Not that kind of doctor

1. I have big ears. Not literally. I think they’re pretty normal size. Dang, now I’m getting selfconscious about my ears. What I mean is that I enjoy a wide variety of music. When I have my earbuds in at work, it’s just as likely to be Steve Reich as Kanye West. For a few weeks this summer Miley Cyrus and Eric Dolphy were both on heavy rotation. I don’t love everything, but I’ll give most things a chance.

2. My dogs are awesome. I have two dogs, a 4-year-old goldendoodle named Monroe (after Detroit Pistons center Greg Monroe) and an 8-month-old labradoodle named Ransom (after Ransom Eli Olds). They are really chill until the moment you show up at my house, and then they go nuts. They love people that much. If someone breaks into our house, our only hope is that the dogs nuzzle the burglar into submission.

3. I am a doctor. No, not that kind of doctor, I don’t know what kind of rash that is. I have a doctor of musical arts degree from Michigan State University. How does someone who spent nearly half of his life pursuing an academic degree in music end up editing for a local alternative weekly paper? That is a story I would love to tell you over a pint of beer. Want to meet up at the REO Town Pub?

4. I grew up in Mt. Pleasant. Unless you also grew up in Mt. Pleasant, you probably know the city as the home of Central Michigan University and/or the Soaring Eagle Casino (affectionately referred to by locals as the Circling Vulture). More accurately, I grew up a few miles north of Winn, but no one knows where Winn is so let’s just say I grew up in Mt. Pleasant.

5. I own 517 Shirts. We design and sell Lansing and Michigan-themed T-shirts. Our most popular design features the iconic Otto E. Eckert Station smokestacks (you may know them as Wynken, Blynken, and Nod). We have over a dozen designs for sale at 517shirts.com.

6. I am only snobby about a few things: beer and coffee. While you may catch me sipping the “Champagne of Beers” on occasion, I prefer to have a solid Michigan craft brew in hand. The same goes for coffee. The City Pulse offices are dangerously close to Strange Matter; I often hear the siren song of pour-over coffee when the 2 p.m. doldrums hit.

7. My wife is the coolest. Sorry, other wives. She is my source of encouragement, but has no trouble being brutally honest when I need it. She put up with my awful schedule while I was in grad school, and she was relentlessly strong and positive throughout. Her name is Rose. If you haven’t met her yet, you should. You’ll like her.

8. I’m really excited by the opportunity to put my passion and knowledge of arts and culture to work in a city I love. My goal is to make City Pulse your go-to source for local arts and entertainment.

Ty Forquer

City Pulse arts and culture editor twitter.com/tyforquer instagram.com/tyforquer ty@lansingcitypulse.com