Fresh Type

Digging Up the Weirdest Old Books and Comics From the Thrift-Store Bargain Bins

When we first encountered Alan Scherstuhl’s “Studies in Crap” column over at the “SF Weekly,” we knew he was one of us. Every week, he goes digging around thrift stores and flea markets looking for that special book that speaks to him. Sometimes its a Kool-Aid Man comic book where the oversize beverage pitcher busts into orbiting … (continue reading)

Flip-Flops in the Office: Tragedy or Triumph?

President Obama caused a flap early this year when he became the first U.S. president ever photographed in flip-flops—he was on vacation in Hawaii. This threw fuel on the footwear flame war of the decade: When is it acceptable to wear flip-flops? Fashion experts Clinton Kelly, Stacy London, and Tim Gunn have expressed disdain for the cheap, rubber thong sandal that’s made its way into office casual attire. We asked author and shoe expert Elizabeth Semmelhack, the Senior … (continue reading)

Daniel H. Wilson on Robot Uprisings and Hollywood Sci-Fi Blockbusters

When Steven Spielberg comes calling, you know you’ve done a robot rebellion right. That’s been the pre-publication experience of Daniel H. Wilson, a Ph.D. in robotics whose upcoming novel, “Robopocalypse,” was recently snatched up by the director as the next big androids-destroying-humans epic. Wilson’s most recent novel, “A Boy and His Bot,” is a work of children’s fiction. To learn more about Wilson, visit his blog.

As … (continue reading)

The Folklore and Fashion of Japanese Netsuke: An Interview with Christine Drosse

For diminutive objects, Japanese netsuke are an enormous subject, as this interview with Christine Drosse so amply shows. Drosse is a Curatorial Administrator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, whose Pavilion for Japanese Art is home of the museum’s collection of netsuke, 150 of which are on permanent view. A netsuke collector herself, Drosse also writes a column called “Netsuke Basics from A to Z,” which is published in the quarterly “International Netsuke Society … (continue reading)

Devils, Doves, and World War I: The Rock-n-Roll Posters of Gary Houston

Since the early 1990s, Portland artist and graphic designer Gary Houston has been hand-pulling screen-printed concert posters for everyone from David Byrne and Patti Smith to Willie Nelson and Wilco. In this interview, Houston explains the sources of his images, the techniques he uses to create them, and how the content of his posters often relates to the attitudes and approaches of the musicians and bands he depicts. For more information about Houston’s posters, visit voodoocatbox.com.

My … (continue reading)

American Picker Dream, Part II: Mike Wolfe On Motorcycles and Land Rockets

As co-host of History Channel’s “American Pickers” and the operator of Antique Archaeology, Mike Wolfe is known to millions of TV viewers as the guy who digs treasures out of barns, sheds, and basements. Although he began his pickin’ career buying, fixing-up, and selling vintage bicycles, he quickly graduated to machine-powered two-wheelers. In the second of several interviews (read our first one here), we spoke with Mike about his love of motorcycles, especially … (continue reading)

Vintage 1970s Lunch Boxes Revisited: When Pop Culture Ruled the Playground

For kids in the ’70s, the cartoon characters and pop stars on their metal lunch boxes were more important than the sliced apples and PB&Js inside. In fact, the coolness of your lunch box could determine your social status for the whole year. In this interview, painter and graphic designer Dee Adams explains how lunch boxes affected playground politics when she was kid, and how she puts her collection of vintage metal ones to use … (continue reading)

The American Picker Dream, Part I: Mike Wolfe On His Love Affair With Vintage Bikes

As co-host of History Channel’s “American Pickers” and the operator of Antique Archaeology, Mike Wolfe is known to millions of TV viewers as the guy who digs crazy treasures out of barns, sheds, and basements. But he’s always been a vintage bicycle guy at heart—that’s what got him started ‘picking’ at age six. In this first of several interviews (read our second installment here), we spoke with Mike about his bike racing days, his … (continue reading)

Rhinestone Dynasty: Karl Eisenberg Talks About His Family’s Costume Jewelry

You know Eisenberg costume jewelry—just close your eyes, and picture a “vintage brooch.” In the 1930s and ’40s, Eisenberg established the iconic look of this classic piece: Large diamond-like Swarovski crystals set in regal, Baroque and Rococo settings. It was eye-catching jewelry that was at once ostentatious and refined.

Eisenberg & Sons started out as a high-end clothing line in 1914, and it wasn’t long before founder Jonas Eisenberg came up with the brilliant idea of incorporating … (continue reading)

Attack of the Vintage Toy Robots! Justin Pinchot on Japan’s Coolest Postwar Export

Danger! Warning! Intruder Approaching! For recalling the fears and aspirations of the space-race 1950s, Japanese toy robots can’t be beat. But how much do we really know about these tin creations, in hindsight one of Japan’s greatest postwar exports? In this interview, robot collector Justin Pinchot gives the backstory on Japanese tin toy robots and how they reflected the postwar psyche and values of both Japan and the U.S. Pinchot can be reached via toyraygun.com, which is … (continue reading)

Red Wing Beyond the Crock: Larry Roschen on the Stoneware Legend’s Dinnerware

Some Red Wing Pottery collectors focus only on the early stoneware, others are into the company’s artware. Larry Roschen is a dinnerware guy. In this interview, Roschen explains why Red Wing transitioned from stoneware to dinnerware, and one-upped Fiesta in the process, launching the first line of bright, solid-colored dinner sets. He also discusses other important aspects of Red Wing dinnerware collecting, from hand-painted patterns such as Bob White and Round Up to the rare … (continue reading)