Transcript
Conor Fowler: Hello and welcome. i am Connor Fowler. i am one of the hosts and this is Apocalypse Duds.
matt: And I'm Matty Smith, and I am the other host.
Conor Fowler: And in studio today, we have a Baltimore legend, Arve Adams, who among other things is an artist. I would say probably first and foremost, um who does like kind of esoteric work about what it's like to be alive in the country at at at this exact juncture. It's like very,
Conor Fowler: I guess it's very urgent stuff. It's very present stuff. So we've been trying to, as always with the show, we've been trying to get this lined up for some time now, and we have it here today.
Conor Fowler: So we're excited to um see what you have to say and probably to talk about sports, um but also to talk about Baltimore and other exciting things.
arvay: Oh, always.
Conor Fowler: So welcome.
matt: Yeah, yeah.
arvay: Thank you. Thank you for having guys. Yeah, long time coming.
matt: Yeah, yeah.
Conor Fowler: Hi.
matt: it I feel like none of us really understand how, like, scheduling shit as adults actually works. It's not easy to get, like, a few people on the same, you know, same page as far as, like, timing and whatnot goes.
matt: So, yeah.
arvay: Oh, exactly, especially without alcohol.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: You all right?
matt: Yeah, exactly. Especially, you know, during the, like, our our our prime time is, like, mid-afternoon and a lot of people have work or you know whatever so yeah rubes rubes
arvay: You all
Conor Fowler: Rubes, schmucks, all of these people with their daytime jobs.
arvay: right?
matt: ah
Conor Fowler: I guess the easiest way to begin would be to ask you what we ask most people, which is where are you from and where do you live now?
arvay: I'm born and raised in Baltimore, Woodlawn area, Baltimore County.
matt: hell yeah
arvay: um Left after college and, yeah, moved back in probably like 2011. And, um yeah, and now I've lived in various places throughout Baltimore City, but now I'm in Belvedere Square until I die.
matt: Hell yeah.
Conor Fowler: Nice.
matt: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: That's a nice spot.
matt: i very much I very much enjoy Baltimore. i've And I know I'm not saying it like local, but like I used to play shows there and it was always a good time. I came up to see Connor a couple years ago.
matt: it ah it reminds me a lot of Atlanta in a lot of ways. and it yeah oh yeah, definitely less traffic, man. I'm so fucking jealous that you guys don't have like you know a subway to nowhere and then just
Conor Fowler: Well, we do have a subway to nowhere for the record.
arvay: Oh, yeah.
matt: and Well, okay, yeah, yeah.
Conor Fowler: i mean, it's, it's, it only has three stops.
arvay: Literally nowhere.
matt: But... yeah Wait, really?
Conor Fowler: Yeah.
matt: i didn't...
arvay: Well, that's more than that, but it feels like you want to it's it you can use it in the city,
Conor Fowler: It's yeah. The, the Baltimore Metro.
matt: Yeah, yeah.
Conor Fowler: Yeah.
arvay: you know but
Conor Fowler: It gets you like underground, like places downtown.
arvay: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: but it's not like you could use it to commute, really. I mean, much like the light rail, it's like the light rail serves white people in the county, the white snail, as they call it.
matt: Right.
arvay: That's the first time i ever heard that. I like it.
Conor Fowler: Yeah, one of those ones where you hear it and you're like, I wish I had come up with that, because that it really is true.
arvay: Right? Yeah.
matt: Yeah. Hey, maybe maybe that's a new design, you know? Like, get get a get a sarcastic what ah white snail sticker going.
Conor Fowler: Well, I don't know. i don't know that the... So the head of the MTA just retired, I guess, or like was was asked to go or was forced out or something.
arvay: Oh, yeah.
Conor Fowler: So in the past 10 years, I think there have been 15 heads of the MTA.
matt: Jesus.
Conor Fowler: Yeah, it is. I mean, like probably even more thankless than being a public school teacher.
matt: Right.
Conor Fowler: Like...
arvay: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
Conor Fowler: the but To be the head of a department that is like only ever defunded would just be, horrible you know what I mean?
matt: Right.
Conor Fowler: You could make all the promises you want. And then like when the budget comes out, it's like, oh wait, we have negative money again.
matt: Right. Right. It is actually funded by the the state there. Right. It's not like a public private thing.
arvay: I believe it is. Yeah, it's all state, I believe, because it's like MTA, so Maryland Transit Authority.
matt: Yeah, yeah.
Conor Fowler: it's definitely, yeah.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: um
matt: Yeah, yeah. Marta is like a public-private partnership, mostly private. And it's, yeah, yeah.
Conor Fowler: Which is so, like, I mean, dude, one of the, I mean, so privatization is always bad, but, like, in that way, it's really bad.
matt: Yeah, yeah. and that's why that's why it hasn't really expanded much in like my 42 years on this planet, so. Yeah, it's it's great. It's great. If you want to go to the airport it's and you can get to the station somehow, that's about the best you can do.
matt: That's the best you can ask for.
arvay: That's what's great about the light rail here. Like if you don't want to Uber, if you know, if you got time, you can just jump on the light rail and go to BWI.
matt: Right.
arvay: I mean, and that's the way most people, I mean, well, most people that usually don't use shre but public transportation use it and Orioles games.
matt: Right.
matt: Right.
Conor Fowler: Well, people write people go from the northern suburbs down to Camden Yards down into Baltimore City and then they go home.
matt: Yeah, yeah, totally, totally.
Conor Fowler: You know, they like are there for a little bit.
arvay: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: I'm like, maybe they maybe they go to dinner, but like they mostly go home. And so they're using like city infrastructure. and they're not really contributing at all.
Conor Fowler: And that's like by design, too.
arvay: At all.
matt: Right.
arvay: Well, they kind of, I remember it like it was an uproar, like they were cool that it went to Camden Yards, but it was kind of like a thing of um the fact that it was reaching into the county, like, oh, what are they going to bring from the city?
Conor Fowler: Right. Right. No, I mean, you definitely.
matt: Right.
arvay: That's why we don't have like red line working.
matt: Wait.
Conor Fowler: Well, it's like why they don't have a metro station in Georgetown, because then poor people could go to Georgetown and that would be one of the worst things that ever happened in history.
arvay: Because it's like.
arvay: Mm hmm.
arvay: Yes. Yes.
Conor Fowler: Unspeakable. Unspeakable problem would be ah like, I don't know, I'm thinking like maybe some poor children You know, like between eight and 12, they could get there. They could like go to a store. And I just generally speaking, I think that would be horrible.
arvay: You know, it's funny did you say that because like I usually i do a lot of chain stitching in Georgetown for because, you know, it's like. In the area, the DMV, including Baltimore, most of the time, that's kind of like their chain store, like, you know, like the main store.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: So I'll do chain stitching there.
Conor Fowler: Mm-hmm.
matt: Well,
arvay: And, you know, the fact that you actually brought it up, I'm like, yes, it's all it's you have to drive into Georgetown.
Conor Fowler: Yeah.
arvay: Like and you see buses like who knows that system.
Conor Fowler: And that's like, that's like by, that's totally by design, you know, like they, um, the powers that be in Georgetown and just like, they might as well have a fucking fence.
arvay: Oh yeah. Well, they do the water.
Conor Fowler: And some of those houses do have fences, right?
arvay: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: I mean, it's a water, it's a water area. So, um,
matt: We'll get into chain stitching a little later, but but like with to do stores hire you to do like in-store events for it with it?
arvay: Yes. Um,
matt: Oh, that's awesome. I've got a couple of friends here that do that too. and it's It's always it's always like super exciting for me for them to like get recognized.
arvay: Oh, yeah. most debt look Well, for me, it's it's kind of like it's usually it always kind of feels somewhat out of place, too, because they're usually kind of like I mean, I would say J.Crew probably is the better fit, you know, because it's like it's J.Crew clothes, you know.
matt: Right, right.
matt: Right, right.
Conor Fowler: Right, right.
arvay: I've done like Cezanne, um Flannery brand, Parachute, which is like like a pillowcase and curtain sheet company. Like it's like all these companies where was like, I never i mean, I do Ann Taylor The Loft, which is like
matt: Okay.
matt: that's That's awesome.
arvay: vi Yeah.
Conor Fowler: just getting chain stitch to atl like what Who is getting chain at chain stitched at Ann Taylor Loft?
arvay: What's that again?
Conor Fowler: like what are they I guess you can chain stitch anything.
arvay: um It's like, you know, like oh cotton shirts. Like, oh, yeah. Well, just about.
Conor Fowler: um
arvay: um Chain stitch kind of needs adorable fabric because other than that, the machine would just beat it up.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: Like people always kind of like want the cheapest thing, chain stitch. So let's say, for instance, a T-shirt.
Conor Fowler: Right. Right.
arvay: That T-shirt is not going to last that long because that needle would beat that shirt up.
matt: Yeah. Yeah.
arvay: like Usually you kind of want denim, heavy cottons, like things that kind of already you can take a beating.
matt: Right.
arvay: well you know I'll change it at all if it can.
matt: Right.
arvay: like you know You put enough stabilizer behind something, it could it could work.
matt: Totally.
arvay: But I usually tend to kind of just be like, if you really like the thing, like you know it should be something durable.
Conor Fowler: Interesting.
arvay: All
Conor Fowler: Sage advice.
arvay: right.
matt: So, uh, uh, we, or I guess, Connor's known you a while. I started following you couple months ago, I think.
arvay: Late bus.
matt: you know Yeah, yeah, I definitely was on the late bus. To be fair, I don't really, like, I mean to follow people all the time and forget. And then, you know, but, ah oh, yeah, 100%.
arvay: It's all good, man. It's all good. Mental youth health. Instagram is not good for mental health. Mm
matt: um So, you know, a lot of a lot of your stuff that you do is, like, kind of sports stuff. related, adjacent, whatever.
arvay: hmm.
matt: What's your history with sports and and sports teams?
arvay: I'm just growing up as a male in Baltimore. um
matt: Okay. Yeah.
arvay: You know, you had the Orioles and I mean, I'm old enough to remember the Colts. all um
matt: Right. Right.
arvay: You know, neighborhood sports, high school sports. I was a big lacrosse guy.
matt: Yeah. Yeah.
Conor Fowler: like about the colts he' talk about the cults for a second because people like I think if they heard the tale wouldn't believe it like in the middle of leaving in the middle of the night kind of shit like right right so so so go on I mean I think people probably are unaware of this as history
arvay: Oh, yeah. I mean, I cried. Oh, yeah, and a snowstorm. Mayflower trucks. I see a Mayflower. I don't think moving. I think Baltimore Colts. all
arvay: Well, the owner, Irsay, was a drunk lunatic. um But, you know, Rich and you know would always threaten to move the team.
Conor Fowler: huh
arvay: Well, and then he said he wouldn't move the team. It depends on how drunk he was from what I remember.
Conor Fowler: Right, right.
matt: Right.
arvay: um He would threaten to move the team to say he would never move the team. And then one day he just decided to move the team without telling anybody. And they just kind of tried to sneak out. And there's a snowstorm.
matt: Right.
arvay: You had like the news stations and Owens Mills like waiting there, waiting to see, you know, like to see if they was actually going to move out during the snowstorm. sure enough, you start seeing the Mayflower trucks moving out in the snowstorm.
arvay: I mean, it was like, yeah, it was.
matt: Oh, my God.
arvay: Yeah.
matt: Yeah, and to be fair, like, I grew up loving basically all sports, and I had no idea the c Colts were originally in Baltimore.
Conor Fowler: Wow.
arvay: Oh, yeah. Because, I mean, it's been long enough where, you know, you have people.
matt: Yeah, I mean, they moved in 83, it looks like, so that was the year I was born.
arvay: Yeah.
matt: So, Right, right.
arvay: ye Yep.
Conor Fowler: Yeah. I thought it was further.
arvay: And I was a 10-year-old. And all of sudden, my genes my dreams were crushed.
Conor Fowler: i thought it was like longer.
arvay: <unk>
Conor Fowler: Well, the whole sporting infrastructure used to be up like in Waverly. Right.
arvay: Well, yeah, um you have Memorial Stadium.
Conor Fowler: Uh, more thing
arvay: So the Colts played there. Orioles played there. um We've had the CFL team play there.
Conor Fowler: And so this is like, this is like in the center of the city, basically.
arvay: The Ravens played there.
Conor Fowler: um Whereas like now it's like all downtown, it's like pretty much by the water.
arvay: Oh, yeah.
Conor Fowler: So it's, ah yeah what I'm saying is it used to be like in a neighborhood, which is like pretty awesome.
arvay: Yep.
matt: Right, right.
Conor Fowler: I mean, it's kind of in a neighborhood now, but it's like in a neighborhood with a highway.
arvay: Yes. And it's a neighborhood that kind of like wish it wasn't there, I think, in the city.
Conor Fowler: like
Conor Fowler: Exactly, exactly.
arvay: Because, you know, like it's one of those neighborhoods where they kind of like, oh, I don't know if you fit the socioeconomic demographic here. Yeah.
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: Right, right. Yeah, I am happy to hear that Camden Yards is still the Orioles stadium because I remember that opened in, what, 95?
arvay: um I would say, night no, more like 92.
matt: Okay, no yeah.
arvay: Yeah.
matt: i would For whatever reason, I was an Orioles fan. I mean, the Ripken brothers were probably the the main factor in that. but ah
Conor Fowler: they were like the They were like the baseball players.
arvay: Oh, yeah.
Conor Fowler: Because even I remember being interested in baseball when they were playing. Yeah. Yeah.
matt: Yeah, oh yeah.
Conor Fowler: um
arvay: And the funny thing is, I talk about it all the time with um a friend of mine, how we took Cal for granted.
matt: Oh, 100%. hundred for percent
arvay: You remove the Iron Man aspect of him and just look at the straight baseball numbers. Crazy.
matt: Oh, ridiculous.
arvay: it' Crazy.
matt: Ridiculous.
arvay: Yeah.
matt: Is he in the Hall of Fame yet?
arvay: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
matt: okay Okay. I was assumed. I and know enough about sports because I i'm a you know sell sports, vintage sportswear, but i just don't don't have the brain capacity to keep up these days.
arvay: Oh, yeah. I mean, it's it's a luxury, too.
Conor Fowler: He played the most games, right? He played the most consecutive games.
matt: Yeah, yeah. I know he's he's got a few records, right?
Conor Fowler: ah
Conor Fowler: Yeah, which that's wild.
arvay: um I'm pretty sure, but that's the one.
Conor Fowler: I mean, to go work go to work to go to work for 3,000 days in a row, that's pretty wild.
arvay: That's the one that's never going to be broken.
matt: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: I mean, that's like, if working can be appreciated and respected, which I guess it can, that's a lot.
matt: Yeah, no shit.
arvay: yeah
arvay: Right?
Conor Fowler: I mean, that's like Iron Man indeed.
matt: I mean, when you're getting when you're getting paid to play a game that you love, like that's pretty sick, too.
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: If I...
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: you know if i if
Conor Fowler: To make your life a plan.
matt: If I was a phenom at at some sport and they were like, hey, we're the more you come, the the better you're going to have it. I'm like, all right, cool. Let's do it.
arvay: Yeah. I mean, it's just kind of like just like shocking because like, you know, so you have in baseball, you have these nagging injuries, you know, like so like, yeah.
Conor Fowler: Uh.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: So like not only that, like, you know, it's the fact that, you know, you're that durable or have that much of a three a pain threshold and still being able to perform to the level he performed for so long.
matt: Totally.
matt: Right, right. ah So, how go ahead
Conor Fowler: so oh damn it no i was just gonna ask the same question as you i was gonna say so not everyone not everyone who likes sports gets involved with making sporting equipment right like so how did that how did that happen
arvay: Well, um the thing that got me really into sewing and chain stitching was vintage sportswear.
matt: Oh, hell yeah.
arvay: Varsity jackets, old baseball uniforms.
Conor Fowler: in
arvay: while I would say just sports uniforms, period.
matt: Yep.
arvay: You know, um the fact that they had, nowadays, it's kind of like they don't really care about the quality because they only play a game or two in them. So, you know, they're trying to make them the cheapest, know,
matt: Right, right.
arvay: way they possibly can and charges just as much as they possibly can, hence a soccer jersey. Like, yeah like you know i'll you'll spend $100 on something that's like you wash wrongs, destroy.
matt: Right, right.
Conor Fowler: yeah
arvay: um But back then, these things were durable. I mean, you're talking about like, all that like you know the fact that they last the test of time, that people actually played at them and we still can wear them as clothes.
matt: Oh, totally.
matt: Yeah, totally.
arvay: you know, um but like, i always like chain stitching, bowling shirts and all that. And I was just like, oh man, one day.
matt: Right,
arvay: And um I was with Jeremiah to help him pick up some machines from, I think it was like Howard uniform and Howard uniform was like something else prior.
Conor Fowler: Shout out Jeremiah. Right.
arvay: And I found out doing some research, the company that, They were prior to being Howard uniform used to do work for the Baltimore Colts in the Baltimore Orioles because all that stuff used to be local.
arvay: It wasn't Nike making stuff.
matt: right.
arvay: It was like whoever supplied sports uniforms making the stuff. And.
Conor Fowler: Right. Well, it's like what and I have to do this, but it's like what happens with all things in our economic system is like the lower rung stuff that was local, that was good, that was like paying people a living wage that people were able to make their careers out of.
arvay: Mm hmm.
arvay: Yes.
Conor Fowler: Are subsumed by corporations who don't even really know the people who they're making this stuff for, and so they don't really care that much.
arvay: They don't care.
Conor Fowler: It's just about doing business.
arvay: Yeah, we can outsource it.
matt: Right.
arvay: You know?
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: I mean, we talked to Jeremiah about the Under Armour situation that, you know, is apparently infamous.
arvay: Oh, yeah.
Conor Fowler: Yeah.
arvay: Yeah.
matt: And like, that's ah that's a great example of
Conor Fowler: Well, there's so much to say, like, so Jeremiah corrected me that they did actually produce some clothing in America, which whether that's technically true is kind of irrelevant because they make sportswear. So they easily could have made all of it in America, but they chose not to.
matt: Right, right.
Conor Fowler: And they could have made it here in Baltimore, a place that they put on their fucking back.
arvay: Yes.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: They could have changed industry.
Conor Fowler: And you're in a huge, huge way.
matt: Yeah,
Conor Fowler: And instead, Kevin Plank is fucking sucking Trump's dick every possible instant.
arvay: Yes.
arvay: yeah
Conor Fowler: Like,
matt: Oh my God. Yeah, yeah.
Conor Fowler: he was a very early, he was a very early Trump supporter. He was like one of the people to say, like, you know, I don't think this is that out there. Like, I think this could work.
arvay: Yeah. And I mean, it's it's also just tone deaf. um You're in a predominantly black city and I don't have this whole thing with me about um people coming from other places into Baltimore.
Conor Fowler: Yeah.
matt: you
arvay: I don't feel like to be a true Baltimore and you have to be born and raised here. I don't have that mindset. So, but when I do, when you do have a company that comes in here and they're importing people and they're importing people that don't necessarily want to And I don't want to say assimilate, but like take pride in the city they're in, I guess, more or less that.
arvay: um That's what bothers me because there's talent here. Like, why is there so many people you pull in from other places as opposed to reaching out for local talent first? You know, you have Micah here.
matt: Right.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: You have, you know, like there's plenty of people they could have pulled from to work at Under Armour as opposed to people that just kind of like are part of the Under Armour cult.
arvay: You know, like they they they they talk more about them working for Under Armour than actually being in Baltimore.
matt: Yeah. Yeah.
matt: Right. Right.
arvay: And that's that's what always rubbed me the wrong way. with Because like a lot of people, including a demographic that they don't employ, wears Under Armour stuff.
matt: Oh, totally. Totally.
arvay: You know, it's like ridiculous. How many people wear Under Armour stuff?
matt: Yeah.
arvay: Where me, like I i might have, ah I think anything I've had Under Armour was before me moving back and it was given to me.
Conor Fowler: Yeah, my aunt was there so my aunt was their general counsel.
arvay: I can't.
Conor Fowler: She like quit because she was like, fuck this. But she gave me an Under Armour hoodie for Christmas, which I was like, I was wearing hoodies at the time. it was a black hoodie.
arvay: it all black?
Conor Fowler: ah
arvay: was it all black
Conor Fowler: I put a duct tape right.
matt: two things go Two things Connor does not wear anymore, black and hoodies.
arvay: it
Conor Fowler: I put a duct tape patch over the logo on the hood and a duct tape patch over the little logo on the breast. And kids would always ask me like, why did you do that? And I would just say like, cause it's not cool.
arvay: Right.
Conor Fowler: Right. It's like, I don't, it's like, I don't fuck with this, you know, but I'm not going to throw it away.
arvay: Right.
arvay: Because, I mean, it is, I guess. Technically, when you talk about techware, they kind of got people thinking about the techware.
Conor Fowler: This was back then too, this was like probably 2010, like when that was like ascended, you know, and they really were kind of on their own in the industry.
arvay: Mm-hmm.
Conor Fowler: um
matt: Yeah, I mean, they, they ah like, to give them the smallest amount of credit, like, they brought the athleisure thing and the, like, techie, you know, sportswear thing to the front of mainstream consciousness.
arvay: And I mean, to be fair, like, you know, I think um anything to me new, just because I'm like kind of old and stuck in my ways somewhat, you know, it's like heritage brands, like even if they're like, you know, made a pact with Satan, it's still a thing of like, oh, I grew up wearing Adidas. I grew up wearing Nike. Like, you know, and I mean, even if I go back to like more obscure brands, it's still something that was like a flash in the pan back in the day. Like I'm a big Lecoq Sportif guy.
matt: Oh, yeah. 100%. London Fog.
arvay: Can't find it.
Conor Fowler: Well, like, uh, and Puma or what is the other Baltimore brand? Is it Puma? There's one other one that is a Baltimore. ah
arvay: That you mean like people in Baltimore where all the time?
Conor Fowler: no, I mean it, it's, it was from Baltimore.
matt: one five
Conor Fowler: It was, uh, Fila, Fila, Fila.
arvay: Well, wouldn't be FUMA. I feel I had offices here. Yeah, they had offices here in Hunt Valley.
matt: yeahla Yeah.
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: yeah Yeah.
Conor Fowler: Yeah.
arvay: Yeah.
matt: Also, Fog, as we know from Mad Men.
Conor Fowler: So, London Fog, Joseph Banks, Joseph Banks.
arvay: Monday fall.
matt: Yep.
arvay: Yep.
Conor Fowler: I mean, the terrible the terrible Joseph Banks, but that was a Baltimore brand too.
arvay: Oh, yeah.
matt: Well, I mean, yeah, a brand that didn't used to be terrible and then just moved into the the five suits for $100 mentality.
arvay: Yeah.
arvay: And if you ever come across some beta bullets, like, you know, the beta bullets, like, yeah.
Conor Fowler: Because I remember buying right
matt: Gotcha. Gotcha. Gotcha.
Conor Fowler: it. Right. I did buy a and this is so shameful, I did buy a khaki suit from them. in like probably 2008, maybe 2009, because Obama had just done the khaki suit thing.
Conor Fowler: And I always thought it was a cool look.
arvay: Right.
Conor Fowler: Like it's kind of military. It's like, ah I don't know.
matt: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: It's like wearing a white suit.
arvay: You gotta be confident. You gotta be able to pull it off
Conor Fowler: Exactly, right.
matt: Yeah, totally.
Conor Fowler: You don't want to stain it.
matt: Totally.
Conor Fowler: You have to be like, you know, and it was so terrible.
matt: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: Like, I don't know what it was made out of even.
arvay: off.
Conor Fowler: It was like a wetsuit.
matt: Yeah.
arvay: Ooh.
Conor Fowler: It was disgusting.
matt: it was probably like ah It was probably like a cotton poly blend, like pop one.
arvay: Right.
Conor Fowler: I think so. Yeah.
matt: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: And i can those can get really thick. I mean, they can get pretty sinister.
matt: Yeah, 100%.
Conor Fowler: Yeah.
matt: Yeah, with the this the world's strongest shoulders and the most glue ah used in the canvassing.
arvay: Oh, my goodness.
matt: or It's not even canvassing, it's fusing, but you know what I mean.
Conor Fowler: Yeah.
matt: ah Yeah, so Arve, what was the first thing you you know really felt inspired to make?
arvay: Oh, well, everything, I mean, of course, it's all, well, how can I put it? The first thing, actually, i got where I was kind of serious. I was mad. I used to manufacture skateboards.
matt: Oh, shit. Okay.
arvay: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: Ah, so we have it we have a later we have a subsequent question about that.
matt: That, that.
arvay: used to do
Conor Fowler: so go on
arvay: yeah
matt: Yeah, yeah.
arvay: So, yes, I used to manufacture your skateboards and um it was a thing of like, you know, you manufacture your skateboards you need. And this is in like. i started that in maybe 96.
matt: Oh, shit.
arvay: Well, this is a whole thing of like when Supreme was bigging up and all that kind of stuff.
matt: Okay.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: and get Long the story short, like, you know, I was actually working for Fat Farm in New York at the time as well.
matt: Oh, okay. Okay.
arvay: And. and I started manufacturing skateboards because I was like, oh, that's a good way to kind of get my art out.
matt: Wait.
arvay: And then like, you know, in a way, because I'm really into functional art, I guess you can say, things that can be used as opposed to just hanging on a wall and skateboarding.
matt: Right, right.
Conor Fowler: Yeah.
matt: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: And that was hard about the intro, right? Because it's like, it is all art, but it's like wearable. It's like functional.
arvay: Yes. And that's the way I look at it. I mean, price point, not so much, but like, yes, that's the way I look at it.
Conor Fowler: Yeah.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: And also, too, it just it gets it. And it's less of an investment. and It gets it in more people's hands and more people get to see. Exactly.
Conor Fowler: It's like a proletarian approach, you know, it's like ah it's like a blue collar kind of approach.
matt: Totally,
arvay: isn
Conor Fowler: Like everyone can have one of these art pieces, you know?
matt: totally.
arvay: exactly
matt: What was your skateboard brand called?
arvay: um It was called Attica Jailhouse um because the the whole concept was um a play on Americana because a skateboard is a very a minor american like American toy.
matt: Is it like?
matt: Okay.
matt: Yeah, right.
arvay: um But you have this stigma with skateboarding that during that time period that, you know, like no skateboarding, you know, it's against the law.
Conor Fowler: Yeah.
arvay: So I put famous American criminals on the bottom of the skateboards.
Conor Fowler: Yeah, it was bad. It was. Wow.
matt: Oh, that's so sick. That is so fucking sick.
arvay: So anywhere from gangsters to serial killers. And this is like, you know, prior to like serial killer brand, like, you know, it was like, it it was a play Americana and being like, well, if you guys were focused more on this type of crime, instead of messing with kids skateboarding, maybe you'll get something done.
matt: Mm-hmm.
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: Right.
matt: So, okay, I have to ask, and i think I think I brought this up in an episode a while back.
arvay: hmm.
matt: Do you remember then when Nike first started getting into skateboarding?
arvay: Oh yeah, the SBs and L, I remember all that.
Conor Fowler: No DSP.
matt: And also the commercials that were like, so the but basically it was like a bunch of commercials treating other sports like a crime the way that skateboarding is.
arvay: Yes. Yes.
matt: Fuck yeah, dude.
arvay: and right
matt: there I looked them up from time to time because that was just such a like such a unique and clever marketing scheme.
arvay: Yes. I mean, it's Nike.
matt: yeah I mean, yeah, yeah, I'll give him that. But like, you know, I remember watching the X Games and like the there's one particular one where like people are playing tennis and the cop comes onto the court and he's like, hey, what are you fucking do?
matt: Or, you know, whatever.
arvay: I love it.
Conor Fowler: Well,
matt: What are you doing?
arvay: I love it
matt: And like one one guy tries to climb the fence and he's like, get down from there. You know, like, i don't know.
Conor Fowler: it's like you wouldn't steal a car, right?
matt: It was just. Right, right.
arvay: it.
matt: For my for my like, you know, ah early adolescent brain, they they were so fucking funny.
arvay: Oh, yeah. They were tapped in They were tapped in.
matt: Oh yeah, they they really were. oh man.
Conor Fowler: Well, and it's like, you know, in Baltimore, we have some interesting signs. A guest, ah earlier guest, Bill Stevenson, has a collection of them.
arvay: Oh yeah, that's my peoples.
Conor Fowler: Yeah, and so no ballplay, right? I feel like that's a distinctly Baltimore sign. Like, I've never seen that elsewhere in the world. But if you go to West Baltimore, all over many streets, there are signs that say no ballplay.
Conor Fowler: Like, the ballplay is criminalized.
arvay: Oh yeah. Can you imagine telling each a kid that lives in any neighborhood that can't play ball?
matt: Wait, so is that is that for like street baseball? Right,
Conor Fowler: it's like don't around with a kickball in the street it's like stay in your house and die yeah exactly they don't want that around no ah no jump roping like this evil hula hoops you know they hate that they do hate it they hate black joy most of all
arvay: I would think anything. Yeah, I just think with any kind of child joy.
matt: right. God!
arvay: hit
arvay: Yeah, it's nuts. But to circle back, um ah my first things really were like, because so I'm making the skateboards and needed merch. And also too, I was um i finally got into like Blade Skate Shop, which was kind of like, through them, they were kind of like one of the bigger skateboard import, export things, I guess, like in the Northeast.
Conor Fowler: and Yeah.
arvay: Well, kind of wanted to have like merch for me to wear and then kind of like, you know, to give to the salespeople. So you ever heard of...
matt: Right.
arvay: um Oh, my God. gra crosby gu Crosby Sports. And they were based they were based in Madison Square Garden. So I went there because i used to do uniforms. So I got Attica Jailhouse baseball jerseys made and New Earth fitted caps made.
arvay: So like this stuff is like decked out. It's just like the same thing the pros wear and all that kind of stuff.
Conor Fowler: Right, right, right.
arvay: And it it was a thing. And like from that, I was kind of like, whoa, I kind of like kind of like this soft goods thing too. um And also too, just having that Gary Crosby stamp on something because I'm but i'm a big Knicks fan.
arvay: So like getting something made with the same place that we're making the yikes Knicks uniforms and all that. Or like, you know, all the New York sports teams at the time, I was kind of like geeked out over it. And that kind of like, you know, led to my thing of like, you know, actually starting to go deeper into vintage sportswear.
arvay: Because before then, I mean, my friends used to make fun of me of being like, oh, yeah, here comes the sports guy. Because I always loved jerseys, you know, because I always loved the color.
Conor Fowler: Yeah. you Who makes fun of a dude for liking sports?
arvay: Oh, man, they used to eat me alive.
Conor Fowler: I feel like that's like, because I get made fun of sometimes for not liking sports, right? But that's like understandable. But for you liking sports, it's a status quo.
arvay: Well, I think it's reverse.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: Because, I mean, you know, it's like the whole thing of me where I realized at one point, you know, where, you know, you got that thing where you're just kind of ignorant. You make fun of everybody for anything that's not that you think is not cool. And I will make fun of people that will probably like dressing up and they didn't have to or wearing certain things I didn't think was cool.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: Then hit me one day.
Conor Fowler: I still do that.
arvay: i was like, dude, you cosplay every day.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: You're not on the team.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: You're not like...
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: who was our guest that said all clothes or cosplay?
arvay: Mmm.
matt: it It was recently. Was it Eric? mike wall?
Conor Fowler: Maybe so. Because I thought he said that um
Conor Fowler: something similar to that, but I don't know.
matt: maybe Maybe it was Nick. I i don't know why. i thought about this like two days ago.
Conor Fowler: Because we titled it, we titled it, I thought, all Corsair Cosplay.
matt: Yeah, we should probably we should probably remember this shit.
Conor Fowler: And that's true.
matt: But, ah you know.
Conor Fowler: Well, it's true, right? I mean, they are all cosplay.
arvay: Yeah?
Conor Fowler: And to an extent, like, ah eric what Eric said is dressing is a visual pastime. And so i think I think it might have been mr Mort.
arvay: Mmm.
matt: Right. Oh, that's right. That's right.
Conor Fowler: But maybe not.
matt: Oh, it was Mr. Moore. Yeah. Yeah.
Conor Fowler: See? So I know a thing or two.
arvay: There you go.
Conor Fowler: But anyway,
Conor Fowler: The next question which you a little bit of answered is like, how would you categorize it? Because it is skateboarding. Because i I wrote this question before I knew that, that you made the skateboard. I said seemingly skateboarding, punk, sports.
Conor Fowler: So it's like kind of a unique combination of stuff. And it's also politically conscious. I mean, I guess you can't really avoid it.
arvay: Yes.
arvay: Yeah. um It's always been, i mean, how can I put it? ah When you're kind of like, when you when you grow up and you kind of come out of the shell of like, you know, your parents protecting you and all this kind of good stuff to kind of go somewhere and move in America knowing that you're moving around as a second class citizen. It's kind of hard to have anything that you make creative not reflect your worldview.
arvay: Or i wouldn't even, yes, I would say this. Yes, it is my worldview that I am a second class citizen. Not that someone necessarily treats me that way, but when you look at the world, there is a difference on how I can move as opposed to somebody that does not look like me move.
Conor Fowler: Oh, dude, for sure. I mean, I have said, like, I was drunk like every single day for 10 years and I never interacted with the police at all.
arvay: So,
arvay: mm-hmm.
Conor Fowler: Like, it just is like, I have a force field, you know, or something like I have an invisibility cloak. Like I look the way that I do. And so people are like, that guy definitely is not up to some shit, even though you never know.
matt: You were definitely up to some shit.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: yeah Right?
Conor Fowler: Exactly. Exactly.
matt: Yeah, I was actually like, this is funny because ah I go to the same gas station to get smokes every day. um And there was a sheriff in front of me in line yesterday. And but but the girl working was like, her name is Mary. She's awesome.
matt: She was like, you know, there was a time when I used to. She's also a white, small town, southern woman. But she was like, you know, there's there was a time when I used to like hate it.
matt: be so scared to talk to cops. And I was like, I'm still kind of in that vein. And i was like, I just never got caught doing shit.
arvay: Right.
matt: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Conor Fowler: Right, right, right. I mean, people will say, like, whenever I'm on my shit about cops, like, people are like, well, one day you're going to need them. It's like, I fortunately have never been in a position where I needed them. And I think even if I did ever need them, they would not show up.
arvay: Yes. Like there's been situations where I needed them. And I mean, but also I always grew up being like, The cops don't stop anybody from doing anything. They're kind of there to just like clean up afterwards.
matt: No. Yeah, you were on that shit real early.
Conor Fowler: like Like, as if I would call them anyway, you know, like, because what are they going to do?
arvay: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: Because while I'm working in the schools, one of the first schools that I worked in, the principal said, the police are banned. They terrorize my children.
arvay: Yes.
Conor Fowler: And that's what they do. I mean, that's basically their job description.
arvay: Yes.
Conor Fowler: So I don't know much to say about the police. Yeah.
arvay: Yeah, I would say I'm i'm just not a not a fan. I mean, yeah.
matt: Not a fan. Not a fan.
arvay: But, you know, it's like, you know, I mean, people people always just like, oh, well, you know, without them, you know, people would just, you know, do whatever.
matt: Right.
arvay: I'm just like, yeah, because I'm kind of like, you know, I was like, how how often do you see cops?
Conor Fowler: have happy lives.
arvay: You know, like, especially if you live in a neighborhood where they don't have to just be around.
Conor Fowler: Well, working in West Baltimore, i would see them every day, you know?
arvay: You don't see them.
arvay: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: And it's like, there one day on my birthday, there was a shooting happening in front of the elementary school and the police never showed up.
arvay: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: I saw it with my own eyes.
matt: yeah
Conor Fowler: I was, the children started screaming about a typhoon and I was like, huh? And then I looked across the street and I was like, that's like, those are like practically children and they are shooting at each other.
Conor Fowler: So we like need to go inside and the police never showed up.
arvay: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: And this is like at an elementary school that is actively in session.
arvay: Oh, that's tough.
matt: I mean, we, you know, it's it sucks, but we see that so often.
arvay: Yes.
Conor Fowler: Right. Well, it's like, had there been a mass shooting, they definitely wouldn't have gone into the building because they're fucking cowards.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: Oh, yeah.
matt: I mean, Uvalde is the prime example that comes to mind because it was so like documented.
arvay: Yeah.
arvay: Mm-hmm.
matt: But, you know, I feel like this this is the story every single time there is like a mass school shooting.
Conor Fowler: They have fucking tanks and they're still scared.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: You never see those things at those kind of things, though.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: Yeah.
matt: No, no.
Conor Fowler: Well, it's like,
matt: yeah you You see him when like Freddie Gray gets murdered and people take to the streets and, you know, then then they get the water cannons and the tanks out.
Conor Fowler: Right. Right.
arvay: Yeah.
matt: It's great. It's fantastic.
arvay: Yeah. Yeah. And mean, and like, you know, the way media is, i would say the local media is right now. And it just seems like they're, this whole narrative they're pushing where it's like, you just feel like you're going to walk over dead bodies, even in the so white L, which we know that most things really don't happen in.
arvay: Like this whole thing would, so I'm about to go off on a little tangent because, you know, like my score is in fells.
matt: Do it. Yeah, we love tangents.
arvay: So, Since this administration's taken over, i so my store traffic, I have seen a decline of almost 60% of like revenue just gone.
matt: Holy shit.
Conor Fowler: Yeah.
arvay: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: Yeah. We were just, me and Jamal were just talking about this.
arvay: Because I no longer... like The whole thing about like Fells is that during the week when I was open, like you know Mondays, you know the Monday, Tuesdays, whatever, it's a little slow, but then you know that's probably just about anywhere you go.
matt: Yeah, yeah. Those are the worst two days for retail.
arvay: but you know like when But you know, most of the time, Mondays and Tuesdays, are people returning shit.
matt: Okay, yeah.
arvay: Coming alive, so...
matt: or Also, I'll say Monday, like I know from experience with like myself and friends, like Monday is a good day for like like service industry workers because a lot of them have it off.
arvay: Mm-hmm.
matt: But other than that, it's it's always return
arvay: Yep. Yeah.
matt: the the return shift
Conor Fowler: Yeah, I mean, the restaurants are all closed.
arvay: And...
matt: Right.
arvay: Yep. But like, you know, my business usually Wednesdays will still be I can make money, but it will be a little slower. And then the rest of the week was like, you know, whatever, you know, like, OK, it was worth being open. But once this administration got in, I was just like, OK, there's no because tourists would support me non-weekends.
arvay: So just be tourists like people that are just in Baltimore, people doing day trips, people coming from wherever.
Conor Fowler: and Fells Point is like a touristy area. Like people from all of this state go to Fells Point because it's like, there's little shops there and there's like your little shop, right?
arvay: Yep. Yep.
Conor Fowler: And it's waterfront.
arvay: Exactly.
Conor Fowler: It's nice. You know, you can have a mimosa or whatever.
arvay: and you're like you And you could get, you know, like you get something to eat. And once Trump got into office, no more tourists.
Conor Fowler: Exactly. Something with crab on it.
matt: right
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: Between ICE, I see ICE drive down the street going to Holland Town, you know.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: So between ICE and then everybody that's like from whatever little cul-de-sac or county they're from being like, oh, well, something might happen to me, broad daylight near the water at this fancy restaurant.
Conor Fowler: Right. At 3 p.m. It's like I went to Towson Mall just recently.
arvay: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: and like so that one of the main stories in the media, I guess, is like how stuff is getting worse. Right. And one of the ways that it's getting worse, if we go back to the Georgetown thing for a moment, is black children.
arvay: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: And so there were some black children at the Towson Mall and they were just shopping and eating food. And there was almost no one else in the mall because people are so scared that they might have to interact a black child.
arvay: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: i you I mean, what do you where do you go from there?
matt: Yeah, she...
arvay: ah Me, you would, a child's not dictating anything that I want to do. A child's not going to end with me.
matt: Right, right.
Conor Fowler: No, no normal person.
matt: No, absolutely.
Conor Fowler: No normal person is scared of a fucking kid, but it's like the model, which is a four story structure is like crumbling.
arvay: Right.
matt: Right, right.
Conor Fowler: Apple, one of the most profitable, if not the most profitable company in history closed their, one of their most profitable stores ever because they tried to unionize, right?
arvay: Yes.
Conor Fowler: Not the black kids, but the unions equally scary boogeyman, um,
matt: Right.
arvay: e
Conor Fowler: But just like, what the fuck? You know what I mean? It's like, the mall could be fine.
arvay: It would be fine.
Conor Fowler: But it just isn't.
arvay: Yep.
matt: I mean, the fact that it's still ah occupied by businesses is wild.
arvay: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: Not very much, though. I mean, I swear, like, I'm a hyperbolic person, but like, 100 yards in any direction you can walk and not encounter an open storefront.
arvay: Yeah.
matt: Oh, wow. Okay. Yeah. that's That sounds like most...
Conor Fowler: It's like an army of kiosks basically, like a bunch of Israeli bunch of israeli kiosk monitors, like trying to thread my eyebrows.
matt: Right.
matt: Yeah. the the The mall that I used to go to as a kid in like rural Georgia ah has like you know has like a a big marquee with like the businesses in it.
matt: And like two-thirds of the businesses that advertise are restaurants.
arvay: Right.
matt: and like And I'm not talking about nice restaurants.
Conor Fowler: Wow.
matt: I'm talking about like s Sarku Japan and Chick-fil-A.
Conor Fowler: Ah, Olive Garden.
matt: like The typical mall food court bullshit.
Conor Fowler: and
arvay: held
Conor Fowler: Oh, yes.
matt: And I'm like, y'all, this this ain't going well.
Conor Fowler: Texas Roadhouse.
matt: Okay.
arvay: Yeah, I think the whole, like the the mall model. So like, ah umm but I'm about to get in trouble and pissing people off.
Conor Fowler: Uh-oh.
arvay: um I feel like Baltimore, has taken the whole market aspect and ran it with it to the point of it being detrimental to retail and shopping in the city.
matt: Okay.
arvay: um
Conor Fowler: Because you think there's too many of them?
arvay: There's too many all the time.
Conor Fowler: Yeah. Yeah, you can't hit five markets.
arvay: There's no urgency anymore.
Conor Fowler: You can't hit five markets in a weekend. and It's like...
matt: Oh yeah, I mean, that's that's how Atlanta is too. Like, you know, we have, you have these little like new developments in neighborhoods that are just like the same bullshit over and over again.
arvay: Yeah. Yeah.
matt: And they're like two miles from each other.
arvay: And most of the time would would I be in if it's something different, if it was curated a little bit better, but most of the time it's dirty.
matt: Or if it was like local, if it was local shit, but that nobody can afford
arvay: Yeah, but most of the time it's dirty.
Conor Fowler: Or like
arvay: Oh, sportswear that you can get anywhere.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: And it's too much of it. I think like these markets there need to be less of them.
Conor Fowler: or like an $80 t-shirt like an $80 t-shirt. Right.
arvay: What's that again?
Conor Fowler: or like an eighty dollars t-shirt
arvay: Yeah, and it's like, who doesn't have a 97 Orioles tee? Like, I don't have any more 97 Orioles tees because I sold them and I refuse to buy anymore because I don't want to spend the price on them.
matt: Right, right.
matt: Yeah, well, it yeah man if I ever find one, it's yours for $20.
arvay: But like,
arvay: there you go.
matt: Because that is how much a 90s t-shirt for the most part should be. $20.
arvay: And and and the most of the time they are because, I mean, those shirts aren't rare.
matt: twenty
arvay: They're not rare.
matt: Yeah, exactly. like Like, I see people trying, like, 96 Olympics stuff, because it was in Atlanta, is huge.
arvay: Mm-hmm.
matt: and And, like, they made so fucking much. Like, every almost every time I find ah ah t-shirt that's Olympics, it's something I've never seen before.
Conor Fowler: And there was white domestic terrorism at that Olympics too, which like,
arvay: Right?
matt: Right, right, right.
arvay: I think that's the thing.
matt: But...
arvay: It was such a great story.
matt: yeah Yeah, Great story. But like, I see people trying to tax on them. And I'm just like, yo, that's not a $60 t shirt, you dumb fuck.
arvay: Yeah.
arvay: Yeah.
matt: Like, right.
arvay: Like, I can get another one. Like, it better be clean with tags and, like, yeah.
matt: Yeah, 60 bucks for a dead stock one, maybe.
arvay: Yeah.
matt: But like, or or like a good champion one, because champion is always going to be more expensive. But like, yo, I'm, that's not, that's not for everybody.
arvay: Yeah, I think this the whole thing is like everybody's, you know, it's like they look at eBay prices and be like, oh, this is what it's worth. No, that's what somebody's hoping to get for it.
matt: Right. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And i've I've said it many times, but the dorks ruined this all in like 2021 and two.
arvay: yeah
matt: And I'm never going to forgive them for that because I've been doing this shit a long ass time.
arvay: Yes.
Conor Fowler: Well, if you think about it, like Dick Cheney is a dork.
arvay: Yeah. Yeah.
Conor Fowler: Like a lot of these people are dorks at their core.
arvay: It's almost
Conor Fowler: You know, it might be like Dick Cheney is an evil bastard, but like a dork at the end of the day, for sure.
matt: Yeah, totally, totally.
matt: Right, right. And and my my my ah line between nerd and dork is a simple one. Like, I'm a nerd.
arvay: almost definitely nerd. You know what I mean?
matt: I'm a fucking nerd, but but that a nerd cares and, like, wants to know, like, thirst for knowledge and, like, wants to know everything.
Conor Fowler: See, there we go. A nerd cares.
matt: Yeah, ah a dork is someone...
Conor Fowler: A nerd cares. That's great. That's great.
matt: Yeah, a dork is just someone that, like, so saw somebody else making money doing this or whatever and, like, got into it. And doesn't give a shit about the history.
arvay: Yes.
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: it Doesn't give a shit, you know. Couldn't tell you who Cal Ripken Jr. was, for example. But they're like, yeah, yeah, totally, totally.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: Yeah, and it shows. Like...
matt: Oh, yeah, sorry. I had to go. and That was my tangent.
arvay: No, it's not.
matt: Yeah.
arvay: That's good.
matt: really um
arvay: listen
Conor Fowler: no
Conor Fowler: okay. ah Well, let's talk about your hat right now. um The Baltimore doesn't like you either. I want to know the origin story. I want to know about all the people that are asking you for custom one-offs of this hat.
Conor Fowler: I want to know about the people who are ripping you off on the Chinese internet or whatever, ah which is so wild.
arvay: Oh, my God.
Conor Fowler: I mean, does that feel like you've made it? I am sure that it's just horrible.
arvay: Almost definitely. who yeah. Like, I mean, come on. Somebody's copying me? Like, gee.
matt: right right yeah
arvay: um Well, it all started because, like, you know, it's like – um It was this whole thing of being like, you know, with the whole print on demand thing where you kind of like, oh, shoot.
arvay: Like, you know, I can. Well, okay I started doing print on demand when I got um I was um able to get a license to make the wire apparel.
matt: oh shit
Conor Fowler: Okay.
arvay: And i knew that.
Conor Fowler: Yeah, i remember that.
arvay: i couldn't i couldn't I couldn't scale it. I couldn't like you know hire a screen printer and you know spend that cost and recoup that money. like I just didn't have enough reach.
matt: Right.
Conor Fowler: Mm-hmm.
arvay: And you know and people, there's i was also limited to what I could do with the wire. Because you know like you know how you see something's licensed, you're just kind of like, that's what they did?
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: like well They could have did so much stuff.
matt: Right.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: Now I realize you can't.
Conor Fowler: They wasted it
arvay: They have such a stronghold on you.
matt: Okay.
arvay: And like, they're being like, no, you can't say this. You can't use this image. You you can't make your own image. You can't, it's all this stuff you can't do. And on top of that too, they gave me, they granted me the license the same time they granted Kith the license.
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: oh
arvay: So I was really on some like, oh, I'm kind of, you know, I'm going to be the cheap version of it.
matt: Right, right.
Conor Fowler: Right, right.
arvay: it's still It still, you know, it still worked out for me because it was still wire apparel. So I sold to my tribe. you know? And I had some of the guys that were on the show buy from me as well. So like, you know, yeah, it was still a blessing.
matt: Oh, that's sick, yeah.
arvay: It was still really good. It was a, it was a learning thing, but I use print on demand for that because yeah I was like, okay, that way I can handle, I can handle this. And in that I kind of start throwing some of my own stuff in with that.
arvay: And ah Baltimore doesn't like you either. Just a plain t-shirt, you know, was thrown in the mix and, you know, people liked it because it was this thing of like, Yeah, Baltimore, like, you know, you feel Baltimore hate because you just hear it all the time.
arvay: you
matt: Right, right.
Conor Fowler: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like anybody you say you're where you're from, i don't know.
arvay: mean
arvay: Yeah, yeah.
Conor Fowler: People have learned, I guess, not to do that to me because like, I'm gonna fucking fight your head off, but like, man, just leave me alone.
arvay: Oh yeah.
Conor Fowler: Like you said in your other posts, right? Like people say Baltimore the way people say N word and it is, and I've said this long, it's because it's a majority black city.
arvay: Yes, yes.
matt: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: That's why people think it's a dirty rat place.
matt: I'm not...
matt: Another thing that Atlanta and Baltimore have in common and that I would not take ah any other option over.
arvay: Yes.
Conor Fowler: Rick. Rick.
arvay: Yeah.
matt: Like, I fucking...
arvay: Yeah.
matt: this Like, both cities rule and both cities have, like, informed so much culture.
arvay: Most definitely.
matt: it And, and they're like, trying to discount that and, like, just write it off, you know?
arvay: Yeah.
matt: Like, I'm from fucking rural Georgia. Like... people think Atlanta is like escape from New York level hell hole. And I'm just like, yo, have you ever fucking been to the city?
arvay: right
matt: And we've been to, you know, this suburb or that suburb. That's not the city.
arvay: Right.
matt: That's not the fucking city.
Conor Fowler: right
matt: And and I would wager that there's just as much fucking crime and weird shit happening in the suburbs. Probably more, probably.
arvay: There it is. Because the funny thing is, is that they're ne the areas that you have to worry about, they don't have family and friends. So it won't be in those areas anyway. And anywhere they will be going, it will be the rare occasion that something would happen. And that's just anywhere United States.
matt: Yeah, that's it.
Conor Fowler: If you're a white person buying crack somewhere, buying dope somewhere, you probably are going to get fucked up, dude.
matt: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: Like, don't come here to do that. Like, you don't have business to that here.
arvay: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: You can buy drugs in your own suburb, but don't come to Baltimore thinking you're going get cheap drugs and find out what you get.
arvay: Yeah. And also to you just putting yourself in an area where if something was to pop off, that's where it's going to pop off. You go to, it's rarely anything's going to happen to you in Fed Hill or Fells Point or Canton or Hamden or like
matt: Right, right.
arvay: And anywhere else. And they forget that, you know, we still got our, you know, your Charles Village, which, you know, like has its own, like our own police force now.
Conor Fowler: That's where I live.
arvay: Like, you know, Remington used to be like, ew.
Conor Fowler: Yep. right well It's a private police force.
arvay: He was like, oh, and now Remington, like, you know, what's going to happen to you Remington?
Conor Fowler: Yeah, dude.
arvay: Like, you know, like people equate crime with like, oh, I left my computer in my car and someone bust out my window and stole my computer.
Conor Fowler: Nothing.
Conor Fowler: Somebody's gonna fucking break my window.
matt: Right. Right.
arvay: Like to me, no, that's an annoyance.
matt: Yeah, yeah.
Conor Fowler: dude.
arvay: That's not a crime to me.
matt: Totally.
arvay: Like I've gone through.
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: that
Conor Fowler: ah Well, this this is the thing. Property crime, like, that's what the pigs are meant to do. Protect property. They're not supposed to protect people.
arvay: Yep.
Conor Fowler: They're to protect property.
arvay: Yes.
Conor Fowler: And so, like, if property is getting fucked up, like, my girlfriend's car got stolen, like, the Kia situation, but she had a Hyundai, you know?
arvay: Right.
Conor Fowler: But, like, her parents didn't give me that much shit about it, but, like, I know they were thinking about know.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: right
matt: Yeah, I also, i always want to ask, like, even people that I know that have lived in, like, the quote-unquote nicer parts of Atlanta, like, some some old neighbors of mine moved in um to a house, and, like, I think they're, like, one of the window windows in the car got smashed or something, and I'm just like, have you ever actually realized you live in a fucking city?
Conor Fowler: Like, of course they
arvay: Yes.
arvay: yes
matt: Like, it shit happens. I had a situation years ago like, My window got broken out one night. I put a garbage bag over it. And then so I came out to to an open door the next morning. And I was like, what do you think is in there?
matt: Like, there was nothing in there to to begin with. Somebody smashed it to grab some napkins out of the fucking console.
arvay: yeah oh like it it all sucks but like
matt: Like, you know, like... i Yeah, but it's just ah it's a part of of city living.
arvay: i'll put like this i don't care and enough to move to timonium you know like you can have to know them yeah
Conor Fowler: and So I want to make a point about... fuck that.
matt: Ha ha ha ha!
Conor Fowler: Fuck that. yeah i'm like Yeah, you want to go to Harris Teeter? Fine. I don't. ah So people have this other Baltimore-related slogan kind of emblazoned on their shit, you know, like on their Prius. ah Baltimore, comma, I actually like it.
matt: Of course it's a Prius.
Conor Fowler: And... I know you have thoughts about this. I'd love to hear them.
arvay: Well, you know, like, well, the whole thing was when I seen that, I mean, like I seen it, it never really, honest God truth, it never really bothered me. I got, i got the viewpoint.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: Oh, it wasn't into this, like, what's that again?
Conor Fowler: Well, the viewpoint makes sense. Viewpoint makes sense, but it's the, there's something else about it.
arvay: It wasn't until I kind of like read that article that came out a couple of months ago that I was kind of like, oh, I can see the viewpoint of why somebody people some people would have an issue with it.
arvay: And I think, like yes.
Conor Fowler: Motherfucker, I do like it. There's no actually about it.
arvay: Yes. like Why are you here if you thought you wouldn't like it?
matt: Right, right.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: like That kind of thing.
Conor Fowler: Go back to the counties.
arvay: And it's also this thing of, like you know so I mean, I guess with me, like i mean i lived in New York at a time where Fort Greene was still Fort Greene.
matt: Right, right, yeah.
arvay: you know like i was like I was living in places, when I lived in LA, I lived in a part of Hollywood, in East Hollywood, where it was kind of changing because I was there. i was part of the the gentrification, but you still had to have your head on a swivel.
arvay: You still were walking past cool places with MS-13 graffiti around.
matt: Right.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: like You still have to...
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: Yeah.
arvay: But Baltimore is like, these people do not live in these environments. Like, where you're not living in bad Baltimore.
Conor Fowler: Well, they never interact with it.
matt: Right.
arvay: Like, even before Baltimore was being so-called gentrified, you still were living in areas that were not dangerous.
Conor Fowler: so it's like
matt: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: Yeah.
arvay: So, like, to be like, Baltimore, i actually like it, or Baltimore, there's more than murder here and all that kind of good stuff.
Conor Fowler: So of course you like it.
Conor Fowler: Right. Right.
matt: Yeah, like, i get the intention, but the the execution, and like, when you think about it for 10 seconds.
arvay: It's a place.
Conor Fowler: Well, you have to be so careful with words.
matt: Right, exactly, exactly.
arvay: Yes. Yes.
Conor Fowler: Like, it's not good.
matt: Like,
Conor Fowler: Like, you gotta appreciate how on the, on the crux we are, like, of being completely fucked again. You know what I mean?
Conor Fowler: Like, so many people have put a ton of work into this city to make it what it is today. And, like, all we need is one presidential person to say, like, fuck every person in Baltimore.
arvay: Yes.
Conor Fowler: I hate that place.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: And you get all the cosigners.
matt: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: Which I kind of feel like Trump has said at some point or another, like something to that effect.
Conor Fowler: Everybody.
arvay: Oh, he most definitely did.
Conor Fowler: Well, and it's like, it's everybody gets on with the, it's like a dog pile thing.
matt: Yeah, yeah.
arvay: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: And it's so, um I don't know, Baltimore is still an underdog. And that's like what I think is so great about it.
matt: Yeah.
arvay: Yeah.
matt: Fuck yeah.
arvay: And, and you still get it even with, you know, like, you know, people that I would say kind of even more swing more to the left. Like, you know, I mean, like as I said, grew up in Woodlawn, like Baltimore County.
Conor Fowler: Right.
Conor Fowler: Mm-hmm.
arvay: And it was like a thing of, um, where people will be like, oh, you're from Baltimore to people that live in the county. They'll be like, well, I'm from Baltimore County.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: Like, that's not a mess.
Conor Fowler: Well, you have a voice. i've been i've been meaning to say you have a great voice. You have a very regional accent.
matt: Yeah, you do You do.
Conor Fowler: And so it's like, I think is so like quaint is the wrong word, but it's like precious. It's like something that should be preserved forever because it's so good about you.
arvay: Would you believe that I never thought I had one until New York? People were just like, where are you from?
matt: yeah. So.
Conor Fowler: You don't realize until you're out of that place.
matt: And I also do kind of think, because I lived in New York for a few years, like the New York and the Baltimore accent are not that dissimilar. So in my head, you have a little you have kind of like a good mixture of both of those.
matt: But I guess it's because it's like such both Central Atlantic, like regional.
Conor Fowler: Yeah, it's the Baltimore. Like, i just think it's like, because my parents are Washingtonians, as I've said many times on this show, right?
arvay: you
matt: Yeah, the Baltimore. Baltimore.
Conor Fowler: And, but they're from PG.
arvay: Right.
Conor Fowler: They're not actually from DC. They're from PG, which like, they are proud of, of course, like they went to Eleanor Roosevelt. But anyway, they say Baltimore. They say, ah Warsh, Washington, you know?
arvay: War, zinc. watch
matt: Warsh.
arvay: think
Conor Fowler: And they're,
matt: Warsh is the Southern coming out.
Conor Fowler: Well, they're highfalutin people.
matt: that's
Conor Fowler: Like, they're writers, you know what I mean?
matt: yeah
Conor Fowler: So they're like, ah pronunciation is important to them. And even yet, even yet it's like, Washington, we gotta to go down to Washington. of Washington's Redskits.
matt: Right, right. It's like Atlanta.
Conor Fowler: ah
matt: It's like Atlanta versus Atlanta.
Conor Fowler: Yeah.
matt: nana
Conor Fowler: Right, right.
arvay: Right.
matt: i
Conor Fowler: It's like smushed together, kind of slurred together.
matt: Yeah, yeah. And like I say both. because my, just the way that I talk, like it kind of, I don't know, it comes out one way or another sometimes.
Conor Fowler: Yeah, well, you have a precious voice too. I mean, you have like a nice, ah like a soft southern accent that is so like, it's just good. It's like you could put any person alive to sleep like in a nice way.
Conor Fowler: Yeah, it is.
arvay: what
matt: That's, that's good to know.
arvay: It's soothing.
matt: Cause like I, I,
Conor Fowler: yeah it is
matt: I did to Arve's point, I also lost a lot of that Southerness when I moved to New York. And, you know, like, I don't know why. i wrote i wrote a comedy bit about this like years ago, but it's like, if you tell someone you're from the South, they immediately just think that you're this like fucking douchebag hick.
arvay: Right.
matt: and And so i tried I guess I tried to put on, and i've I've also been all over the country, like had friends from everywhere. And I'm glad the Southerness creeps through a little bit more now.
arvay: Oh yeah.
Conor Fowler: Me too. I think it's so good because like how many people with Southern accents are doing ah like a talk show of this kind?
matt: Right, right.
Conor Fowler: You know what I mean? Like are talking about things in a somewhat like academic way. Like I don't think very many at all.
matt: Right,
Conor Fowler: So yeah it's representation.
arvay: Yes.
matt: right right, yeah.
arvay: Which is important. Yeah.
matt: that that's
Conor Fowler: Yeah, I think it's extremely important.
matt: The fucking trans-fem southern podcaster. I don't... That might i might be the only...
Conor Fowler: Right. it's not it's not out there.
matt: No, there there is another one. Yeah. ah Margaret Killjoy is also a podcaster, and she's from Appalachia. So I'll give her that.
Conor Fowler: Right, right. Well, that makes two, which is still not very many as far as I'm counting.
matt: yeah
arvay: yeah
matt: Man.
Conor Fowler: um
matt: So, yeah. This has been fucking awesome, dude. i'm I'm very excited that we had you on. And I've been thinking this whole time. Connor, we need to make this happen and have Arve and Jeremiah on together.
Conor Fowler: yeah
arvay: oh yeah i'm down that's my people's oh yeah
matt: Yeah, yeah. I didn't put together that y'all were friends, but now that I know this, like, fuck yeah.
Conor Fowler: war
matt: that That's such a good idea.
arvay: yeah baltimore is one degree of separation from anybody and that's why i love like when people are talking crap
matt: Yeah. Yeah, same humor, dude. I always say that Atlanta is ah the biggest small town on the planet.
arvay: Mm-hmm.
matt: Like, if you're cool and you're into cool shit, chances are you've got three degrees of separation from anybody else that you run into.
Conor Fowler: Yeah, I mean, in yeah Atlanta is definitely just way, i I think we've looked it up before, but it's like way, way, way, way way bigger.
matt: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: I mean,
matt: Oh, it is. It is. But like, you know, if you're into the arts or you're into music of varying like underground genres, you know, if you're into skateboarding, it's, it's, oh yeah, totally.
Conor Fowler: no, yeah, and I think that speaks to the that speaks to the cohesion, right? Is that like even though it's still very spread out, it's like still pretty tight.
arvay: Mm-hmm.
matt: Totally.
matt: Definitely.
arvay: Well, the funny thing about Baltimore, mean, sorry, not to mean to cut you off, but Baltimore people, especially like, you know, I would say in a creative field, like all of us know each other, all of us know about each other, but people will still try to act like they don't know you.
matt: So, no, go for it. Go for it.
matt: Right.
Conor Fowler: Yeah, yeah.
arvay: It's so funny. Like, you know, and not to say, you know, in I'll use Instagram as an example. Like, people won't follow you. People won't. But, I mean, that's not the gist of it. It's just, like, really, it's like you will meet these people over and over and over again.
arvay: And, you know, and not saying that you necessarily remember names or whatever. But, like, I feel like if you don't remember faces, you might remember names and vice versa. But you still know, like, we all know each other.
matt: Oh, totally, totally.
arvay: Yeah.
matt: Yeah.
arvay: So it's always just nuts when you go to like functions in Baltimore and it's just like people kind of just click up and kind of like stay in their own little clicks and act like they don't know the other people that's like, yeah.
Conor Fowler: yes you
matt: Right, right.
arvay: feel like once Baltimore kind of gets over it.
Conor Fowler: So i'm not I'm not alone in experiencing that because I feel like that because I've been trying to get involved with clothing for so long, you know, and it's like there's basically five people in the entire city who are doing it.
arvay: Uh-huh.
Conor Fowler: ah still is just like ah impenetrable.
arvay: Well, feel like, you know, like they feel like they have to have a stronghold and having a stronghold of anything in Baltimore. And and I say this as a person that loves the city. You're not saying much.
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: Like, you know, like, I mean, there are i mean, there is New York. There is L.A. And like we know that those places is hard to make a dent.
Conor Fowler: Yeah.
arvay: Baltimore, you know, it's like, you know, it's like you can work here.
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: Yeah, totally.
arvay: You can do your thing here.
Conor Fowler: Yeah, exactly.
arvay: And it's like, you know, trying to gatekeep or try to act like you're above or better than here. You need to leave. You know what?
matt: Yeah, 100%. hundred percent
arvay: If you think that you're a gatekeeper in Baltimore and you're doing so much better or doing something that nobody's ever doing in Baltimore, go to New York, go to l L.A., go to these places and see how it really is.
Conor Fowler: Right. Right. See how it works out for you. Yeah.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: Yeah.
matt: Yeah.
arvay: And a lot of them haven't.
matt: Yeah. I mean, a lot um ah I think a lot of it comes back to what Connor said about it's still an underdog city.
arvay: That's the thing.
arvay: Yes.
matt: And like, you know, ah the things, the cool things that exist in Atlanta now could not have been the year 15 years ago. And it's awesome that like everyone involved has kind of built a community and supports one another. And like, you know,
matt: Like I sell vintage if i if I'm, you know, somebody's looking for something that's not my vibe. Like I've got 15 people.
arvay: yes
matt: I can be like, yo, check these guys out. You know, same thing with with my friends that have like clothing shops. You know, not, you know, oh, you you want this specific thing?
matt: Go check these guys out and vice versa. Like that's how it should be. yeah Like in is in ah in a place that's not, neat well, it should be that way everywhere. But like it's not going to be that way in New York or L.A.
arvay: Yeah, but you know, like,
arvay: And I mean, Baltimore is one of those, major it's a major city. People still forget that.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: image
matt: Yeah, totally, totally.
arvay: It's one of the few major cities where you can actually like, you know, I mean, I'm not rolling in dough and, you know, said I have a store. I do my thing. I own a home. I have a car.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: I, I drink beer. I eat food.
matt: Right. Totally.
arvay: I shop like, you know, like, you know, you take me out of this environment, like certain things change.
matt: Totally.
arvay: You know, like it's it's it's like, I mean, I probably have in this city has provided me a ah lifestyle that I have not had in quite some time.
matt: Right.
Conor Fowler: that's what i That's what I try. I try not to tell anyone that because I don't want them to come here.
arvay: Don't want too many people. But you know what? This city needs another hundred something thousand people.
Conor Fowler: I know. i know.
arvay: And we need it.
Conor Fowler: i know. We need to lock.
matt: And not...
Conor Fowler: We need to freeze the rent and then get all the people to come.
arvay: Yes. Yes. Well, you know, the the funny thing about Baltimore is that it's super affordable.
Conor Fowler: Because it's like.
arvay: It's all about like if you're willing to be a pioneer or not.
matt: Right, right.
Conor Fowler: Right. Right.
arvay: Because me, I'm not that odd, like, nah.
Conor Fowler: Yeah. That's a great title too. Are you willing to be a pioneer or not?
arvay: Yeah. If you're willing to be a pioneer, which some people are. And that's, you know, like, i mean, somebody, and that's another thing too. It's like Baltimore, real quick, I'll try to make it quick.
arvay: reason you're Remington, Canton, Hamden and all those areas got gentrified first is mainly because they're hard to get to without a car.
Conor Fowler: Right, right, like Georgetown.
arvay: yeah yep And if you're white, you're cool with living next to poor white people.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: And that's why those areas, because like when I was growing up, Hamden, i mean, it was very working class, but it was nowhere you'd be like, I want to live.
Conor Fowler: No.
arvay: And I couldn't go there.
Conor Fowler: and it just It was and is a sundown town.
arvay: yes premington name o because when i first moved back i had some friends like oh we're meeting in hampton i was like what he was like oh it's different now okay
Conor Fowler: When I moved 2008 to Baltimore, there was a man who was killed with a hammer in Hamden. A black man was killed with a hammer in Hamden.
Conor Fowler: Yes.
Conor Fowler: Right.
Conor Fowler: That's what they always say.
arvay: it
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: Yeah, there's a gastropub now.
Conor Fowler: Exactly what right.
arvay: yeah
matt: Great!
Conor Fowler: Right. There's a Klan meeting and a gastropub. We've got it all.
matt: Ha ha ha ha ha!
arvay: well But you look at it now, you know, it's like, yeah, it's so it's a little bit of, you know, I mean, you still got some of the hamsters, they call there.
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: Amsters, that's fantastic.
arvay: But, you know, it's like, you know, I feel like, you know, I i would say I'm i'm glad that there's like that whole like. How
arvay: can I put it? It's very the demographics gets changed. They're like crazy. And thank God for
Conor Fowler: Well, around 2008, the New York Times wrote a story about Hamden being the next quote, the next Brooklyn.
arvay: And it was for a little bit.
Conor Fowler: And yeah, yeah, it definitely was.
arvay: Until COVID.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: Kobe killed that.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: baltimore Baltimore does not have its Brooklyn. And I don't know if it ever will.
Conor Fowler: Even though we literally do have a place called Brooklyn here.
arvay: Yes. what You know what's the funny thing is, growing up, I never knew that.
Conor Fowler: a
arvay: It wasn't until I moved back. I was like, Brooklyn?
Conor Fowler: Yeah, that makes sense, though.
arvay: Because it was all Cherry Hill to me.
Conor Fowler: I mean, so Brooklyn is like, right, Cherry Hill. And what I say is Cherry Hill is black hell. ah Brooklyn is white hell. And I worked with Cherry Hill Elementary Middle for years.
arvay: Right?
Conor Fowler: um
arvay: Yes.
Conor Fowler: And it is like, I don't know. I mean, you want to talk about segregation? You want to talk about all that stuff? Like, they took the black GIs, fresh from fighting for World War II, moved them literally as far away from the city as possible.
arvay: Yep.
Conor Fowler: Literally as far away as possible. A bridge in between them and the city.
arvay: Oh, yeah.
Conor Fowler: And they had a fucking water park. They had, like, a movie theater in the neighborhood. It was, like, a totally self-sustaining black stronghold.
arvay: oh yeah
Conor Fowler: And then the fucking crack shit happened, you know? And it's like, no one can ever catch a break.
arvay: No one can ever catch a break.
matt: Well, ah yeah, yeah.
Conor Fowler: And that's what I have to say about that. but Yeah, this was way better than I even thought it was going I thought it was going pretty good, but this was, like, awesome.
matt: Jared, this has been super informative and really...
Conor Fowler: So...
matt: Yeah, totally, totally.
arvay: I'm glad.
matt: So one last question, Arve.
arvay: I'm glad. Yes, sir.
matt: If you had to leave Baltimore, what would you take with you, either figurative or literal?
arvay: If I had to leave...
matt: This is Connor's question, A plus Connor.
arvay: Man, I mean, when I leave, but like, when I, i mean, because I mean, I've left Baltimore before. um My Baltimore pride.
arvay: um iy
Conor Fowler: Right, because you're bringing, of course, yourself, your tenacity, that kind of thing.
matt: Right, right.
arvay: Yes, but I would say it's my Baltimore pride. Like, I mean, I think the whole thing, what I, I don't know.
Conor Fowler: You're not bringing like a tin of Old Bay. I mean, like something like.
matt: Oh, shit.
arvay: um no
Conor Fowler: oh
arvay: I mean, it will always probably be a Baltimore Orioles cap or jersey, like always that.
Conor Fowler: Right. Well, do you have a have a favorite hat?
arvay: But I would say it's... most but Oh, yeah, I have a pro model 1980s Orioles cap that I had to rebuild.
matt: shit
arvay: Yeah, so I had to clean it. um I had to reconstruct the bill. I had to put a new sweatband in it. And it's um it's it's it was a newer hat that was pre-retail.
arvay: So it have been either game used or team issued, but it was just trashed.
matt: Oh, gotcha, gotcha.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: But I saved it.
Conor Fowler: Wow.
arvay: It's my favorite hat.
matt: Oh, hell yeah.
arvay: Oh, yeah.
matt: Yeah, man.
arvay: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: So you're bringing that for sure.
arvay: Yeah. But i real quick, I was just like, I was having this discussion with Bill before I came to do this. And um I was like, I'm more proud to say I'm a Baltimorean than I am to say i'm American.
matt: Hell yeah.
Conor Fowler: For sure.
matt: Absolutely.
arvay: So like, yeah. And I mean, I try not to clan up too much, but like Baltimore, and Baltimore has its issues. And i I feel like as a Baltimorean, I could shit on Baltimore all the time.
matt: Totally, totally.
arvay: But it's out of love. And I mean, I'm a Baltimorean.
matt: is that love It's out of you trying to make it better.
arvay: Yes. Because like I said, I mean, I plan on, i I always kept thinking about running away again.
matt: And...
arvay: And I was like, nah, I'm probably going to die here. Like there's no place better to be because I have them. It allows me the means to get away when I want to get away. And, and also too, it just allows me to breathe.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: And i I love the city for that.
matt: Rebelly.
arvay: Where at first I never felt like I could here.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: Yeah. Yeah.
matt: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: Right. Excellent.
matt: Hell yeah. Excellent. Great, great answer. Great answer. um Dude, one more time. Thank you so much for coming on tell people Tell people where they can find you and follow along with your various exploits.
arvay: Thanks for having me.
arvay: Cool. um Yes, you can follow me um on on Instagram um under my name, Arve Adams. um You can follow the shop at 1719 Alizana. oh Yeah, I would say that's the best way to kind of keep up with what I'm doing.
arvay: ah i'm On the personal site, what's that?
Conor Fowler: He will help you out. He will help you out with something if you ask him. I said he will help you out with something if you ask him very nicely.
arvay: Right? Not cuss me out.
Conor Fowler: Right.
arvay: Don't pretend I'm a bot.
Conor Fowler: Right. Well, exactly. And that's the whole thing. It's like you just have to fucking treat people like they are humans.
arvay: Yes.
matt: Yep. Yeah. It's not hard to not be a dick.
arvay: Yes.
matt: that's That's my...
arvay: Yes. And I'm also old.
Conor Fowler: That's what Matt, that honestly is like the whole story of the show is like Matt turning me into like a nicer person.
arvay: like I get forgiven, too.
Conor Fowler: ah It just, isn it just is.
matt: Somehow...
Conor Fowler: It's not that hard. It's not that hard to be nice to people. And I find my life is so much easier now.
arvay: it's It's default is easy.
matt: Total.
arvay: Default is being nice people so much easier.
matt: Oh, yeah.
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: 100%.
matt: Like, i'm ah I'm a fucking bitch sometimes, but, like, I don't take that out on anybody.
arvay: Yeah. Yeah.
matt: Like...
arvay: I'm not clever or fast enough to be a dick all the time.
Conor Fowler: Right.
matt: No. Hell no. Hell no.
arvay: yeah
Conor Fowler: It's exhausting.
matt: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: It's definitely exhausting. Right.
matt: Yeah, it is.
arvay: Yeah.
matt: It is. I could be a cynical fucking prick, but, you know...
arvay: Yeah. I'll save all that for Instagram.
matt: Yeah, same.
arvay: I can figure through.
matt: Same. say... but
arvay: No, no, let me edit this.
matt: and and say Yeah, yeah. Saying the word fuck a whole lot.
arvay: Right?
matt: um Anyway, ah everybody, thank you so much for listening. We are...
arvay: Thank y'all.
matt: Thank you. This has been fantastic. um We are at ApocalypseDuds on Instagram. ApocalypseDuds at gmail.com.
matt: Yeah, I think that's it.
Conor Fowler: We got an email actually, I'll say we got an email from somebody.
matt: I'm... Oh, yeah. We have gotten a couple of emails. It's been...
Conor Fowler: We got an email.
matt: it's been
Conor Fowler: It has a an advanced copy of a book in it. So we are reviewing the advanced copy of the book. We are going to do a show with the authors. ah I think it will be pretty cool.
matt: Yeah, yeah.
Conor Fowler: But we're keeping it.
matt: It's in the pipeline.
Conor Fowler: We're keeping it. We're keeping it mum for now.
matt: Yes, yes.
arvay: Oh, word.
matt: Yeah, it should be fun.
arvay: Well, congrats.
matt: For a long time, we didn't get any emails, and it was a bit...
Conor Fowler: and These people emailed us and they were like, we love the show. We just wrote this book that we think would interest you.
matt: Yeah.
Conor Fowler: And we were like, it's like you really looked at the show. They like, it's totally topical.
matt: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Conor Fowler: It's like, it's our perfect, it's our perfect partnership. So anyway.
matt: Anyway, yes. Um... But yeah, I am Matty Smith at Rebels Roads.
Conor Fowler: And I am Connor Fowler, at Connor Flower.
matt: And we will see you next week.
Conor Fowler: Signing off.
arvay: Thank you, fellas.
matt: Thanks, buddy.
