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Rosebank, Staten Island, New York City, New York, United States
Henry Hobson Richardson, considered by many to be the greatest nineteenth century American architect, built a house for himself and his family in Arrochar, on Staten Island in 1868. The Richardson family lived there from 1869 until 1874 when they moved to Brookline, Massachusetts so that Richardson could supervise the construction of Trinity Church in Boston. The Staten Island house is a large, Stick Style residence with a high mansard roof, showing Richardson’s understanding both of the prevalent styles in American home building as well as the influence of his years studying and traveling in France. The house survives on what is now a busy thoroughfare, having been converted in 1946 to physicians’ offices. It is a striking reminder of a period in Staten Island history when the borough was a rural enclave, home to numerous prosperous and enlightened men who were looking for beauty and community near an urban environment. Although the wall cladding has been changed and there have been some additions on the first story, the tall mansard with its numerous dormers and chimneys, the iron roof cresting, and the variety of exterior shapes and picturesque outline continue to suggest the vibrancy of the life that was once lived here. This building survives as one of only two in New York City attributable to Henry Hobson Richardson.
DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS
Arrochar, Staten Island
Staten Island had experienced a huge influx of population beginning in the 1810s due to the widespread economic and social changes caused by Manhattan’s rapid growth and commercialization. The island began to attract many wealthy businessmen from New York, who were looking for real estate investments, residences and retreats from the hubbub of the city. The pace of development increased after several epidemics in Manhattan in the 1820s and 30s, as well as the Great Fire of 1835. Staten Island was easily accessible by ferry to lower Manhattan, yet the area remained rural and idyllic. The initial increase in population was “concentrated on the north and eastern shores,” and “was so intense that dividing lines between developments blurred: by 1840, the area appeared to many observers as ‘almost a continued village.’ ”
There were, however, numerous distinct new settlements including Clifton, a suburban area south of Stapleton, founded in 1837. One section of Clifton, located on a high point of land overlooking the Narrows and Fort Wadsworth was originally very rural. Numerous large estates were built in this area after the Civil War, and it came to be called Arrochar. The name derived from the hills of Arrochar on the northern end of Lach Lomond in Scotland, the family estate of Wall Street attorney William W. MacFarland, who built his new residence on Staten Island in 1880.
Prior to and during the Civil War, Staten Island was home to a community of forward-thinking men , that included Frederick Law Olmsted, Judge William Emerson , newspaper editor Sidney Howard Gay, and prominent man-of-letters George William Curtis. Growth continued after the Civil War, as hundreds of wealthy families built villas and large estates on the still undeveloped land.
Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson was born to a wealthy family at Priestly Plantation in Louisiana. After a private schooleducation, Richardson attended Harvard University, where he became interested in architecture. After graduation, Richardson traveled in England and Europe, finally settling in Paris where he enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, and the atelier of Jules-Louis Andre, whichhe attended intermittently between 1860 and 1865. Richardson was only the second American to study at this important institution. Stranded in Paris during America’s Civil War, Richardson’s funds were cut off and he worked for French architects Theodore Labrouste and Jacques Ignace Hittorff to support himself.
Richardson returned to this country in 1865, settling in New York City. In the same year, Frederick Law Olmsted also came back to the city to begin work with Calvert Vaux on Prospect Park. All three men participated in the newly founded American Institute of Architects, as well as the Century Club, a group of artists, architects, and men of letters, and it is clear that the men became friends. Richardson lived first in Brooklyn while trying to start an architectural practice. In 1867, Richardson began a partnership with Charles Dexter Gambrill , another Harvard graduate. It appears that this was purely a convenient business arrangement with no artistic collaboration between them. The firm lasted until 1878 however, and it is credited with only one extant work in New York City, the renovation of the Century Club.
By 1866 Olmsted had convinced Richardson to move to Staten Island, where he, like Olmsted, became a member of the Island’s elite. In 1868, Olmsted recommended that Richardson design the Alexander Dallas Bache Monument, a memorial for a man with whom Olmsted had served on the U.S. Sanitary Commission. This was the first of numerous collaborations between Richardson and Olmsted, who remained friends and colleagues until Richardson’s death. In 1870 they were both appointed, along with public health expert Dr. Elisha Harris, to the Staten Island Improvement Commission which laid out a comprehensive plan for sanitation, water supply, roadways and the siting of new buildings to provide for thoughtful development of the island. This was, unfortunately, never implemented.
After successfully gaining his first architectural commission in 1866, Richardson married his fiancé of eight years, Julia Gorham Hayden, in January, 1867 and settled in a rented cottage in Staten Island. Their first child was born by the end of the year and Richardson and his wife then purchased a large plot of land on a rise overlooking the bay in what was then called Clifton, later Arrochar. Richardson began work immediately on a new home for his family, helped in the financing by his father-in-law, Dr. John Hayden. They took up residence there at the end of January, 1869.
Richardson was known as “generous and openhearted,” with a large circle of friends, both among the artistic community and among his fellow Harvard alumni. He was “a great talker, with a light stammer, he radiated charm and conviction.” During this time, however, Richardson was beginning to suffer from Bright’s disease, which eventually led to his premature death in 1886. He was frequently too ill to take the ferry to his Manhattan office and therefore often worked from his home on Staten Island.
In 1872 Richardson received the commission for a large structure for Trinity Church in Boston. Although Richardson was still in practice with Gambrill at this time, this commission is attributed solely to him. He worked on the plans from New York for the first two years, but by 1874 it became necessary to be in Boston to oversee this important job. He moved his family from the Staten Island house to Brookline, outside of Boston, into a large eighteenth century house which could also accommodate his office. Although he continued to travel and design buildings for many locations, he maintained this working arrangement for the rest of his life. Additions were made to the studio section of this building to accommodate his growing staff, with whom he maintained close relationships through the years. Richardson died of Bright’s disease at the age of 48 in 1886, after a short but illustrious career.
The Architecture of Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson was one of the most important and influential American architects of the nineteenth century. The unique style of architecture he developed, the “Richardson Romanesque,” was not only named after him, but was also influential on later European and American developments. Spanning the time period between Victorian picturesque eclecticism and the modern era, his work reflected the various contemporary architectural currents while moving toward the simplification and clarity of design inherent in modernism.
As the second American architect to study at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, Richardson returned to the United States with training different from other American architects of the period. This school was known for the emphasis it placed on planning for the functions of a building, as well as on classically-inspired exterior designs. In his French work experience with Theodore Labrouste, Richardson was also exposed to some of the most advanced structural ideas of the period. In his own mature work, Richardson chose to build on the more forward-looking aspects of his training. The spatial organization of his work, whether for private homes or for complex civic centers, shows his ability to get to the essence of the design problem and to express this directness on the exterior as well as the interior forms. Another important influence on his work was Richardson’s travel in southern France, especially the medieval buildings he saw in the Auvergne region. These impressed him with their pyramidal massing. The solidity, strong masonry and bold arches of these early French churches can clearly be seen as influences in his later work.
Richardson’s work upon returning to the United States was consistent with current American architecture of the period. His earliest office buildings, for the Western Railroad Company and for the Agawam National Bank , both in Springfield, Mass. and both demolished) were restrained masonry piles with raised basements, three full stories and mansard roofs with dormers. While the railroad building had windows topped by Italianate pediments, the later effort displayed heavy stone voussoirs surrounding round-arched window openings in a preview of Richardson’s later Romanesque Revival style work. His first two church designs, also in Massachusetts , exhibit picturesque Gothic designs with high steeples, asymmetrical massing and rough-cut stone walls.
Richardson’s earliest housedesigns reflected their location as well as the prevailing American architectural styles. During the mid-nineteenth century, the works and writings of Andrew Jackson Downing were the dominant influence on American house design: Downing promoted picturesque designs in naturalistic country or suburban landscapes. Downing's houses derived from the romanticism of the English Gothic revival, but used wood to express the skeletal qualities of their framing. In what is now commonly known as the Stick Style, architects of these buildings used broad wooden vertical and horizontal boards on the exterior to express the interior structural elements. The emphasis on the picturesque can be seen in some of Richardson’s earliest house projects which also have numerous projecting bays and porches topped by steep, irregular roofs. The structure of these houses, which are usually clad with clapboard, is sometimes further emphasized by Tudor style half-timbering. Even though he was working in the popular style of the period, Richardson nevertheless was able to “discipline the picturesque and to provide an underlying order to his vigorous compositions” through his reliance on the rigorous geometries of Beaux Arts influenced compositions. Another popular element on American houses of this period, which Richardson also employed, was the mansard roof. Devised in France during Haussmann’s rebuilding of Paris during the Second Empire, this roof type was seen in America as the latest, most design style.
During the same period, Richardson designed several urban houses which show some similarities to his other domestic work but clearly are designed in a more restrained manner consistent with their urban sites. The Benjamin Crowninshield house and the William Dorsheimer house were executed in masonry rather than wood, and feature brick walls with flat stone banding that outline the structural elements. They have tall, slate-covered mansard roofs with hooded dormers and tall chimneys. In keeping with their urban sites, these houses are constructed close to the edges of their urban lots with few projecting bays. Among Gambrill and Richardson’s limited work in New York City were two adjoining townhouses on Park Avenue, built for father and son Jonathan and Frederick Sturges in 1869-70 . These brick and brownstone mansions displayed a highly restrained classical design with contrasting quoins, a single entrance bay and a mansard roof with pedimented dormers.
The beginning of Richardson’s mature style can be seen in one of his designs that dates to just after the construction of his home in Staten Island. In his Brattle Square Church one can see the early use of a variety of local stone for its decorative qualities, and the combination of a picturesque plan with medieval elements such as round-arched individual openings and arcades, carved friezes, and steeply-pitched roofs.
Although there were several projects during the period immediately after this, Richardson’s work on Trinity Church was the true turning point of his career and the building that established his reputation in America and Europe as the dominant architect of his day. Created of several different local stones used for their color and texture variations, the church and parish house complex occupy a highly visible site in Boston’s Back Bay. The church takes the form of a Greek cross in plan and is topped by a square tower with turrets and a pyramidal, tiled roof. An elaborate triple-arched porch stretches between two towers on the western facade, while a rounded apse is on the opposite side. The overall effect of the massing is pyramidal, although the solidity of the structure is broken up by numerous variations in the arrangement, large openings and variety of materials.
During and after the Trinity Church project, Richardson’s work, which included a variety of types of buildings, continued to evolve into his mature Drawing upon the environmental vision of his erstwhile collaborator Frederick Law Olmsted, Richardson seemsto have attempted to generate architectural forms appropriate to their content and their context, that is, their position within contemporary society. In so doing he was to create prototypes for urban commercial and suburban or rural domestic buildings that were to inspire, among other subsequent works, the office buildings of Louis Sullivan and the residences of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Richardson’s numerous house designs included his Watts-Sherman House of 1874-76 in Newport, Rhode Island, with its asymmetrical arrangement and its wood shingle cladding, derived from the English work of Richard Norman Shaw. Other large and expansive shingle style houses included the Andrews House and two different projects for houses for the Cheneys in South Manchester, Massachusetts . Richardson’s designs for large urban houses show his ability to move from the openness and expansiveness of the country house to the dignified simplicity required by the urban setting. These urban works include the Anderson house , and the Adams and Hay houses , all in Washington and all demolished. The culmination of Richardson’s urban house designs in stone was the Glessner House in Chicago, finished after his death in 1886. It shows how Richardson’s style evolved to fashion a handsome, highly functional house, with solid masonry exterior walls protecting the living space from the urban environment, while opening up the courtyard facade to display an irregular, lively structure suited to the needs of a busy family.
Richardson’s commercial work began to fully develop in his R. and F. Cheney Building in Hartford, Connecticut , a large block containing stores and offices. Here Richardson showed his ability to organize the facade into a coherent system within the Romanesque vocabulary. Richardson’s crowning achievement was the warehouse he designed for the Marshall Field company in Chicago, one of the greatest buildings of the nineteenth century. Its massive stone walls, articulated by a rhythmic series of arches, gives a sense of power and scale not previously seen in commercial architecture. Although his Marshall Field store was only extant for forty years, it was seen as leading the way for modern skyscraper development and directly influenced the work of other important architects, such as Louis Sullivan and Burnham and Root.
During the last ten years of his life, Richardson developed designs for completely new forms of buildings, such as public libraries and suburban railroad stations, each uniquely responsive to the needs of its particular location. His large public buildings included work on the New York State Capitol in Albany with Leopold Eidlitz, and the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh . The Pittsburgh building, lucidly organized and richly formed ... ranks as one of his major achievements and is without doubt his most impressive surviving monument. [Through this work] Richardson brought a measure of discipline to the picturesque without losing any richness.
In his twenty years as a practicing architect,
Richardson managed to transform American architecture. . . . he created seminal alternatives to the English Gothic and French classical buildings of his contemporaries and inspired a particularly American episode ... He created in his own terms disciplined but fresh and diversified architectural forms for the American Society of his day ... [and] left a rich legacy for potential development for those who followed.
The House in Arrochar
Richardson was a young architect, well-connected to wealthy individuals, but also involved with the progressive thinkers of his period, such as Olmsted and Emerson. He chose to live in a rural area in Staten Island because he was aware of the positive influence of the natural environment. Richardson and his wife Julia purchased 1.7 acres of land from Roderick Cameron on the corner of Richmond Avenue and Sea Avenues. They then sold .8 acres of the property to Elizabeth and James Houghton, leaving .9 acre on which to build their new home.
In designing his own house, Richardson had only his own desires and needs of his family to fulfill. As one of his first works however, he would have wanted to create a house using the most modern, up-to-date styles while also showing what he had learned in his years in Paris. In all of Richardson’s earliest works, he was influenced by the popular styles of the day, but the desirable picturesqueness is tempered by his command of Beaux Arts planning principles and illustrates his attempt to incorporate both these goals. While equipped with every modern convenience, this house corresponded to the other designs Richardson was creating at this time. His house was foremost a picturesque one, with a variety of projecting bays and porches to create variety on each facade. Set on a hill overlooking the harbor and on a large property, this house incorporated an assortment of spaces, projections, and many picturesque details to be enhanced by numerous trees and plentiful shrubbery around it. The steep, slate-covered mansard roof was topped with intricate iron cresting to emphasize its height and irregularity. Tall brick chimneys extended above the top of the roof for a further sense of the picturesque. The surface of Richardson’s house was originally faced in clapboard, a material that was not too expensive but also added variety to the surface of the building. Flat boards were placed along the edges and crossed under the windows, emphasizing the structural framework of the building. Scully has called this type of building Stick Style, because of its emphasis on the interior wooden structure. Other influences may also have been at work. Francis Kowsky makes the case that this type of structural framework was also seen on mid-nineteenth century French suburban houses and illustrates his point with pictures from Victor Petit,
Maisons de compagne des environs de Paris choix des plus remarquables maisons bourgeois nouvellement construit aux alentours de Paris, Paris which show a distinct similarity to several of Richardson’s early, mansard-roofed buildings. Although in the Staten Island building, the basic house is rectangular in plan, there were originally significant projecting bays, porches and overhangs on each facade. There is also, however, a sense of solidity to the structure which sets it apart from other Stick Style structures of the period, foreshadowing the solidity of the masonry structures of Richardson's mature period. Kowsky also notes a “harmony of parts, refined proportions, and discreet and scholarly ornament.”
During a visit to his daughter and her family in March, 1869, Julia Richardson’s father, Dr. Hayden wrote a letter to his wife describing the new residence as “very handsome and convenient.” It was a large house for a family just starting out, with plenty of room to accommodate Richardson’s studio space for the times he could not travel to work. The house was equipped with all the latest amenities, including pipes for gas which had not yet reached this location.
Subsequent History
Even though the family moved to Massachusetts in 1874, their ownership of the house was retained until after Richardson’s death in 1886. During a public auction in 1887, the Arrochar house was sold to Adolphus L. King, a wealthy Staten Island businessman and property owner. According to his biography, when King settled in Arrochar it was
heavily wooded and appreciated as one of the beautiful countrysides of the Island. Nearby were a number of spacious country houses owned by influential families.
Heirs of King sold the lot to Abraham and Esthilde Eglinton in 1907. Eventually their heirs divided the house into rental units, and in 1946 sold it to Lena Romano. At this time the ground floor was used as physicians’ offices with apartments on the two upper stories. Sometime thereafter, the second and third stories were converted to ancillary office and storage space in connection with the physicians’ offices on the first floor. After the property was purchased by Lena Romano, it was transferred several times within the family and was eventually sold to its present owner, McClean Avenue Associates Ltd. Limited information at the Buildings Department shows one-story additions at the southeast and northwest corners of the building in 1991 and 2000.
Description
The house at 45 McClean Avenue sits alone on a large, raised corner lot on a busy street near the Verrazano Bridge. The lot is bordered by a concrete retaining wall topped by a non-historic iron railing. Near the southwestern corner of the lot is a large mature tree, possibly dating from the original landscaping.
The house is three stories high including a steep, mansard roof clad in shaped asphalt shingles and topped by original ornate iron cresting. Three large, original, painted brick chimneys extend from various parts of the roof. In addition, each section of the roof has at least one historic dormer. Some dormers have shed roofs and others have original, decorative gable hoods. Many of the dormer windows appear to be original, with 2/2 wood sash.
The footprint of the house is irregular and there have been two, one-story additions to the original structure and other areas which were open porches have been enclosed. On the original projecting areas, such as that on the western side of the building, the same mansard roofs continue, as does the iron cresting. The newer sections also have mansard roofs, with similar shingle siding. In the original port-cochere, facing LilypondAvenue one can see the original wooden roof and brackets. The window openings at the second story are at their original locations, and many retain their wooden sash. The building was originally clad with wooden clapboards; now it is covered in white vinyl siding. The main entrance currently is on the eastern side of the building, within the one-story addition. This section also has a variety of sizes and types of non-historic windows, and a large air conditioning unit on the roof of the addition. A sidewalk ramp with iron railings leads from the doorway to the parking lot. There is another ramp leading to a porch and secondary entrance near the northern edge of this facade. An original porch with a gabled hood at this location indicates another entrance that has since been closed.
- From the 2004 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report
Foreshadowing of an era gone by.
Oil has been depleted and replaced by other forms of energy that are more environmentally sound.
Nature's reclaiming of the Earth is visible everywhere. Ancient structures and relics of abandoned gas stations and vehicles are still littering the soon to be pristine countryside. Humans hiding from view are awaiting clean-up operations, which have been too busy since the Great War.
The Fiat Coupé (type 175, officially titled the Coupé Fiat) was a coupé produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1993 and 2000. The car was introduced at Brussels Motor Show in 1993.
It is most remembered for its distinctive, angular design, with unique scalloped side panels. The body was designed by Chris Bangle from Centro Stile Fiat, while the interior was designed by Pininfarina. The exterior design would foreshadow much of late 1990s and early 2000s car design, acting as a precedent to both Bangle's somewhat notorious work at BMW, as well as futuristic angular designs by other marques, such as Ford and Renault.
History:
The Fiat Coupe made media headlines in auto magazines during 1992 after several spy shots were taken revealing the car on test. On its launch in 1993, the Coupé was available with a four-cylinder, 2.0 L 16V engine, in both turbo (190 PS) and normally aspirated (139 PS) versions. Both engines were later versions of Fiat's twin-cam design and inherited from the Lancia Delta Integrale, winner of the World Rally Championship a record six times. 1996 brought in a 1.8 L 16V engine (not available in the UK, 131 PS), along with a 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V (147 PS), and a 5-cylinder 2.0-litre 20V turbo (220 PS).
Fiat Coupé 20v Turbo Model
The turbocharged 16 and 20 valve versions were equipped with a very efficient Viscodrive limited-slip differential to counter the understeer that plagues most powerful front wheel drive cars. Additionally, the coupe featured independent suspension all round: at the front MacPherson struts and lower wishbones anchored to an auxiliary crossbeam, offset coil springs and anti-roll bar; at the rear, trailing arms mounted on an auxiliary subframe, coil springs and an anti-roll bar.
1998 saw the release of the Limited Edition which featured red Brembo brake calipers at the front and standard red calipers at the back, a body kit, push-button start, six-speed gearbox, strut brace to make the chassis more rigid and Recaro seats with red leather inserts which offered better support than the standard 20VT seats. The LE was produced in Black (flat), Red (flat), Vinci Grey (metallic), Crono Grey (flat) and Steel Grey (metallic). The bodywork of the LE also benefited from titanium coloured insert around the light bezels and the wing mirrors. Each Limited Edition ('LE') Coupé was manufactured with a badge located by the rear-view mirror which contained that car's unique number (it is rumored that Michael Schumacher was the original owner of LE No. 0001, however when the question was raised to him personally he confirmed he had owned one, but a red one, while LE No. 0001 is a Crono Grey one). Originally a spokesman from Fiat stated only approximately 300 Limited Editions would be built. The final amount was much higher, with numbers as high as 1400 touted by some. This angered many of the owners of the original 300 cars and almost certainly impacted residual values. The original number however was quoted by a Fiat UK spokesman, so probably that number only applied to the UK market. The numbered plaque on every Coupe features enough space for 4 numbers.
In 1998 the 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V got a Variable Inlet System which brought the power to 154 PS (113 kW). The 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V Turbo received a 6-speed gearbox and a large, satin gloss push starter button. In addition, the sills of the Turbo version were colour matched with the body paintwork. Fiat also released the 2.0 L 5 cylinder Turbo 'Plus'. This model came with an option kit that made it virtually identical to the LE, except for minor interior design changes and without the unique identification badge of the LE.
In 2000 Fiat released another special version of the Fiat Coupé. Featuring the 1.8-litre engine, it was only available throughout mainland Europe and marketed as an elegant and affordable edition. Fiat also made changes throughout the rest of the range: new seats, side skirts and wheels for the 2.0-litre 20V model, 'Plus' edition wheels on turbo models and Fiat manufactured seats on the 'Plus' that were virtually identical to the original Plus Recaro seats with the addition of extra airbags. The 2.0-litre 20V Turbo model is capable of accelerating from 0–100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 6.5 seconds, with a top speed of 240 km/h (149 mph) or 250 km/h (155 mph) with later 6-speed gearbox. When production finally stopped in September 2000, a total number of 72,762 units had been produced.
[Text from Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Coup%C3%A9
This miniland-scale Lego FIAT Coupe (Type 175 - 1993 - Bangle) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 92nd Build Challenge, - "Stuck in the 90's", - all about vehicles from the decade of the 1990s.
Souvenir compact of the Empire State Building, c.1930s (foreshadowing the 1945 bomber incident and Sept 2001)
This is a variation of the previous post, as seen here: www.flickr.com/photos/walford/6562538243/in/photostream
Foreshadowing of an era gone by.
Oil has been depleted and replaced by other forms of energy that are more environmentally sound.
Nature's reclaiming of the Earth is visible everywhere. Ancient structures and relics of abandoned gas stations and vehicles are still littering the soon to be pristine countryside. Humans hiding from view are awaiting clean-up operations, which have been too busy since the Great War.
"Father,
at the Transfiguration in glory of your Only-Begotten Son,
you confirmed the mysteries of faith
by the witness to Jesus of the prophets Moses and Elijah.
You foreshadowed there what we shall be
when you bring our sonship to its perfection.
Grant that by listening to the voice of Jesus
we may become heirs with him,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen."
Today, 6 August, is the feast of the Transfiguration, and this stained glass detail is from Ampleforth Abbey.
For the most part, the ferry journey was fairly pleasant, if a bit cold but as we passed Eilean Musdile, a small islet on the edge of Lismore, the winds really picked up, charging up some waves and nearly blowing me off deck. This meant that I had to battle strong winds to take a photo that was both straight and not full of motion blur.
This dramatic scene was the best I could do. The sun shone brightly on the foreground but the distant mountains of the mainland are hiding under thick cloud and deep shadows. This hopefully shows just how dramatic a crossing we had to Mull and how much it foreshadowed the trip.
Lindi Ortega
OCA Spazio Ansaldo (MI)
19 Marzo 2013
© Mairo Cinquetti
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Nashville beckoned, and Lindi Ortega answered the call.
Armed with an inimitable, irresistible singing voice The Independent hails as “a truly magnificent instrument,” and a heart bursting with creative ambition, the Canadian songstress whom American Songwriter calls “the love child of Johnny Cash and Nancy Sinatra” decided to relocate to Music City from her
native Toronto to birth her brand new musical offspring, Cigarettes & Truckstops.
A logical follow-up to her 2011 critically acclaimed alt-country masterpiece Little Red Boots, the 10-song Cigarettes & Truckstops further flaunts Ortega’s distinctive vision; one that embraces the oft-neglected, politically incorrect realism of traditional country and frames it in a charmingly, and sometimes darkly humourous contemporary context.
Bookended by a couple of romantic road ballads in the title track and the reflective “Every Mile Of The Ride,” Cigarettes & Truckstops further evolves the promise foreshadowed by the JUNO-Award nominated-and-Polaris-Music-Prize-long-listed Little Red Boots.
The writing is stellar, her musical discipline undoubtedly galvanized by a fearless 2010-2012 tour schedule that saw Lindi open for a variety of acts, from punk vets Social Distortion; pop icon Burton Cummings; country fave Dierks Bentley; folk outfit Noah & The Whale and Academy Award winner Kevin Costner with attention-grabbing finesse, making serious inroads with North American and European audiences, and prompting Exclaim! to declare Ortega an “electrifying” performer.
Whether it’s the plucky shuffle of the hilarious “The Day You Die;” the angry harrumph of “Don’t Wanna Hear It;” the high lonesome feel of “Heaven Has No Vacancy” or the haunting twang of guilt that is “Murder of Crows,” Ortega continues to deliver a refreshing twist that walks vintage and contemporary lines in imaginative and inventive manners.
But in order to realize this next step of her artistic fruition, the two-time JUNO Award nominee (Canada’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards) had to pull up her Canadian stakes and come to the well.
“I was really inspired by being here in Nashville,” explains Ortega, the daughter of a Northern Irish mother and Mexican father who has been performing since she picked up a guitar at age 16.
“I wanted the authenticity of my influences to shine through on this record. I knew I liked country and I think moving here, I wanted to delve into those influences more genuinely.
“To be able to read a Hank Williams biography and then go to where his house was, or the places that they talk about, and absorb that was invaluable.”
As Ortega is the first to admit, she’s anything but a “straight-up country artist,” so other elements played into the equation.
“I found that I was really inspired by going to New Orleans, after I shot that music video for (Little Red Boots’) “Black Fly” – and the Deep South.
“After Little Red Boots I read the Hank Williams biography and I learned that he was very highly influenced by a man named “Tee-Tot.” (Rufus Payne). Tee-Tot was a blues guy, and I discovered that a lot of early country drew influence from early blues. So I really started getting into listening to blues.”
She recruited a sympathetic visionary to produce the album in fellow Canadian Colin Linden, (O Brother Where Art Thou, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Bruce Cockburn, The Band), who also happens to reside in Nashville.
“When it was time to start working with producers, Colin’s name was thrown in the hat,” recalls Ortega. “I looked him up on YouTube,and the first thing I saw him perform was this crazy awesome Dobro solo.
“I realized that I loved that instrument, and I needed to have it all over my record,” she laughs.
“There was something about the sound of it that resonated so much with me. Colin was very influenced by the blues and had a lot of knowledge about its background and history, and I thought it would be cool to bring that into the record.”
The blues touch is a subtle one, a seasoning of sorts on this album of longing and vulnerability; travel and romance; of anger and passion; of fact and fiction.
A big breakthrough was Ortega’s topical candour.
“I was sort of delving into the darker corners of my mind with some things, which was interesting for me, and not being afraid to put some other things out there,” she reveals. “The song from my first record, “All My Friends,” alludes to certain things in a metaphorical way, where on this album, I’m a little more straight up about it. I’m not trying to hide.
“I guess that I’m just willing to take that risk. I’m just being honest and talking about my experiences, and by doing that, I’m not advocating anything and I’m not telling anybody they need to do anything: I’m just writing about my life and the experiences that I go through.”
But it’s not all autobiographical: “Murder of Crows,’ co-authored by Matt Nolan and one of three co-writes on Cigarettes & Truckstops, is pure Man In Black-inspired fiction.
“I was actually thinking of Johnny Cash’s Murder album when I wrote that,” Ortega chuckles. “I just wanted to delve into fictitious territory, and not write from experience – sort of make up stories.
“In a lot of old Cash songs, there’s a lot that didn’t come from his experience: he made them up. It’s cool to be able to make up crazy stories like that.”
One of the album’s real kickers is the Bruce Wallace co-write “The Day You Die,” a humorous look at love’s clichés, a future classic that begins with the opening stanza,
“You said you’d love me ‘til the cows comes home/Well I’m hoping that they all go blind.”
“That’s why I love writing with Bruce, because we never set out to write,” Ortega admits. “We just get together as friends and pick up guitars and it just happens naturally. He’s a quirky guy, because he totally gets where I’m coming from in that respect.
“We pick up the guitar and make up joke songs. We thought it would be cool if all these cliché things that people say to people, things like ‘Love you ‘til this, love you ‘til that’,” were taken literally, what would they have to do to keep the love going?”
There are more gems on Cigarettes & Truckstops that are ripe for personal discovery, a riveting tour-de-force of an album that will open up more ears and hearts to the scintillating sounds of Lindi Ortega and an appreciation of the unique perspective she brings to her craft.
Two trademarks impel her artistry: sincerity and honesty.
“I’m not going to deny it because I can’t,” Ortega admits. “It just comes out. I owe it to the song and to myself to expel that expression, put it into music and be very honest and forthright about the good, the bad and the ugly of Lindi Ortega.”
Lindi Ortega
OCA Spazio Ansaldo (MI)
19 Marzo 2013
© Mairo Cinquetti
© All rights reserved. Do not use my photos without my written permission. If you would like to buy or use this photo PLEASE message me or email me at mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com
Immagine protetta da copyright © Mairo Cinquetti.
Tutti i diritti sono riservati.
L'immagine non può essere usata in nessun caso senza autorizzazione scritta dell'autore.
Per contatti: mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com
Nashville beckoned, and Lindi Ortega answered the call.
Armed with an inimitable, irresistible singing voice The Independent hails as “a truly magnificent instrument,” and a heart bursting with creative ambition, the Canadian songstress whom American Songwriter calls “the love child of Johnny Cash and Nancy Sinatra” decided to relocate to Music City from her
native Toronto to birth her brand new musical offspring, Cigarettes & Truckstops.
A logical follow-up to her 2011 critically acclaimed alt-country masterpiece Little Red Boots, the 10-song Cigarettes & Truckstops further flaunts Ortega’s distinctive vision; one that embraces the oft-neglected, politically incorrect realism of traditional country and frames it in a charmingly, and sometimes darkly humourous contemporary context.
Bookended by a couple of romantic road ballads in the title track and the reflective “Every Mile Of The Ride,” Cigarettes & Truckstops further evolves the promise foreshadowed by the JUNO-Award nominated-and-Polaris-Music-Prize-long-listed Little Red Boots.
The writing is stellar, her musical discipline undoubtedly galvanized by a fearless 2010-2012 tour schedule that saw Lindi open for a variety of acts, from punk vets Social Distortion; pop icon Burton Cummings; country fave Dierks Bentley; folk outfit Noah & The Whale and Academy Award winner Kevin Costner with attention-grabbing finesse, making serious inroads with North American and European audiences, and prompting Exclaim! to declare Ortega an “electrifying” performer.
Whether it’s the plucky shuffle of the hilarious “The Day You Die;” the angry harrumph of “Don’t Wanna Hear It;” the high lonesome feel of “Heaven Has No Vacancy” or the haunting twang of guilt that is “Murder of Crows,” Ortega continues to deliver a refreshing twist that walks vintage and contemporary lines in imaginative and inventive manners.
But in order to realize this next step of her artistic fruition, the two-time JUNO Award nominee (Canada’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards) had to pull up her Canadian stakes and come to the well.
“I was really inspired by being here in Nashville,” explains Ortega, the daughter of a Northern Irish mother and Mexican father who has been performing since she picked up a guitar at age 16.
“I wanted the authenticity of my influences to shine through on this record. I knew I liked country and I think moving here, I wanted to delve into those influences more genuinely.
“To be able to read a Hank Williams biography and then go to where his house was, or the places that they talk about, and absorb that was invaluable.”
As Ortega is the first to admit, she’s anything but a “straight-up country artist,” so other elements played into the equation.
“I found that I was really inspired by going to New Orleans, after I shot that music video for (Little Red Boots’) “Black Fly” – and the Deep South.
“After Little Red Boots I read the Hank Williams biography and I learned that he was very highly influenced by a man named “Tee-Tot.” (Rufus Payne). Tee-Tot was a blues guy, and I discovered that a lot of early country drew influence from early blues. So I really started getting into listening to blues.”
She recruited a sympathetic visionary to produce the album in fellow Canadian Colin Linden, (O Brother Where Art Thou, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Bruce Cockburn, The Band), who also happens to reside in Nashville.
“When it was time to start working with producers, Colin’s name was thrown in the hat,” recalls Ortega. “I looked him up on YouTube,and the first thing I saw him perform was this crazy awesome Dobro solo.
“I realized that I loved that instrument, and I needed to have it all over my record,” she laughs.
“There was something about the sound of it that resonated so much with me. Colin was very influenced by the blues and had a lot of knowledge about its background and history, and I thought it would be cool to bring that into the record.”
The blues touch is a subtle one, a seasoning of sorts on this album of longing and vulnerability; travel and romance; of anger and passion; of fact and fiction.
A big breakthrough was Ortega’s topical candour.
“I was sort of delving into the darker corners of my mind with some things, which was interesting for me, and not being afraid to put some other things out there,” she reveals. “The song from my first record, “All My Friends,” alludes to certain things in a metaphorical way, where on this album, I’m a little more straight up about it. I’m not trying to hide.
“I guess that I’m just willing to take that risk. I’m just being honest and talking about my experiences, and by doing that, I’m not advocating anything and I’m not telling anybody they need to do anything: I’m just writing about my life and the experiences that I go through.”
But it’s not all autobiographical: “Murder of Crows,’ co-authored by Matt Nolan and one of three co-writes on Cigarettes & Truckstops, is pure Man In Black-inspired fiction.
“I was actually thinking of Johnny Cash’s Murder album when I wrote that,” Ortega chuckles. “I just wanted to delve into fictitious territory, and not write from experience – sort of make up stories.
“In a lot of old Cash songs, there’s a lot that didn’t come from his experience: he made them up. It’s cool to be able to make up crazy stories like that.”
One of the album’s real kickers is the Bruce Wallace co-write “The Day You Die,” a humorous look at love’s clichés, a future classic that begins with the opening stanza,
“You said you’d love me ‘til the cows comes home/Well I’m hoping that they all go blind.”
“That’s why I love writing with Bruce, because we never set out to write,” Ortega admits. “We just get together as friends and pick up guitars and it just happens naturally. He’s a quirky guy, because he totally gets where I’m coming from in that respect.
“We pick up the guitar and make up joke songs. We thought it would be cool if all these cliché things that people say to people, things like ‘Love you ‘til this, love you ‘til that’,” were taken literally, what would they have to do to keep the love going?”
There are more gems on Cigarettes & Truckstops that are ripe for personal discovery, a riveting tour-de-force of an album that will open up more ears and hearts to the scintillating sounds of Lindi Ortega and an appreciation of the unique perspective she brings to her craft.
Two trademarks impel her artistry: sincerity and honesty.
“I’m not going to deny it because I can’t,” Ortega admits. “It just comes out. I owe it to the song and to myself to expel that expression, put it into music and be very honest and forthright about the good, the bad and the ugly of Lindi Ortega.”
The sunset at Beavertail State Park seems to foreshadow the end of summer, but it's a heck of a way to go.
This series will be the last of my uploads for the trip I took to southern Burgundy in September 2023.
Listed as a Historic landmark in 1900, the Romanesque church in the out-of-the-way village of Gourdon is one of the secret wonders of Burgundy. Not particularly outstanding from the outside, its large silhouette nevertheless foreshadows an impressive interior, and indeed it is, with its combination of a whooping three-level, Cluny-inspired elevation, its three naves and its generalized system of groin vaulting. Its collection of sculpted capitals is also famous, as are the alfresco paintings that were discovered in the 1940s as the plastering that was applied to hide them in the 19th century began to peel away. More such discoveries were made in the 1970s and restoration lasted until the early 1990s.
Located on a hilltop in the département of Saône-et-Loire, Gourdon has been inhabited since time immemorial. Valuable traces of Roman presence were found in 1845 and promptly shipped to a museum in Paris (the Cabinet des Médailles) where the are still being exhibited to this day. A monastery was founded here very early on, as there is a written trace of a dependency of the Le Puy cathedral chapter in 534, but claims that it was “a Benedictine priory” seem to me a bit overambitious, in spite of my sympathies for that order: let’s not forget that Saint Benedict died only in 547 in Monte Cassino, and I doubt that his Rule was so well-known in Gaul in his own lifetime that it could have been adopted by a small religious establishment in Burgundy... The monastery did certainly exist, though, as Saint Gregory of Tours visited it in 570 and there met with Didier (or Desideratus). About this last figure, History hesitates between the quality of abbot (that would indeed rather be prior if Gourdon were a priory back then) and that of hermit. In any case, by 1104, when the completed parish church is mentioned (there remains no trace of the in-between period), there is no further mention of that monastery, which must have disappeared in the meantime; it was probably little more than a hermitage, as by Year 1000 the rule had been largely propagated by Saint Benedict of Aniane († 821) and Benedictine houses were flourishing all over the Western world. An already existing priory would most likely never have been so abandoned and shut down. No physical traces of that establishment were ever found by archæologists.
Since around 1100, the church has been left almost intact, except for the bell tower which collapsed in 1881 and was rebuilt in 1889, exactly as it was before.
Equally ancient (and, in my opinion, probably re-used from an earlier church completed before Year 1000) is this capital to be seen in the choir. Its motif is very classical and shows, among leaves large and small, two telamons (“atlantes”) supporting the top of the column, hence the church, in an allegoric depiction of those legendary creatures’ role, which was to support the vault of the Heavens itself.
Lindi Ortega
OCA Spazio Ansaldo (MI)
19 Marzo 2013
© Mairo Cinquetti
© All rights reserved. Do not use my photos without my written permission. If you would like to buy or use this photo PLEASE message me or email me at mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com
Immagine protetta da copyright © Mairo Cinquetti.
Tutti i diritti sono riservati.
L'immagine non può essere usata in nessun caso senza autorizzazione scritta dell'autore.
Per contatti: mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com
Nashville beckoned, and Lindi Ortega answered the call.
Armed with an inimitable, irresistible singing voice The Independent hails as “a truly magnificent instrument,” and a heart bursting with creative ambition, the Canadian songstress whom American Songwriter calls “the love child of Johnny Cash and Nancy Sinatra” decided to relocate to Music City from her
native Toronto to birth her brand new musical offspring, Cigarettes & Truckstops.
A logical follow-up to her 2011 critically acclaimed alt-country masterpiece Little Red Boots, the 10-song Cigarettes & Truckstops further flaunts Ortega’s distinctive vision; one that embraces the oft-neglected, politically incorrect realism of traditional country and frames it in a charmingly, and sometimes darkly humourous contemporary context.
Bookended by a couple of romantic road ballads in the title track and the reflective “Every Mile Of The Ride,” Cigarettes & Truckstops further evolves the promise foreshadowed by the JUNO-Award nominated-and-Polaris-Music-Prize-long-listed Little Red Boots.
The writing is stellar, her musical discipline undoubtedly galvanized by a fearless 2010-2012 tour schedule that saw Lindi open for a variety of acts, from punk vets Social Distortion; pop icon Burton Cummings; country fave Dierks Bentley; folk outfit Noah & The Whale and Academy Award winner Kevin Costner with attention-grabbing finesse, making serious inroads with North American and European audiences, and prompting Exclaim! to declare Ortega an “electrifying” performer.
Whether it’s the plucky shuffle of the hilarious “The Day You Die;” the angry harrumph of “Don’t Wanna Hear It;” the high lonesome feel of “Heaven Has No Vacancy” or the haunting twang of guilt that is “Murder of Crows,” Ortega continues to deliver a refreshing twist that walks vintage and contemporary lines in imaginative and inventive manners.
But in order to realize this next step of her artistic fruition, the two-time JUNO Award nominee (Canada’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards) had to pull up her Canadian stakes and come to the well.
“I was really inspired by being here in Nashville,” explains Ortega, the daughter of a Northern Irish mother and Mexican father who has been performing since she picked up a guitar at age 16.
“I wanted the authenticity of my influences to shine through on this record. I knew I liked country and I think moving here, I wanted to delve into those influences more genuinely.
“To be able to read a Hank Williams biography and then go to where his house was, or the places that they talk about, and absorb that was invaluable.”
As Ortega is the first to admit, she’s anything but a “straight-up country artist,” so other elements played into the equation.
“I found that I was really inspired by going to New Orleans, after I shot that music video for (Little Red Boots’) “Black Fly” – and the Deep South.
“After Little Red Boots I read the Hank Williams biography and I learned that he was very highly influenced by a man named “Tee-Tot.” (Rufus Payne). Tee-Tot was a blues guy, and I discovered that a lot of early country drew influence from early blues. So I really started getting into listening to blues.”
She recruited a sympathetic visionary to produce the album in fellow Canadian Colin Linden, (O Brother Where Art Thou, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Bruce Cockburn, The Band), who also happens to reside in Nashville.
“When it was time to start working with producers, Colin’s name was thrown in the hat,” recalls Ortega. “I looked him up on YouTube,and the first thing I saw him perform was this crazy awesome Dobro solo.
“I realized that I loved that instrument, and I needed to have it all over my record,” she laughs.
“There was something about the sound of it that resonated so much with me. Colin was very influenced by the blues and had a lot of knowledge about its background and history, and I thought it would be cool to bring that into the record.”
The blues touch is a subtle one, a seasoning of sorts on this album of longing and vulnerability; travel and romance; of anger and passion; of fact and fiction.
A big breakthrough was Ortega’s topical candour.
“I was sort of delving into the darker corners of my mind with some things, which was interesting for me, and not being afraid to put some other things out there,” she reveals. “The song from my first record, “All My Friends,” alludes to certain things in a metaphorical way, where on this album, I’m a little more straight up about it. I’m not trying to hide.
“I guess that I’m just willing to take that risk. I’m just being honest and talking about my experiences, and by doing that, I’m not advocating anything and I’m not telling anybody they need to do anything: I’m just writing about my life and the experiences that I go through.”
But it’s not all autobiographical: “Murder of Crows,’ co-authored by Matt Nolan and one of three co-writes on Cigarettes & Truckstops, is pure Man In Black-inspired fiction.
“I was actually thinking of Johnny Cash’s Murder album when I wrote that,” Ortega chuckles. “I just wanted to delve into fictitious territory, and not write from experience – sort of make up stories.
“In a lot of old Cash songs, there’s a lot that didn’t come from his experience: he made them up. It’s cool to be able to make up crazy stories like that.”
One of the album’s real kickers is the Bruce Wallace co-write “The Day You Die,” a humorous look at love’s clichés, a future classic that begins with the opening stanza,
“You said you’d love me ‘til the cows comes home/Well I’m hoping that they all go blind.”
“That’s why I love writing with Bruce, because we never set out to write,” Ortega admits. “We just get together as friends and pick up guitars and it just happens naturally. He’s a quirky guy, because he totally gets where I’m coming from in that respect.
“We pick up the guitar and make up joke songs. We thought it would be cool if all these cliché things that people say to people, things like ‘Love you ‘til this, love you ‘til that’,” were taken literally, what would they have to do to keep the love going?”
There are more gems on Cigarettes & Truckstops that are ripe for personal discovery, a riveting tour-de-force of an album that will open up more ears and hearts to the scintillating sounds of Lindi Ortega and an appreciation of the unique perspective she brings to her craft.
Two trademarks impel her artistry: sincerity and honesty.
“I’m not going to deny it because I can’t,” Ortega admits. “It just comes out. I owe it to the song and to myself to expel that expression, put it into music and be very honest and forthright about the good, the bad and the ugly of Lindi Ortega.”
14:17
We checked all of the doors and windows again. Everything still seems to be locked tight.
Something occurred to me, and when I mentioned it to Ramirez, he told me he'd had the same thought; when the singers were pounding on the door then suddenly stopped and vanished, it was very much like those instances of the sound of someone hammering against the door -- only to find that no one was there.
That gave me a strange feeling. It was like what the singers did had been -- foreshadowed.
We fully expect that more state patrol officers will arrive when the murdered officers fail to call in, or return. We can only hope that they send more than one or two the next time. I'll have to stand watch for them, so that I can immediately shout a warning.
15:00
No sign of more state patrol officers. The lights of the car have gone out and I can't hear its engine idling anymore. It's possible that it ran out of gas, and the battery might have been drained by running all of the lights, or the singers might have shut it all off when they realized we weren't going to make a try for the car.
I don't know why, but I don't think any more state patrol officers are coming.
16:02
We're not going to wait to see what happens. It's obvious that the only way we're getting out of here is if we get out on our own. Our biggest obstacle is Ramirez' injury, and he knows that leaving him behind is NOT an option, for me. So, we have to figure out a way to get him more mobile.
It's possible that we can cobble together a pair of crutches for him. I'm going to have a quick look upstairs for anything useful, while Ramirez sits on the stairs, keeping watch.
17:00
Found some stuff we might be able to put to use, and Ramirez is working on it right now.
I needed him distracted so that I could jot down this entry alone. He has a habit of reading over my shoulder at the exact moment that will cause me the most embarrassment.
Anyway, the thing is, I'm worried that I've lost my mind. It's either that or -- this house is actually haunted, by REAL ghosts.
As I've said before; I'm logical, reasonable, and not prone to hysterics. So, given the choice of ghosts or madness, well, as awful as it is to admit it -- insanity is the sane choice.
Maybe everything that's happened caused me to have a psychotic break or something? I'm not a shrink so I don't know how those things work.
I might as well write down what I saw and heard, just in case I go crazier and can't tell the shrinks what happened.
I went upstairs to find something to fashion into crutches for Ramirez, when I thought I heard whispering again.
This time, I was worried it might be a couple of the singers. So, I grabbed a heavy candle stick holder and crept over to the collectibles room, slipping inside. I made my way between the dust cloth-covered stacks, closing in on the source of the voices.
I stopped as soon as I could make out what was being said. There were two voices, a woman's and a man's. The woman was in a terrible panic and the man was trying to calm her. The woman had a refined voice, mature, and the man had some kind of accent I couldn't identify.
She was terrified, certain of awful deeds being done on the estate. She said her husband and the doctor were evil, that they were practitioners of black magic and that they, and their followers, were using human sacrifices to feed and empower the demon they'd made her give birth to, and raise as her child.
The man tried to rationalize, telling her the child was only deformed and not a real demon, but the woman wouldn't be comforted or swayed from her assertion. The man finally agreed to look into the matter and suddenly -- a third voice was there.
This voice was shrill, high-pitched, accusatory, and clearly French. I felt dizzy, steadying myself against one of the covered pieces of furniture.
The French maid, the lady of the house and -- who was the man? Then I realized he MUST be the Native American man in the painting! The maid accused the pair of unseemly conduct, and the man of using her. Not only that, she accused them of being responsible for the evil going on in the house. These accusations were denied, but the maid wouldn't listen. She said that she was taking her accusations to the minister and his flock, and letting them mete out God's judgment.
I HAD to peek around the corner.
I HAD to peek around the corner. I saw the three of them.
Not shadows, misty forms, see-through wraiths, or glowing specters. I saw three people just as clearly as I might see Ramirez, if he was the one standing there rather than what ... well, what I saw.
I was riveted to the spot, and at first I thought they WERE real; actors dressed in period costumes, and I stepped out to challenge them, demand answers.
They turned toward me, seeming startled, and I was about to threaten them with the candle stick when -- they weren't there anymore.
No fading out, no blowing away, no crumbling to dust. They simply stopped being there, in the blink of an eye.
So, I must be crazy ... right?
I forced myself to finish searching for items that could help Ramirez because now more than ever, I want to get out of this house. Not because I believe it's haunted, but because I believe I'm losing my mind and could pose and additional danger to Ramirez.
it looks like he's ready to try the crutches he's cobbled together. Hopefully, we'll get out of this damn place, and my next entry will be all about how we got home, sent the National Guard out here, and all the crazy singers were rounded up.
Fingers crossed.
20:16
Shit. That's what we're in, and it's deep.
We went out one of the lower room windows, suspicious again, because it opened. We left a couple candles burning in the study so that it would look like we were still in there. Climbing out was hard for Ramirez, and the effort opened his wound again, but i added to the dressing with the supplies we'd taken from the ambulance, and we continued on our way.
Heading for the front gate was not an option. If they were watching the house, that would be the obvious direction we'd take, and we'd be seen. Instead, we too the least used, most abandoned seeming path that led into the overgrown back acreage of the estate. It was rough going for Ramirez, but he didn't complain. We moved as stealthily as possible, pausing often to listen for signs that we might have followed, but we seemed to have gotten away, unnoticed.
Getting over the wall wasn't going to be easy, but we thought we had that figured out; we brought along the rope we'd planned to use to climb out through the nursery window. The plane was that I'd scale the wall then drop the rope for Ramirez, and help him climb up. He was pretty sure he could manage the height of the wall using just his arms.
Maybe it would have worked, maybe it wouldn't have, but we'll never know.
We didn't get that far.
When we got out back, we heard the singers again, but they weren't singing this time -- they were chanting. We made our way toward the sound, realizing that we were coming up on the far side of the stone "sculpture" or altar. Torches burned everywhere, and the singers knelt before the stones, where a man robed in black stood.
Bound and gagged, the missing ambulance guy lay at the robed man's feet, right atop the ominous dark stains we'd observed, earlier.
I was about to dash in there and probably get myself killed, when Ramirez stopped me. He told me that he understood the words they were chanting, and it was a spell. It was the same spell mentioned in the husband's and the doctor's journals. Ramirez said there was a pattern to it, that they wouldn't kill they guy until a particular part of the spell was reached -- and he'd be able to tell when they got close.
So, we circled around until we were in a position where Ramirez was sure he'd have a clear shot at the minister. His hope was that if he wounded the minister, disrupting the spell, that there'd be enough chaos and panic that they wouldn't kill the ambulance guy, and maybe we'd be able to sneak in and hustle the guy into the cave behind the altar stone.
At the peak of the chanting, a hooded shape walked toward the altar stone, passing between the singers, who parted like dark grass in a predator's wake. There was something -- odd about the figure, about the size and shape of the cloak covering the thing. (I say "thing" now, but I thought it was a man, then.) The bulk of it, the odd shape -- it was as if the enormous hood was actually required to cover something just as large, under it.
I got a queasy feeling, looking at the hooded figure. There was something "wrong" with the way the cloak hung about the form beneath. I thought the person under the covering might have been wearing armor, as strange as that seemed, but the bulges and the protrusions...
Ramirez indicated it was nearly time, in the spell, for the sacrifice. He took aim at the minister who was apparently preparing to perform the ritual murder as he held up a dagger in one hand.
I have no idea why
That was almost a lie. I'm not going to start down that road. This is MY journal, meant for ME, and I won't lie to myself.
I looked toward the sky just then.
I looked at the sky because I was suddenly reminded of one of the maid's paintings. Except for the singers, the tableau was strikingly similar and, I admit it, I gave a gasp, maybe a small cry of alarm -- but if you'd seen what I saw...
The sky was cloudless. I could clearly see the stars and the moon, but there was this, this "bulge" in the air. I don't know exactly how to describe what I saw, what my involuntary gasp of wonder and revulsion caused Ramirez to also look up and see, dragging a non-English curse, or prayer, from him.
Imagine an enormous, clear balloon was suspended over the scene, clear enough to be able to see through it, but by virtue of it being there, you could make out the odd "curve" of it. That was what we saw, or it's as accurately as I can describe it in visual terms. There was also a sort of -- dread it seemed to radiate. Considering how loud was their chanting and wailing, I can't imagine how my startled gasp was heard, but it was.
The chanting suddenly stopped.
(This story originally appeared on my main page. Archived here. The rest of the original story, with new images, will follow.
Original comments are below.)
Alberto Cervantes Casquete, Azazel Azalee and 53 more people faved this
Thierry Musette
9y
excellente capture
Teddi Beres
9y
Thierry Musette Thank you so much! (hugs)
Cheri @PulpFictionStudio
9y
great story/emotion in your shot
Teddi Beres
9y
Cheri @PulpFictionStudio Thank you bunches! It's super nice of you to say. (huggles)
Chatwick Harpax
9y
Still hangin in there, that I am, with baited breath me thinks. Waiting for those devilish singers lurking about to begin the swan song mebe;)
Teddi Beres
9y
Chatwick Harpax (giggles) You never know! Thank you for hanging in there.
Alberto Cervantes Casquete, Azazel Azalee and 40 more people faved this
Sturdy Mice (deleted)
9y
True Art
Teddi Beres
9y
Sturdy Mice This is so nice of you! Thank you! (huggles)
Chatwick Harpax
9y
Excellent story Teddi, Makes me want to run ahead an peek around the corner first;)
Teddi Beres
9y
Chatwick Harpax Are you sure you want to? Could be something scary! (giggles) Thank you. (hugs)
Azazel Azalee, delisha A and 44 more people faved this
Chatwick Harpax
9y
Interestin turn of events, ghosts or not, that appears to be the question, or perhaps appears not? lol.. Still following the adventure, and curious as to its final gripping end...
Teddi Beres
9y
Chatwick Harpax I'm glad you're still wondering how this will all end. It's galloping toward the finish line. I promise, there will be blood. (giggles)
Azazel Azalee, Hinata Shady - William Pessini and 35 more people faved this
Chatwick Harpax
9y
Lucky guy Erebus, getting a chance to creep around with a pretty lass.. Lol. Story is still coming along swimmingly Teddi, still on seats edge that I am
Teddi Beres
9y
Chatwick Harpax Thank you, Chatwick! I hope to keep you on the edge as the story spirals out of control. (giggles)
Pomme Pancake / KUROMORI, Luna Rayvin and 35 more people faved this
Chatwick Harpax
9y
Nice effect, goes well with the drama unfoldin in your journal
Teddi Beres
9y
Chatwick Harpax Thank you! When I can't create what I want to picture, I search throughout Second Life and it's amazing, what I find. :-)
Alberto Cervantes Casquete, Azazel Azalee and 32 more people faved this
Chatwick Harpax
9y
There you go, a visually striking description, a brilliant build-up coming from a quite talented writer.
Kudos Teddi
Teddi Beres
9y
Chatwick Harpax You make me blush. Thank you bunches. (hugs)
Sturdy Mice (deleted)
9y
True Art
Teddi Beres
9y
Sturdy Mice You're so nice, thank you! (huggles)
Foreshadowing of an era gone by.
Oil has been depleted and replaced by other forms of energy that are more environmentally sound.
Nature's reclaiming of the Earth is visible everywhere. Ancient structures and relics of abandoned gas stations and vehicles are still littering the soon to be pristine countryside. Humans hiding from view are awaiting clean-up operations, which have been too busy since the Great War.
Foreshadowing of an era gone by.
Oil has been depleted and replaced by other forms of energy that are more environmentally sound.
Nature's reclaiming of the Earth is visible everywhere. Ancient structures and relics of abandoned gas stations and vehicles are still littering the soon to be pristine countryside. Humans hiding from view are awaiting clean-up operations, which have been too busy since the Great War.
Great art requires dedication, time and effort.
But above all there are costs involved as well.
Equipment, props and model fees, not to mention time,
are all "out-of-pocket" expenses for the artist.
If you enjoy my art, you might like to help to support it.
To see behind-the-scenes videos and get a glimpse of my process, please follow the link below.
The Photography of Sol Lang - Video-on-demand.
Please note: Contains Nudity
Thanks for the support!
The Fiat Coupé (type 175, officially titled the Coupé Fiat) was a coupé produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1993 and 2000. The car was introduced at Brussels Motor Show in 1993.
It is most remembered for its distinctive, angular design, with unique scalloped side panels. The body was designed by Chris Bangle from Centro Stile Fiat, while the interior was designed by Pininfarina. The exterior design would foreshadow much of late 1990s and early 2000s car design, acting as a precedent to both Bangle's somewhat notorious work at BMW, as well as futuristic angular designs by other marques, such as Ford and Renault.
History:
The Fiat Coupe made media headlines in auto magazines during 1992 after several spy shots were taken revealing the car on test. On its launch in 1993, the Coupé was available with a four-cylinder, 2.0 L 16V engine, in both turbo (190 PS) and normally aspirated (139 PS) versions. Both engines were later versions of Fiat's twin-cam design and inherited from the Lancia Delta Integrale, winner of the World Rally Championship a record six times. 1996 brought in a 1.8 L 16V engine (not available in the UK, 131 PS), along with a 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V (147 PS), and a 5-cylinder 2.0-litre 20V turbo (220 PS).
Fiat Coupé 20v Turbo Model
The turbocharged 16 and 20 valve versions were equipped with a very efficient Viscodrive limited-slip differential to counter the understeer that plagues most powerful front wheel drive cars. Additionally, the coupe featured independent suspension all round: at the front MacPherson struts and lower wishbones anchored to an auxiliary crossbeam, offset coil springs and anti-roll bar; at the rear, trailing arms mounted on an auxiliary subframe, coil springs and an anti-roll bar.
1998 saw the release of the Limited Edition which featured red Brembo brake calipers at the front and standard red calipers at the back, a body kit, push-button start, six-speed gearbox, strut brace to make the chassis more rigid and Recaro seats with red leather inserts which offered better support than the standard 20VT seats. The LE was produced in Black (flat), Red (flat), Vinci Grey (metallic), Crono Grey (flat) and Steel Grey (metallic). The bodywork of the LE also benefited from titanium coloured insert around the light bezels and the wing mirrors. Each Limited Edition ('LE') Coupé was manufactured with a badge located by the rear-view mirror which contained that car's unique number (it is rumored that Michael Schumacher was the original owner of LE No. 0001, however when the question was raised to him personally he confirmed he had owned one, but a red one, while LE No. 0001 is a Crono Grey one). Originally a spokesman from Fiat stated only approximately 300 Limited Editions would be built. The final amount was much higher, with numbers as high as 1400 touted by some. This angered many of the owners of the original 300 cars and almost certainly impacted residual values. The original number however was quoted by a Fiat UK spokesman, so probably that number only applied to the UK market. The numbered plaque on every Coupe features enough space for 4 numbers.
In 1998 the 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V got a Variable Inlet System which brought the power to 154 PS (113 kW). The 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V Turbo received a 6-speed gearbox and a large, satin gloss push starter button. In addition, the sills of the Turbo version were colour matched with the body paintwork. Fiat also released the 2.0 L 5 cylinder Turbo 'Plus'. This model came with an option kit that made it virtually identical to the LE, except for minor interior design changes and without the unique identification badge of the LE.
In 2000 Fiat released another special version of the Fiat Coupé. Featuring the 1.8-litre engine, it was only available throughout mainland Europe and marketed as an elegant and affordable edition. Fiat also made changes throughout the rest of the range: new seats, side skirts and wheels for the 2.0-litre 20V model, 'Plus' edition wheels on turbo models and Fiat manufactured seats on the 'Plus' that were virtually identical to the original Plus Recaro seats with the addition of extra airbags. The 2.0-litre 20V Turbo model is capable of accelerating from 0–100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 6.5 seconds, with a top speed of 240 km/h (149 mph) or 250 km/h (155 mph) with later 6-speed gearbox. When production finally stopped in September 2000, a total number of 72,762 units had been produced.
[Text from Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Coup%C3%A9
This miniland-scale Lego FIAT Coupe (Type 175 - 1993 - Bangle) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 92nd Build Challenge, - "Stuck in the 90's", - all about vehicles from the decade of the 1990s.
Lindi Ortega
OCA Spazio Ansaldo (MI)
19 Marzo 2013
© Mairo Cinquetti
© All rights reserved. Do not use my photos without my written permission. If you would like to buy or use this photo PLEASE message me or email me at mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com
Immagine protetta da copyright © Mairo Cinquetti.
Tutti i diritti sono riservati.
L'immagine non può essere usata in nessun caso senza autorizzazione scritta dell'autore.
Per contatti: mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com
Nashville beckoned, and Lindi Ortega answered the call.
Armed with an inimitable, irresistible singing voice The Independent hails as “a truly magnificent instrument,” and a heart bursting with creative ambition, the Canadian songstress whom American Songwriter calls “the love child of Johnny Cash and Nancy Sinatra” decided to relocate to Music City from her
native Toronto to birth her brand new musical offspring, Cigarettes & Truckstops.
A logical follow-up to her 2011 critically acclaimed alt-country masterpiece Little Red Boots, the 10-song Cigarettes & Truckstops further flaunts Ortega’s distinctive vision; one that embraces the oft-neglected, politically incorrect realism of traditional country and frames it in a charmingly, and sometimes darkly humourous contemporary context.
Bookended by a couple of romantic road ballads in the title track and the reflective “Every Mile Of The Ride,” Cigarettes & Truckstops further evolves the promise foreshadowed by the JUNO-Award nominated-and-Polaris-Music-Prize-long-listed Little Red Boots.
The writing is stellar, her musical discipline undoubtedly galvanized by a fearless 2010-2012 tour schedule that saw Lindi open for a variety of acts, from punk vets Social Distortion; pop icon Burton Cummings; country fave Dierks Bentley; folk outfit Noah & The Whale and Academy Award winner Kevin Costner with attention-grabbing finesse, making serious inroads with North American and European audiences, and prompting Exclaim! to declare Ortega an “electrifying” performer.
Whether it’s the plucky shuffle of the hilarious “The Day You Die;” the angry harrumph of “Don’t Wanna Hear It;” the high lonesome feel of “Heaven Has No Vacancy” or the haunting twang of guilt that is “Murder of Crows,” Ortega continues to deliver a refreshing twist that walks vintage and contemporary lines in imaginative and inventive manners.
But in order to realize this next step of her artistic fruition, the two-time JUNO Award nominee (Canada’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards) had to pull up her Canadian stakes and come to the well.
“I was really inspired by being here in Nashville,” explains Ortega, the daughter of a Northern Irish mother and Mexican father who has been performing since she picked up a guitar at age 16.
“I wanted the authenticity of my influences to shine through on this record. I knew I liked country and I think moving here, I wanted to delve into those influences more genuinely.
“To be able to read a Hank Williams biography and then go to where his house was, or the places that they talk about, and absorb that was invaluable.”
As Ortega is the first to admit, she’s anything but a “straight-up country artist,” so other elements played into the equation.
“I found that I was really inspired by going to New Orleans, after I shot that music video for (Little Red Boots’) “Black Fly” – and the Deep South.
“After Little Red Boots I read the Hank Williams biography and I learned that he was very highly influenced by a man named “Tee-Tot.” (Rufus Payne). Tee-Tot was a blues guy, and I discovered that a lot of early country drew influence from early blues. So I really started getting into listening to blues.”
She recruited a sympathetic visionary to produce the album in fellow Canadian Colin Linden, (O Brother Where Art Thou, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Bruce Cockburn, The Band), who also happens to reside in Nashville.
“When it was time to start working with producers, Colin’s name was thrown in the hat,” recalls Ortega. “I looked him up on YouTube,and the first thing I saw him perform was this crazy awesome Dobro solo.
“I realized that I loved that instrument, and I needed to have it all over my record,” she laughs.
“There was something about the sound of it that resonated so much with me. Colin was very influenced by the blues and had a lot of knowledge about its background and history, and I thought it would be cool to bring that into the record.”
The blues touch is a subtle one, a seasoning of sorts on this album of longing and vulnerability; travel and romance; of anger and passion; of fact and fiction.
A big breakthrough was Ortega’s topical candour.
“I was sort of delving into the darker corners of my mind with some things, which was interesting for me, and not being afraid to put some other things out there,” she reveals. “The song from my first record, “All My Friends,” alludes to certain things in a metaphorical way, where on this album, I’m a little more straight up about it. I’m not trying to hide.
“I guess that I’m just willing to take that risk. I’m just being honest and talking about my experiences, and by doing that, I’m not advocating anything and I’m not telling anybody they need to do anything: I’m just writing about my life and the experiences that I go through.”
But it’s not all autobiographical: “Murder of Crows,’ co-authored by Matt Nolan and one of three co-writes on Cigarettes & Truckstops, is pure Man In Black-inspired fiction.
“I was actually thinking of Johnny Cash’s Murder album when I wrote that,” Ortega chuckles. “I just wanted to delve into fictitious territory, and not write from experience – sort of make up stories.
“In a lot of old Cash songs, there’s a lot that didn’t come from his experience: he made them up. It’s cool to be able to make up crazy stories like that.”
One of the album’s real kickers is the Bruce Wallace co-write “The Day You Die,” a humorous look at love’s clichés, a future classic that begins with the opening stanza,
“You said you’d love me ‘til the cows comes home/Well I’m hoping that they all go blind.”
“That’s why I love writing with Bruce, because we never set out to write,” Ortega admits. “We just get together as friends and pick up guitars and it just happens naturally. He’s a quirky guy, because he totally gets where I’m coming from in that respect.
“We pick up the guitar and make up joke songs. We thought it would be cool if all these cliché things that people say to people, things like ‘Love you ‘til this, love you ‘til that’,” were taken literally, what would they have to do to keep the love going?”
There are more gems on Cigarettes & Truckstops that are ripe for personal discovery, a riveting tour-de-force of an album that will open up more ears and hearts to the scintillating sounds of Lindi Ortega and an appreciation of the unique perspective she brings to her craft.
Two trademarks impel her artistry: sincerity and honesty.
“I’m not going to deny it because I can’t,” Ortega admits. “It just comes out. I owe it to the song and to myself to expel that expression, put it into music and be very honest and forthright about the good, the bad and the ugly of Lindi Ortega.”
Lindi Ortega
OCA Spazio Ansaldo (MI)
19 Marzo 2013
© Mairo Cinquetti
© All rights reserved. Do not use my photos without my written permission. If you would like to buy or use this photo PLEASE message me or email me at mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com
Immagine protetta da copyright © Mairo Cinquetti.
Tutti i diritti sono riservati.
L'immagine non può essere usata in nessun caso senza autorizzazione scritta dell'autore.
Per contatti: mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com
Nashville beckoned, and Lindi Ortega answered the call.
Armed with an inimitable, irresistible singing voice The Independent hails as “a truly magnificent instrument,” and a heart bursting with creative ambition, the Canadian songstress whom American Songwriter calls “the love child of Johnny Cash and Nancy Sinatra” decided to relocate to Music City from her
native Toronto to birth her brand new musical offspring, Cigarettes & Truckstops.
A logical follow-up to her 2011 critically acclaimed alt-country masterpiece Little Red Boots, the 10-song Cigarettes & Truckstops further flaunts Ortega’s distinctive vision; one that embraces the oft-neglected, politically incorrect realism of traditional country and frames it in a charmingly, and sometimes darkly humourous contemporary context.
Bookended by a couple of romantic road ballads in the title track and the reflective “Every Mile Of The Ride,” Cigarettes & Truckstops further evolves the promise foreshadowed by the JUNO-Award nominated-and-Polaris-Music-Prize-long-listed Little Red Boots.
The writing is stellar, her musical discipline undoubtedly galvanized by a fearless 2010-2012 tour schedule that saw Lindi open for a variety of acts, from punk vets Social Distortion; pop icon Burton Cummings; country fave Dierks Bentley; folk outfit Noah & The Whale and Academy Award winner Kevin Costner with attention-grabbing finesse, making serious inroads with North American and European audiences, and prompting Exclaim! to declare Ortega an “electrifying” performer.
Whether it’s the plucky shuffle of the hilarious “The Day You Die;” the angry harrumph of “Don’t Wanna Hear It;” the high lonesome feel of “Heaven Has No Vacancy” or the haunting twang of guilt that is “Murder of Crows,” Ortega continues to deliver a refreshing twist that walks vintage and contemporary lines in imaginative and inventive manners.
But in order to realize this next step of her artistic fruition, the two-time JUNO Award nominee (Canada’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards) had to pull up her Canadian stakes and come to the well.
“I was really inspired by being here in Nashville,” explains Ortega, the daughter of a Northern Irish mother and Mexican father who has been performing since she picked up a guitar at age 16.
“I wanted the authenticity of my influences to shine through on this record. I knew I liked country and I think moving here, I wanted to delve into those influences more genuinely.
“To be able to read a Hank Williams biography and then go to where his house was, or the places that they talk about, and absorb that was invaluable.”
As Ortega is the first to admit, she’s anything but a “straight-up country artist,” so other elements played into the equation.
“I found that I was really inspired by going to New Orleans, after I shot that music video for (Little Red Boots’) “Black Fly” – and the Deep South.
“After Little Red Boots I read the Hank Williams biography and I learned that he was very highly influenced by a man named “Tee-Tot.” (Rufus Payne). Tee-Tot was a blues guy, and I discovered that a lot of early country drew influence from early blues. So I really started getting into listening to blues.”
She recruited a sympathetic visionary to produce the album in fellow Canadian Colin Linden, (O Brother Where Art Thou, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Bruce Cockburn, The Band), who also happens to reside in Nashville.
“When it was time to start working with producers, Colin’s name was thrown in the hat,” recalls Ortega. “I looked him up on YouTube,and the first thing I saw him perform was this crazy awesome Dobro solo.
“I realized that I loved that instrument, and I needed to have it all over my record,” she laughs.
“There was something about the sound of it that resonated so much with me. Colin was very influenced by the blues and had a lot of knowledge about its background and history, and I thought it would be cool to bring that into the record.”
The blues touch is a subtle one, a seasoning of sorts on this album of longing and vulnerability; travel and romance; of anger and passion; of fact and fiction.
A big breakthrough was Ortega’s topical candour.
“I was sort of delving into the darker corners of my mind with some things, which was interesting for me, and not being afraid to put some other things out there,” she reveals. “The song from my first record, “All My Friends,” alludes to certain things in a metaphorical way, where on this album, I’m a little more straight up about it. I’m not trying to hide.
“I guess that I’m just willing to take that risk. I’m just being honest and talking about my experiences, and by doing that, I’m not advocating anything and I’m not telling anybody they need to do anything: I’m just writing about my life and the experiences that I go through.”
But it’s not all autobiographical: “Murder of Crows,’ co-authored by Matt Nolan and one of three co-writes on Cigarettes & Truckstops, is pure Man In Black-inspired fiction.
“I was actually thinking of Johnny Cash’s Murder album when I wrote that,” Ortega chuckles. “I just wanted to delve into fictitious territory, and not write from experience – sort of make up stories.
“In a lot of old Cash songs, there’s a lot that didn’t come from his experience: he made them up. It’s cool to be able to make up crazy stories like that.”
One of the album’s real kickers is the Bruce Wallace co-write “The Day You Die,” a humorous look at love’s clichés, a future classic that begins with the opening stanza,
“You said you’d love me ‘til the cows comes home/Well I’m hoping that they all go blind.”
“That’s why I love writing with Bruce, because we never set out to write,” Ortega admits. “We just get together as friends and pick up guitars and it just happens naturally. He’s a quirky guy, because he totally gets where I’m coming from in that respect.
“We pick up the guitar and make up joke songs. We thought it would be cool if all these cliché things that people say to people, things like ‘Love you ‘til this, love you ‘til that’,” were taken literally, what would they have to do to keep the love going?”
There are more gems on Cigarettes & Truckstops that are ripe for personal discovery, a riveting tour-de-force of an album that will open up more ears and hearts to the scintillating sounds of Lindi Ortega and an appreciation of the unique perspective she brings to her craft.
Two trademarks impel her artistry: sincerity and honesty.
“I’m not going to deny it because I can’t,” Ortega admits. “It just comes out. I owe it to the song and to myself to expel that expression, put it into music and be very honest and forthright about the good, the bad and the ugly of Lindi Ortega.”
Foreshadowing of an era gone by.
Oil has been depleted and replaced by other forms of energy that are more environmentally sound.
Nature's reclaiming of the Earth is visible everywhere. Ancient structures and relics of abandoned gas stations and vehicles are still littering the soon to be pristine countryside. Humans hiding from view are awaiting clean-up operations, which have been too busy since the Great War.
Foreshadowing of an era gone by.
Oil has been depleted and replaced by other forms of energy that are more environmentally sound.
Nature's reclaiming of the Earth is visible everywhere. Ancient structures and relics of abandoned gas stations and vehicles are still littering the soon to be pristine countryside. Humans hiding from view are awaiting clean-up operations, which have been too busy since the Great War.
Foreshadowing of an era gone by.
Oil has been depleted and replaced by other forms of energy that are more environmentally sound.
Nature's reclaiming of the Earth is visible everywhere. Ancient structures and relics of abandoned gas stations and vehicles are still littering the soon to be pristine countryside. Humans hiding from view are awaiting clean-up operations, which have been too busy since the Great War.
Lindi Ortega
OCA Spazio Ansaldo (MI)
19 Marzo 2013
© Mairo Cinquetti
© All rights reserved. Do not use my photos without my written permission. If you would like to buy or use this photo PLEASE message me or email me at mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com
Immagine protetta da copyright © Mairo Cinquetti.
Tutti i diritti sono riservati.
L'immagine non può essere usata in nessun caso senza autorizzazione scritta dell'autore.
Per contatti: mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com
Nashville beckoned, and Lindi Ortega answered the call.
Armed with an inimitable, irresistible singing voice The Independent hails as “a truly magnificent instrument,” and a heart bursting with creative ambition, the Canadian songstress whom American Songwriter calls “the love child of Johnny Cash and Nancy Sinatra” decided to relocate to Music City from her
native Toronto to birth her brand new musical offspring, Cigarettes & Truckstops.
A logical follow-up to her 2011 critically acclaimed alt-country masterpiece Little Red Boots, the 10-song Cigarettes & Truckstops further flaunts Ortega’s distinctive vision; one that embraces the oft-neglected, politically incorrect realism of traditional country and frames it in a charmingly, and sometimes darkly humourous contemporary context.
Bookended by a couple of romantic road ballads in the title track and the reflective “Every Mile Of The Ride,” Cigarettes & Truckstops further evolves the promise foreshadowed by the JUNO-Award nominated-and-Polaris-Music-Prize-long-listed Little Red Boots.
The writing is stellar, her musical discipline undoubtedly galvanized by a fearless 2010-2012 tour schedule that saw Lindi open for a variety of acts, from punk vets Social Distortion; pop icon Burton Cummings; country fave Dierks Bentley; folk outfit Noah & The Whale and Academy Award winner Kevin Costner with attention-grabbing finesse, making serious inroads with North American and European audiences, and prompting Exclaim! to declare Ortega an “electrifying” performer.
Whether it’s the plucky shuffle of the hilarious “The Day You Die;” the angry harrumph of “Don’t Wanna Hear It;” the high lonesome feel of “Heaven Has No Vacancy” or the haunting twang of guilt that is “Murder of Crows,” Ortega continues to deliver a refreshing twist that walks vintage and contemporary lines in imaginative and inventive manners.
But in order to realize this next step of her artistic fruition, the two-time JUNO Award nominee (Canada’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards) had to pull up her Canadian stakes and come to the well.
“I was really inspired by being here in Nashville,” explains Ortega, the daughter of a Northern Irish mother and Mexican father who has been performing since she picked up a guitar at age 16.
“I wanted the authenticity of my influences to shine through on this record. I knew I liked country and I think moving here, I wanted to delve into those influences more genuinely.
“To be able to read a Hank Williams biography and then go to where his house was, or the places that they talk about, and absorb that was invaluable.”
As Ortega is the first to admit, she’s anything but a “straight-up country artist,” so other elements played into the equation.
“I found that I was really inspired by going to New Orleans, after I shot that music video for (Little Red Boots’) “Black Fly” – and the Deep South.
“After Little Red Boots I read the Hank Williams biography and I learned that he was very highly influenced by a man named “Tee-Tot.” (Rufus Payne). Tee-Tot was a blues guy, and I discovered that a lot of early country drew influence from early blues. So I really started getting into listening to blues.”
She recruited a sympathetic visionary to produce the album in fellow Canadian Colin Linden, (O Brother Where Art Thou, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Bruce Cockburn, The Band), who also happens to reside in Nashville.
“When it was time to start working with producers, Colin’s name was thrown in the hat,” recalls Ortega. “I looked him up on YouTube,and the first thing I saw him perform was this crazy awesome Dobro solo.
“I realized that I loved that instrument, and I needed to have it all over my record,” she laughs.
“There was something about the sound of it that resonated so much with me. Colin was very influenced by the blues and had a lot of knowledge about its background and history, and I thought it would be cool to bring that into the record.”
The blues touch is a subtle one, a seasoning of sorts on this album of longing and vulnerability; travel and romance; of anger and passion; of fact and fiction.
A big breakthrough was Ortega’s topical candour.
“I was sort of delving into the darker corners of my mind with some things, which was interesting for me, and not being afraid to put some other things out there,” she reveals. “The song from my first record, “All My Friends,” alludes to certain things in a metaphorical way, where on this album, I’m a little more straight up about it. I’m not trying to hide.
“I guess that I’m just willing to take that risk. I’m just being honest and talking about my experiences, and by doing that, I’m not advocating anything and I’m not telling anybody they need to do anything: I’m just writing about my life and the experiences that I go through.”
But it’s not all autobiographical: “Murder of Crows,’ co-authored by Matt Nolan and one of three co-writes on Cigarettes & Truckstops, is pure Man In Black-inspired fiction.
“I was actually thinking of Johnny Cash’s Murder album when I wrote that,” Ortega chuckles. “I just wanted to delve into fictitious territory, and not write from experience – sort of make up stories.
“In a lot of old Cash songs, there’s a lot that didn’t come from his experience: he made them up. It’s cool to be able to make up crazy stories like that.”
One of the album’s real kickers is the Bruce Wallace co-write “The Day You Die,” a humorous look at love’s clichés, a future classic that begins with the opening stanza,
“You said you’d love me ‘til the cows comes home/Well I’m hoping that they all go blind.”
“That’s why I love writing with Bruce, because we never set out to write,” Ortega admits. “We just get together as friends and pick up guitars and it just happens naturally. He’s a quirky guy, because he totally gets where I’m coming from in that respect.
“We pick up the guitar and make up joke songs. We thought it would be cool if all these cliché things that people say to people, things like ‘Love you ‘til this, love you ‘til that’,” were taken literally, what would they have to do to keep the love going?”
There are more gems on Cigarettes & Truckstops that are ripe for personal discovery, a riveting tour-de-force of an album that will open up more ears and hearts to the scintillating sounds of Lindi Ortega and an appreciation of the unique perspective she brings to her craft.
Two trademarks impel her artistry: sincerity and honesty.
“I’m not going to deny it because I can’t,” Ortega admits. “It just comes out. I owe it to the song and to myself to expel that expression, put it into music and be very honest and forthright about the good, the bad and the ugly of Lindi Ortega.”
The Fiat Coupé (type 175, officially titled the Coupé Fiat) was a coupé produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1993 and 2000. The car was introduced at Brussels Motor Show in 1993.
It is most remembered for its distinctive, angular design, with unique scalloped side panels. The body was designed by Chris Bangle from Centro Stile Fiat, while the interior was designed by Pininfarina. The exterior design would foreshadow much of late 1990s and early 2000s car design, acting as a precedent to both Bangle's somewhat notorious work at BMW, as well as futuristic angular designs by other marques, such as Ford and Renault.
History:
The Fiat Coupe made media headlines in auto magazines during 1992 after several spy shots were taken revealing the car on test. On its launch in 1993, the Coupé was available with a four-cylinder, 2.0 L 16V engine, in both turbo (190 PS) and normally aspirated (139 PS) versions. Both engines were later versions of Fiat's twin-cam design and inherited from the Lancia Delta Integrale, winner of the World Rally Championship a record six times. 1996 brought in a 1.8 L 16V engine (not available in the UK, 131 PS), along with a 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V (147 PS), and a 5-cylinder 2.0-litre 20V turbo (220 PS).
Fiat Coupé 20v Turbo Model
The turbocharged 16 and 20 valve versions were equipped with a very efficient Viscodrive limited-slip differential to counter the understeer that plagues most powerful front wheel drive cars. Additionally, the coupe featured independent suspension all round: at the front MacPherson struts and lower wishbones anchored to an auxiliary crossbeam, offset coil springs and anti-roll bar; at the rear, trailing arms mounted on an auxiliary subframe, coil springs and an anti-roll bar.
1998 saw the release of the Limited Edition which featured red Brembo brake calipers at the front and standard red calipers at the back, a body kit, push-button start, six-speed gearbox, strut brace to make the chassis more rigid and Recaro seats with red leather inserts which offered better support than the standard 20VT seats. The LE was produced in Black (flat), Red (flat), Vinci Grey (metallic), Crono Grey (flat) and Steel Grey (metallic). The bodywork of the LE also benefited from titanium coloured insert around the light bezels and the wing mirrors. Each Limited Edition ('LE') Coupé was manufactured with a badge located by the rear-view mirror which contained that car's unique number (it is rumored that Michael Schumacher was the original owner of LE No. 0001, however when the question was raised to him personally he confirmed he had owned one, but a red one, while LE No. 0001 is a Crono Grey one). Originally a spokesman from Fiat stated only approximately 300 Limited Editions would be built. The final amount was much higher, with numbers as high as 1400 touted by some. This angered many of the owners of the original 300 cars and almost certainly impacted residual values. The original number however was quoted by a Fiat UK spokesman, so probably that number only applied to the UK market. The numbered plaque on every Coupe features enough space for 4 numbers.
In 1998 the 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V got a Variable Inlet System which brought the power to 154 PS (113 kW). The 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V Turbo received a 6-speed gearbox and a large, satin gloss push starter button. In addition, the sills of the Turbo version were colour matched with the body paintwork. Fiat also released the 2.0 L 5 cylinder Turbo 'Plus'. This model came with an option kit that made it virtually identical to the LE, except for minor interior design changes and without the unique identification badge of the LE.
In 2000 Fiat released another special version of the Fiat Coupé. Featuring the 1.8-litre engine, it was only available throughout mainland Europe and marketed as an elegant and affordable edition. Fiat also made changes throughout the rest of the range: new seats, side skirts and wheels for the 2.0-litre 20V model, 'Plus' edition wheels on turbo models and Fiat manufactured seats on the 'Plus' that were virtually identical to the original Plus Recaro seats with the addition of extra airbags. The 2.0-litre 20V Turbo model is capable of accelerating from 0–100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 6.5 seconds, with a top speed of 240 km/h (149 mph) or 250 km/h (155 mph) with later 6-speed gearbox. When production finally stopped in September 2000, a total number of 72,762 units had been produced.
[Text from Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Coup%C3%A9
This miniland-scale Lego FIAT Coupe (Type 175 - 1993 - Bangle) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 92nd Build Challenge, - "Stuck in the 90's", - all about vehicles from the decade of the 1990s.
Lindi Ortega
OCA Spazio Ansaldo (MI)
19 Marzo 2013
© Mairo Cinquetti
© All rights reserved. Do not use my photos without my written permission. If you would like to buy or use this photo PLEASE message me or email me at mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com
Immagine protetta da copyright © Mairo Cinquetti.
Tutti i diritti sono riservati.
L'immagine non può essere usata in nessun caso senza autorizzazione scritta dell'autore.
Per contatti: mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com
Nashville beckoned, and Lindi Ortega answered the call.
Armed with an inimitable, irresistible singing voice The Independent hails as “a truly magnificent instrument,” and a heart bursting with creative ambition, the Canadian songstress whom American Songwriter calls “the love child of Johnny Cash and Nancy Sinatra” decided to relocate to Music City from her
native Toronto to birth her brand new musical offspring, Cigarettes & Truckstops.
A logical follow-up to her 2011 critically acclaimed alt-country masterpiece Little Red Boots, the 10-song Cigarettes & Truckstops further flaunts Ortega’s distinctive vision; one that embraces the oft-neglected, politically incorrect realism of traditional country and frames it in a charmingly, and sometimes darkly humourous contemporary context.
Bookended by a couple of romantic road ballads in the title track and the reflective “Every Mile Of The Ride,” Cigarettes & Truckstops further evolves the promise foreshadowed by the JUNO-Award nominated-and-Polaris-Music-Prize-long-listed Little Red Boots.
The writing is stellar, her musical discipline undoubtedly galvanized by a fearless 2010-2012 tour schedule that saw Lindi open for a variety of acts, from punk vets Social Distortion; pop icon Burton Cummings; country fave Dierks Bentley; folk outfit Noah & The Whale and Academy Award winner Kevin Costner with attention-grabbing finesse, making serious inroads with North American and European audiences, and prompting Exclaim! to declare Ortega an “electrifying” performer.
Whether it’s the plucky shuffle of the hilarious “The Day You Die;” the angry harrumph of “Don’t Wanna Hear It;” the high lonesome feel of “Heaven Has No Vacancy” or the haunting twang of guilt that is “Murder of Crows,” Ortega continues to deliver a refreshing twist that walks vintage and contemporary lines in imaginative and inventive manners.
But in order to realize this next step of her artistic fruition, the two-time JUNO Award nominee (Canada’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards) had to pull up her Canadian stakes and come to the well.
“I was really inspired by being here in Nashville,” explains Ortega, the daughter of a Northern Irish mother and Mexican father who has been performing since she picked up a guitar at age 16.
“I wanted the authenticity of my influences to shine through on this record. I knew I liked country and I think moving here, I wanted to delve into those influences more genuinely.
“To be able to read a Hank Williams biography and then go to where his house was, or the places that they talk about, and absorb that was invaluable.”
As Ortega is the first to admit, she’s anything but a “straight-up country artist,” so other elements played into the equation.
“I found that I was really inspired by going to New Orleans, after I shot that music video for (Little Red Boots’) “Black Fly” – and the Deep South.
“After Little Red Boots I read the Hank Williams biography and I learned that he was very highly influenced by a man named “Tee-Tot.” (Rufus Payne). Tee-Tot was a blues guy, and I discovered that a lot of early country drew influence from early blues. So I really started getting into listening to blues.”
She recruited a sympathetic visionary to produce the album in fellow Canadian Colin Linden, (O Brother Where Art Thou, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Bruce Cockburn, The Band), who also happens to reside in Nashville.
“When it was time to start working with producers, Colin’s name was thrown in the hat,” recalls Ortega. “I looked him up on YouTube,and the first thing I saw him perform was this crazy awesome Dobro solo.
“I realized that I loved that instrument, and I needed to have it all over my record,” she laughs.
“There was something about the sound of it that resonated so much with me. Colin was very influenced by the blues and had a lot of knowledge about its background and history, and I thought it would be cool to bring that into the record.”
The blues touch is a subtle one, a seasoning of sorts on this album of longing and vulnerability; travel and romance; of anger and passion; of fact and fiction.
A big breakthrough was Ortega’s topical candour.
“I was sort of delving into the darker corners of my mind with some things, which was interesting for me, and not being afraid to put some other things out there,” she reveals. “The song from my first record, “All My Friends,” alludes to certain things in a metaphorical way, where on this album, I’m a little more straight up about it. I’m not trying to hide.
“I guess that I’m just willing to take that risk. I’m just being honest and talking about my experiences, and by doing that, I’m not advocating anything and I’m not telling anybody they need to do anything: I’m just writing about my life and the experiences that I go through.”
But it’s not all autobiographical: “Murder of Crows,’ co-authored by Matt Nolan and one of three co-writes on Cigarettes & Truckstops, is pure Man In Black-inspired fiction.
“I was actually thinking of Johnny Cash’s Murder album when I wrote that,” Ortega chuckles. “I just wanted to delve into fictitious territory, and not write from experience – sort of make up stories.
“In a lot of old Cash songs, there’s a lot that didn’t come from his experience: he made them up. It’s cool to be able to make up crazy stories like that.”
One of the album’s real kickers is the Bruce Wallace co-write “The Day You Die,” a humorous look at love’s clichés, a future classic that begins with the opening stanza,
“You said you’d love me ‘til the cows comes home/Well I’m hoping that they all go blind.”
“That’s why I love writing with Bruce, because we never set out to write,” Ortega admits. “We just get together as friends and pick up guitars and it just happens naturally. He’s a quirky guy, because he totally gets where I’m coming from in that respect.
“We pick up the guitar and make up joke songs. We thought it would be cool if all these cliché things that people say to people, things like ‘Love you ‘til this, love you ‘til that’,” were taken literally, what would they have to do to keep the love going?”
There are more gems on Cigarettes & Truckstops that are ripe for personal discovery, a riveting tour-de-force of an album that will open up more ears and hearts to the scintillating sounds of Lindi Ortega and an appreciation of the unique perspective she brings to her craft.
Two trademarks impel her artistry: sincerity and honesty.
“I’m not going to deny it because I can’t,” Ortega admits. “It just comes out. I owe it to the song and to myself to expel that expression, put it into music and be very honest and forthright about the good, the bad and the ugly of Lindi Ortega.”
Foreshadowing of an era gone by.
Oil has been depleted and replaced by other forms of energy that are more environmentally sound.
Nature's reclaiming of the Earth is visible everywhere. Ancient structures and relics of abandoned gas stations and vehicles are still littering the soon to be pristine countryside. Humans hiding from view are awaiting clean-up operations, which have been too busy since the Great War.
Fritz Lang's futuristic sci-fi classic was adapted from a novel written by his wife, Thea Von Harbou. In "Metropolis," two worlds coexist: the subterranean one, where human beings are slaves and must toil endlessly to survive, and the above-ground paradise, reserved only for the elite. This movie was produced not long after the industrial revolution, and may have been Lang's attempt to foreshadow what the world would be like if the "age of the machine" went unchecked. Material from this silent masterpiece is incredibly rare. This black and white still is from the first American release in 1927.
Foreshadowing of an era gone by.
Oil has been depleted and replaced by other forms of energy that are more environmentally sound.
Nature's reclaiming of the Earth is visible everywhere. Ancient structures and relics of abandoned gas stations and vehicles are still littering the soon to be pristine countryside. Humans hiding from view are awaiting clean-up operations, which have been too busy since the Great War.
study the colours... seeing a pattern yet? a timeline maybe...?
red, green, white.
model - alex straszak
The Fiat Coupé (type 175, officially titled the Coupé Fiat) was a coupé produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1993 and 2000. The car was introduced at Brussels Motor Show in 1993.
It is most remembered for its distinctive, angular design, with unique scalloped side panels. The body was designed by Chris Bangle from Centro Stile Fiat, while the interior was designed by Pininfarina. The exterior design would foreshadow much of late 1990s and early 2000s car design, acting as a precedent to both Bangle's somewhat notorious work at BMW, as well as futuristic angular designs by other marques, such as Ford and Renault.
History:
The Fiat Coupe made media headlines in auto magazines during 1992 after several spy shots were taken revealing the car on test. On its launch in 1993, the Coupé was available with a four-cylinder, 2.0 L 16V engine, in both turbo (190 PS) and normally aspirated (139 PS) versions. Both engines were later versions of Fiat's twin-cam design and inherited from the Lancia Delta Integrale, winner of the World Rally Championship a record six times. 1996 brought in a 1.8 L 16V engine (not available in the UK, 131 PS), along with a 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V (147 PS), and a 5-cylinder 2.0-litre 20V turbo (220 PS).
Fiat Coupé 20v Turbo Model
The turbocharged 16 and 20 valve versions were equipped with a very efficient Viscodrive limited-slip differential to counter the understeer that plagues most powerful front wheel drive cars. Additionally, the coupe featured independent suspension all round: at the front MacPherson struts and lower wishbones anchored to an auxiliary crossbeam, offset coil springs and anti-roll bar; at the rear, trailing arms mounted on an auxiliary subframe, coil springs and an anti-roll bar.
1998 saw the release of the Limited Edition which featured red Brembo brake calipers at the front and standard red calipers at the back, a body kit, push-button start, six-speed gearbox, strut brace to make the chassis more rigid and Recaro seats with red leather inserts which offered better support than the standard 20VT seats. The LE was produced in Black (flat), Red (flat), Vinci Grey (metallic), Crono Grey (flat) and Steel Grey (metallic). The bodywork of the LE also benefited from titanium coloured insert around the light bezels and the wing mirrors. Each Limited Edition ('LE') Coupé was manufactured with a badge located by the rear-view mirror which contained that car's unique number (it is rumored that Michael Schumacher was the original owner of LE No. 0001, however when the question was raised to him personally he confirmed he had owned one, but a red one, while LE No. 0001 is a Crono Grey one). Originally a spokesman from Fiat stated only approximately 300 Limited Editions would be built. The final amount was much higher, with numbers as high as 1400 touted by some. This angered many of the owners of the original 300 cars and almost certainly impacted residual values. The original number however was quoted by a Fiat UK spokesman, so probably that number only applied to the UK market. The numbered plaque on every Coupe features enough space for 4 numbers.
In 1998 the 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V got a Variable Inlet System which brought the power to 154 PS (113 kW). The 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V Turbo received a 6-speed gearbox and a large, satin gloss push starter button. In addition, the sills of the Turbo version were colour matched with the body paintwork. Fiat also released the 2.0 L 5 cylinder Turbo 'Plus'. This model came with an option kit that made it virtually identical to the LE, except for minor interior design changes and without the unique identification badge of the LE.
In 2000 Fiat released another special version of the Fiat Coupé. Featuring the 1.8-litre engine, it was only available throughout mainland Europe and marketed as an elegant and affordable edition. Fiat also made changes throughout the rest of the range: new seats, side skirts and wheels for the 2.0-litre 20V model, 'Plus' edition wheels on turbo models and Fiat manufactured seats on the 'Plus' that were virtually identical to the original Plus Recaro seats with the addition of extra airbags. The 2.0-litre 20V Turbo model is capable of accelerating from 0–100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 6.5 seconds, with a top speed of 240 km/h (149 mph) or 250 km/h (155 mph) with later 6-speed gearbox. When production finally stopped in September 2000, a total number of 72,762 units had been produced.
[Text from Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Coup%C3%A9
This miniland-scale Lego FIAT Coupe (Type 175 - 1993 - Bangle) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 92nd Build Challenge, - "Stuck in the 90's", - all about vehicles from the decade of the 1990s.
Sunflower Fields Dix Park Raleigh, NC
Under a tormented sky that foreshadows an impending tempest. This lone sunflower beams it’s bright radiant yellow back in the absence of the suns rays as if it’s an understudy for the cosmos.
The Fiat Coupé (type 175, officially titled the Coupé Fiat) was a coupé produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1993 and 2000. The car was introduced at Brussels Motor Show in 1993.
It is most remembered for its distinctive, angular design, with unique scalloped side panels. The body was designed by Chris Bangle from Centro Stile Fiat, while the interior was designed by Pininfarina. The exterior design would foreshadow much of late 1990s and early 2000s car design, acting as a precedent to both Bangle's somewhat notorious work at BMW, as well as futuristic angular designs by other marques, such as Ford and Renault.
History:
The Fiat Coupe made media headlines in auto magazines during 1992 after several spy shots were taken revealing the car on test. On its launch in 1993, the Coupé was available with a four-cylinder, 2.0 L 16V engine, in both turbo (190 PS) and normally aspirated (139 PS) versions. Both engines were later versions of Fiat's twin-cam design and inherited from the Lancia Delta Integrale, winner of the World Rally Championship a record six times. 1996 brought in a 1.8 L 16V engine (not available in the UK, 131 PS), along with a 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V (147 PS), and a 5-cylinder 2.0-litre 20V turbo (220 PS).
Fiat Coupé 20v Turbo Model
The turbocharged 16 and 20 valve versions were equipped with a very efficient Viscodrive limited-slip differential to counter the understeer that plagues most powerful front wheel drive cars. Additionally, the coupe featured independent suspension all round: at the front MacPherson struts and lower wishbones anchored to an auxiliary crossbeam, offset coil springs and anti-roll bar; at the rear, trailing arms mounted on an auxiliary subframe, coil springs and an anti-roll bar.
1998 saw the release of the Limited Edition which featured red Brembo brake calipers at the front and standard red calipers at the back, a body kit, push-button start, six-speed gearbox, strut brace to make the chassis more rigid and Recaro seats with red leather inserts which offered better support than the standard 20VT seats. The LE was produced in Black (flat), Red (flat), Vinci Grey (metallic), Crono Grey (flat) and Steel Grey (metallic). The bodywork of the LE also benefited from titanium coloured insert around the light bezels and the wing mirrors. Each Limited Edition ('LE') Coupé was manufactured with a badge located by the rear-view mirror which contained that car's unique number (it is rumored that Michael Schumacher was the original owner of LE No. 0001, however when the question was raised to him personally he confirmed he had owned one, but a red one, while LE No. 0001 is a Crono Grey one). Originally a spokesman from Fiat stated only approximately 300 Limited Editions would be built. The final amount was much higher, with numbers as high as 1400 touted by some. This angered many of the owners of the original 300 cars and almost certainly impacted residual values. The original number however was quoted by a Fiat UK spokesman, so probably that number only applied to the UK market. The numbered plaque on every Coupe features enough space for 4 numbers.
In 1998 the 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V got a Variable Inlet System which brought the power to 154 PS (113 kW). The 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V Turbo received a 6-speed gearbox and a large, satin gloss push starter button. In addition, the sills of the Turbo version were colour matched with the body paintwork. Fiat also released the 2.0 L 5 cylinder Turbo 'Plus'. This model came with an option kit that made it virtually identical to the LE, except for minor interior design changes and without the unique identification badge of the LE.
In 2000 Fiat released another special version of the Fiat Coupé. Featuring the 1.8-litre engine, it was only available throughout mainland Europe and marketed as an elegant and affordable edition. Fiat also made changes throughout the rest of the range: new seats, side skirts and wheels for the 2.0-litre 20V model, 'Plus' edition wheels on turbo models and Fiat manufactured seats on the 'Plus' that were virtually identical to the original Plus Recaro seats with the addition of extra airbags. The 2.0-litre 20V Turbo model is capable of accelerating from 0–100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 6.5 seconds, with a top speed of 240 km/h (149 mph) or 250 km/h (155 mph) with later 6-speed gearbox. When production finally stopped in September 2000, a total number of 72,762 units had been produced.
[Text from Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Coup%C3%A9
This miniland-scale Lego FIAT Coupe (Type 175 - 1993 - Bangle) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 92nd Build Challenge, - "Stuck in the 90's", - all about vehicles from the decade of the 1990s.
The Fiat Coupé (type 175, officially titled the Coupé Fiat) was a coupé produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1993 and 2000. The car was introduced at Brussels Motor Show in 1993.
It is most remembered for its distinctive, angular design, with unique scalloped side panels. The body was designed by Chris Bangle from Centro Stile Fiat, while the interior was designed by Pininfarina. The exterior design would foreshadow much of late 1990s and early 2000s car design, acting as a precedent to both Bangle's somewhat notorious work at BMW, as well as futuristic angular designs by other marques, such as Ford and Renault.
History:
The Fiat Coupe made media headlines in auto magazines during 1992 after several spy shots were taken revealing the car on test. On its launch in 1993, the Coupé was available with a four-cylinder, 2.0 L 16V engine, in both turbo (190 PS) and normally aspirated (139 PS) versions. Both engines were later versions of Fiat's twin-cam design and inherited from the Lancia Delta Integrale, winner of the World Rally Championship a record six times. 1996 brought in a 1.8 L 16V engine (not available in the UK, 131 PS), along with a 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V (147 PS), and a 5-cylinder 2.0-litre 20V turbo (220 PS).
Fiat Coupé 20v Turbo Model
The turbocharged 16 and 20 valve versions were equipped with a very efficient Viscodrive limited-slip differential to counter the understeer that plagues most powerful front wheel drive cars. Additionally, the coupe featured independent suspension all round: at the front MacPherson struts and lower wishbones anchored to an auxiliary crossbeam, offset coil springs and anti-roll bar; at the rear, trailing arms mounted on an auxiliary subframe, coil springs and an anti-roll bar.
1998 saw the release of the Limited Edition which featured red Brembo brake calipers at the front and standard red calipers at the back, a body kit, push-button start, six-speed gearbox, strut brace to make the chassis more rigid and Recaro seats with red leather inserts which offered better support than the standard 20VT seats. The LE was produced in Black (flat), Red (flat), Vinci Grey (metallic), Crono Grey (flat) and Steel Grey (metallic). The bodywork of the LE also benefited from titanium coloured insert around the light bezels and the wing mirrors. Each Limited Edition ('LE') Coupé was manufactured with a badge located by the rear-view mirror which contained that car's unique number (it is rumored that Michael Schumacher was the original owner of LE No. 0001, however when the question was raised to him personally he confirmed he had owned one, but a red one, while LE No. 0001 is a Crono Grey one). Originally a spokesman from Fiat stated only approximately 300 Limited Editions would be built. The final amount was much higher, with numbers as high as 1400 touted by some. This angered many of the owners of the original 300 cars and almost certainly impacted residual values. The original number however was quoted by a Fiat UK spokesman, so probably that number only applied to the UK market. The numbered plaque on every Coupe features enough space for 4 numbers.
In 1998 the 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V got a Variable Inlet System which brought the power to 154 PS (113 kW). The 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V Turbo received a 6-speed gearbox and a large, satin gloss push starter button. In addition, the sills of the Turbo version were colour matched with the body paintwork. Fiat also released the 2.0 L 5 cylinder Turbo 'Plus'. This model came with an option kit that made it virtually identical to the LE, except for minor interior design changes and without the unique identification badge of the LE.
In 2000 Fiat released another special version of the Fiat Coupé. Featuring the 1.8-litre engine, it was only available throughout mainland Europe and marketed as an elegant and affordable edition. Fiat also made changes throughout the rest of the range: new seats, side skirts and wheels for the 2.0-litre 20V model, 'Plus' edition wheels on turbo models and Fiat manufactured seats on the 'Plus' that were virtually identical to the original Plus Recaro seats with the addition of extra airbags. The 2.0-litre 20V Turbo model is capable of accelerating from 0–100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 6.5 seconds, with a top speed of 240 km/h (149 mph) or 250 km/h (155 mph) with later 6-speed gearbox. When production finally stopped in September 2000, a total number of 72,762 units had been produced.
[Text from Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Coup%C3%A9
This miniland-scale Lego FIAT Coupe (Type 175 - 1993 - Bangle) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 92nd Build Challenge, - "Stuck in the 90's", - all about vehicles from the decade of the 1990s.
Ordering S.H. Figuarts is generally a major pain in the ass, particular for super hot properties. At least with Figma, there's a dedicated online store and a preorder time. With Figuarts, they're never announced and as such I generally run into them by surprise.
As such, I blinked and I missed EVERY-SINGLE-JAPANESE-SITE with regards to a figure from a little movie you may be familiar with - Captain Marvel. Who knew that a figure that pretty much nobody cared for would be so hard to actually find, and this was before the "controversy".
As I've said before, I liked the overall film. There were some questionable choices, as always, but as the father of two little girls I'm quite approving of the overall tone of the movie. Not because of the whole perceived SJW angle (and I say perceived because quite frankly, the movie would be the same to me regardless of gender), but because it speaks true of one thing - people will always talk shit about anything and everything you do, whether it be constructively or destructively. The point is to make a conscious choice to tell them all to go to hell if you're going to do things anyway. On a more personal note, I'm hoping to never be the Dad in that movie.
This Figuarts release comes with a somewhat sparse smattering of extras. There's the standard unhelmeted figure, two additional set of hands (open palm and spread palm), a Kree helmeted head, and two Photon energy effects for her closed fists.
And yes... again... no stand. Broken record, I know, but maybe if I whine enough one day it'll become a standard feature.
The base body of Carol appears to have the same as that of Infinity War Black Widow. Same articulation points (Black Widow hides her mid torso swivel better than Carol, but at the expense of limiting her ability to bend backwards).
As with Widow, I'm not overly enthusiastic about the hip design and really would have preferred either something like the Dragon Ball figures or the Fighting Body uses for Street Fighter as her ability to do any cool crouching poses is highly restricted.
I have no idea Scarlet Johansson and Brie Larson are the same height, but that's what the Figuarts are suggesting. What I DO know is that based on photos and some measurements, Carol appears to be way too much leg, though I do appreciate the bulkier appearance of the character due to the armoured nature of the battlesuit.
The unhelmeted sculpt of course uses that fancy new photo printing technology that Bandai has been employing as of late. Again, much like Widow, the end result is pretty good especially from a far enough away not to notice the specks from the printing process. Of the two, I feel the Widow face came out cleaner, but Marvel is no slouch. The accuracy of this printing technology is further bolstered by the fact that Bandai actually got the shape of her face right.
This is also an opportune time to point out that the final product face, thankfully, is much, much, much better than that really generic looking prototype picture that is floating around the Internet and even the back of the box. Sculpting of her hair is also pretty impressive, particularly given the small size. The hair, while nice looking, restricts the ability of the unhelmeted sculpt to look up.
Of course, Carol is sporting the facial expression which has made her an international sensation.
The helmeted sculpt is servicable. That's not meant to be taken in a negative way. It clean, well sculpted, and looks good. But, it's also got the same neutral expression as her normal sculpt. It would have been nice to see some emotion in this particular sculpt, especially seeing how she basically truly embraces her power by this point in the movie.
FYI, the head is attached to the neck post, a necessary step given that the head and neck get covered by the helmeted mode. Unfortunately, the peg on the body itself is not quite big enough for a completely firm connection, and as such the head is prone to falling out, with a greater occurrence with the unhelmeted sculpt.
While the figure is a bit sparse in the accessory department, it does make up for it in the paint and detailing areas. Yes, you are getting Tamashi Nations quality paint apps and paint masking, but more specifically it feels to me that this figure has a higher density of paint applications than any of the other female figures at the very least, and overall probably rivaled by characters such as Iron Man which have metal suits.
The body is literally covered all over with metallic paint, whether that be the primary red and blue, or the various gold and silver accents. There are some details sculpted into the suit itself, such as various grooves, buckles, pockets, and of course, actual fabric details, all of which are painted appropriately and cleanly.
I guess this is as good a time as any to point out that the hair is definitely more blonde than in the movie, where the brown comes out more. This colour here is actually more reminiscent of her colouring in the tidbit of Endgame that we see. Maybe this is foreshadowing of an Endgame Captain Marvel Figuarts at some point in time?
Did I mention that the figure really doesn't come with much in the way of accessories? This is an area that, admittedly, that the One:12 version destroys this figure, regardless of how things turn out. I believe that it comes with as much stuff as the Deluxe Hot Toys version does, instead of just the V-Trigger fists of Guile from Street Fighter V.
In conclusion, another solid, albeit somewhat limited, Figuarts entry into the Marvel world. I have to say that Figuarts really has come a far way from their laughable Avengers line, though strangely I don't think Steve Rogers has ever gotten, or will be receiving, the same photo printing tech that the ladies and Paul Rudd will be getting.
I now eagerly await the arrival of my Endgame Figuarts Black Widow.
Lindi Ortega
OCA Spazio Ansaldo (MI)
19 Marzo 2013
© Mairo Cinquetti
© All rights reserved. Do not use my photos without my written permission. If you would like to buy or use this photo PLEASE message me or email me at mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com
Immagine protetta da copyright © Mairo Cinquetti.
Tutti i diritti sono riservati.
L'immagine non può essere usata in nessun caso senza autorizzazione scritta dell'autore.
Per contatti: mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com
Nashville beckoned, and Lindi Ortega answered the call.
Armed with an inimitable, irresistible singing voice The Independent hails as “a truly magnificent instrument,” and a heart bursting with creative ambition, the Canadian songstress whom American Songwriter calls “the love child of Johnny Cash and Nancy Sinatra” decided to relocate to Music City from her
native Toronto to birth her brand new musical offspring, Cigarettes & Truckstops.
A logical follow-up to her 2011 critically acclaimed alt-country masterpiece Little Red Boots, the 10-song Cigarettes & Truckstops further flaunts Ortega’s distinctive vision; one that embraces the oft-neglected, politically incorrect realism of traditional country and frames it in a charmingly, and sometimes darkly humourous contemporary context.
Bookended by a couple of romantic road ballads in the title track and the reflective “Every Mile Of The Ride,” Cigarettes & Truckstops further evolves the promise foreshadowed by the JUNO-Award nominated-and-Polaris-Music-Prize-long-listed Little Red Boots.
The writing is stellar, her musical discipline undoubtedly galvanized by a fearless 2010-2012 tour schedule that saw Lindi open for a variety of acts, from punk vets Social Distortion; pop icon Burton Cummings; country fave Dierks Bentley; folk outfit Noah & The Whale and Academy Award winner Kevin Costner with attention-grabbing finesse, making serious inroads with North American and European audiences, and prompting Exclaim! to declare Ortega an “electrifying” performer.
Whether it’s the plucky shuffle of the hilarious “The Day You Die;” the angry harrumph of “Don’t Wanna Hear It;” the high lonesome feel of “Heaven Has No Vacancy” or the haunting twang of guilt that is “Murder of Crows,” Ortega continues to deliver a refreshing twist that walks vintage and contemporary lines in imaginative and inventive manners.
But in order to realize this next step of her artistic fruition, the two-time JUNO Award nominee (Canada’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards) had to pull up her Canadian stakes and come to the well.
“I was really inspired by being here in Nashville,” explains Ortega, the daughter of a Northern Irish mother and Mexican father who has been performing since she picked up a guitar at age 16.
“I wanted the authenticity of my influences to shine through on this record. I knew I liked country and I think moving here, I wanted to delve into those influences more genuinely.
“To be able to read a Hank Williams biography and then go to where his house was, or the places that they talk about, and absorb that was invaluable.”
As Ortega is the first to admit, she’s anything but a “straight-up country artist,” so other elements played into the equation.
“I found that I was really inspired by going to New Orleans, after I shot that music video for (Little Red Boots’) “Black Fly” – and the Deep South.
“After Little Red Boots I read the Hank Williams biography and I learned that he was very highly influenced by a man named “Tee-Tot.” (Rufus Payne). Tee-Tot was a blues guy, and I discovered that a lot of early country drew influence from early blues. So I really started getting into listening to blues.”
She recruited a sympathetic visionary to produce the album in fellow Canadian Colin Linden, (O Brother Where Art Thou, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Bruce Cockburn, The Band), who also happens to reside in Nashville.
“When it was time to start working with producers, Colin’s name was thrown in the hat,” recalls Ortega. “I looked him up on YouTube,and the first thing I saw him perform was this crazy awesome Dobro solo.
“I realized that I loved that instrument, and I needed to have it all over my record,” she laughs.
“There was something about the sound of it that resonated so much with me. Colin was very influenced by the blues and had a lot of knowledge about its background and history, and I thought it would be cool to bring that into the record.”
The blues touch is a subtle one, a seasoning of sorts on this album of longing and vulnerability; travel and romance; of anger and passion; of fact and fiction.
A big breakthrough was Ortega’s topical candour.
“I was sort of delving into the darker corners of my mind with some things, which was interesting for me, and not being afraid to put some other things out there,” she reveals. “The song from my first record, “All My Friends,” alludes to certain things in a metaphorical way, where on this album, I’m a little more straight up about it. I’m not trying to hide.
“I guess that I’m just willing to take that risk. I’m just being honest and talking about my experiences, and by doing that, I’m not advocating anything and I’m not telling anybody they need to do anything: I’m just writing about my life and the experiences that I go through.”
But it’s not all autobiographical: “Murder of Crows,’ co-authored by Matt Nolan and one of three co-writes on Cigarettes & Truckstops, is pure Man In Black-inspired fiction.
“I was actually thinking of Johnny Cash’s Murder album when I wrote that,” Ortega chuckles. “I just wanted to delve into fictitious territory, and not write from experience – sort of make up stories.
“In a lot of old Cash songs, there’s a lot that didn’t come from his experience: he made them up. It’s cool to be able to make up crazy stories like that.”
One of the album’s real kickers is the Bruce Wallace co-write “The Day You Die,” a humorous look at love’s clichés, a future classic that begins with the opening stanza,
“You said you’d love me ‘til the cows comes home/Well I’m hoping that they all go blind.”
“That’s why I love writing with Bruce, because we never set out to write,” Ortega admits. “We just get together as friends and pick up guitars and it just happens naturally. He’s a quirky guy, because he totally gets where I’m coming from in that respect.
“We pick up the guitar and make up joke songs. We thought it would be cool if all these cliché things that people say to people, things like ‘Love you ‘til this, love you ‘til that’,” were taken literally, what would they have to do to keep the love going?”
There are more gems on Cigarettes & Truckstops that are ripe for personal discovery, a riveting tour-de-force of an album that will open up more ears and hearts to the scintillating sounds of Lindi Ortega and an appreciation of the unique perspective she brings to her craft.
Two trademarks impel her artistry: sincerity and honesty.
“I’m not going to deny it because I can’t,” Ortega admits. “It just comes out. I owe it to the song and to myself to expel that expression, put it into music and be very honest and forthright about the good, the bad and the ugly of Lindi Ortega.”
Belgian postcard by Edition Atom. A gift by Añelo de la Krotsche.
American actor James Dean (1931-1955) was the quintessential 1950s teenager, brooding and romantic. An air of androgyny is attributed to his iconic appeal to both men and women. The three roles that defined his stardom are as troubled teenager Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), loner Cal Trask in East of Eden (1955) and surly Ranch hand Jett Rink in Giant (1956). After he died in a car crash, the 24-year-old Dean became the first actor to receive a posthumous Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
James Byron Dean was born in 1931, in Marion, Indiana, the only child of Winton Dean and Mildred Marie Wilson. Six years after his father had left farming to become a dental technician, Dean and his family moved to Santa Monica, California. In 1938, his mother was suddenly struck with acute stomach pain and quickly began to lose weight. She died of uterine cancer when Dean was nine years old. Unable to care for his son, Dean's father sent him to live with his aunt and uncle, Ortense and Marcus Winslow, on their farm in Fairmount, Indiana, where he was raised in their Quaker household. Dean's overall performance in school was exceptional, and he was a popular student. He played on the baseball and varsity basketball teams, studied drama, and competed in public speaking through the Indiana High School Forensic Association. After graduating from Fairmount High School in May 1949, he moved back to California with his dog, Max, to live with his father and stepmother. He enrolled in Santa Monica College (SMC) and majored in pre-law. He transferred to UCLA for one semester and changed his major to drama, which resulted in estrangement from his father. While at UCLA, Dean was picked from a group of 350 actors to portray Malcolm in Macbeth. At that time, he also began acting in James Whitmore's workshop. In January 1951, he dropped out of UCLA to pursue a full-time career as an actor. Dean's first television appearance was in a Pepsi Cola commercial. His first speaking part was as John the Beloved Disciple, in Hill Number One (1951), an Easter television special dramatising the Resurrection of Jesus. Dean subsequently obtained three walk-on roles in films: as a soldier in Samuel Fuller’s moody study of a platoon in the Korean War, Fixed Bayonets! (Samuel Fuller, 1951), a boxing cornerman in the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis comedy Sailor Beware (Hal Walker, 1952), and a youth in the comedy Has Anybody Seen My Gal? (Douglas Sirk, 1952) with Rock Hudson. While struggling to get jobs in Hollywood, Dean also worked as a parking lot attendant at CBS Studios, during which time he met Rogers Brackett, a radio director for an advertising agency, who offered him professional help and guidance in his chosen career, as well as a place to stay. In July 1951, Dean appeared on Alias Jane Doe, which was produced by Brackett. In October 1951, Dean moved to New York City. There, he worked as a stunt tester for the game show Beat the Clock, but was subsequently fired for allegedly performing the tasks too quickly. He also appeared in episodes of several CBS television series, The Web, Studio One, and Lux Video Theatre, before gaining admission to the Actors Studio to study method acting under Lee Strasberg. There, he was classmates and close friends with Carroll Baker, alongside whom he would eventually star in Giant (George Stevens, 1956). Dean's career picked up, and he performed in further episodes of several early 1950s television shows. One early role, for the CBS series Omnibus in the episode Glory in the Flower (1953), saw Dean portraying the type of disaffected youth he would later portray in Rebel Without a Cause. Positive reviews for Dean's 1954 theatrical role as Bachir, the blackmailing Arab house boy, in an adaptation of André Gide's book The Immoralist, led to calls from Hollywood.
In 1954, James Dean was cast in the emotionally complex role of 'Cal Trask' in East of Eden (Elia Kazan, 1955), an adaptation of John Steinbeck's 1952 novel East of Eden. The lengthy novel deals with the story of the Trask and Hamilton families throughout three generations, focusing primarily on the lives of the latter two generations in Salinas Valley, California, from the mid-19th century through the 1910s. In contrast to the book, the film script focused on the last portion of the story, predominantly with the character of Cal. Though he initially seems more aloof and emotionally troubled than his twin brother Aron (Richard Davalos), Cal is soon seen to be more worldly, business savvy, and even sagacious than their pious and constantly disapproving father (Raymond Massey), who seeks to invent a vegetable refrigeration process. Cal is bothered by the mystery of their supposedly dead mother, and discovers she is still alive and a brothel-keeping 'madam'; the part was played by actress Jo Van Fleet. Much of Dean's performance in the film was unscripted, including his dance in the bean field and his fetal-like posturing while riding on top of a train boxcar (after searching for his mother in nearby Monterey). The most famous improvisation of the film occurs when Cal's father rejects his gift of $5,000, money Cal earned by speculating in beans before the US became involved in World War I. Instead of running away from his father as the script called for, Dean instinctively turned to Massey and, in a gesture of extreme emotion, lunged forward and grabbed him in a full embrace, crying. Kazan kept this and Massey's shocked reaction in the film. Wikipedia: “Dean's performance in the film foreshadowed his role as Jim Stark in Rebel Without A Cause. Both characters are angst-ridden protagonists and misunderstood outcasts, desperately craving approval from their fathers.” In recognition of his performance in East of Eden, Dean was nominated posthumously for the 1956 Academy Awards as Best Actor in a Leading Role of 1955, the first official posthumous acting nomination in Academy Awards history. East of Eden was the only film starring Dean that he would see released in his lifetime.
James Dean quickly followed up his role in Eden with a starring role as the brooding red-jacketed teenager Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause (Nicholas Ray, 1955) with Sal Mineo and Natalie Wood. The film depicts the dilemma of a typical teenager of the time, who feels that no one, not even his peers, can understand him. The film scrupulously follows the classic theatrical disciplines, telling all within 24 hours. Jim Stark was Dean’s true starring role, and Rebel Without a Cause proved to be hugely popular among teenagers. The landmark juvenile-delinquent drama fixed James Dean’s image forever in American culture. In his next film, Giant (George Stevens, 1956), Dean played a supporting role to Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson. This was due to his desire to avoid being typecast as a rebellious teenager like Cal Trask or Jim Stark. In the film, he plays Jett Rink, a Texan ranch hand who strikes oil and becomes wealthy. His role was notable in that, to portray an older version of his character in the film's later scenes, Dean dyed his hair grey and shaved some of it off to give himself a receding hairline. Giant would prove to be Dean's last film. At the end of the film, Dean was supposed to make a drunken speech at a banquet; this is nicknamed the 'Last Supper' because it was the last scene before his sudden death. Due to his desire to make the scene more realistic by actually being inebriated for the take, Dean mumbled so much that director George Stevens decided the scene had to be overdubbed by Nick Adams, who had a small role in the film because Dean had died before the film was edited. Dean received his second posthumous Best Actor Academy Award nomination for his role in Giant at the 29th Academy Awards in 1957 for films released in 1956.
Today, James Dean is often considered an icon because of his perceived experimental take on life, which included his ambivalent sexuality. Most of his so-called affairs with various starlets were made up by Warner Bros. public relations. Dean's best-remembered relationship was with young Italian actress Pier Angeli, whom he met while Angeli was shooting The Silver Chalice (1955) on an adjoining Warner lot, and with whom he exchanged items of jewellery as love tokens. Angeli's mother disapproved of Dean. After finishing his role in East of Eden, he took a brief trip to New York in October 1954. While he was away, Angeli unexpectedly announced her engagement to Italian-American singer Vic Damone. The press was shocked, and Dean expressed his irritation. Angeli married Damone the following month. Dean also dated Swiss actress Ursula Andress. She was seen with Dean in his sports cars and was with him on the day he bought the car, which he died in. The Gay Times Readers' Awards cited him as the greatest male gay icon of all time. Dean’s ambiguous relationship with Sal Mineo in the angst-ridden Rebel Without A Cause has led many to speculate and view this golden-age film as years ahead of its time. When questioned about his sexual orientation, Dean is reported to have said, "No, I am not a homosexual. But I'm also not going to go through life with one hand tied behind my back." Dean, with time on his side during down times of filming, often frequented gay bars in mornings, afternoons and evenings in both Hollywood, Studio City and North Hollywood. Dean and William Bast, a screenwriter and theatre student from UCLA, lived together as roommates for several years. Bast later became Dean's first biographer and claimed that he and Dean experimented sexually. Journalist Joe Hyams suggests that any gay activity Dean might have been involved in appears to have been strictly "for trade", as a means of advancing his career. However, the ‘trade only’ notion is contradicted by Bast and other Dean biographers. Biographer Val Holley: “There's been quite an evolution in the thinking since Dean died in 1955, moving from ‘James Dean was straight’ to ‘Dean had sex with men but only to advance his career’ to ‘Dean had sex with women but only to advance his career.’ In 2016, a new gossipy biography was published, James Dean: Tomorrow Never Comes, by Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince. The authors claim Dean was in love with Marlon Brando and the two would have had a long affair with S&M overtones. We may never know for certain if Dean identified as gay, straight, or bisexual, but, regardless, what he’s come to represent still resonates with many LGBT audiences.
In 1954, James Dean became interested in developing an auto racing career. He purchased various vehicles after filming for East of Eden had concluded, including a Triumph Tiger T110 and a Porsche 356. Just before filming began on Rebel Without a Cause, he competed in his first professional event at the Palm Springs Road Races, which was held in Palm Springs, California, on 26-27 March 1955. Dean achieved first place in the novice class and second place at the main event. His racing continued in Bakersfield a month later, where he finished first in his class and third overall. Dean hoped to compete in the Indianapolis 500, but his busy schedule made it impossible. Dean's final race occurred in Santa Barbara on Memorial Day, 30 May 1955. He was unable to finish the competition due to a blown piston. His brief career was put on hold when Warner Bros. barred him from all racing during the production of Giant. Dean had finished shooting his scenes and the movie was in post-production when he decided to race again. Dean was scheduled to compete at a racing event in Salinas, California, on 30 September 1955. Accompanying the actor to the occasion was stunt coordinator Bill Hickman, Collier's photographer Sanford Roth, and Rolf Wütherich, the German mechanic from the Porsche factory who maintained Dean's Porsche 550 Spyder "Little Bastard & quot; car. Wütherich, who had encouraged Dean to drive the car from Los Angeles to Salinas to break it in, accompanied Dean in the Porsche. At 3:30 p.m., Dean was ticketed for speeding, as was Hickman, who was following behind in another car. As the group travelled to the event via U.S. Route 466 (currently SR 46) at approximately 5:15 p.m., a 1950 Ford Tudor was passing through an intersection while turning, ahead of the Porsche. Dean, unable to stop in time, slammed into the driver's side of the Ford, resulting in Dean's car bouncing across the pavement onto the side of the highway. Dean's passenger, Wütherich, was thrown from the Porsche, while Dean was trapped in the car and sustained numerous fatal injuries, including a broken neck. The driver of the Ford, Donald Turnupseed, exited his damaged vehicle with minor injuries. Dean was pronounced dead on arrival shortly after he arrived by ambulance at the Paso Robles War Memorial Hospital at 6:20 p.m. The Failure Analysis Associates later reconstructed and recreated all details of the accident and concluded that James Dean was travelling 55 to 56 mph when the fateful accident occurred, thereby proving he had not been speeding, as rumour had it. Ed Stephan at IMDb: “At age 24, James Dean was killed almost immediately from the impact of a broken neck. His very brief career, violent death and highly publicised funeral transformed him into a cult object of apparently timeless fascination.”
Sources: Hal Erickson (AllMovie), Ed Stephan (IMDb), Daniel Bates (Daily Mail), Towleroad, Wikipedia, and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
This series will be the last of my uploads for the trip I took to southern Burgundy in September 2023.
Listed as a Historic landmark in 1900, the Romanesque church in the out-of-the-way village of Gourdon is one of the secret wonders of Burgundy. Not particularly outstanding from the outside, its large silhouette nevertheless foreshadows an impressive interior, and indeed it is, with its combination of a whooping three-level, Cluny-inspired elevation, its three naves and its generalized system of groin vaulting. Its collection of sculpted capitals is also famous, as are the alfresco paintings that were discovered in the 1940s as the plastering that was applied to hide them in the 19th century began to peel away. More such discoveries were made in the 1970s and restoration lasted until the early 1990s.
Located on a hilltop in the département of Saône-et-Loire, Gourdon has been inhabited since time immemorial. Valuable traces of Roman presence were found in 1845 and promptly shipped to a museum in Paris (the Cabinet des Médailles) where the are still being exhibited to this day. A monastery was founded here very early on, as there is a written trace of a dependency of the Le Puy cathedral chapter in 534, but claims that it was “a Benedictine priory” seem to me a bit overambitious, in spite of my sympathies for that order: let’s not forget that Saint Benedict died only in 547 in Monte Cassino, and I doubt that his Rule was so well-known in Gaul in his own lifetime that it could have been adopted by a small religious establishment in Burgundy... The monastery did certainly exist, though, as Saint Gregory of Tours visited it in 570 and there met with Didier (or Desideratus). About this last figure, History hesitates between the quality of abbot (that would indeed rather be prior if Gourdon were a priory back then) and that of hermit. In any case, by 1104, when the completed parish church is mentioned (there remains no trace of the in-between period), there is no further mention of that monastery, which must have disappeared in the meantime; it was probably little more than a hermitage, as by Year 1000 the rule had been largely propagated by Saint Benedict of Aniane († 821) and Benedictine houses were flourishing all over the Western world. An already existing priory would most likely never have been so abandoned and shut down. No physical traces of that establishment were ever found by archæologists.
Since around 1100, the church has been left almost intact, except for the bell tower which collapsed in 1881 and was rebuilt in 1889, exactly as it was before.
One of the short columns I mention in the caption under the previous photo. I fail to reconcile the sophistication of the shaft with the rather crude, archaic manner of the capital... The base obviously belongs with the capital, but the shaft looks like it was designed and fashioned with the concepts and the tools of 100 years later! Maybe the old shaft became worn or somehow fragile, and had to be replaced?
Interspecies communication between humans and bats
The Eye of the Other delves into non-verbal communication between humans and bats, through the study, translation and manipulation of the bat’s echolocation. This multimodal immersive artwork derives from the desire to transcend the limitations of our living experience by exploring the deeper meaning of mutualistic relationships and interspecies communication between humans and animals, juxtaposing the animals’ gaze and the human gaze. It reflects on how digital live/streaming technologies and machine intelligence can be used to alter human senses and enhance new formats of communication and authorship, empathy and co-existence. The artwork lets the human and the non-human, the local and the remote collide and produces new cultural spaces, formed by the meta-domain of a new language. This topological turn foreshadows a possible future in which the clear borders of humans and others are blurred and a multi-species society might be formed. The gaze should not be understood as something one has or applies, but rather as a depiction of the relationship into which one enters.
Credit: vog.photo
Buddisth Pilgrimage Tour Guide Offering - Deur Kothar, Bharhut, Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, Patilputra, Buddisth Stupa, Buddha Stupa, Ashoka Stupa, Buddha Stupa, Deur Kothar, Deor Kothar - Indian Buddhishta Travel Agent Offering - Deor kothar Tour Packages, Deor kothar Tour, Deor kothar Tour Packages, Visit Deor kothar - The Buddhist firmament is abuzz with word of amazing discoveries at the newly excavated site of Deor kothar in Madhya Pradesh, India. Situated on the ancient Dakshinapath (southern trade route), Deorkothar lies between Sarnath and Sanchi, two major Buddhist centers established in the third century BC. It is surprising that Alexander Cunningham, the nineteenth-century doyen of Indian archaeology who did extensive work in the area, missed the site. Excavations at Deorkothar, which seems to predate the late Mauryan-Sunga period (fourth through first centuries B.C.), when most early stupa (temple) complexes were built, promise to throw light on the genesis and spread of Buddhism in Central India, providing missing links in the history of Buddhist art and architecture.
The Deorkothar complex boasts four brick stupas, the most ever found at a site of this period. The varying sizes of bricks used in construction point to an early date. Such motifs as twirling lotus, conical lotus bud, and a simple flower pot on a three-tiered pedestal-the carving of which foreshadows early Buddhist art, can be seen on the railing posts of the largest brick stupa, which rises to a height of nearly 30 feet. The stencil-cut effect of the friezes, along with their simple ornamentation and the paucity of human and animal figures, suggests these are early attempts at stone railing art. It would therefore seem that the stupa at Deorkothar was built before the famous early free-standing stupa at Sanchi.
The site of Deorkothar also comprises monasteries, a water channel system, an ancient pathway, and 30 stone stupas, many of which contained sherds of high quality northern black polished ware, the pottery of everyday use between 700 and 300 B.C. Such sherds are absent from Sanchi, further indicating that Deorkothar predates that site.
Dotting the site of Deorkothar are 63 rock-shelters, many with art dating to the first century B.C., that were likely used by monks for meditation. One painting depicts a stupa and a tree surrounded by a railing. Others show social or hunting scenes; men, women, and animals; weapons; and designs.
Although the pillar bears the trademark Mauryan polish, it is made not of the Chunar sandstone characteristic of Ashokan sculpture, but of local sandstone. Also found at the site were pottery, pieces of stone caskets and bangles with exquisite polish, some copper fragments, a lead strip coiled ear stud, iron nails and clamps, few coins (one punch-marked), pieces of terra-cotta toys, and beads. Worthy of particular mention are several pieces of Mauryan polished chattra (the multi-tiered "umbrella" at the top of a stupa) with evidence of radial ribs. To the west of the main stupa, iron slag, a lump of iron ore, and white nodules of lime indicate the presence of an iron-smelting furnace nearby.
If you wish to visit this place please contact me, I will arrange a tour package suitable for you and your group -
R.K. Agrawal
Tour Operator
M.I.G. 26, J.P.N. Nagar, Behind P. K. School, Near Sirmour Chowk,
REWA (M.P.), India, Pin Code - 486 001
Mobile No. - +91 9424722414
Fax No. - 91 7662 251251,
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Web Site - www.gtvresort.com
The Fiat Coupé (type 175, officially titled the Coupé Fiat) was a coupé produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1993 and 2000. The car was introduced at Brussels Motor Show in 1993.
It is most remembered for its distinctive, angular design, with unique scalloped side panels. The body was designed by Chris Bangle from Centro Stile Fiat, while the interior was designed by Pininfarina. The exterior design would foreshadow much of late 1990s and early 2000s car design, acting as a precedent to both Bangle's somewhat notorious work at BMW, as well as futuristic angular designs by other marques, such as Ford and Renault.
History:
The Fiat Coupe made media headlines in auto magazines during 1992 after several spy shots were taken revealing the car on test. On its launch in 1993, the Coupé was available with a four-cylinder, 2.0 L 16V engine, in both turbo (190 PS) and normally aspirated (139 PS) versions. Both engines were later versions of Fiat's twin-cam design and inherited from the Lancia Delta Integrale, winner of the World Rally Championship a record six times. 1996 brought in a 1.8 L 16V engine (not available in the UK, 131 PS), along with a 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V (147 PS), and a 5-cylinder 2.0-litre 20V turbo (220 PS).
Fiat Coupé 20v Turbo Model
The turbocharged 16 and 20 valve versions were equipped with a very efficient Viscodrive limited-slip differential to counter the understeer that plagues most powerful front wheel drive cars. Additionally, the coupe featured independent suspension all round: at the front MacPherson struts and lower wishbones anchored to an auxiliary crossbeam, offset coil springs and anti-roll bar; at the rear, trailing arms mounted on an auxiliary subframe, coil springs and an anti-roll bar.
1998 saw the release of the Limited Edition which featured red Brembo brake calipers at the front and standard red calipers at the back, a body kit, push-button start, six-speed gearbox, strut brace to make the chassis more rigid and Recaro seats with red leather inserts which offered better support than the standard 20VT seats. The LE was produced in Black (flat), Red (flat), Vinci Grey (metallic), Crono Grey (flat) and Steel Grey (metallic). The bodywork of the LE also benefited from titanium coloured insert around the light bezels and the wing mirrors. Each Limited Edition ('LE') Coupé was manufactured with a badge located by the rear-view mirror which contained that car's unique number (it is rumored that Michael Schumacher was the original owner of LE No. 0001, however when the question was raised to him personally he confirmed he had owned one, but a red one, while LE No. 0001 is a Crono Grey one). Originally a spokesman from Fiat stated only approximately 300 Limited Editions would be built. The final amount was much higher, with numbers as high as 1400 touted by some. This angered many of the owners of the original 300 cars and almost certainly impacted residual values. The original number however was quoted by a Fiat UK spokesman, so probably that number only applied to the UK market. The numbered plaque on every Coupe features enough space for 4 numbers.
In 1998 the 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V got a Variable Inlet System which brought the power to 154 PS (113 kW). The 2.0-litre 5-cylinder 20V Turbo received a 6-speed gearbox and a large, satin gloss push starter button. In addition, the sills of the Turbo version were colour matched with the body paintwork. Fiat also released the 2.0 L 5 cylinder Turbo 'Plus'. This model came with an option kit that made it virtually identical to the LE, except for minor interior design changes and without the unique identification badge of the LE.
In 2000 Fiat released another special version of the Fiat Coupé. Featuring the 1.8-litre engine, it was only available throughout mainland Europe and marketed as an elegant and affordable edition. Fiat also made changes throughout the rest of the range: new seats, side skirts and wheels for the 2.0-litre 20V model, 'Plus' edition wheels on turbo models and Fiat manufactured seats on the 'Plus' that were virtually identical to the original Plus Recaro seats with the addition of extra airbags. The 2.0-litre 20V Turbo model is capable of accelerating from 0–100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 6.5 seconds, with a top speed of 240 km/h (149 mph) or 250 km/h (155 mph) with later 6-speed gearbox. When production finally stopped in September 2000, a total number of 72,762 units had been produced.
[Text from Wikipedia]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Coup%C3%A9
This miniland-scale Lego FIAT Coupe (Type 175 - 1993 - Bangle) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 92nd Build Challenge, - "Stuck in the 90's", - all about vehicles from the decade of the 1990s.
Lindi Ortega
OCA Spazio Ansaldo (MI)
19 Marzo 2013
© Mairo Cinquetti
© All rights reserved. Do not use my photos without my written permission. If you would like to buy or use this photo PLEASE message me or email me at mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com
Immagine protetta da copyright © Mairo Cinquetti.
Tutti i diritti sono riservati.
L'immagine non può essere usata in nessun caso senza autorizzazione scritta dell'autore.
Per contatti: mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com
Nashville beckoned, and Lindi Ortega answered the call.
Armed with an inimitable, irresistible singing voice The Independent hails as “a truly magnificent instrument,” and a heart bursting with creative ambition, the Canadian songstress whom American Songwriter calls “the love child of Johnny Cash and Nancy Sinatra” decided to relocate to Music City from her
native Toronto to birth her brand new musical offspring, Cigarettes & Truckstops.
A logical follow-up to her 2011 critically acclaimed alt-country masterpiece Little Red Boots, the 10-song Cigarettes & Truckstops further flaunts Ortega’s distinctive vision; one that embraces the oft-neglected, politically incorrect realism of traditional country and frames it in a charmingly, and sometimes darkly humourous contemporary context.
Bookended by a couple of romantic road ballads in the title track and the reflective “Every Mile Of The Ride,” Cigarettes & Truckstops further evolves the promise foreshadowed by the JUNO-Award nominated-and-Polaris-Music-Prize-long-listed Little Red Boots.
The writing is stellar, her musical discipline undoubtedly galvanized by a fearless 2010-2012 tour schedule that saw Lindi open for a variety of acts, from punk vets Social Distortion; pop icon Burton Cummings; country fave Dierks Bentley; folk outfit Noah & The Whale and Academy Award winner Kevin Costner with attention-grabbing finesse, making serious inroads with North American and European audiences, and prompting Exclaim! to declare Ortega an “electrifying” performer.
Whether it’s the plucky shuffle of the hilarious “The Day You Die;” the angry harrumph of “Don’t Wanna Hear It;” the high lonesome feel of “Heaven Has No Vacancy” or the haunting twang of guilt that is “Murder of Crows,” Ortega continues to deliver a refreshing twist that walks vintage and contemporary lines in imaginative and inventive manners.
But in order to realize this next step of her artistic fruition, the two-time JUNO Award nominee (Canada’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards) had to pull up her Canadian stakes and come to the well.
“I was really inspired by being here in Nashville,” explains Ortega, the daughter of a Northern Irish mother and Mexican father who has been performing since she picked up a guitar at age 16.
“I wanted the authenticity of my influences to shine through on this record. I knew I liked country and I think moving here, I wanted to delve into those influences more genuinely.
“To be able to read a Hank Williams biography and then go to where his house was, or the places that they talk about, and absorb that was invaluable.”
As Ortega is the first to admit, she’s anything but a “straight-up country artist,” so other elements played into the equation.
“I found that I was really inspired by going to New Orleans, after I shot that music video for (Little Red Boots’) “Black Fly” – and the Deep South.
“After Little Red Boots I read the Hank Williams biography and I learned that he was very highly influenced by a man named “Tee-Tot.” (Rufus Payne). Tee-Tot was a blues guy, and I discovered that a lot of early country drew influence from early blues. So I really started getting into listening to blues.”
She recruited a sympathetic visionary to produce the album in fellow Canadian Colin Linden, (O Brother Where Art Thou, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Bruce Cockburn, The Band), who also happens to reside in Nashville.
“When it was time to start working with producers, Colin’s name was thrown in the hat,” recalls Ortega. “I looked him up on YouTube,and the first thing I saw him perform was this crazy awesome Dobro solo.
“I realized that I loved that instrument, and I needed to have it all over my record,” she laughs.
“There was something about the sound of it that resonated so much with me. Colin was very influenced by the blues and had a lot of knowledge about its background and history, and I thought it would be cool to bring that into the record.”
The blues touch is a subtle one, a seasoning of sorts on this album of longing and vulnerability; travel and romance; of anger and passion; of fact and fiction.
A big breakthrough was Ortega’s topical candour.
“I was sort of delving into the darker corners of my mind with some things, which was interesting for me, and not being afraid to put some other things out there,” she reveals. “The song from my first record, “All My Friends,” alludes to certain things in a metaphorical way, where on this album, I’m a little more straight up about it. I’m not trying to hide.
“I guess that I’m just willing to take that risk. I’m just being honest and talking about my experiences, and by doing that, I’m not advocating anything and I’m not telling anybody they need to do anything: I’m just writing about my life and the experiences that I go through.”
But it’s not all autobiographical: “Murder of Crows,’ co-authored by Matt Nolan and one of three co-writes on Cigarettes & Truckstops, is pure Man In Black-inspired fiction.
“I was actually thinking of Johnny Cash’s Murder album when I wrote that,” Ortega chuckles. “I just wanted to delve into fictitious territory, and not write from experience – sort of make up stories.
“In a lot of old Cash songs, there’s a lot that didn’t come from his experience: he made them up. It’s cool to be able to make up crazy stories like that.”
One of the album’s real kickers is the Bruce Wallace co-write “The Day You Die,” a humorous look at love’s clichés, a future classic that begins with the opening stanza,
“You said you’d love me ‘til the cows comes home/Well I’m hoping that they all go blind.”
“That’s why I love writing with Bruce, because we never set out to write,” Ortega admits. “We just get together as friends and pick up guitars and it just happens naturally. He’s a quirky guy, because he totally gets where I’m coming from in that respect.
“We pick up the guitar and make up joke songs. We thought it would be cool if all these cliché things that people say to people, things like ‘Love you ‘til this, love you ‘til that’,” were taken literally, what would they have to do to keep the love going?”
There are more gems on Cigarettes & Truckstops that are ripe for personal discovery, a riveting tour-de-force of an album that will open up more ears and hearts to the scintillating sounds of Lindi Ortega and an appreciation of the unique perspective she brings to her craft.
Two trademarks impel her artistry: sincerity and honesty.
“I’m not going to deny it because I can’t,” Ortega admits. “It just comes out. I owe it to the song and to myself to expel that expression, put it into music and be very honest and forthright about the good, the bad and the ugly of Lindi Ortega.”