I have spent the better part of the last year somewhere in the desert sifting through and archiving what we refer to as…The Janis Joplin Vault. Dun Dun Dun.

It’s filled with concert posters, magazines, tickets to shows, clothing, books, artist buttons and on and on and on. I’m back at the vault this week for a few reasons the most important of which is to escape the Denver chill. Not that the desert is entirely warm, it’s just er, it’s warm-er. Good enough for me. Another being that my uncle’s personal trainer has an uncanny ability to have me lift weights, not feel like I’ve done anything, and then spend the next week saturated in pain and slowly lowering myself into any seated position.

Now that I’ve thawed out and am struggling to move, I’m deep into the memorabilia. My favorite pieces here are the old magazines. I could flip through them for HOURS. The Playboys are so innocent and full of REAL, curvy, beautiful women. The ads are insensitive/ridiculous/full-of-awesome. I’ve found articles about creating magic spells to get your man (it included a live insect) as well as a ten page exploration of contraception complete with photographs of all choices and the sentence: “Sex is no longer supposed to be a chore for making babies, today it’s a way of life.” (Confidential Magazine – 1970) I’m not sure that is entirely accurate, but I can think of a few demographics that would like it to be–like teenage boys…likely teenage girls too.

Well, these magazine are far too good for me to keep to myself so it’s time for post-and-tell…

This is my favorite Janis Joplin cover. It’s from January 1975. Perhaps not the most flattering picture, but it’s real! You just can feel her movement.

Remember when I said full-of-awesome? Looking at it reminds me of the new manmercials from Old Spice.  Playboy — October 1969.

Dapper Magazine circa December 1968

Aye, the hand just gets me. How fucking cool is that fucking hand?

SEAN FUCKING CONNERY. SEAN. CONNERY.

Starring in…wait for it….wait for it…the science fiction flick “ZARDOZ” from 1974. Must. Find. Movie.

I own a Toyota, and I love it, but I just couldn’t help myself…

How cool do these kids feel? The Bugaloos 1974.

I want to BE Tina Turner in this picture…

My suggestion is to just let all of this awesome sit with you for a while. I don’t want to overwhelm your body with awesome all at once, it could send you into a seizure of awesome.  So, I’ll save a few for later.