Summer of Love

YOU HEARD IT HEAR FIRST: Summer 2011 shall be known as "The Summer of Love" (part deux, since they technically already had one in 1967).

It all started with my first full screening of Frankie & Annette's Beach Party (1963).  I love cheesy 1960s teen flicks, surfing (whether in real life or in movies & music), drive-ins, classic cars & just being at the beach relaxing & playing in the water, so these movies are perfect for me.  In high school I was heavily into 1950s nostalgia, to a point where my mom finally said, "People were racist & sexist & there was a long road ahead.  You would have HATED it if you were really in that time period."  Which is probably true, but I am still a sucker for good 'ol Americana.  And I honestly would have loved to be a part of all the Civil Rights/hippie movement & probably would have joined in, having become pretty sick of all the BS of the 50s.  I mean, I HOPE that's how I would have felt....

Anyways, I am here to guide you through this "Summer of Love" with some music & movie tips:

I decided on "Summer of Love" because of a song of the same title by The Fresh and Onlys.  I heard them on The Spy the other day & it totally rocked my world.  Their music is like the Doors, Zombies, Ramones, Beach Boys & some 60s surfer dudes & bunnies had a Lost Boys ritual using the blood of Morissey that got so out of hand, the cave blew up & the Fresh and Onlys started playing from under the rubble.  Here is the song that won my heart & soul:

I ended up listening to their whole album, Play it Strange, on Grooveshark and I am addicted.  It is an incredible album with a variety of psychadelic sounds & influences that make you want to have a bonfire on the beach.  And possibly a Lost Boys blood ritual.  Tennis, as I mentioned in my past bloggy, "Diagnosis Music," would be another great band to add to your library for the summer.  There's obviously a 60s surf revival happening in music and I couldn't be happier.

To enhance your new 60s mania even more, you can join me in my Annette & Frankie obsession & watch any & all of their beach movies.  Of course these are hitting on a different section of the 60s & have a more wholesome & cheestastic (while sexually charged) image to send, but you get it.  Let me warn you, though, the opening song of Beach Party is a little Stepford Wife robotic & Annette's solo "Treat Him Nicely" has some very scary "treat your mental disorder" moments.  There is also some really awful tips on how to handle a relationship.

Beach Party (1963)

Muscle Beach Party (1964)

Bikini Beach (1964)

Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965)

Back to the Beach (1987)

I am actually planning on watching all of these IN ORDER this summer b/c I am hardcore.  You should also add the classic, Endless Summer  (1966) to your queue.  All of these are old school and are lots of fun.  While Frankie & Annette's are cheesy classics, Endless Summer feels like you are tagging along with these friends/fanatic surfers as they follow the seasons & travel the world in search of the perfect wave.  

To take this nostalgic 60s theme to the next level, go to the drive-in.  If you go to www.DriveInMovie.com, you can find one near you, but if you are in the OKC area, search no further & head over to Winchester Drive-in Movie Theater on Western.  You pay a flat rate (cash only) to see three movies in a row & are more than welcome to bring lawn chairs & booze (as long as you keep alcohol in your car &/or put it in a paper sack like a hobo).  It's cheap & you can feel like you are going back in a time machine as you wear all of your 70s boho-inspired clothing that is in again & drink Colt 45 as you tune your radio so you can hear the movie.  What did I tell you?  Is Summer of Love (part deux) awesome or what?!

I'm not going to give too many more ideas away, b/c I will be using this as my theme for our housewarming party, so you will have to see when all of these elements (& then some) are pulled together.  The drive-in is even rumored to be a part of birthday celebrations as well, so hold your horses.  Hopefully I got you started on some ideas for parties & themes of your own this summer so I would love to hear what you come up with or if you have any more ideas to add.  But please tell me what you think of the Fresh and Onlys and Annette & Frankie b/c I'm head over heels!

the 60s, surfing & love,

bunny

Listen to local & indie bands on The Spy FM, based out of OKC, OK


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6930 S. Western Ave
OKC, OK 73139
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Bring it on down to Omeletteville

a proper lady

What did I tell you?!  I knew I had to work on getting into the habit of writing!  The tale of my nemesis is in the works, but until its completion, lets recap my Saturday night out with some lady friends.  Note that I am not calling it girls' night out (it was labeled NERD NIGHT) b/c it is not that I hate when people say it, I just don't get it.  Do you ever really hear guys say, "It's Dudes' Night Out!"  Nope.  So why do we always label and emphasize this?  Whatever the reason, I am boycotting the phrase b/c I don't understand it.  Like a true American.

I have always been fascinated by roller derby and when I found out that OKC had some teams, I knew I had to go.  There was an interest before Whip It (2009, Barrymore) ------> (this may be annoying, but I feel the need to cite movies essay-style.  If I get one free pass, let it be this), but the movie definitely sparked it even more.  Side note, it's a great movie, you should see it - empowering and easy to connect with.  It can be a quiet movie, but Barrymore did a great job on her first foray into directing, making a very exciting, funny and beautiful film that didn't OD on cheese.

ANYWAYS, film review aside, I wanted to go to a roller derby bout.  I love that these women get on skates with awesome costumes and clever names, like Tori Slaymost or Pain Fonda, and push each other around.  Finally there is a female sport that let's us get as dirty as guys.  There's another thing I have never understood - why do we have to play sports so politely?  It's women against other women, I think we are evenly matched and can handle it.  We might even get a little more support...  but I digress.

I loved the overall atmosphere on top of it all.  It's just a fun place where no one takes themselves seriously as they participate and take in  the bouts and random halftime shows like the belly dancing on Saturday.  What is even better, you see all types of people getting as excited over a bunch of tough bitches as they do at any football game.  It's amazing and it doesn't feel forced or like a preachy femi-Nazi event.  There is an open bar and silent auctions that raise money for the Red Cross.  It's kind of like someone thought of all the things I love and care about, put them in a blender and out popped roller derby.  The Historic Farmer's Market, where all the home bouts happen, was a beautiful building, only adding to the event's charm.  It kind of reminded me of a cross between the Alamo, Ford Theatre & the gym where they have the dance and the floor opens up to a swimming pool in It's A Wonderful Life (1946, Capra).  Most of the ladies I brought with me had never been but had always wanted to go, so it was great to share that.  O yea, I forgot to mention that what started out as a night out for seven of us grew to a crowd of almost twenty totally rad ladies! 

This is a bunny-approved event.  It's about $15 at the door, $14 (after the service fee) online.  It just depends if you want to wait in line or not.  If you know a derby girl it's only $12, so start making friends!  Beer was pretty average prices for bars or event centers ($4-$5/beer).  The event itself is open to people of all ages to come and enjoy.  The big difference that one would notice if they have seen anything on derby, is that they are a flat-track amateur team.  I would think this will change when they join the official league.  *NOTE: I was informed by OKCRD that they will remain flat track!*  This does not take away from the fun and excitement, but is worth noting.  If you want to be up close you can be on the floor with the derby girls but you will most likely be standing unless you get there early.  If you go upstairs, you have a great view of the whole track with a smaller crowd and more opportunities to sit if you wish.

Before that, we went to Big Truck Tacos on 23rd in OKC (near Paseo District).  This was another first for myself and it was a yummy experience.  Yes, I said yummy.  If you don't like it, read another blog.  I got two tacos, a Mexican Coke and some queso which came out to around $10 overall and they had it ready really fast.  The queso is thick and tastes a little like mac & cheese (so num num in my opinion) and is big enough to be shared.  The chips are the tasty & thin homemade kind that are all greased up.  Yup.  Food boners popping everywhere.  But wait!  There's more..  the tacos I got were The Rancher, with brisket, and The Crispy-'cado, with fried avocado, both on corn tortillas (although you can choose flour).  Both highly recommended.  If you aren't sure what a Mexican Coke is, it's just a Coke produced in Mexico that tastes a little different than what we churn out here.  You can get beer, various other Mexican sodas, as well as your standard American ones.  There are sauces of varying heats on every table, so check the temps on the handy chart they give you and try what you can handle; they all compliment the unique twist on traditional Mexican fare that they've got going on.

Big Truck started out as a business of only trucks but eventually bought a Sonic-type building so now you can go sit and eat if you don't feel like tracking down a truck and having outside dining as your only option.  They are usually booming, so there is a bit of a line, but it gives you time to figure yo shit out.  Their loyal legion of fans made t-shirts, coozies and all kinds of other merchandise (even some neat FREE stickers) a mandatory extra you can grab while you wait.

Now, fast-forward to POST-derby, and you will find yourself at The Blue Note, a local blues bar that's been around forever.  I don't know how long and I don't feel like looking it up, so there.  Saturday night, a local indie band, The Gruesome Brothers, was playing followed by The Hex.  Both were really catchy and had an interesting little projector show going on behind them that reminded me a lot of the first "movies" with shadow puppets projected on screens like you see in Coppola's Dracula (1992). 

Cover was $5, so not too bad, and they were running a $5 special of a beer and a shot (both of your choosing).  I love the bar, it reminded me a lot of Blue Velvet (1986, Lynch) with the dingy tone and all the blue lights and blue pool table.  The decor was great with pics of the Blues Brothers and musical notes, there was even an awesome old-school bar sign inside.  Funny, some of the music at derby had reminded me of Blue Velvet too.  If you haven't seen Blue Velvet, it's not really the kind of movie you want to be reminded of in your everyday life.  There were no mystery ears or Dennis Hopper or even his ghost, so it didn't get that weird, it just had its moments.

Anyways, The Blue Note was a great place and we were having a sweet night out BUT I should warn you the bouncer that night was a dick.  He actually felt the need to tell our group that he wanted to kill himself because we annoyed him so much, even though we were really just sitting there having some drinks and some laughs.  I am what some may consider a youngin' still, but have no fear, I was not with a bunch of tweens talking Ke$ha.  I actually spend a majority of my time with people who are in their late 20s/early 30s, so bite me.  Plus, what the hell?  We were a decent sized group, but we minded our own, didn't get in anyone's face and tipped well so the only problem I can think of MUST have been that we were at what is now a hipster hot spot, having actual fun. 

You know the hipsters I am talking about - they have ironic haircuts and wear my dad's old shirts and don't bathe and sip macchiatos while discussing NPR and equal rights but never notice that in the meantime they don't have the decency to smile at the everyday people they supposedly preach for (the people who ACTUALLY enjoy PBR).  You know, those hipsters.  The very same who like a lot of the same things I do but then feel the need to lord it over people like they're fucking Zeus.  Right, those hipsters.  But I digress.  It's a fun place and I will actually go back.  And I love what they preach and even what they practice, but they need to drop the holier-than-thou 'tudes.  And I'm sure my Rage Against the Machine bouncer had just accidentally worn his pants so tight they squeezed the happiness out of him.  Understandable, we've all been there.  So no hard feelings, although I do hope to hear some blues next time, no offense to the very talented bands we heard that night, but I love my blues.  So take advantage of this down ass blues bar with a laid-back, nostalgic atmosphere.

After that, the stragglers of the evening (myself included) made it to IHOP where we had the sweetest waitress that could ever be who talked to us about divorcing her English husband & moving back to the States.  She also talked me into some lingonberry crepes and a raspberry mocha, which were home runs, although my stomach did hurt in the morning.....  Still good and I'd do it again.  We got a few looks there too and I will admit we were a little rambunctious and lewd by that point, but who goes to IHOP at 3AM and expects anything less?

Well thank you for tuning into my exciting evening out with some hilarious and down-to-earth chicas.  Little did I know at the time of planning it, but it ended up being a "Taste of Austin in OKC" between roller derby, truck food and exceptional indie bands in a unique venue.  I hope if you have never been to one or more of these places and events that you will consider them in the future over the standard dinner & a movie and bedtime by 9.  Here's some info to save you the hassle and get you there sooner:

Big Truck Tacos

520 NW 23rd St.

OKC, OK

http://www.bigtrucktacos.com/

follow @bigtrucktacos on Twitter to catch a truck!

OKC Roller Derby

Historic Farmer's Market

311 S. Klein

OKC, OK

http://www.okcrd.com/

Follow @OKCRollerDerby

The Blue Note

2408 N Robinson Ave
Oklahoma City, OK

Follow @blue_note_okc

flowers & sunshine (even for the hipsters),

bunny  

One ring...

So here I am. Finally. I scoured email addresses - old, new, unused & unloved - to figure out where I created a blog before chickening out and abandoning it. Clearly, I found it. I have a journal where I collect all my ideas and handwrite some memories or thoughts, but I need somewhere that someone might accidentally stumble upon it and enjoy themselves or maybe even leave a comment. At least I think that's what I need.

I have dreams of an online (and eventually printed) independent magazine, but I have to get into the habit of writing on a regular basis first. I love to write but I never do it, for fear that it sucks. But enough of why, here's the what:

I want to give you some various thoughts that run through my brain, as well as showcase some things that go on around Oklahoma. When I was visiting my friends in Chicago (one of my favorite cities!), we walked through wonderful neighborhoods and shops and as we went along, I was constantly reminded of some of the hidden gems in OKC and Norman. I'm from Michigan, but in the three and a half years I have lived here, I have even noticed a transition from just churches on every corner to interesting shops, restaurants, galleries, festivals/events & communities being created all around the area and the state. I love Nylon magazine and all the people & places they are always uncovering and I think in many ways Oklahoma and the Midwest are comparable, so let's shine a light and celebrate it, dammit! Especially in a time where it is not as feasible for a person to up and move to a big city. You can have just as many unique connections and experiences without spending a boatload to starve on a corner like a "true artist."

So give me your thoughts, we'll see where this thing goes. I hope to have interviews and projects and play-by-plays of events, maybe even podcasts, but let's just tackle consistently writing. I'm no good at waiting for things to blossom organically, I want to be at the peak of the party, fuck the journey, so this is a learning opportunity for all of us. Including Blossom.  You never know, hats could be a part of learning here.  Anything's possible, right?

Oh, and please call bullshit if necessary.


flowers & sunshine,

bunny