Harold Butler
March 1, 2007
Founder of Denny’s, which began as Danny’s Donuts in the 1950s.
Mars Blackmon
February 23, 2007
Scrappy Knicks fan b-boy played by Spike Lee. Best remembered for those wonderful Nike Air Jordan commercials. “Do you know do you know do you know?”
Gerry Thomas
February 21, 2007
1950s Swanson salesman and inventor of the TV dinner. Beautiful Swanson TV dinner ads here.
Chris Columbus
February 21, 2007
Prolific film industry jack of all trades, who we’re thinking about today because he wrote Gremlins and The Goonies. This guy’s head gave us Mogwai AND Chunk. God bless Chris Columbus.
Drake Sadler
February 20, 2007
Founder and CEO of Traditional Medicinals, the company that makes my favorite tea: Nighty Night.
Anselmo Martini
February 20, 2007
Lead winemaker for Cavit, who makes the sweet and cheap Cavit Pinot Grigio. Anselmo, your rotgut keeps me warm in trying times, and for that I thank you.
Bruce Chatwin
February 20, 2007
Travel writer who, according to Modo & Modo, played an instrumental role in keeping the Moleskine notebook alive and in production. I don’t much buy the extensive self-mythologizing of the Moleskine, but dammit if they’re not the best notebooks in town.
Jenna Jameson
January 23, 2007
Jenna Jameson is the world’s most powerful porn star today, the Queen of Porn. Yesterday at the library I flipped through her How To Make Love Like A Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale and stressed out that some bookfrau was going to beat me with her Hannah Arendt and call me a lecher. Jameson has worked in such films as Daysha: Like A Geyser, Jenna Loves Pain, and Where The Boys Aren’t 15. She also starred as Holly So Tightly in The Dirt Merchant.
Terminator X
January 19, 2007
Terminator X was the larger than life, flat top wearing DJ for Public Enemy. He rounded out the group’s core trio along with Chuck D and Flav. These days, Terminator X – also known as Norman Rogers – runs an ostrich farm in North Carolina. How awesome is that? Terminator X is an ostrich farmer. Gotta love it.
Carl and Neil Fletcher
January 9, 2007
According to Wikipedia, the Fletchers invented the corny dog in 1942 at the Texas State Fair.
The Noid
January 5, 2007
A little 80s red-suited guy who harbored a strong dislike for Domino’s Pizza. Ask the nearest Gen-Xer who the Noid is, and she will hate you for the rest of the day.
Louise Young
January 4, 2007
Software engineer for Raytheon. The company’s support of GLBT needs is featured in the December 11, 2006 issue of Fortune magazine. Young’s photo caption: Raytheon transferred software engineer Louise Young to Vermont so that she could get a civil union with her partner. Hot stuff. Nice work, Raytheon.
