Wild Thing Imports first came to my attention through an ad in NUVO, an Indianpolis weekly newspaper. That ad gave me the impression that someone was trying to use my persona to promote the store--in the same way that my persona had been used to promote Doctor Detroit. At that time, I was also getting something of a similar message from some street graffiti--such as graffiti for the “Gangster’s Disciples.” According to news reports of that period, that gang was big in Chicago. After 2000, I lived in Irvington where there was less graffiti to study. I imagine that particular gang was passé by then, since all the gang members were either in jail, or had gone straight, or had been murdered by younger rivals in other gangs.
						One might describe such cultural phenomena as a “Pied Piper effect.”           Why? Well, I’ve never used drugs or, in my adult occupations, had much to do with teenagers. But some of the things that I’ve been interested in, such as space colonization, were of interest to teenagers in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s–and remain of interest to teenagers today. And since “respectable” (i.e. conformist) adults haven’t wanted to do business with me, much of my work remains in a semi-developed state.            To skeptical, curious teenagers, I therefore come across as an interesting rebel. I’m talking about things they haven’t been taught about in school. That creates the sort of situation in which Wild Thing Imports sprang into being.            While I've no desire to do the work of the police, I didn’t find it acceptable back then to have small-time quasi-criminals, who I couldn't even identify personally, try to make me one of their bunch. It was identity theft, an unusual kind of identity theft.             To fight back, I tried neighborhood journalism: I took photos of the place; I wrote a story describing the Wild Thing Imports concept; I printed copies, and distributed them in the neighborhood.  Continue
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