From Nerve Cowboy #11 Spring 2001


WHY NOT?
Suellen Luwish

In the summer of sixty-six or seven
on St. Mark's Place in New York,
I strolled into Underground Uplift
Unlimited, purveyor of T-shirts
and underground newspapers, comics,
subversive buttons, Day-Glo posters,
dope gear and oils for making love.
I'd only intended to buy a few packs
of super-sized rainbow rolling papers,
but they were holding a slogan contest,
and I thought to myself, "Why not?'
A month later I was notified that my
entry, "If it feels good, I'll do it,"
had won. Enclosed with the letter were
50 free buttons (assorted) as well as
some bearing my slogan, all of which
I gave to the East Village neighbor
hood kids on Halloween because I shot
a lot of amphetamine at that time,
and had already eaten the candy.
The world, as it tends to, edited me,
and my slogan became "If it feels
good do it." This was years ago, and
since then I've had reason to spend
a few restless nights wondering if that's
the motto engraved on the gates of Hell,
or if they're still using "Why not?"



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