Hi Grover
I work for a women’s magazine, Real People, in London in the UK. I’m writing a feature about unusual appreciation societies and have some questions for you.
Do you have British members?
Do you have special vocabulary unique to your club?
What has been the highlight of your club’s existence?
What ambitions do you have for your club?
What negative comments have you had from spouses/strangers?
Lastly, could you provide a unique comment about why you love your club?
Thank you,
Sarah Riches
Features writer
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Dear Sarah
Thank you for the questions. We are pleased to answer them:
Do you have British members?
Yes, we have British members. In terms of visitors to our website, dullmensclub.com, the U.K. is number two source of visitors, the U.S. being number one. Twenty percent of the visitors are from the U.K. We have a “Special Relationship” and an “Essential Relationship” with the U.K.
Do you have special vocabulary unique to your club?
Not really. We like to use simple, understandable words whenever we can. Words like “ordinary,” “mundane,” contentment,” “peace of mind” often find their way into our conversations.
What has been the highlight of your club’s existence?
No highlights. We dull men avoid highlights. We have dull-lights.
What ambitions do you have for your club?
Dull men are not ambitious. Our greatest accomplishment has been remaining dull despite pressures to change.
What negative comments have you had from spouses/strangers?
As you would expect, the negative comments center on things we value. Some say to us, “You’re dull.” That’s fine with us; our answer, “It’s OK to be dull.”
Lastly, could you provide a unique comment about why you love your club?
The feeling of belonging and contentment I get from being a member is why I love my club. I feel this way wherever I communicate with other members, work on the website, think dull thoughts, and enjoy what we call safe excitement (watching paint dry, grass grow, wood warp, etc.).
Sincerely (dull men are always sincere, mostly),
Grover Click
Assistant Vice President (the DMC’s highest office)
I used to think it was somewhat “unnatural” to find interest in mundane things such as shovels or lawn mowers.
It was pleasant for me to find there are other men that share my interests in the quirky or “unexciting” aspects of this world. For example, its a good thing to know the luggage carousels in Sarajevo run counter clockwise.
To me, the Dull Men’s Club is a portal to many fascinating aspects of our lives. Such as the electronic calculator museum, or various air sickness bag collections and yes, the shovel museum.
Lest anyone think I spend my days as a “couch potato”, I should inform your readers I keep physically fit, participate in Duathlons, (run, bike, run) or regular road races. I’m also, fairly handy around the house (as are most dull men).
My one guilty pleasure: owning a ZO6 Chevy Corvette. I should add the 505hp ZO6 Corvette has a 22 cubic foot trunk (boot) and gets 28 miles per gallon. Practicality in a world class, 200 mph sports car was one of my requirements.
Feel free to contact me for more in depth analysis.
Andy DiPalma