Generic Diesel Punk Discussion

[andrew craven]

The Daily Express building, Fleet Street, London:

Click here, and have a look at some pictures of the stunning interior.

 You sure thats in London's Fleet Street old chap? It looks exactly like Manchester Ancoats that building does!?

[andrew craven]

 The Empire State Building...now this is a magnificent futurist building. It has the future of the typical science fictional metropolis behind the idea around this one....the city in the sky...We need more buildings that are designed to moore zeppelins!

[Herr Döktor]

The Daily Express building, Fleet Street, London:

With appologies Herr Doktor,
that is The Friends Provident head office in Ancoats Mnchester,it was modelled on The Express Building, so an understandable error
I only know because I used to work there...boil in summer,freeze in winter

My apologies: That is the Manchester offices of the Express, modelled after the London one:

And we might as well get the Glasgow one out of the way while we're here:

The London one was nick-named "The Black Lubyanka" by the Private Eye.

[Argus Fairbrass]

Not that I've ever been but if you like Deco architecture Shanghai has quite the collection. The Bund was reopened to the public last year.





I still think the Chrysler is my personal fave though.

[Zeppelin Kapitan Fritz]

     Hard to find many vehicles much more Deco than the 1934 Chrysler Airflow and the Union Pacific M-10000.

[neon_suntan]

     Hard to find any vehicles much more Deco than the 1934 Chrysler Airflow and the Union Pacific M-10000.

The Phantom Corsair?

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Also most days i drive past a former Cigarette factory built in the 50's neo-art-deco/faux-art-deco style

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[The Abiliegh]

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     Hard to find any vehicles much more Deco than the 1934 Chrysler Airflow and the Union Pacific M-10000.

1939 Pontiac, made of plexiglass....


1928 Packard Limosine (I actually get to go drive one of these soon!)

[Mr. Bertram A. Lisney]

There's been a page full of ideas and comments to reply to, I won't quote them all, I'll just add this;

If we assume that Steampunk is Victorian inspired and Dieselpunk is WWI-WWII inspired,

I've seen a goodly bit of this thinking, and it is my most humble opinion that it is inherently flawed; however!

...
I think there's truth in the idea that Steampunk is predominantly UK themed and Diesel US themed.
Retrofuturists tend to head towards exciting times in History.
The UK has fun stuff going on in the Victorian ere with an expansionist Empire and a vibrant London town, but post WWI the US was exciting with an industrial movement, prohibition and art deco to distract from the great depression.

Seems to hit the nail on the head.  Somewhere between film noir and a campy propaganda skit.

Funny, though, that the Steampunks should focus towards the end of the British empire, and the Dieselpunks, the start of the American.  Will, years from now, people dress up in fantastical facsimiles of our modern wear?  Will going to Starbucks be a quaint, novel practice celebrating a more civilized age?  Will people attach touch-screens to hoodies and shredded jeans in a pointless and haphazard manner?

I tend to think not.

[Argus Fairbrass]

I bet someone in Japan has done it already.

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It makes total sense to me that Diesel Punk is more associated with America. It isn't exclusively of course any more than SP is exclusively British. But even looking at it purely from the aspect of the fuel source (which does play a large part) It's down to the size of the place as much as anything. The American love of gasoline is legendary. Not because in reality it's more dependant on the bloody stuff than anywhere else. But because it was at the forefront of developing awesome gas guzzling streamline moderne type vehicles that just physically don't fit on many of the roads in a country such as mine.

Even back in the sixties when I was born for example. When many Americans were cruising round in cars like this

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my old man was poodling about in this

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And much as I have very fond memories of it, and it certainly was economical (ish) it's not the most impressive vehicle you'll ever see.

Obviously a lot of the buildings are far larger too.

Incidentally, I still feel that the SP timeline finishes at the end of WW1. Indeed the Deco movement was a kind of reaction to the austerity of that period. Even though it's roots were (apparently) in 1900 France and the term itself wasn't coined until 1968. I guess SP claims Art Nouveau, which is also very lovely in a greenish twirly swirly God I'm bombed on absinthe kinda way.

[Atterton]

The Hollywood Reporter says that a Rocketeer sequel is in the works. Though instead of Cliff Secord the rocket pack will be worn by a black woman.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/rocketeer-disney-movie-reboot-works-915037

[Angus A Fitziron]

It makes total sense to me that Diesel Punk is more associated with America. It isn't exclusively of course any more than SP is exclusively British. But even looking at it purely from the aspect of the fuel source (which does play a large part) It's down to the size of the place as much as anything. The American love of gasoline is legendary. Not because in reality it's more dependant on the bloody stuff than anywhere else. But because it was at the forefront of developing awesome gas guzzling streamline moderne type vehicles that just physically don't fit on many of the roads in a country such as mine.

Hello Argus old chap - ages since we chatted! Hope you are well.

So, here we are digging up a thread from 2011 when I was probably asleep as I don't seem to have participated - time to put that right even though I don't recall seeing the OP around here recently. Looking at the situation 5 years later, I think we are now more global in our judgements and I do believe that Diesel Punk has a place very much in European culture. The whole Nazis in space / Iron Sky and Luft '46 are very Diesel Punk. Maybe not quite so strong in the UK for many of the reasons Argus gives. The lack of visibility in the UK may also have much to do with a natural rejection of Nazi style and the massive trend towards '50's 'Vintage' culture, in cars, fashion and music - what was once coined 'atom punk'!

Incidentally, I still feel that the SP timeline finishes at the end of WW1. Indeed the Deco movement was a kind of reaction to the austerity of that period. Even though it's roots were (apparently) in 1900 France and the term itself wasn't coined until 1968. I guess SP claims Art Nouveau, which is also very lovely in a greenish twirly swirly God I'm bombed on absinthe kinda way.

Yep, I do agree with that except maybe the SP timeline ends at the beginning of The Great War. 1914 -1918 was a time when industrialisation was turned to mass slaughter, learning the lessons from The American Civil War. As such it feels too cynical and dark to be associated with SP, but maybe that's just me. The darkness of diesel punk has, for me, more associations coming out of the trenches and for me, those years are the watershed between SP and DP. I do wonder though if there is another way? The fun and frolics of SP and the convenience of the infernal combustion engine? Actually, just thinking about it, that is a clear divider right there, history dates aside...
SP is predominately external combustion - steam, hot air - and DP is mainly internal combustion. Sorry if that has been raised before, didn't have a chance to read every post.
Anyway, back on point - my personal choice for the period and as I am the only adherent of it, I must be right - how about Akroyd Stuart Punk? Some say the true inventor of the Diesel engine but hey, even the name sounds right. So, Akroyd Stuart Punk is now my preferred follow on period from Steam Punk where the steam has leaked away.

[Hurricane Annie]

 Now that there is a distance  of chronological  and generational time  between the now and the  20th Century there have evolved rather romantic and evocative  labels for the  era  , with a certain  nostalgic yearning.   No longer are we  referring   to  early 1900s , War Time ,  the 50s , Swinging 60s

We have  the Interbellum period, Inter war period, dieselpunk,  peace time to describe  the 20s through 40s.

The war years  are variously described as Mid Century,  Ration  Years, Military  Influence, Swing era.

Next we race on to the post war/ Cold War era  and  Atomic , Atom punk,  Space War, Space Race,  Psychobilly

I am in aggreeance with anything that  provides people with inspirational   and creative vision 

[chicar]

A spectacular rock opera-like remastering of Fritz Lang's Metropolis by Giorgio Moroder:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1qIj4Vce8g