The Rolling Stones Iconic Tongue and Lips Logo and The Controversy Behind It told by Ernie Cefalu

Ernie Cefalu talks the history of the iconic Rolling Stones tongue and lips logo originally inspired from another album cover he designed himself, the 'Dolls Alive' on International Paper Company, which featured a mouth placed in the center of the vinyl.
He was asked to incorporate a tongue into the set of lips he had already created and so the myth that they were Mick Jagger's lips was dispelled.

[www.youtube.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-01-28 13:03 by bv.

John Pasche did the T&L-Logo first end of 1970 in London (UK) in the form of a rubber stamp used for Rolling Stones Records. Ernie Cefalu did his version in February 1971 in New York City - [iorr.org] .


[iorr.org]

Watch the YouTube video above first.

We already have a recent great thread about the tongue, including its mysterious origin... I guess this one could add some valuable contribition there... (sorry too lazy to seek the link).

- Doxa

The topic John Pasche vs. Craig Braun vs. Ernie Cefalu has been discussed here many many times - [iorr.org] , [iorr.org] .

Quote
Irix
The topic John Pasche vs. Craig Braun vs. Ernie Cefalu has been discussed here many many times - [iorr.org] , [iorr.org] .

And they are all off base. Alan Aldridge's design is the true origin of the Stones Tongue.

Quote
shawnriffhard1

Quote
Irix
The topic John Pasche vs. Craig Braun vs. Ernie Cefalu has been discussed here many many times - [iorr.org] , [iorr.org] .

And they are all off base. Alan Aldridge's design is the true origin of the Stones Tongue.

Agreed!! But you must also agree that Alan Aldridge's design is usually mentioned by the third or fourth posting in a thread!

--
Captain Corella
60 Years a Fan

Quote
shawnriffhard1

Alan Aldridge's design is the true origin of the Stones Tongue.

The shape, not the idea itself - [iorr.org] .

Ah, here we go again …. It looks like Ernie and Co found a few new marionettes to again to try and proof their wrong into right . Long ago some bugbear told the world that 1961 would be the end of it all … never had the chance to talk to those who wasted their time and valuables …
If you’re really interested, shawnriffhard2 and gagiwh, go read the links that Irix mentioned. It will save you from placing more rubbish statements

I'm a GHOST living in a ghost town

Someone ought to say it is not safe these days to run Windows XP and access the internet with it

Quote
Nikkei
Someone ought to say it is not safe these days to run Windows XP and access the internet with it

I thought you were smarter, never thought it could be a screenshot from long ago?

I suspected it could be but I've become cautious since I witnessed an ATM display an error message that revealed it was still running XP

Quote
Nikkei
I suspected it could be but I've become cautious since I witnessed an ATM display an error message that revealed it was still running XP

Then I apologize for my comment.

Quote
UrbanSteel

Quote
Nikkei
I suspected it could be but I've become cautious since I witnessed an ATM display an error message that revealed it was still running XP

Then I apologize for my comment.

That's ok, let me also apologize for the suggestion

Quote
Nikkei

Quote
UrbanSteel

Quote
Nikkei
I suspected it could be but I've become cautious since I witnessed an ATM display an error message that revealed it was still running XP

Then I apologize for my comment.

That's ok, let me also apologize for the suggestion

No hard feelings.

OMFG.

Whatever.

FAKE NEWS!

Quote
GasLightStreet

OMFG.

Because average people now believe Ernie Cefalu 'invented'/designed the T&L-Logo - you can often see it in the comments on the articles or videos:

"eric pigors: Thanks for this interview I’ve always wondered who did this iconic image. I am an artist myself who does shirts and logos and I was always curious if this guy made much considering it’s probably made at least a few million I’m sure. It’s probably as iconic is the happy face and Mickey Mouse one of the all-time greatest most recognizable logos ever created" - [www.YouTube.com] .

Quote
Irix

Quote
GasLightStreet

OMFG.

Because average people now believe Ernie Cefalu 'invented'/designed the T&L-Logo - you can often see it in the comments on the articles or videos:

"eric pigors: Thanks for this interview I’ve always wondered who did this iconic image. I am an artist myself who does shirts and logos and I was always curious if this guy made much considering it’s probably made at least a few million I’m sure. It’s probably as iconic is the happy face and Mickey Mouse one of the all-time greatest most recognizable logos ever created" - [www.YouTube.com] .

Average people? So you've are extraordinary a and know everything? Don't think so.

Quote
UrbanSteel

Average people? So you've are extraordinary a and know everything? Don't think so.

No, thats absolutely not what I meant. With the term 'average people' I meant ordinary people from the street who are not necessarily Stones-fans.

Quote
Irix

No, thats absolutely not what I meant. With the term 'average people' I meant

Those people have absolutely no interest in who designed the tongue, anyone can live with such a statement.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-01-29 15:11 by UrbanSteel.

Quote
Honestman

Alan Aldridge 1969

I knew it! But it took so long for the picture from The Beatles book to shown up here! On the other forum any Rolling Stones thread is transformed to another boring Beatles thread much faster .

Quote
ironbelly

I knew it! But it took so long for the picture from The Beatles book to shown up here!

It showed up here already on 26-Nov-2014 - [iorr.org] - by no one less than [www.RonnieSchneider.com] . It showed up also in this very thread before - [iorr.org] .



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-01-29 14:45 by Irix.

Quote
UrbanSteel

Those people have absolutely no interest in who designed the tongue, anyone can live with such a statement.

Which makes it then easier for Ernie Cefalu's reality distortion statements.

Let's assume that Aldridge's 1969 Day Tripper image was the start of it all (off course it wasn't. I collected many tongue/lip images from way before 1969! Just give it a try on Internet) it would mean that Ernie's (1971) story sucks anyway. Well, apart from the possible Aldridge link (which is there, but then via Craig Braun, because he knew that image and used it with his co-werkers DiMicelli and (the later unique) designer Vales to modify John Pasche's original image (one white line on the tongue and a bit fatty) into what eventually became the most popular "USA" image.

Ernie in the end admitted that he received a simple handdrawn lips/tongue image from Braun in the présence of Marshall Chess (at that time president of Rolling Stones Records) and that was in February 1971 (you find it in one of the two links that Irix mentioned) and that Braun asked him to use it to add a tongue to Ernie's lips only design from another album. One of the try-outs was chosen by Braun to present to Chess, but the Stones used that one only a very short time, giving Braun permission (via Musidor B.V.) to exploit it for a maximum of three years.
Since the "USA" version was so fantastic, the Stones obviously used that one to "hit the world".



I'm a GHOST living in a ghost town

Quote
georgie48

One of the try-outs was chosen by Braun to present to Chess, but the Stones used that one only a very short time, giving Braun permission (via Musidor B.V.) to exploit it for a maximum of three years.

Ernie Cefalu's logo is used nowadays officially again, e.g. on T-Shirts or the Tongue-Litho-Set - [iorr.org] . The 3-years license was from 1971 for the 'Licks Memorabilia' - [iorr.org] . Ernie Cefalu's logo appeared also on 1973 Stones' Stage-Shirts as well as on the RS Mobile Studio - [iorr.org] .

20-Apr-2020 - [www.Bravado.de] , [TheRollingStonesShop.co.uk] . 'Tongue Evolution' T-Shirt 2018 - [TheRollingStonesShop.co.uk] .



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-01-29 16:40 by Irix.

Quote
Irix

Quote
georgie48

One of the try-outs was chosen by Braun to present to Chess, but the Stones used that one only a very short time, giving Braun permission (via Musidor B.V.) to exploit it for a maximum of three years.

Ernie Cefalu's logo is used nowadays officially again, e.g. on T-Shirts or the Tongue-Litho-Set - [iorr.org] . The 3-years license was from 1971 for the 'Licks Memorabilia' - [iorr.org] . Ernie Cefalu's logo appeared also on 1973 Stones' Stage-Shirts as well as on the RS Mobile Studio - [iorr.org] .

20-Apr-2020 - [www.Bravado.de]

Yep. For some time already. But now Braun's logo is under licence of the Rolling Stones themselves (via Bravado). (I'm just teasing the Ernie fans ...).
I liked the T-shirt versions worn by Charlie and Mick Taylor I those early 70s. As anyone can see .... NO eyes! Or, another evidence that Ernie's story s*cks, because even Aldridge's image shows some "eyes"


I'm a GHOST living in a ghost town



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-01-29 19:35 by georgie48.

Below on the link a good read about the design of the tongue. Probably nobody knows exactly who was the first.



[www.rushordertees.com]

Quote
UrbanSteel

Probably nobody knows exactly who was the first.

That's not true. You just have to look at the locations and especially the timelines to know who did what, when and where.

John Pasche was the first in 1970, London (UK) - V&A-Museum. Craig Braun and Ernie Cefalu re-drew it early 1971 in NYC - [iorr.org] , [RockPopGallery.Typepad.com] . Ernie Cefalu was a Freelancer at Craig Braun Inc. (Sound Packaging Corp.) - [iorr.org] .

Chronological order, given by the Rolling Stones themself:



RS Tongue-Litho-Set (2018) - [iorr.org] .



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2022-01-30 10:10 by Irix.