- Posted by wolverine on November 12, 2009
PHOTO BY: MARK WELSH / MARKWELSHPHOTO.COM
The Q&A is the first interview in a series of folks that inspire us here at Wolverine. We sat down with native son of Michigan Mr. Aaron Draplin — who runs a successful West coast creative firm
Draplin Design Co. — to ask him some questions and try to figure out what makes the man tick. We also made sure to hit some nostalgia buttons with talk of "back home" and whatnot. The full question and answer session below.
***
WOLVERINE: Where did you grow up?
AARON DRAPLIN: I was born in Detroit, and moved north when I was four-years-old. I
grew up in Northern Michigan in a little town called Central Lake. 800
people. When I was 13, we moved to the "big city" of Traverse City.
Michigan blood through and through, man!
W: First car?
AD: A 1978 Pontiac Grand LeMans station wagon. And I'm here to tell you:
That thing was a real hunk of shit. But of course, I loved him. It had
this odd quirk where you'd have to warm the thing up for like 27
minutes. No matter what time of year. 27 minutes! I'd wake up, run
outside, turn the thing on and then run back in and shower up for
school. By the time I'd jump back into the cockpit, the windows would
almost be thawed and the thing would actually take off without
stalling. One minute under the 27 minute mark and it'd stall. Still
wonder about that phenomena to this day. The thing finally died in an
intersection. Seized engine. Done.
W: What job(s) did you have in High School?
AD: My dad marched me down to a local pizza joint in 1987. I was 14
years old. I think that might've been breaking some child labor law or
something? I remember filling out the application and getting hired on
the spot. I put on a creepy gray t-shirt and went to work washing pans
and rolling dough. I worked there for four years and went out in a
blaze of glory, complete with a small claims court lawsuit against the
place, in the name of graphic design! Basically, I did a logo for a
side project of the owner's, and they printed up cards and stuff, and
then the thing fizzled. And so did any hopes of my getting paid for my
time. Once dad got word of the injustice, we went down to the
courthouse, filled out the paper work and that was that. I took 'em to
court and we won. 137 bucks. I remember the judge saying, "Verbal
agreement is binding in the state of Michigan." Something like that.
Don't mess with the Draplins!
W: What Michigan food / drink / restaurants do you miss from home?
AD: I miss my mom and dad's home cooking the most. And that hurt took
effect the first meal I had to forage for on my own out west. Mom's
spaghetti. Dad's chili. And good ol' "sitting down to eat dinner" with
them. Michigan has its Vernors, but you can find that just about everywhere. Every now and again I'd like a Faygo red pop.
You know what else I miss? Dumb pizza. Little Caesar's and Hungry Howie's
and shit. There's this "smart pizza" thing going on in Portland where
you sit there for three hours and pay four times what you should. You
know, for half-ass, designer pizza. I miss Little Caesar deep dish
pizza. There you go. Some truth.
W: On that same token, what foods do you love in your adopted hometown of Portland, Oregon?
AD: The best part of Portland has been getting in food from "the rest of the world."
01. Thai from Chaba Thai.
02. Lebanese from Hodda's.
03. Korean from Du's.
04. German from the Rheinlander.
05. Mexican from the roach coach on Division.
06. Indian from Bombay Cricket Club.
W: I know from reading your blog that you love flea markets, estate sales and eBay, what is your current collecting obsession?
AD: My obsession is turning over from actually collecting the stuff to
figuring out a way to present the stuff in a viable format. You know,
like, a book or something. I've been collecting for years, and more and
more, I will go out and not buy a thing, but take a million photos of
stuff. As long as I've got the logo documented, that's as good as
having the actual item.
W: In terms of clothing, what would you say are your favorite brands?
AD: Levi 501s, for life. Saucony's Jazz tennis shoes.
Joe Boxer big men's sweatshirts from K-Mart. Filson bags. Woolrich
chamois shirts. Action Caps from Legend in Orange City, Iowa. Gold toe
socks. Man, there's just nothing like a new pair of socks.
W: Your design company has an amazing following, have you always been obsessed with graphic design?
AD: The obsession with this design stuff took root in the mid '90s,
fueled by the prospect of working shitty gigs for the rest of my life.
Washing dishes and trimming trees can change a man quick. I got my shit
together and made this stuff my life. But, regarding calling it an
obsession with graphic design, I'm more apt to call it, "An obsession
with surviving." This graphic design shit is such a blessing. I'm so
thankful to make my living with this stuff. Feel like the luckiest guy
ever each day I get down to the shop to take on the big day.
W: What is your dream client?
AD: The Flaming Lips. Martin guitars. Leatherman. Gold Bond
ball powder. I'm crossing my fingers that Field Notes will turn into a
full time gig. That one has been a dream come true since the first book
was made.
W: If you weren't running DDC, what would you be doing?
AD: Hopefully, working for a reputable design firm with good people. But
that's a wimp-ass answer. Here's a better one. Instead, I'd rather just
go and "walk the earth" and live in my van. Yeah, that's what I'd be
doing: Diggin' America, nomad style.
W: Finally, when is the rest of that documentary coming out?
Settle down, truckers! That shit's in the works, and Jess is busy
and so I am. We got a ton of footage and are wrestling little pieces
and chunks of footage into some kind of feature thing. It's weird being
in that kind of stuff. Seeing yer big head all sweaty and shit on a
screen. Just weirds me out. So, you know, we're taking our sweet time.
Don't give up on us! It's in the works. And it's gonna rip! (Aaron Draplin documentary teaser)
- Posted by wolverine on November 4, 2009
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