Saturday, January 31, 2009

T.Hanks

From Neatorama:
This made me laugh out loud at my computer for much longer than it should have, but it's funny on more than one level. I demand that we do this to more garbage cans around the country until it becomes a national inside joke and Tom Hanks demands an apology.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Mark Hamill as Joker

Don't worry Dark Knight freaks, I'm not proposing anything irrational here. I don't want Mark Hamill to try and replicate Heath Ledger's version of Joker in the next Batman installment. I found out today though that Luke Skywalker will be doing the voice of Joker in the upcoming videogame Arkham Asylum and I thought it was interesting. So I did some research and it turns out Hamill's basically had a monopoly on being the voice of the Joker in cartoons since 1992! Apparently he's a big fan of comics and has thus enjoyed a great relationship with DC for quite some time.

For a great behind the scenes look at Hamill as Joker, click here.

Mark Hamill - DC Animated Universe

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Across the Universe


Rounding out the Beatles-themed posts is this week's entry in Stereogum's hunt for the worst movie of all time. It's Across the Universe, the musical based (loosely) on songs by the Beatles. Whether you've seen the film or not and whether or not you like it, I think it's worth it to read this hilarious review.

Stereogum's Hunt for the Worst Movie of All Time

Rock Band: Beatles Edition


My early prediction for best selling video game during the 2009 Holidays? The as of yet untitled Beatles video game which will be modeled after the best selling Harmonix series Rock Band. While many of the specific details are still unclear, it's being reported that players will be able to sing/drum/play guitar and bass as each member of the band throughout their career beginning with songs from Please Please Me and ending with songs from Abbey Road. Instruments from the Rock Band and Guitar Hero series' will be compatible with the game but there will likely be (unnecessary) Beatles-themed peripherals sold with larger game bundles when the game is released in late fall '09. For now the biggest question is which tracks will be included. It's been reported that the game will be comprised of 45 Beatles tracks, which is a fact that lends itself to the prediction of sequels. Surely there are more than 45 Beatles songs worth adding to these popular rhythm based video games, no? As long as it includes Helter Skelter I'll be first in line.

MTV--Beatles Come Together for New Game

Apple Vs. Apple Corps.


Continuing the McCartney/Beatles theme, did you ever notice that you can't "legally" download (can't say buy, since you don't technically own those purchases) Beatles albums online through any of the online mp3 retailers? While it may not seem like such a big deal given the ubiquity of ways to download or rip all of these tracks for free, it seems the mp3 market would represent a sizable chunk of revenue to those people who would stand to make some money from the Beatles' catalog being available online. So who are those people? Where does Michael Jackson fit in? There are a lot of parties involved, and it's not just Yoko being evil. Read about the drama, here.

Contrary to the belief of some, I think both Paul and Ringo would actually prefer to have their Beatles work available to legally download. Both have their solo work available through iTunes, and there's even a Wings track (Band on the Run) that was licensed to Activision for the most recent Guitar Hero title, "World Tour." So there goes any notion that the two surviving Beatles are just unwilling to join the digital age.

Hey iTunes, Don't Make it Bad -- CNN Money

Does Michael Jackson own the Beatles Music Library? -- The Straight Dope

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The Fireman

The Fireman - Electric Arguments

You'd think with the celebrity status of someone like Paul McCartney it would be more difficult to produce music without attracting the attention of every music writer on the planet. And yet, Sir Paul himself has apparently been collaborating on ambient/club/synth music with someone called Youth since 1993. They call themselves The Fireman. From allmusic.com:
What would seem to be one of the oddest examples of electronica crossover was the Fireman, an ambient project concerning producer and occasional Orb-collaborator Youth plus the dean of British rock, Sir Paul McCartney. In truth however, McCartney had been involved in London's electronic and avant/garde music scene during the mid-'60s — he even prepared the tape loops and effects for the Beatles' famed "Tomorrow Never Knows," probably the most famous use of musique concrète in history.


Here's one of the tracks I can recommend to people with ears. It's "hard" and supposedly about Heather Mills.
Paul McCartney (The Fireman) - Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight
Found at skreemr.com

Memory Almost Full

Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full

Sir Paul is not my favorite Beatle, but every time a modern rock/pop artist is interviewed in a magazine and the question is posed "What artist from the past would you most like to work with" or "who is your biggest influence?" I secretly want the answer to be "Paul McCartney" every time, regardless of how little I've enjoyed some of his work. That's because every musician, pop or otherwise, can stand to learn a lesson in songwriting from him. This may not apply to his lyric writing necessarily, but he's a legend, a legend who had nine number one singles and seven number one albums AFTER the Beatles.

It's hard for someone to have been in the greatest band the world has ever known and not come off as pretentious sometimes, and Paul is certainly not an exception. On Memory is Almost Full, though, you never get that pretentiousness or that mailed-in, "hey I'm getting old" schtick that is sometimes popular amongst legends late in their career. The album instead feels like a genuine look back and reflection on McCartney's accomplishments and defeats. It's poppy enough to keep even the most casual fan listening throughout, but it's molded as art-pop rather than a collection of broader, more radio-friendly singles. More than anything else each track grabs hold of your attention and demands that you listen to the words of this legend who's been around the block. He's got something to say and there are lessons to be learned in his wisdom, regardless of your relationship with his past work. Having gotten to listen to this again at my own leisure rather than against the hum of a treadmill, I have to give it a B+. It's worth anyone's listen.

Let not the following track's appearance in iTunes commercials and Starbucks locations worldwide affect your judgement on the album as a whole:
Paul McCartney - Dance Tonight
Found at skreemr.com

120GB

Now that I have a 120gb ipod I am finally building the enormous, ecclectic mobile music collection I've always dreamed of. Instead of having to narrow my iPod collection into 8gb of songs I might want to hear on a treadmill I'm able to instead add every song I digitally "own" without regard to memory and revisit music I may have been unfair to over the years. Enter Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full, which I decided needed another chance, and ironically so given the album title. My thoughts to follow.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

The Warriors (1979)


Today we re-visit The Warriors, a film released in 1979 that has since achieved cult status in America. The premise is simple: New York is full of gangs who own turf. There are apparently 100,000 gang members throughout New York's 5 boroughs. One large gang decides to try and unify all gangs. Their leader, who looks exactly like the Rock sets up a meeting with 9 representatives from each gang where after an inspirational speech he is shot by a member of the Rogues, who in turn blame The Warriors, a gang from Coney Island. The Warriors then have to try to get from the Bronx to Coney without getting "bopped," where upon success they might be able to somehow prove they didn't shoot Cyrus. Lots of drama and violence ensues. Each gang has some sort of quirky uniform that separates them from others. The Warriors wear simple brown leather vests, but the Baseball Furies wear pinstriped baseball uniforms with face paint and carry bats. The Punks for some reason wear roller skates. This opening clip should some it up very nicely. It's a very surreal movie.

It's also the only film I know of that went 25+ years without being talked about only to then spawn action figures and a Rockstar Games video game.

The Warriors - wikipedia

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Coconut Records


Fueled solely by the existence of Rushmore, I continue to follow and support Jason Schwartzman in any and all of his post-Rushmore endeavors. I even own the I Heart Huckabees dvd, so you know I'm serious.

For a long time Jason was drumming in a band called Phantom Planet who had a hit song called "California" and some other pretty good tracks too. He then left the band to act but has since regained his passion for music and demonstrates this by performing in a solo act he calls Coconut Records, which released its second LP, Davy, this week. So go check out Coconut Records, you'll be surprised by Mr.Schwarzman's style. He's gotten some high praise from reviewers I respect and some comparisons to bands you may recall from years past. Davy is currently streaming in full on his myspace page.
Coconut Records - West Coast
Found at skreemr.com


**Fun Facts: Jason's mom is Talia Shire, who you may know better as Adrian from the Rocky movies. Also, his uncle is Francis Ford Coppola and two of his cousins are Sophia Coppola and Nicolas Cage.**

Separated at Birth 2

Yet another installment of Separated at Birth, again inspired by my beloved Philadelphia Eagles. Apparently I only make these marginal celebrity lookalike connections during football games.

Eagles TE Brent Celek & SNL Star Andy Samberg


I think it's really pretty close, right? It would be hard for anyone to have quite as big of a nose as Samberg, but if Celek did they would be dead on separated at birth brothers, one being a puny funny man and the other a jacked up football player.

For those keeping score this is our second Samberg reference in less than a month.

Google

Everyone knows Google is a genius. Here's one way I use it when my girlfriend isn't there to dress me in the morning:

I learned that dark brown is in fact a neutral color and that the only thing you can't wear with it is black. A year ago I would have thought that black was the only color acceptable to wear with dark brown. Thank God for Google.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Drumming and Singing


As someone who dabbles in guitar but is hardly proficient enough at the instrument itself to even contemplate singing and strumming at the same time, I had to ponder the level of Mikey Erg's skill to be able to drum (punk drum, no less) and sing at the same time proficiently (I've seen the Ergs! live and he was excellent). Drumming seems impossible, so I can imagine singing at the same time being something of an inhuman feat. I've seen others like Steve-O from Sum 41 do it too, but never exclusively like Mikey Erg. and there are certainly a whole host of others who do both to varying degrees. Well, wonder no more about the more famous of these skillful musicians, here is a blog which rounds up the top 10 men (and women) who successfully combined these duties. I think the list could better serve by listing these drummers in order by how often they sang, and I suspect at first glance that Levon Helm would have been #1 regardless of how it was compiled.

The B-List: 10 Singin' Drummers

More Dork Rock

The Ergs

The Ergs DorkRockCorkRod is the best punk album to ever come out of New Jersey. This is saying a lot considering NJ is home to countless other highly regarded punk outfits including Lifetime. When I say punk I'm not referring to the big label pop you see on MTV calling itself punk, I'm talking about the do-it-yourself, tour the shittiest firehalls and sleeping on floors, playing faster than fast PUNK ROCK that MTV wouldn't play even if was voted #1 on TRL. They combine this aesthetic with their nerdiness and instrumental proficiency to write some really fantasic (if ignored) music. I'd rank this album and band right up there with the Decendents and Milo Goes to College as some real punk that everyone ought to listen to at least once.

Also making this band cool: The nod to the Ramones by calling themselves Joey,Mikey, and Jeffey Erg. The fact that they're a power trio with no touring 4th member (looking at you, Green Day). The drummer is the lead singer, which is always impressive.

Ergs - Pray For Rain
Found at skreemr.com

Friday, January 16, 2009

Old-Timer's

A Cubsicle PSA inspired by my grandmother:

Quick! Pop-Quiz! What disease represents the most common form of memory loss in the elderly and is the most common form of dementia?

Did you guess "Old Timer's" disease?
How about "Alls Timers?" (as my grandmom calls it?)
All Timer's?

I often wonder what percentage of people who call it these things actually believes that's the name of the disease.


Alzheimer's Association

Vampires


What's the deal with vampires? Have they always been popular or are they a new fad?

Vampires have been popular in our culture for as long as I can remember. Something about their pseudo-humanity makes them compelling figures and Dracula is one of the all time great bad guys. But 2008 was an especially big year for them. Twilight the film based on the apparently widely popular book, True Blood on HBO, and a South Park episode lampooning "vamp kids" were all huge. Was it a coincidence? I just want another Blade.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Rock On: An Office Power Ballad

A book recommendation:

I enjoy reading humorous, non-fiction accounts of life by people who never quite made it to where they thought they would. I figure you might as well. In Rock On, we're invited into the life of Dan Kennedy as he begins his longtime dream of working for a record label (Atlantic). If you've been alive in the past several years you know the music industry is a bit of a failing joke, and in this book you get to experience that failing from the inside, even if Kennedy never really addresses the industry's demise explicitly. It's an interesting look at how labels like Atlantic few the "hit making" process and a confirmation that some executives just don't get it.


RockontheBook.com

Separated at Birth

In honor of this weekend's NFC Championship game including my beloved Eagles, I present this football themed first installment of Cubsicle's Separated at Birth series:
Eagles LB Stewart Bradley & Zach Roloff


Eagles linebacker Stewart Bradley looks like he could be the long lost older brother of the Roloff Family, no? Or at least what Zach would have looked like if he weren't a little person.


*The comparison would be much easier to see if there were any good pictures of Zach Roloff on the internet. I promise it's uncanny.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Cubsicle Movie Review

Valkyrie

Great and informative movie if you've absolutely positively never heard of Klaus Von Stauffenberg's attempt to assassinate Hitler.

Complete snoozefest if you paid any attention to your history lessons in high school and have any knowledge whatsoever about Hitler's demise.

Cubsicle Music Review

Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak

Should be called 808 Ways to Ruin Music with Digital Voice Tuning. Way to regress, Kanye. And what's with that album cover? I'm tired of this ironic "I'm a rapper but I also enjoy swaths of soothing colors juxtaposed to a deflated heart because I'm deep" routine.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Dunkin Donuts


Ponder if you will your own experience with Dunkin Donuts durings its tenure as your local donut chain. So maybe the donuts aren't great, but it's been a convenient, relatively inexpensive experience, no? I submit that Dunkin Donuts has evolved one of the strongest business models of any company anywhere.

Ignoring the legitmacy of their "We beat Starbucks in a national coffee taste test" survey, let's instead look at the broader picture: People talk about Dunkin Donuts' coffee. Regardless of where the coffee is from or how it tastes, and probably even independent of the price, Dunkin Donuts has made their "Donut shop" much less about the donuts and much more about the coffee. It was a foregone necessity to do this to stay afloat, yes, but they've made the transition into a drink first, eat later business with efficiency and they've done it right. In our fast paced society they have correctly embraced and encouraged the "get in and get out" philosophy which seems to trump Starbucks' "come in and hangout" style in efficiency. Overall it's a more convenient approach, even if you're sacrificing quality and/or taste, something consumers are apparently not finding. You can even hang out in Dunkin Donuts too if you want, just don't expect couches or an indie hipster to share glances with because that's simply not their clientelle.(They tend not to intententionally scare people away by being uber pretentious. Surprise, surprise, Starbucks is failing.)And by the way, Dunkin Donuts IS cheaper across the board.

Challenges: With modest success they've already entered into the specialty drinks arena with lattes, etc. They need to make sure the drinks are of at least marginal quality without affecting average speed of transaction. There are the coffee connoisseurs out there that DD will never be able to win over, no matter what. Leave them alone. The expansion into breakfast and lunch food products other than donuts (which I perceive as lesser quality) and bagels is probably a dumb move. It increases transaction time (albeit not by much...they are pretty fast)and attempting something like egg patties might make consumers look down on the product. Finally, Dunkin Donuts are expanding globally, no doubt as a result of their success of diversification in the drink market. It's important that they approve franchises in strategic locations (not across the street from one another like Starbucks) to maximize profits.

Dunkin' Donuts Beat Starbucks

Monday, January 12, 2009

Crocs


Here we have an example of the ugliest shoes ever made on Earth. I wanted to log my disdain for these awful crimes against humanity before I inevitably become brainwashed like a lot of others. I've never before seen a product whose design is thought of so overwhelmingly as ugly convert so many people who tell me that "once you try 'em on, you'll see. They're just so comfortable, man." If you see me in Crocs, just light my feet on fire.

Tina Fey


This Just In: Tina Fey continues to completely blow away the competition for "Best/Most Famous Person" to ever graduate from my alma mater, Upper Darby High School. It hasn't even been close since the mid-90s. Sorry Jim Croce, Lloyd Alexander, and Dr.Jack Ramsey of NBA coaching fame.

For the rest of us: Becoming a hack local politician is probably your best bet of even cracking the list.

Songbird


One theme that will find a way to manifest itself at all costs on this site is opensource technology. Opensource computer programs can often ensure that the consumer is getting (often for free) a product that is tailored to their needs and not the needs of the program developer. Anyone can see the code and alter the code and create add-ons for programs when necessary, and with so many eyes on the code it can be molded in such a way that the programs' consumers will rarely be hurt in any way by the product.

Take for example Songbird, an opensource media player. When you update Songbird you get a better version of an already solid program. When you update its main competitor, iTunes, you get something like Genius which is really just out to promote the iTunes store so that you'll BUY MORE MUSIC. Plus, with Songbird you get integrated programs that tell you when your favorite artists are coming to town, shows you flickr streams associate with those bands, and even youtube integration which automatically pulls up relative youtube clips. It even comes with its own web browser that automatically pulls and organizes any songs from that might be available on various music websites and blogs and allows you to download those songs when applicable. Plus there's a lot of other optional add-ons I haven't even tried yet and handles an iPod as efficiently as iTunes itself.The whole thing is basically a one stop music experience and there's no reason not to use it (it imports your iTunes library automatically).

And oh yea, it's FREE.

Songbird

Thursday, January 8, 2009

The Lonely Island presents...



For fans of such SNL digital shorts as Lazy Sunday, Dick in a Box, and Jizz in my Pants comes this album, "Incredibad," by The Lonely Island, a group of film makers compromised most notably of Andy Samberg (SNL) and his buddies Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer. Will it be funny? Probably only if you like their SNL work (they all write for SNL, Andy acts for SNL) and can stand the absurdity. The record comes out February 10th.

If it sounds like the greatest thing ever to you, then their website is definitely worth checking out too. I suggest watching their failed tv pilot, "Awesometown."

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Fame Audit: Howie Mandel


Questions
1. When a mildly successful comedian takes a job as a network gameshow host, should that increase or decrease his fame stock? Increase? Okay. But what if the comedy shtick he is best known for includes a rubber glove placed on his head?

2. Is Bobby's World the most interesting work Howie Mandel was ever a part of? Or was it when he played Maurice the Monster in Little Monsters?
*Side note: I guess his OCD wasn't so bad during the filming of that, was it?

3. Where did Howie Mandel go when Bobby's World ended?

Here we have an interesting figure in Mr.Mandel for whom I believe a serious fame audit is in order given his resurrgence on NBC. It would seem that when Bobby's World--a marginally entertaining cartoon based on one of Mandel's standup "characters"--ended, so too did Howie's carrer. During that time he apparently did little more than shave his head and make public his apparently very charming(?)bout with OCD and germophobia. Then in 2006 he re-emerges as the host of Deal or No Deal, which is really a game of luck that people just eat up for no reason, and people love him. His audience appeal in this endeavor now gives him his own prank/hidden camera show on NBC, which is a theme Mandel must think he's a bit of a guru at having done some hidden camera work with Jay Leno this decade. It seems his stock is rising undeservedly, and I have a suspicion it's all because of that fist pound crap. He's not funny and he can't even act well when he's "answering the phone," but he's safe and he probably appeals to old women, and that is why he's on television twice a week.

Howie Mandel: Funny in children's comedies in the early to mid 90s, now is safe and charismatic even if unfunny.

Relative level of current fame: Jon Stewart

Should be: Lower than Bob Saget


**This segment is brought to you by (and stolen completely from) a great but now defunct website called Fametracker.**

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Stereogum Presents...


Besides being a Senior Editor for one of the internet's premier websites for quality enterainment news and reviews, Stereogum's Gabe Delahaye has been writing about his search for the worst movie of all time. The movies he selects are based on audience submissions and each review is individually hilarious. Gabe has the ability to identify,articulate, and hold accountable the absurdities of plots that most people just let pass, even movies you might like,and yet completely agree with his review about. So far the movie Elizabethtown is deservingly in the lead. Check out the site, here.

An excerpt from Gabe's Man of the Year review:
The main problems with this movie, besides TOTAL IRRELEVANCE and ROBIN WILLIAMS, is that it's all predicated on tremendous lies. For example, everyone in the movie thinks Robin Williams is HILARIOUS. America LOVES him. Except that he's horrible and annoying and obnoxious and not funny at all. But even accepting the movie's premise that he's funny, which is sad when a comedy makes you willfully suspend your disbelief that the comedic hero is actually funny, it's still impossible that someone would be funny to a majority of the population. During this past election, The Daily Show got its highest ratings in history, with 3.6 million viewers. That's just over one percent of the population, which is great, and which is also nothing.

Other notable reviews include: The Family Stone, Lost in Space, Lady in the Water, Spanglish, Smart People, Gigli, The Number 23, Mr.Brooks, Crash, Dan in Real Life

The Worst Movie of All Time

The Lillingtons


Somewhere inside the heart of punk rock music there exists a sub-genre of bands who make a certain topic their primary theme and stick to it throughout their career. This mostly manifests itself with politics, specifically in some notable bands like Black Flag, Anti-Flag, and NoFx in their later years. There's also the "dark and brooding" theme, exemplified by such mainstream bands as the Misfits and,later, the Alkaline Trio. These are tactics that have been largely stowed deeply away behind punk's mainstream pop exterior. My favorite, however, was always the "nerd" theme, which brings up today's topic: The Lillingtons.

Although the Lillingtons existed mostly as a side project, anything they recorded in their time together was top-notch fun, fast paced, and short like the Ramones but smarter and less jewish. Their primary focus was science fiction, and specifically topics like alien attacks, laser beams, and over-the-top communist takeovers. It was always very tongue in cheek and the band never took themselves very seriously, which was always a plus. They don't play together anymore, but they're the type of band that wouldn't surprise if they put out an LP out of nowhere. Above is a solid example from their final album which they did no supporting tour for.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Real Life Superheroes


Rolling Stone recently did an article about the spike in real people prancing around town in tights and supposedly aiding the police in thwarting real criminal activity. They consider themselves Superheroes, but I see it as more of a Community Service with masks. The story mostly follows Master Legend, from Florida (pictured left). It's at once the saddest and most inspiring story I've read in a long while. Read the story in its entirety here.

.pdf (in all its magazine-like glory): The Story of Master Legend

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Trip Advisor

I appreciate tripadvisor.com. It played an enormous role in the preparation for my vacation to Jamaica last July. Articles and tips on the site are generally very helpful and well written, and in my experience very accurate. I'm particularly fond of their user reviews. The site is usually a great starting point when planning a vacation. You can imagine my surprise, then, to see their year-end list of the best new destinations of 2008 so poorly effortlessly contstucted:

I can't speak for most of those locations, but I think it's ridiculous to include Wasilla or even Chicago on that list, especially when your site is normally devoted to vacation spots. I doubt Sarah Palin was really that influential of a celebrity this year to cause a sudden spike of tourism in Alaska. Also, how can Vegas ever be considered a "breakout place," and doesn't the description of Le Val seem shameless and ultimately unnecessary?

Trip Advisor

Friday, January 2, 2009

Call Center Science


As a lad I worked as a trashman for two consecutive summers for the township I lived in. It was decent summer work because the hours were defined by your work ethic and there was never work on weekends. It was there that I learned the consequence holidays can sometimes have on certain jobs. For example, the Fourth of July causes an irregular amount of trash such that us trashmen had to work overtime on July 5th to make sure our route was finished. Thus, nobody ever really looked forward to holidays.

In call centers like the one I work at a similar dynamic is felt. The financial markets are closed on weekends and holidays so we don't take calls on those days. Clients who wish they could have called on that holiday will call the next available day and so will those people who were already going to call that same day anyway. You get call overload as a result and phone associates are inundated with work. There's a lot that goes into combatting this and other familiar call center issues. Website functionality and automated calling systems certainly take a great deal of pressure off of the typical phone jockey, but common sense tells us that some customers will always feel more comfortable when speaking to an actual person. What's the best way to balance costs and call center efficiency? How do you handle an emergency such as a market recession without keeping callers on hold or sitting in qeues for hours? Should your center route calls based on the skill of its associates? What will all of this cost? It's a science, actually, and one that has been studied in depth. Though it may seem to you as it does to me that call volumes are impossible to forecast, millions of dollars are spent each year working on formulas to attempt this impossible feat.

I realize it might only fascinate someone who is stuck in a call center for 40 hours each week, but one of the more interesting fascets of call center studies is called Queueing Theory, which permits a calculation to calculate or forecast the average amount of time customers will wait on a telephone queue before hanging up. This is part of a statistic appropriately called "abandon rate." To date it seems the best, most up to date work on queueing theory as it relates to call centers has been done at the University of Pennsylvania. Maybe this explains why our techniques here at Company X in suburban PA are so efficient. I'm attaching links mainly for my own organization, but if you're in a call center, reading these documents can certainly help pass time off the phone and perhaps might even help you move your way up the ranks.

Statistical Analysis of a Telephone Call Center: A Queueing-Science Perspective

Anaylsis of Call Center Data

Johnny Cupcakes


Today we learn about Johnny Cupcakes, an indie clothing company which started as a joke from the trunk of a dented 89 Toyota Camry. As an appreciator of all things unique, business, and diy, I especially love Johnny Cupcakes which combines the three. Their story, which I recommend reading, tells of a company that could have distributed wholesale to chains but instead chose to stay limited, exclusive, and ultimately unheard, effectively embracing the idea that some people don't like having what everyone has. It's an interesting business model, which I look forward to hearing more about. I hope it succeeds because it proves that not all successful business owners are looking to "go public." Johnny Cupcakes now employs his entire family and a lot of friends and is a multi million dollar venture. I envy this company for so many reasons.

Website: Johnny Cupcakes

Also, their packages (even for just a t-shirt) are really cool. Check out some pictures from my flickr stream that I took of a Christmas gift I received, here, here, here,here, and here. Note how the t-shirt's tag looks like an oven mitt.

For those of us in the Philadelphia area, although we can't go to the storefronts in Boston or LA which sell their merchandise from what looks like a traditional bakery, you can pick up some JC merchandise online or at:

DEEP SLEEP
54 N Third St
Philadelphia, PA