If you’ve spent any time you are bound to run into one of Knoxville’s finest patrons. Meet Larry Crowell – the man underneath the hat. If you haven’t met him yet you’ve surely seen him out and about, somewhere between the Old City and Market Square. Larry, a retired chemical engineer, comes downtown for the love of music, community, and good conversation sparked by his unique handmade beer hats.
BLANK: Where’d you grow up?
LARRY: I’m an old farm boy. Grew up in a very rural area in Northeast Iowa in a small town where we raised farm animals and had some land. Back in those days, it was a different culture because you either joined the military after graduation or end up working in a local factory. That’s what most people did, but it wasn’t for me. I went to school at Iowa State University and majored in chemical engineering instead.
BLANK: Back in that day, an education wasn’t too many people’s first choice after high school graduation. What’d you do once you finished your degree and what brought you to Tennessee?
LARRY: After I graduated in ’69, I settled on a job in downtown Pittsburg. I ended up staying there for about six years then quit and started doing my own thing as a sort of contract engineer. I worked in various industries around the country, around the world – but was still living in Pittsburg up until about 1985. In the meantime, because I had contacts with Alcoa, I was recruited to work on a big project down in Maryville, Tennessee. For a while I had a weekly commute between work and home – I would leave at around 8 am on Monday and work the week in Maryville, then Friday afternoon I’d fly back up to Pittsburg and get in at around 8 pm. There was a direct flight back then so it really wasn’t that bad of a commute.
BLANK: I’m hoping you didn’t sleep on an airport bench each night when you were in Knoxville. Where’d you stay during your week-long trips to and from home?
LARRY: During that time, I was staying at the nearby Hilton Hotel. That went on for about four months and when springtime came around, I decided I didn’t want to commute anymore – I liked being in Tennessee. I was pretty familiar with the area at that point, so I decided to buy a house. I stayed throughout the summer and when fall came around, it was a no-brainer for me to stay. I’ve been here ever since.
BLANK: Obviously you enjoy downtown Knoxville, despite living more than thirty minutes away. How many days a week are you down here, and why?
LARRY: I’m down here about 3-4 days a week. I’m retired, so I don’t have much keeping me away. The music is what draws me here. I love the local bands, the venues, the music scene – they’re all the reasons why I love downtown Knoxville.
BLANK: Anybody who has seen you has most likely noticed your unique beer hats. I would assume you haven’t been making these your entire life, what got you into making hats out of up cycled beer boxes?
LARRY: To put it simply? I got bored. I was living on my own, retired, and didn’t have much to keep me busy anymore. The story is that I had been with a gal for a while who never really liked going out or listening to music, so when we broke up I started coming downtown to infuse myself into the music scene. By 2010 I had become pretty established down here at Preservation Pub. One weekend, Bernadette decided to have a Mad Hatter’s party at the bar. I’d kind of always worn a hat anyway, but I tried to think of what I could come up with to make it more creative for the party. I had seen a video of a guy who attempted to make a hat from a 12-pack beer box, and that’s where the idea came from. I made my first hat and wore it to the party. The reactions I got from the hat were really great, so I thought I’d keep making them.
BLANK: How have the hats evolved over the years?
LARRY: What I make now is considerably different from the first hat, but they’re all pretty unique. I take the six-pack box apart and it turns into a long flat piece of cardboard. Then I’m able to make my layouts, cuts, and form it into the final piece. I can make them from six packs, twelve packs – pretty much anything can be broken down and re-formed into something new.
BLANK: I’m sure you have hundreds of different “models” and styles just laying around at home. How long does it take you to make one hat?
LARRY: About four hours. If I have to make a big box smaller or vice versa, it takes a little more time. Also if I need more pieces or something it might take longer, but it’s not too bad.
The first few hats I made were sort of trial and error, I had to just guesstimate the size of the cutout and then try it again if I was wrong. They didn’t really fit very tight, but it was close enough. I moved to a different brand and made the same thing, but it surprised me when it fit even worse. Each distributor has a different size in their six-pack box so that’s where my engineering skills come in to play. there’s a lot of math involved in the geometry of making the different cuts and folds and whatnot. There are about three six-packs in this hat I’m wearing.
BLANK: It’s obvious that people notice when you’re wearing a cardboard six-pack box atop your head. What’s your favorite part about these hats becoming a sort of identity for you among fellow Knoxvillians?
LARRY: I love how the hats are conversation-starters. It’s not really my personality to go up to somebody on my own and be like “Hi, I’m Larry.” But with the hat, it brings the conversations to me, and I get to meet new people. It’s also been really fun for me to go to shows and events and try to match the occasion with my hats. I’ll wear a pumpkin beer hat for Halloween, you know. The options are endless. St. Vincent has one of my hats – the Brooklyn hat because that’s where she’s from.
BLANK: It’s been really nice getting to know the man under the hat. With all of your involvement in the Knoxville community, would you say this is where you find your inspiration?
LARRY: Actually, I feel the most creative when I’m alone. I like to be inspired by my work, not just with the hats but with engineering-related things I can do solo. I certainly enjoy being down here and around my friends but I’m more inspired to work and create when I’m on my own. I come downtown for the music, the people, and the good times.
If you’d like to get to know Larry Crowell, stop by any of the downtown establishments this weekend – you’re bound to run into Knoxville’s Hat Man. Or, shoot him an email.
