Pick a theme. Make a list. Share it with us. Speedway VM Frank S, winner of this year's in-store Fight Censorship display contest, thinks Stephen Hawking and Kraftwerk should be on your next Bookmans shopping list. Oh, and The Golden Girls, too - really!
What is this HANDPICKED thing?
Frank Solano has worn many hats during his four years at Bookmans Speedway, but it's his current position as Visual Merchandising Coordinator that provided the perfect opportunity to show off his talents on a larger scale - Bookmans' annual Fight Censorship campaign. "Censoring or banning things does not make them go away," he says. "I was hoping to draw people's attention to this with my displays."
And it worked. Every year, Bookmans' VMs participate in an informal contest to create the most dynamic, all-encompassing in-store display for Fight Censorship Month in September. Frank's 2007 display for Speedway - which included row after row of "empty" wooden books lining the store's front windows - was impossible to ignore, and garnered him top honors in this year's contest. "I understand that there are some things in the world that are scary, or that may be considered bad," he says. "But censoring this information seems a much scarier prospect than the ideas themselves."
"Limiting people's access to certain information keeps the human race from evolving on an intellectual level. I doubt anyone could make the argument that life was better for those who lived in the Dark Ages than those who live in the Information Age."
As an artist, Frank knows the importance of ideas. A Cinematography/Photography major, he spends his off-time involved in projects that combine all of his artistic interests: costuming, set design, and visual artistry through film. He also writes electronic music and loves to dance, and if he's not making a movie or writing a song? "I am a logophile," he admits. "I often play word games online." And he thinks some may be surprised to know "that I do like some activities normally attributed to straight men. I enjoy watching college basketball, especially when the Wildcats are playing. I will drink any beer, no matter how cheap. I think 'The Man Show' is hilarious, and I play soccer - usually only when I'm drunk, but I am damn good at it." But don't get him wrong. "I love 'Project Runway,' 'America's Next Top Model,' and any home or wardrobe makeover show as well."
And as a Bookmans employee, he feels his opinions are valued and listened to. "I like so many things about Bookmans," says Frank. "I feel like everyone who works for [the company] is trying to make the stores as customer-friendly as possible, and that makes working here easier, and fun."
Self-portrait photos courtesy of Frank Solano.
Frank Solano's Handpicked
"Essentials"
Pink Flamingos
directed by John Waters
This movie changed my life. It pushes the limits of acceptable behavior and proves how silly society's morality can be. In other words, if it's not hurting anyone, what's the problem? Any John Waters movie will be good, especially the movies with famed actor Divine as the lead character, but even John admits that "Pink Flamingos" was both his and Divine's masterpiece. In the final scene of this movie, Divine willingly eats dog feces as it is defecated into her hand. You can tell this is real in the movie, and it's almost impossible to top that.
A Brief History of Time
by Stephen Hawking
Mr. Hawking has the ability to take the most complex ideas in science and math and put them in a way that any layman can understand. If you want to understand the ideas that are shaping our technology, scientific advancement, and the world as we know it today, start by picking up this book. You can almost always find it at Bookmans, and it's really a necessary book in order to understand the world we live in. If you like this one, pick up the sequel, "The Universe in a Nutshell." It's equally as brilliant, and equally as easy to understand.
THX 1138
directed by George Lucas
This is George's first film. It started as a project in college, and it is the reason that he made the "Star Wars" movies. You can see a lot of the inner workings of "Star Wars" in this movie. This movie has a great message about technology and the advancement of the human race. I have to warn you that this movie is very minimal and may be considered boring by most audiences, but is actually a masterpiece. Almost every line in this movie has been sampled into a song that I like. This is a fact that I didn't find out until a few years ago when I saw the film for the first time. It is a perfect example of 1970s futuristic minimalism that adds that major touch of reality that can only be found in the viewers mind when they try to connect the dots and fill in the information that isn't presented in the film. This is why old, analog special effects were far more effective than today's CG effects, at least the first time you see the movie. It's what isn't shown in these effects that makes them so personal. The viewers own mind must make up the information that is not presented on the screen. If you can find the re-mastered version of this movie it includes the original college project version of the film. It's a must-see.
The Golden Girls
Yes, I love this show. Not just because my mom and I bonded over nights of watching this as a preteen and teenager, but also because these old ladies are hilarious. There are things that an older person can say that a younger person could never get away with. The comic genius of this show lies in that fact. Really! Try watching it and pretend that the characters aren't in their sixties, you will be shocked. Recently, "The Golden Girls" has been released on DVD, and I am so glad to get reacquainted with these four ladies. You can almost always find a season or two at a Bookmans near you. The best part is that now you can watch them with commentary from the actors themselves. It's funny to hear old ladies cuss. Kraftwerk and keyboards on the next page...
or Register