Last Chance: Fans are gathering in Portmeirion next week to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Prisoner- and there some tickets available! From the press release: "Who are the warders and who are the prisoners? The Prisoner, Patrick McGoohan’s visionary television series, reaches the half century of its first UK transmission in September. In celebration, Network is returning to the place where it all began - the village, aka Portmeirion, to host a one day event for the launch of our new feature-length documentary plus a brand new Blu-ray and DVD edition. This unique day will bring together surviving cast, crew and other special guests alongside screenings of key episodes from brand new 35mm prints, Q&A’s, installations and more. The centre piece will be the world premiere of Chris Rodley's new feature-length documentary In My Mind, followed by a very special 35mm presentation of Arrival at 7.30pm, 50 years to the minute of its UK premiere. At the event ticket-holders will receive a special goodie bag, including the Prisoner 50th Limited Edition ahead of its official release date. All 17 episodes feature brand new detailed text commentaries and a wealth of newly produced special features, including the documentary feature In My Mind, unseen footage and much more." Special guests include: PETER WYNGARDE; "best known as smooth operator Jason King, but the year before his Department S debut, he occupied Number Two’s globe chair in one of The Prisoner’s best-loved and most iconic episodes, Checkmate. We’re very pleased to welcome Mr. Wyngarde back to the village – you’ll be seeing him there on September 29. JANE MERROW is a familiar face from the ITC canon, clocking up appearances in Danger Man, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), The Saint, The Baron and UFO in addition to her memorable appearance in The Prisoner episode The Schizoid Man – in which she played one of the few villagers whom we know by name, Alison." More about the 50th anniversary boxset from Network: "This deluxe edition also includes an updated edition of Andrew Pixley’s definitive and highly-regarded book on the series, lavishly illustrated with rare and unpublished photographs and a newly remastered 6-CD soundtrack of the specially composed music scores by Albert Elms, Wilfred Josephs and Robert Farnon, Ron Grainer’s themes and the Chappell music library pieces altogether in one set for the first time." Tickets available atNetwork. They will likely sell out quickly, so I hope some Spy Vibers can make it! I've been able to visit Portmeirion every summer for the past few years, including some extended stays in the village (Sadly, they always let me leave). I haven't edited the most recent photographs from July, but you can see images from my previous visits at: Portmeirion Photography 1, and Portmeirion Photography. Looking for more 60s spy events? Check out the upcoming Spy-Fi event and exhibit with Danny Biederman in LA. Hey, did you know Spy Vibe recently passed Two Million visitors? That was an exciting milestone! In other news, check out my episodes of the Cocktail Nation radio show, where I introduce classic spy films/TV series and play soundtracks and rare cuts: Episode #1 (Danger Man) and Episode #2 (The 10th Victim), Epsiode #3 (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), Episode #4 (Roger Moore/The Saint), andEpisode #5 (The Avengers). Episode #6 (The Prisoner). Coming up next: The Ipcress File. Enjoy!
Upcoming Event: Hello, Chief? If you ever wanted to see the original screen-used props and costumes from 1960s spy shows and films, your chance is coming up soon as LA prepares for a special event and exhibit. Danny Biederman (The Incredible World of Spy-Fi) will be hosting an evening at the Hollywood Heritage Museum in October! This is a rare opportunity for Spy Vibers to see his amazing collection up close. From the press release: "On Tuesday, October 17th, 2017 at 7:30PM Hollywood Heritage and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will be kicking off the new season of the Evening @ the Barn series with a unique event on a special night! The Incredible World of Spy-Fi will feature a discussion on and a selection of Danny Biederman's world-famous original props from iconic spy movies and TV shows. Included in the display will be the famous shoe phone from Get Smart and the pen communicator from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Mr. Biederman will also be selling and signing copies of his book The Incredible World of SPY-FI. Following an intermission, the museum will present a screening of Mr. Biederman's "Hollywood Spytek", a documentary that contrasts the similarities between real spies and their fictional counterparts. The event will also feature a display of vintage spy toys from the 1960s! Don't miss this very rare opportunity to view Mr. Biedermans spy artifacts which have previously been displayed at the CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia and the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. There will also be a raffle consisting of related DVDs and books! Seating is limited. Doors open at 7:00PM. Free parking is available in the Hollywood Bowl Lot D." Tickets available here. If you haven't seen Danny's book yet, I highly recommend it. Just seeing pages devoted to Patrick Macnee's bowler and Diana Rigg's leather trousers from The Avengers is worth the price of admission! Below: images from Get Smart and a previous exhibit (posted by The Hitorialist). Hey, did you know Spy Vibe recently passed Two Million visitors? That was an exciting milestone! In other news, check out my episodes of the Cocktail Nation radio show, where I introduce classic spy films/TV series and play soundtracks and rare cuts: Episode #1 (Danger Man) and Episode #2 (The 10th Victim), Epsiode #3 (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), Episode #4 (Roger Moore/The Saint), andEpisode #5 (The Avengers). Episode #6 (The Prisoner). Coming up next: The Ipcress File. Enjoy!
One of my all-time favorite records is Kabuki and Other Traditional Music by Ensemble Nipponia (Nihon Ongaku Shūdan). A teacher made me a tape of it back when I was a senior in boarding school. I lived in a log cabin in the woods at the time, and I still have vivid memories of playing the tape in my battery-operated tape deck and hearing those sounds for the first time. My first impressions of Kabuki and Noh music, which can include some haunting vocalizations, was that it was pretty weird and a bit comical. I even carried the humorous interpretation into college when my roommate and I created a comedy routine/satirical Noh performance using dialog from our Japanese textbook. But over time my understanding and appreciation of traditional Japanese music and theater deepened. I think I started to hear the humanity and tragedy in many of the pieces. I then became an avid collector of Kabuki, Noh, Gagaku, and the more accessible forms of shakuhachi, koto, shamisen, and taiko music. So you can understand my glee when this video crossed my radar today. The video features an interesting ensemble that includes wadaiko (Keita Kanazashi), kotsuzumi drum/vocal (by the amazing Kaho Aso), accordion (Hirofumi Nakamura), and clarinet (Hidehito Naka). So why share it with Spy Vibers? The group plays a really cool cover of the James Bond theme, drawing on traditional Japanese and European/Jazz elements. You can hear it on the Fusion: East Meets West omnibus album (Amazon, AmazonUK, and iTunes). The project features various groups who blend traditions to cover classic tunes (the 007 theme is my fave of the bunch). NHK's video below starts with a nice intro to Kaho Aso and her drum. Enjoy! So... Spy Vibe just passed Two Million visitors yesterday. That was an exciting milestone! In other news, check out my episodes of the Cocktail Nation radio show, where I introduce classic spy films/TV series and play soundtracks and rare cuts: Episode #1 (Danger Man) and Episode #2 (The 10th Victim), Epsiode #3 (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), Episode #4 (Roger Moore/The Saint), andEpisode #5 (The Avengers). Episode #6 (The Prisoner). Be seeing you!
We've just just passed two million visitors! Thanks to everyone for joining me in the Spy Vibe lair over the years. It's been so fun to explore "1960s Style in Action" with you. I was first inspired to make this site when actor Patrick McGoohan (Danger Man, The Prisoner) died and I felt a blog would be a good way to celebrate my passion for Cold War-era pop culture and design. Little did I know spyvibe.com would connect many of us to a larger community of fans and writers. Over the years I've had a chance to share some of my own publishing and film projects (I still have a spy novel and a non-fiction book in the works!), and I've enjoyed talking to many of you collectors, authors, and artists to help get your projects out there on the radar. And most recently I have teamed up with the Cocktail Nation radio show from Australia to help introduce some great spy classics and rare recordings. But now, two million? You know, I had a pretty neat small-world experience this summer when I was touring filming locations from The Avengers in England. I handed my card to a fellow fan on the bus and he looked at it for a moment. And then he paused with a quizzical look on his face. Finally he said, "Oh, we know each other! I once won a Spy Vibe contest and you sent a Blu-ray edition of The 10th Victim to me in Australia!" That contest was back in 2011, after I helped Blue Underground with content for their Hi-def release. Sometimes we all probably feel like our own pad is far from the action, but this experience taught me that we are indeed a tribe. Again, thank you to all the Spy Vibers out there for being a part of this cultural celebration.Stay tuned to Spy Vibe for more interviews, articles, news, contests, events, and project announcements. To the next two million!
