I like my shoes. Ok. I have more pairs of shoes than your average Futon male. I have always liked them. Maybe it goes back to the time when a clown killed my dad all the ones I liked, I wasn't allowed to have b/c my parents couldn't justify spending $99.95 on a pair of sa-weet Nike's that I was gonna wear out in a few months. (It's not like I played a lot of sports either; I'm talking dirt clod fights, cow tipping, and trying to ollie up the curb wearing out of shoes)
I quickly learned to browse the weekly Big 5 ads, looking for any semblence of 'cool' in their $19.99 sale priced shoes. What I got stuck with was Fila's. And even once a pair of, dare I say, generics. I tried desperately to make them look like the hip Nike Flight Lites, or the latest Barkley's, or Vision Street Wear's, but even I wasn't able to muster any cool mojo into these poor soles. Then, one day, everything changed.
I scored a pair of Nike's. Andre Agassi Nike's. Yes, that was neon yellow. With a teal blue sole. It was bliss. The tongue was a solid piece that fit like a sock, keeping your foot snug in place, and the tongue from sliding down to either side. (I tried to make something like this on my Fila's - actually sewing material into the tongue of my shoes to keep the tongue from falling down to one side, thus leaving me looking like a FUTON!) Those shoes last for 5 years. And if I still wore a size 8, I'd still be wearing those shoes...
Fast forward to my second year of college. I pop into the local Ross - Dress for Less. Being in college I was on the $9.99 or less for ANY type of clothing budget. (Yet I still managed to get dates...) What I ended up leaving the store with was a pair of white Puma's with a yellow stripe and a yellow sole. This was 1997. That's right. Your Futon truly, started the Puma craze. By the time Rachel was wearing them on Friends, I was already on my 4th pair. I ended my college years with about 5 pairs of Puma's, and one pair of Reefs(for those who don't know what Reefs are, move to CA). Then I got a real job.
A real job means real money. Means some new kicks. So I'm currently sporting the following:
- Nike Air Tubulance- Like wearing a cozy sock!
- Hush Puppies Remix - A new twist on an old favorite.
- Adidas Formel 1 - Saw these in Hawaii and had to have them. Took me MONTHS to find them online. Mine are black with white stripes.
- Diesel - Not even sure what these shoes are called... they're kinda on their way out in my book. Mine are green, not red.
- Nike Dunk Pro Lows - Like a flashback on the '83 Jordans.
- Assorted Pumas - I hardly wear these anymore, but I have blue, orange and yellow California's.
- Reefs - The ONLY shoe to wear in the summer.
So there you have it. Do the shoes make the Futon? No. It's all about the Futon making the shoes. So remember, if you're stuck with the cheap Futon Fila's that your folks picked up for you at Big 5 over the weekend, don't fret. As soon as you get a real job, then you can finally get the kicks that you really want!
Red Canary says,
Noah you are the cutting edge of cool. I think I use to borrow your shoes when you didn't know it. Wait I think it was your shirts... like that cheers shirt. Awww yeah. That was a nice shirt. 50-50 probably. Anyways, I hope you pass on this great shoe tradition to baby Owen. -rcp
Posted @ March 31, 2005Caleb HAGEN says,
my futon friend, i hardly know you but i like you. i realized this while i was reading your comments about the puma. you see, i think that the puma is one of the great brands of our day. their website is killer and their mo is as futon as a company can get. the only problem that i see with puma is that there was a gas station in glendora called PUMA OIL and it had the little puma guy jumping. the reason this was a problem was that it was not owned by puma. and you could tell because the puma was jumping in the wrong direction. well, needless to say, i was happy that the huge company we know as puma allowed some measly ol' gas station to use their logo and name. however, the last time i drove past said station the puma was gone. it broke my heart ... and my respect for the puma. that seemed like such a nike and microsoft thing to do. either way, i'm done with the puma. but i still think you're cool.
Posted @ March 31, 2005Shiloh says,
Okay, sharing all the shoes you own by photo and description is a bit on the hilarious side. Collecting guitars, macintosh computers, hats.. that's one thing. Shoe collections are normally not the most Futon thing to have.
At least your storytelling was engaging and I was relating to the can't get the parents to buy the kicks i want stage of growing up.
I got puma's too.. Just don't wear them as much because they are less comfy than other shoes i have.
Maybe my whole problem is that i prefer not to wear shoes.. I am a sandal man.
Posted @ March 31, 2005Noah says,
Caleb - Yeah, the Puma logo itself is like, what? half the brand. I mean, without that... what would they have? Really.
Shiloh - I only have like 3 hats. And 2 computers. Ok, I have 6 guitars, but it wasn't like I could pass those up. Besides, you know you liked trying on those Nike Turbulance's...
Posted @ March 31, 2005Savannah James says,
Hysterical. People spend years trying to find the inspiration and the voice to write with such conviction. Who knew that inspiration could come from shoes or that shoes could provide such a lasting memory and thread through life?!?!?
Perhaps you are in the wrong industry. Have you considered advertising and graphic design for shoe companies?
SJ
Posted @ April 2, 2005Noah says,
I totally forgot to list my Clarks. Those are some dag nabbit fine shoes too! Had them for like, 8 years. Good as GOLD Jerry.
Posted @ May 5, 2005