I’m not positive, but I think there’s a performance art project taking place here in Ypsilanti, right behind the sports bar on Washington Street. There’s a house there being repainted. As a casual passer-by you probably wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. You might just think, “Oh, that’s nice. I’m happy they’re painting that old place. It’ll be good for the neighborhood.” Pass it again though and you might wonder why the men (if they are men at all – they never face the street) are still painting the same bit of siding they were a few hours ago. Pass again and you might begin to wonder why it is that every time you pass, these men seem to be listening to Van Halen… And, “What’s that?”
“What’s that mark up there, up at the top, right above the window in the middle of the house? Is that the… I think it is… It’s the fucking Van Halen logo.”
So, what does it all mean? I’m not sure. Maybe it’s the next generation of product placement. Maybe the Van Halen brothers have purchased or rented inexpensive, highly-visible houses in a hundred little college towns… maybe to subliminally promote their current tour, or their most recent greatest hits collection. (Maybe they’re even paying me to write about it.)… Or, what I’d like to think is that it’s performance art – that the guys (or robots) standing there all day painting are trying to make some kind of statement. I have no idea what that statement might be, but when I think if it in that light, I think it’s kind of beautiful… even with the shitty music playing.
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For what it’s worth, a few years ago a house on Perry Street in Pontiac was painted a similar shade of green, and the job seemed to take forever to complete. Next time I drive by I’ll look for Van Halen symbols…
I’m just glad I don’t live around it… Crack houses are one thing, but…
The painters played Rush Limbaugh the whole time they were working on my house. I wonder if maybe there’s a little Rush logo somewhere that I’m not aware of.
It’s a time-share. David Lee Roth with be there half the time, and Sammy Hagar will be there when he’s not.
Maybe it’s a Van Halen themed haunted house that they’re trying to get ready before Halloween.
Have you seen Diamon Dave recently? If he jumped out from behind a wall, I would definately shit myself
I’m thinking about renting the house across the street and branding it “Foghat.”
Slooooooowwwwwww Riiiiiiiiideeeeee!!!
“Take it eeeeeasy”
My house will be the “Yes” house across the street from Mark’s house. Unless it is a Victorian. and then it will be a “Heart” house.
Actually, a “Devo House” Bed & Breakfast could be pretty cool… But you’d probably need to build it in Ohio.