The Bonzos: Tuesday Music Post

The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah band is the subject of today's music post. Sadly, they aren't terribly well known in America. I like to think of myself as a music missionary, I spread the news of amazing music.   I am a huge Monty Python fan and that led me to buy the show "Do Not Adjust Your Set" on DVD. Eric Idle, Michael Palin and Terry Jones were on the sketch show that was meant for children, you would never think that if you watch it. The band would play a song or two and sometimes acted.

"Death Cab for Cutie" introduced by Michael Palin

I immediately loved this band. They mixed humor with their amazing music and they had an array of instruments like the tuba and a vibraphone, not your standard rock group. They put on quite a show when performing on "Do Not Adjust Your Set" 

"Hunting Tigers out in India"

How could you not love this group? They were great actors and great musicians. Among the Bonzos were Vivian Stanshall, who unfortunately died in a fire, and Neil Innes who went on to work with Monty Python. 

One of my favorite songs is "Hello Mabel" it reminds me of a great 1920s jazz tune and makes me want to put on a 1920s party dress and dance. 

I hope you liked The Bonzos and hopefully you'll go and listen to more of their music. 

Weekly Links Post. Faces, Vintage and The Clash!

This week was a working week. I've added a lot of content to "Overpowered by Funk" including places I was featured and a vintage themed reading list. I'm also thinking of expanding to other media!

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of working with Chris Spano from Chris Spano Photography. His blog The Faces of Nj profiles people from all over New Jersey. It's fascinating to read some of the stories of the people profiled on the blog. Here's my article,(http://thefacesofnj.wordpress.com/2014/03/03/the-faces-of-new-jersey-project-megan-steigerwalt/)

By Chris Spano Photography. 

I love finding new sites to read up on all things vintage and I found a gem in Dressing in Vintage. The posts are thoughtful and beautifully written and go beyond just vintage fashion. One of my favorite posts is The Myth of Normal a look at how wonderfully talented people can be plagued by depression and mental turmoil. Vincent Van Gogh is mentioned in the article and it reminded me of some of my favorite people that were notably plagued with their own personal troubles. Peter Sellers, one of my heros, and Stephen Fry a both had their own mental struggles but both of them are geniuses! 

"Overpowered by Funk" isn't just the name of this blog, it's the name of a great Clash tune! Every Clash fan, and if you're not than why, should pop on over to The Clash Blog. The latest post discusses the movie "Mystery Train". Joe Strummer acted brilliantly in the movie, he made me laugh so much with some of his lines. A brilliant musician and actor. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I'm throwing a birthday celebration for Jeremy this Sunday, he'll be 24! 

The Kinks: Tuesday Music Post.

I'm glad the Kinks haven't become another t-shirt band. The Beatles, The Doors, and the Rolling Stones are a few that come to mind when you think of bands that every 13 year old girl wears without having any knowledge of the band. I'm very protective of musicians I've never met you see.

Anyway If you haven't listened to The Kinks or are only familiar with "You Really Got Me" than you're missing out. It's a shame that a year long touring ban in the US sort of hindered them. I wonder if  there was no ban if they would be wildly popular in the U.S. like they deserve to be.

Not only did they have killer tunes, but their lyrics were just as good. Their lyrics had depth and humor, they could paint a clear mental picture of the English countryside or they can attack dreary aspects of life and they can make you think even after the song ends.


Celluloid Heroes celebrates old Hollywood, the glamour of movies and fame and the loneliness that can accompany fame.

Remember my post last week, A Dedicated Follower of Fashion? Well, this is where I found my title. Ray Davies adds a lot of character to this song and it's so catchy. 

                        Great music and great style! How could you not love them?

If you're a fan of the Kinks, what's your favorite song? If this was your first real exposure to the band I hope you continue to explore their material, then you may buy the t-shirt.

Your Ever Present Past.

I talk a lot about "the past" on this blog but it's a past that not a lot of my readers including myself have experienced. Everyone of you, including myself, has gone through an adolescence and if it wasn't awkward than bravo to you! This weekend I've been mulling over a post from a fellow blogger and former teacher Mrs. Jessica Ippolito (The Best of Times is Now). The post Return to Sender, discusses a project that started with the 2008 senior english class which I was part of. We wrote a letter to ourselves that was to be opened when we were 23.

I was a couple months shy of my 18th birthday when I wrote mine and had completely forgotten about the letter and was surprised when I recieved a letter from myself in the mail last year. I'm so happy I'm nothing like my 17 year old self anymore and my letter is kept where absolutely no one can see it. Writing a letter to your future self is something I recommend everyone to do though.

In order to do this you must remind yourself of some things. There are no rules when you write a letter to yourself and you must remember not to set any limitations on yourself. Sometimes, even in our private writings we self censor. I do this in my diary all the time and I have to step back and ask myself why but I never have any answers. Anyway, you must be honest to yourself with your letter, don't stop yourself from writing anything, no one but you is going to read it.

There are no content requirements for your letter but try to include as many details about your life at the moment because you will not remember the small things 5 or 10 years on.

In New Jersey we've had yet another snow storm so if you're trapped inside like I am, consider this the perfect thing to do. It's a great reminder that the past wasn't always so perfect like so many of us think it to be. Remember, you can always learn from the past.

17 year old me and my prom date. All ready to go to the senior prom. This was the only photo of teenage me I was prepared to inflict on all of you. 

Celebrating Dr. Seuss and the beginning of March.

March is here and it is scheduled to be a busy month, which is refreshing since winter was way too generous with the snow. As someone that loves the snow, even I am tired of it. To wrap up the week here's some links, some vintage related and some not, I've collected during the week.

Anyway the second day of March is the birthday of Dr. Seuss! I have always loved his stories even as an adult ( in numerical age only) I still love them. March 2nd has been dedicated "Read Across America Day" in honor of Dr. Seuss. I'm sure you all have a favorite Dr. Seuss book so why not celebrate by reading one of your favorite Seuss books or just by taking time out of your day to read any of your favorite books.

These are three of my favorites, what are yours? You can also visit http://www.seussville.com/, which is the official site of Dr. Seuss.



I stumbled upon a great vintage photo blog a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to share it. There are so many fabulous photos celebrating old Hollywood. Visit Stirred, Straight Up, With a Twist for a dose of glamour.

Speaking of glamour, Collectors Weekly posted this article about the history of party dresses throughout the 20th century.(http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/a-century-of-dazzling-party-dresses/). There were so many cultural factors that went into styles of party dresses from decade to decade, it's very fascinating. 

Unfortunately, there is more snow in the forecast for New Jersey in the next couple days and it's probably going to be a lot. Just incase I am trapped in the house I made sure to have my fun today at the Vineland Women's Club bi-annual antique sale. 

I am tired of dark winter colors, so I wore my pale yellow spring coat. 

The sale was great and I ended up walking away with a new handbag and jewelry. There is another sale in November and there are tons of treasures to find so start saving now! 

I love the clasp of this bag. 

A Dedicated Follower of Fashion.

Do you realize that "fast fashion" puts you on a treadmill? No, not a real treadmill, maybe I should have said hamster wheel, anything but a stair climber. Anyway, for those of you not familiar with the term fast fashion let me explain. Shops like Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, and H&M are considered fast fashion, cheaply made and not meant to last or be worn past the current season.

We are currently in that annoying limbo between the end of winter and the beginning of spring, the past few days have been particularly Sybil like but it's still not time to tear out your spring gear. Weather and displays in these fast fashion shops do not match up. How many times have you gone shopping right after Christmas only to see the bathing suits out? Doesn't it make you feel like you're on a consumption treadmill?

Shops used to operate on a two season shopping schedule especially since shops had to get their inventory from an outside source. Now with shops like H&M they control the manufacturing of their products they can make them cheap and fast allowing for a constant slew of trendy clothing. This also creates a constant need to keep up with the ever changing inventory, constantly shopping and creating more unwanted clothing.

Think about your vintage garments and how well they're made, they may be over 50 years old. Your Forever 21 dress is not something that will survive for the next generation. Get off the treadmill and do your own thing. Don't contribute to the waste and go thrifting or buy quality clothes that were meant to last.

Do you even want this hanging around for 50 years? (from Forever 21)

A Bit of ABBA. Tuesday music post.

Today I was in an ABBA mood so I chose to write about their music and specifically the style of Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. I became an ABBA fan in 2000 when I was 10 years old and in the fifth grade. Not only was I a fan of their music but I was extremely fond of how the women of the group dressed and their intoxicating beauty. I immersed myself in 70s style and my mother even feathered my hair each day before I went to school. Their music was very refreshing to me since the popular culture of the time was drenched in late 90s pop music made for teens and in turn that was all my peers could talk about, while I was looking for something more. Don't get me wrong, I was and still am a fan of 90s pop but as a 10 year old and now I was always looking for something more. What luck that the A*Teens released their album "The ABBA Generation" at the same time I was searching musically!

How many of you remember this?

As much as the A*Teens put their own spin on ABBA's music I'm happy they put out this album since if they didn't I would never appreciate the pure pop perfection that is ABBA. I have read hat Frida ( Anni-Frid) after hearing the demo of "Dancing Queen" wept since it was so beautiful. As a child I fell in love with their music and also with the fashion of their leading ladies. 

One of my favorite looks for Frida and Agnetha, mini dresses and tall white boots!

Look at these women! They are a vision in white

My favorite is Agnetha's white dress but Anni-Frid's print dress and boots are breathtaking as well. Anni-Frid demonstrates a perfect winter to spring transition outfit in this photo. 

My first introduction to ABBA was through an A*Teens album, after that I purchased a copy of "ABBA Gold" and became a lifelong ABBA fan. The appreciation of their music came first and a love the their style came after and both have stuck. 

Do you have a favorite ABBA song or style?