For nearly eighty years, the Penthouse Nightclub has been the home of some of Vancouver’s naughtiest behaviour. But lately, it’s the nightclub’s neon marquee that hangs over its sidewalk that has become the talk of the town, its comic and witty messages going viral on social media and being mentioned on talk shows and news reports around the world.
From teasing Taylor Swift, to chiding the Vancouver Canucks. Presidents and politicians, brands and businesses, celebrities and sports figures, they’ve all been fair game for the marquee to poke some gentle fun at, turning heads and stopping traffic on downtown Vancouver’s Seymour Street.
But who exactly comes up with these jokes and messages? In A Sign of the Times: The Best of the Penthouse Marquee, Benjamin ‘the Sign Guy’ Jackson tells the often-hilarious history of the Penthouse marquee: how he brainstorms ideas, recalls some of his favourite signs over the years, and cases when the sign ‘went viral’ and was shared millions of times on-line, plus some of the outrageous fallout in the wake of those messages.
With full-colour photographs from the nightclub’s archives, interviews and memories from nightclub staff, as well as some of the people who have been the subject of the sign itself, A Sign of the Times showcases a look back at a unique and irreverent icon that has unexpectedly become a modern expression of Vancouver itself.
PRAISE FOR A SIGN OF THE TIMES:
“The most entertaining corner in the city of Vancouver — and that’s just what I’ve seen from the outside!”
— Sophie Lui, Global BC TV News Anchor
“I only ever go to The Penthouse to read the signs.”
— Bill Allman, Chairman BC Entertainment Hall of Fame
“The wisecracking strip club sign that unzips the zeitgeist… These quick quips have become something of a cultural landmark among locals — a point of civic pride for a city that doesn’t often have a lot of it. Many of the signs have also gone viral around the world, breaking out of their Vancouver bubble and into the wider cultural conversation.”
— Sara Harowitz, CBC Arts.
“No doubt the new book … a coffee table history of the sign … will add to the growing legend around the club.”
— Shawn Conner, Vancouver Sun
“If your commute includes Seymour Street in Downtown Vancouver, you may already be familiar with the neon marquee outside the legendary Penthouse Nightclub. These days, the viral messages that its tile lettering spells out get more attention than the nearly eighty-year-old establishment itself. Now, the best of them have been collected in a new book.”
— John Ackermann, City News
“The Penthouse in Vancouver has been infamous for decades for its adult entertainment. But in more recent years, it’s also been known for its marquee and its attention-seeking quips, and now there’s a book highlighting the sign — called, of course, A Sign of the Times.“
— Jordan Armstrong, Global BC
