Music Monday: "Thrift Shop" and a Shout Out To an Old College Friend

Photo by Ed Pfueller. Follow him on Twitter.



Off and on (because I've sucked at this blogging thing for some time now) in the late 2000s, I wrote a blog over at Salon's Open Salon blog platform. It was part of that elusive search for recognition, I guess.

Anyway, one of the regular posts I used to do was called, "Music Mondays" and it featured whatever tune might have been rolling around in my head when I sat down at the computer that Monday morning. (Or whatever I decided to sketch out that Sunday night. I was flexible that way.)

Occasionally, though, they were targeted. That's what I'm doing today with this song. When I first heard it, I thought it was a parody along the lines of something that the Lonely Island ("Mother Lover", "D**k in a Box") would have done.

But as I listened to the verses, it occurred to me that there was actually a message to the song. It really hits in the second verse right before the chorus and bridge. It actually was an anthem for...thrift shopping:




This one is dedicated to my dear, dear friend Jenna Isaacson Pfueller who, in addition to being a great photographer, is the creator of the All Thrifty States Project. (You can follow ATS on Twitter @allthriftystate.)

All Thrifty States...well...I'll let Jenna explain in her own words what she's doing:

I believe thrift stores offer up a window to into our collective closets that are laboratories to discover more about ourselves. I hope that by visiting thrift stores in every state, I might be better able to understand America as a nation, the diversity of people that live here and find some fun stuff along the way.

 

When we purchase something that’s used, ultimately we’re saving it from a landfill and making a conscious choice to lower the amount of natural resources we collectively demand. With today’s focus on our planet’s limited resources and a financial crisis that has hit all of us, it seems counterintuitive to continue the consumerism that’s pushed our credit cards to the max and our economy to the brink of collapse. Does anyone really care that you paid $3 for your Ann Taylor shirt? They won’t even know unless you tell them. Do you really need a handbag that costs as much as a car? No! Humans survived for millions of years without department stores, boutiques or purses that cost more than a car. And you can too.

 

I see the future as a bright place where trends may come and go but people dress as they please in what suits them best, looks good in their eyes and makes them feel good-- no matter where it comes from.

Phase one of her journey took place in the summer of 2011, and saw her cross much of the West Coast, Midwest & South. Currently, phase two is underway in the lower Middle Atlantic/Southeast, and she will wend her way through the Northeast by the time she is done.

So follow her journey on Twitter or on her blog. I think what she's doing is amazing, and I know she has worked very hard on it.