I sure hope so because Frickinawesome and myself, we don't know how to count. 1+1=$5?

Finally finally finally. The NYG Superbowl victory was sweet but now it's time to defend the title.

Score Predicition: Giants 27, Redskins 17

CRUSH THE 'SKINS!

This week, GTS sat down with the lovely and multitalented, Kristen. We talk about Tee V, her killer improv skills and the magic of unicorn bones.

GTS: Hey folks! We're back with another awesome installment of Gettin' The Skinny. Today's guest is the multitalented Kristen. What's shakin' Kristen?

Kristen: a whole bunch.

GTS: Right on. What do you do @ Threadless?

Kristen: a whole bunch. mostly i answer customer service emails. and i'm involved with threadless tee-v. oh, and i order food for all office meetings and parties. sometimes i pet the office doggies. those are my favorite times.

GTS: How many pups are running around Threadless these days?

Kristen: usually just 2-3, but i've seen up to 5 on awesome days.

GTS: Awesome! Speaking of Tee V, your Tee V appearances have been incredible so far - from haikus to modeling to stick puppet theater. What can we expect from you in future Tee V episodes?

Kristen:: thanks! well, there is a plethora of things i'm excellent at so pretty much anything could happen. we're trying to figure out way to have some sort of movement challenge. that would be a difficult week. also, expect to see some more high-concept (a la photobooth theatre) challenges in the future.

GTS: You get two brownie points for using one of my favorite words: plethora. I've done a little sleuthing and discovered that you're all up in the Chicago improv scene. Can you shed some light on your various projects/groups/troupes?

Kristen:how many brownie points do i need to collect before i can mail in for my free decoder ring? i'll try to use more brownie point words cause i really wanna read that secret message! as for improv- yup, i'm all up in it. i moved to Chicago 4 years ago to start my improv training at iO (formerly known as ImprovOlympic). i'm also a graduate of the Second City Conservatory. right now i perform longform improv at iO with my team Mike Helicopter and i'm in the improvised puppet show FELT as well. in the past i've performed with other cool teams and shows including Our Feature Presentation- which was an improvised movie. and i was the winner of the second season of the comedy talent competition Impress These Apes.

GTS: Wow, you really are all up in it. Congrats on winning Impress These Apes! That sounds like quite an accomplishment. I also saw on your site (hellokristen.com) that you went to Australia earlier this year? How was your trip?

Kristen: yes i did! and it was rad. i got to visit a bunch of friends and even teach an improv workshop. i brought a video camera with me and interviewed and tackled a bunch of people who i saw wearing threadless tees too. hopefully someday we'll edit it into a tee-v episode.

GTS: any kangaroo or wallby sightings?

Kristen: you betcha. (well, at wildlife parks.... where they're used to people) i was a big hit w/ the roos, but the wallabies wanted nothing to do with me, no matter how many food pellets i had in my hand.

GTS: Those wallabies were most likely jealous of your improv skills

Kristen: well, they're notoriously selfish scene partners.

GTS: Speedy Joe couldn't muster an answer for this next question so I'll pose it to you - what's the best part about working @ Threadless?

Kristen: hmm... tuff. well, i'll choose a very magnanimous answer and say- the people. awwww. yes, it's true. i really like the people i work with and i feel so lucky to have a job where i get to work with my friends.

GTS: Great answer. What are some of your recent favorite tees?

Kristen: oh wow! so many! well, i love mister mittens and i think vampire! is awesome. the si scott select was amazing and i thought the deer without a heart and le romantique were great.

GTS: Ditto to Vampire - Threadless is rocking the specialty inks in a big way.

Kristen: word. and i think Vampire! uses them in a really cool way.

GTS: I asked fellow bloggers to submit some questions. There was a pretty awesome response so we've got a bunch of questions to get through. Ready for the deluge?

Kristen: lets do it.

GTS: The first question comes from Phiffer: What is your favorite Chicago restaurant?

Kristen: ah! so many! i'll go with my fave pad thai- Cozy Noodle.

GTS: Funkie Fresh asked: If you had to switch bodies with anyone for a day (like in freaky friday) who would it be?

Kristen:i'll go with jon stewart.

GTS: That's an interesting choice. Here's a good one from Chipmnk: Your stereo/radio/iPod/music-listening device is broken (beyond repair) to play only one song on constant repeat. If you had to choose only one song, what song would you choose and why?

Kristen: genius of love by the tom tom club. it's a long song with several tempo changes and it usually puts me in a good mood.

GTS: littlem asked: How did you get to be so darned cute and talented? Is it a blessing or curse?

Kristen: aw wow. well, thanks littlem! don't tell, but i take cute and talented pills. they're made from the bones of unicorns. but it's worth it.

GTS: unicorn bones? they're illegal in 38 states!

Kristen: shhhhhhh

GTS: My lips are sealed. Here's one last question from BaronVonMonkey: If I ever happen to visit Chicago, would you be willing to sign my chest?

Kristen: sure. with a tattoo gun. oh, and i hope you don't mind, my signature is a realistic portrait of speedy joe.

GTS: Ouch! Kristen, it's time to play Pick One. I'll present you with two choices and you pick one. Are you ready?

Kristen: yes!

GTS: #1 - Got The Blues: Jake or Elwood?

Kristen: Jake!

GTS: #2 - Boogie Down: Footloose or Flashdance?

Kristen: Flashdance!

GTS: #3 - Color Scheming: Earthtones or Pastels?

Kristen: Earthtones!

GTS: #5 - Best Western: Ten-Gallon Hat or Boots w/Spurs?

Kristen: Boots w/ Spurs!

GTS: #6 - I Need A Remedy: Chicken Soup or Hot Tea?

Kristen: Hot Tea! (i'm a vegetarian)

GTS: #7 - Weapon of Choice: Slingshot or BB Gun?

Kristen: Slingshot!

GTS: #8 - Weekend Getaway: Camping in the Mountains or Luxury Spa Session?

Kristen: Camping in the Moutains!

GTS: #9 - Backyard Sports: Badminton or Bocce Ball?

Kristen: Badminton!

GTS: #10 - Donut Delight: Boston Creme or Glazed?

Kristen: Glazzzzzzzzed!

GTS: Glazed FTW. Two more brownie points coming your way.

Kristen: sweet!

GTS: Any parting words for the folks at home?

Kristen: follow your dreams. keep your head up. don't stop believing. dance like no one is watching.

GTS: Amen to that! Kristen, it's been awesome chatting with you but that's all the time we have for today.

Kristen: thanks mister.

I just wanted to make sure that this LBB/FA collab reads properly to most folks. Let me know what you think. Cheers!

Version 1:


Version 2:


Update: Consider it subbed!

I finally got something right :) She loves everything about this tee. Kudos on the print, James!

This week, GTS sat down with Joe Van Wetering (aka SpeedyJoe). Be sure to read through for some awesome Threadless product news!

GTS: Joe, welcome to Gettin' The Skinny. How are you doing on this fine Wednesday afternoon?

Joe: still a little tired but overall i can't complain

GTS: Out late partying with ladies, I presume?

Joe: if that means doing laundry and watching battlestar galactica,
then yes partying hard.

GTS: Oh, um, yeah. That's what I meant. Can you give the GTS readers some insight into what you do @ Threadless?

Joe: yeah sure. so after a design is chosen im the one who takes the files and make sure they are the right size, colors and whatever else for print. i also do the zooms and minizooms for the site a few graphics here and there
and ive collaborated with ross ona few inter office shirts (our softball team, ect)

GTS: how is the softball team doing?

Joe: hahah, our summer league is over and we went i think 1-6. i had a homerun so that was sweet....

GTS: 1-6? Tough break. At least you guys had sweet team tees though.

Joe: exactly! we made sure to point that out when we lost to teams that were dbags and overly competitive in a recreational league - which was all but about 2.

GTS: As they say, there's always next season. You've got four prints in the bag. What's the good word on your Select?

Joe: i was actually thinking about it last night when i was doodling a bit and realized i have no idea. my only theme i have in mind is "bad ass". we'll see how that goes.

GTS: Now last week, I pressed Festa for some top secret info on upcoming Threadless goods. He wouldn't budge but since you're the man prepping the files for print, can you shed light on any upcoming blockbuster projects?

Joe: two words: fleece vests. thats all im giving up.

GTS: WOW! You heard it hear first, folks!

Joe: next we need some blank fleece vest shots. everyone should get on that.

GTS: Definitely! Going back to your designs - what other artists, from Threadless or otherwise, inspire you?

Joe: oh man i dont even know where to start. i'm on art blogs like all day. ffffound alone has flipped my life upside down but my current favs are
jordan crane, joe ledbetter, james jarvis, little friends of print making, miss julia sonmi inspires me every once in a while, just new fresh stuff. i'm sure im leaving a lot out.

GTS: Very cool. What's the best part about working @ Threadless?

Joe: thats kind of impossible to answer so ill go with the opposite and the worst part is charlie is a bully.

GTS: Festa seems like a great guy though. Does he bully just you or everyone?

Joe: everyone, i think he takes rachels lunch money everyday.

GTS: Damn, that's cold blooded.

GTS: There have been some really awesome Threadless tees printed recently. What are some of your recent favorites?

Joe: braains is rad, how are you feeling today, swamp guitar, poppin wheelies, king of clubs, pixel shark, i can go on but my #1 sweet tee of the moment is hadrien. i dont know why i just lorve it.

GTS: Poppin' Wheelies is definitely in my regular tee rotation.

GTS: What's happening with Black Rock Collective? I've seen what appears to be zine cover teaser's on sonmi's Flickr account. Care to shed any light on that?

Joe: yeah we're finally starting to make some things happen over there. we're coming out with some actual products soon and most importantly we are going to have a booth at this years renegade craft fare in chicago which is during the meet up. so we'll have all kinds of awesome things there.

GTS: Awesome! Will BRC have stuff available for purchase on the BRC site as well?

Joe: thats def in the works, i'm not sure when but soon!

GTS: I'll keep my eyes peeled. I asked fellow bloggers to submit some questions. The first question comes from Torakamikaze: How short are the shorts you're wearing right now?

Joe: ∞ X ☯. aka im wearing pants

GTS: Here's another question from jess400: If you could be in any television show (cameo, voice, a permanent role, guest appearance) which one would it be and why?

Joe: probably john locke because hes a baaaaddd man. oh, scratch that - i'd be on lost. i would be on lost because that show blows my mind, and i would probably give in and become an other cuz im no good with outdoors

GTS: Here's one from Phiffer: What is the deal with the "crab" stuff anyways?

Joe: that dates back to somewhere around july 2007 with the party of doom which was the first official threadless chicago meetup, i tend to be a very very sarcastic person and should not be taken seriously often, well some people and i wont name names (*cough*phil,priscilla,jan,julia,steve) decided to start calling me crabby joe. so being the good sport i am i went along with it and developed that character to what we all know and love today

GTS: Good to know. For the record, you've been crab free throughout this interview.

Joe: haha thanks.

GTS: Joe, it's time for my favorite part of the interview - Pick One. I'll present you with two choices and you pick one. Are you ready?

Joe: always

GTS: #1 - Better Tee Color: Orange or Purple?

Joe: orange

GTS: #2 - Worse Halloween Treat: Box of raisins or pennies?

Joe: pennies for sure

GTS: #3 - Golden Girl Showdown: Rue McClanahan or Betty White?
betty

GTS: #4 - 80's Game Show: $10,000 Pyramid or Press Your Luck?

Joe: no wammies. press that luck

GTS: #5 - Mixed Media: Pencil or Pen?

Joe: pencil then pen

GTS: #6 - All About The Appetizers: Soup or Salad?

Joe: olive garden never ending breadsticks

GTS: mmm...those are good.

GTS: #7 - Fellow Threadless Staffer You'd Like To Slow Dance With: Ross or Shimala?

Joe: ross' dog red

GTS: #8 - Paper Pusher: Paper airplane or paper football?

Joe: football

GTS: #9 - Seasons Sippings: Hot Chocolate of Apple Cider?

Joe: hot chocolate

GTS: #10 - Get Your Game On: Arcade game or pinball?

Joe: dang thats a hard one.i guess arcade game.

GTS: Any parting thoughts for the folks at home?

Joe: do what feels right and salomé

GTS: Joe, that's it for today my good man. Thanks for chatting with GTS.

Joe: yeah no prob man. thanks for the interview!

Thanks for your feedback on this design, everyone. Evan and I have officially pulled the trigger on this collab.

One mississippi, four mississippi...no wait, that's not right...umm, where was I?

The sub:


The final design:

GTS: Alright, welcome back to another installment of Gettin' The Skinny - Intriguing Interviews with Threadless staff. Today's guest is the magical Mr. Charles Festa. How are you today Charlie?

Festa: well i am coming off a case of tonsillitis but you know me i cant complain. doing alright. feeling a lot better.

GTS: ouch, sorry to hear that! thanks for soldiering on and talking with me today.

Festa: no probski. anything for anyone that is my new life motto.

GTS: that's a mighty fine motto. if you could, please tell the GTS readers what you do @ Threadless.

Festa: well i work on tee-v, promotional and marketing side of threadless....gettin the werd to the streeets!

GTS: how long have you been working @ Threadless?

Festa: This Nov. it will be 6 years!! I am proud of that because this is the first job i have managed to go over 1 year...without getting fired or "let go" hahaha.

GTS: you're well on your way to that gold watch! what kind of jobs were you working at before you were hired @ Threadless?

Festa: Shit Jobs. no no no. I worked at a couple golf courses grounds crew, and bagstaff, an Ice Cream Factory, High Performance Auto Parts Factory, and Fed Ex..

GTS: You gotta start somewhere, right?

Festa: you got that straight

GTS: Tee V is not only a great marketing tool for Threadless but it's totally hilarious. You and Bob Nanna are kind of like the new Martin and Lewis. Describe the creation process of a typical Tee V episode.

Festa: well we brainstorm up some ideas then come up with the concept some of the acting and lines are on the fly...Craig however is the one who makes the episodes so funny his production skills keep getting better and better.

GTS: can you give GTS the low down on any new/upcoming Tee V ideas?

Festa: welllllll we have a couple new things coming up!! but i am not at liberty to talk about it......secret shit holmes

GTS: fair enough. I'll come right out and say that I miss your podcasts like Gary Coleman misses a steady paycheck. The telephone interview with Brock Davis was a great addition to that Tee V episode. Can we expect more telephonic artist interviews in future Tee V episodes?

Festa: I hope so!! Brock is Great!!!!! I am planning on starting the podcasts up again on charlesFesta.com it is taking some time though...but get ready!!!

GTS: YES! Animals With Eyepatches is definitely one of my recent favorite tees. What are some of your recent favorite (or beauts as you refer to them) tees?

Festa: Welllllll...In Us All, Foam Monster, Mister Mittens, Deer without a heart,
actually i have been impressed with some of our new shirts

GTS: cool - on a completely unrelated note, your beloved Chicago Cubs are tied for the best record in baseball. How pumped are you about their chances of making it to the World Series?

Festa: WOW!! Well I have been a cub fan for quite some time!! I have been let down before!! I am excited but not that excited...i know that sounds bad...but they just need to stay focused! pretty much if they won the world series i would shit a goat.

GTS: word. I asked fellow bloggers to submit some questions. The first question comes from Ian Leino: How long has it taken to grow your righteous man beard? Also, what sorts of things do you hide in it?

Festa: Well I just got tired of shaving it takes about 2 weeks to get full....I have put diamonds, crack, and other illegal things.

GTS: Here's a question from Phiffer: How are you and Gary the Producer doing?

Festa: well as some people know Gary and I live together...I dont see him that often..Our apartment is more like a get away from his chicago family. He spends a lot of time in St. Barts as well...When Gary is home he has a problem of turning off his producer switch...otherwise he is swell guy

GTS: you guys are like a modern day Odd Couple then?

Festa: yes

GTS: One last blogger question from Phiffer: If you had a band what would you call it?

Festa: Well that is a funny question. About 4 years ago Jake, Craig, Shondi, Jef and I were driving down to Dallas Texas for a music fest. The threadless van broke down in a rural town in Illinois. We were standing in this chevy dealer waiting for the van to get fixed when this 80 year old man asked if we were down here for the concert. we were all puzzled. the old man exlpained that there was a christian rock concert going on this weekend in our town!!He was an obsevant old man - he noticed that we were driving a church like van with a u'haul attached to the back and i finally put 2 n 2 together.the old man said so is that why you are here and i said yes that is why we are here. the old man asked what is the name of your band and my reply was Jesus Is Our Sunday Topping. he said he'd keep a look out and i said please do sir you will dig our sound and then they fixed the van and we got the hell out of there.

Festa: so if i had a band Jesus Is Our Sunday Topping would be it.

GTS: oh man, i'm crying tears of laughter over here. good band name, amazing story.

Festa: hahaha. it was a pretty funny situation.

GTS: between jake, shondi, craig, jef and yourself, who would play what instrument?

Festa: hmmmmm...jake-guitar, shondi-trumpet, jef, drums, charlie-bass, craig-triangle...we would all sing. it would probably be the greatest band in the world

GTS: Jesus Is Our Sunday Topping would rule, no question.

GTS: It's time for Pick One - I'll present you with two choices and you pick one. Are you ready?

Festa: lets do this

GTS: #1 - Select Your Opening Day QB: Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton?

Festa: orton

GTS: #2 - Rockin' Reverends: Al Green or Rev. Run ?

Festa: Green

GTS: #3 - Clash of the Christmas Classics: A Christmas Story of It's A Wonderful Life?

Festa: christmas story

GTS: YOU'LL SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT! sorry...back to the questions...
#4 - Host with the Most: Alex Trebek or Pat Sajak?

Festa: trebek

GTS: #5 - Snack Attack: Chips Ahoy or Doritos?

Festa: damn...chips ahoy

GTS: #6 - Gnarliest Beard: Walt Whitman or Karl Marx?

Festa: marx

GTS: #7 - Old School Video Game: Frogger or Pitfall?

Festa: pitfall

GTS: #8 - Law & Order: The original series, Criminal Intent or SVU?

Festa: errr never seen either. sorry.

GTS: no worries - #9 - Hoody Preference: zip-up or pullover?

Festa: wow thats a good one! zip up.

GTS:#10 - Chicago's (the band) Finest: Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? or Saturday In The Park

Festa: saturday in the park

GTS:Alright Charlie, that's all the time we have for today. Thanks for chatting with GTS and keep up the good work!

Festa: thank you!! had a great time!!!

and



then you'll love this news.

Welcome to the Gettin' The Skinny - intriguing interviews with Threadless staff. By popular deman, JeF sits down with me for the premier GTS interview.

GTS: Jef, welcome to Gettin' The Skinny. Let's jump right into things. Ok?

sknyJef: let's do it.

GTS: What do you do @ Threadless?

sknyJef: I am the Quality Control Manager, which is exactly as exciting as it sounds.

GTS: What does that entail?

sknyJef: I make sure that the correct shirts are being sent out in the orders by taking random samplings and other boring stuff like that.

GTS: I can't speak for other threadless customers, but 99% of my orders have been error free so thanks and keep up the good work!

sknyJef: sweet, that's good to hear. Now we need to work on getting that other 1%

GTS: Right on. From what I gather, you're pretty into Conquer Club. Tell the folks at home a little bit about that - what it is, how you play, etc.

sknyJef: Conquer Club is an online version of the board game Risk, the game of world domination. You basically have a map with each country having an amount of armies in it. You roll dice to attack the countries of your opponents and you win once you eliminate all of your opponets armies. The advantage of Conquer Club is that you get 24 hours to take your turn so that games may last days, but you are only playing about 10 min. per day. Threadless has it's own clan for Conquer Club called The Hell-Raising Eyeless Angels of Death and at the end of our blog you can find out what games are available to play with other threadless members.
http://www.threadless.com/profile/236/JeF/blog/239263/The_official_clubhouse_for_The_Hell_Raising_Eyeless_Angels_of_Death/page,72

GTS: That's sounds bad ass. On average, how many bloggers/staff participate in The Hell-Raising Eyeless Angels of Death?

sknyJef: There are about 20 members all together, about 10 of which are regularly active.

GTS: Is it safe to say that you kick everyones ass?

sknyJef: I'm pretty good, but I have also played about 1000 more games then everyone else.

GTS: I hope other T.H.R.E.A.D. players take that as a challenge to step up their game. You blogged in May of '05 that Piece of Meat was your favorite tee. What are some of your more recent favorites?

sknyJef: I really liked Foam Monster In Emotional Reunion With Severed Limb and I like the simplicity of Stalagmite vs Stalactite from this weeks shirts.

GTS: Agreed. Two great shirts there. Are there any Threadless artists that you follow?

sknyJef: I'd have to say that I really am digging Dick Firestorm's work. The Last F*ckin' Unicorn is amazing.

GTS: I'm sure Mr. Firestorm will be stoked with your endorsement. Seeing as how Threadless is all about community, I asked people to submit a few questions for you. The first question comes from Number One Buyer: "Ask him about that time he won the gallon challenge."

sknyJef: Well, I'm not sure about what the gallon challenge was or if I won it, but it does remind me of the time when the threadless crew had just gotten back from lunch and Harper challenged us to a Yoohoo drinking contest. The contest soon turned into chug a Yoohoo, chug a Red Bull and then shotgun a Mountain Dew. Everything was going well until someone ended up vomiting. Harper saw that person vomiting and then he began to vomit and then it caused a chain reaction and all six or seven of us started throwing up. Charlie had it on video, but Craig said it was too gross and recorded over it.

GTS: That sounds disgusting and glorious! The next question comes from Chipmnk:
"If you were a gummi bear, what color gummi bear would you be and why?"

sknyJef: I would be the clear gummi bear because that is almost like having the powers of invisibility

GTS: Solid choice. I don't know about you Jef, but I can't get enough of Insider The Actors Studio with James Lipton. In honor of Mr. Lipton's fantastic question filled finale, I've compiled my own list of questions that I'll call Pick One. I'll present you with two choices and you pick one. Are you ready?

sknyJef: I'm ready.

GTS: #1 - Select Your Superpower: Ability to fly or x-ray vision?

sknyJef: Fly, that's my number one choice in superpowers

GTS: Fair enough. #2 - Inspirational Sports Movie: Rocky or Rudy?

sknyJef: Rocky. It's the most inspiartional movie of all time.

GTS: #3 - Summertime Treat: Creamsicle or Bombpop?

sknyJef: Creamsicle

GTS: #4 - Hair Band Battle: Whitesnake or Warrant?

sknyJef: Motley Crue kicks both their asses

GTS: #5 - Cartoons of Yesteryear: Thundercats or Transformers?

sknyJef: Transformers, but not including the new movie

GTS: #6 - 80's Pop Queen: Tiffany or Debbie Gibson?

sknyJef: This one is too hard to choose.

GTS: We'll call it a tie.

GTS: #7 - Undergarments: Boxers or Briefs?

sknyJef: Boxer briefs are superior to both

GTS: I'm a boxer brief guy as well. Support + comfort = win.

GTS: #8 - Dynamic Duo: Tango and Cash or Laverne and Shirley?

sknyJef: Tango and Cash

GTS: #9 - Make The Call: Paper/Rock/Scissors or Flip A Coin

sknyJef: Paper/Rock/Scissors solves all lifes problems

GTS: Last but not least , #10 - Better Beard: Abraham Lincoln or Charles Festa

sknyJef: Better Beard Charles Festa, better hat Abe Lincoln

GTS: Well played, sir. Well played.

GTS: Well Jef, it looks like our time is up. I want to thank you for taking the time to chat with Gettin' The Skinny. And again, keep up the good work!

sknyJef: Thanks for having me.

That wraps up the premier Gettin' The Skinny interview. Stay tuned for next week when I'll sit down with the one and only, Mr. Charles Festa.