HEATHER'S RHINO ART (not the perissodactyl)

In the beginning, Rhino Media Empire of All Things Retro (that aren't RetroKimmer) was Rhino Records, a UCLA campus-close record store somewhat similar to the fictional one seen decades later in the film "High Fidelity" starring John Cusack, as was every other one staffed by real rock afficianados in the U.S. and the U.K.

I drew the above immortal art for their April 1 - May 15, 1976 calendar flyer (based upon a nearby midnight movie theatre one, you know, "Rocky Horror Show" Friday, "El Topo" Saturday) and brainstormed the weirdest of their commemorative days for filler, such as John Denver Silly Walks Day, Our Unsung Idiots Day, ad Monty Python nauseum (which admittedly, thirty four years ago, was still fresh.) Trivia: my May 3rd drawing was based upon David Bowie's ISOLAR, a project with which I dubiously was connected (that is a LONG, whole other whale of a tale.)

When Rhino Record Store begat Rhino Records, I did the photography and art direction for their second, third and fourth ever releases: Rhino Royale (a professional wrestling themed compilation which found me stationed at the Olympic Auditoriuim in downtown L.A. photographing Andre the Giant;) Twist Again with the Low Numbers, and Saturday Night Pogo (the first L.A. punk compilation, with my photo of gonzo rock writer Richard Meltzer as the John Travolta. And please view the last of this trio, with my annotation here LINK.) Anal trivia: their first release which darkened neither my drawing table nor camera lens was An Evening With Wildman Fischer. (No personal computers to darken in those dark ages.)

For jolly insider descriptions of the original phenom in both Westwood Village CA and Claremont CA, click these tres amusing links by ex-Rhino employees Jeff Gold (future media exec, now CEO of RecordMecca.com) and Mark Leviton (future media exec and now in retirement full time radio DJ) respectively: LINK and LINK.

Stop the online presses! My drawings and graphic design are featured in this new (7/11) Rhino documentary feature teaser...