Evil Hallowe’en Horror Fest

Posted on October 16, 2014 by platinumal

The Evil Dead (1981)

This is one of those Video Nasties then, is it? Banned in the early 80’s for being so horrific it could warp the mind…

The Evil Dead is the first film of Sam Raimi, and it was fairly infamous many years ago. So much so that I was very wary when watching it the first time.

Five friends visit a remote cabin in the woods. There, they discover an ancient Book of the Dead and taped recordings of readings from it. The recordings are played, awakening evil demons that trap the group and pick them off one by one. There’s no escape – even the forest itself seems alive…

This film is somewhat dated now, the low budget not helping disguise the fairly unconvincing effects. The story too is fairly basic, performances are basic too – except for Bruce Campbell who actually does a good job as Ash. No surprises that The Evil Dead was a first time picture, then.

Raimi manages to create a great atmosphere, though. Even after all these years, there are some extremely creepy moments, and some genuine shocks that will make you shit your shoes off. Whereas the gore deflates the picture, the isolation and hopelessness are convincing. Not my favourite ever film, but certainly a movie that demands to be seen.

8/10

The Greatest Skateboard Graphic Ever

Posted on September 3, 2014 by platinumal

Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp “Face”

Everyone has their own personal choice. Over the years I’ve seen many amazing skateboard graphics – some intricate, some clever, some stupid, some risque. Back in the 80’s it was mostly skulls and gore. At the end of the decade, these themes became extinct, replaced by ironic cartoons and brand logo appropriation. You name it, it’s probably been featured on a deck somewhere. There are great examples of art of all styles.

The two giants of skateboard graphics in the 80’s, at least in my eyes, were Vernon Courtland Johnson and Jim Phillips. VCJ created the many iconic designs for Powell Peralta such as the Ripper and Skull and Sword. Awesome graphics that made my eyeballs pop, as a kid nurtured on comic book art and monsters.

The art of Jim Phillips featured on many Santa Cruz decks, including classic pro decks for Jeff Kendall, Jeff Grosso and Jason Jessee. My absolute favourite though was the Rob Roskopp street model, with a huge ugly face on it.

I first saw the Roskopp graphic in my sisters Smash Hits magazine, of all places. They did one of those lame “introduction to skateboarding” type of features, with things like “how to talk like a skateboarder”. It did feature UK hardcore band The Stupids however, and a model holding the deck in question.

As soon as I saw it, I loved that graphic. It was big, bold and over the top – but beautifully detailed.

A couple of years later, I eventually acquired a Santa Cruz Roskopp Face of my own. The deck itself was white, with the graphic in black screaming out from the bottom of the board. I was very happy that regardless of the fantastic art, it was a great shape and well made board. So the decision wasn’t made purely on the artwork.

I don’t remember what happened to that particular deck, I probably wore it out and swapped it with someone. There’s a photo of it somewhere.

A few years ago, I picked up a reissue of the Roskopp deck. It’s yellow, with the same great graphic as I had all those years ago. It’s never been skated – I keep this one on the wall, right above my desk (I have other boards for actually skating). It hangs there as a proud reminder, and an example of great skateboard art. That’s what this skateboard is to me – pure art.

In my opinion, the Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp “face” is the best skateboard graphic ever.

Check out the latest reissue here.

The Santa Cruz website is here.

Rewind Festival Playlist

Posted on August 14, 2014 by platinumal

Rewind Festival 2013 – Playlist

Around this time last year, we visited Rewind Festival to celebrate the stag do of my great pal Jarrod. A fine crew of chaps were assembled for a weekend of much hilarity and fabulous entertainment.

Set in Henley-on-Thames, Rewind festival offered a feast of musical acts from the 1980’s.

Some of the gang are returning this year, unfortunately I can’t make it due to family commitments. Never the less, in honour of our 2013 adventure – and as a “bon voyage” to my comrades for this year – I’ve compiled the following playlist.

To compile this playlist, the acts had to have performed over the festival weekend last year. They also have to actually be in my music collection, in iTunes. I was quite surprised that there were several acts who performed that I don’t actually possess any recordings of. No matter – this list consists of what I actually own.

Doctor & the Medics – “Spirit in the Sky”
The Sugarhill Gang – “Rapper’s Delight”
Billy Ocean – “Love Really Hurts Without You”
Nik Kershaw – “Wouldn’t it be Good”
Heaven 17 – “Temptation”
Kim Wilde – “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”
The B-52’s – “Roam”
Belinda Carlisle – “We Want the Same Thing”
Go West – “We Close Our Eyes”
ABC – “The Look of Love”
Pointer Sisters – “Jump (For My Love)”

Short but sweet.

A big shout out to Jaz, Gol, Tone, Baz, Adam, Si, Brendan and of course the one and only Richard Minshull esq. What a top quality bunch!

And to those of you going this year – hope you have an amazing time!

You can read my review of Rewind Festival 2013 here.

The website for Rewind Festival is here.

Who is this Random Space Toy?

Posted on July 8, 2014 by platinumal

Here’s a random image from the toy collection here at the Virtual Hot Tub. I’ve had this guy since the early 1980’s, I think I picked him up from a jumble sale. No idea who he is. At the moment, he’s been rescued from my parent’s loft to end up in my daughter’s toy box.

Standing approximately five inches tall, he is only articulated at the arms and waist. He looks kind of Japanese, but he’s too old to be Power Ranger.

Is he from some cool proto-anime cartoon or television show? Or is he just some odd cheapo rip off designed to appeal to kids who love space toys?

If you know who this guy is, please get in touch and let me know.

I might offer a prize…

Skateboard Museum Update: Variflex Joker Photos

Posted on June 5, 2014 by platinumal

Variflex Joker – new photos

You may remember recently that my post about my Variflex Joker skateboard was the fifth most read article of the year. All well and good, but the photo used to accompany that blog post wasn’t the best.

So I have attempted to make up for that earlier oversight here, with some more pics of the board in question.

Remember this skateboard isn’t the original one I rode in the 80’s – I found this on a site selling old boards and snapped it up. It was brand new, complete – sealed in plastic and everything. Nice bit of kit for my collection.

Please take a look at the original post about the Variflex Joker here.

Full view – bottom

Full view – top

Close up of nose/front truck/wheel

Close up of graphic

Bat Mobile and Captain Americar

Posted on January 16, 2014 by platinumal

As promised, I am introducing some new topics tot the Virtual Hot Tub for 2014. To begin, an excursion into the world of toys is presented here for you.

For this very first Toy based post, here are some pictures of the Bat Mobile and Captain Americar. These were produced by Mego in the 1970’s. Both are from my collection and have been in my possession since the early 80’s.

Mego were one of the leading toy companies of the 1970’s. Amongst their most popular lines were the World’s Greatest Super Heroes: 8 inch action figures of popular comic book heroes with cloth costumes. They produced lines of both DC and Marvel characters, meaning you could create epic adventures spanning the properties – such as Thor versus Green Arrow. Or Hulk versus Batman. Or anything else you could imagine.

Alas, my Mego super heroes are lost to the mists of time, scattered into broken fragments. All I have left are these two vehicles, and some great memories.

Bat Mobile

Modelled after the Bat Mobile in the classic Adam West sixties television show, this vehicle can carry both Batman and Robin into action.

Front view of Bat Mobile

Rear view

Captain Americar

Captain America’s car. See what they did there? The cool feature on this vehicle is that Cap’s shield on the front of the car is thrust forward with the flick of the switch, to knock bad guys off their feet. Or your sister’s Barbie dolls, whatever.

As I no longer have the heroes to go with these vehicles, they may well find their way onto Ebay in the future. We shall see.

Check out the Mego Museum here.

New Year – New Playlist

Posted on January 4, 2014 by platinumal

What did you do on New Year’s Eve? Did you go out partying? Did you dance the night away in a pub or club? Or maybe you gathered together with family and friends for a house party. The really fancy ones amongst you may have done something extravagant, and gone away for a short break. Perhaps somewhere with it’s own bar and hot tub.

Chez Platinum Al, we stayed in and rocked. Drinks, food and music – that’s how we roll at the Virtual Hot Tub. Staying in has been the new going out for a good few years for us. No queues at the bar; no being crammed in like cattle; no paying for tickets when you’re VIPs at your own party.

Instead, Mrs Platinum Al and I sipped some fine drinks and played a music playlist game. Here are the rules:

One person starts, and chooses a band/artist beginning with a letter of the alphabet. Start with the letter A.
Pick one song by that artist and play it.
The next person picks a song by an artist beginning with the same letter and plays that.
Then you move on to the next letter in the alphabet, and pick one more song by a band/artist beginning with that letter.
Continue in this fashion. You can be as obvious or as random as you like in your choices.

Here’s how we got on:

Al: AC/DC – “Big Gun”
Ness: ABBA – “Happy New Year”
Al: Boney M – “Daddy Cool”
Ness: Belinda Carlisle – “Heaven is a Place on Earth”
Al: Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Born on the Bayou”
Ness: The Cure – “In Between Days”
Al: Donovan – “Season of the Witch”
Ness: Destiny’s Child – “Independent Women Part 1”
Al: Eagles of Death Metal – “Anything ‘Cept the Truth”
Ness: EMF – “Unbelievable”
Al: Fun Lovin’ Criminals – “Too Hot”
Ness: Foo Fighters – “Monkey Wrench”
Al: Garbage – “Queer”
Ness: Green Day – “Basket Case”
Al: Hard-Ons – “Don’t Wanna See You Cry”
Ness: Heart – “Alone”
Al: Iggy Pop – “Beside You”
Ness: INXS – “Never Tear Us Apart”
Al: Johnny Cash – “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”
Ness: Jane’s Addiction – “Been Caught Stealing”
Al: Kool & the Gang – “Jungle Boogie”
Ness: Kylie Minogue – “In Your Eyes”
Al: Led Zeppelin – “Whole Lotta Love”
Ness: Lenny Kravitz – “Stand By My Woman”
Al: Motorhead – “Killed By Death”
Ness: Madness – “One Step Beyond”

That was as far as we got before it was time for sleep. We aim to complete the other half of the alphabet soon.

This is a fun game that can reveal a lot about your mood, or just your taste in music.

All selections were provided by Platinum Al’s monster iPod, Ipodicus.

Rewind Festival

Posted on August 25, 2013 by platinumal

Rewind – The 80’s Festival

16th – 18th August 2013

It’s a stag do, and as such promises a weekend of laughter and mirth. Though some readers may be wondering what I was doing at a festival featuring pop bands from the 1980’s, there was actually quite a lot of music to savour. Plus the banter was to be unmissable. Besides, I’ve never been to Download or Castle Donington or whatever it is and it’s probably too late for me now. Rewind festival is go!

The first day is drive down, queue for two hours to get into the festival (at least we had beers) and then put the tents up. In the evening there’s a chance to explore the festival village, catch some live music and eat. And drink more ale. We drank quite a lot of beer and/or cider and got into the spirit quite nicely. The mood in the festival village was uplifting, everyone excited for the fun ahead.

One of the main acts I actually wanted to see over the weekend was Doctor & the Medics (don’t ask, I loved “Spirit in the Sky” years ago). Unfortunately a lack of information meant that I turned up for the last thirty seconds of that penultimate song, not something I was happy about. They did AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie” for an encore which kind of eased the pain. A teensy bit.

Blind drunk and weeping at having missed Doctor & the Medics, it was then time to sit around our tents till ridiculous o’clock and drink even more. I have to say that despite my inebriated state, I contributed many intellectual musings to the conversation, elevating my status as a raconteur and thinker by some degree.

Saturday’s music begins with the Sugarhill Gang, not an obvious choice for an 80’s festival but one I was looking forward to. Hip hop gained international exposure in the 80’s so this was a different, yet very apt act. Their set includes a run through of hip hop classics (some not their own) that gets the party started in good style. It’s a raucous start to the day – if Sugarhill Gang are the openers, then we’re in for a treat.

The Blow Monkeys are next – and they do indeed blow the good vibe set by their predecessors. Insipid eighties pop of the worst kind, their music is forgettable – and should be forgotten. They leave with a petulant comment about Chesney Hawkes. At least he had one good song, Blow Monkeys – you have none.

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel‘s set is peppered with irony – or is it just bad luck? We get the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” despite the looming rain clouds. And a song that Steve promises audiences sing along to all over the world – that no-one’s ever heard. Still, “Mr Soft” and the glorious “Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)” offer more highlights. Let’s just forget that Harley is a 1970’s act.

For some bizarre reason, Billy Ocean is on in the late afternoon. He could’ve headlined the night. Hit after hit, performed perfectly with a voice that sounds fresh and energetic. Billy knows his craft and leads the audience through sing-a-longs one after the other. It’s amazing how much quality material he has. As one of my festival buddies commented, previously I would’ve worn a Billy Ocean t-shirt with a hint of irony – now I’d wear one with pride. Awesome.

Then it was time to go back to the tent for a few cheap cans of lager, which meant that I missed Then Jericho (“A trainwreck” was how one pal described it). No loss there. Expensive festival booze encouraged us to enjoy more of our beer stash so I also missed Chesney Hawkes, though we could hear THAT song at the tent – and it was great.

Flying Pickets were also unfortunately ignored, unlike Ches I couldn’t hear them at all. On the walk back to the festival arena I heard the Journey bloke singing the one good song in their repertoire.

It should be said that the atmosphere at Rewind was great. The fun of it all was most obviously demonstrated by the fancy dress outfits that were worn by brave festival goers. Some of my favourites were security guards with Hannibal Lecter (Lecter was a puppet); aliens from “V”; He-Man and the Honey Monster.

Back in the thick of it, and it was time for Heaven 17. I’ve seen them before and knew they could do a solid job. Amazing to think that I’ve now seen Heaven 17 more than I’ve seen Metallica. Great 80’s pop that is, essentially, anthemic dance music. “Temptation” is another obvious highlight of the day.

Nik Kershaw was my cue to go get some food. But before I left, I checked out a few of Nik’s songs. He looks like a healthier Charles Bukowski and delivers a set that is actually really good, loaded with more hits than I remembered. Great stuff – made me regret leaving early to get a burrito.

Happily fed and with a new bottle of beer, it’s off to see Kim Wilde. WOW. Again, I’m surprised just how many great songs Kim has. I thought she would be good, but Kim really impresses. What’s more, she’s gorgeous – all twelve of our stag do party falling in love with her. “Kids in America” is a delight in a set of real gems.

Finally we have the B-52s, a band I actually consider myself quite a fan of. At least, I know most of their songs tonight. Starting with “Planet Claire” we are off to the strange sci-fi New Wave world of the B-52s, with a mid set appearance for (my favourite) “Roam”. Awesome vocals from Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson lift this and many other songs, till we reach our destination with “Love Shack” and finally “Rock Lobster”. There’s even some dude head to toe in a foam rubber lobster outfit down the front. Crazy.

That’s it. We hang around and enjoy the festival atmos, watching Camp Cooks (hilarious) and the rodeo bull ride (er…). Then it’s back to the campsite for another night’s chatting utter comedy gold around the tents. A great days entertainment, the only odd thing about the Saturday line up is the running order. Billy Ocean should’ve been top of the bill, with Kim Wilde and the B-52s on before him.

That was to be the end of my Rewind adventure, as due to family commitments I had to return home the next morning (thanks for lift, Adam) and miss all the Sunday fun. Which meant that I missed Go West, the Pointer Sisters, ABC and Belinda Carlisle…

Perhaps not seeing Belinda Carlisle isn’t the disaster it first appeared to be. Can you imagine the consequences of Belinda and myself actually being in the same place at the same time? And the obvious chemistry that would’ve brought us together? No, better to leave it without our meeting. There are families involved, there are children to consider. It would have been a catastrophe in the making.

http://www.rewindfestival.com/

Skateboard Museum: Variflex Joker

Posted on June 27, 2013 by platinumal

After the red plastic skateboard, I “graduated” to what was commonly known as a Turbo Two. These were larger, wider boards in the contemporary style, but cheap Far East versions. It was another step up, but I soon learned that the board wasn’t going to last long.

Variflex Joker. Camera strap in view AGAIN.

My next skateboard was a slight step up again – a Variflex Joker. This was a complete board sold with higher grade components. Aluminium trucks, polyurethane wheels and the deck itself had a much nicer shape and feel.

The graphics were also a really good job and very much in the style of the time. A skull wearing a jester’s hat, with a playing card design. Not exactly Powell Peralta but still very cool. It actually looked like someone at Variflex had taken a sneak peak at VCJ’s sketchbook and stolen the idea. Powell must have been mad.

However Variflex were not in the best shape in the late 80’s – they’d fallen to being a purveyor of intro level complete boards and were not in the same league as Powell, Santa Cruz or Vision. A nice board for a starter, the Joker would also be superseded by a higher quality deck.

I kept the trucks and wheels though for a while, and put them on my next set up. This was a Zorlac deck which I rode for a while with the Variflex under carriage, until I was able to afford Indy’s and Santa Cruz wheels.

I don’t remember what happened to my original Variflex Joker. Around 2006 I found a website selling new Variflex skateboards – apparently old stock rather than re-issues – and picked this sample up for a very reasonable price. It was in perfect condition and came complete with all the plastics, everything. I’ve only ever ridden it a couple of times as this skateboard is really just a memento. It’s a great item to have in my Skateboard Museum.

Technical Specifications:

Length: 30.5″
Width: 10.25″
Wheelbase: 15.75″
Wooden deck with concave and kicktail (complete with griptape)
Metal Variflex trucks
Variflex Street Rage II wheels (polyurethane, estimated 90a)
Plastic rails, nose saver, tail saver, copers and lapper

Purchased from Skate Pool

Soundtrack: Metallica, Anthrax, The Stupids

My First Skateboard

Posted on June 9, 2013 by platinumal

Sometime in the early 80’s (1980 or ’81, I believe) my Gran informed me that she had picked up a present for me. Gran sometimes did that, finding bargains at charity shops and jumble sales for me. These items usually turned out be toys and games that were great fun. This time, my present turned out be something different: a skateboard.

It was a small red plastic skateboard that she had found at some local kids garage sale, and bought for a few pence. At that time my only concept of a skateboard was of a craze that had peaked a few years ago when I was younger. Kids didn’t ride skateboards anymore and the thought of actually trying to ride it didn’t appeal to me. So the skateboard was left in the garage for years and never used.

Red plastic skateboard. Amateurish camera strap in view.

Fast forward a few years and I saw the film “Back to the Future”. This is something of a cliche now, but suddenly my eyes were opened to the possibility of what I could do with that old plastic board. Out of the blue skateboards had become “cool”. The toy in the garage that bemused me previously now had serious potential. That looked like fun.

Our driveway at the time was about twenty feet long and fairly steep. I decided that I would dig the skateboard out of the garage junk and ride it down the drive. Placing the board at the top of the drive, I held it in place with my front foot. Then carefully lifted my back foot off the ground, placed it on the board and started rolling. I rolled about three feet, lost my balance and fell. Grazes to right hand and that was it. No more skateboard.

The board went back in the garage junk pile, there to stay forever more.

But it played on my mind. Over the next week or so, I could remember the few seconds of riding the board successfully. And I could imagine what it would be like to ride it again. I could see in my mind’s eye what it would be like, and what I would have to do to stay on. I liked that feeling. My imagination was sparked. What if I made it to the bottom of the drive? Wouldn’t that feel great?

So I tried again. Skateboard at the top of the drive, facing downhill. One foot on, then the other. Rolling. Keeping my balance this time, like I had in my mind’s eye. And I made it. I rode the board to the bottom of the drive.

When I reached the bottom I felt great. I felt a feeling of accomplishment that I hadn’t felt before. This was to be the beginning of an amazing relationship.

I then began to learn to ride the board, down the drive, along the street. I learned to turn, left and right, and keep rolling. Big sweeping turns and short, quick turns, leaning to each side.

At the time I was unaware of (then modern) skateboarding tricks so learnt from old 1970’s books. I practised over and over, doing the same moves and fine tuning them. Kick turns left and right, round corners – over and over again. Hour after hour, learning and perfecting just very basic techniques.

That’s over twenty five years ago now. I’ve had many skateboards since then, of different sizes, shapes and styles. Learnt new tricks. Travelled to new spots. Met great people, some of whom I’m still friends with. Some aren’t with us anymore.

I still have the small, red plastic skateboard that I learnt to ride. It’s faded and looks a bit worse for wear now. It only cost a few pence and was eventually superseded by larger, better quality boards. But of all the skateboards I’ve ever owned, it’s probably the most important.

Thanks, Gran.