I Can See You - by Paddy Summerfield c. 1986
Showing posts with label Ron Cobb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ron Cobb. Show all posts

Monday, September 28, 2020

 


The news letter just arrived from Aquarium Drunkard and it featured some really interesting items



The Velvet Underground: The Second Fret, Philadelphia, January 1970
 …fiery renditions of “White Light / White Heat,” “Sister Ray” and “Foggy Notion” (Sterling Morrison sounding especially killer on the latter tune). There’s a rare take on the lovely “Over You,” for some reason never attempted in the studio — here, Lou Reed calls it his “Billie Holiday impersonation.” And then there’s “Sweet Jane,” still in its original, slow-and-steady incarnation, Reed making up lyrics as he goes. Lo-fi quality? Yeah. Hi-fi experience? Oh yeah.




Ron Cobb, a Pioneer in Science Fiction Design, Dies at 83
Via the New York Times, Jacey Fortin looks back at Ron Cobb, whose designs helped create the lived-in worlds of Star Wars, Back to the Future, Conan the Barbarian, Dark Star, and other science fiction and fantasy classics. 

All Things Are Quiet Silent: A Mixtape
It's Folk Rock Season, friends! 

Third Ear Band – Stone Circle ++ Dando Shaft – Rain ++ Keith Christmas – Ice Man ++ Steeleye Span – All Things Are Quite Silent ++ Lindisfarne – Winter Song ++ Sandy Denny – Late November ++ Pentangle – Bells ++ The Woods Band – Dreams ++ Ralph McTell – Wait Until the Snow ++ Hunt & Turner – Silver Lady ++ Roy Harper – Black Clouds ++ Dick Gaughan – The Snows They Melt the Soonest ++ Gary Farr – Curtain of Sleep ++ Clifford T. Ward – Cold Wind Blowing ++ Bert Jansch – In the Bleak Mid Winter ++ The Wooden O – Sad Tune ++ John Renbourn – Winter Is Gone ++ Dave Evans – Grey Lady Morning ++ Rick Hayward – Breathing Space ++ Stealers Wheel – Gets So Lonely ++ Richard & Linda Thompson – Night Comes In ++ John Martyn – When It’s Dark ++ Caedmon – Storm ++ Tony, Caro & John – All On The First Day

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Ron Cobb

 RON COBB 

1937-2020

I've said it before but I am of an age now where so many of my early heroes are dying and today is no exception as I learn of the death of Ron Cobb earlier this week : September 21, 2020 - Cobb, probably best known now for being the production designer for several major films, has died at 83 years of age. 

Cobb brought to life several cantina creatures for Star Wars (1977) and came up with weaponry and sets for Conan the Barbarian (1982), the exterior and interior of the Nostromo ship in Alien (1978) and the earth colony complex in Aliens (1986), and the DeLorean time machine in Back to the Future (1985).
More interestingly, to me at least, is that in the 1960s and 70s he was a great radical political cartoonist, and sadly, many cartoons of those days are still just as relevant today. He was a great hero to me then. Check the dates on these . . . . . . .













I am ashamed to say I wasn't aware of the full extent of his work around the film world and here's some prime examples but do check out his webpages (see below)




Designs for the DeLorean for 'Back To The Future' - beautiful drawings


Vogon Poetry Reading - for an unused design for a US TV series of 'The Htichhiker's Guide To the Galaxy' - Cobb expressed sadness that nothing came of it except "a friendship with Douglas Adams"