The Corduroy Appreciation Club Cordulog

Feeling the need to do something a bit different. Here is what is occurring:

On West 41st, in Manhattan, between and beneath the Port Authority Bus Terminal Buildings, in a dark place known as Area X lies a great treasure called “The Whaling Wall.”  The Whaling Wall is a 400’ whale mural painted by the artist Wyland. This large, left-facing whale is an important landmark to The Corduroy Appreciation Club.  Please read the detailed instructions below. Please RSVP to this email address: corduroy@corduroyclub.com

1. Between 6:30 and 7:00 we will muster, Corduroy clad, at the following bikini wearing bartender location: Port 41 Bar, 41st and 9th Avenue. No meeting particulars will occur here and our plans should be kept secret. Speak only to those in Corduroy! Port 41 is simply a gathering and libation point. At approximately 7:11, when we receive the signal from our lookout we shall, en masse, leave Port 41 and parade East [left] 100 yards on 41st to the Whaling Wall. You are encouraged to bring signs, flags, placards and banners.

2. Once at the “Whaling Wall,”  holding banners and placards, we shall “Hail the Wale/Whale” and pose, beneath the whale, for the first ever group photograph of The Corduroy Appreciation Club.  This must all happen rapidly. We don’t want to attract attention of authorities who swarm in these parts and simply won’t understand our mission.

3. After the photo is taken we will quickly disperse to the south, down 8th Avenue, 4 blocks to 37th street and the bar, Stitch. Here we shall socialize and celebrate our deep club fellowship. We will partake in secret rituals, hear club news and perhaps candidates for our official club anthem.  This is meant to be a more casual meeting, nonetheless two items of Corduroy must be donned.

A general meeting of The Corduroy Appreciation Club will occur in New York City on the date which second most resembles Corduroy, 111, Friday, January 11th. Particulars are amounting and an official email announcement will occur in coming days. HAIL THE WALE!

11 Items of note

Amid all the speculation about Ellen DeGeneres’ Oscar outfit were rumors she was going to wear Corduroy. She did not. We were disappointed, but rather thrilled nonetheless.

Missing People–Over the course of the year, 22 reported “Missing People” in the United States of America were reportedly wearing Corduroy when described. Beware of kidnappers and the allure of Corduroy? Or perhaps our dear fabric has disorientating properties which we are not yet aware of? This shall be investigated.

Dennis Kucinich–in the first ever Corduroy Caucus, members of The Corduroy Appreciation Club selected Dennis Kucinich as the Presidential Candidate Most Likely to wear Corduroy.

C.O.R.D.–Because all great organizations use acronyms, we thought we should have one too. CORD, or The Corduroy Office of Research and Development was boldly announced on 1111 as our path to the future and the date which most closely resembles Corduroy, ever, 11|11|11.

We created the first-ever, striped Corduroy tie and it has been consumed greedily by Corduroy Appreciators and Tie lovers alike. You can find it in the store. The store funds this operation.

Rather grossly, Scott Baio announced that his first experience with copulation involved Erin Moran (Joanie) and a Corduroy Couch which he mistook for something other.

Lord Whimsy–The simply marvelous Lord Whimsy delivered the keynote speech at our 1111 meeting. You can read about him and his speech here: http://www.lordwhimsy.com/

A New Corduroy Appreciation Club Website, at long last a real website, a robust electronic semblance of our clubhouse along with this “blog,” or Cordulog which helps facilitate communication via the internet.

Some exciting press occurred, including: The New York Times T-Magazine section, The Star Ledger, Men’s Vogue and more. Thank you writers.

A Membership Milestone–We now have well over 1,200 members all over the world!

On 1111, meetings occurred in locations other than New York City. England, Norway, Texas, California and possibly other far flung reaches whose communiqués have not yet reached our clubhouse.

They say, “Hail the Wale.” There are women’s and men’s cuts.  If you would like to order one, just make a note that you want a Green Shirt when you order a red or brown one. They are not yet, conventionally, available in the Merchandising Center (store), but they look like the image below. They are printed on American Apparel. Support your club! Purchase a t-shirt. 

Minutes to come, but, for now….

• Approximately 190 people attend the 111107 Meeting at The Montauk Club in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY
• One person was ejected from the meeting for not wearing any Corduroy. His membership materials were confiscated.
• A Chosen One was Chosen. Their identity will be protected.
• We practiced our secret and strange rituals. No photography was allowed.
• The first ever Corduroy Caucus was held and we selected the “Corduroy Candidate.” See other post on this.
• Artist Erin L. Shafkind escorted Little Roy to the meeting all the way from Seattle, WA. She told us about Little Roy and took marvelous photos of him with esteemed CAC members.
• We heard an excellent reading from Michael Ames, author of Portuguese Corduroy, from The Believer.
• Our Keynote Speaker, Lord Whimsy, was extraordinary. Informative, thought provoking, bold, dashing and uproariously humorous. He received a standing ovation. His Keynote speech, famous diagrams and some fine photos can all be seen here: http://lord-whimsy.livejournal.com/270293.html#cutid2
• CAC Poet Laureate, Emily Gordon, read yet another marvelous Corduroy inspired work.
• We awarded Michael Ames the first ever award for “Excellence in Corduroy Journalism.
• We awarded Designer Duncan Quinn our highest honor, “The Award for Exemplary Usage of Corduroy.”

Did you know that a Presidential Campaign is underway for a Presidential Election to be held in 2008? We believe that Corduroy Appreciators should have a say in who gets elected to be President of the United States. Which candidate will support our mission best? Who will install Corduroy robed Supreme Court Justices? Who will stop the unremitting onslaught of denim? We decided! Here are the results of the first ever Corduroy Appreciation Club Corduroy Caucus:

John McCain—0 Vote
Alan Keyes—0 Vote
Duncan Hunter—0 Vote
Tom Tancredo—0 Vote
Rudy Giuliani—1 Vote
Mitt Romney—1 Vote
Fred Thompson—2 Votes
Mike Huckabee—2 Votes
Mike Gravell—2 Votes
Ron Paul—2 Votes
Bill Richardson—2 Votes
Chris Dodd—3 Votes
John Edwards—5 Votes
Joe Biden—14 Votes
Hillary Rodham Clinton—21 Votes
Barack Obama—27 Votes

And the winner of The Corduroy Appreciation Club Corduroy Caucus is….
Dennis Kucinich—30 Votes

Please see these two posts:

s231.photobucket.com/albums/ee223/corduroyclub

Thank you to CAC Member John Anderson

www.flickr.com/photos/bifteck/sets/72157603100010374

Thank you to CAC Member Meredith Modzelewski

We gathered statistical data on the types of Corduroy worn to our 1111 meeting. A “Cord Checker” was stationed to check that attendees adhered to the two Corduroy item minimum (if not they were ordered to apply a bold orange Corduroy swatch to mark them) and which type of wale was being worn. Here are the results of our survey as well as the percent change from 2006:

• Pin Wale 52 % (+5%)
• Micro Wale 28% (-5%)
• Wide Wale 19% (-1%)
• Variant Wale 1% (-1%)

• Not Wearing Two Items (lost souls): 3%*

*Data not available for 2006Henceforth, the “Cord Checker” shall be known as the “Wale Watcher.” Thank you to the brilliant soul who made the suggestion.

Please note, unfortunately, there is no longer any space for 11|11 meeting available and we’ve had to close the RSVP guest list. Please do continue to recognize the date that most closely resembles Corduroy with your own celebrations. Send us photos. Hail the Wale! Hail the Wale!

Michael Ames, co-author of The World Beard and Moustache Championships: The First Official Book, has written a truly fine piece in this month’s issue of The Believer about Corduroy in Lisbon, Portugal. It is called SOUVENIR Portuguese Corduroy.

“I was underdressed for Lisbon. The men wore suits. Corduroy is the fabric of choice. Portuguese corduroy comes in shades of brown. There is tan, beige, sesame, and burnt umber. The suits look toasted. Or caramelized. They seem almost perishable.”

Are there any members in Portugal who can provide us with some more information? Ames mentions the Baixa district. A Photo perhaps? We must get to Lisbon immediately. We must obtain one of the caramelized suits. We must recognize Lisbon as world treasure!

We seek to award Michael Ames for his exemplary work in the field of Corduroy journalism. We’ll find you, Michael.