The last time they lent out furniture like that was about five years ago, to a local radio station that will go unnamed. Touring musicians who popped into the station for a visit would do an acoustic set on the hipster furniture. In exchange, the station would announce they were broadcasting "live from the Nouveau studio."
Along with the shout-out, the designers would get photos of Dave Matthews, No Doubt and other acts on their furniture.
"They promised the rock stars would not eat or smoke," Whitehead said. "They ate, drank and smoked and stained and stunk up the furniture, and we made them pay for the furniture, and that was the end of the relationship," Whitehead said.
Festival organizers have promised there will be no eating or drinking in the tent, but Whitehead and Appel gave the damask loveseats and chairs a double dose of Scotchgard anyway.
"After our brief experience with VIPs, we know to double Scotch."
Everyone in the van!
Three Conaways are up for re-election next year: Circuit Court Clerk Frank Conaway Sr., City Register of Wills Mary Conaway and state Del. Frank Conaway Jr. And the family van is ready.
Frank Sr. bought a 10-year-old Chevy Astro and had pictures of the whole family plastered on a $2,700 "wrap" affixed to the outside. The montage includes City Councilwoman Belinda Conaway even though she isn't up until 2011.
The van isn't purely a mobile billboard. Frank Sr. said they'll use it as a mobile office, taking it to shopping centers and other locations where constituents gather.
"If people had a problem coming to us, we would have a vehicle to come to them," he said.
Anthony McCarthy update
Former mayoral spokesman Anthony McCarthy has a new job, as a senior fellow at Marc Steiner's Center for Emerging Media. McCarthy's WEAA radio program recently expanded to two hours, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays, and has become a production of the center.
