Most days you can find Corey Busboom in any of the dozen or so Goodwill locations dotting the Valley. Or perhaps at Savers, or the nearby Salvation Army, or even the Saint Vincent De Paul shops.
The 31-year-old artist/musician/scrounger hits up local thrift stores with a vengeance, looking for treasures to sell over the Internet, or maybe some discount-priced threads to wear.
While Busboom's normally clad in his standard ensemble of Levis from Buffalo Exchange, Converse kicks bought at The ARC in Tempe, and a local band tee, catch him on the right night and he might be sporting a full-on wolf costume.
What are you wearing right now?
Levis 501 jeans, an G.I.-issue army surplus olive green T-shirt, black socks, and Chuck Taylor shoes (one red, one black).
What was the last item of clothing you bought?
I got a Meatmen T-shirt from the concert at the Yucca Tap last week.
How much of your shopping do you do at secondhand stores?
About 95 percent. Well, with concert T-shirts, you can drop that to 80 percent.
How come?
I am a cheap bastard. I fuck up clothes working on cars, houses, et cetera, and don't want to waste money.
What is the item of clothing do you most covet at the moment?
Well, I used to wear a Devo T-shirt that belonged to my friend Allison. It was a reproduction of a 1981 New Traditionalists-era blue and black shirt. I am sure I will buy one soon.
Give us a childhood memory of you and your clothes...
From second to sixth grade, I only wore army clothing, camouflage boots, and stuff like that. And I mean 100 percent only army stuff. I finally got some Levis in junior high. I got shit from people for dressing funny, but I could handle it.
[Ray Reeves, Eli Kluger, and I] are making a full length fur-suit movie. I have five different fur-suits. It should be lots of fun making it, we hope to be done filming in a few months.
How often do you wear the wolf suit these days?
I wore it for Shizzfest, but it's getting a little hot for it now. I also wore a fur-suit for videos.
Name five items every man should have in his closet...
1. Skinny tie
2. Wingtip shoes
3. Tuxedo
4. Boots
5. Leather jacket.
Name an item of clothing that's best when it's vintage:
T-shirts are best vintage, or when they are worn, faded, or torn. It shows battle scars.
What is your one piece of fashion advice for Phoenix?
Deliberately wear something silly and in bad taste to see what your friends say. If anything, test your boundaries and have fun.
