Zero to 180 – Three Minute Magic
Once upon a time, American automobile designs were the envy of the world. Today’s piece is a tribute to the creative genius who not only designed Batman and Robin’s iconic mode of transport but also the Munster Koach, and the unbelievably spectacular Voxmobile that guitarist extraordinaire, Jimmy Bryant, once befriended.
Thanks to Andy Volk of The Steel Guitar Forum for pointing me to Anne Miller‘s fascinating profile of steel guitarist bandleader Alvino Rey for The Smithsonian in which we learn Rey, as a consultant for Gibson Guitars in the 1930s, helped develop the prototype for the ES-150 (made famous by
Michael Stipe and his REM bandmates, it would appear, are bat fans, as evidenced by their non-LP B-side, “Winged Mammal Theme.” This abstract instrumental take on “The Batman Theme” — flip side of their 1992 hit “Drive” – but only in the US — was somehow rejected for the soundtrack to
Zero to 180’s tribute to the world’s only flying mammal continues into its second day with a B-side from Johnny Jenkins — “Blind Bats and Swamp Rats“: “Blind Bats and Swamp Rats“ Johnny Jenkins (1970) Written by Jackie Avery “Blind Bats and Swamp Rats” can also be found on Jenkins’
Thanks to Amy Bucci at National Geographic for encouraging my interest in bats by giving me a special set of US postage stamps (“Night Friends” from 2002) that celebrate the world’s only flying mammal. The world’s bat population is imperiled for a whole host of reasons and irrationally targeted by
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