What's on Brian Hucek's Desk at Planet Propaganda

On a good day, I might describe my workspace as "rummage sale chic." On a bad one, a flea market from hell. 

The words, ideas and occasional train wrecks emanating from this desk follow a similar pattern. 

This isn't Dwell magazine, and there's no grand master strategic decoration scheme. Just stuff that I like. 

I've got zero interest in prolonged exposure to stuff that I can't stand. Especially when given the rope to avoid it. Fortunately, between the people, supply cabinets, pant pockets, Craigslists and odd miscellanies in my life, there's a lot of smile-inducing ephemera. I hope that by surrounding myself with strange stuff and good juju, I'm subconsciously cultivating work that'll make other people crack some smiles too. 

The Cadillac of hot nut dispensers

One of these mid-century beauties sits proudly in the Crystal Corner Bar (easily the best watering hole in the known universe). In lieu of constantly being there, this is the next best thing. I'm forever working on a plan to monetize intraoffice cashew sales. In the meantime, the soft light is pretty nice. 

Super Tuesday on a Thursday morning

A while ago I needed a reminder about picking up some "bonus" sounds for a Duluth Trading Co. voiceover session. I liked the note too much to recycle it. To its right, a single helix of misappropriated office supplies. 

Save to desktop

The tinfoil-wrapped stunt burrito weighs at least 5.2 pounds. The locator beacon has no business being there. And "PURP" was scrawled out using my trusty Bingo dabber. Much like my computer screen, my analog desktop is a constant ebb and flow of et cetera, loosely relating to whatever projects are at hand.

To: Brian

One day J. Edgar swung by my desk to drop off a book on the JFK assassination. I still haven't gotten around to reading it, but I've got my theories.

Royal mail

Finding the right music for TV spots is never easy. But the search can be a fun one. In the mid- to late 1960s, EMI session musicians cut a bunch of instrumental LPs at Abbey Road. The LPs are suuuuuper hard to find stateside. But I hornswoggled some guy in the U.K. into graciously sending me his entire digitized "Studio 2 Stereo" collection on eight data DVDs. 

Plasticized pork

Two plastic piglets and their late, great, reconstituted carnitas taco of an uncle.

No need for an abacus when you've got a Geiger counter 

The Texas Department of Health was selling these in lots of three. The other two are at home, just in case. 

Tricky Dick dollar

I tried to buy a sandwich with this last year. No dice. But the currency police were never called, so it didn't go as poorly as it could have. Either way, he's probably safer here than in my wallet, or elected office.