The “NASA is the new black” Edition :: Issue #198, Rusty’s Electric Dreams

 

 

“A friend of mine once sent me a postcard with a picture of the entire planet Earth taken from space. On the back it said, ‘Wish you were here.’”

Steven Wright


Rusty's Electric Dreams, an inbox zine by Rusty Blazenhoff

An inbox zine for positive deviants and the people who love them
Issue #198 :: The “NASA is the new black” Edition :: 11:28:2018



NASA is the new black…

It’s not just your imagination, NASA t-shirts really are everywhere now. Not only are these shirts popping up at your favorite retail stores, a new wave of NASA themed collaborations are appearing all over the fashion world. But why?

An easy answer is nostalgia. Both of the NASA logos (the classic red “worm” and the newer “meatball”) have a wonderfully retro look that translates well to a t-shirt design, but it’s also possible that there’s an economic incentive at play too. As a government organization, NASA does not require licensing process or licensing fee to be paid for the usage of its logos.

My personal theory is that this current boom was sparked by the popularity of a pair of astronaut-themed shoes designed by the artist Tom Sachs. In 2012, Sachs and Nike teamed up to release the “Mars Yard” sneakers, which were inspired by the quirky “Space Program” installations that Sachs was making at the time. These shoes became instant classics and are covered by sneakerheads around the globe, sometimes selling to collectors for over $2,000. After the popularity of these shoes, more and more street brands started dabbling with NASA themed logos and designs.

So these shoes were just slightly ahead of the trend or the current wave of NASA inspired fashion was the result of an artist who was known for making spaceships out of plywood and glue. You decide!

Doc Pop
P.S. It’s been fun guest-posting these past two weeks. Rusty returns next week.

As seen on the Internets

 

Some repurposed art from NASA’s guide to hand soldering (link below).
——————-
:: NASA doesn’t benefit from your cute meatball tee
:: https://www.racked.com/2017/6/27/15839356/nasa-logo-fashion-coach-licensing
:: With every rocket launch, we are creating a trap for ourselves that gets deadlier each year. A short video about space junk
:: https://youtu.be/yS1ibDImAYU
:: NASA’s guide to hand soldering is filled with well-shot close-ups of resistors, wires, and terminals. The images are also fun to remix
:: http://www.sal.wisc.edu/docs/Soldering%20Basics.pdf (warning: large PDF is large)
:: Aesop Rock’s plead to “Bring Back Pluto”
:: https://youtu.be/JwQL7bM3Qic (lyrics here)
:: Tom Sachs unboxes the Mars Yard Overshoe while talking about its construction
:: https://youtu.be/3vasoeZzQS4

:: A rocket launch as seen from outer space
:: https://youtu.be/ouBfzCgXHgk

 

:: The rapper known as B.o.B. once got into a beef with Neil deGrasse Tyson about whether or not the earth was flat. After the rapper released an NDT diss track, Tyson’s young nephew helped him craft a musical rebuttal
:: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jan/26/flat-earth-rapper-bob-neil-degrasse-tyson-diss-track

Real things you can actually buy: yes way!

 

Solid Gold: A full-color book and two CD set collecting the sites and sounds of the Voyager Golden Record ($40 on sale).

 

Aldrin Approved: Want to secretly rock a pair of space socks? These no-show ankle socks are for you then (5 pairs for $15).

 

The NASA Graphics Standards Manual: A well-made replica of the classic guidebook ($79).

Real things you can actually buy: no way!

 

The 2019 Flat Earth Calendar: Not just calendars, this whole Etsy shop is filled with things for people who think the earth is flat.

Featured Events

 

Recombinant Festival 2018

San Francisco [Through 12/2] The Recombinant Festival is an experiential art show that mixes sound and visuals in truly amazing ways.

——————–
Television
[Saturday mornings in December] Watch every single episode of Pee-wee’s Playhouse for 24 hours straight on IFC

USA and Canada
“Weird Al” Yankovic’s Strings Attached tour (full symphony orchestra at each venue) tickets are now on sale

[various dates] Immersive listings

Alameda, CA

[12/8] Go to JoAnne Yada’s Mid-Century Craft Night at the Sewing Room to make Winter Putz Houses, 6 PM to 9 PM, Bring a glue gun and $20

[Dates until 12/14] Mini Masterpieces art show at Rhythmix

Austin, TX
[Until12/24] Blue Genie Art Bazaar

Berkeley, CA [8 nights starting Nov. 29] Lisa Rothman’s Dragon in the Drop-off Lane (I’ll be at the December 13th show)

Los Angeles, CA
[12/2] 49 Boxes: The Golden Age of Magic at The Mountain View Mausoleum in Altadenda, 3 PM and 7 PM [15% off code: Special15]

[12/8] Los Angeles Santacon (this is the one that hasn’t been taken over by jerks), 11 AM to 10 PM

[12/13] Los Angeles Krampuslauf (Krampus Run), 8 PM to 9 PM

[12/15] Cinespia is hosting a holiday party featuring Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas at the Palace Theatre, Tickets

New York City
Oriana Leckert always knows what’s going on in the Big Apple

Oakland, CA
[Open until 12/9] Hi-Fructose presents: The Art of the Mushroom at the Compound Gallery

San Francisco, CA
[12/1] Krampus Krawl #5: “Better not cry” (“More wandering guerilla theater than pub crawl”) begins at Union Square bar High Tide at 600 Geary, 5:30 PM to 9 PM

[12/1] Due to popular demand… Puppet Death Match returns! 8 PM to 12 AM, FREE

[12/4 and 12/5] Rick Prelinger’s Lost Landscapes 13 at the Castro Theatre, Tickets

[Through 12/12] SF IndieFest presents the 15th Annual Another Hole in the Head fantastic film festival

[12/19] El Vez, the Mexican Elvis (a national treasure, imo!) performs his Merry Mex-mas show (always fun!) at Elbo Room, 7:30 PM, Tickets

Scottsdale, AZ
[4/12-14] Arizona Tiki Oasis, a cool new weekender by Baby Doe and Otto, at the Valley Ho

Know about a cool event? Send me the info and I’ll share it with the class!

A commissioned piece of art I made for Beck's

Rusty’s Electric Dreams is a (mostly) weekly inbox zine by Rusty Blazenhoff for positive deviants and the people who love them.

Described as, “One of the most inspiring, weird and off-kilter collections of curated kitschy ephemera for the big-brained.”

People like it.

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Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: Rusty Blazenhoff
Super Special Guest Editor: Doctor Popular
Our co-editors, Carolyn Anhalt & Joyce Slaton, have another week off.

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