Strands of Genius: Furniture Memes, Fake Podcasts, Queering The Map

Guest curated by Britton Taylor, Freelance Strategist

Apr 20, 2023

:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, BRITTON TAYLOR::

LOCATION: Portland, OR

I'm Britton. I worked as a strategist at Wieden+Kennedy in Portland, Oregon, for 15+ years for brands like Old Spice and Kentucky Fried Chicken. In 2021, I left W+K and took a leap to start my own consultancy (Tritton Baylor Strategic Industries). Since then I've helped a variety of brands (Oatly, Chili's, Fireball, H&M, Cityblock), agencies (Erich & Kallman, TBWA/Chiat/Day, Tombras) and startups. My specialty is foundational strategic work for brands, and I particularly love to help iconic brands recapture their mojo. Fun Fact: I'm also an elected official with the Multnomah County Democrats. I was recently re-elected as their Communications Officer, and I'm currently trying to produce a YouTube talk show in which I interview local elected officials and activists while inhabiting a donkey avatar. This is what democracy looks like folks.

I'm actually writing this from the Lloyd Center Mall, which features the ice rink where Tonya Harding once trained. Like most malls in America, Lloyd Center has lost many of its tenants and is now in the process of redefining itself. One local podcast recently described it as "The Punk Rock Mall" because it now hosts a variety of alternative endeavors, including a rad comic book store, two tattoo parlors and, sometimes, a "Secret Roller Disco" in the abandoned Marshalls store. My buddy Jason recently leased what used to be the DMV space on the first floor, and he has now turned its cubicles into a co-working space for creative hooligans, including writers, poets, artists and comedians. I've been working from the mall three to four days a week now for a month and it's difficult to put into words how much I enjoy it. It feels like working on a lost world that also happens to have a Dairy Queen.

Editor’s Note (Genius Steals): When Kim Mackenzie sent us Britton’s twitter account and we loved reading what he had to say so much that we couldn’t resist asking him to be a part of our guest curation. And we have to agree that having a Dairy Queen where you work is a definite perk!

:: THE LINKS ::

FURNITURE MEMES

My favorite meme account these days is Northwest MCM Wholesale, started by an anonymous, Portland-based furniture maker who goes by Herman Wakefield. The account started as a way for Herman to call out resellers trying to pass off designer dupes, but has now blossomed to include roasts of hustle culture and capitalism. If you don't follow I highly recommend! (Instagram)

FAKE PODCASTS

I'm consistently intrigued by the influencer economy and the lengths creators will go to in order to generate fandoms. This Garbage Day piece is about the "Nut Girl" who stormed the internet a few weeks ago. During COVID, having a microphone in your content served as a quick signal to viewers of authority. Combine that with the inherently misogynistic dunking-on-women-in-podcasts trend and you've (unfortunately) got a recipe for viral success. (Garbage Day)

QUEERING THE MAP

My 18YO daughter, who is a freshman in college, introduced me to this site, which enables queer people to write about their experiences and tag them anywhere on the global map. She says it can be both heartbreaking (like reading about people's experiences in countries where it's a crime to be gay), but it can also be affirming and inspiring ("it's very cool to read experiences about authentic queer joy.") Overall, I'm sure it makes a lot of people feel less alone. Love it!(Queering The Map)

Looking for more from Britton Taylor? Coming Friday, look for an interview from him in your inbox!

:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::

:: Game :: Tecmo Bowl

:: City :: Tokyo

:: Book :: What's Not to Love: The Adventures of a Mildly Perverted Young Writer by Jonathan Ames

:: Podcast :: Heavyweight

::SEBASSTIAN::

Thanks so much for having me. You all are a smart, good-looking and inspiring bunch. The best place to find me is on Twitter. Heads up: it's 50% inanity and 50% political anger.

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It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.

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