The Corduroy Appreciation Club Cordulog
An Enormous Official Announcement: Keynote Speaker for 1111 2010 Grand Meeting
We are utterly thrilled to announce that America’s Public Radio Sweetheart, Jesse Thorn, will be the keynote speaker at our 5th Annual Grand Meeting on the Date Which Most Closely Resembles Corduroy, November 11th, 2010! Among many things, Jesse is the host of one of our favorite Public Radio shows, “The Sound of Young America,” which is like a more fun and culture-orientated version of “All Things Considered. “ Jesse has also developed a wonderful web show called “Put This On,” which is about clothing and “dressing like a grown-up.” As the founder of MAXFUNCON—”an annul gathering of creative people who wish to be more awesome,” Jesse has worked with the likes of John Hodgman, Neal Pollack and Andrew WK. But, most importantly, Jesse is a bonafide Corduroy appreciator! We are certain he will bring his brand of gravitas, informed discourse, love of Corduroy and humor to our meeting. We are honored that he will be addressing our organization on the most important day of the year. More details to come including our AMAZING new location in Manhattan, purchasing tickets and special particulars for this meeting! Here is Jesse’s announcement on the Put This On blog
Alive and Wale: 1111 2010: Getting Warm
Rest assured Dear Corduroy Appreciator. In spite of months of quiet and perceived dormancy, the mighty Corduroy Appreciation Club is roaring back to life. We shall pounce upon the day which most closely resembles Corduroy with a vigor the world hath not know before! Oh, yes, dear Corduroy Appreciator, the day comes nigh. Have thy Corduroy ready! Remember, ye shall need at least two items to attend our dark, secret, and mysterious meeting on the date which most closely resembles Corduroy. Keep thy Corduroy clad ear close to the weft for more details are sure to arrive down the race. HAIL THE WALE.
11|11 Grand Meeting, 2009
Esteemed Member of The Corduroy Appreciation Club,
The Corduroy Appreciation Club shall convene on the date which most closely resembles Corduroy, November 11th, 11|11. Here are the particulars and secret location of our meeting:
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Hilarious BEST SELLING AUTHOR of I Was Told There’d Be Cake, SLOANE CROSLEY!
$11.11 (A price which resembles Corduroy). Please Purchase here at this time.
THE GARAGE at THE OLD AMERICAN CAN FACTORY
232 THIRD STREET • BROOKLYN, NY 11215 (map)
Corduroy Club Symbols will lead you through the labyrinth deep into factory.
DOORS OPEN 7 PM • MEETING COMMENCES 8:11 PM SHARP
- The Main Squeeze Accordion Orchestra
- Princeton University Scholar Deborah Kaple reading NPR 3 Minute Corduroy Fiction
- Revealing of Corduroy Club iPhone Application
- An opportunity to purchase Bonobo’s Corduroy Pants at a discounted price
- Awards for Exemplary Usage of Corduroy
- Awards for Best Dressed Presented by CORDAROUNDS
- Strange Rituals
- Six Point Craft Beer
- And…a ROUSING Barnburning SPEECH BY YOUR PRESIDENT, Miles Rohan
Please purchase your admission as soon as possible so that we may know how many people to expect and have everything in order for your arrival.
TWO CORDUROY ITEM RULE IN EFFECT
NO PHOTOGRAPHY DURING SECRET RITUALS
Download attractive invitation here.
HAIL THE WALE!
111109 Keynote Speaker Selected: Sloane Crosley
Absolutely thrilled and honored to announce that Sloan Crosley will be the keynote speaker at our 1111 Grand Meeting on Wednesday, 1111 09 Sloane is completely hilarious and the author or the NYTIMES best seller, I was Told There’d Be Cake, which has been optioned for a series on HBO! Cannot wait! More details coming very soon, because, well, the meeting is VERY soon. More info on Sloane Crosley here:
http://sloanecrosley.com/
11|11 Draws Nigh!
The Date which Most Closely Resembles Corduroy looms near! It’s 10 days from today! Are you ready? We’re not, exactly, but tremendous preparations are underway for celebration of this most important day for members of The Corduroy Appreciation Club and Corduroy lovers the world over. A Grand Meeting will occur in Brooklyn, NY. Details accumulating and an official communiqué is forthcoming. HAIL THE WALE!
Rare Video Footage of Corduroy Club President Released
The website revelinnewyork.com has released an excellent video about The Corduroy Appreciation Club featuring the reclusive and mysterious founder of the organization, Miles Rohan. Note, it would appear that The Founder is wearing a wig, of sorts, to disguise himself. What else could explain that which sprouts from his head? Lots of other wonderful interviews elsewhere on the site. Thank you Revel IN!
Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Blip.tv video.Corduroy and The Double Life is Twice as Good
It is a great honor to have an essay about the Corduroy Appreciation Club appear in Jonathan Ames’ new collection, The Double Life is Twice as Good. Obviously Jonathan’s account of his time at our 2007 meeting is the best part of the book, but everything else (that I’ve read thus far) is very good as well.
Twittering. yes, we are.
Follow the fascinating ups and downs, err…wales and races of the Corduroy Appreciation Club on Twitter. Corduroyclub is our username.
Emergency Meeting 3|11|09
In these uncertain times, Corduroy is a symbol of resilience and comfort. Due to a variety of circumstances, a meeting of The Corduroy Appreciation Club has not occurred in 13 months. Yet we remain a powerful force and voice for Corduroy and Corduroy Appreciation across the globe. Good souls continue to join our organization every day. We must keep the movement going. Ergo, let us convene on a date which resembles Corduroy, 3|11, to chart a course for a bountiful future. Here are some items to ruminate upon:
- Formation of a Board of Directors so that tasks (event planning, membership, merchandise, website maintenance) may not fall upon the Corduroy clad shoulders of one.
- Selecting of Regional Officers to support our global expansion
- Development of a charitable arm of the club
- Fundraising, sponsorships and partnerships
- Recruitment and membership drives
More details will follow in the coming weeks. Due to location of CAC HQ in New York, the meeting will likely occur there, but surely in this age of the shrinking globe we should be able to evade the constraints of obstacles like oceans, space and time.
All suggestions and ideas are welcome. HAIL THE WALE!
Yours,
Miles Rohan
Founder
Cord of the King, We Are Not
The Hindu Online, India’s National Newspaper, which I always peruse, recently published a sound dissection of the origin of a word that is among the most hotly contested in etymological circles. What word, you ask, is that?
Corduroy, the familiar durable fabric, has no known linguistic parents though it is said to be the offspring of many a word. Folk etymology has it as originating from French ‘corde du roi’ (cord of the King), but in French the term for the cloth is velours À côtes.
French lineage?
The OED assertion that an 1807 French list of manufactured fabrics included the English words ‘kings-cordes’ cast doubt on fabric’s French lineage. Since the term first appeared in American English in 1787, and ‘cord’ is used for a specific quantity of cut wood, a stack of cut wood could have led to the thick strong cotton cloth (duroy) with thin raised lines on it being called corduroy.
Corde is from Latin corda, meaning string, hence an electric cord. Duroy was a type of rough woollen cloth made in England (17-19 centuries). Therefore someone with active imagination could have called duroy that was ribbed as corduroy. Another possible explanation is that when corduroy was first made from silk, some enterprising manufacturer with a surname Corderoy (there is such a surname) named it after himself as a sales or promotion gimmick.
Neglected, of course, are thoughts on exactly where Corduroy the fabric, regardless of name, came from. I subscribe to the Fustian theory which suggests Corduroy was from ancient Egypt. But as far as the name, Corduroy, I like to think there was just somebody named Corduroy.
Corduroy is referred to as a “lesser” fabric at one point, which is unfortunate, but please read the article in it’s entirety here. If you can wade through all the garbage about velvet, there’s a good bit on satin, which seems has always reminded me of Satan, but that’s another story.
Lastly, to all you know-it-alls out there, who simply cannot resist telling me the following: “Are you aware that Corduroy was the kings cloth? Yep. It was worn by French royalty!” PLEASE. Just. Stop.
Buy a Tie, Support the Club