Either Charlotte is gradually getting weirder than it was when I was a kid, or I’ve gotten weirder and now recognize its weirdness. Either way, I think Charlotte’s freak flag is flying higher than it gets credit for. I mean, just look at the personified dumpster I spotted in Plaza Midwood (photographed above).
I’ve been pondering this since Kathleen Purvis, food journalist at the Charlotte Observer, described Charlotte as button-down. And since Brad Shell, owner of The Unknown Brewing Co., talked about his belief that Charlotte needs to get weirder.
But I think Charlotte is pretty darn weird, and I love that. I pass at least one weird spectacle every day, as if Charlotte is saying, “I’m just being me. Go be you.”
My favorite displays of weirdness lately:
The knife-wielding Mona Lisa
There she is, on the exterior wall of Meat & Fish Co., facing South McDowell Street. She looks like she’s ready to hack something with her sparkling meat cleaver while catching a fish with her equally sparkling fish hook.
Trees with sweaters
Or scarves. Or however you interpret this #YarnBombCLT situation on the Charlotte Rail Trail, courtesy of local fiber artists Kia Jones, Amy Reader and Sydney Sogol. They were inspired by Charlotte’s textile history.
Caged, faux chickens
Also along the Charlotte Rail Trail. Right by Futo Buta and the Blue Line’s Bland Street stop, in case you want to take a gander. (They have a wild look about them.)
The mummy on the patio
Specifically, wedged in the corner of the back Common Market patio in Plaza Midwood. Solid use of duct tape, here. And slightly more eye-catching than the decorative bathtub on the South End patio.
The Insta-famous gnome
Have you met Francois, Amelie’s French Bakery’s social media helper? (I haven’t seen him around the social media realm as much lately…Missing you, Francois.)
The graffitied pay phone of Plaza Midwood
BRB, calling Enya. Or just sticking my head in here to read the emo poetry on the bottom ledge (which, to clarify, I rather enjoyed).
The mass distribution of images of Smokey Bear high on pot
There’s a particularly heavy concentration of these images in Plaza Midwood, but I’ve also noticed them in Dilworth in spots like the seasonal Scott Avenue/East Boulevard pumpkin patch. The street artist who creates the images, Smokey Contraband, told C5: “It was a ‘highdea.’ … Really it’s more trying to send a message to have (marijuana) legalized and decriminalized.”
The emergence of Kitten Snuggles beer on the drinking scene
Originally believed by C5 to be an April Fools joke. Since then, I have seen the bottles from The Unknown Brewing Co. at The Company Store in NoDa. Well played Brad Shell, well played.
What I love most about all of this weirdness is that there are naturally individuals behind each act of quirkiness. That there are people bold enough to make even a little, weird mark on the city, whether it makes them laugh, or makes someone else laugh, or at least prompts a second glance.
Let your weirdness show, let it shape Charlotte’s personality. Why not?
Photos: Katie Toussaint, Donato Pizzuti
This story was originally published July 1, 2016 at 1:00 AM.
