NEW YEAR

Here's to a new year! After the chaos of disinformation campaigns, conspiracy theories, and a global health crisis, I'm sure Spy Vibers are looking forward to seeing things improve. Teaching my art classes on-line has been fantastic, though I'm sure students miss hanging out together. I've been working hard on the upcoming Spy Vibe book, which will be a kaleidoscopic survey of Cold War pop culture, art, and design. And doing my monthly segment for the Cocktail Nation radio show out of Australia has continued to be a great project. It's always fun to share cool tunes and stories from 1960s soundtracks. But it was a hard year, too. We lost many major talents from the world of Spy Vibe in 2020, including designer Pierre Cardin, Robert Conrad (Wild Wild West), Carl Reiner (Get Smart), Diana Rigg (The Avengers, On Her Majesty's Secret Service), and all three actors seen below from Goldfinger: Margaret Nolan, Honor Blackman, and James Bond actor, Sean Connery (see links for Spy Vibe posts). Sadly, I just learned that Eugene Wright, last surviving member of The Dave Brubeck Quartet, also just passed away. The influence of these people on the culture still resonates today and their passing is a sober reminder of just how much time truly marches on. Some of my students were showing me snowy footage recently that they took during a holiday break for Thanksgiving. Being from Vermont, and having focused on snowscapes during my years photographing there, I praised their work and casually told them that I haven't travelled during winter for over twelve years. Like, I haven't seen snow in twelve years. I didn't think anything of that as I said it, but then I realized: many of my students are only fifteen! What had seemed like a blink of an eye to me one moment suddenly took on greater significance. It's so true how time passes more quickly as we get older. And it's hard to see my heroes growing into their twilight years and passing away. I take some comfort in knowing that Diana Rigg kept busy with acting -including projects with her daughter- and doing what she loved most. And I enjoyed connecting with Maggie Nolan and talking about her very cool photomontage art projects. All of these great talents also lived through difficult and challenging times and I hope our culture can find inspiration in their work and respond creatively -as they did- and use our gifts of imagination to add something positive back for the future generations. Speaking of creativity, those imaginative Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, just released new projects and brought some of their light to the world at the end of the year. If you haven't yet, check out Paul's new record, McCartney III and Ringo's new single, Here's To the Nights. Ringo has new books out, too. (I'll do a Beatles update soon). To healthier & creative times!

Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Art of Pan Books, John Le Carre R.I.P., Sean Connery R.I.P., New 007 Vinyl, Burke's Law Ska, Dieter Rams Complete, 2-Tone Doc, Spy Vibe Radio: Vendetta Part 2, Diana Rigg R.I.P., Moog Micky Dolenz, Beetle Bailey 70th, RSD Spies Vinyl, Ian Fleming Tribute, Fellini Box Set, Spy Vibe Radio: Vendetta, The Saint Podcast Bonus, The Saint Podcast, Barber Lotus, Diana Rigg at 82, Trad Roots, Morricone R.I.P., Fleetway Spy Designs, John Steel Casebooks, Paul at 78, ITC Podcast: The Persuaders, Dazzle Ships, Spy Vibe Radio: Raumpatrouille, Remembering Richard Sala, Crime & Spy Jazz books, Soviet Space Graphics, Numan is FAB, Bruce Lee Blu, John Barry Event, RSD Vinyl Spies, James Bond's DB5, UFO CD Set, Spy Vibe radio: Phantom Agents, Steranko is Revolutionary!, Interview: The Saint I Ain't, Diabolik Interview, New 007 Song, Diabolik Figures, Diabolik Sounds, Diabolik Set Design, Diabolik Park Ride, Danger Diabolik Blu, Count Arthur Strong, Honey West Title Cards, Bowie Day, New Year Cosmonauts, Neil Innes R.I.P., Claudine Auger R.I.P., OHMSS at 50, Italian Job 50th OST, Charles Schulz Modern, Paul Desmond, Python 50th, Randall Hopkirk 50th, Thunderbirds Day, Lazenby Returns to MI6, Dr. John R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio: Lupin III, Lupin Ska, Spy Vibe Prime, Zigomar Translation, The Village: Part 1, Monkey Punch R.I.P., Bubble Girl 63, ITC Soundtracks, Spy Vibe Radio: Public Eye, UFO Prime, Spaceship to Mars, Modesty Blaise Companion, Spy Vibe Radio: Fantomas, George Day, Fantomas Blu, Dark Shadows Doc, Bedazzled Blu-ray, Mary Quant Exhibit, Laika Calypso, Lost in Space Japan, Spy Dust Calypso, Atomic Cafe, John Barry Mono, Interview: John Barry Book, Land of the Giants Score, Skyfall Concert, Dearest Emma, Spy Vibe Radio: Upperseven, Ogilvy at Elstree, Mabuse Propaganda, Bond Beatles Day, Spy Vibe Radio: Liquidator, Diabolik LP, Fab Dresses, Eurospy Music Collection, Beetle Bailey in West Berlin, Why Mort Walker?, Spy Vibe radio: The Beatles Help!, Avengers Critical Guide, The Spotnicks, Benny Spies, James Pond 0017', Satire Stones, Annette Andre Book, Cat Day, Spy Vibe Radio: Get Smart, Caine: My Generation, Interview: Ian Ogilvy, Horror of Party Beach, Sylvie Vartan Renown, Ringo At 78, Dark Shadows Strips, Spy Vibe Radio: Flint, Archie Batman 66, Paul at 76, Beatles Pac-Man, Spy Vibe Radio: Jerry Cotton, The Invaders, 007 Horowitz Book Tour, McGoohan/Prisoner Event at Elstree, The Prisoner Interviews Vol 1, British Underground Press, Interview: Fab4 Mania, Bond Cocktail Book, Bond at Bletchley, Spy Smasher, Spy Vibe Radio: Peter Gunn, Agent Zero M, New Prisoner Comic, Dr. No Villains Edition, Spy Vibe Radio: Danger Diabolik, Dr. No 60th, Oy-Oy-Seven, Spy Vibe Radio (UFO), Cold War Comic Strips, Thunderball Event, Mission to India, Mort Walker Celebration, Peter Wyngarde Celebration, Batman 66 Exhibit, Prisoner Fifty Event, Ian Fleming Publications 2017-2018, Interview: Ed Hulse Pulp, Avengers Audio Drama, Interview: Callan At 50, Interview: Playboys, Spies, Private Eyes, TWA Returns, Spy Vibe Radio 8, Interview: Ryan Heshka, Mid-Century Modern Schulz, Agent Werewolf, Johnny Sokko 50th, Interview: Trina Robbins, Eddie Izzard, The Prisoner Capt Scarlet 50th, Hugh Hefner R.I.P., Jack Good R.I.P., Interview: Shaken Not Stirred, Callan 50th, Spy Vibe Radio 7, The Prisoner 50th Event, Spy-Fi Event, Kaho Aso 007, Two Million, Bo Diddley, Carnaby Pop, Le Carre Events, Billy Bragg Skiffle, Elvis 68, Jack Kirby The Prisoner, Casino Royale Concert, Review: The Prisoner Vol 2, Interview: The Prisoner Essential Guide, Maud Russell Mottisfont, Spy Vibe Radio 4, Batman Gallants, Adam West R.I.P., Village Triangle, Roger Moore R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio 3, Sgt Pepper 50th, Satanik Kriminal OST, 60s Overdrive, Make Love in London, Spy Vibe Radio 2, Spy Vibe Radio 1, James Bond Strips, Propaganda Mabuse, Interview: Police Surgeon, XTC Avengers, 1966 Pep Spies, Batman Book Interview, Exclusive Fleming Interview, Avengers Comic Strips, Robert Vaughn RIP, UNCLE Fashions, Thunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview: Spy Film Guide, Lost Avengers Found, The Callan File, Mission Impossible 50th, Green Hornet 50th, Star Trek 50th, Portmeirion Photography 1, Filming the Prisoner, Gaiman McGinnins Project, Ian Fleming Grave, Revolver at 50, Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review.

GOLDEN MARGARET NOLAN

Goldfinger was a perfect cocktail of girls, guns, and gadgets, establishing the winning formula that launched a spy craze around the world. Some of the most indelible memories from Goldfinger come from the film's title sequence and promotional imagery (posters, LPs, etc), which featured actress Margaret Nolan in gold body paint. She also appeared as Dink in the opening Miami sequence. Nolan has a website that features signed photos and really cool photomontage pieces inspired by her career. Her style of collaging is beautifully rooted in a 1960s aesthetic you would find in work by other artists from the era. She prefaces her work with an excellent quote by John Berger (Ways of Seeing), which I've included here. Below: Nolan with Robert Brownjohn, Goldfinger promotional image. Story continues.

Margaret Nolan shares the distinction with actress Shirley Eaton as an iconic Bond girl, remembered for posing partially nude and covered in gold paint- the twisted method of murder by Bond villain Goldfinger. The image is stunning (and stirring), but also speaks to the complex nature of female roles in society. It seems odd that we should love this image of woman-as-statue, a kind of kinky cybernaut, frozen forever in the state of distant allure. Nolan's own artwork reflects this dichotomy of beauty and self-appraisal. She quotes John Berger (Ways of Seeing/1972) in the introduction to her gallery page: "To be born a woman has been to be born, within an allotted and confined space, into the keeping of men… this has been at the cost of a woman's self being split into two… she must continuously watch herself… and so she comes to consider the surveyor and the surveyed within her as the two constituent yet always distinct elements of her identity as a woman. Men look at women, women watch themselves being looked at… her own sense of being in herself is supplanted by a sense of being appreciated as herself by another… thus she turns herself into an object- and most particularly an object of vision; a 'sight'." Margaret's method of cutting reminds me slightly of self-image drawings I've seen made by women in therapy, which often depict two selves: the sparkly partner ready to please and the private inner-self watching from within. Her titles reveal the conflict: "My Divided Self", "Fallen Dreams", "Abyss", "Silent Night". Other pieces echo the pulse of Swinging London: "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah", "Avenger", "Blonde On Blonde", "My MGB". Below: "My Divided Self" by Margaret Nolan. Signed prints and photos are available on her website  

When I corresponded with Margaret Nolan about featuring her work on Spy Vibe, she kindly noted, "Thank you so much. It's one of the best, if not the best, review I've come across. I like the way you connected my photomontages to the titles. You Got it! -Maggie." She's considered putting together a calendar with her artwork, so I'll keep readers up to date with any new developments. Nolan's acting career spans 50 years, with appearances in Spy Vibe classics like The Saint, Danger Man, Adam Adamant Lives!, The Persuaders, A Hard Days Night ("I bet you're an excellent swimmer."), and Ferry Cross the Mersey. Related links: Interview at sister site Illustrated 007, Spy Vibe Trina Robbins Interview, John Berger at The Guardian, Shirley Eaton, Margaret Nolan, Spy Vibe's Erno Goldfinger, Spy Vibe's The Goldfinger Variations. Below: "Stars in Her Eyes" by Margaret Nolan. Enjoy!

Selected Spy Vibe posts: Man From UNCLE Rocksteady, Pussy Galore Calypso, Cynthia Lennon R.I.P., Edward Mann Fashion, Leonard Nimoy Tribute, Shatner at 84, Bob Morane series, New Saint Publications, The Saint Complete box set, Gerry Anderson Box Sets, Music For Spies, Thai Bond Design, Brian Clemens RIP, Bond vs Modernism, Imitation Game, New Avengers Books, Ringo Does Goldfinger, Sixties Beat Wear, Popular Skullture, Art of Modesty, Avengers Blu-ray update, Tokyo Beat 1964, Polaroid Spy, Feraud Mod Fashion, Flint Scores!, Bond Danish, New Richard Sala Book, New 007 Comics, Designing Bond Books, Green Hornet Manga, Margaret Nolan Art, No 6 Festival, Barbarella Returns, Designer: Gene Winfield, Avengers Interview: Michael Richardson, Ian Fleming: Wicked Grin, Jane Bond Hong Kong Records, Ryan Heshka Interview, Comics Week: Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E., Comics Week: Archie, Comics Week: Robots, Comics Week: Cold War Atomic, Comics Week: SPYMAN, Comics Week: Jimmy Olsen, Rare Avengers Scripts, Man From Uncle UK Comics, Thunderbirds Comics, Shakespeare Spies: Diana Rigg, Shakespeare Spies I, Rodney Marshall Avengers Interview, Avengers Book: Bowler Hats & Kinky Boots, George Lois Design & Mad Men, Richard Sala: Super-Enigmatix, Cold War Archie, Playboy Bunny Interview, The 10th Victim Japanese and Kindle, U.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, The Saint books return, Trina Robbins Interview, Catsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton.