Greenwich Village, NYCBand logos, billboards, and bumper stickers occupy a curious place in public space. Think of any surface -- a beer-stained sound booth, a lamppost at a crosswalk, a dive bar bathroom wall, the knife-scarred window of a toll booth -- and chances are, someone with an indie band or a turntable or bizarre political agenda has already been-there-done-that with a sticker. (My favorite bumper sticker ever, spotted on the back of a beat-up sedan? PRO-ACCORDION AND I VOTE. Steer clear of that loose cannon.)
While I haven't annexed whole rooms of brain space to the exercise, I do enjoy my occasional brushes with this transient trash. I walk around and wonder: Whatever happened to that unfortunately-named band on a wall in Tucson, Arizona? Is anyone actually going to go home and Google that Myspace address scrawled on the stairwell at the 14th Street subway after rushing to catch a transfer to the uptown 2/3 train? These names are fleeting and the city has its clean-up crews, so the life expectancy of these stickers is inevitably short. So be it. Most of them are poorly designed and pretty much a scourge. I'd even raise a rant against them myself -- if it wasn't for all that bloody pathos.
Yes, New York City is one big sticker book for everybody's broken dreams. But don't despair, sticker-makers and street teams. If there's a number attached to it and I happen to be strolling by with my camera, look out: you might just well be in for a 16th minute of so-called fame.
8 comments:
This reminds me of telephone poles I'd see in Portland with patches of posters all over them. There would be layers and layers of partial notices of up coming bands or some political rant with the most recent glued or staples over the past. I wish I'd taken a photo.
You might see my "Memories" post of August last year. Somewhat the same thoughts as you.
I wish I would proof read my stuff better. Make that stapled.
Do you say three-six-two or three-sixty-two?
Just wondering, fairly quickly there'd be a whole variety of rhythmical possibilities.
Pierre - I remember that post! "Gibberish first came out - the equivalent of Wingdings" stuck with me. Great turn of phrase and idea. Portland sure has no shortage of political rants, at least that was my impression when I breezed through there with my band.
Conan - Why, three-sixty-two, of course. Your poem in dactylic hexameter is due next week. Good luck!
AHA!!! NOW I know why that song from Juno has been swirling around in my head for two days. "I'm sticking with you/'cos I'm made out of glue." I must have subliminally seen the title of this post...
You will have to take full responsibility for this when I sing it all day today.
Heh. I was gonna call the post "I'm Made Out of Glue," but I thought the ASPSCA might get up my nose about it.
Such a lovely case of the 'blahs' here. You are known to turn a lovely phrase or two yourself.
Cheers, Julie. There is little to do when one has the blahs than turn words around.
Post a Comment