memories of the ’70s – The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries

An avid reader of the stories of The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, I was happy when the sleuths came to television in 1977. Each week, Frank & Joe Hardy or Nancy Drew would be drawn into a mystery they would handily solve by the end of the hour.

At the library, I had been encouraged to read the Nancy Drew series and was challenged by the numerous yellow-spine books that lined the shelf. I soon noticed the blue spine line up of stories involving the Hardy brothers and wanted to conquer that long list too.

As the tv show came on each week, viewers loved the ability to see teen idol Shaun Cassidy, who had a hit single on radio. Fans soon began to adore Parker Stevenson as his older brother and Pamela Sue Martin as the feisty Nancy. Each show started with the characters running through a maze, and when they reached the end, the announcer would let you know which mystery was airing that week and starring which young sleuth(s).

Produced by Glen A. Larson, the formula of alternating characters each week worked well in the first season, keeping viewers intrigued with who would be solving the mysteries such as The Mystery of Pirate’s Cove or The Mystery of the Ghostwriters Cruise. First airing in January 1977 on ABC, the series continued for three seasons.

Nancy’s father Carson, her best friend George and her friend Ned would always get drawn into the drama of her pursuit of truth. Frank and Joe’s Dad Fenton as well as their Aunt Gertrude and friend Callie provided the support as they emulated their private investigator father’s skills.

Singer Rick Springfield appeared as Nancy’s boyfriend Ned in one episode and other known names that made guest appearances during the series include Jamie Lee Curtis, Jaclyn Smith, Robert Wagner, Mark Harmon, Kim Cattrall and Melanie Griffith.

I loved the intrigue and confusion, the pursuit and resolution. I would pretend to conjure up situations at school that would emulate what had happened during the mystery the night before, inserting my schoolmates as possible doers of right and wrong.

By the end of the second season, Pamela Sue Martin had been replaced by Janet Louise Johnson and by the third season, the show was renamed The Hardy Boys Mysteries. My loyalty to Nancy was strong, but I still watched the brothers battle as agents for the Justice Department, but missed Nancy and her curiosity for what was going on.

Preferred Beauty – Vaseline Sheer Infusion

As the weather turns cooler and wind and rain seem to become the norm for autumn days, your skin probably wonders what’s going on. Then it says – aha! It’s autumn – I need more moisture. And indeed it does. So after a shower or a soak in the tub, treat your body to Vaseline Sheer Infusion.

This new moisturizer hydrates all three layers of the skin, with its unique Stratys-3 moisturizing complex, including GQ (glycerol quat), glycerin and HEU (hydroxy ethyl urea). Used daily, this body lotion will hydrate skin and encourage it to attract and hold moisture, making skin feel silky and smooth.

Available in three formulations – Botanical contains cypress, eucalyptus extract and a scent of apple and mandarin; Mineral has the scent of pear and bergamot while Vitamin features B5, E and the scents of citrus and red currant.

www.vaseline.com

The Grand Palace, Bangkok

One of the beautiful buildings at The Grand Palace, Bangkok

memories of the ’80s – Keith Haring

American artist Keith Haring was a distinct voice in the materialistic 1980s. Living in New York and hanging out with the downtown art crowd of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kenny Scharf, Haring was praised by the established fringe like Andy Warhol and William Burroughs for his inventive art.

Performance artists, grafitti artists and those who made up the underground scene of the art world embraced the bold style of Haring, who like Warhol, had moved to NYC from Pittsburgh, PA.

Looking for inspiration, Haring noticed the unused advertising panels in the New York subway system, and found a way to communicate to a wider audience. Over the next five year, Haring illustrations were found on these black blank canvases, showcasing his rapid rhythmic chalk line drawings. Haring’s self-named laboratory became a symbol of New York City, as place that embraced the ingenuity of an individual to find a way to communicate to the millions of residents.

Along with these unique illustrations, Haring’s crayola-bright paintings and bold sculptures made him a favourite of contemporary art lovers and galleries, with exhibitions throughout the US and the world. Haring’s exuberance and boldness for people and beliefs were seen in his dramatic works. From noted exhibitions such as the Whitney and Sao Paulo Biennales , to teaching kids drawing techniques at museums and working with Absolut Vodka and Swatch, Haring’s dramatic style was seen in a variety of mediums.

In 1985, Haring’s commitment to make art accessible to people continued with the opening of Pop Shop, his retail store selling magnets, buttons, t-shirts and toys bearing his art work. Although the art world thought it crass and commercial, Haring knew it was a way to keep his connection to everyday people, making the shop an ever-changing gallery of his creative mind as much as a store.

On my first trip to New York City, I went to the MOMA, and was lucky enough to see a small exhibit of Keith Haring paintings, done in tribute to the artist after his death. I was struck by its simplicity yet bold statement of his works. I mourned the loss of future commentary but was glad to know that his voice had been heard.

Haring was diagnosed with AIDS in 1988 and 1989 established The Keith Haring Foundation to provide funding and images to AIDS and children’s organizations. Keith Haring died in 1990 due to complication related to AIDS and although his creativity may have ended, his influence on pop culture imagery continues to this day with his distinct style.

Image: photo of Keith Haring and his art by Annie Leibovitz (1986)

My favourite dvd store

photo: DVD store, Shanghai China September 2009

memories of the ’70s – Van Halen

Although they were the kings of the 1980s, Van Halen was formulated in the hard rock era of the ’70s, grabbing gigs at rock clubs in small town California as they developed their unique sound and stage theatrics.

Formed in 1974, Van Halen was born out of the ashes of Monmoth, a band formed by Eddie and his brother Alex Van Halen. They let David Lee Roth join them as lead vocalist even though he had unsuccessfully auditioned, after they rented sound equipment from him.

Getting on the local circuit in Pasadena, California, the boys soon learned another band was using the name Monmoth and switched to Van Halen. Gaining popularity and confidence, the band got a gig at Gazzari’s on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles and became a fixture at other clubs, like Whisky a Go Go. Paul Stanley from KISS saw the boys perform and then had Gene Simmons come to see them play. 

Simmons flew Van Halen to NYC and brought them into the studio to create their first demo, which included ‘Running with the Devil’ and ‘House of Pain’. Eddie Van Halen disliked the experience, since he wasn’t using his own guitars, and Simmons decreed they needed to change their name to Daddy Long Legs. The band opted out of the arrangement and headed back to Los Angeles.

In 1977, two record execs from Warner Bros. saw Van Halen performing in a small club and signed them to a deal, leading to the production of their first album, the self-titled Van Halen in 1978. Successful sales, hitting the Billboard charts at the peak at #19 and going on tour with Black Sabbath solidified their path into the big leagues of rock. With Roth’s vocals and Eddie Van Halen’s notable guitar technique, their fan base was spreading across the continent.

In 1979 the band released Van Halen II with its first hit single ‘Dance the Night Away’. I remember being with my friend Michelle and hearing her older sister play the song endlessly in her bedroom where we weren’t allowed. We were curious but had to wait until she went out to meet her friends. We went into her bedroom, to sneak a peak at the album and listen to the song, unmuffled from a bedroom door and the amazing amounts of clothes hanging in her room. I remember seeing a small poster of the band above her record player, and wondering why she had placed it in such a prominent spot.  Little did I know at that time of the power of musician’s vocals to inspire devotion from female fans and for guitar licks to influence a generation of male fans to pick up a guitar.

Van Halen headed into the 1980s on a high note that kept going and with sales of 200 million albums worldwide. Although many focus on the on-stage antics of Roth and the guitar hero status of Eddie Van Halen, the band made one indelible impression on the business – the creation of the contract rider, stipulating specifics for each performance. Although ridiculed now as an excessive posturing gesture, the rider was born out of road crew member suffering serious injury during concert set-up. Wanting to insure safety for everyone, the band put in the M&M’s clause (which requested a bowl of M&Ms with the brown ones removed to be in the dressing room for each show), to insure their contract was actually read for its safety requirements.

The continued rivalry of David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen, which has seen Roth leave and return to the band, has allowed this band born out of the bars of smalltown 70s California, to still be the talk of the industry and played regularly on radio.

L&F Beauty – Organix hair care

Love the sweet scents of Mother Nature? So does Organix hair care, combining luscious and fragrant flowers and plants from around the planet into shampoo, conditioner, treatment and styling options.

I’ve been a fan of the Organix Mandarin and Olive Oil shampoo and conditioner, as it left my fine curly hair with the right amount of moisture as well as being gentle on my colour-treated locks. Friends have raved about the Lavender Soymilk and the Cucumber Yogurt duos.

A recent sneak peek led me to discover new Organix concoctions: Grapefruit and Mango Butter is a combination of organic grapefruit and mango to hydrate tresses while natural sunflower oil will reduce frizz; Passionfruit and Guava is an exotic combination of scents infused with honey to insure shiny hair.

Organix products do not contain sulfates or parabens, many have active organic ingredients and plenty of vitamins to help keep your locks looking their best.

www.organixhair.com

Autumn colours

The beautiful colours of autumn – my favourite season in Ontario.

photo: Allen Gardens, Toronto October 2009 by WH

memories of the ’80s – Adam Ant

Were you an Ant person? Did you have Ant fever? I did – I was an Ant person!

Born out of the punk movement of England in the late ’70s, Adam Ant aka Stuart Goddard, formed his band, Adam and the Ants after attending a gig in 1977 by punk faves Siouxsie and the Banshees in Covent Garden.

Embracing the raw sounds of punk music, the outlandish clothing and the underlying fetishistic sexuality, Adam and the Ants toured throughout England, happily shocking teen fans and their parents.

 Although the band had strong fan support, they garnered little praise from the British music press, who found them all show and no substance.

Hoping for some luck to get his band out of the bar circuit, Goddard approached punk kingmaker Malcolm McLaren (manager of The Sex Pistols), asking him to manage the band and help them make the right connections. But it was not to be – McLaren recognized the talent of the musicians but not wanting to work with Goddard, convinced the musicians to join another band with singer Annabella Lwin, and formed Bow Wow Wow.

Goddard continued with a new group of musicians, recording Kings of the Wild Frontier with its hit single ‘Ant Music’. In December 1980, Ant Music had hit number two on the British charts, and Adam and the Ants were at the forefront of the burgeoning New Romantic movement in the UK. The next album Prince Charming and its singles ‘Stand and Deliver’ and ‘Prince Charming’ both became number one singles. Adam and the Ants had the ardent support of teens across the UK, many who became Ant people, dressing in pirate-style and painting their faces in bold makeup like their hero.

In 1981 Goddard realized his band mates were not as committed, and he became a solo artist, recording Friend or Foe with the hit single ‘Goody Two Shoes’ in 1982. As the age of video dawned at this time, Adam Ant’s popularity spread across the sea to the US and Canada, with MTV and MuchMusic happily spinning the video for ‘Goody Two Shoes’ endlessly.

As a young teen in BC, I had a few links to the English music scene, thanks to dedicated music lovers at my local Sam the Record Man. But my love for Adam Ant was fueld by a new friend, Sarah, who had immigrated to BC from  England. Her highschool locker was covered in pictures of Adam Ant and she played the albums endlessly. I was fascinated with his stage persona and outlandish appearance, a blast from far away that seemed bizarre and intriguing.

I used to study his photos, with the bold makeup, the layers of pirate-influenced clothing and nail polish. The combination of female and male styles that were commonly mixed by performers at this time was intriguing and scary to a smalltown girl. There was part of me that wanted to dress in layers of lace and small fitted jackets (which I did) but to add a painted heart to my face at school was never meant to be, although I did practise in the bathroom at home.

The interest, like many things when you’re a teenager, was fast and furious and then faded, replaced by the next big album that had its videos playing every hour. I remember keeping the album for a long time, mainly for its cover, with his bold appearance as a heavily-made up pirate. I look back at his persona, seeing the theatrical and the need to stand out in the group, but it was the repetitive, simplistic pop hooks that now speak volumes of Adam Ant being definitely hooked into the time period that was the early 1980s.

A view of San Jose, CR

photo: A sculpture spotted in downtown San Jose, Costa Rica, June 2009 by WH