"It's a message of emancipation... free ourselves, help each other to be free. That's the message of Bitcoin. That's the message of the art."
— Marcus Connor
This week, Marcus Connor joins me to discuss his most famous creation, The Bitcoin Roller Coaster Guy as well as some of his latest work and ideas around design, artistic discipline and of course, bitcoin. With some time to reflect on my chat, I was reminded of a saying that "the muses have to find you working" and Marcus is a great example of just that, plus, he's a wonderful dose of optimism.
Marcus' now iconic roller coaster guy is a perennial fixture on twitter and nostr and alike when bitcoin's volatility kicks in. One you've likely seen, it's an animated cartoon bitcoin, bright orange and smiling with stick-like arms held high while riding in a single red car of a roller coaster as it quickly rises and falls on a wooden track. It's a joyful looped gif that was created in 2013 and as you'll hear, took on a mimetic life of it's own. Today, Marcus continues to explore and express his understanding of bitcoin and his ongoing relationship with his roller coaster guy at bitcoincoaster.com. There you'll find illustrations, sculptures, animations, paintings and consumer products that tap emotions familiar to even the most fresh-faced bitcoiner.
Marcus and I were discussing how artists aren't always the best marketers and I chose that as the best place to cut into our conversation. Because these rips don't offer the standard introductions and closing thoughts it's on me to remind you to check the show notes or to visit thebitcoinmuse.com to find links to all my guests, their respective websites and social streams.
Speaking of which, please share this podcast on your feeds. Just a simple repost of the episode on Twitter, NOSTR or Vero, helps a ton. I'm 20 episodes in so new listeners have lots to explore. And if you're listening on a podcasting 2.0 app like Fountain or Breez, you should know that 10% of all those streams and boosts split to help @OpenSats fund bitcoin and other free and open-source projects. Again, sharing this pod, helps everyone!
Thanks to Marcus Connor for sharing his time, energy and dynamic talents with the bitcoin muse.
Guest Links
Website: https://bitcoincoaster.com/
Twitter: @MarcusConnorNH
NOSTR: npub1x7052nmux83n6ywe59jjpxtaw5vh5r7dsf4lrrkfhek3r7cfyu8swdz7u4
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU2289ov6RgmLveQKPAVakA
Telegram: https://t.me/bitcoincoaster
Odysee: https://odysee.com/@BitcoinRollerCoasterGuy:1
Twitter: @MarcusConnorNH
NOSTR: npub1x7052nmux83n6ywe59jjpxtaw5vh5r7dsf4lrrkfhek3r7cfyu8swdz7u4
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU2289ov6RgmLveQKPAVakA
Telegram: https://t.me/bitcoincoaster
Odysee: https://odysee.com/@BitcoinRollerCoasterGuy:1
Mentioned In This Episode
Brainless Tales | Website
Nico | X
Nico | NOSTR
Mandrik | X
Mandrik | NOSTR
Fractal Encrypt | X
Cryptograffiti | X
New Hampshire | Google Maps
Bitcoin Magazine Issue 28 - The Broke Issue | Website
Fiat Land | Website
Pubkey | Website
Nico | X
Nico | NOSTR
Mandrik | X
Mandrik | NOSTR
Fractal Encrypt | X
Cryptograffiti | X
New Hampshire | Google Maps
Bitcoin Magazine Issue 28 - The Broke Issue | Website
Fiat Land | Website
Pubkey | Website
Listening Options