This week the boys are joined by Kone, a local fashion designer who co-owns the eponymous Kone Ranger clothing brand along with his brother Kevin. Kone Ranger opened up a permanent location in Avondale in 2022 to offer Chicagoans the opportunity to buy handmade Western-inspirted garments. But what do cowboys mean to Kone? To answer this question, they begin by critiquing both the function and form of the various elements that make up a cowboy’s’ outfit: cowboy hats, handkerchiefs, Western shirts, chaps, and cowboy boots. They then address broader ideas such as the connection between cowboys and knights, the appropriation of Western clothing in other regions of the country, the difference between cowboy uniforms and cowboy costumes, and gay cowboy films (Broke Back Mountain and Power of the Dog).
 
Links:

The Cultural Myth of the Cowboy, or, How the West Was Won by Jennifer Moskowitz
Mark Maggiori’s paintings 
‘Hey Y’all!’ Tries Friend From New Jersey
Sweetgrass by Lucien Castaing-Taylor
 
Artwork provided by Kone Ranger
 
Recorded on 1/28/2024

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