DISMANTLE

NAME: Erin
LOCATION: Parrots Bar and Grill, Wellington and Halstead

I didn't know what to do with my life and I was graduating from college and my sister bought me a ticket to see my favorite band for my birthday. So I came here to visit for the first time in a lotta years and we went to the concert and I bought this t-shirt and it's kinda embarrassing because it's a U2 concert t-shirt but it means more to me because it's the color it is and it says "dismantle" and it appeals to my, like, leftist politics, but - and it's, you know, protest-y.


But it also has this really great memory that like my sister and I connected for the first time in a really long time and I came here for the first time in a really long time and it was that weekend that I decided that when I graduated from college I would move here. And I graduated from college and I had no job and I had nothing and I moved here and I'm still here three years later, so. Every time I wear this t-shirt I feel a little, like, liberated, and I believe in myself a little bit more.

So, normally I ask a lot of questions, but I'm tempted to just write down everything you just said and leave it at that.

It sounded completely geeky!

No, no, it sounded really good.

Iquitos, Peru

NAME: Samantha
LOCATION: Starbucks, Lakeview

Well, I got it at, um, in Peru when we went on a cruise down the Amazon River. We stopped at this village and, um, it was - they didn't take money so we bartered our stuff. My mom brought a bunch of things and I traded one of my old dolls for this beautiful shirt.

You traded a doll for this shirt.

Yeah. Isn't it cool? It has like cool little birds on it. And we went down this river right here - well, the Amazon - and then this is like ... [Samantha is pointing out the geography of Peru's rivers on the map on her shirt] ... other little rivers and then we went to Peru. Iquitos, Peru.

And it was in Iquitos where you bartered-

It's not in this actual town. It was in a little village. I don't know what it was called but it was tiny.

What kind of doll was it?

It was like a barbie and then I also gave them one of my old Mickey Mouse shirts.

And do you feel now that it was a fair trade?

Yeah, because my Mickey Mouse shirt had a hole in it.

How old were you?

Eleven? Twelve? Eleven, probably. I also got to touch this really cool frog that's poisonous. It's red, and if you boil its skin that's when it gets poisonous and people would put 'em on their arrows in the old time to shoot stuff with.

eels with strings

NAME: Jon
LOCATION: Clark St, Lakeview

Tell the uninitiated about eels and Mr. E.

Eels is my favorite band of all time and, let's see. They're from California. They had a hit about 1996 called "Novocaine for the Soul". But then, after that, they didn't really have any big hit radio songs. They just kinda kept going but people didn't really know that they kept going. Well I knew they kept going. So I kept listening.

What about "Last Stop: This Town"?

That's another one they kinda - yeah, that's true. They did have one more - it wasn't as big a hit, but y'know.

I love that song.

I love that song, too. They're a great band.

So was E morose and depressed when you met him?

Uh, no. He was rocking out at a concert. I've been to see them three times.

Where?

I saw them first time at the one down here. The Metro. Yeah, the Metro. And then I saw them again in Detroit and I saw them again - this is the concert I got the shirt from - I saw them at Park West.

How did you go about meeting him, to get him to autograph the shirt?

I just hung out after the show. The first time I met him was at The Metro when I was young and dumb and excited to meet a rock hero and so I was this very scary big man going crazy.

Just how tall are you?

I'm 6'5". So I said, "Hey, can I get a picture?" And he said, "Yeah, sure, whatever." And so I just went like this...

[To demonstrate, Jon threw his long lanky right arm over my shoulder with delightful enthusiasm.]

...and so the best picture I've ever taken in my life is me smiling this big huge smile and him looking off to the side not even looking at the camera. So, that's the first time. And then the second time I, you know, I went home that night and I thought you know what? He's probably gonna think I'm a big jerk or whatever and if he ever sees me again he's probably gonna wanna punch me in the face so I gotta lay low this time and so I just went up to him and said, you know, "nice concert" hoping he wouldn't remember this big kid from Chicago who mauled him last time. So I just asked him for an autograph and he was cool.


This says something here?

It says "E was here".

Wii-mote with Nunchuck

NAME: Nathan Lane
LOCATION: Landmark Theaters, Lakeview

My name is Nathan Lane. No, really it is.

Can I see some ID?

Yeah. I mean, do you want my school ID or my real ID?

[It's true. I'm no bouncer, but his identification looked legit.]

Your name is Nathan Lane.

I'm one of two. Truthfully, um, Nathan Lane is causing a lot of trouble in my life. First of all, it's not his real name. His first name is actually Joseph. And the second issue is like when he came out when I was in middle school, my life turned into a living hell. But only some people actually know about Nathan Lane so I can't always make a joke about him.

Tell me about your Wii-mote shirt.

My Wii-mote shirt. I recently went to Allentown to visit my mom, which is kind of close to New York City so I went to New York City and in New York City I dragged my much-cooler friends to a place called Nintendo World where I blew like sixty bucks and was a public embarrassment. So I bought like this shirt and the belt buckle and, uh, some other things, including a stuffed Kirby doll. Um, but it was like going to Mecca for me.


How big is the stuffed Kirby doll?

It's about, uh, maybe the size of, uh ... of a toddler's head? I can't think of a more appropriate comparison than that.

Okay. Best Zelda game.

The best Zelda game! Now, I know this is a contentious issue because, I, like ... I'm supposed to say "Ocarina of Time", right? I don't want fanboys pounding on my door because I didn't say "Ocarina of Time". But I really enjoyed "Wind Waker", and everyone can suck my 'D' on that issue.

I am a fan of "Wind Waker". I think it's underrated.

I appreciated a return to a more playful style. You know, I didn't need a Zelda epic. I didn't need "Ocarina of Time" again. I thought it was a good game.

I'm always gonna be partial to "Link to the Past", myself.

I mean, that is a little before my time. I played a little bit - was that on the NES, the original, or was that on Super Nin--

Super Nintendo.

I only played that one at GameStop. I've never even owned that one.

Oh, you should pick it up.

I'd love to, man.

The Goblins of Nilbog

NAME: Charlie
LOCATION: Century Shopping Center, Lakeview

Is it a Spider-man thing?

No, it's a "Troll 2" thing.

I've never seen that.

It actually has no trolls in it whatsoever. It's about goblins and they live in a small town called 'Nilbog', which - as the lead character figures out halfway through the film - is 'Goblin' spelled backwards.

Awesome.

That's why it says 'Nilbog'.


Where did you get it?

At a "Troll 2" screening, with the stars of the movie.

Was that a good night for you?

It was an amazing night. One of the best nights of my life, yes.