...And the third original at the "Pick of the Litter" show is -


"The Litter"

Nice one - the best of the three in my opinion.

Just a few more days until the show opens in Denver at the DC Gallery.

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Forgot to post this months ago when the "Heroes and Monsters" book came out but Shag name-drops Ryohei Yanagihara -


Ryohei Yanagihara created the "Uncle" character for Suntory Whiskey advertisements.

This guy likes to drink.


Picture lifted from this site.






These three pictures taken from this site.

To see "Uncle" in action, watch the intro to the Suntory site and/or see a ad in Real or WMP format on this page (scroll down a bit and click the Real or WMP icon depending on your bandwidth and player preference).

There's a book available for sale and short bio (in Japanese) here - Altavista's Babelfish translation of the page is too screwed up to post here.

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Other influences that Mr Agle has mentioned over time in articles/interviews -

Gene Deitch
Jim Flora
Saul Bass

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Oh yes... The "Heroes and Monsters" book released by Outre Gallery is still available for sale (in softcover) for only twenty bucks (postage included). The book has an excellent interview with Shag and also has Shag's bon mots concerning each canvas from the H/M shows throughout the book.

Egads, did I just use the word "bon mot"? On that note... What am I doing using the word "egads"?

(Thanks go out to "The Most Wonderful Baker of Electric Toast" for the Merriam-Webster Online link - I wholeheartedly recommend you select a more current [meaning "hip"] pseudonym if you want to take part in further proceedings.)

Okay, I pooped the bed not once, but twice, in the last entry...

#1 - The "Desert Polynesia" shirt I referenced isn't a fake/bootleg...

Yes, that is a real t-shirt. Those were produced by the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation in 2002, the front has a small pic and says 'a tiki weekend in Palm Springs' November 2002.
They were also sold at the Palm Springs Modernism show in Feb. 2003 when Shag released the Desert Polynesia Print. That's when we bought ours, my boyfriend wears it all the time. I don't remember how much they were, maybe $15 or $20?

A tip of my Little House on the Prairie-era bonnet to Ms. Moreland for setting me straight.

#2 - Forgot to add an article link where Nash Agnew (aka Shag) wrote an article for The Continental about Pete Ciccone, Art Chantry, and himself called "The Look Of Surf, Garage And Trash."

Shag pulls a "James Brown" when interviewing himself, doing the whole "3rd person reference" thing that annoys the hell out of me. Unless you're James Brown, please don't do it.

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On the subject of Palm Springs, next year's Palm Springs Modernism Show has already been scheduled for February 18-20, 2005.

No idea yet if Shag be taking part again - perhaps there will be a scheduling conflict with another collectible toy show?

Still Available (unless their web-sites aren't telling the truth)

8 Ball Webstore is giving away the "Destination...8 Ball!" poster free to anyone that makes a purchase of $75.00+ in their store.

Double Down Saloon in Vegas is selling an early poster by Shag from NYE 1994 for $30.00.

Not easy to find on their web-site, but Tiki Farm still has the Hot Wheels/Shag/Tiki Farm collaborations, "Vitua's Vessels," sets for sale at $200.00.

Starlite Room still has a few "Hide-A-Way Cocktail Cabinets" left. Well worth the three-hundred bucks.

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What do you think - is this a legitimate shirt? Never seen or heard of one of these before (and knowing the eBay scalpers, they'd have been selling these for obnoxious prices).

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House!

The folks at House Industries have put together a really good book (that was also kinda educational) to chronicle their history.

Planning to get one of the Neutra Boomerang Chairs they're selling once we move back to the US. Anyone know who ended up with this one from four x four?



Notice that Mr. Neutra is relaxing next to the original "Shag Object d'Art"?



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Clearing out the links I have saved in my 'Favorites' folder, so here's a few good articles/interviews from years past:

The ModCulture interview that has been noted on Shag's "News" page for some time

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Excerpt from Atomic Magazine's "For the Love of Tiki" from 2002

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OC Weekly's "Shagadelic!" from August 2002.

OC Weekly also complied "The 129 Greatest OC Bands Ever" with:

62. The Swamp Zombies
75. The Tiki Tones

Both ranked higher than "129. The Righteous Brothers" (cue immature barfing noise)

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Speaking of The Tiki Tones... Here's an older (August 18, 1996) article about the whole mid-90's surf revival with quotes from Mr. Agle "Riding a '60s Splashback"

...and an "action photo" of Shag playing with the Tiki Tones at "The Dionysus Demolition Derby 1997"

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Lotta Living is hosting the archive to "On the Town," which used to be on 88.5 FM KCSN, and they had a Shag interview back in January 2001. (Note the "Music Playlist.")

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"I See Lowbrow People," a review of Shag's "Bottomless Cocktail" show at La Luz (and Mark Ryden's "Bunnies and Bees") by LA Weekly. Nice title for an article...

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OC Metro deemed Shag to be one of "The Hot 25 Who Move Us" for 2001.

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Interview with Shag about his album cover work for The Dickies.

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Interview from 2003 (I think) by Est. 1987

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A short, but interesting, interview by KittyKitty.

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A very cheesy press release by Surrey Books to promote Shag's "Shag Party" book.

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Odd link... Shag's "The Sky Lounge" used in Dr. Andrew Wood's Spring 2003 course, "COMM 171 Visual Communication," within the Modern Architecture section at San Jose State University.

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Home and Garden Television (HGTV) had Shag as part of their "Tiki Collecting" segment from the "Ultimate Collectors" TV show.

Home and Garden Television? You folks in the US have way too many TV channels...

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Kaffeine Buzz's interview with Shag to coincide with Th'Ink Tank's "Our Deadly Affair" from February 2003.

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Poster Pop's biography for Shag.
Too bad the "Spy Lounge" cartoon never happened...

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Red Robin... That's some good eatin'! Anyone out there have pic's of the Shag themed items?

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The Washington Post printed "The Shagadelic Scene" to coincide with Good Eye's print show from last year, "The Pleasure Show."

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Character3.com spoke with Shag back in early 2002 - interesting interview (albeit somewhat difficult to read).

gill-
how did you hook up with juxtapoz?
shag-
They called me one day and said they wanted to do an article on me. I was surprised, because Robert Williams, the "founder" really dislikes my work. But the editor, owner and curator of the magazine like my work, so I guess they won the argument.

...and how many times has Shag been even mentioned in Juxtapoz since then (except for advertisements)? Once - a two-page article in issue #44 (May/June 2003).

I used to be nuts about Robert Williams, but that was also when I was fourteen...





Well, that should do it for at least an hour or two - I'll try my best to offend more than just fans of The Righteous Brothers and Robert Williams (those over the age of 14) next time.

An update to Shag's site, still no update to ShagMart (37 days and counting)...

Shag will be doing a booksigning at the LA County Museum of Art on June 17 at 9:30pm as part of an all-night party called Tiki 'Til Dawn. The free event is to introduce the Museum to people who might not otherwise visit it, and will include music, films and fashion shows. Admission is free. The booksigning will be held in the museum's Central Court. Other authors and artists scheduled to sign include Sven Kirsten (Book of Tiki), Gary Baseman, Robbie Conal and Graham Nash. This will be Shag's only booksigning in the LA area in 2004.

(Anyone out there honestly believe that people will venture past the book-signing area to look at the exhibits within the LACMA?? Me neither. So, expect a whole bunch of autographed items being sold on eBay on June 18th....)

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The Upcoming Shows page has been updated -

Shag will be a participating artists taking part in the BearBrick World Tour at the Parco Department Store's Museum in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, from June 12th to the 28th.

Betting Shag will not be there, but a 3 inch plastic figure decorated in his style will be.

What's a Bearbrick? It's about the same size of a LEGO figure, but with bear-like features (namely the head/ears). They're made by Medicom (who also made the Flank vinyl toy).

(Now, before anyone asks... No, I will not be in attendence at the show so therefore I will not be buying any Shag-themed Bearbricks.)

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From July 10th to August 1st, Shag will be a participating artist in yet another show based on toy cr@p. This time, Ox-Op Gallery in Minneapolis, Minnesota, will be hosting Qeedrophonic.

What's a Qee? Who really cares? (I certainly don't.) Doing a Google, it looks like they're made by Toy2R.

Anyhoo, the Ox-Op show will have "one of a kind custom painted/altered/etc. 8" Qee Toys (Hong Kong's Toy2R Co.) from 35 artists - Mpls/LA/Tokyo."

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This collectible toy fad is annoying. Just my opinion.

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The Gallery page has been updated too -

Pick of the Litter will have three originals and twenty-five out of print serigraphs.




Original Paintings -

"The House Guest"

"The Hitcher"

Coming Soon
(my personal favorite)

Serigraphs -

The Big Mug
The Bird Chair
Blue Miles
Cocktail Delivery
Coolest Ghouls
Dangerous Women (Show Print)
Death's Unending Vacation
Departure/Stopover/Arrival
The Enviouis Girlfriend
The Game of Life
The Gift
Green Wahine
Idol Conversation
The Impossible View
Inside the Volcano
Missing Suitors
Night Birds
The Pick Up
The Red Phone
Roma Adventure
Smiling Widow
Three Black Crows
The Unchecked Anger of Alf Charles
Vice Monkeys
Vinegar Girl

Shag's site sez "For pricing and availability, please contact the gallery, but DC gallery has this to say from their e-mail newsletter:

Show Prints will be sold 1st come 1st served! Opening Attendees Only! No Phone Orders!

(Too bad, I'd love to get my hands on a Dangerous Women serigraph...)

Don't forget you can order the show print via PayPal using this here link.

Alrightey, is it "The Melancholy Werewolf" or "The Melancholy Wolfman"?

(I always thought it was a Wolfman, but what do I know?)

News from DC Gallery in Denver:

Pick of the Litter
Prints and Originals by: SHAG

June 4th - July 1st, 2004

Opening Reception, Friday, June 4th, 7 - 10pm

Art, Music, Booze and Schmooze! Meet the Artist: Josh Agle from LA. Live Music by DJ Dave Kerr. Don't Miss it!

DC Gallery is very pleased to present, in his second show in Denver, one of the most recognized artists of our time… SHAG! If you were one of the 300+ attendees of last years show at Th'Ink Tank, you were probably in awe of how much attention a SHAG show can create. His works have captured the heart of popular culture and with it, fans from all levels of society. While his originals are nearly impossible to come by (being snatched up as soon as they are made) SHAG has kept his art accessible to the general public by releasing numerous limited edition serigraphs. These Serigraphs have taken on a life only comparable to baseball trading cards; highly sought after, coveted and skyrocketing in value over time. Once advised by a New York dealer that if he were less prolific he could charge considerably more, make larger commissions and work less, SHAG replied, ”I like to work”. SHAG dismissed the idea, preferring to ignore the “Art World Elite” and stay accessible through prints and merchandising, and follow the road of artists such as Keith Haring. Not only is his art accessible, so is SHAG; preferring to be at all his openings and visit with the fans. Last year Denver received one of the highest compliments; SHAG touted his Denver show as “one of his favorites”. This coming from someone who has an exhausting schedule of 8 shows per year all over the world, including regular shows in Paris, Tokyo, LA and New York. But then again, we always knew Denver was spectacular!


Show Prints will be sold 1st come 1st served! Opening Attendees Only! No Phone Orders! On Friday, Please form a line and your name will be taken and a number will be issued. Doors will open promptly at 7pm!

If you would like to be placed on the waiting list for originals, please call 303-733-4401

New from SHAG!
Shag will be releasing a new limited edition serigraph at his DC Gallery show. Opening Reception Attendees will have a special opportunity to purchase this new print at the discounted price of $175.00. Those who are not attending the opening may pre-purchase below.

"The Melancholy Werewolf"
Signed & Numbered Serigraph, Edition of 250
13.5" x 18.5"

$200.00

That's a very good price... $225.00 with shipping. Nice that they let you use PayPal too!

For those lucky enough to be in the Denver area, the address of the DC Gallery is:

125 Broadway
Denver, CO 80203
Phone # - 303-733-4401
Hours- Tuesday - Sunday, 12 - 6 PM

Had some free time and threw together a discography (of sorts) of Mr. Agle's musical work. It has the not very original name of "The Covetous Neighbor - Muzak Edition."

It doesn't cover releases where Shag just did the design/album art - I might work on that later.

Any suggestions/corrections/additions would be greatly appreciated.

"Pick of the Litter" opens at DC Gallery in almost two weeks!

The pick of the litter is "Print show" of Josh's artists' proofs and 3 small originals.

Part of the title comes from the werewolf image from the show.

Also, we are releasing an edition, "The Melancholy Werewolf" image as seen in the ad.

Although I don't know the exact price yet, they will be very reasonable, in keeping with our philosophy.

They also sent a JPEG of the image:




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Here's a very cool site, Expresso Beans, to track all your Shag swag (among other artists).

I just joined (as "BaronV") and entered the majority of my collection into their database - I never noticed how many Shag prints/posters/mugs/etc. my wife and I own. I could have bought myself a nice bass boat with that cash.

(A respectful tip o' the non la to Chip!)

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Expresso Beans had a link to an article/bio from the OC Metro with Mr Agle as one of their "Hot 25" for 2001.

I see this line in almost every bio about him:

His works eventually appeared in publications such as Time, Entertainment Weekly and Forbes.

Anyone remember seeing any of these illustrations and/or have copies of these images?

FAVORITE BOOK: "Cat's Cradle," by Kurt Vonnegut

Not my favorite book by Vonnegut - I'm not that much of a kiss-ass, I'm more of a Slaughterhouse Five and Jailbird type - but Mr Agle has taste (even with the cheesy 'stash he's sporting in the OC Metro's pic).

I got a few e-mails about this in the past day or so, but I waited until I got "official" word from the Earl McGrath Gallery in NYC.

We are selling the print "Adam And Eve". If you would like to see "Adam and Eve", please see our web site (www.earlmcgrathgallery.com). It's $500 and available through us. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Emma Rivers

Earl McGrath Gallery
www.earlmcgrathgallery.com

I know nothing about print making (and various other subjects), but I was thinking with it being four-color and 14 X 32 inches, maybe it would be $350. $400 tops.

This is the same gallery that put out The Masquerade Party for $500.00 - the average selling price these go for on eBay is $362.09. (Off subject a bit, but it always bothered me that the serigraph was elongated vertically compared to the original.)

I think I'll be waiting until a greeting card or placemat (laminated print!!) is released with the "Adam and Eve" image.

Well, I've just started looking forward to DC Gallery's "Pick of the Litter" show.

I've been seeing those Shag beach towels on eBay going for 25 to 30 bucks... Let's cut out the middle man!

Thanks to my trusty assistant Google, I found that the towels are an "exclusive" from Bed Bath & Beyond.

There are three designs for sale on-line - Dance Beat, Oola Boola, Hottie Cat - each going for $14.99.




Odd how that BB&B has four different styles pictured here, but only three styles for sale.

UPDATE - E-Mail fom Bed Bath & Beyond:

We regret to inform you, we do not carry the Monkey Lounge towel in the
Shag Style Beach Towels.

Shag licensed the designs to Divatex (site coming soon) late last summer/early fall.

Home Textiles Today has two different press releases from March 2004 about upcoming Divatex/Shag releases - shorter one from March 19th and the one from March 22nd is a bit longer.

Divatex's beach towel collection will begin shipping in early April, rolling out first in the specialty store channel. Divatex is launching with four designs, all 34-by-64 inches. Two skus are fiber reactive prints and two are double jac velours. Retails will range from $15 to $20, Zamir said.

In bedding, Divatex will debut six patterns, "with more to come," Zamir added. Divatex will offer printed sheets in a variety of thread counts and constructions, including jersey knit and flannel. Shag will also be offered on printed top-of-bed. Product will be packaged as complete ensembles, sets, mini-sets or open stock, according to the retailer's preference, Zamir said.

"The appeal is young, urban. It attracts fashion aficionados. But it's also got strong looks for back to school," he said.

Anyway, LDB Interior Textiles has a photo tucked into this lengthy article from March 2004 of a "Shag Tiki Bars sham."

I'm a guy - what's a sham?

Here's a trimmed pic:




Just asked the wife what a "sham" is - it appears to be a fancy word for "pillow case that would be really uncomfortable to sleep on." Great...

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Tyler Durden: Do you know what a "duvet" is?
Narrator: It's a comforter...
Tyler Durden: It's a blanket. Just a blanket.

Saw the press release for unCulture a few weeks back -

This alternative art movement is gaining momentum and the artists in this landscape are garnering considerable recognition. To keep up to date with emerging artists, unCulture provides a “conservatory” to browse influential and up-coming underground artists, and an on-line shop full of limited-edition collectibles and off-the-wall curios.

unCulture is an art portal where admirers can learn about alternative artists and gallery events. A California-based company, unCulture is committed to introducing up-coming and established artists, and to providing artist-designed curios and subculture lifestyle accessories to collectors everywhere.

It appears very promising, I like the Gallery Links page and the fact that they're not focusing attention on artists who they have in their on-line shop.

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M Modern Gallery's "I Dream of Tiki" Group Show has been extended until the end of May. The "Bubbles Does Palm Springs" will be in teh front of the gallery, "IDoT" in the back.

Hurm, the M Modern site says that Bubbles wrote a few tunes for Earth, Wind, & Fire back in "the Day" (as the kids call it).

Quick plug - M Modern just put up an on-line ordering system via CCNow. They still have copies of the "Palm Springs Serenade" twelve-color serigraph available for sale (and a wide selection of Tim Biskup prints too).

"Before the Eviction" opened at the Earl McGrath Galley in NYC this weekend.

Isn't this a gorgeous print?




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With the Outre's "Heroes & Monsters" shows being about Greek mythology and Earl McGrath's "Before the Eviction" concerned with Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden... Any ideas what the theme will be at DC Gallery's "Pick of the Litter"?

Maybe a Shag-a-Delic tribute to Woodsy Owl?

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"Shag's Tiki Drinks Deck: 52 Ways to Shake Your Way to Paradise" (ISBN: 1572840633) is available for sale.

A few places (and eBay) have "Shag's Tiki Drinks Calendar 2005" available (ISBN: 1572840625).

Looking at the Surrey Books web-site, there's a blurb for *groan* more "Pink Panther" anniversary stuff. This time it's the "Pink Panther Cocktail Party" book...




New pool scene on the front page of the PP site with Shag in a "Little Globe Chair" designed by Pierre Paulin (please correct me if I'm wrong – I’ll be the first to say I don’t know diddley).




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Hint Mint has sent official word about the Shag designed tins.




Want to become a "Hint Mint Connoissaur"? Take the "Connoisseur Aptitude Test" on the Hint Mint web-site - it comes up as a Pop-Up, so turn your Pop-Up Blocker off for a moment.

1. All of the Above
2. Douglas Rogers
3. 2000

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Not sure if it's still available, but on May 6th the original for "Night Birds" was put on sale on ShagMart's Consignment page for $6,000. Let's hope it takes a while before it ends up on eBay...

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No update to ShagMart's News page since the 20th of April - here's hoping the scoop on how to score the "Adam & Eve" print is posted soon!

Testing to see if BloggerBot works - looks like it does...

(i like this template, it reminds me of the LP cover for Air's "Premiers Symptomes" EP.)