He’s come a long way, baby. Picture it: Tabriz, 1975. An adorable olive-skinned baby is adopted by an Armenian-American couple and brought to the New World (Acton, Massachusetts) to enjoy an idyllic suburban upbringing replete with soccer practice, scout meetings, viola lessons, and lots of therapy. Gregory Nazareth Der Ananian stumbled his way through the Acton public school system, pursuing a career as class-clown and getting into plenty of trouble along the way. He attended Indiana University originally as a viola performance major, but ended up with a triple major in English, Gender Studies, and “Electronic Culture and the Politics of Representation.” He was recognized for his limit-testing video installation “Gaze (W)rites: Making the Visible Pornographic.” Recognition included the Individualized Major Program’s Outstanding Project Award, as well as a lot of lecturing about using so much hardcore gay porn in a public setting. During his tenure in Bloomington, Indiana, Der Ananian worked with adults living with severe mental illness and was in a band called Prettypony. Mind you, these were not always separate endeavors. After moving back to Massachusetts in 2000, Der Ananian founded the “punk rock” crafts fair called Bazaar Bizarre with the help of crafty cronies he’d originally met while touring with his band. A surprising success, it went on to become an eagerly anticipated annual event. Der Ananian moved to L.A. in 2002, starting a left-coast edition of his brainchild in 2003. Cleveland joined the ranks in 2004, and Bazaar Bizarre continues to grow. Der Ananian, a proud mouth-breather since birth out to dismantle cruel stereotypes, is a card-carrying member of both Mensa and the Subway Sub-Club. Greg lives in Silverlake: the trucker hat of Los Angeles neighborhoods.