Ultra Swank - Retro Adventures

Drinkable • eatable • readable • film • music • television

Ultra Swank Goes to the Sitges Film Festival

“Roll out the red carpet, spotlight on a dream, hip horary for Hollywood where stars are born to glitter and gleam.” Yes, glitter, glam, rubbing shoulders with stars and Champagne flowing like wine. Or so you’d think a film festival would be wouldn’t you? Well, this is not Los Angles, this is not London, this is not Cannes. Follow Ultra Swank as we head over...

Let Robert Drasnin Inspire You to Collect Vinyl Again

People still dig vinyl records. Of course, you, as a swinging Lounge Revivalist, knew that already. A big deal was made this year when Jack White cut a live version of the title track to his album Lazaretto, rushed it to press, and had the vinyl in-store for sale the same day. And fans, and a lot of the media, acted like they’d never heard...

Mantiques – A Manly Guide to Cool Stuff
Written by Baron von Swankenstein in Readable

Mantiques – A Manly Guide to Cool Stuff

Lounge Revivalists use a lot of different words for “old” — “vintage,” “retro,” “classic,” and “nostalgic.” And because of our Cold War era preferences, you also see “atomic age” and “mid-century” used as well. One word you don’t see used a lot, at least by men, is “antique.” It’s just not macho. The very word “antique” brings to mind the unmanly concept of fragile porcelain...

Finding Dark Shadows in the Sixth Grade
Written by Patricia Greenwood in Television

Finding Dark Shadows in the Sixth Grade

In the spring of 1969 my family moved from the pastoral setting outside of Centreville, Virginia, a small town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to Fairfax, a burgeoning suburb outside of Washington, D.C. A sixth grader at the time, transitioning from a country school to a more sophisticated environment was not easy for me and I found myself feeling like an outsider...

Survive the Bomb – A Guide to Nuclear Survival

When I first got into the Lounge Revival scene, I continually wondered why original era Lounge music was so saccharine. It wasn’t all that way, of course. If it were all that way, Lounge Revival would never have become a 1990s fad never mind a modern living subculture. But you have to admit: For every “Fly Me To The Moon” by Frank Sinatra, there’s some...

Cocktail Nation – The Interviews 2

From the Sydney Penthouse the Lounge Lothario has been working overtime putting in the long distance calls across the globe to find you the craziest cats of the retro scene along with the legends who cohabit the swank universe that is the Cocktail Nation. In this edition the Lounge Leader talks magazines with Tiki Magazine founding father Nick Camara, art with El Gato Gomez and,...

Vintage Caravan Style – The Only Guide You Need

Lisa Mora, editor of her own caravan publication Vintage Caravan Magazine which showcases vintage caravan styles and designs has just recently released a book which collects everything you need to know about vintage caravans. Her book Vintage Caravan Style is dedicated to vintage, classic, retro-styled and custom caravans and those who love them. “Lisa grew up enjoying what she describes as a gypsy lifestyle, travelling...

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