READ HIS BOOK!

I had the chance to talk with Paul Lukas, founder and force behind the wildly popular Uniwatchblog.com (the obsessive study of athletics aesthetics). Paul also writes a column for ESPN.COM and has had articles published in the New York Times, GQ, The Financial Times, and ESPN the Magazine to name a few. He has also appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien a few times.

Andy: It is truly an honor to be speaking with you today, Paul. I feel we are kindred spirits because not only do we both love sports, but we are both obsessed with the same thing: SPORTS UNIFORMS! Can you recall that moment in your life when you had your Oprah “AHA” moment with the sports uniform?

Paul: Not specifically. But I was always interested in team colors, team logos, the way baseball players cuffed their pants and wore their stirrups, and so on. As a kid, I was doodling logos in my notebook and making sure my Little League uniform looked just right. So there was no single moment– just a natural tendency, I guess.

Andy: You have been described as having a minutiae fetish when it comes to sports uniforms.   Is it just sports uniforms?

Paul: It’s definitely NOT just about uniforms. I’ve always been very detail-oriented. I spent most of the 1990s writing a column called “Inconspicuous Consumption,” which was about the very small details of consumer culture. I spent most of the 1990s working on package design, industrial design, ad pitches, and so on. It was very much like Uni Watch, except it was about, like, EVERYTHING! I’m obsessed with obscure things that everyone can relate to but that most people have never thought about. Small example: You know how you can have a pack of Twinkies and you take the Twinkies off of that little white sheet of cardboard that they sit on, and some Twinkie residue always sticks on that white sheet? And then you swipe your finger across the sheet to scrape up that last bit. I *love* that—I love the ritual of it, the way it’s a small but essential part of the Twinkie experience. That’s my kind of minutiae fetishism.

Andy: You’ve written hundreds of articles.  How about a book on the thousands of readers who have sent you a treasure trove of information?   If I’ve missed it, then shame on me.  The world needs this!

Paul: A bunch of my 1990s work (including a small piece about the Twinkie finger swipe) is compiled in a book called Inconspicuous Consumption, which is easy to find on Amazon.

Andy: As you know, I’ve just started blogging for Original Retro Brand. The beauty of this is that they have hundreds and hundreds of retro logos that I can pore over, learn about, and then write about. Put yourself in my shoes for a minute. Where would you start? Retro College, the Harlem Globetrotters,  NHL, Negro League Baseball, Minor League Baseball and even retro Canadian Football.

Paul: I like the idea of Canadian football because I know exactly nothing about it. Educate me!

Andy: One of the worst days of my life is when the New York Mets added black to their uniforms (MLB logo on the back of hats was another, but I’ve gotten over that). So many teams have done this.  Why, WHY, WHY????!!!! Do the marketing reports really show it sells more? I can understand when some teams do this because BLACK is already part of the uniform scheme, but beyond that it should be outlawed in my opinion.

Paul: Black “goes with everything,” as they say, and it’s considered to be very fashionable and marketable. Many teams also think it makes them look rough and tough. It’s ridiculous, but I don’t see it going away completely anytime soon. At least some teams, like the Royals, have given up on it.

Andy: Which will happen first– Social Security dries up, or Yankees add something to mess up the home pinstripe uniform?

Paul: People forget this now, but the Yankees wore a Salvation Army patch in September of 2005, as part of the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. All the other teams wore a Red Cross batting helmet decal, but the Yankees took the added step of wearing the patch — no other team did that. The Yanks also wore Ricoh advertising (sleeve patches and helmet decals) for the first two games of the 2004 season, which were played in Japan. And for all the talk about the “purity” of the Yankees uniform, the Yanks were the first team to wear a stadium anniversary patch — they did that in the 1970s, for Yankee Stadium’s 50th anniversary. So I’d say they’ve already been going down that road for a while.

Andy: You know my favorite team growing up was the Baltimore Colts.   I actually loved the team and not just the very cool uniforms. My favorite logo of all time is probably Pat the Patriot (dude hiking ball) with the Chicago Blackhawks a close second. With all you have seen in your day, can you pick a favorite out without having to think about it?

Paul: Easy for me: I’m a Mets fan and I’ve always loved their skyline logo. I really do think it’s a very nice piece of design.

Andy: Last question:  I love Conan.  Can you tell me the best (or worst) part of being on the show?

Paul: Best part: Being asked for autographs on my way out of the building after the show. Worst part: I was too nervous before my segment to enjoy any of the food in the green room.

Andy: Thanks so much for the time today Paul.  I am going to by your book ASAP, and get a box of Twinkies before I do!

*** Click here to see interview Paul did with Andy on his blog ***