Welcome back to Star Wire, where the week bends through rediscovery and rhythm. An attic sketch shows us the moment Man Ray slipped from convention into avant-garde rebellion. Two Scottish prodigies remind us how swiftly fame can dissolve into silence. And Terry Riley’s In C reverberates once more, a minimalist anthem that almost—but never quite—fit the counterculture mold.
To ground it all, we’ve paired a Cosmic Fizz cocktail with Spiced Stardust Chickpeas—a cosmic snack and sip to keep your orbit steady. And because no transmission feels complete without sound, we’re adding a new pulse: This Week’s Sound, a flashback to the Easybeats’ exuberant hit Good Times.
An Attic Discovery Reveals the Moment Man Ray Went Avant-Garde
Artnet
A watercolor sketch made while Man Ray was still in his early twenties has recently resurfaced, providing rare insight into the crucial turning point when he abandoned traditional methods and embraced bold new experiments inspired by European modernism.
‘They had everything, then nothing’: the prodigies the art world forgot
The Guardian
Robert Colquhoun and Bobby MacBryde were once the golden boys of London’s art scene – photographed in Vogue, filmed by Ken Russell and lauded by Francis Bacon. So why did they vanish into obscurity?
When the Man Tried to Sell Minimalism to the Counterculture
The NewYorker
Columbia Records saw Terry Riley’s “In C,” now rereleased for his ninetieth birthday, as a perfect anthem for the psychedelic Zeitgeist, but the mainstream couldn’t contain the composer’s utopian energies for long.
🎶 This Week’s Pulse: The Easybeats – Good Times
Before AC/DC roared out of Australia, another band put the country firmly on the global rock map: The Easybeats. Formed in Sydney in the mid-1960s, they were among the first Australian acts to break internationally, fueled by the songwriting team of Harry Vanda and George Young (older brother to AC/DC’s Malcolm and Angus Young). Their earlier hit Friday on My Mind became a worldwide anthem, but by 1968 they doubled down with Good Times.
Produced by George Young and featuring Steve Marriott of Small Faces on backing vocals, Good Times was a brash, euphoric single that charted in Australia and Europe and later found new life when INXS and Jimmy Barnes revived it in the 1980s. Though The Easybeats dissolved in 1969, their influence echoed far beyond: without their success, the Young brothers’ later rise with AC/DC might never have burned so brightly. Good Times captures that raw transition moment—an exuberant bridge between pop innocence and hard rock swagger.
This Week’s Recipe: The Cosmic Fizz and Spiced Stardust Chickpeas
The Drink: The Cosmic Fizz
A light, effervescent drink with a touch of mystery.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz gin (London dry or botanical)
- ½ oz St-Germain (elderflower liqueur)
- ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
- ½ oz honey syrup (1:1 honey and water)
- Top with soda water
- Lemon twist or edible flower for garnish
Method
- Shake gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon, and honey syrup with ice.
- Strain into a chilled highball glass filled with fresh ice.
- Top with soda water and garnish with lemon twist or edible flower.
Bright, botanical, and just strange enough — like sipping spring starlight.
The Dish: Spiced Stardust Chickpeas
A shareable, plant-based dish that feels both street food and cosmic comfort.
Ingredients
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp coriander
- ½ tsp chili flakes (optional)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Fresh parsley to finish
Method
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Toss chickpeas with olive oil, spices, salt, and lemon zest.
- Roast on a sheet pan for 25–30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until golden and crisp.
- Scatter parsley on top before serving.
Crunchy, smoky, and addictive — perfect with a Cosmic Fizz while reading The Bohemian Star.
Art, sound, memory — all transmissions waiting to be received. Consider yourself tuned in. See you next week!
