by Travis Mateer
What do you NOT see in this picture?
That’s right, after cleaning up the TRASH that was all over this part of the former Missoulian property, someone came along and removed the entire trashcan. I guess that solves THAT particular problem! They also mowed the grass. Amazing!
Since my Trash Truck was stuck at Main and Higgins due to a flat tire, I wasn’t able to defend my sovereign territory from the problem-removers, who also disappeared my metal stand with the ceramic owl and horns. Darn! Add this loss to the theft of my Trump mask last night, and I’m starting to get the feeling that not everyone is overjoyed at my presence in Zoom Town.
The Boomer I ran off yesterday DEFINITELY didn’t like my presence, since I berated him for taking pictures of my Lego art and leaving NOTHING in my donation hat. Why did I berate him? Because after taking his little picture he took an opportunity to criticize my approach to educating him about my presence and my intent, lecturing me about “knowing my audience”.
“I am aware of my audience right now, Boomer,” I replied, then asked if he was just a taker. When he surprisingly replied in the affirmative, I strongly suggested he become a walker and walk away so I could get back to making my art. After I disappeared the Boomer from my range of vision, I imprisoned him in this song about the return of the YELLOWSTONE production crew:
After writing and recording this topical tune I got to working on my Lego scene, which has been an effective attention-getter/conversation-starter for those who aren’t aware of my work in this town. For those who ARE aware, my unintended art residency at the corner of Main and Higgins has been an opportunity to stop by and provide support, like the guy who stopped by to give me a $20 dollar bill. Thank you!
Since housing is such a hot topic, and since I’m an action-oriented kinda guy, I decided there was an opportunity here to provide a new type of affordable housing. That’s right, if you can fit through the doorway, I’ll consider renting out the space BENEATH my truck for a fair price. So far I haven’t had any takers.
The housing offer resulted in mostly smiles as people walked by, since we all know the economic trajectory in this town is insane and unsustainable, but there were two VERY SPECIAL individuals who got this offer that I would like to highlight, the first being former WGM Group developer, Brent Campbell, who showed up in Helena during the 2023 legislative session in order to PROTECT Tax Increment Financing from us activists.
And the second person to receive my hilarious offer of housing was none other than the TIF Queen herself, Ellen Buchanan. Hallelujah!
Yep, when Missoula narrative controllers blame the state and the Feds for everything that’s going wrong in this town, the person and institution they are dutifully ignoring is Ellen and her stewardship of the shadow government known as the Missoula Redevelopment Agency. So it was with GREAT JOY that I spied Ellen strolling down the sidewalk and opened the tiny door to show her what one creative approach to her impact can look like.
If you’d like to meet the Trash Alchemist, like the two dudes who came calling last night to hear stories of autonomous zones and Thunderdomes, I’ll be downtown later this morning to do some open-air Lego work in the sunny aftermath of graduation weekend revelry.
While the University promoted the achievement of Lily Gladstone for UM students by having her give the commencement address on Saturday, I got the opportunity to give some advice to two separate high schoolers who saw my sign about supporting independent journalism and told me that they were thinking of going into journalism themselves. Here was my advice: DON’T DO IT!
Write, I said, but don’t waste your money and pollute your mind by formally studying journalism in college. Legacy media has been zombified and everyone knows it, which is why no one reads our local newspaper anymore. And, if you’re a persistent truth-teller in a small market like Zoom Town, like me, then be prepared to start living a Chris Farley bit.
Thankfully I have a few things that Farley’s character doesn’t, like a healthier physique, a bigger truck, and HAND PUPPETS! So, overall, I think I’m doing pretty good, all things considered.
If you would like to help out a struggling truth-teller, then consider donating to Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF). I anticipate at least one more day at my current location, so may have to pay the Parking Nazis another $18.50 on Monday for protection. We’ll see.
Thank you to everyone who engaged with my spectacle this weekend, even the person who stole my Trump mask. Clearly you needed it more than I did, so I’ll just use something else to cover the scary clown face.
Thanks for reading!
