Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice or just prefer to spend the holidays getting drunk and avoiding people, you still need a little something to make you, and those you love, feel good. With that in mind, PKM hopes these gift ideas help build back the holidays even better than last year.
We’re going out on a limb by predicting this holiday season will be better than the last one. Last year at this time, if you care to recall, was not a relaxing time. When Johnny Mathis crooned “the weather outside is frightening,” we checked the windows to make sure that the Apocalypse hadn’t arrived. Back then, we were buried under six feet of political bullshit, which spilled over into the new year with the Jan. 6 Insurrection—a day that should live in infamy. With that out of the way and with a slightly firmer grip on the COVID pandemic (and gas prices dropping again), PKM takes our cue from the recent passage of the Build Back Better Bill by the U.S. Congress.
The PKM elves have, in fact, built back an even better bill of goods for this holiday season.
SEARCH AND DESTROY STICKER
You will no longer be the world’s forgotten boy with this baby attached to the back bumper of your El Dorado. Or your Prius. Or your band’s van.
FAN CLUB BUTTON
Show your love for Iggy with this magnet pin, a reproduction of a vintage 1970s button. Are you sensing a pattern here, Santa?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/636440437/iggy-pop-225-button-keychain-fan-club?ga_order=most
PATTI SMITH DOLL
Get your mind out of the gutter, please, because this is not one of those life-size inflatable things. This kit allows you to sew a fairly sizable version of Patti Smith as either a doll or a cushion for the sofa (check out the accompanying photos with this). Even those who aren’t completely handy with a needle and thread could probably pull this off.
PATTI SMITH MUG
Toast the arrival of your brand new Patti Smith doll with this Patti Smith stein. This isn’t some cheesy Chinese import, but a North Carolina-made “wheel-thrown earthenware mug with white clay slip, floral and iron oxide decals, and clear glaze” that has been “fired four times in an electric kiln.” Whoah mama!
TALKING HEADS-INSPIRED SWEATSHIRT
If you really want to pretend you’re David Byrne, order this Talking Heads-inspired sweatshirt several sizes too large and then pad the shoulders. Don’t miss this ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity.
NICO JERSEY
This is the end…of your search for the perfect Nico jersey. Our favorite tragic chanteuse is featured on the front, with the words from the Jackson Browne song that SHE SANG FIRST.
NICO-CHELSEA GIRL ALBUM
Not only is Jackson Browne’s “These Days” on this, her debut solo album (1967), but she also covers his “Fairest of the Seasons,” plus a Lou Reed song, two Reed/John Cale songs, a Reed/Sterling Morrison collaboration, a Dylan song and Tim Hardin’s haunting “Eulogy for Lenny Bruce.” This is a must-have disc.
https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/nico/chelsea-girl/lp
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL AND YOU ARE ALONE: THE BIOGRAPHY OF NICO
To complete the Nico trifecta, this recent chronicle by Jennifer Otter Bickerdicke, a PKM contributor, is essential. See also Danny Fields’ story about the author and her book’s subject.
DEBBIE HARRY WALL ART
Some would say that Blondie’s singer is a living work of art, but with this imaginative piece of wall art (8.5-inch X 11-inch) you can put her on your wall. The background includes the sheet music and words to “Call Me”.
EDIE SEDGWICK TOTE BAG
The face that launched a thousand Andy Warhol quips is emblazoned on this handmade cotton tote bag.
JIMI HENDRIX WALLET
When your son, husband, significant other unwraps this, he will be so happy he’ll leave the room, saying, “Excuse me while I kiss the sky.” It’s a handsome leather bifold wallet with six card slots and one slot for extra cash.
NINA SIMONE MUG
The great Nina Simone. Enough said. On second thought, there’s this quote from her emblazoned on the side of the mug: “You’ve got to learn to leave the table when love’s no longer being served.”
RAMONES BUTTON
The slogan emblazoned on this handsome pin may be true, literally or figuratively. We won’t spoil it. You have to look for yourself.
LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND 3-D POSTER
Winsor McCay’s classic comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland was psychedelic long before LSD was synthesized by Albert Hoffman. Denis Kitchen, a cartoonist and comics historian, has created this poster by simulating the style of McCay AND turning into a 3-D viewing experience, so that you can see Nemo’s dream of his toys coming to life while lying in your own bed. Comes with 3-D glasses.
Signed/inscribed $25; unsigned $15.
http://www.deniskitchen.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=SK&Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PO_nemo.s
SARAH MACFADDEN’S QUEEN TUT RING
Born and raised in Montana but now based in NYC, Sarah Macfadden forges silver jewelry that King Tut would be proud to bestow upon his queen. The Queen Tut ring is the “tall sister” of Macfadden’s “carved collection.” She says, “Her height brings out the extra length in your finger you didn’t know you had.”
https://www.sarahmacfaddenjewelry.com/product-page/the-queen-tut-carved-silver-stacking-ring
THE POETRY PROJECT’S NEW YEAR’S DAY MARATHON
All aboard. This is an express train to poetry, lasting from 11 a.m. to midnight on New Year’s Day. You can get off at seven hourly stations or take the full ride, your choice. Mind the gap as you climb on board. Oh yes, and have your tickets ready. You can get your tickets here:
https://www.poetryproject.org/events/the-48th-annual-new-year-s-day-marathon
