However, it’s not just a nostalgia piece, it’s got a modern digital display and it speaks the time (if you hit it on the top) as well as offering an hourly vocal reminder of the time if you want it. And you get a choice of alarms too – talking, as well as a cuckoo, a cockerel and a "mystery" sound.

Available now in retro orange, along with black and white, you can pick it up for around £20.

Find out more at Crazy About Gadgets

Categories / Men's Fashion, Women's Fashion

iWood wooden retro sunglasses

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Iwood
Something a little different from the usual plastic-framed sunglasses are these wooden variations  – the iWood Style 312 sunglasses.

The look is decidedly vintage – think Jackie O. But she probably didn’t wear wooden frames. The glasses are handmade, using sustainably harvested wood and are on offer right now – so you can buy them and put them away for the summer break.

Priced at $210 (around £110).

Find out more from the Greenloop website

Categories / Theatre

Absolute Beginners: The Play

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Absolute_beginners
Colin MacInnes’ tale of the teenager at the turn of the sixties  – Absolute Beginners – has already been a novel and a (widely panned) film. And now it’s set to be a play, debuting at London’s Lyric Theatre.

Details are so far quite sparse, but according to web sources:

"Roy Williams, Soweto Kinch and dance theatre director Liam Steel join forces to create an explosively physical evocation of sexual liberalism, gang culture and racial tension, based on Colin MacInnes’ bestseller Absolute Beginners. Set in the summer of 1958 that ends with the Notting Hill race riots, Absolute Beginners paints a vivid picture of London’s changing society and the emergence of a style-conscious youth culture, as teenagers blow away the cobwebs of post-war life and create the world anew."

It’s down for a run from 26th April 2007 to 26th May 2007 (with an official opening on 3rd May 2007). We’ll let you know more as soon as we receive further information. In the meantime, if you haven’t read the book, add it to your wants list – it’s an essential read.

Lyric Theatre website

Categories / Design and Interiors

Jonathan Adler retro cushions

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Adler_cushions

Not cheap, especially for something you throw around, but we really love these retro cushions from Jonathan Adler.

The two featured here are "Mod Model" and "Studio 54", but there’s a range of stylish and indeed retro designs available. The above two are needlepoint cushions with a feather/down insert and sized at 16 inches x 16 inches. Each retails for $165 (around £90) and the company ships worldwide.

Find out more at the Jonathan Adler website