BEATLES SUMMIT EVENTS

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Beatles, Bloomindales has teamed up with British designers to create a collection of 1960s-inspired products and a series of Beatles events. Author Mark Lewisohn will be hosting a series of round table discussions at Bloomingdales shops in October and November. The Discussions will cover the Beatles on film, in the studio, and on record, and will feature luminaries like Albert Maysles (filmmaker), Henry Grossman (photographer), Ken Scott and John Kurlander (Beatles engineers), Peter Asher (Peter and Gordon/Producer), Brian Kehew (Recording the Beatles), Chris Carter (Breakfast With The Beatles), and Bruce Spizer (historian). Lewisohn will also be signing copies of the first volume in his epic Beatles biography Tune In. Calendar below.

The Beatles campaign is featured on a special website within Bloomingdales and sports a rare video and photo gallery. Stylish new products include suits, shirts, scarves, handkerchiefs, cufflinks, and umbrellas. Pop-up shops around the world are carrying exclusive items, including limited-edition prints by Astrid Kirchherr and Henry Grossman. Spy Vibers may remember that Kirchherr put her entire archive of Hamburg-era images (and the rights to them) up for auction, but the sale was abruptly cancelled before the auction began. As far as I know, an unknown entity purchased the lot in a preemptive sale. I hoped that maybe The Beatles estate itself bought Kirchherr's archives. But with images being licensed out to Bloomingdales and others, it would appear another party is involved. You can see a list of pop-up shop locations and all of the fun details of Bloomingdale's Great Britain project here. 

Get ready to meet MIKI ZERO, Japanese fashion model and spy! The creator of Spy Vibe has written a novel called Elevator Girl, inspired by his love of Ian Fleming and based on newly declassified intel from the Cold War. More info at Whiton's website here. Recent Spy Vibe posts: Peter Asher, new Hercule Poirot novel, Beatles fall 2013 releases, A Hard Days Night cinematographer dies, Magic Christian on Blu-ray, Early Beatles image archive, Julie Newmar, Erno Goldfinger, Hitchcock tribute, Ian Fleming memorial, Emma Peel Megaset returns

Recent Ian Fleming posts on Spy Vibe: Erno Goldfinger, Ian Fleming Music Series links: Noel Coward, Whispering Jack Smith, Hawaiian Guitar, Joe Fingers Carr, new Ian Fleming Catalog, Jon Gilbert interview, Double 007 Designs, Bond audio book reissues, discovery of one of Ian Fleming's WWII Commandos, James Bond book covers, Ian Fleming's Playboy interview for Kindle, Spy Vibe's discovery of a rare Ian Fleming serialization, rare View to a Kill, Fleming's Royal gold typewriter, Ian Fleming's memorial address

BEATLES AUCTION CANCELLED

Breaking news: Guernsey's has cancelled the bulk of a major Beatles auction that was scheduled for tomorrow. Astrid Kirchherr's photographs of the band's early years in Germany, as well as the intellectual property rights to the images, were originally planned to go on sale in a historic auction Saturday. But at the last hour, the company posted an announcement on their website stating that the entire lot has been sold in advance to an undisclosed buyer.


There is much speculation about the identity of the buyer. Many fans wonder if Paul McCartney has stepped in to preserve and manage the archives. Spy Vibe will update readers as soon as there is more information. In the meantime, the auction will continue tomorrow with many Beatles and other music-related treasures. One of the most notable items is Elvis Presley's first guitar!


Some Spy Vibers have been able to purchase Kirchherr signed photographs through Snap Galleries. They have a few Hamburg-era images listed in a current auction. Now that Kirchherr's archives have moved ownership, signed photos will certainly become quite collectible. I have a number of signed Beatles (and Spy TV/movie) items in my collection that I might list for auction in the future. Stay tuned!

ASTRID KIRCHHERR AUCTION

Our friend Dave Haber at Beatles News has broken a major story that will interest Beatles fans. According to his post, the New York City-based auction house, Guernsey's, will be conducting a sale of Astrid Kirchher's archive of iconic images. Kirchherr was a friend of the band's during their Hamberg days. A graphic novel was recently released about her love affair with painter, and original Beatles Bass player, Stuart Sutcliffe. See our Beatles Page for news and reviews. From Beatles News:


"This will be a very special auction, it is Astrid's actual original film negatives that will be for sale, along with the rights to use those negatives. Guernsey's is in the process of dividing the archive into auction lots that will each consist of 1, 2, 3, or 4 photographs of the Beatles in their great early days. Each lot will be boxed to include the negative, along with a superior quality digital image on disc and a photographic print made from that negative. It is estimated that there will be approximately 500 lots in all." News update May 20, 2011 at Goldmine Magazine here.

LONDON BEATLES STORE

Readers who miss the days of the Fab Four Superstore and Beatlemania Shoppe will want to check out the London Beatles Store. Established near the Baker Street station in London, the shop also offers on-line ordering from their extensive catalog of cool Beatles merchandise. In addition to the expected books and posters, you will find rare treasures, including original autographs, photographs, and even Richard Avedon prints! London Beatles Store website here. Spy Vibe Beatles articles and news page here.

BABY'S IN BLACK: VIDEO

Spy Vibe continues its coverage of the new graphic novel about the Beatles early days in Hamburg and the relationship between Astrid Kirchherr and Stuart Sutcliffe. In this short feature by Deutsche Welle, we get a glimpse into the making of Baby's in Black through interviews with Astrid and with writer/artist Arne Bellstorf.

Spy Vibers who are unfamiliar with the Hamburg scene might enjoy hearing one of the first recordings made by The Beatles. Because the band had to play such long hours in the clubs, they drew on many music traditions to find material. Here is a rocking version of the ballad, My Bonnie, with fellow UK musician Tony Sheridan taking the lead vocals. Sutcliffe, focusing more and more on his painting and relationship with Astrid, was not present during the session. Many of Astrid's photos are featured in the video. The Beatles/Sheridan recordings were produced by Bert Kaempfert, who made an appearance in our look at the #1 chart hits of 1961. Spy Vibe's review of the Astrid Kirchherr retrospective here. Astrid interview on Fresh Air here.

BABY'S IN BLACK: GRAPHIC NOVEL

At the roots of 1960s pop culture, many styles and events of the decade can be traced back to a little club in the seedy part of Hamburg. A rock band played late nights in the company of sailors and strippers, learning the facts of life and honing their craft. The story played out like a classic tale. A German boy crossed the threshold of the unknown and discovered a treasure- this music! He told his girlfriend, a photographer, in the middle of the night, and then brought her back to the club. And that's when the stars aligned. The band's bass player stepped on to the stage in sunglasses. The photographer was transfixed. They met. It was love at first sight. And this circle friends who dreamed of becoming the new generation of great artists revolved around the lovers. The bass player quit the band and lent his bass to one of the band members, a kid called McCartney, so he could focus on his true talent- painting. Back in England, their pal, whose talent was words, started a publication called Mersey Beat. And on stage in that club in Hamburg, the remaining band members pounded out rhythms that would echo across the globe. The painter and the photographer were happy in Hamburg. All was well, until the headaches became too severe for the painter. He didn't get to live out his love story, or to see the extent of his friend's' success. The tale of Stuart Sutcliffe and Astrid Kirchherr is the focus of a new graphic novel by Arne Bellstorf. Read more at Books That Rock Us here. Amazon link here.

Oh dear, what can I do?
Baby’s in black and I’m feeling blue,
Tell me, oh what can I do?

She thinks of him and so she dresses in black,
And though he’ll never come back, she’s dressed in black.

I think of her, but she thinks only of him,
And though it’s only a whim, she thinks of him.

Oh how long will it take,
Till she sees the mi stake she has made?

Dear what can I do?
Baby’s in black and I’m feeling blue,
Tell me, oh what can I do?

Spy Vibe's review of the Astrid Kirchherr retrospective here. Astrid interview on Fresh Air here.

SPY VIBE BEST OF 2010

Exploring the world of 1960s style-in-action is an ongoing adventure here at Spy Vibe. We have our eyes fixed to the radar screen, where we follow curiosity and make connections between the Arts and cultural history of the Cold War and beyond. It’s exciting when there are new releases to celebrate with our Spy Vibe community. Many essential books and movies have been released since late 2009. We saw the release of The Prisoner on Blu-ray, Seductive Espionage by Kevin Dart, and Free Agent by Jeremy Duns. Hermes Press began a great campaign to reprint classic adventure comics and Titan continues to print books about 007 films and comics. We also saw the recent release of Ian Fleming's Blofeld trilogy and volumes of Bond novels by Raymond Benson! And like any on-going process of research and celebration, it’s been an exciting time to discover old material that had not been on our radar before. It's a great period to be looking at stylish spies, classic mystery/adventure, modernist architects, and futuristic designers! Here are some treasures that caught our imagination at Spy Vibe in 2010:

New Releases: 10 Films

Inception (Blu-ray/2010)

Fantomas (DVD/2010)

Metropolis (Blu-ray/2010)

Visual Acoustics (DVD/2010)

Charade (Blu-ray/2010)

Play Time (Blu-ray/2010)

The Bionic Woman: Season 1 (DVD/2010)

Fritz Lang’s M (Blu-ray/2010)

Minority Report (Blu-ray/2010)

Secret Agent/Danger Man: Complete Collection (DVD/2010)

New Releases: 10 Books

50 Years of the Playboy Bunny (Chronicle/2010)

Filmed in Supermarionation (Hermes/2010)

The Avengers: a Celebration (Titan/2010)

Sharp Suits (Pavilion/2010)

Hitchcock Piece by Piece (Abrams/2010)

The Moment of Psycho (Basic Books/2010)

Federico Fellini (Rizzoli/2010)

Astrid Kirchherr Retrospective (Liverpool U Press/2010)

Knoll: A Modernist Universe (Rizzoli/2010)

We Want Miles: Miles Davis VS. Jazz (Rizzoli/2010)

New Discoveries: 8 Books

Fantomas (Kindle edition/1911)

The Strange Case of Dr. Mabuse (McFarland/2005)

Swinging Sixties (V&A/2006)

The Sharper Word: A Mod Anthology (Helter Skelter/2009)

Eliot Noyes (Phaidon/2007)

Calder (Taschen/2002)

The Rudi Gernreich Book (Taschen/1999)

Saarinen’s Quest (William Stout/2008)

RADAR 2010: SPY VIBE'S PICKS

Exploring the world of 1960s style-in-action is an ongoing adventure here at Spy Vibe. We have our eyes fixed to the radar screen, where we follow curiosity and make connections between the Arts and cultural history of the Cold War and beyond. It’s exciting when there are new releases to celebrate with our Spy Vibe community. Many essential books and movies have been released since late 2009. We saw the release of The Prisoner on Blu-ray, Seductive Espionage by Kevin Dart, and Free Agent by Jeremy Duns. Hermes Press began a great campaign to reprint classic adventure comics and Titan continues to print books about 007 films and comics. We also saw the recent release of Ian Fleming's Blofeld trilogy and volumes of Bond novels by Raymond Benson! And like any on-going process of research and celebration, it’s been an exciting time to discover old material that had not been on our radar before. It's a great period to be looking at stylish spies, mystery/adventure, modernist architects, and futuristic designers! Here are some treasures that caught our imagination at Spy Vibe in 2010:

New Releases: 10 Films

Inception (Blu-ray/2010)

Fantomas (DVD/2010)

Metropolis (Blu-ray/2010)

Visual Acoustics (DVD/2010)

Charade (Blu-ray/2010)

Play Time (Blu-ray/2010)

The Bionic Woman: Season 1 (DVD/2010)

Fritz Lang’s M (Blu-ray/2010)

Minority Report (Blu-ray/2010)

Secret Agent/Danger Man: Complete Collection (DVD/2010)

New Releases: 10 Books

50 Years of the Playboy Bunny (Chronicle/2010)

Filmed in Supermarionation (Hermes/2010)

The Avengers: a Celebration (Titan/2010)

Sharp Suits (Pavilion/2010)

Hitchcock Piece by Piece (Abrams/2010)

The Moment of Psycho (Basic Books/2010)

Federico Fellini (Rizzoli/2010)

Astrid Kirchherr Retrospective (Liverpool U Press/2010)

Knoll: A Modernist Universe (Rizzoli/2010)

We Want Miles: Miles Davis VS. Jazz (Rizzoli/2010)

New Discoveries: 8 Books

Fantomas (Kindle edition/1911)

The Strange Case of Dr. Mabuse (McFarland/2005)

Swinging Sixties (V&A/2006)

The Sharper Word: A Mod Anthology (Helter Skelter/2009)

Eliot Noyes (Phaidon/2007)

Calder (Taschen/2002)

The Rudi Gernreich Book (Taschen/1999)

Saarinen’s Quest (William Stout/2008)

ASTRID KIRCHHERR RETROSPECTIVE & YOKO ONO FILM

If the British Invasion led by The Beatles in the early-mid 1960s had a great influence on the look and sound of the era, then part of the credit can be traced back to the band's stylish friend from their early Hamburg days, photographer Astrid Kirchherr. Fans have seen a handful of Kirchherr's famous images throughout the years, most notably the 'fairground' portraits that she made of The Beatles in 1960. We've heard much about her relationship with painter/Beatle, Stuart Sutcliffe, through various interviews, documentaries, biographies, and bio-pic films. And Kirchherr had some input on the movie Backbeat, which did something to establish how her artsy, existentialist crowd impacted the look of the band. But nothing has ever quite captured the scope of her work as a photographer- until now! The Victoria Gallery & Museum/Liverpool University Press has published the book we've all been waiting for in conjunction with their exhibition of Kirchherr's work (up through January 29, 2011), titled Astrid Kirchherr: a Retrospective. Museum curator, Matthew Clough, highlights Kirchherrr's work as a time capsule of the era beyond her Beatles images in an interview for the BBC: "Astrid is known for her photographs of the Beatles in Hamburg, but her images of Liverpool in the early 60s provide a unique snapshot of a particular moment in its history." If you are a Spy Viber with a taste for black turtlenecks, slender trousers, sunglasses, and electric guitars, there is much to discover in this collection.


The exhibition catalog is a beautifully designed coffee table book with 208 pages of lush prints, countless rare portraits from the 1960s music scene (including great club shots!). Some contact sheets are included, but a few famous ones are conspicuously absent. Though I have not seen the limited edition books Astrid made for Genesis Publications, I can say that this volume offers more images and information about Astrid's work than I have ever come across in the last 35 years of Beatles research and collecting. It also offers interviews with Astrid, Klaus Voormann, and others close to her career. A very special addition to a Beatles, 1960s culture, or Photography library. Thank you VG & M and Astrid for sharing these precious archives. Find the book on Amazon here.


Looking at artists from the era, Spy Vibers may also be interested to learn about your Spy Vibe creator Jason Whiton's recent experimental film for Yoko Ono (with soundtrack by Whiton, Ono, and the Plastic Ono Band). Whiton composed a lounge/jazz style song around vocal tracks provided by Yoko Ono and it was chosen as one of the winners in her re-mix competition. The short film for the song, The Sun is Down, pays tribute to the meaning of Yoko's name- ocean child- with images of sea animals dancing through their underwater gardens. The film was an official selection of the Park City Film Music Festival, where it won an award, and is currently on the festival/gallery screening circuit. Find out more on the film website here.

Q LENNON EDITION

The John Lennon 70th anniversary event will be celebrated all over the world this October with concerts, films, broadcasts, and a number of CD, DVD, book, and magazine releases. The top of my list is the Signature edition box set of the remastered Lennon catalog (including the new, stripped-down mix of Double Fantasy), a combined-set edition of his 1960s collections of drawings and satire, In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works (see Spy Vibe's Satire Surrealism Boom in the UK here), and the new bio-pic Nowhere Boy. The music press will not be left out of the festivities and Q Magazine has announced that their special edition will sport: four collectible covers, unseen images from some of the major Photographers in the Lennon/Beatles circle, and a limited-release cover for subscribers by 1960s Photographer/icon, David Bailey. For more details, check out the Imagine Peace website.