Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

In this episode, rubber is the name of the game as we discuss two products that held the promise of endless hours of entertainment and were found in the pages of comic books for, literally, decades. It’s the visual humor of the rubber chicken versus the sonic disturbance of the whoopee cushion. Dig some quarters out of your piggy bank. We’re all about to learn a thing or two…

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-64-chickens-and-whoopee

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/merch to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

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In this episode, we discuss two products that held the promise of self improvement and were found in the pages of comic books for, literally, decades. It’s Charles Atlas and his Dynamic Tension versus the Art Instruction Schools. Sneak one of your dad’s beers from the garage. We’re all about to learn a thing or two…

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-63-atlas-vs-art

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/merch to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we discuss two educational products that were found in the pages of comic books for, literally, decades. It’s Sea Monkeys versus the Ant Farm. Buckle up. We’re all about to learn a thing or two…

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-62-ant-farm-vs-sea-monkeys

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/merch to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

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Andy Warhol once said, “The key of the success of Studio 54 is that it's a dictatorship at the door and a democracy on the dance floor.” We begin this episode with Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager on the evening of April 26, 1977 as they open the doors to Studio 54, smack-dab in the middle of the glitter and grime in and around Midtown Manhattan. We discuss Warhol moving from being the darling of academic art nerds to mainstream provocateur and celebrity worshiper, bringing his scene with him.

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-61-factory-meets-54

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/merch to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we continue with the second half of our conversation about Warhol’s anti-films. We talk about lonesome cowboys, sexploitation, screen tests, and how the Factory scene was ripped off for a much more mainstream Oscar-winning movie — which didn’t make Andy very happy. We then wrap-up discussing films influenced by his approach.

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-60-movies-emerge-2

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/merch to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Factory scene produced all sorts of art, including films. We start with Warhol’s anti-film Sleep and dive into underground movies from the period and The Factory’s influence on them. We then shift gears to discuss how that approach popped-up in later “low-fi” movies like John Waters’ Pink Flamingos.

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-59-movies-emerge-1

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/merch to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peel-away bananas. Working zippers. Andy Warhol elevated music album art to a new level. Building on our last episode, we talk about Andy’s influence on other "special" treatments of albums that—especially in our era of digital downloads—make having the real thing from bands like Bob Marley and The Pet Shop Boys worth the effort.

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-58-albums-wild-side-2

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/merch to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beginning with the backstory of one of the most iconic albums of all time, 1967’s “The Velvet Underground and Nico,” we return to The Factory scene as it was becoming commercially successful—but no less of a sideshow—as musicians come calling for new ideas or simply hipster art cred. We also discuss the design work Warhol created for bands like the Rolling Stones and the idea of turning a disposable record holder into individual artistic keepsakes.

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-57-albums-wild-side-1

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

- - - - -

Visit https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/merch to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we have a special guest we’ve welcomed into the bar.

We reached out to Kate Christensen after reading an article she wrote for the website Marketing Brew about marketing and nostalgia.

We thought “Marketing and nostalgia? Hey, that’s us!”

Kate is currently on the faculty at Indiana University. She’s produced movies for Disney, TV shows for Sony, and is very aware of pop culture through both her background and ongoing research.

We talk about toys, food and childhood memories among many, many topics. And, of course, the movie Airplane! comes up.

So grab your favorite feel-good drink and join us as we jump into our conversation with Kate.

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Visit our full episode page for the video of our conversation, show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/bonus-episode-marketing-and-nostalgia

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

- - - - -

Visit https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/merch to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode wraps-up the chronicle of The Factory’s downward slide. Drella has made the scene at The Factory and there has been some fallout. A script entitled “Up Your Ass” led to Andy Warhol barely cheating death at the hands of its author, Valarie Solanas. She called the Factory dwellers the “Stupidstars” and Warhol “a vulture and a thief.” The resulting scars Andy had — both physical and emotional — would last the rest of his life.

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-56-silver-wears-off-2

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

- - - - -

Visit https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/merch to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices