Home Pop Culture Failed musician/hipster explains why selling Christmas trees is still an ironical existence.

Failed musician/hipster explains why selling Christmas trees is still an ironical existence.

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Kids it’s time to meet Jamie Granato. He’s a failed musician/hipster aspiring writer $4 cafe latte drinking dilettante who’s taken to living in a trailer (hence the irony part, cause he’s really not poor to begin with) whilst peddling Christmas trees to other like minded individuals in the hood.

animalnewyork: We caught up with Granato in Greenpoint on an unseasonably warm December day, where he was posted up at McGolrick Trees, the Christmas tree stand that has been his source of holiday income for the past few years.

The stand was started as a part-movie set, part-quick-cash-fix project for one of Granato’s friends

As I have reiterated Jamie Granado is living a faux trailer park existence which I am willing to bet he intends to cash in on by one day writing a book about his sub par existence as a creative genius forced to live below his natural talent belt. The other way he intends to cash in on his ironical existence is of course by making the video in front of you and hope other dilettantes such as myself pick up on his hubris.

But in case you think Jamie Granado sees his faux trailer park existence completely below himself comes this ray of sunshine…

For many Greenpoint residents, getting their tree from the McGolrick stand has become more of an event than just pick-up and go. Granato and his cohorts make wreaths themselves, know all the trees intimately, and counsel people on what to purchase. They get everyone from drunken 20-somethings on their way home from the bar to families with little kids enjoying their first Christmas, and they take seriously the job of making sure everyone gets the right tree.

Which is to say whilst some of us enjoy pissing $4 on caffe lattes, Jamie Granato derives infinite more pleasure counseling young drunk hipsters who one assumes somehow remind him of himself, with and without the irony to boot.

Musicians Selling Trees In Greenpoint from ANIMALnewyork.com on Vimeo.

Back at the McGolrick Trees, Granato sits in the trailer amid piles of notebooks, novels and cassette tapes, bringing to mind fantasies of chilly nights staying up far too late, watching the trees and amusing one’s self.

Amusing himself that we will come and flock the Christmas tree stands and seek his nuanced point of view on the many ways $4 caffe lattes can be served and where one can nurture the carefully nonchalance of a literally giant in an a trucker’s uniform.

To celebrate another successful year on their corner in Greenpoint, McGolrick Trees has released a Christmas compilation, featuring new takes on classic holiday songs from some of the bands represented within its staff. The compilation can be streamed on Soundcloud, purchased from the stand, and downloaded for free.

One day, Jamie Granato will also be well off and no longer living off his family trust fund, but until then he too will use his imagination to make a quite quid and affect the nonchalance of a burgeoning literally giant in a truckers uniform idling his days selling pristine Christmas trees. Until then he will only drink $4 caffe lattes…and the occasional can of Pabst beer you care to buy him.

 

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