50 Couches in 50 Nights

My name is Dean MacKay. In June and July of 2010, I slept on 50 different couches in 50 consecutive nights. I took photographs of the couches, both as a couch and as my bed. I took portraits of my hosts and interviewed them. I documented their homes on film and digitally as well as in a journal. I was treated to home cooked meals and intimate secrets. I was cared for when I was ill and checked in on after I was long gone. There were sleepless nights and busy days and times spent discussing the past and dreaming about the future. I drank a lot of coffee at a lot of different coffee houses. There were old friends who became closer and acquaintances who I now call my friends. There were even strangers who invited me into their homes. Threads were woven among them all. My skills were honed as I practiced my craft on a daily basis. I learned many things about my hosts and I continue to learn many things about myself. These times are unforgettable. This journey was initially born out of necessity. The economic times had taken their toll. But the fruit of this labor is not simply financial. It is emotional and spiritual and societal. I tapped into something that is still developing. And as it develops I will share with you this knowledge as well as providing you a way to share it with others. I hope that you will support me as this journey continue and grows. I plan to unveil many things from this work including a coffee table book on the couches, and perhaps other books and a documentary. I'm also hoping to get the blog carried on a major website. Of course, and second project is also in the works although what form it will take has yet to be determined. Any assistance or advice that you can offer to further these projects is welcome. Your support, both financial and emotional, is crucial to my success. Thank You. © Dean MacKay 2010

50 Couches in 50 Nights has written 48 posts for 50 Couches in 50 Nights

Couch #17 – Brian – June 16th, 2010

Posted by 50 Couches in 50 Nights ⋅ August 11, 2010 ⋅ Leave a comment

Couch #17 belongs to Brian. He got the couch for $50 from a company he worked for called Intertainer when they were closing back 7 or 8 years ago. Brian is Guitarzan. Therefore he lives in Guitarzan’s lair in Hollywood. Brian is single and has no children that he is aware of. Brian does a lot of things. He works for Sprint in the mobile pre-paid division. Mobile marketing, content ingestion, metadata, and service operations are all part of his job. He does the dirty work. Music is a way of life to him. Brian also likes hanging out with his friends and loves watching movies. He programs remote controls for rich people on the weekends, which is actually fun. He loves messing with home theatre electronics and computers any kind of gear, you know, boy’s toys. Brian is kind of shy, especially with strangers, but once he gets to know you he’s pretty good. It seems like we have always known each other. Neither of us remember quite when we met. It’s been about 10 years. Brian likes Muse, Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, and The Who among other things. He likes a great guitar player and a catchy little melody. A favorite song might be “Eruption” from Van Halen. Brian really likes pizza, but he can’t have it, ‘cause it makes him fat. He especially likes pizza from Massey’s in Ohio, which he orders once a year for Super Bowl. A favorite film of Brian’s is “Spinal Tap”. He could watch it a million times and never get sick of it. Brian lives in musicland. His parents met in college and were music majors. He thinks about music all the time. He moved out here chasing his dream of being a professional musician. It’s been a great ride. Brian still plays all the time. It’s part of him, like walking. Brian thinks this 50 couches project is brilliant and that it was very ballsy of me to do it. He loves that I’m doing it. It could be huge if the right people saw it. It’s a lot like some documetaries that have come out in the last few years. Brian believes that a lot of people would be interested if they knew about it.

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50 Couches in 50 Nights

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