20/20 Buttons Up

Busy Beaver Button Maker alum and Lynard’s Innards front man Jay Castaldi wrote today’s buttoned up album cover feature about the self-titled major label debut by the amazing old LA powerpop band 20/20, released in 1979 on Epic records.

As you see, the front cover has a photo of them reflected in some shiny ceramic tile, or perhaps a mirror of them standing in front of some shiny ceramic tile.

The grid pattern formed by the ceramic tile walls and the black and white checkerboard pattern floor tile are, of course, hallmarks of powerpop and new wave design from that era. Throw in that pair of dirty white Keds sneakers and there should be little doubt that we’re looking at a powerpop record cover.

A closer look shows that the fellow furthest to the left on the cover is wearing a snazzy 20/20 button, which you can see in the close-up detail view of the album here.  Cool, right?!

Several years ago, he appropriated an approximation of that design for a Lynyrd’s Innards button.  To my knowledge, the Lynyrd’s Innards version has never been featured on an album cover.

Jay also saw 20/20 play in Austin at the Radio Heartbeat powerpop festival in the summer of 2008, and they still got it.  Surprisingly great, even after all these years.

—Jay Castaldi

Button Interview: Tiber Scheer

Busy Beaver: Why did you start collecting buttons?

Tiber Scheer: Early on as a youth, in the 70′s I was pretty sucked in by any kind of graffic art. My dad had a cork board that was always a revolving display of images which included a couple of buttons; a ‘no bozo‘s’ pin, a pot leaf, some political buttons. Those were probably my first introductions into wearable art.

I probably started collecting sometime in the 80′s, a prolific time for the tiny punk/new wave button. There were vending machines around that had these horribly rad enamel pin back buttons. I had this one Billy Idol one that looked nothing like him, it was great. During the 90′s while playing in bands, I wondered why no one did buttons anymore.

A friend told me about a place called Li’l One Inch Button Co (which later became Busy Beaver Button Co.), I made some buttons and it kinda re-ignited my love for buttons. I’m always on the lookout at second hand stores, estate sales, wherever. I enjoy giving choice finds to friends too.

BB: How many buttons are in your collection?

TB: Probably around 250 or so, I have more but they don’t currently fit or are permanent fixtures on clothes.

BB: How do you store and display your buttons?

TB: They’re on a kinda felted presentation board, not quite cork but I need to move them to something larger so I can display them all. I best like to display them by wearing them.

BB: What is your favorite button?

TB: Probably a three way tie between: a Ramones button with C. Jay instead of Dee Dee cause it makes me look like a poseur and everybody has a Dee Dee button, a Joe Jackson pin from the Night and Day album and any of the buttons of my kids. I make buttons of them for their birthdays, friends and family love them.

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