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I got an email last week from a guy named Zak Wilson:<\/span><\/p>\n “Totally random question. Aside from being a graphic designer in the music biz I’m also a collector \/ historian of musician’s guitar picks. I’m on a quest to find some picks for the collection and thought I’d throw out some random inquires to folks from the music world. A needle in a hay stack but one never knows…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Was curious if you ever saved any band guitar picks (the one’s w\/ band names or other printed on them) over your years working in the music biz?”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I didn\u2019t actively collect them, but I knew I had a bag somewhere where I would toss any picks, buttons, etc., that came my way. It was probably in my closet.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yep. Not only did I find the bag there, but I also found a cloth-covered cardboard thing that an ex-girlfriend created just for displaying buttons\/pins. Behind all that was an old buttons poster from Trouser Press (I think I have ONE of their buttons).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Inside the bag were not only buttons and picks, but also patches, a bottle cap and a bowtie.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n GUITAR PICKS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m sure I have more somewhere (and maybe I\u2019ll add them as I come across them), but here\u2019s what was in the bag:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Of those, the first 3 rows are the two-sided ones. The 4th row was included in this next pic primarily to show what\u2019s on the blue pick (\u201cG.E. Smith\u201d, who was the goofily-grinning guitarist\/band leader on SNL way back when, Gilda Radner\u2019s husband in the early \u201880s (pre-Gene Wilder) and Hall & Oates\u2019 lead guitar on tour. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I knew G.E. through a guitarist friend of mine named Danny Shea. They used to play together. Here\u2019s a shot from my site of them in 1987:<\/span><\/p>\n Somewhere around that time period, George (G.E.) asked me for a picture of him because he was going to be in Bob Dylan\u2019s band (late 80s\/early 90s) and needed the shot for the tour booklet. I gave him an appropriate image, but never saw the tour booklet, so if you\u2019re out there, George, and have an extra booklet from that tour lying around\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Scott St Clair Sheets was in both The Brats and Pat Benatar\u2019s band. I shot both, but don\u2019t know where I got this pick. I\u2019m guessing that the Brats were probably too poor and too punk to have personalized picks, so that could be a clue.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This pic shows what\u2019s on the reverse of those first 3 rows. I have no idea who wrote \u201csucks\u201d on one of the Bobby Messano picks (or why). Bobby\u2019s been a friend since 1976. (maybe HE wrote it!)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Equally puzzling are the \u201cPick ASCAP\u201d picks (or why I have five of them). I know what ASCAP is, but if they were flooding the guitarist community with these picks to drum up some business, why can\u2019t I find a single one for sale anywhere?<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n THE BUTTONS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with the display, going left-to-right and top-to-bottom and see how many I can explain\/figure out:<\/span><\/p>\n Fleetwood Mac<\/span>: Rumours<\/em> needs no explanation<\/span><\/p>\n Elvis Presley<\/span>: Never shot him – fat or skinny – and don\u2019t know where I got this. BTW – this is one of those double-image buttons where if you move it slightly, a different image shows up. I have a few of these, but can\u2019t seem to photograph clear separate images. There\u2019s always seems to be part of the other picture in the image. Anyway, there\u2019s one posed shot and one in performance (see below closeup).<\/span><\/p>\n WPLR\/David Johansen<\/span>: PLR is in New Haven, CT. I shot a bunch of shows in NH around 1977-8, but not DavidJo, so I must have gotten this from PLR.<\/span><\/p>\n Tomato<\/span>: A good friend of mine worked for Tomato Records in the 70s, so that must be where this one came from.<\/span><\/p>\n Elvis Costello<\/span>: could be from anywhere\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026probably the record company.<\/span><\/p>\n Iron City Houserockers<\/span>: Same as above, but I only shot them once when they opened for Hunter\/Ronson in Asbury Park in 1980. They\u2019re a favorite of Bruce Springsteen.<\/span><\/p>\n Nils Lofgren<\/span>: Who knows where? Maybe the Bottom Line in 1975 (4 days after Springsteen\u2019s famous stand there).<\/span><\/p>\n Led Zeppelin<\/span>: This is the first of many radio station – mostly WPLJ – handout buttons at concerts you\u2019ll see here. This one was from their June 1977 stand at Madison Square Garden.<\/span><\/p>\n Stranglers<\/span> – Who knows?<\/span><\/p>\n The Boyzz<\/span> (AKA The Boyzz from Illinoizz): Probably from when I shot them at Great Gildersleeves in 1978.<\/span><\/p>\n City Boy<\/span> – I shot them in \u201977 and \u201979, but probably got this from Atlantic Records.<\/span><\/p>\n Relax<\/span> – Probably NOT a Frankie Goes To Hollywood button.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t go on meeting like this\u201d<\/span> – It also says \u201cA&M Records and TAPES\u201d, so \u201ctapes\u201d makes it old. The only related band I can find online is an A&M group called Hummingbird, but I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever even heard<\/em> of them until I just found this online info.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSlowhand\u201d<\/span> – Could be from anywhere (but not from the Slowhand coffee-table book I shot the cover for – that came out 14 years after the album)<\/span><\/p>\n Peter Frampton<\/span> – Another PLJ show handout button for Peter\u2019s memorable 3-night stand at the Garden in 1976<\/span><\/p>\n Leo Sayer<\/span> – No idea\u2026\u2026\u2026..<\/span><\/p>\n Stiff<\/span> – Ditto<\/span><\/p>\n Rolling Stones<\/span> – PLJ show handout for the Stones\u2019 1975 MSG stand<\/span><\/p>\n Fandango<\/span> – This was Joe Lynn Turner\u2019s local NJ band that I used to shoot before they were signed to RCA and before he hit it big with Rainbow and Deep Purple.<\/span><\/p>\n Sgt Peppers<\/span> – no idea<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI Want You\u201d<\/span> – I photographed Marvin Gaye once in 1983 at Radio City Music Hall, so I must have gotten it there.<\/span><\/p>\n Elton John<\/span> – PLJ handout for his 1976 MSG show<\/span><\/p>\n Vox Rules<\/span> – No clue<\/span><\/p>\n KISS<\/span> – PLJ handout for their 1977 MSG stand<\/span><\/p>\n The Who<\/span> – PLJ handout for their 3-10-76 MSG show that got postponed to the 11th due to Keith Moon being \u201csick\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n The Dickies<\/span> – no idea where I got this<\/span><\/p>\n Meat Loaf<\/span> – shot him a zillion times, so I probably got this from his office.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n PATCHES<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Sacred Reich<\/span>? – Never shot them, no idea why I have this<\/span><\/p>\n The Boyzz<\/span> – shot them once, but dunno where I got this<\/span><\/p>\n Stiff<\/span> – who knows?<\/span><\/p>\n Bottom Line Be Stiff Route 78 Tour<\/span> – I shot that tour at the Bottom Line. I\u2019m guessing the club handed these out that night.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n BOW TIE<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n As I write this, someone\u2019s selling one on eBay for $100.00. Don\u2019t recall where I got this Cheap Trick neckwear:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n PHOTO CARD<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n This photo of Stanley Snadowsky and Alan Pepper (The Bottom Line owners) is 3.5 x 2.25 and is inside a pinnable plastic holder. I didn\u2019t recognize the saying until I saw it on a button that you\u2019ll see later on.\u00a0\u00a0 (reason to continue reading!)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n OTHER DOUBLE-IMAGE BUTTONS<\/strong> (I think they\u2019re called 3D lenticular images)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The 3\u201d button is from the old \u201cMary Hartman, Mary Hartman\u201d TV show, but I have no idea why I have one.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds were the two main guys in Rockpile and here\u2019s my poor photographic attempt to show Nick (left) and Dave (right):<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here are some more WPLJ handouts at shows. I went to 2 nights of the Stones and you\u2019ve already seen one on the display piece, so this is the second button. I shot all 3 nights of Frampton. One is on the display piece and these are the other two.<\/span><\/p>\n I have no memory or record of having seen Journey in Central Park, so I have no idea where I got their PLJ button.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n John Scher might appreciate that I kept these 3 buttons from my favorite venue:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Two more radio station handouts: WPLJ\u2019s for the Agent Orange Benefit in 1982 and WPIX\u2019s plug for themselves (and the Elvises). The Agent Orange show had a pretty good lineup:<\/span><\/p>\n Not listed was Lenny Kaye (w\/Jim Carroll Band).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Looney Tunez Records was located in the Packanack Shopping Center on Rt 23 in Wayne NJ. It was run by some guys who later became Dramarama. They managed to get a lot of bands to visit, like the Plasmatics, David Johansen, and – as you can see – Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A few pairs. When was the last time you saw a Slim Whitman button?<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n MEDIUM AND LARGER BUTTONS<\/strong> (almost half of these have nothing to do with music)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Deacon Jim was a character on the Uncle Floyd Show and I\u2019m sure you know the Jukes, but the prize here is the one where I had forgotten who they were (sorry, \u201cSuzy\u201d and friends). Look it up if you also drew a blank:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n