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May
22ndWhyNotBobRossau?
During a recent team-building field trip to Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, we sat down for a picnic in the sculpture garden and began to brainstorm art activities for WhyNotWausau? 2013. To be candid, most of the ideas were pretty crappy. But my colleague had an idea that’s so crazy, it just might work. As you roam around downtown Wausau, you’ve probably noticed several highly visible buildings that have bare sides, or slowly fading ads that were painted in the 30s. To an artist, a bare, windowless side of a building is like a blank canvas, where art is just waiting to spring to life. WhyNotWausau? is thinking about turning one of these blank canvases into a beautiful, community-created mural. In conjunction with WNW?, we’d commission a professional artist to lead the project and develop the overall concept. The whole town would be invited to lend a hand to help bring the artist’s vision to life. We’d find a new wall to transform each year. After a few years of this tradition, downtown Wausau would become even more colorful and vibrant than it is today. Now before you rummage through your basement for paint and start tagging everything in sight, we still need to think through a few things: · What would you put on the inaugural WNW? community-created mural? · What scenes and activities would make the most sense to immortalize, larger than life, on a downtown wall? · Granite Peak skiers? · Wisconsin River kayakers? · Lake Wausau [...]
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May
17thCAN’T TEACH AN OLD BLOG NEW TRICKS
Reunited and it Feels So Good… One of the things the staff here at WhyNotWausau? enjoys most about our annual art/music festival is how it brings people together. It brings the community together in celebration of music and art. It brings together friends who can share a picnic blanket, a pitcher of Hamm’s from Malarkey’s and a pizza from Polito’s. It also reunites old classmates who come to town to catch up while taking in some great tunes. This spirit of togetherness got me thinking about what bands or duos I’d most like to see reunite. My top ten list includes: 1. Simon and Garfunkel 2. Husker Du 3. Fugees 4. Prince and the Revolution 5. The Grifters 6. Led Zeppelin 7. DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince 8. Yellow Swans 9. New Edition 10. The Kinks To really put WNW? on the map, we’re thinking about making one of these reunions happen right here in Wausau for WNW? 2014. If you were a rock n roll counselor and could heal old wounds among bandmates, who would you like to see reunite on the 400 Block stage? Anyone from my list? Who are we missing? My boss could probably call Sting’s cell phone right now and get The Police to commit to a Wausau reunion, but I wanted to at least pick your brains first. Thanks for your help! Can’t wait to reunite with you on July 27th. Just look for the Traveling Wilburys picnic blanket. All [...]
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May
2ndDylan vs. Dylan
During this week’s Wednesday night WhyNotWausau? happy hour at the Malarkey’s, my boss returned from loading up the jukebox with Black Crowes songs and asked us to list our top five favorite Dylan songs. I didn’t even hesitate, and immediately reeled off “One Headlight,” “Sixth Avenue Heartache,” “Three Marlenas,” “Closer to You” and “Lend a Hand.” The evil stares I received could have turned Luke Skywalker to the dark side. Apparently my boss was referring to Bob Dylan, not Jakob Dylan. It still boggles my mind that I rarely meet another music fan who shares my belief that Jakob Dylan is a more talented songwriter than Bob Dylan. Now don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against Bob Dylan. I think “Tangled Up in Blue,” “Like a Rolling Stone, “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” are pretty solid songs. I also think Bob Dylan’s Christmas album is top-notch. I simply think when it comes down to sheer songwriting talent, it’s no contest. Jakob wins hands-down. Needless to say, Bob Dylan has written more songs than Jakob Dylan. But for me, it’s all about quality over quantity. Jakob has the ability to write passionately and eloquently about a wide range of topics. For example, check out this line from Jakob Dylan’s song “All Day, and All Night.” I been working double shift all night Bees make honey, I’m making mine Good men are busy all the time I been working double shift all night Good [...]
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Apr
24thComic Strip Club
As most of you know, WhyNotWausau? isn’t just a rockin’ music festival – it’s also a unique, eclectic art festival. Past popular artistic elements include crazy activities such as painting on canvas and doors. Culture! And this year’s festival (July 27) also gives local artists a chance to strut their stuff. Artsy activities and exhibits include ones such as “TBD” and “As as we know we will let you know”. We don’t like to toot our horns, but the employees (and interns) here at WNW? headquarters are connoisseurs of fine art, modern art and Art Vandelay. Call us old school or nostalgic, but recently WNW? HQ’s favorite art form seems to be the comic strip. Each day when Herm delivers the Wausau Daily Herald, we race to the door and immediately flip open to the comics to see what’s new with Garfield, Hagar, Cathy and all of our old friends. Then we laugh and laugh and laugh. In fact, we have such an appreciation for this art form, we recently declared Comic Sans the official font of WhyNotWausau? (and we didn’t even make Comic Sans pay us a sponsorship fee) But it’s not all laughs when it comes to our passion for comic strips. During our half-hour lunch break on Monday, we got into a heated argument while debating the hottest comic strip mom. It took a few days of discussion, but we finally settled on the top 10 hottest comic strip moms of all time. Here you go! #10: Jenny [...]
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Apr
15thHappy Days All Week Long
For some reason, my boss has been humming the theme song from “Happy Days” since about 9 a.m. this morning. It’s a pretty catchy tune, so I don’t mind much. It also spurred an interesting discussion here at WhyNotWausau? headquarters. Throughout our entire pie & coffee outing, we debated the all-time best songs about each day of the week. My co-worker Dan insists that “S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night” by the Bay City Rollers belongs on that list, but I think that song blows. So although I’m just an unpaid intern, I vetoed his suggestion. So with no further doo-doo, here’s the definitive list of the all-time best songs about each day of the week. Sunday: 1. Sunday, Bloody Sunday – U2 2. Easy Like Sunday Morning – Lionel Richie and the Commodores 3. Sunday Will Never Be the Same – Spanky and Our Gang Monday: 1. I Don’t Like Mondays – Boomtown Rats 2. Come Monday – Jimmy Buffet 3. Manic Monday – The Bangles Tuesday: 1. Ruby Tuesday – The Rolling Stones 2. Tuesday’s Gone — Lynyrd Skynyrd 3. On a Tuesday In Amsterdam – Counting Crows Wednesday: 1. Wednesday – Drive By Truckers 2. Wednesday – Tori Amos 3. Wednesday Week – The Undertones Thursday: 1. Thursday – Harry Nilsson 2. Thursday – Morphine 3. Thursday – Jim Croce Friday: 1. Black Friday – Steely Dan 2. Friday, I’m in Love – The Cure 3. Friday Night – G Love and Special Sauce Saturday: [...]
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Apr
3rdOutside the (Beat) Box
Thinking Outside the (Beat) Box Just a few months into my internship here at WhyNotWausau?, I’m really starting to hit my stride. For example: Just a few months into my internship here at WhyNotWausau?, I’m really starting to hit my stride. For example: ·I successfully lobbied for Casual Friday. I no longer have to wear a tie to the office on Fridays. ·I convinced my boss to get rid of the fax machine that had been sitting in the middle of my desk since the day I started (no one had faxed us in four years, and I didn’t have any space for my rolodex). ·I launched an internal employee newsletter so we could properly recognize team member milestones and get to know each other a little better (thanks to the inaugural issue of the WNW? Whisperer, I now know that my boss is a 20-year member of Wausau Elk Lodge #248). ·And obviously this blog has been a huge hit, based on skyrocketing readership (it didn’t hurt that Rebecca Black tweeted my list of top 20 dance songs of all time). But as my golf coach once told me, there’s no “I” in team. She is so right! I couldn’t have accomplished all of these amazing feats myself. My co-workers’ support and constant constructive criticism has me soaring to new heights. My boss has an inspirational paper weight on his desk that reads, “Be the me you want to be.” So inspiring! I totally have the best job in [...]