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Presented
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In addition to writing lyrically ABOUT the wonders of the dollar store phenomenon...
(as specifically indicated in the South Park Slope area of Brooklyn, a neighborhood much blessed with stores of this type), our composition actually makes use of genuine musical instruments purchased at a dollar store, specifically a store called Thrifty Liquidators (thus our title), instruments including, but not limited to, slide whistles and plastic recorders (the old-fashioned kind of recorder, not the kind you put tape in), likewise EACH AND EVERY ONE of the assigned objects, viz., a coffee mug purchased at the store known as Thrifty Liquidators is here filled with cheap bells likewise purchased at that address, and this is used as a makeshift tambourine on the choruses, a common bicycle bell serves as a sort of a cymbal crash in these same choruses, and, at the most cataclysmic moment of the song, a rat trap (as opposed to a mouse trap, because our mice are really big here in the City of New York--in fact, it is said that there is probably at least one rat for each of the city's eight million inhabitants) punctuates the action; you ask, therefore, how the dollar store inspires out "Dollar Storey (sic)," and I answer instead, how could anyone NOT be inspired by the dollar store, because all the blessings flow from the Dollar Store, because everywhere there are dollar stores (as noted in our composition), because dollar stores at the bottom feeders of American capitalism, and there is nothing BUT American capitalism, because American capitalism dominates the world, and if all the items, or the larger part of the items in the dollar store are manufactured in China, or, say, in Mexico, nonetheless it is the case that America's marketing prowess creates the phenomenon, and it infiltrates our consciousness, so that, it is fair to say, our every action is permeated by the possibility of the dollar store, by the possibility of transaction and surplus value, and the exploitation of foreign toy manufacturers, etc.; this entire history of woe, malfeasance, and, on the other hand, dumb transitory joy is implicit in our triumphant composition.
Thrifty Liquidators was produced for the 2007 TCF ShortDocs Challenge: Dollar Storeys.
Producer
Rick Moody is the author of five novels, three collections of stories, a memoir, and, most recently, a volume of essays On Celestial Music and Other Adventures in Listening. He also plays music in The Wingdale Community Singers, whose third album "Night, Sleep, Death" was just released by Blue Chopsticks Recordings.
Michael Hearst is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, writer, and producer. He is a founding member of the band One Ring Zero, which has released seven albums, including the acclaimed literary collaboration As Smart As We Are. As a writer, Michael's work has appeared in such journals as McSweeney's, The Lifted Brow, and Post Road. He hosts a podcast series with Rick Moody called 18:59 and is a producer for the Web site Cassette From My Ex. Hearst has appeared on such shows as NPR's Fresh Air, A+E's Breakfast With the Arts, and NBC's The Today Show.
Extra
The Dollar Storeys project invited any/everyone to produce a short audio work inspired by one of three items purchased at a dollar store:
- ceramic mug sporting feisty feminist banter
- 4-pack of wooden mousetraps
- an old-school bicycle bell
Thrifty Liquidators was inspired by all three items.
Read more about and listen to all 82 Dollar Storeys.
Hear more audio work from Michael Hearst and Rick Moody.
Check out Michael's band One Ring Zero.