from the campaign trail
special thanks for jason zone fisher for the photos.
posted by Homage at
7:57 AM
0 Comments
Monday, November 3, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Picture Day
when i brought the box of tees to the warehouse, everyone smiled. it was a perfect opportunity for a photo...two chinese people, 4 mexicans, and an african american all paying 'homage' to barack obama. below are some of the wonderful individuals who have helped me to grow my brand and spread the word about change:
posted by Homage at
3:29 PM
0 Comments
Friday, October 3, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Ron Kaplan
From SurfOhio.com. This makes me smile.
" It turns out posting all those yellow and black posters in late winter's icy blast was not for naught. Just before I placed the ad, the posters attracted the attention of a Post reporter who tracked me down through The Underwear. Apparently, word on the street of a surfing contest in Athens had created quite a buzz. Though the headline of the resulting article at first seemed a bit harsh - "Surfin Classic a Hoax to Sell T-shirts" - it did not matter. The interview with me and Ski was actually quite favorable, and resulted in a crush of customers at The Underwear. It didn't hurt that the article just happened to run the very same day as my ad, nor that seemingly 75% of the student population of about 12,000 was headed to a warm beach for the break.
Thus, the very weekend classes let out, students literally queued up to purchase a SURF OHIO t-shirt on their way out of town. They lined up through the small basement shop and up its steps. With just 24 hours remaining before I too headed out up Route 33 for home in Columbus, Ski commissioned me to rush another 10 dozen SURF OHIOs through. Through some creative bartering with my dorm's Resident Advisor that evening (my currency being beverages and a free t-shirt, as I recall), he tossed me the keys to a vacated room in Gamertsfelder Hall. There, I popped a box fan into the window facing outward, ran clothesline back and forth across the ceiling, fired up my radio and, using the two desks as my worktables, hand-screened tees until about three in the morning. I didn't need the beverages, not with the fumes I was inhaling (as in mineral spirits, by the way).
With the navy ink barely dry enough to fold the shirts, and my ride home idling in wait up on Union Street, I dropped off the newly minted SURF OHIOs to Ski, picked up my cash, and fought my way back up the steps through a line of about 30 waiting customers snaking down into the shop. I well recall the enthusiasm theirs and mine. Though it was not quite exactly an 'overnight' success, it was quite sudden. I was now that "Surf Ohio guy", and would remain so for a long, long time, though I had no idea for just how long, at that moment.
" It turns out posting all those yellow and black posters in late winter's icy blast was not for naught. Just before I placed the ad, the posters attracted the attention of a Post reporter who tracked me down through The Underwear. Apparently, word on the street of a surfing contest in Athens had created quite a buzz. Though the headline of the resulting article at first seemed a bit harsh - "Surfin Classic a Hoax to Sell T-shirts" - it did not matter. The interview with me and Ski was actually quite favorable, and resulted in a crush of customers at The Underwear. It didn't hurt that the article just happened to run the very same day as my ad, nor that seemingly 75% of the student population of about 12,000 was headed to a warm beach for the break.
Thus, the very weekend classes let out, students literally queued up to purchase a SURF OHIO t-shirt on their way out of town. They lined up through the small basement shop and up its steps. With just 24 hours remaining before I too headed out up Route 33 for home in Columbus, Ski commissioned me to rush another 10 dozen SURF OHIOs through. Through some creative bartering with my dorm's Resident Advisor that evening (my currency being beverages and a free t-shirt, as I recall), he tossed me the keys to a vacated room in Gamertsfelder Hall. There, I popped a box fan into the window facing outward, ran clothesline back and forth across the ceiling, fired up my radio and, using the two desks as my worktables, hand-screened tees until about three in the morning. I didn't need the beverages, not with the fumes I was inhaling (as in mineral spirits, by the way).
With the navy ink barely dry enough to fold the shirts, and my ride home idling in wait up on Union Street, I dropped off the newly minted SURF OHIOs to Ski, picked up my cash, and fought my way back up the steps through a line of about 30 waiting customers snaking down into the shop. I well recall the enthusiasm theirs and mine. Though it was not quite exactly an 'overnight' success, it was quite sudden. I was now that "Surf Ohio guy", and would remain so for a long, long time, though I had no idea for just how long, at that moment.
posted by Homage at
7:24 AM
0 Comments
Saturday, September 20, 2008
mike tyson's punch out
Mike Tyson:
"Great Fighting!!
You were tough, Mac!
I've never seen such finger speed before."
"Great Fighting!!
You were tough, Mac!
I've never seen such finger speed before."
posted by Homage at
5:59 PM
0 Comments
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
a beautiful tradition
on some game days, i get the urge to poke around outside ohio stadium...i think it's the eclectic cast of characters, the distinct aroma of fall and the mesmerizing roar of the crowd that carries me, like a curious child, down lane avenue and into the sea of scarlet and grey. today was a bit different in that i carried with me a box of 1960s-style pinback buttons to hand out both to customers and others who would appreciate the gesture. toward the end of the game, i happened upon an older couple perhaps in their 60s or 70s. because the wife already had a few buttons pinned to her ohio state t-shirt, i figured i'd suprise her with another one. after handing over the button, this wonderful couple couldn't figure out why a 25 year old would be distributing, free of charge, such an authentic-looking osu pinback. so i took the opportunity to try to detail homage to the couple...after a few moments, however, i could tell that my explaination wasn't the best. maybe it was the neon sunglasses and striped jean shorts that failed to inspire confidence; i'm not too sure. in a pinch, and not wanting to sound like a total goof, i took a step back to reveal my "archie" t-shirt, which i had put on earlier in the day.
a picture is worth a thousand words.
after seeing my t-shirt, the husband and wife both smiled, understanding immediately what i was trying to convey.
i have to be honest--it was such a perfect moment for me.
this past week, i resembled a chicken with its head cut off. i can't remember any day in particular as monday through friday was spent lifting boxes, dealing with production, ringing phones, stickering, tagging, counting, sorting, etc. a chicken with its head cut off for sure.
but all of the previous week's hustling was instantly worth it because my t-shirt had taken the two back to yesteryear. as my friend ron kaplan pointed out a few weeks back, seeing archie griffin's likeness on a t-shirt evokes such incredible memories of the "good 'ole days" for so many people. and i could tell via the couple's facial expressions that my t-shirt had done precisely that.
what a lot of people don't understand sometimes is that homage is about so much more than trying to make money or run a business. in the pursuit of a passion, i've discovered a way to fuse all of the wonderful things about ohio state football--victory, loss, comraderie, spirit & heritage--into a something as simple and universal as a t-shirt.
it didn't matter that the couple probably would never end up buying the garment. all that mattered was that i found myself with individuals 40+ years my senior relishing, for a fleeing moment, in one of the most beautiful traditions ever--saturday football in columbus.
i can't tell you how amazing this is for me.
a picture is worth a thousand words.
after seeing my t-shirt, the husband and wife both smiled, understanding immediately what i was trying to convey.
i have to be honest--it was such a perfect moment for me.
this past week, i resembled a chicken with its head cut off. i can't remember any day in particular as monday through friday was spent lifting boxes, dealing with production, ringing phones, stickering, tagging, counting, sorting, etc. a chicken with its head cut off for sure.
but all of the previous week's hustling was instantly worth it because my t-shirt had taken the two back to yesteryear. as my friend ron kaplan pointed out a few weeks back, seeing archie griffin's likeness on a t-shirt evokes such incredible memories of the "good 'ole days" for so many people. and i could tell via the couple's facial expressions that my t-shirt had done precisely that.
what a lot of people don't understand sometimes is that homage is about so much more than trying to make money or run a business. in the pursuit of a passion, i've discovered a way to fuse all of the wonderful things about ohio state football--victory, loss, comraderie, spirit & heritage--into a something as simple and universal as a t-shirt.
it didn't matter that the couple probably would never end up buying the garment. all that mattered was that i found myself with individuals 40+ years my senior relishing, for a fleeing moment, in one of the most beautiful traditions ever--saturday football in columbus.
i can't tell you how amazing this is for me.
posted by Homage at
5:10 PM
3 Comments
