This Crate was exceptionally long in the making, and this time not because I was lacking a topic, but simply because life with its various demands kept getting in the way. However, the long gestation time also gave me some thoughts. One of them was that in order to try out some of these thoughts, I'll make the word-inspired Crates as a mini-season, let's say 10 altogether and then make mini-seasons of some of the new thoughts, like composing the Crates only from quotes from my home library or picking a particular day and year and looking at what was happening in different places at that time.
But... it's time to get to the actual Crate. Perhaps subconsciously inspired by the 'Flower Power 2' art exhibition theme, this Crate is also powered by nostalgia and 70's vibe. That's probably the reason why this Crate is also a bit more music-heavy than usual.
Where does 'Golden dreams were shiny days' come from? Deep from the soul of 1970's, an Earth, Wind and Fire song called 'September'. This song has actually had a charming comeback recently as a Korean dance craze.
Dreams of rock'n'roll fame in Taylor Jenkins-Reid's 'Daisy Jones and The Six' (translated into Greek with the same title) both as book and TV mini-series. The series is in some aspects a bit softer version of the book (they cut down the drugs part quite a lot), Taylor Jenkins-Reid was also a writer and producer of the show, so I believe she knew how to adjust her own material best. The story is inspired by the real-life love triangle in the band Fleetwood Mac. See for instance how the stage performance of 'Gold Dust Woman' from Fleetwood Mac has inspired some of the visuals in the band's final performance of 'Look at Us Now' from the series' soundtrack.
The harsh light in the desert of New Mexico spellbound Georgia O'Keeffe for lifetime. It became her home for decades and that's where she invited the young Yayoi Kusama for a visit, when she wrote her as a young artist, asking for advice. O'Keeffe replied, and her answer made a lifelong impression on Kusama.
We all know from the popular lore that in 1967 was the Summer of Love on the West Coast. However, two years later, in 1969, there was the Summer of Soul on the East Coast, but the recorded footage from that spent the next 50 years in a basement - until it was made into an award-winning documentary in 2021.
The shiny days were 'Glory Days' for Bruce Springsteen, small and lost days for Υπόγεια Ρεύματα, and felt like gently nostalgic flow to Poolside. (As I said, plenty of music this time!)
However, everything wasn't just sweetly smelling flowers even back then. Past is another country, they say, and even there there are serial killers like Charles Sobhraj and spies hiding in living daylights.
Nothing golden is complete without Gustav Klimt and his golden-robed muses and semi-abstract landscapes. And yes, those golden dresses were in fact real, designed by the Viennese seamstress Emilie Flöge.
As Austin Kleon says, 'As in the story of Goldilocks, life should be just annoying enough for us to take solace in creating.'
Even the Surrealists enjoyed the pleasures of summer.
And finally, let's finish off with some classic Calvin and Hobbes.
So long and until the next Crate - which hopefully won't take as long to arrive!