by Dino Corvino on May 10th, 2010
You might not know it, some of you might, but I am a fearful person. I am a pretty big chicken. Fear is something that is part of me, and it is a negative part of me. I am afraid of commitment, change, not changing, graduate school, not graduate school, not getting the girl, not trying to get the girl, trying to get the girl and getting rejected; and that sort of fear makes life hard. It makes it easy to be on first name basis with Chang Garden for takeout, and a proud half-off member of Family Video. It is a fear that is manifest in a lot of great ways, and thankfully I have some great help in dealing with them.
My fear of this or that can cause me to do nothing. It can cause me to sit in my basement and read Captain America graphic novels, and catalog the bassists on each of the blues records I have in my collection. It is this sort of fear that can turn a dude into a shut in or a hoarder.
I wonder if Wausau has this same affliction — if our leaders are simply afraid. You see, you do not know what I am afraid of really, but you see the manifestations of my fear. I am not sure what the City of Wausau is afraid of, but there are some manifestations that I think are unavoidable.
- Lack of Action/Change. Debra Weiss ran for City Council, and she used CW to write about many of her issues. I really liked Debra, and I thought she had a bit of the passionate nutcase coloring. I totally loved her for it. One of the things that she talked about, and in fact might offically be somewhat of an expert about, is sustainability. My reading is that she is deeply involved in the Commission for a Greener Tomorrow. I went to two meeting with these folks, and all I thought of was fear. Not that they were fearful people, or that people were afraid of them, but rather that we were fearful of the idea. I believe Mayor Jim Tipple created this ad hoc committee, and it is my understanding that this committee has done nothing. I might be far too cruel with that assessment, but I think that we can point to this committee, and ask fairly what program or policy initiatives has it taken on?! And why or why not? If this is something that was created by Mayor Tipple, why has it not done anything? Why has it sat idly by? Why has the Mayor not called on it to do something?Is it because of fear? Is it because the suggestions of people who are of this sort of mind are going to lead to change in public policy and practice in Wausau? Is this sort of change scary? I think it might be. The ideas are not new, and the changes can be small. Things like a paperless workplace, wi-fi downtown, solar power — none of this is particularly challenging. One has to wonder why this has not been taken on.
- Lashing Out. If you were to spend any time rummaging through the Wausau Daily Herald website, reading the comments on the stories or the threads in the forums, you would find us to be an amazingly angry city. A city that lashes out at everything, and everyone (and often does it anonymously). If you take a listen to the local talk radio station, you would find the local hosts are engaged in what can only be called rhetorical bullying. One host trapped by being cast as a liberal, and the other choosing to cast himself as the Tea Party voice of everyman conservative who seems to only have one role, as a rejectionist of every bit of common sense or critical thought the liberal fellow wants to interject. If you listen to the callers, you have voices of cultural anger that have become a sort of cast of regulars: Bob “The Great Pontificator”, Russ, Jerry, etc. These people take the time to literally call in every morning with the sole intent of being critical and mean spirited to the liberal cat on the show. Then the Tea Party fellow simply discounts the liberal fellow, calling whatever point he brings up to simply be this or that, and off we run.
I guess I can see this. We can take a look at human psychology, and we can extrapolate out from it. We can put forth theories about this or that, and from those theories we can look to the future and hope that some day we will civically slow dance with a pretty girl, or have a fun night out with our friends. But, now, we are sitting in our basement reading comic books, afraid of girls.
And if we do go to a party at some new person’s house, we lash out. We are confrontational with people we do not know, because we assume they are going to be polite and not punch us in the mouth. We minimize the work that our host does, we mock the food, and we do everything to make sure that none of the fear we have results in our rejection. We lash out far before that happens.
It makes sense for public bus routes to be in Rib Mountain, but it seems like no one wants to ask the other one to dance. No one wants to get in the car and say sweet things to lead the other on. No one wants to make a deal.
It makes sense to put solar paneling on the public buildings in this town. It simply does. But, going clothes shopping is a risk. We put on some weight, and people might think we look stupid in new clothes. So, we do not buy new things. People might not like the idea of solar panels cutting costs in the long run, so we do not talk about it.
My friend, Eric, is a good guy. He knows that I have a social phobia, and he encourages me to extend myself a little bit each week. He cares to make those things positive experiences, and I trust him. He ensures that the baby steps I take are going to be solid.
I have a circle of friends (like a community has other parts) that care for me. They are empathetic to my feelings, and they respect where I am coming from. Like Weston, the more dynamic friend, willing to engage the world in a new way, compared to the City of Wausau.
I think that all of this comes down to vision. Now, more than ever we need visionaries in this community to be respected. We need them to give their voice to our fearful voice. We need people like WhyNotWausau?, The Festival of Arts, the PAF, and the 400 Block Fundraising Committee. For now we need that friend who is going to show up at our house, make us get in the shower, and go out on a Saturday night instead of sitting in watching the Bourne Trilogy all the way through again. We need that friend, since right now it appears that our vision, from our leaders, is fogged up with fear.
We are lucky to have good friends like this locally. But, as in my situation, friends can only take you so far. At some point you have to choose to go to a Christmas party, join the Jaycees, or the UU Church. At some point our Mayor has to stop simply choosing to be an adminstrator (and dare I say not a very good one), and be a Mayor. At some point our Mayor has to take the risk by talking to that pretty girl. Our Mayor, and our City Council, have to risk rejection and give us their vision for the future. At some point, someone needs to ask the girl to dance.
by Tom Neal on October 21st, 2008
I want to write this right. I want to refrain from typical, prideful, parental gushing. After all, who really wants to hear the beaming, boasting Dad who goes on and on about watching his kid excel on the athletic field or making all As or bagging their first trophy deer? Not me. But Dino pretty much said I had to write this! (And no one says you have to read this.) So …
Parents witness all sorts of proud moments, times when their kids shine. But what I’m thinking and feeling is less about shining, and more about carrying on, embracing a tradition, making a connection with something intrinsic and personal.
Recently, I watched my son Ian play lead guitar as he and his friends in Freedown opened the show at the Fillmor for Scott Holt (a national act!). A long way from their one-song gig a year ago at the East High School variety show. Back then, the kids were nervous … and so was I. It can be unsettling to put it out there in front of people. I sat in that auditorium and dreaded the possibility that they would murder (and not in a good way) Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song. But they came off well and the crowd liked them. I was relieved, and pleased. But it’s just one tune.
In short order, Dino asked if they’d like to open for Scott Holt in Woodruff in March of this year. Yes! They had three months to prepare a set list and pull their chops together. Long story short — they put on a great show in the smoky bar and even jammed with the headliner. Thankfully, they’re not into screaming and rapping and being all negative and Goth. They play rock. Good rock. Maybe what you’d call progressive alternative rock.
From there, it’s been teen nights at the Fillmor and Rockwater, a gig at the Harley dealership for the Big Ride, a long night at a bar in Park Falls. The boys have been paying their dues. Timbuk 3: “Things are goin’ great, and they’re only gettin’ better!” Increasingly, their tunes are tightly arranged, polished, with shifty changes, breaks, bridges, interplay, melody, power, physicality, even humor.
For this Fillmor show, as usual, Ian expressed no apprehension beforehand, no nervousness about being watched by a large “barful” of people. Freedown practices a lot, honing their craft, creating new tunes and arrangements. They have achieved a level of confidence that comes across on stage. They’re almost blasé. Cool.
I, on the other hand, still get the pre-show jitters. Am I living vicariously? Or just being a dad? I rush over with a pocketful of picks because Ian forgot to bring any. Agonize that there won’t be a good-size crowd. Worry that the sound will be bad, that his guitar won’t be loud enough. Hope that he’ll have fun. Hope that people will enjoy and applaud. Fear that the band will be ignored. I don’t want the kids to be disappointed.
Finally, Dino does the introduction and they break into their first number. For me, it’s not like watching a raggedy garage band or typical high school or bar cover band; to me, it’s more like a performance, a concert. And I’m glued to my spot, everyone and everything else just seems to “go away.” I watch every move, listen to every note, anticipate how a guitar lick will finish out, or zero in on drummer Danny’s spot-on fills. After the first tune, I erupt in applause. I make loud noises, like, “Wooo!” and “Yeah!” as if to draw everyone’s attention to the enormity of what’s happening on stage. “Everyone! You must give this your attention! Don’t miss this!” I want everyone to know that my kid’s playing the guitar, but have to settle for knowing that only a handful in attendance are aware of the fact. Next tune: I’m literally feeling a tremble, heart flutter, whatever the heck it was. Adrenaline? Vodka? Pride? Best of all, I snap out of my trance, look around and see virtually everyone’s eyes glued to the stage. Heads bobbing. Smiles and nods of affirmation. I see a professional bass player standing near me in rapt attention with a big grin. I talk to Ian’s former guitar instructor, who obviously is impressed. They play like grownups, cool grownups (sort of a rare animal), and these kids are barely 17. I’m humbled by them. My high school band was never this cool! But that’s okay. I’m a fan.
At risk of sounding like a dumb lyric, I have to say that I was raised on rock. I never grew out of it, never let it go. I think it has a magic quality to it … when it’s done well. It can also be dumb. And in many cases, too many, it is dumb to the extreme. But here, I feel a sense of fulfillment — something is happening that constitutes a cultural continuity, another generation of kids who actually “get it” when it comes to rock. They’re not rejecting or trashing tradition; they’re embracing it, and building on it. And my kid is right in the thick of it.
So, here’s my son; I have a photo of him at about age two “playing” a guitar of mine on the couch, I gave him his first guitar and first lessons, his first listen to Led Zeppelin III, his first ticket to a Rolling Stones concert, his wah-wah pedal. He’s playing well … heck, he’s killing. Better than I ever was, by far. I think to myself, he’s a natural. But that implies some sort of freakish, unfair advantage. Truth is, he’s been exposed to music all his life, been encouraged without being pushed and been supported when he decided to pursue it. But, really, this is all his own doing. He’s worked hard at it. Researched it. Internalized it. And it is paying him back with interest.
He has told us that he’s never happier than when he’s playing. It’s right up there among my happier moments too, to see and hear him having so much fun. And I sense the band’s joy is infecting the people in the crowd. These older people. Watching the kids.
Afterward, after their encore, he walks up to me lugging his amp. I give him a hug, say the band was great. He says he screwed up in about six songs. He’s almost embarrassed. Mostly, he’s like a laborer that just got off his shift. Tired. Spent. Hungry. But it’s also evident that he is living a dream.
It will be similar for Jane and me next week when Ian’s younger sister Molly dances in Wausau Dance Theatre’s Thriller. Maybe I’ll cajole Jane into writing about how it feels to see her little girl on stage, being a dancer, enjoying performing for a packed Grand Theater, after weeks of rehearsals.
These are the moments. This is what it’s all about.
by Dino Corvino on March 26th, 2008
I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.
I have fallen back on that quote often in my life. It comes as the closing paragraph in Abraham Lincoln inaugural address. I think it says so much, and I think it hits exactly what is happening in this city, and what in fact can derail our progress as a city.
This week, I seek to celebrate you, the voter. I seek to look to the future of this election here in Wausau, and I hope to see you in record numbers. Massive numbers of votes piled to the sky, so many votes it takes over night to count them. So that we wait, with baited breath and live coverage from the news media with polling reports and the whole nine yards. That is my hope for this city. A turnout so massive it dwarfs an Everest football game.
According to the City of Wausau website, in 2005 the city of Wausau had a population of roughly 40,000 people. Election data from the last wave of City Council election is difficult to find, but it seems not uncommon for a person to have won a race 110 to 50. Roughly 160 votes out of the possible 3300 that are said to make up each of the districts. Turnout was low.
That is appalling.
I read today in the Washington Post that a result of the national infighting is a higher voter turnout. Well if that is the case, then we are on course for massive turnout in Wausau.
This election has been one that has been filled with negativity and paranoia. I have met with both of the two candidates, and I liked them both. I came away thinking that I just wanted to give them a hug. They are both fighting very hard, and I fear that they are losing the vision of the forest while standing among the trees. They are both battered people right now, and they are both good people. They need a rest, and I hope they both can take a nap on April 2nd.
My fear is that these are two people who have dug in, and as result will not be able to work together. Some of the behind the scenes stuff put forth by supporters, or people who want to be involved is so hate-filled, and so evil, that it seems to have soured the process.
So, now we come to you. Voters. And your amazing coolness. Your awesome accepted challenge, and your awesome role in the future of our fair city. Your coolness is so cool, it shakes me up.
I had a high school teacher, Mr. Bruce Chopp, tell me that if I did not vote, I did not have any right to complain. Well I love to complain! So, I vote. Often, every chance I get. I vote and I vote and I vote. As a result, I complain. I complain, and I criticize, and I cajole, and I write letters, and I write here in this bloggy blog. I vote so I have earned the right to be a part of the process. My taxes don’t give me that right, my vote does.
As does yours. Your voice is your vote. Here at Citizen Wausau we blather on about providing a voice to people, a place where people can write what they want when they want how they want. Well, right now, your voice is your vote. More than a letter to the editor, or a comment on a blog or a comment in forum, your voice is your vote.
You have a chance to drive out the negative people from local politics. You have a chance to have your voice heard. You have a chance to vote for someone, and have that person win, and you feel amazing about it.
You’re going to decide whom the next Mayor of this city is. We won’t. The Wausau Daily Herald or the City Pages or 550 AM will not. You will. The negative forces at play think that a low turnout is what they want, a chance to really control the numbers gives them a better chance to affect the outcome. You have a chance to stomp that into the ground.
How cool would it be if 40 thousand voters showed up?
So, cool dudes and dudettes, and I know you’re out there, I hope you vote. For someone. Anyone. Write in candidates, Hadley or Tipple, who cares? Go vote. Own the city you live in. Grasp it with your hands.
Your vote is your voice! Shout! Live out loud. Challenge the powers that be; challenge those that want an apathetic population. Rise up voters, and be as cool as I know you can be.
by Dino Corvino on March 19th, 2008
[A Note from Dino: We again want to state that these pieces are not about candidates. They are about people in office, already serving. It is not our intention to create buzz for candidates, or to show support one way or another. We believe that people who are willing to stand up and lead are cool dudes. Each and every one of them. Even if we do not agree with them. We also want to remind you, that we reserve the right to remove that that is uncivil or factually incorrect. We ask for civility, and the ability to have a discussion without becoming disagreeable.]
I want to be upfront about this: Jim Tipple is my first Mayoral interview, and as a result I admit to being a little star struck by the whole thing. I am a political romantic, and sitting down in the Mayor’s office – well that is just something that makes my feel warm all the way to the core. I do not think I will gush, but I have to tell you that it made me feel pretty special to have time, one-on-one, with a Mayor.
Recently we closed TIF 1. Our first TIF. Made to make the mall happen, I think. I have a personal experience with that TIF, and that area. The mall was constructed over my family’s business, a business that had to that point served 3 generations of my family. So I have a direct understanding of that area.
As a result, when writing this, I realized that Mayors build on one another. The passing of Mayor Kannenberg draws this into stark contrast. It was Kannenberg who laid the brick for the development we have today. It was Kannenberg who drove the first stake in the railroad that is our development.
After an hour with Mayor Tipple, I knew he understood that. He came away as a team player, and a man of boundless energy. He reflected on all the mayors before him, and talked about them with great respect. I tried to give him credit for this or that project, and he said that he was not about that credit; he really just kept the plan of greater development going.
So Jim Tipple is a fascinating man. He worked at Wausau Insurance until he retired at 55. He then told me a story of realizing it was too soon. That while his wife loves him, it might have been good to get him out of the house. So he decided to run for Mayor. Some men, when they get older, volunteer, or become fishing guides, or work the phones at Eastbay, but Jim Tipple runs for Mayor. I had to follow up by asking why not just run for council, to this he replied with a story about cross country skiing. I was lucky enough to have Steve Osswald as a friend growing up so, the metaphor was not lost on me. He compared city council to the Kortolopet, and the job of Mayor as the Birkebeiner. Both great races, but he always wants to do the bigger thing. I found this fascinating, and a bit more instructive than what everyone talks about Mayor Tipple, the company line if you will.
It appears that people think he is a go-along/get-along sort of fellow. That line about not being a good public speaker; good one-on-one, but not in a group. I found this all to be contradicted by the fact that this was a retired man, who acknowledged he was fine where he was, but instead he took on a giant public challenge. Taking on an enormously popular Mayor (Lawrence) and running hard, and winning. I find this to be in stark opposition to the ‘aw shucks’ personae that people are painting of Mayor Tipple. His aggressive vision, and managing the tremendous change in Wausau is not something of a aw shucks guy.
If we examine the changes in Wausau over the passed few years, we notice a clear amount of growing pains. Almost violent changes to the very culture of our city. Some have been popular, some not so much, and Tipple has led us through all of this. He has taken the beatings for projects that other Mayors started, and as a result has been a large target these days. Garage Mahal, Dudley Tower, the Palladium Project, the downtown Hotel – this has been a time of change and constant pain. For everything we gain, we seem to lose something we love. Like a growing child, the city sometimes lashes out at the Mayor and the Council, and like a good parent Tipple handles all of that evenhandedly.
Mayor Tipple talked about his wife and two kids openly. How they supported him running for Mayor; they like the idea of Dad doing something good for the city that they live in. As the campaign grinds on, its clear that they are getting less and less interested in the attacks on their father, but at the same time he said that they understand the process.
So, there you have it, some stuff about Mayor Tipple. My thought about him is this; he is a guy who wants to do something. To actively do. He has been saddled with a divided City Council that is entrenched in this sort of war they have going on, and has not complained publicly about it. He has not stepped in to the extent that some might think is possible, but a lot of things have happened that have shown us that we can progress in spite of ourselves. We can see the separation on the council, and yet a lot of good things have happened. Most of that credit goes to the Mayors of the past, but some of it goes to Jim Tipple.
As with Hadley, I don’t know Tipple. He seems to have a plan, and seems to be working that plan forward. I just hope you vote for someone.
by Dino Corvino on March 12th, 2008
(A note on Candidates, and Councilpersons pieces: I want to be clear that my writing these pieces is not an endorsement of any person. I have a clear view as to what I believe, and I have no problem with that view, but these pieces focus on the act of service. As always, we ask for your comments. We ask that your discussion be civil, fact-based, and respectful of these very real people who live in our city. These are people with children, with families, and with feelings like you and I. We are not asking you to agree with us, but we are asking you to raise the level of discourse to allow for public discussion to be polite. With that, we reserve the right to remove or refute comments we feel to be overtly negative, or prove to be factually inaccurate. We thank you, and we hope you vote for someone.)
Deb Hadley is not playing around. She is running for Mayor of Wausau, and is running an aggressive campaign. She has a plan, she is telling people about that plan, and is not afraid to take on the other guy and his plan. She is running a real campaign. It is clear from all the billboards around town, and the ads in the paper, and all the other stuff we are seeing.
Deb Hadley is a wife, a mother, and a member of our community. She has a loving relationship with her husband Mark. She has grown children. She and Mark have a circle of friends that they care for very much. She also is part of a multigenerational Wausau business that has employed what I assume to be hundreds of people over the years that it has existed.
Here is my favorite statistic. I spent 5 hours with her. I arrived at 9 am, and left a little bit after 2 pm. In contrast, my good friend Andy and I spend roughly 1 hour a week in each other’s presence. I really like Andy. So I clearly like Deb, because as a spoiled infant man I rarely do things I do not like. I spent 5 hours talking to who at the time was a total stranger. I think that is saying something.
What I learned during that time with Deb is that she believes what she is saying. She does not think that taxes need to go up. She wants to address spending on the part of our City before we go back to the taxpayers to increase taxes and ask for more money. She talked quite a bit about being a small business owner, and how from time to time in business we need to address spending. This is a valid point; a point worthy of discussion, and I wonder if it is currently being discussed with requisite seriousness.
I also learned that Deb likes to ski. She also has not really had a chance because when she and her husband, Mark, have free time they like to drive to visit their children, who live elsewhere these days. On that note, she talks with great love about her kids, and has a real desire to see them carry on in the family business. But, like my mom, sighs and is happy if they are happy.
Deb comes from a part of Wausau that my friend Al called Old Riverview, which is apparently by a golf course and down a long dirt road. Or at least that is how I imagine it. This neighborhood used to be home to just a few families, in what at the time was the country, and a bunch of kids who had free reign to be outdoorsy explorers. She was bussed to school until she was in 6th grade, but only because the neighborhood did not have a school until her 6th grade year. Deb also graduated from the first class at Wausau East; the first class to be a part of the split high schools in the city.
So there you go. A list of stuff about Deb Hadley: candidate for mayor. She was a member of the Wausau School board from December of 1993 through April 1999. This is one of those hot button issues, and I know you all wanted me to ask. She told me that she was recruited from her neighborhood to run. So I asked about the bussing issue, and she responded by telling me that she ran for School Board on the idea that she opposed the busing of the kids from their neighborhood school to that of other schools. She did not like the fact that her kids ended up in two different schools. Seems like a valid point.
Then she was out of public life for a while until 4 years ago when she was once again recruited to run, this time based on the issue of the Tax Bill here in Wausau. At that time she was a supporter of Mayor Tipple; she thought he was going to really address the issue. She felt he let that issue go after he was elected, and as a result wants to step up and give it a try. Deb feels that the taxpayers of this city are not being given the leadership that they deserve. She feels strongly enough about this to step up and be willing to take the attacks of the kind that only our Mayor takes.
When asked about those attacks, she said that she has been getting bombarded since the beginning. While she would not admit it, her husband talked about how it was hard on her. I am sure Mayor Tipple and his wife would say the same thing. There is something admirable though in the idea that she is doing this. She knows what is coming, she knows she will be faced with a barrage of personal, unfounded, and often times flat out cruel attacks and she steps up and does it anyway.
I don’t know Deb Hadley, and I am not sure I understand the budget process of a growing city like Wausau. But I think Deb is cool. I think Deb is everything that a Cool Dude should be. Willing. Committed. Brave enough to stand up for what she believes in.
by Dino Corvino on February 20th, 2008
Gary Barden is a cool dude, and I have scars to prove it.
I think that I need to start off with something of a confession in the name of transparency. I have something that Gary Barden created tattooed on my body, and five friends have the same tattoo. My friend Scott Holt trusted Gary with the creative vision for his own identity, and Gary has produced the Annual Report, website and quarterly newsletter for one of the most influential foundations here in Wausau.
That all sounds really good, but what about that makes him cool? Its hard to say what makes someone cool, but if you know Gary or meet Gary you will know instantly why I think he is cool. Is it a vibe? Well if it is, then Gary has that. If it is more than that, than Gary has that as well. For a while Gary had a questionable beard, but even his questionable choices seemed somehow cool.
So enough of the love fest. Who is this Gary Barden dude I’m spouting on about? Well, Gary is a 40-year-old graphic designer who looks like a cool 20-year-old graphic designer. He owns one of the workhorse firms in Wausau, Studio 519. Studio 519 is one of those shops that does not waste a lot of time pontificating about things that are meta; instead, Gary focuses on the work.
“It’s fine to talk about it, but it’s work. I go to work everyday, and do work,” said Gary over lunch at Noodles and Company. I think it was refreshing to hear someone talk about his or her craft as just that, a trade. Gary takes his work seriously, and his wide range of work reflects it. His visuals are not limited to any one style, in fact you could never pigeonhole his work as one thing, it really reflects a strong connection to the work that the client is looking for.
Graphic design is all well and good, but what Gary is really passionate about is Mountain Biking. A few months ago I had a chance to go into his basement, and I have to say that I was more than just a little bit shocked. I do not even know how many bikes were down there, but what I do recall was a gorgeous Santa Cruz frame, black on black, full suspension, like some sort of wonderful racehorse on a work stand.
Gary told me that he started riding a while ago, and his excitement for it has grown steadily. He said that the riding started off as fitness thing, and slowly turned into a passion, and then remarkably into a pretty successful business. You see a few years back Gary went from riding in the mud and the muck, over hill and dale to being a mountain bike entrepreneur. Or something.
Gary and his brother started a company called Fat Tire Guides. Their purpose is simple, yet amazingly cool. The ride the trails, map them, video them, and make it all available to you on the web. The amazing thing is this: they rode every mile, of every trail, in every spot, themselves. Gary and his brother were out and about every weekend, pedaling their bikes for miles and miles, with GPS…thingies (a technical term) and a camera strapped to one of their heads.
Over our lunch at the Noodles joint, it became clear that Gary is very passionate about everything on two wheels that you pedal yourself. He talked at length and rather poetically about building up a bike, making it perfect. Making a bike do and be what you’re going to need it for. It was funny, because that is how he talked about his graphic design work as well. Building it, finding a way to match the work to what the client needs it to be. I found that amazing, that he could make both things this sort of Zen koan cool like thing.
I do not know when I met Gary. I do not really remember my life with or without him. I have always known he was there, and that he was a lot cooler than me. For a while I thought I might have him because he had questionable taste in music, but suddenly that all turned around. So, again I am left feeling horribly inadequate around him. Gary Barden is a cool dude. He is a family guy, who is passionate about Jess and Zoe, and he is passionate about his art and his work, which are oddly enough the same thing, he is passionate about his bike and the company his brother founded. Gary Barden, cool dude number one.
You can find Gary at Studio 519, or at Fat Tire Guides. Check ‘em out.
