Independence Day – July 4,2011 You are required to choose a side…or one will be chosen for you. You are NOT alone.
The American Constitution is to liberty, what grammar is to language: it defines its parts of speech and practically constructs them into syntax. ~Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man [1791]
THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. ~Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776
We packed up the Sailor Jerry airstream and headed down to Austin, TX last week for the SXSW music festival. Taking over 1016 East 6th St. Sailor Jerry partnered with the likes of Hardly Art Records, Forcefield PR, Echo/Echoplex, IAMSOUND and a bunch of other awesome folks to bring four days of free music to the masses in town for the annual gathering.
The line was around the block all four days to get in to see some of the craziest, hardest rocking and most talked about bands in town. The Black Lips, Sun Airway, Fergus & Geronimo, Creepoid, The Night Beats were just a few of the over 70 bands that came through during our showcases. It was a four day lineup for the record books.
And in the coming days we’ll be unveiling our all new VA Facebook Fan page.
We like doing it with style…we’ll announce it here in a few days when its live.
In the meantime, come register and visit with us on the Airstream Forums.
Our latest endeavor here at VA has been one that we’re extremely proud to be associated with on every possible level…Sailor Jerry. It ought to be illegal to have this much fun.
Japanese tattoo masters use a surname or a moniker: Hori. Hori comes from the Japanese “to carve,” so there are Japanese tattoo masters like Horiyoshi, Horitaka. It’s called an honorific. Jerry was a product of World War II and a military man. He corresponded with the Japanese tattoo masters, trading design ideas & ink colors. He really respected the artwork and he wanted to push it forward. He nicknamed himself Hori Smoku, so when he signed his letters, if a Japanese person read it, with a thick Japanese accent, it would say, “Holy Smoke.”
That was a Sailor Jerry joke.
Many folks have probably never heard of Sailor Jerry, but without question, he was a true American character and a one-of-a-kind individual…
“ A man of many faces, Jerry was an intelligent, dark humored prankster with a fiercely independent mind. A pitiless, right wing, social libertarian, Jerry believed in freedom with a capital ‘F’ as symbolized by the secretive, closed world of back alley tattooing – or as he put it, “the ultimate rebellion against the squares.”
Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins is the tattoo world’s most iconoclastic figure. Considered by many the foremost tattoo artist of all time, Collins is the father of modern day tattooing, whose uncompromising lifestyle and larger than life persona made him an American legend.
secretive, closed world of back alley tattooing – or as he put it, “the ultimate rebellion against the squares”A man of many faces, Jerry was an intelligent, dark humored prankster with a fiercely independent mA pitiless, right wing, social libertarian, Jerry believed in freedom with a capital ‘F’ as symbolized by thesecretive, closed world of back alley tattooing – or as he put it, “the ultimate rebellion against the squares.
The who’s who of the tattoo world came out to support a screening of “Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry” produced for Sailor Jerry Rum. Music from Thee Oh Sees and guests Ed Hardy, Lyle Tuttle, and documentary director Erich Weiss. Ed Hardy, for you historians, is a protégé of Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins.
Rocío Rodríguez was born in Caibarién, Las Villas, Cuba and educated in the late 70s at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA under Elaine de Kooning. Her distinguished career has resulted in a body of work that is altogether visually lush, intelligent, emotional and often large in scale. This is a visual language that is influenced by the great Abstract Expressionists, and it is thoroughly intoxicating. These are big, brave, beautiful pieces and Ms Rodriguez is not afraid to make them.
Rodríguez comments on her work:
“Painting for me is open to all fictions and possibilities: stains, hard edges, loops, tangled scribbles, color as palpable space, architectural form mutating into biological structure. It is a space where discordant images and references combine to suggest a world where nothing is fixed and everything is in the process of becoming.”
I had the distinct honor of studying under Rocio Rodriguez. I admire both her conviction toward her Art as well as her talent. I distinctly remember the level of respect she held for her students. And I regard her to this day as one of the best Professors of my academic career, one of those rare, tough instructors who understood that the greatest of teachers won’t hesitate to leave you alone to wrestle with yourself…and creating a fire for learning within a student that lasts a lifetime.
Philip Guston once stated his ultimate goal was that when one of his paintings was hung on a wall, he wanted it to suck the air out of the room. I am pleased to say that Ms Rodriguez is there. Bravo.
Christmas And It’s True Meaning
Tis the season once again for joy and giving…thankfulness and gratitude for all that we have been fortunate enough to receive. Time for family, friends and spreading good cheer. Silver Bells, White Christmas’, Reindeer, and little elves who make toys at the North Pole for Santa.
In our [...]
Airstream Theft – Deterent Or Preventative Measures?
Cape man: $10,000 travel trailer stolen
Cape Coral Daily Breeze – By TIFFANY REPECKI – December 3, 2010
Unfortunately the story above is an all-to-familiar one. The trailer was locked, no sign of forced entry or broken glass. Parked in the driveway of the home. Was there [...]
This Ga. park’s gorge is gorgeous
One of the most scenic gorges in the Eastern United States, along with waterfalls, a lake, camping and hiking, are just a few highlights from this unusual Georgia state park.
Mountains, whitewater rivers, deep gorges and waterfalls – you can find them in northeast Georgia. Tallulah Gorge State Park has one [...]
Pink FlaminGO! is a 1956 Airstream trailer outfitted as a mobile restaurant.
Detroit’s hit-and-run restaurant on wheels. It serves fresh, organic food, cooked right wherever the Airstream Land Yacht is parked.
Follow them on Twitter: ThePinkFlamnGO!
Admin: We actually identify this as an early 1960s Airstream Safari
but thats ok, its an easy mistake to make [...]
Keep It Simple…Stupid.
“It can scarcely be denied that the supreme goal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience.”
—Albert Einstein, “On the Method of Theoretical Physics” (1934)
The Airstream Community has significantly improved now that we've launched the Vintage Airstream Forum. Airstream Tech Advice, Travel Destinations and Guides, Airstream Knowledgebase, Wiki Archive, Photo Galleries, Link Directories for Parts & Supplier Resources and a membership group of super friendly people. We support a relaxed atmosphere where you can feel comfortable to mingle and participate. Come join us!
We also purchase Airstream trailers. Find out more about our ongoing Airstream rescue project which aims to keep alive as many of these brave little icons of Americana as possible. We've been at it for over a decade now.
