‘Living on the fringes’ Charging into Hippos' newly leased factory, three fire marshals unannounced, and intent on checking for fire code violations! So "who's in charge here?", they shout, and all fingers point to Jeff. Scanning the factory, they state that no business can operate here without a back fire exit door! Get it done and we’ll return. So nodding my head in agreement with visions of being out on the street, unable to print up the current order for Grateful Dead tour shirts, due in two days! What'll we do, I toss at Barry. Once again ‘living on the fringes’ circling the drain, … [Read more...]
Led Zeppelin Experience
'Livin' on the Fringes' - Our Led Zeppelin Experience Hippo got the call... Our art work had been approved for T-shirts for the "Day on the Green," or as we called it D.O.G. day, to be held at the Oakland Coliseum and produced by Bill Graham Presents. They were amazing events attended by over 55,000 fans who came to see world famous rock groups play on that stage. Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones, Carlos Santana, Journey, The Who, Simon & Garfunkel, Bruce Springsteen, and of course the subjects of our Led Zeppelin experience, were but a few of the great bands who held court at this … [Read more...]
Life of a Silk-Screener
Life of a Silk-Screener "Livin' on the fringes" My email to Ken and Pat at Graphic Sportswear a few weeks ago ... "Think we should write a book titled "The Life of a Silk-Screener?!" You know why? Silk-screeners are the first to get the buzz about happening events, rock concerts, and the cool scene. Now we have to get all those T-shirts done before the event, so that usually means the person placing the order has to supply us with tickets for great seats. And great seat usually gets us a lot of new friends ( i.e. tall hot blondes). After we get to the concert we get to go back … [Read more...]
THEN – The Late ’60s and it’s Getting Wild!
Moving from Boston / Cape Cod - to Greenwich Village in NYC, a whole new world was opening up. I would hear Timothy Leary say "tune in, turn on and drop out." Right before my eyes, friends where in a suit and tie one week, THEN the next week, long hair a dazed look and experimenting with whatever. NYC was a blast, it was a whole new scene - a bunch of us would dress up like it was Halloween & go out to dinner - tell the waiters "no 'silverware and eat like Vikings. No one looked twice, it was the beginning of the 'what ever era. I just had to be part of the 'happenings'. Hearing … [Read more...]
Then…
Rock-n-Roll T-Shirts Born! Working out of a garage late at night, we printed a line of generic t-shirts, Superman, peace sign, marijuana leaf, and a few more. Stuffing the samples in an old film case, I set out for the artsy areas of San Francisco in the '70s, plus Sausalito, Berkeley, etc. THEN the day came. Going store to store in Mill Valley with no luck! Finally my last stop and the store owner said, "We don't want your T-shirt designs, but by the way, can you print 200 t-shirts by Monday?" Yes, of course! Somehow we managed to do just that, and that was the beginning of Rock-n-Roll … [Read more...]
