Customer Reviews

Wildsville: The Art of Derek Yaniger

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Shag is probably better known. But Derek Yaniger more authentically captures the loose, sketchy, optimistic "cocktail napkin" art that once graced telephone book displays, men's magazines like Playboy, album liner notes, instructional pamphlets, White Castle burger ads and other throwaway ephemera of the 1950s. His work also shows a healthy influence from the great Jim Flora, who designed Columbia Records albums for 10 years beginning in the 1940s. This is very high lowbrow. I first became aware of Derek's work in Tiki Magazine. Indeed, Mid-Century vices like tikis, booze, rock n roll, beatniks, monsters, hot rodding, conventioneering, and tight sweaters provide the themes for his ultra-hipster artwork. The '50s sensibility was often "primitive modern," mixing the atomic age, abstract modernism, and folksy crudeness. You get this cocktail in Derek's work: random layouts, "deep space" backgrounds, bold geometric shapes, uneven edges, flat one-dimensional figures, nervous overlapping lines, single-hue color combinations, skewed cut-out letters, Googie dingbats and arrows, and dotted accents. It's a spacey "spontaneous carefree" approach. I never get tired of this stuff. We get over 100 pages chock-full of Derek's book covers, magazine art, gallery work, clip art, signage, serigraphs, and other wacky stuff he drew just for kicks. Highly recommened.

... and quit playing backseat bingo and pony up some bread right now for this happenin' tome. You say you like to SHAG? You say Ragnar rocks? Granted these cats are radioactive but they don't razz my berries like Derek Dude does. His scribbles are like fat city man! This book has the cream of Derek's crop and that's the word from the bird. So if you like tiki's, babes, and anything that's a kick you'll scrape together the nuggets to buy, baby, BUY!!! (Ain't no LOWBROW here!)

The previous 2 reviewers nailed it on the head, so no need to regurgitate what they have said. I would like to share how I enjoy this book. Obviously it is not a novel in which one can curl up with at the fireplace, nor is it a textbook which one would read in a sturdy reading chair with a bright light. I enjoy reading it on a cool summer night at the patio with a cocktail in hand --preferably a Manhattan, while Dean Martin is playing in the background. I wasn't born in the 50's, but it sure feels like it when I'm listening to Dino and getting lost in Derek's images. It's not fun to drink alone, but if you have to, bring Derek's book along, so you don't look like an alcoholic. It's also fun to read it in the morning with coffee.