Tag Archives: VG Kids

Tracking down Patrick Elkins and forcing him to talk about Totally Awesome Fest 9

By Mark | April 25, 2013

Last year, when Patrick Elkins, the densely-bearded, enigmatic recluse behind Ypsilanti’s Totally Awesome Fest, called a press conference to announce the line-up for the annual fertility ritual masquerading as a city-wide music festival, I was the only person to show up. And, as you might recall, it didn’t go well. This year, unsurprisingly, there was [...]

Posted in Art and Culture, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged Ben Miller, Ben Miller's take-home fashion show, Dan Florida, manicures, Patrick Elkins, seed bombing, Tap Room, thickly-bearded local troubadours, Totally Awesome Corp, Totally Awesome Fest, Water Street, Ypsi festivals | 24 Comments

Ypsi/Arbor Exit Interview: Leggz

By Mark | November 12, 2012

Yet another Ypsilantian, a member of the band Manhole, has pulled up stakes and left Ypsilanti for the mythical paradise of Portland, where, according to legend, “young people go to retire.” Here’s my interview with the tall, quiet man we all knew as Leggz. MARK: What’s your name? I mean, I know you as Leggz, [...]

Posted in Art and Culture, Michigan, Special Projects, Ypsilanti | Also tagged Christopher Leggz Pierce, Cross Street, Derek Smalls, Eastern Michigan University, EMU, exit interviews, Frank Blunt, Hollis Knight Coats, I think we're alone now, Kissimmee, Leggz, Manhole, Muskegon, Tiffany, Ypsi/Arbor Exit Interviews | 14 Comments

Is the Bank of Ann Arbor’s “non-local banker campaign” a hypocritical, pointelss mess of faux-localism?

By Mark | October 21, 2012

For the past few months, those of us who live in and around Ann Arbor have been subjected to a relentlessly pervasive advertising campaign featuring a balding, sunken-chested, Clearasil-colored cartoon banker with an often furrowed brow, and standard issue “nerd” glasses. He started showing up on billboards a little over a month ago. At first, [...]

Posted in Ann Arbor, Marketing, Observations, Uncategorized | Also tagged advertising, advertising campaign, analingus, Bank of America, Bank of Ann Arbor, banking, Banksy, billboards, Bongz And Thongz, Clear Channel, cool, culture jamming, Dustin Krcatovich, Encore Records, FM Dust, GG Allin, Half Ass, hipster, hypocrisy, hypocrisy watch, Iggy Pop, illustration, J.J. Sedelmaier, Jeremy Wheeler, JPMorgan Chase, local business, local economy, localism, localwashing, Mani Osteria, Matthew Altruda, Mayer Hawthorne, Nate Higley, Nike, non-local banker, Saagara, Saturday Night Live, social media, Sonic Lunch, TV Funhouse, viral marketing, Wal-Mart, what's cool and what's not | 112 Comments

What I remember of the MarkMaynard.com 10th anniversary party

By Mark | September 17, 2012

I want to thank everyone who showed up last Saturday for the 10th anniversary party at Woodruff’s. I especially want to thank those folks who I didn’t get an opportunity to speak with in person. As well over 100 people showed up over the course of the evening, I just didn’t have an opportunity to [...]

Posted in Ann Arbor, Mark's Life, Michigan, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged 25 Suaves, Alan Haber, analytics, Andre Grewe, Andy Claydon, anniversary, AutoMark, automaton, ball shaving, Beezy's, Bulb Records, Corner brewery, cycle powered cinema, Damn Arbor, Eclectablog, Facebook, Fumie Kawasaki, Halloween Nation, Hasan Mihyar, impersonators, Krampus, Laura Abraham, MarkMaynard.com, Mike Eller, Minus9, Monika Szydlowski, nutria, Ozone House, Pat Maynard, Patric Elkins, Patrick Elkins, robot teachers, Saddam Hussein, Saline, SDS, Shadow Art Fair, Shovelgate, spider holes, Steve Cherry, Steve Guttenberg, strangled by feet, sweding, Taco Bell, Trabajabamos, unconference, Woodruff's, Ypsilanti City Council, Zombie Claus | 14 Comments

Shadow Art Fair 2012 (part two)

By Mark | July 22, 2012

Sorry I only made it a few hours into my Shadow Art Fair live blog before I had to bail out. You’d think that I’d know better by now, having tried to document these things live on several occasions over the past half dozen years. I always think, “this time, it’ll be different,” but it [...]