This serious, though not humorless, encyclopedia of personalities, places, objects and artifacts pertinent to camp has juicy illustrations, intelligent, pithy writing, and an incredible bibliography, and gets bonus points for including both obvious and obscure references in equal measure in a successful attempt to articulate a vision of camp sensibility which encompasses a lot more than the standard drag queens/retro furnishings/”bad-movies-we-love” concept. No “camp-lite” here. MG

Publisher: Plexus
Paperback: 212 pages
Illustrated

The concept of good taste seems to have originated in the late 1600s. The advent of mass production caused mass acquisition and loss of the exclusivity that had invested objects with a sort of good taste status. The word kitsch is derived from turn-of-the-century Viennese slang (verkitschen etwas—to knock off or cheapen). Fast forward to our era where kitsch items, “if owned by somebody with a little more taste and sophistication, [could] be regarded as chic and witty.”
So far, so good. The sections on household goods, ironic collectibles and “God and Mona Lisa” are all well-conceived. The chapter on highbrow art (Dali, Koons, Pop Art, Pierre et Gilles, high-end furniture designer Sotass, and the Memphis design group) is also a high point. However, a case is made by the author that an artist named Vladimir Tretchikoff was the ultimate kitsch artist, without a word about Keane or the multitude of others (Peter Max, Vera, etc.) who might lay claim to that title. Schiaparelli and Lagerfeld are among the designers taken to task in the fashion section. Finally, we get a subjective tour of schlock TV, which the author seems to submit as ultimate proof of his lamentable thesis: “Get into sync with kitsch, for you can’t escape.” SA

Publisher: Plexus
Paperback: 128 pages
Illustrated

“The Mod way of life consisted of total devotion to looking and being cool, spending all of your money on clothes and all your after-work hours in clubs and dance halls. To be part-time was really to miss the point.” In 1962, a magazine called Town noticed a trend among teenagers devoted to a crisp new style and interviewed a number of fresh faces (among these was a 15-year-old Marc Bolan) who dubbed themselves “mods” (short for modernists). This was the first official recognition by the media. These youngsters were a part of the increasingly recognized market segment that had sprung into being after WW II dubbed “teenagers.” They obsessively collected records, with a decided preference for U.S. black vocal groups. They rode around on Vespa motor scooters with as many headlights and as much chrome as they could (il)logically attach to them. They popped amphetamines and paraded around like dandies. Numerous venues catered to them. This book is a pictorial feast featuring over 150 quality photos, advertisements for “mod” styles and reproductions of news clippings (as well as a firsthand account by somebody who ran a club which became a mod stronghold and watched it happen objectively). SA

Publisher: Plexus
Paperback: 128 pages
Illustrated

“‘The Rocker image reflects the experience of working-class life in the mid 20th century—boredom and disenchantment on the one hand and an intoxicating energy and escapist thrill on the other. There is a potency, an epic simplicity about bikes, leathers and rock ‘n’ roll during this period.”
Along with the advent of the “teenager” in 1950s England came the Rocker. Modeled after such icons as Brando, Dean and Elvis, the Rocker’s style was “a very English interpretation of American ‘glamor.’” This book is a chronicle of the evolution of that style, the classic look that has never gone out of fashion. This volume is lavishly illustrated with black-and-white photos and news clippings of Rockers leaning on things, smoking cigarettes, hanging out, dancing, rioting, posing and interacting with motorcycles. Little details such as the cut of jackets and boot types give the pictures a distinctly British feel. Nuances and variations on the theme are illustrated. This book covers a huge hunk of time (by fashion standards) in which a style has remained remarkably constant. SA

Publisher: Plexus
Paperback: 128 pages
Illustrated

This book about car culture hails from England, which gives it a certain objectivity. It also means that European cars are placed in a historical context. Included is a lot of design history and its relation to consumer priorities: “But even here, and perhaps above all here, logic and necessity play only a small part. The architectural dictum that form should follow function rarely entered the thoughts of most car designers until very recently. Their job was, and is, to stimulate and satisfy desire; to express an ideal of proportion and line, and to provide a symbol of the aspirations of the age.” Roland Barthes called their work the exact equivalent of the great Gothic cathedrals: “The supreme creation of an era, conceived with passion by unknown artists and consumed in image if not in usage by a whole population which appropriates them as purely magical objects.”
A large part of the text is devoted to customizers and hotrodders and their impact on design. Even the Ant Farm’s “Cadillac Ranch” logically works its way into the mix. We are introduced to the world of specialized hotrodding publications and the influence of icons like Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. Custom-car shows are described: “The quest for show points reached ludicrous heights. Cars were set on clouds of cotton wool, bathed in sympathetic light and finished in such extravagant detail that they had to be towed to the venues.” The role of the car as an image in advertising and movies is scrutinized, and the automobile in fine art is also given its due, including examples by Warhol, Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein and Dali. But this very well-conceived text takes a back seat to the copious stroke-book quality photographs. Being caught actually reading the text is akin to claiming that you’re only reading that issue of Playboy for the articles. SA

Publisher: Plexus
Paperback: 144 pages
Illustrated

“Exposes the truth behind the coy smiles, curls and bows—a heritage of wide-eyed innocence which left a trail of broken hearts, ruined careers and forgotten glory. The private lives and careers of more than 40 Hollywood Lolitas are explored, revealing how the changing tastes of nymphet-hungry audiences dictated a nymphet’s appeal—or downfall.” The message here is that pedophilia is the cornerstone of the movie business. Read up on how stars as diverse as Deanna Durbin, Jodie Foster and the Gish sisters built major careers by exploiting the movie audience’s hunger for pre-adolescent female coochie, usually with an encouraging stage mother/pimp lurking on the sidelines. MG

Publisher: Plexus
Paperback: 192 pages
Illustrated

“Rock ‘n’ Roll Babylon casts a jaundiced eye on the antics of such overblown stars as Axle Rose, Michael Jackson and Sting and those who became victims of their own lifestyles—Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Sid Vicious, Freddie Mercury and Kurt Cobain.” Plus great writing and plenty of dirty pictures! MG

Publisher: Plexus
Paperback: 224 pages
Illustrated