NEW FICTION: Bourbon & Blondes has arrived!

From the bus stations of Rt. 66 to the smoky, neon-tinged jazz dives of the big cities, these wanton tales of longing introduce us to vixens on the fringe and those shifty men that drove them there.

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Watch: The 'Bourbon & Blondes' Book Trailer

Get your shot glass ready because you're about to enter a retro world of showgirls, drifters, barmaids and thieves.

The eternal question for scribes?

In this new social media landscape, the question becomes: Is blogging dead? It just may be...

Watch: The 'Front Page Palooka' Book Trailer

Read the pulp novella that one reviewer called 'A potboiler in the style of old school writers like Mickey Spillane, Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler...'

Friday, February 25, 2011

THE BEACH GIRL (#fridayflash)

Press play for some mood music

Being that this is Oscar weekend, I'm once again dusting off an old piece that I feel is appropriate for the event (I know, how lame am I?). Some of my Six Sentence friends may recognize this picture (and this expanded flash for that matter) since it was the subject of a photo challenge many moons ago. In any case, I hope you enjoy.


The night Davina Haven waited her entire life for was over. Thank God.

Somewhere around 5 a.m. her Tequila and wine buzz reached it zenith and all she saw was a dizzy blur of tuxedos and gowns. She wanted to hurl. She decided to ditch that dipshit model and leave the Vanity Fair party.

On the way to Elton's bash something didn't feel quite right. Even with her unsteady buzz. So she ditched that one too and decided to pull a 'Hilary Swank' and told the limo driver to head up the Pacific Coast Highway until he saw Paco's Taco's -- an all-night gourmet stand smack dab in the middle of Malibu.

On the way inside, a biker, one of the weekend wannabees, recognized the actress and said he admired her work, especially "the early stuff." Davina, even with the buzz, thought she heard the undertone of a snicker in his compliment. Still, she politely thanked him and went inside.

# # #

For all the hoopla of winning her first Oscar - which she aptly tossed later into the early morning tide - she knew deep down nothing would change. Not really. The award would only magnify only what was.

Sure, the phone will ring louder and more often and those meatier roles will come. And with them, a better class of men -- both leading and loving. But for all those absolutes, the only thing Davina questioned slumped at 6 a.m. in the sand was:

'When will they stop remembering that god damned sex tape?'

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

THE BARE BACKS OF VINTAGE PULP

... Clearly a thing of beauty. A tip of the hat to Bish at Bish's Beat where a plethora of pulp pleasures preside and prevail.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

THE MOST REPRODUCED PIC IN HISTORY



The above rah-rah World War II propaganda tune was "There'll Be A Little Smokio in Tokio" by Don Baker and it can be downloaded HERE.

On this weekend in 1945 at the bloody Battle for Iwo Jima, U.S. Marines (from the 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Division) took the crest of Mount Suribachi, the island's highest peak and raised the American flag.

Marine photographer Louis Lowery was with them and recorded the event. Soldiers fighting for control of Suribachi's slopes cheered the raising of the flag, and several hours later more Marines headed up to the crest with a larger flag. Joe Rosenthal, a photographer with the Associated Press, met them along the way and recorded the raising of the second flag along with a Marine still photographer and a motion-picture cameraman.

Rosenthal took three photographs atop Suribachi. The first, which showed five Marines and one Navy corpsman struggling to hoist the heavy flag pole, became the most reproduced photograph in history and won him a Pulitzer Prize.

Regarding Rosenthal's other two photos: The second was similar to the first but less affecting and the third was a group picture of 18 soldiers smiling and waving for the camera. Many of these men, including three of the six soldiers seen raising the flag in the famous Rosenthal photo, were killed before the conclusion of the Battle for Iwo Jima in late March.

Friday, February 18, 2011

STARING AT HER STARING AT HIM (#fridayflash)


Please click play for some mood music


He went everyday to the museum to see those dark beaming eyes, that long lustrous hair and her half unsure smile. On or off his meds, this manic routine had by now had become a fixture of his life.

Oh sure, there was always some artsy liberal couple with their backpacks on a first date talking about such nonsense as Warhol and color blocking to ruin his time with her. He wanted the slap the lattes out of their hands.

They were so superficial. They weren't seeing the art he saw.

Someday somehow he knew he'd meet his exotic beauty and take her here -- but not to utter Warhol. Or to drink fucking latte.

Until then, though, he'd be content and diligent just staring at her staring back at him.

Music: "Terror (July 7, 2005)" by Fudgdubnofunk can be downloaded here.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

AN ARGUMENT FOR PIRATING WORKS ONLINE

Neil Gaiman is a prolific British scribe of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, comic books and films. His notable works include the comic book series "The Sandman" and novels "Stardust," "American Gods," "Coraline," and "The Graveyard Book."

Gaiman's writing has won numerous awards, including the Hugo, Nebula, and Bram Stoker, as well as the 2009 Newbery Medal and 2010 Carnegie Medal in Literature. He is the first author to win both the Newbery and the Carnegie medals for the same work.

Here's why Gaiman doesn't mind you pirating his work online...



Sunday, February 13, 2011

MAD MEN MOMENT No. 11

Meet Sammy Davis, Jr... Pitchman extraordinaire.

Whiskey production in Japan began around 1870, but the first commercial production was in 1924 upon the opening of the country's first distillery, Yamazaki. Broadly speaking, the style of Japanese whisky is more akin to that of Scotch than Irish whiskey. and thus the spelling typically follows the Scottish convention (omitting the letter "e").

There are several companies producing the stuff in Japan with the most well known being Suntory and Nikka. Both produce blended as well as single malt whiskies.

Enjoy this fab spot of Sammy doing his thing for the Suntory hooch.



Also enjoy these other cool Sammy Davis, Jr. commercials:









Wednesday, February 9, 2011

'LIGHTS OUT': THE BEST SHOW YOU'RE PROLLY NOT WATCHING


With good reason, HBO went out of its way to deliver its awesome series "Boardwalk Empire" with an amazing amount of ballyhoo. Obviously, direct comparisons to "The Sopranos" were easy to make. After all, much of the 'Sopranos' creative team were a huge part of 'Empire,' and proverbial New Jersey organized crime connection.

That all being said, the new FX boxing drama "Lights Out" is more 'Soprano-esque' than 'Empire' by far. Spend an episode or two with it's protagonist Patrick 'Lights' Leary and you'll understand why.

It centers on an aging former heavyweight boxing champion Patrick "Lights" Leary (Holt McCallany - the best leading man on network TV since Ken Wahl) as he tries to find his identity after retiring from the sport he loved so much. After years of wear and tear in the ring, he is diagnosed with pugilistic dementia, a neurological disorder that affects fighters who've suffered too many blows to the head. It gradually causes memory loss and constant headaches.

Throughout each episode and on the gritty streets of Bayonne, Lights struggles to support his wife and three daughters -- especially when his dwindling finances have him on shaky ground.

He must decide whether to accept the brutal and intimidating job of a debt collector or return to the ring for a comeback to become the champ once again.

If you have On Demand check it out. You can also watch it on Hulu and at FX.

There's lots vested in this show -- Take a look at a stupendous (and fake) documentary made by the folks at FX about Lights Leary.


Monday, February 7, 2011

FORTHCOMING E-TITLES...


Like many of my online comrades, I've decided to throw my hat into the Kindle/Nook ring with a few titles. Details to be forthcoming. I also want to apologize for my absence of late in keeping up with my blog reading. I've been keeping busy designing these covers and finding art, etc. I'm a fanatic when it comes to art. If there are 1000 pics of any given subject, I will look at each and every one of them... I hope to be back reading everyone's blogs very soon.


Wednesday, February 2, 2011

IF ONLY...


For those that want this on a T-shirt, click HERE.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

PULP PLEASURES: ART IMITATES LIFE


Am I crazy or is the beauty in the beret Lauren Bacall? Gorgeous... More pulpy delights at Bish's Beat.

Monday, January 31, 2011

'L.A. NOIRE': AS RETRO AS RETRO GETS


I don't dick around with video games... Thank the Lord because I'd REALLY never get anything done. That said, if I did play them, "L.A. Noire" would be the one that would get my time because it has a great retro vibe. It just screams "L.A. Confidential."

"L.A. Noire" tells the story of World War II hero and aspiring young detective, Cole Phelps as he solves cases and climbs the ranks of the L.A.PD. The game centers on Cole's experiences working the various desks of 'the department' as he attempts to solve a series of potentially linked gruesome murders.

As they would say in the game, "It's a gas..."



Thursday, January 27, 2011

THE LAST MOMENTS OF PAPA H. 2.0 (#flashfiction)

Press play for some mood music


We conclude 'Vault Month' here in The Basement with a older piece of flash that hopefully most of you will like and that many probably never read. So very little is known about the sad and solemn moments before Ernest Hemingway took his life during the Summer of 1961 and this is how I pictured them. Also, enjoy the wonderful flamenco sounds of F. Tarega. The tune can be downloaded here.

* * *

July 2, 1961 at the Finca Vigia, San Francisco de Paula, Cuba.


In one breath he thought, "Cubans -- how I love these people..."

And in the next, Hemingway contemplated an act so very indiscreet.

Even with his Pulitzer and Nobel Prizes and a life so accomplished, he felt abandoned by almost everything and everyone around him.

Wanting a farewell drink, his nervous elbow knocked the last bottle of whiskey to the ground, shattering it into a beautiful jigsaw puzzle of glass.

Almost time, he stared at a lifetime of photographs, kissing the photos of his kids and wife.

He then turned to the Boss & Co. shotgun he bought at Abercrombie & Fitch and before he pulled the trigger, noticed what an elegant weapon it was.

PREMAKES: WHAT IF 'RAIDERS' STARRED CHUCK HESTON?



This is so freakin' creative, it's ridiculous. I love YouTube because there's always someone mish-mashing something so inventive that it floors you. Just what am I talking about? As great as Spielberg's "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is, just imagine if it had starred Charlton Heston, Peter Lorre, Anthony Quinn and Gregory Peck? Thanks to the work of the folks behind 'Premakes,' they've mashed up what the film would've certainly looked like and it's downright un-effin-canny.

Here's what's used to concoct this beautiful (but fake) trailer: The 10 Commandments, Prince Valiant, Naked Jungle, Secret of the Incas, Jungle Queen, Zulu, Look to Lockheed for Leadership, Casablanca, The City of Brass, Mr. Moto takes a Vacation, Star in My Crown, A Pain in the Pullman, On Dangerous Ground, Patton, King Solomons Mines, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Greatest Show on Earth, David and Bathsheba, The Screaming Skull, When You Know, Mysterious Mr. Moto, Lawrence of Arabia, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, and Superman at Bay.

Enjoy...



Tuesday, January 25, 2011

JUST WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOIN' ON HERE?


I've long wanted to flash fictionalize this whacked out pic but for the life of me kept drawing a blank. In fact, the more I stared at it, the more it reminded me of something out of Disney's Carousel of Progress -- that is if there was a mod martini-version of the attraction.

In keeping with last Friday's flash fiction theme of Uncle Walt, here's the skinny on the slightly creepy ride...

Created by both Walt Disney as the prime feature of the General Electric Pavilion for the 1964 New York World's Fair, the attraction was moved to Tomorrowland at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, remaining there from 1967 until 1973. It was reopened in its present home in Walt Disney World Resort's Magic Kingdom in 1975.

Steeped in both nostalgia and futurism, the attraction's premise is an exploration of the joys of living through the advent of electricity and other technological advances during the 20th century via a "typical" American family. (To keep it up with the times, the attraction has been updated five times -- 1967, 1975, 1981, 1985, and 199) and has had two different theme songs, both written by the Sherman Brothers (Disney's Academy Award-winning songwriting team).

Various sources say Walt Disney himself proclaimed that the Carousel of Progress was his favorite attraction and that it should never cease operation. It is the oldest attraction not only in the Magic Kingdom, but the entire Walt Disney World Resort. It is the only attraction in Walt Disney World to have a direct physical tie to Walt Disney.

Check it out: