BearBacker Voices: Interview With the Michelangelo of Manhattan, KS

[We didn't know there would be a BearBacker Voices Summer Lecture Series from a random, anonymous K-State message board commenter, but sometimes God speaks to you in ways you never expected. At BearMeat, we are always open to transformation. With that we present perhaps the most bizarre Summer Lecture so far. - Eds.]

Thanks to Burnt Orange Nation and Deadspin, the college sports blogosphere has been introduced to the visionary, avant garde video creations of a K-State message board genius (this link to ksufans.com demonstrates how quickly they visually lampooned Old Red) . The artist, whose work is already beginning to transform fandom in the Big12, goes by the name "chum" or "chummers". While his identity will remain anonymous, we are pleased to reveal his work to our readership. Before you read the below interview, we highly suggest you watch the following video in order to understand what we're talking about. Then go here to see the rest of his work, known as the Cat Lab Project. While our own work on KSU, WildCatMeat, has been sparse, we are encourged that with the recent emergence of the Cat Lab Project and disco tech!, things are starting to get a whole lot more interesting on these here interwebs.

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BearMeat: Please explain what Cat Lab is all about.

Chum: The future. Getting excited about the future. Aspiration. The good.

BM: How did the Cat Lab Project come into being? Was this an independent idea or a group collaboration?

C: Much of the content is either essentially taken directly from or influenced greatly by ksufans.com forums. Catlab could be thought of as something like an annotation to various fun and insightful topics which originated on that site. Except that it doesn't really explain anything. It probably does just the opposite.

BM: You have just been linked to by two major blogs (BON and Deadspin). How do you envision the future of the Cat Lab project?

C: The Kansas State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics strives to consistently compete for championships. Catlab follows its lead.

BM: Who or what are your influences as a video artist?

C: No, not really. I just like to goof off.

BM:. What are your tools? What types of software programs go into making these beautiful works of art?

C: Windows Movie Maker and Microsoft Paint help me to attain the intermediate level of quality that I require. I probably wouldn't use programs inferior to those if I knew of any.

BM: What are the dominant themes of your art?

C: Kansas State. Unrestrained seriousness. Grave jocularity.

BM: What is it like being a K-State fan in basketball? Football?

C: You help the team in any way you can. Sometimes you focus on helping them win. More importantly, though, your primary focus is on helping to ensure that the game is played in the right way. In the way that it is meant to be played.

BM: Describe your feelings towards KU. What does the rivalry mean today?

C: I find messing with people on phog.net to be a lot of fun. I'm currently banned from that site.

BM: Two words: Bob Huggins. Discuss.

C: Thanks for a truly unbelievable recruiting class.