Donut Whole gets some unexpected – and possibly unwanted – publicity

Donut Whole owner Michael Carmody knows the saying about all publicity being good publicity, but he’s not entirely sure about that.

Someone forwarded Carmody a story about Michael Alig, once famous for being a party boy before killing someone in a drug-fueled moment. Alig got out of prison after serving 17 years on a manslaughter conviction. In the story, on thump.vice.com, Alig was shown wearing a Donut Whole T-shirt.

“I guess it’s advertising, but …” Carmody says.

“It’s weird to me,” he says. “It’s just a weird juxtaposition.”

Carmody sells T-shirts through the Donut Whole and online at www.cafepress.com, and he figures that’s how Alig wound up with the shirt, though he doesn’t know.

Though the part about Alig being a convicted killer gives Carmody some pause, he says Alig has served his time.

“Maybe 17 years have chilled him out, I don’t know.”

Carmody says the situation amuses him on one level – along with his Facebook followers who are having fun by suggesting he send a T-shirt to Charles Manson and create “glittery pink party monster” doughnuts laced with something – but makes him leery on another.

“I guess it’s just an object lesson in the interconnectedness of all things.”

This story was originally published January 8, 2016 at 2:13 PM.