A Sign of the Times

For nearly 80 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's 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 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, to some of the people who have been the subject of the sign itself, Sign of the Times showcases a look back on a unique and irreverent icon that has unexpectedly become a modern expression of Vancouver itself.