1963 Corvette Grand Sport

616hp, 377 cu. in. pushrod overhead valve aluminum block V8 engine, four-speed manual transmission, independent front suspension with coil springs, independent rear suspension with transverse leaf spring, four-wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 98"

Crazy Horse

I Don't Want Talk About It


Out of all the backing bands Neil Young has recorded and performed with during his long and illustrious career, the best-known of the bunch (and perhaps one of the greatest garage rock bands of all time) remains Crazy Horse. The band's roots lay in the obscure early '60s doo wop band Danny & the Memories, which contained future Crazy Horse members Danny Whitten, Billy Talbot, and Ralph Molina, among others. Although all three would later play instruments in Crazy Horse, the trio focused solely on vocals for this early band, as the group relocated back and forth from the East and West Coasts. After finally settling down in Laurel Canyon in 1966, the members picked up instruments (Whitten the guitar, Talbot bass, and Molina drums) and formed the Rockets.

Joining the trio were additional members Bobby Notkoff (violin), and two other guitarists, Leon and George Whitsell, who all played on the sextet's one and only record, 1968's self-titled debut. Shortly after the album's release, Whitten and Talbot met Neil Young, who had just left Buffalo Springfield and was about to launch a solo career. Young jammed with the Rockets at a gig at the famed Whisky A Go-Go, and immediately asked Whitten, Talbot, and Molina to play on a few new songs he'd written -- "Down by the River," "Cowgirl in the Sand," and "Cinnamon Girl." The trio accepted, playing on the three aforementioned songs and several others for what would become Young's sophomore effort, 1969's classic Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, resulting in the trio breaking up the Rockets to sign on with Young full-time, under the new name Crazy Horse.

go to http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/crazy_horse/bio.jhtml for the complete biography.

No decorrer de sua longa e ilustre carreira, Neil Young tem gravado e se apresentado com várias bandas de apoio, no entanto a mais conhecida entre todas (e possivelmente a maior de todas as garage bands de todos os tempos) continua sendo a Crazy Horse. As raízes da banda datam do início dos anos 60, vindas de uma obscura doo wop banda chamada Danny & The Memories, a qual continha alguns dos futuros membros da Crazy Horse: Danny Whitten, Billy Talbot e Ralph Molina entre outros. Apesar de que todos os três viriam a tocar instrumentos na Crazy Horse, o trio focava sómente nos vocais nessa primeira banda, ao mesmo tempo que se deslocavam de um lado para outro entre as costas este e leste. Sómente quando finalmente se acomodaram em Laurel Canyon em 1966, é que decidiram tocar instrumentos (Whitten guitarra, Talbot baixo e Molina bateria) e assim formaram a The Rockets.

Para ajuntar-se ao trio chegaram os novos membros Bobby Notkoff (violino), e dois outros guitarristas, Leon e George Whitsell. Êsse sexteto gravou um único álbum, auto-intitulado lançado em 1968. Logo após o lançamento desse álbum Whitten e Talbot encontraram Neil Young, que havia acabado de deixar o Buffalo Springfield, e estava para iniciar sua carreira solo.Young mesclou-se com os rockets numa gig na famosa Whisky A Go-Go. e imediatamente pediu a Whitten, Talbot, and Molina para acompanha-lo em algumas canções que êle havia escrito - "Down by the River", Cowgirl in the Sand", and "Cinnamon Girl". O trio aceitou tocar aquelas três músicas e diversas outras no que seria o esforço de Neil Young em 1969 para apresentar Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, resultando com que o trio rompesse com o The Rockets, formando com Neil Young uma nova banda sob o nome de Crazy Horse.

para acompleta biografia (em inglês) http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/crazy_horse/bio.jhtml

1951 Buick LeSabre - Concept Car

One of the most famous concept cars was the 1951 Buick LeSabre. Designed by Harley J. Earl's studio with styling cues from jet fighter planes and used by him for years as an everyday driver. The LeSabre offered a preview of the aircraft styling that followed in the '50s. The '51 LeSabre contained such technological features as a dual gasoline and alcohol fuel system and a moisture sensor which would raise the convertible top if it began raining when the owner was away from the car.
Um dos mais famosos carros conceitos foi o Buick Le Sabre de 1951. Desenhado pelo studio do Harley J. Earl, com toques de estilo tirado dos jatos de caça, foi por anos usado como seu transporte pessoal diário. O Le Sabre ofereceu uma prévia do que seria o estilo aeronáutico, muito em voga nos anos 50. O 51 Le Sabre tinha tais novidades tecnológicas como sistema duplo de combustível: álcool e gasolina, e um sensor que levantava a capota assim que as primeiras gotas de chuva começassem a cair, mesmo que o dono estivesse longe do carro.

The Detroit Crisis - Then and Now

When a steep recession struck the United States 50 years ago, automakers were caught unaware. Car sales plunged in 1958, and the national unemployment rate was 6.8 percent. At a time when Americans were tightening their belts and looking for practical, economical automobiles, all Detroit had to offer were pricey, ostentatious behemoths.

That may sound similar to Detroit’s situation today. Yet the seeds of the Big Three’s current problems were laid in the late 1950s, when the lack of small American cars opened the door to the first large wave of imports, particularly the Volkswagen Beetle.

There was a reason, though, that the Big Three had failed to produce small cars before the 1958-59 recession. A decade earlier, smaller American automakers had tried, and largely failed, to make successful compacts.



Nash seemed to be the only American manufacturer to get the compact formula right. The styling of its Rambler was fresh, distinctive and attractive. But the most important factor that contributed to the original Rambler’s run in 1950-55 was that there was a full line of Ramblers in many body styles. At the side, a 1952 Rambler convertible.

Photo: From the brochure collection of Steve Hayes

The generally accepted explanation for the failure of these Detroit compacts is that nobody cared about fuel economy or small cars.

But they also failed because they had the bad luck of being produced by chronically undercapitalized independent automakers. These compacts were not particularly thrifty, had no distinctive engineering features and rather than being stylish but sensible, they were simply cheap and frumpy. Not surprisingly, they failed to entice Americans. Detroit’s abandonment of the entry-level car market to foreign makes started in the early 1950s.

But they also failed because they had the bad luck of being produced by chronically undercapitalized independent automakers. These compacts were not particularly thrifty, had no distinctive engineering features and rather than being stylish but sensible, they were simply cheap and frumpy. Not surprisingly, they failed to entice Americans. Detroit’s abandonment of the entry-level car market to foreign makes started in the early 1950s.

Manufacturers like Kaiser, Hudson and Chrysler, were in the market offering compact cars, but it’s the Metropolitan by Nash that has the largest following. “Women especially just go nuts for them,”

Quando uma forte recessão afetou os EUA 50 anos atrás, os fabricantes foram pegos de surprêsa. As vendas do setor foram péssimas em 1958, e a taxa de desemprego nacional estava em 6.8 por cento. Num tempo em que os americanos buscavam por automóveis práticos e econômicos, tudo que Detroit tinha a oferecer eram caros e ostensivos “banheirões”.

Parece exatamente o que se passa com Detroit hoje em dia, não é mesmo?

As sementes dos problemas atuais das três grandes montadoras foram plantadas no fim dos anos 50, quando a falta de carros pequenos americanos abriu as portas para a primeira grande onda de importados, particularmente o Fusca. Houve uma razão no entanto, para que as três grandes falhassem em produzir carros pequenos antes da grande queda das vendas de 1958-59: na década anterior, fabricantes menos poderosos haviam tentado e falhado na produção de compactos de sucesso.

Nash pareceu ser o único fabricante americano a ter a fórmula certa para os compactos. O estilo dos seus Rambler era jovem, diferente e atraente. O fator mais importante a contribuir para a boa aceitação inicial dos Rambler entre 1950-55 foi o fato de haver uma linha completa de automóveis, em muitos estilos. Acima o Rambler conversível de 1952.

Foto tirada da brochura da coleção de Steve Hayes.

A explicação geralmente aceita é a de que os fabricante não haviam se preocupado com a economia de combustível daqueles automóveis.

Não sómente por êsse motivo. Os pequenos também falharam, por terem sidos produzidos por fabricantes independentes, cronicamente sofrendo de falta de capital. Aqueles compactosnão tinham nada de econômicos, nenhuma característica de engenharia que os distinguisse dos grandes, e em vez de terem estilo agradável, eram simplesmente de aparência barata e truculent.. Não foi portanto surprêsa, não terem agradado aos americanos. Êsse segmento de mercado foi então abandonado por Detroit, e praticamente entrgue às marcas estrangfeiras, em meados dos anos 50.

Fabricantes como Kaiser, Hudson e Crysler estiveram nesse segmento oferecendo carros compactos, mas foi o Metropolitan da Nash que conquistou a amaioria dos clientes.

“ As mulheres especialmente piravam pelos Metropolitan”.

Beau Jocque, Zydeco's King

Easily the biggest new zydeco star of the 1990s, Beau Jocque heralded the rise
of the genre's new, urbanized style; infusing his high-octane sound
with elements of rock, soul, hip-hop and even reggae, he bridged the
gap between traditional Creole culture and contemporary music to create
a funky, bass-heavy hybrid calculated for maximum mainstream appeal.
Born Andrus Espre in Kinder, Louisiana in 1957, Jocque spent his early
adult years working as an electrician, but in 1987 he suffered a
serious back injury which left him paralyzed from the waist down for
over a year; during his recovery period he picked up his father's Cajun
accordion, but always bored by traditional zydeco, he set about
updating the music more to his own contemporary tastes. Jocque and his
wife Michelle then spent the next five years painstakingly researching
zydeco clubs, discovering which kinds of songs earned the greatest
response from patrons; at the same time he absorbed the music of Boozoo
Chavis, drawn by his propulsive rhythms.
Finnally, in 1991, he formed the Zydeco Hi-Rollers; the band was an
immediate smash in the New Orleans circuit, drawing huge audiences --
many of them new to the Creole dancehall scene -- captivated by their
hard-edged rhythms and Jocque's primal, cavernous vocals. A friendly
rivalry with Chavis also increased his notoriety, and in 1993, the
Hi-Rollers debuted with Beau Jocque Boogie, one of the best-selling
zydeco records of all time. Pick Up on This! followed in 1994, and a
year later they released the explosive live effort Git It, Beau
Jocque!, which featured the hit "Give Him Cornbread." Gonna Take You
Downtown appeared in 1996, followed two years later by Check It Out,
Lock It In, Crank It Up! Beau Jocque. (by Jason Ankeny)

Zydeco (pronounced Zah-dee-ko) is the most contemporary expression of black Creole music. Zydeco, born out of a music called "lala", is a unique form of Black-Creole music native to Southwest Louisiana. The music is said to have originated from many sources, but the influence of the blues and soul music is most significant in its development. The word "Zydeco" has also been translated to mean "snap bean."

The Zydeco tradition of music was built by musicians with little or no formal training who improvised the music of their generation out of the ones that came before them. Zydeco music was born in exile of ancient traditions which found themselves displaced in a New World where elder ways did not stand in the way of new combinations.

Zydeco bands are characterized fundamentally by the use of the "frottoir" (metal washboard) played with thimbles, spoons or bottle openers; and the use of the accordion and the singing of rhythm, blues and soul in Creole French.

Un Jour Comme Un Autre - B.B.

Atriz de importantes filmes como "E Deus fez a mulher", sexy symbol, ícone dos ano 60, passando por uma curta carreira como cantora avant-garde, afinadíssima em minha modesta opinião. Quarenta anos são passados e sua música ainda soa atual.
Ativista, defensora ferrenha dos animais (com especial foco às focas do Ártico canadense)através da sua Fondation Brigitte Bardot. É também escritora de livros polêmicos, quando exerce ativismo de pensamento direitista, nem sempre bem visto, e que tem lhe causado problemas com a justiça francesa.

1938 Buick Y-Job - Concept Car

While cross-town rival Henri Ford was building those basic black model T, and eventually his update model A cars, Alfred P. Sloan Jr., General Motors president saw the company's future in providing style, comfort, color in an ongoing succession of models. Sloan broke design away from the engineering department, and in 1927 created the Art and Color Section of General Motors, with 34-year-old Harley Earl .in charge of the styling of all the company's cars, a position he would hold until he retired in 1959.
Earl is the designer of the first concept car: The Buick Y-Job

Enquanto do outro lado da cidade, o rival Henri Ford estava construindo aqueles básicos modelos T pretos, e eventualmente sua atualização o modelo A, Alfred P. Sloan Jr., presidente da General Motors via o futuro da compania provendo estilo, conforto e cor, numa profusão de novos modelos. Sloan moveu o design do departamento de engenharia e em 1927 criou a Seção de Arte e Cor da General Motors, com Harley Earl, então com 34 anos de idade, no comando do estilo de todos os automóveis da companhia, posição que manteve até sua aposentadoria em 1959.

É de Earl o desenho do primeiro carro-conceito: o Buick Y-Job de 1938

Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino

An Unlikely Movie Star: 1972 Ford Gran Torino

by Damon Bell

I went to see Clint Eastwood's new movie Gran Torino recently. As a certified car nerd, I find it difficult to stay away from any movie that promises significant screen time for interesting cars. This film is actually named after its "star car"--a 1972 Ford Gran Torino--so I figured the titular vehicle must play a key role. Plus, I was intrigued by the unconventional choice for the automotive "lead."

In general, Gran Torino plays out as a fairly conventional Hollywood melodrama with overt Oscar aspirations. Clint Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a freshly widowed Korean war veteran and retired Ford assembly-plant worker. Ol' Walt is a crusty, two-fisted codger who seems to be growing more alienated every day from the changing America around him. He stews over a long list of gripes: His cherub-faced priest is after him to go to confession. His well-off middle-aged son totes his disrespectful, self-absorbed family around in a Japanese-built Toyota Land Cruiser SUV. His dingy middle-class Detroit neighborhood is steadily being taken over by Hmong immigrants from southeast Asia, which fans the flames of his long-held bigotry. This old soldier's supposed "golden years" are shaping up to be a pretty dour, lonely time.

One of Walt's new next-door neighbors is Thao, a sheepish Hmong teenager with problems of his own. Thao is being harassed by a pack of young Hmong thugs who want him to join their gang. They pressure him into attempting to steal Walt's pristine 1972 Gran Torino Sport as an initiation rite, but Walt foils the theft. Soon after, the increasingly aggressive gang members return to pressure Thao again. Walt shoos them away at gunpoint, and becomes a reluctant hero to Thao's family and the rest of the neighborhood. Walt eventually ends up taking Thao under his wing, but the thugs don't relent. Kowalski takes matters into his own hands, leading to a climactic confrontation.

Furthermore, the 1972 model year heralded the sad end of the muscle-car era, and of Detroit's unquestioned dominance of the automotive market. Motown's high-horsepower big-block beasts were suddenly a dying breed, thanks to new emissions regulations, spiraling insurance costs, and a changing social climate. The '72 Gran Torino's highest-horsepower engine option was a lukewarm 248-horsepower 351 V8--a far cry from the 370 horsepower-plus big blocks of just two years prior. And the road ahead for Detroit held depressing developments like 5-mph bumpers that wreaked havoc on sleek styling, an OPEC oil embargo, and sinking quality control standards. Foreign car manufacturers gained a foothold in the U.S. as American buyers began moving to import cars in larger numbers.

Today, a 1972 Gran Torino's swoopy fastback styling, funky graduated "laser stripes," faux hood scoop, Magnum 500 wheels, and white letter tires give it an undeniable nostalgic allure. But it's not going to win many stoplight races, or sell for big money at a Barrett-Jackson auction. In 2009, its appeal to the masses is primarily as a retro, kitschy curiosity. Indeed, Walt's text-messaging, belly-ring-wearing granddaughter lobbies him to pass the car on to her, but she has no genuine affection or respect for it. She sees it only as an ironic, disposable fashion accessory.

Clearly, the makers of Gran Torino didn't just happen upon this car... they chose it very carefully for its symbolic value. Both Walt and his car are products of another time--they don't make 'em like that anymore. A '72 Gran Torino represents the last gasp of the glory days when old-school Detroit reigned supreme... Walt Kowalski's glory days. Today, it's a nigh-forgotten relic, a symbol of an America that no longer exists... just like Walt. It's Walt's personal shrine, a symbol of his idealized memory of the way things used to be. But in the cold light of history, with all sentimentality stripped away, maybe the "good ol' days" weren't so unfailingly great after all. In the end, Walt's Gran Torino shows us that the American dream isn't what it used to be, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. A pitch-perfect job of automotive casting, I'd say.

B.B.

L'appareil a sous

Nue au soleil

Une histoire de plage

Summer Time In The North Coast Of São Paulo

4 weeks spending summer vacations at the North Coast of São Paulo State, before the craziness of carnaval kicks in.

The beaches on that coast are beautiful, like Juquehy on these pictures, in São Sebastião.
It will be a little bit hard to get back to my daily routine

4 semanas veraneando no Brasil, antes das loucuras do carnaval.
Lindas as praias da costa norte de São Paulo, como a de Juquehy, nas fotos acima, no município de São Sebastião.
Vai ser um pouquinho difícil voltar a minha rotina diária.