Jason Eppink is not a hipster. He doesn’t work in a bar, he isn’t currently couch surfing at a friend’s place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and his latest public art project isn’t likely to set off any marketable trends. Instead, Eppink takes the train everyday to his day job at a Queens museum (he won’t say which) and has lived for more than two years in somewhat less-hip Astoria.
But for some in the Queens blogosphere, Eppink is the prototypical hipster, making news last week for one admittedly eccentric side project — namely, dragging abandoned chairs down into the subway to give weary city straphangers a seat.
(In case you didn't catch that, "some in the Queens blogosphere" = us. Although it was NY1 who thought his chair fetish was newsworthy.)
Hey, if he dresses like a hipster, talks like a hipster and acts like a hipster, he has earned the title of hipster in my book. But the NY1 story did leave out a key piece of information, which the Chronicle clarified...
For more than a year, the Houston, Texas native has been rescuing wood, metal and plastic chairs...
And there you have it. The dude's a bonafide hipster.
31 comments:
And who foots the bill when the chairs end up on the tracks shutting down the line and damaging a train ?
Your ALWAYS going to have idiots around so why give them ammo to do damage ?
It could cost thousands of dollars when this furnature gets flung & mashed up into the electrical parts of the train.
A 2X4 alone can damage 3rd rail insulators
I cant believe this story is brought up again.He doesnt sound bright, or is really doing any art besides leaving chairs to fall on the tracks.I think wanna be artist is more appropriate.Some actual artists may be put into catagories they dont like and can form sentences.Theres a lot more important news there NY 1 guys.And damn I cant believe from the first post about this some idiot defenders of this dolt said he is making the community better and equated that with fighting gangs.
Just make the kid do community service and clean up the tracks or station and enjoy the dangers the MTA workers have to endure way too often.
Pick up trash,dont tell anyone, and be a humble less narcissistic guy.Its more groovy that way and better for the economy.
Thats pretty like sad there Chronicle paper.And your paper is bad for the ecosystem economy with your paper that I hope like is made from recycled chair paper.
When you've got no real talent to sell, you resort to cheap publicity tricks to promote whatever it is
that you think you are!
Time to enforce NYC's anti littering laws.
Give that "fartist" some community service clean up duties!
Hey Pete Vallone (anti graffiti "crusader) where are you on this one?
And hello Liz...
the "Chronicle's" chronic resident ditz !
Only navel-gazers have time to engage in the foolish endeavor of placing discarded chairs on subway platforms.
99% of the rest of society have jobs to go to in the morning, and families to be with in the evening.
This guy is clearly engaging in some sort of "Michael Moore-esque" publicity seeking charlatanism, in an effort to further his "art career".
Unfortunately, these sort of things often end badly. As other commenters said, he obviously hasn't considered the consequences of one of his chairs getting thrown on the subway tracks, being used as a weapon, or perhaps someone sitting on one of his chairs and falling off and injuring themselves. There's a reason why these chairs are in the garbage, they're either not wanted, or they're defective.
But if someone should get injured and sue the city, this "hipster" can simply plead "not guilty", and say it was the city's fault for not arresting him. And if he is arrested, even better, free publicity for this schmuck! It's a "win-win" for this dolt!
It's best we all simply ignore him, and hope he ends up in the "dustbin of history" as the Marxists like to say.
Urbercapitialist Wade quoting Marxism?
There may be hope in this world afterall.
Wade welcome to Queens. The Alice in Wonderland place where third stringers call the shots and every day is the Hatter's Tea Party.
Instead of that foolish Queen Catherine colossus that was proposed for Hunters Point....let's erect a
six story tall bronze visage of
Boss Tweed defecating on Queens!
Urbercapitialist Wade quoting Marxism?
I believe in stealing a page from the book of my enemies and using their own tactics against them.
Most of these hipsters love to use irony in their attempts at appearing hip. So, I merely borrowed the hipster playbook, and used a little irony by quoting Trotsky.
Maybe if I see this guy on the subway platform, I'll drench him with a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon (the ultimate beer for ironic hipsters)!
The young lad seems a bit off. Sort of reminds me of that sad case a few years ago--that famous naked guy in college? They had to tolerate him for quite a while; no big thing, they said. Did he not wind up killing himself? Daft, I say!
"Artist..."
Grrrrr! AAAAnnnnnggerrr! Veeeennoom!!
Grrrrrrrr!
"Hipster..."
Grrrrrrrr!! Veeeeennnoom!!! Spit! Curse!
Grrrrrrrrr!!!
I love the targets you jerks always pick. The 98-pound weakling. What big men you are!
So the guy likes to bring seating into the subway. Nobody here ever wants to sit down? The only arguments I've heard against this practice are 1) could end up on the tracks and 2) could be used as a weapon.
Well, 1) There's tons of trash on the tracks as it is. New Yorkers love to throw their trash wherever they're standing, even though there's a can just 100 feet away. and 2) The most convenient weapon is one's own fists, but you don't hear about boxing matches occurring in the subways on a daily basis. So, uh, chances are people will just sit on these chairs.
Leave the poor artiste alone.
Typical argument from a NYC asshole: Well, there's already crime, drugs, noise, overdevelopment, trash on the tracks (fill in the blank), so what's a little more?
I love the targets you jerks always pick. The 98-pound weakling. What big men you are!
That's why jerks like you are generally ignored - no one really takes your "arguments" seriously.
Stop littering Queens Crap with your inane drivel, and don't block the flow of serious debate on the internet with your bandwidth hogging stupidities.
Monsieur Nichols:
Self-righteous anger does not equal serious debate.
Debate is to discuss or deliberate opposing points, so if that is truly what you desire perhaps you might take it back notch to allow others the chance to offer their ideas.
Otherwise it's just singin' to the choir, baby. That might give you something to do but it doesn't really get you anywhere.
I believe this youth is attempting to draw attention to the MTA's campaign to remove permanent chairs in a number of stations around the city.
The MTA's reasoning may be to keep sleeping homeless from making the stations their personal living room.
Others, however, may view this as harmful to people who feel pain while idly standing in wait for the next crowded train...you know, like your grandmother.
Stop littering Queens Crap with your inane drivel, and don't block the flow of serious debate on the internet with your bandwidth hogging stupidities.
Serious debate? On this blog? Sorry, thought I was on the playground.
But you're absolutely right. Other viewpoints that respect the individual rather than pass rash judgment really don't belong here. They only serve to impede you from marginalizing yourselves in the echo chamber that is Queens Crap.
This youth has no other message ot agenda than to get publicity for himself. Chairs in the subway? Give me a break!
People who don't like what is said here are welcome not to come here.
This guy is clearly engaging in some sort of "Michael Moore-esque" publicity seeking charlatanism, in an effort to further his "art career".
Come on Wade.You know Michael Moore is doing productive investigation.Hes not Bill Oreilly slinging mud and conradicting himself.I guess you dont care about GM shipping 10,000 jobs to Mexico that Moore faught against.
But lets forget about this wanna be artist once and for all and get back to serious news.MTA make him clean it up.The trains already go great distances so stand up and quit being a attention whore.Go pick up trash and put it in recycling bins.Go help get fereal cats and kittens off the street.
AND YES the MTA spends millions of dollars with a big vaccuum subway to pull this stuff off the tracks.Most of that comes from people who shouldnt go down there in the tunnels.
A woman goes to work and leaves her kid with her brother who allows the 5 year old to play with a gun resulting in the kid shooting himself.
Michael Moore's response? Blame Dick Clark!
What excellent journalism skills.
A woman goes to work and leaves her kid with her brother who allows the 5 year old to play with a gun resulting in the kid shooting himself.
Michael Moore's response? Blame Dick Clark!
What in the hell are you talking about there old timer.Did you get hit in the head too much?Remember this:
Appearing yesterday on a conservative San Francisco radio show, Bill O’Reilly offered his first public comments since being criticized for saying he would approve of an al Qaeda terrorist attack on the California city.
So you were saying ignorant goof like Wade who brought up Moore and has no clue Moore actually cares for citizens of the country,their healthcare, and incompetance of the current administration.Its so funny to point out how some of the regulars on here arent capable of critical thought,just bitching out supposed anti american people they violently disagree with.Thats debate or conversation?Valerie Plame should have Rove put in prison for outing her. Some of you folks would just scream in person and call that a conversation.
Stay on course so we dont have to point out your ramblings.
And this is a dumb wanna be artist kid attention seeker to get back to it.We can change the world through blogging.HA hahha
"What in the hell are you talking about there old timer.Did you get hit in the head too much?"
Go rent Bowling for Columbine and you'll understand the previous statement.
Anonymous said:
"Come on Wade.You know Michael Moore is doing productive investigation.Hes not Bill Oreilly slinging mud and conradicting himself.I guess you dont care about GM shipping 10,000 jobs to Mexico that Moore faught against."
I agree. Bring back the aforesaid 10,000 jobs from Mexico and send them Michael Moore.
Hipsteria
Self-righteous anger does not equal serious debate.
Other viewpoints that respect the individual rather than pass rash judgment really don't belong here.
And who was the first person to invoke the word "jerk"? Read the thread from the start, then tell me who started the ad hominem attacks.
Come on Wade.You know Michael Moore is doing [sic] productive investigation.Hes [sic] not Bill Oreilly [sic] slinging mud and conradicting [sic] himself.I guess you dont [sic] care about GM shipping 10,000 jobs to Mexico that Moore faught [sic] against.
Moore and O'Reilly are both different sides of the same coin. Don't make the wrong assumption that just because I criticize Moore, that it implies I like O'Reilly. I don't even watch cable or broadcast television. I only watch movies from Netflix or DVDs borrowed from the NY Public Library. I also read at least a book a week, and waste an inordinate amount of time reading internet blogs. Guilty as charged!
So you were saying [sic] ignorant goof like Wade who brought up Moore [sic] and has no clue [sic] Moore actually cares for citizens of the country,their healthcare [sic], and incompetance of the current administration.Its [sic]so funny to point out how some of the regulars on here arent [sic] capable of critical thought,just bitching out [sic] supposed anti american [sic] people they violently disagree with.Thats [sic] debate or conversation?Valerie Plame should have Rove put in prison for outing her. Some of you folks would just scream in person and call that a conversation.
Stay on course so we dont [sic] have to point out your ramblings.
And this is a dumb wanna be artist kid attention seeker to get back to it. [sic] We can change the world through blogging.HA hahha
It's also quite funny to point out your obvious lack of writing skills, but you've already done that for me!
Don't give up your day job, your mindless screeds aren't going to change the world either!
It's also quite funny to point out your obvious lack of writing skills, but you've already done that for me!
Thanks laughable Wade with the way you write and way to bring up things that have nothing to do with the post.Even posts on here about somewhat positive thing get turned into rants that go off in a spiteful way.
And who was the first person to invoke the word "jerk"? Read the thread from the start, then tell me who started the ad hominem attacks.
Actually, if you read carefully I used the word "jerks," plural. So that would have been an ad homines attack. I know you pride yourself on reading a book a week, but perhaps you should slow down a little.
I jest. I'm sure you're a nice guy in person. It's sometimes too easy to get riled up in blogland, and sometimes we type things anonymously (myself included) that we wouldn't dare say if there was a realistic chance of getting punched in response. But don't feign innocence... we don't have to look very far to find evidence of Mr. Nichols calling someone a "stupid a$$ hole" or "loser," unprovoked.
Getting back to the topic, I'm curious if you have any chairs in your home. In the interest of your safety, I sure hope not.
If the "artiste" would consent to posting a few of his drawings or canvases etc. on this site we could be in a better position to judge his "capabilities".
Until then,
he's just a litterbug!
Enough said on this (yawn) subject!
I don't even watch cable or broadcast television. I only watch movies from Netflix or DVDs borrowed from the NY Public Library.
-----------
Wade, I thought you only enjoyed the IMAX experience!
Oh, BTW, for those of us taht actaully spend time in Queens, its the QUEENS BOROUGH Public Library.
Yeah...come to Flushing where the "Queens Borough Public Library"
is used as a spot for locals to park their asses on extremely hot or frigid days.
In other words a community center.
Try finding a place to sit and peruse the book you've just pulled off the shelves.
They actually have guards going around to wake up snoozing
"visitors" grabbing a quick cat nap!
Sounds like your library in Flushing could use a few of these extra seats...
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