Vintage James Dean Button

vintage michael j. fox button

ain't i'm a dog, ronnie self

a-side 1. ain't i'm a dog 2. bop-a-lena b-side 1. petrified 2. date bait

the name of ronnie self first appeared on the australian charts in 1958 with 'ain't i’m a dog'. this proved to be only of moderate success, however, the follow-up 'bop-a-lena' (one of the wildest singles put down) was to prove his biggest success. as well as singer, ronnie self penned a number of tunes examples of which were 'all alone am i' and two tunes recorded by brenda lee — 'sweet nothings' and 'i'm sorry'.

manufactured for and distributed by discontinued records. © 1981 cbs inc./© cbs inc./sound recording made by cbs inc. - first published © in u.s.a.

vintage james dean buttons, circa 1980s

eddie cochran fan club button, c. 1958

sh-boom magazine, hollywood rock 'n' roll babylon issue! the best of then... and now...

photoplay magazine, "eddie cochran died in my arms" shari sheeley's tragic story

vintage james dean memorial rod run button, 1988 purchased at the james dean museum in fairmount, indiana

vintage topps beatles color cards trading card, 1964

59. beatles color cards question: how do you feel about the beatle souvenirs? ringo speaking: the beatle people are happy when they buy the souvenirs, so it's okay with us. brian epstein tells me that they are selling beatle wigs, beatle hats, beatle buttons, beatle shirts, beatle nightgowns, beatle wallpaper, beatle magazines and believe it or not, beatle nut ice cream. we have a special staff that makes certain a company is reliable if they want to put out a beatle souvenir.

vintage the elvis collection trading card, 1992

508. the elvis collection what his fans thought he'd do with a floral guitar we'll never know, but elvis got—and still gets—many of them. this type of gift is illustrative of the amount of revenue elvis generated in non-musical fields. in fact, two of the biggest sales days in floral history were the ones following elvis' death. flowers in all shapes, cakes, teddy bears and other stuffed animals, scrapbooks, plaques and trophies; you name it, and fans have sent it to the king. some of the gifts were donated to the underprivileged and kids in hospitals. many are still stored (or on display) at graceland.

bop magazine, brad's serious side brad renfro hopes to go beyond the babeliness

“i always used to do poetry when i was really young, but i never took myself seriously,” brad renfro, now 13, admits. “i would do poems that were very demented.”

that’s changed. today, the talented teen from knoxville, tennessee takes himself and his creative projects very seriously indeed. and as evidenced in his 1994 film debut the client and last year’s the cure and tom and huck, brad also works very hard in hope that he’ll be judged for his talent as well as his good looks. it’s a trait you’ll find in all of his endeavors.

“i play in a band,” brad says, “but i don’t want to become like this teen idol where the only reason somebody would buy my record is because some girl who saw me in a movie was like, ‘oh my god, he’s so cute. i’m gonna buy this album.’”

though it’s been suggested to brad that those good looks might lend themselves to good album sales if he did put out a cd someday, that’s not what he wants. “you don’t understand,” he said, “i want you to take my music seriously as well as the rest of my art.”

the bottom line is that brad wants people to appreciate his serious side. so far, he's earned the respect of his professional peers. oscar-nominated actress susan sarandon, who co-starred with him in the client, has said of her young co-star: "he did a very professional job. he worked hard. and he came prepared. that's a lot more than i can say for some leading actors who are three times his age with three times as much experience."

“a tear ran down my cheek…”

brad's talent and work ethic have also earned him some serious comparisons to other peers. "i read in a magazine that someone compared myself to river," brad's said of the late river phoenix, another young actor who had his share of troubled teen roles. "a tear ran down my cheek that somebody would compare me to river phoenix. he's someone who's completely a genius."

like any up-and-coming actor, brad hopes this appreciation for his artistry will continue. and if critics' reviews are any indication, he's sure to be rewarded with respect. "i just wanna try to keep it that way," he replies.

yet as much as brad wants to be taken seriously, there still exists within him a silly side, as many classmates and co-stars can attest. brad's been known to emerge from his hotel room with underwear on his head for the sheer amusement of his co-workers.

but despite brad's light-hearted tendencies and

much-rumored roughness, it's respect that he craves as an actor-or a musician, or a poet. basically, brad says, "i like people to take me seriously for whatever the hell i am."