Codpieces and Controlled Vocabulary

I'm not sure that people realize what a responsibility it is to coordinate this search for the best jumpsuit in rock 'n roll. On top of the stress of making important decisions with long-term consequences, I have to do it all in the hours before or after a tough day of being a librarian. Or during a break.

Rock photographers don't seem to care about awesome jumpsuits and take ambiguous photos: I often can't tell if I'm looking at a unitard or just a skin tight combo. Even the rock stars themselves make it tough for me, gigantic belts are cool but often hide the crucial waistline area.

Worst of all though, is the shoddy job of descriptions and tagging that underlies Google image searching and Youtube. Amateur content providers don't seem to think that adding key terms like "red leather studded jumpsuit codpiece" is even required when posting images from the Diary of a Madman tour. Pure craziness! I can't believe how frustrating it has been to find a good photo of the outfit that inspired that fabulous Ozzy collector's figurine. I think this might be it but the photographer was more interested in set design than costume and, until I find a better view, I can't enter Ozzy into the competition.



And break is over and it's time to get back to work ....