Brewer Photo Fun With Cindy, Phat Chicken, and a Funky Fur Coat

I'm honored to be a member of the Coat Club, thanks to Durby the photographer and his pretty parrot, Phat Chicken.

What's the Coat Club?

Until this week, I had never heard of the Coat Club but when I mentioned to my husband that I was posing for this picture, he said, "Oh! The coat!" He's seen the pictures on the Facebook page of photographer Durby St. George.  As I would come to learn, Durby makes a habit of carrying faux fur coats and asking people to pose in them. He's done it so often that his photo subjects are now members of the unofficial Coat Club. I was the 99th person to join.

Is That a Real Parrot on the Mirror?

The beautiful parrot sitting on the van's side mirror is Phat Chicken, the namesake for Durby's photo projects. If he looks familiar, you've probably seen him sitting on the side of his owner's car, waiting for him to come out of Bangor-area stores and restaurants. Phat Chicken is very pretty but isn't a big fan of people so, if you ever do see him on Durby's car, you would be smart to admire him from a distance.

Where Did the Idea for the Coat Club Come From?

Durby says the whole project started when he found a rack full of fur coats in a Massachusetts thrift store for $12 each. They are faux fur so no animals were hurt in the making of these pics. Inspiration hit and he thought it would be funny to use them as photography props. I asked Durby what he plans to do with the pictures and he said he's thinking of putting together a video with clips of all the photos. Maybe he'll write a book. Who knows? All I know is that if anyone had told me I'd be posing next to a parrot in a faux fur coat, I wouldn't have believed them. But I'm so glad I did.

One More Thing....This is For Senator Collins...

By the way, Durby has a goal. He told me he'd love to convince Senator Susan Collins to pose in the coat. (her pose would likely be a little less silly) If anyone knows her, tell her Phat Chicken and his Dad would love to talk to her.