I thought it would be fun to get some t-shirts made up, so I worked on a design based on the last paragraph of Journal One (link here to it) of OR NOT.
To wit:
Now if I were mad, I would think there were mental viruses hidden between the bits in digital samples. There could even be microchips in our brains that are triggered by digital media to produce thoughts like: "Drink Sexy Cola and be Powerful!" "You must buy things to truly exist!" "The virtual and the actual are ONE!" "Security is Freedom is Marketing is Art is Power is America is Right is Peace is Security is Strength is Truth is Might is Liberty is Lifestyle is Property is Happiness is Automobile is Independence is Globalism is Diversity is Oneness is Jesus is the Almighty Clean of Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castile Soap--Dilute! Dilute! Dilute! Dilute! Dilute!"
But I'm not mad. So I don't think that.
The shirt just starts with "Drink Sexy Cola and be Powerful!" and ends with "Dilute . . . "
On the back it says
. . . OR NOT
a novel for audacious teens and other young adults
by
Brian Mandabach
I think it looks cool, and I like that it starts catchy and I imagine people looking at it and being embarrassed about staring at your shirt and then looking away and wanting to look more and maybe looking at your back as you walk away. Or people you know will make you stop so they can read the whole thing. So, I think it's fun. And also, I like the irony of the ranting.
I gave one to my daughter, and guess what? After lunch a teacher noticed it and asked another teacher, and they agreed that it was INAPPROPRIATE, and they made her turn it inside out.
I have to guess that it was the word SEXY *gasp!* omg! But come on! It's not as if she had on some sweats that said, SEXY or JUICY right across the butt! This is a statement of protest against the absurdist imagery of advertising, multimediocrity, and Johnny Jingo public "discourse".
Or maybe that's what they objected to, but that might be expecting too much.
Anyway, I got kind of a kick that the shirt that I sent her to school in, that I designed using an excerpt from MY book, had to be turned inside-out.
If you've got one of the shirts, send me a picture. And if not, come see me at one of my events and pick one up with your copy of OR NOT.
Hope to see you soon.
peace, love, & vinyl,
M
events listed on my myspace profile as "shows" and at www.mandabach.com
