The same artistic brilliance to be found on Chicago’s city roadsides is abundant in its older suburbs.
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RIP Don Knotts, comic genius
Don Knott’s death Friday at 81 is a great loss, even though Knotts’ real talent will hardly receive its just appreciation amidst the inevitable references to Barney Fife and Mr. Furley. Although the Barney character certainly deserves the accolades it receives, Mr. Furley encapsulates much of the tragedy that dogs brilliant comedians. Thus Knotts achieved a kind of perfection on the Andy Griffith Show, and amazingly extended it further in a series of movies that Hollywood unfortuately pegged to the children’s market. But those movies, forced like many of the Marx Brothers’ best films into a fundamentally compromised format, allowed
Continue readingSignage Update
I’ve added some new signs in the course of reorganizing how I present them. I’ve mostly separated Chicagoland signs from the rest of the world and I’ve reorganized most of Western Avenue Art Gallery signs into geographical pages rather than thematic. This makes it far more likely that I’ll get signs posted, since it makes them much easier to post. Check out the four new groups: Western Avenue Clark Street Pilsen Varieties
Continue readingThe 47th Street Art Show
47th Street is one of Chicago’s great signage thoroughfares. Here are some recent finds.
Continue readingMore pictures
More new or upgraded pictures from some favorite locations:
Continue readingFresh look at classic gyros
New pictures of the great — now destroyed — gyros signs from Hellas Gyros on Bryn Mawr, “Home of the Gyros.”
Continue readingXmas Gift of the Year
This great embroidery is by Anne Weitze.
Continue readingNew Vernacular Signs
More vernacular signs from Chicago’s North Side. This great work is all part of the Western Avenue and Vicinity Art Gallery.
Continue readingNew St. Eom Drawings
A pair of fashion sketches by Eddie Owens Martin are now included on the St. Eom Pasaquan page.
Continue readingStuff for sale
I’m starting to raid my accumulation of vintage junk for sale on ebay. First up are three Tomy Robo Strux wind-up robots. If all goes well, I’ll follow up with old monster magazines, comic books and more toys. If all goes really well, I’ll dip into the dozens of pulp novels I acquired years ago in Owensboro, Kentucky. The big question is whether I’ll find it worthwhile to handle the packing and shipping.
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