Kirk Demarais wrote the history of the S.S. Adams company, Life of the Party, amazes people at his Secret Fun Blog, and is the man behind the film Flip. He also has an awesome t-shirt collection.
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Roadside Architecture and Mid-Century Design in “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas”
By Kirk Demarais
Posted in Stories and Appreciations on 13 October 2010
Stats: 8,268 views and 8 Comments

The “Grand Theft Auto” series of video games is known for a lot of things, but sightseeing rarely makes the list. Until now!

In Praise of Long John Silver’s Krums
By Kirk Demarais
Posted in Stories and Appreciations on 7 September 2010
Stats: 23,374 views and 19 Comments

Krums are the fried pieces of excess batter that drip or break off of the “real” food. Oh, how I coveted the mountains of Krums.

Why I’m Going to Miss Physical Media
By Kirk Demarais
Posted in Stories and Appreciations on 8 July 2010
Stats: 3,008 views and 8 Comments

One evening, while browsing a large entertainment store, I was struck by a notion: The massive store, as well as its aisles of products, will be gone very soon.

Natural Prankster
By Kirk Demarais
Posted in Stories and Appreciations on 29 March 2010
Stats: 3,330 views and 2 Comments

I discovered two rows of worker ants, one entering and one returning outside. I cringed as I imagined what they had found. A salsa spill? A forgotten stash of unwanted licorice jellybeans? A corpse?

Seven New Greeting Cards from Pakistan
By Kirk Demarais
Posted in One Million Watts on 6 January 2010
Stats: 7,669 views and 1 Comment

I propose that the most efficient way to understand a people and their culture is to examine their greeting cards. It’s like reading their mail before they send it.

Bang Guns and Wolf Men: Exploring M. Gordon Novelty Shop
By Kirk Demarais
Posted in Stories and Appreciations on 17 November 2009
Stats: 5,995 views and 4 Comments

I knew I’d found it when I saw a blue building with a black-and-white Wolfman poster hanging in its window, assuring me that I was about to be in the best possible place.

Hey, marriage-minded teens! It’s Teen-Time!
By Kirk Demarais
Posted in One Million Watts on 14 October 2009
Stats: 6,024 views and No Comments

This hilariously bad board game demonstrates a delightfully astonishing lack of understanding of its target market. The object of the game is to get engaged to be married before your fellow teens do. Seriously.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Self-Titled Record Albums
By Kirk Demarais
Posted in Stories and Appreciations on 9 September 2009
Stats: 71,393 views and 11 Comments

Certain conventions have emerged in the realm of album titles. Today, we’ll explore possible scenarios of self-titling your album, with hopes that future bands might avoid pitfalls such as Santana Syndrome or Weezeritus.

Selections from the 1959 PICO Novelty Catalog
By Kirk Demarais
Posted in Things We Like on 10 August 2009
Stats: 13,896 views and 6 Comments

PICO was a Los Angeles-based supplier to American dime stores, souvenir shops, and similar types of crapatoriums. It left behind some wonderfully peculiar artifacts that give us a reason to hit the pause button on our modern lives.