FIVE THINGS: CARS-R-COFFINS' THOMAS "HURL" EVERSON
FIVE THINGS is a weekly feature on the Banjo Brothers Blog. It’s a short interview about life and bicycles with a notable person. This week's notable person is cyclist Thomas "Hurl" Everson.
Now an elder statesmen among cyclists in Minneapolis, Hurl is known worldwide for his iconic Cars-R-Coffins brand, represented by a simple line drawing of a four-wheeled coffin. Birthed by a ‘Zine, the sentiment behind the brand still resonates with cyclists and not just out of nostalgia. A carefully curated set of goods still exist bearing the mark and are as much a form of artistic expression as a means of paying the bills.
Everson also still fully embraces life on two wheels, riding for transportation, fitness, and fun. The Banjo Brothers’ relationship with Mr. Everson pre-date his role as proprietor of the CRC Cykel Garage and Coffee Bar which was perhaps a golden age of cycling culture in the Twin Cities. He helped with the design of our first messenger bag, making sure the bag’s two large pockets would fit 40 ouncers. He’s lent his writing talents to help tell the story of Banjo Eric and has been a steady supporter of our mission, helping the Banjo Brothers achieve a certain level of credibility when we entered the bicycle bag market.
We hope you enjoy this week's Banjo Brothers Five Things.
BANJO BROS: WHAT ARE YOU RIDING?
HE: Great Scott, in the past three weeks I’ve purchased not one, but four, count ‘em, four used bikes in my quest to replace my beloved winter beater, –the Rusty Trombone, an old Raleigh one speed road bike with fenders, that was nicked from my backyard last spring. But if you really must know, there’s this Team Motorola Eddy Merckx that I’m 98% finished with that is quite the looker.
BANJO BROS: WHERE ARE YOU RIDING?
HE: Back and forth to work, mostly, though I’m fortunate to work right off the Greenway so it’s nothing too arduous. I live on a bike blvd now so I like seeing the constant stream of cyclers on my block. Near future (5 year plan) I hope to ride through Norway and Scandinavia.
BANJO BROS: WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO, READING OR WATCHING?
HE: I’m a big fan of live music so I try to keep my eye’s on the local calendars for interesting shows in the Entry or the Turf Club, especially now that it’s Rocktober. Bands I’ve recently seen: King Buffalo, Cro-Mags, Peelander-Z (zany Japanese punk band-look them up), and very much looking forward to the MC-50: Wayne Kramer and an all-star cast playing a series of shows commemorating the 50th anniversary of MC5’s Kick Out The Jams, 23 Rocktober at the Varsity Theater. But in all honesty, I mostly listen to 50’s and 60’s jazz records, Tommy Flanagan, Booker Ervin, Lee Morgan, Dexter Gordon,Ted Curson, and of course Coltrane. Never enough Coltrane.
Great Scott, in the past three weeks I’ve purchased not one, but four, count ‘em, four used bikes in my quest to replace my beloved winter beater, –the Rusty Trombone, an old Raleigh one speed road bike with fenders, that was nicked from my backyard last spring.
BANJO BROS: WHAT ARE YOU COOKING EATING/DRINKING?
HE: Black coffee, every morning. Also whole milk yogurt and banana smoothies, w/blueberries, chocolate almond milk, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and turmeric. And the Super Greens salad w/salmon from Pizza Luce. Any red wine you might have on hand, I will drink. But it’s rapidly transitioning into Manhattan season.
BANJO BROS: WHAT'S STUCK IN YOUR CRAW?
HE: Oh, sh-t. When I was a younger man, I had the (delusional?) belief that in my lifetime, in the long run, common sense would ultimately rule the day, that democracy, equal rights, and a general DECENCY and respect for ALL people would be a reality. Well clearly, that is not the case. Look, I turned 50 this year, so call it ‘wisdom’ or maybe I’m just a geezer, but I really do try to be kind to everyone I meet. Yet with Trumplestiltskin and his cabal of fucking sleestaks in Washington and beyond, they’re sanctimonious racist, misogynistic pieces of sh-t, the lot of ‘em. Mitch McConnell, Lindsay Graham, I would just love to throat-punch some of those fu--ers. And I do have a bit of a pessimistic view that ultimately, mankind is f--ed. We’ve left a rotting husk of civilization for our children and our children’s children. And that’s a drag. How do we rebound from all of the environmental garbage, climate-change, and man-made devastation that has already gone on for far too long? Is that dour enough for you? Jesus, listen to me; I must be fun at parties… Ok, let’s change the topic. VOTE IN NOVEMBER, PEOPLE!
MORE ABOUT THE FIVE THINGS INTERVIEWS FROM BANJO BROTHERS
A big Banjo Brothers thank you to Hurl for participating in this week's edition of Five Things. These short interviews about life and bicycles will appear every Friday on the Banjo Brothers Blog. If you liked this FIVE THINGS from Banjo Brothers you should check our full series of past five things interviews.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE INTERVIEWED FOR FIVE THINGS?
Use the contact form on our website to send us a note. See you next Friday. Also, since you're here, we do need to mention, Banjo Brothers make a whole line of tough, practical and affordable gear for cyclists. Thanks for reading.