Miss Independent

NAME: Katie
LOCATION: The Ark, Lakeview

What's this shirt all about?

This shirt ... believe it or not, I got it a thrift store. And I thought it was darn fun because I had bariatric surgery, and I finally got to be thrift shopping and I found 'Miss Independent' and it just suited me. It was perfect for me. And it was cheap! And I liked it.

What kind of surgery did you have?

Bariatric surgery? Weight loss surgery.

Oh, okay.

So, there you go. And I was so excited I could shop at thrift stores and I found something that was very me. So there it is.

So now you're a woman about town, Miss Independent. Do you wear this to bars?

I don't. I'm not much of a bar-hopper. I'm just independent.

The Gong Show

NAME: Bryan
LOCATION: The Rocking Chair, Logan Square

Oh, my friend Patrick got it for me at a thrift store, apparently. Um, well, it's just something that we say. Actually our friend Brittany I guess started it. It's just something - if something's "gong show" it's kind of ridiculous, fucked up. Stupid. It's like, "That's totally gong show."

And then what's-his-name, in Pineapple Express? The cute guy, with the long hair?

James Franco.

Yeah, James Franco used it in that. And we were surprised. We didn't know anybody else used it.

Then I had a teacher who, uh - he's probably, I guess he's about forty, and he goes, "Do you even remember the Gong Show?" And I was like, "No, man. It's just a fuckin' shirt." That's true. That's a true story.

Anything else?

Also I like the color yellow. It keeps me safe at night.