Startling Detective magazine
Over the holidays, a friend presented me with what she referred to as “vintage clickbait”: The March 1969 issue of Startling Detective magazine. She wasn’t far off, although screaming all-caps headlines like “WHY BURN THE BALLERINA IN LOVER’S LANE?” and “MURDER OF THE NAKED GIRL IN THE HOME FOR THE BLIND” gave me more of an Investigation Discovery sort of vibe. I’m not into true-crime TV, but I’ve long been a fan of mid-century pulp novels, so the magazine’s punchy copy, flair for pseudo-journalistic detail—exact times taken from police reports are quoted in one paragraph, followed by three paragraphs of completely invented dialogue—and tendency toward referring to women by their hair color (“The blonde had six dates that night…”) held an undeniable aesthetic appeal. Later, doing research online, I discovered that Startling Detective was a favorite of serial killer Ed Gein, who had a huge collection of them and said they inspired some of his more ghoulish activities. But considering millions of people tune in every day to hear graphic details of real-life crimes recited on TV, and most of them don’t end up murdering anybody, I still feel okay about liking Startling Detective. And it doesn’t have any of those ridiculous reenactments. [Katie Rife]
The Mindy Project Style
I like a lot of things about The Mindy Project, but one of my favorite parts of the show involves viewing Dr. Mindy Lahiri’s wardrobe each week. I may not agree with all of her fashion choices, but she always wears outfits that are colorful, creative, and fashion-forward for those of us who are not 5-foot-8-inches, blonde, and a size 0. For a shopping-challenged person like myself, I am beyond grateful for The Mindy Project Style blog, which details not only most of Mindy’s ensembles, but where you can find them or purchase them online, from a Diane Von Furstenberg sleeveless knit dress to Eiffel Tower print pajamas to accessories like patterned argyle tights, a chain headband, or a Kate Spade raccoon iPhone case. The blog has even started a series examining the decor of Mindy’s cute apartment. The only downside: Most of the outfits posted sell out only hours after each episode airs, a credit to The Mindy Project’s fashion savvy (and its stylist). [Gwen Ihnat]
Captain’s Vinyl
This January, I spent an afternoon perusing the record stores of New Orleans, and while the big names—Domino Sound, Euclid Records—more than lived up to their reputations, my favorite of the bunch was housed in a tiny little storefront in the Mid-City neighborhood. On a per-square-foot basis, Captain’s Vinyl has the best selection of any record store I’ve ever visited, all expertly curated and thoughtfully organized in a space no larger than the average studio apartment. While the well-stocked “essentials” section is a warm gesture to new collectors, the real gem of the place was its bin of new arrivals. It’s probably luck of the draw, but the Kraftwerk, Roxy Music, New Order, XTC, and Wall Of Voodoo albums I opted not to buy amount to a better selection of those acts than I’ve found at stores with five times the size of Captain’s. (I wound up with a pair of $10 picks—Lou Reed’s New York and David Bowie’s Lodger—while my brother-in-law picked up a well-worn copy of Prince’s self-titled 1979 album free of charge.) The store is clearly a labor of love, as evidenced by the decor of yellowing concert handbills and the Wednesday through Sunday hours of operation—though with some advance notice, the owner, Bryan, opened up shop for us on one of his off days, part of which he also spent at Domino Sound. Its wares aside, Captain’s Vinyl offers something truly rare on the used-vinyl circuit: A person behind the counter who doesn’t act inconvenienced by your presence. [Erik Adams]