These wicked clowns, Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, are completely unlike Kurtz in any way. They showed me a really good time, whereas I can't imagine anything more boring than hanging out with Kurtz in the "Inner Station," trying to get ivory from a bunch of natives who are crawling around worshiping him with unspeakable rites. I'd rather scream the lyrics to "F--k the World" while waiting to leap onto the stage and spray Faygo all over myself and everyone else.
I had a great time with the Juggalos. Some people don't know who they are. Some people think they are a "gang." I can only report what I saw and experienced, which was that Juggalos are like a big, extended family. I don't see myself as a part of their immediate family, but rather as a kindly and non-judgmental aunt who dropped in on their festivities. They welcomed me with open arms. I am happy to begin my Visions of America with an account of my visit to their concert.
Insane Clown Posse is from Detroit, which I visited for the first time last month. I took a lot of photos, but
there was no way to capture the immensity of the devastation. I think ICP does a better job than any photo.
I never listened to any rap music before, except for a couple of songs that my kids or my students played for me. I am not into that scene at all. I like country music and opera. My daughter claims she tried to play a couple of ICP songs for me when she was in 7th or 8th grade and I made her stop. I don't know how it happened, but I heard they were coming to Seattle and I started reading about ICP and the Juggalos. I watched some of their videos, both old and new. I learned about the Joker Cards, the Dark Carnival, and their spiritual message. I listened to the song "Miracles" and read a lot of other lyrics. I started listening to the album "Bizaar" (not to be confused with "Bizzar," which came out at the same time) because it was the only one I could find. Who can say why I liked it? I sure don't know. I found it really catchy. I started downloading and listening to other ICP albums, and liked them, too.
I honestly can't explain why I kept listening. They made me laugh a lot. They shocked me with a lot of what they said, but I could not believe anyone would take the lyrics seriously, these guys in face paint singing about swinging an axe and chopping off people's heads. When people asked me how I could even listen to them, I felt rebellious. The more I read about how much people hated Juggalos, the more I wanted to see them for myself.
So I bought a VIP ticket for myself and regular tickets for my daughter and her housemate. I felt sort of guilty, because most Juggalos don't have very much money, and could barely afford the 30 bucks it cost for a regular ticket. For 100 dollars, I got a copy of their new album, a giant flag, and a VIP pass which allowed me to meet the Wicked Clowns and go on stage to spray Faygo onto everyone.
Faygo is a really cheap soda that is made in Detroit. I don't know what else to tell you about it. It tastes like cheap soda. I only drank the diet but the orange and grape smelled just like you would expect. Why do they spray it onto people? I don't know, but I'm sure glad they do.
Here I am with the guys. I was super excited to meet them, and I was not disappointed. I was in line with people who had waited their whole lives for this experience, whose lives had been changed (for the better) by the spiritual concepts in the Dark Carnival, who were laughing or crying or screaming with excitement. I told the guys I was doing this as part of my 50th birthday celebration, and congratulated them on their success and also on becoming parents. Violent J's son, Violent JJ, was there, too, and I got to say hi to him.
When I had finished saying hi to them, and having them sign the back of my "Psycho B--ch" shirt, I had to go back outside and wait in line again. One drunk guy started trying to pick a fight with someone, but before he could throw a punch, other Juggalos gathered around and started chanting, "Family! Family!" and the fight stopped before it started. The people next to me in line told me they had seen this happen at the Juggalo Gathering, and that fights between Juggalos were rare.
I didn't care about the opening acts, so I hung out in the bar (I don't drink and I might have been the only sober person there, although I did see an interview with Shaggy in which he said he had quit drinking a few years ago) and talked to the Juggalos. I asked them questions about their lives, where they came from, their jobs, their kids, why they thought people hated Juggalos so much, whether they had ever been to the Gathering of the Juggalos (an annual event in the Midwest) and if so, what it was like. I didn't see anyone who was violent or evil or a gang member. They just seemed like normal people to me, maybe a little more down to earth. People were getting drunk and high, but that's what most concerts are like.
I really enjoyed the concert. I felt the "collective effervescence," as my kids like to call it. Spraying Faygo around was incredibly fun. I never once felt unsafe, or threatened, or anything else. It made me want to visit the Juggalo Gathering.
I could write a big long analysis about the wicked clowns and the Greek Fates (especially Atropos) as they relate to "The Mighty Death Pop." I could compare Roman Circuses with Juggalo Championship Wrestling. I could spend a lot of time talking about catharsis and comparing the Faygo Armageddon to some kind of collective baptism. I could discuss the Bacchae and compare Juggalettes to Maenads. (Ooh, now that's a tempting one!) But what would be the point? You can either identify with the emotion behind the lyrics, "Girl, you know I love you, but now you gotta die" or you can't. I asked a couple of friends if they had ever felt like that after being cheated on or dumped or hurt by someone, and they insisted that they had not. I am not afraid to admit that I have. I've never even punched anyone (except Sally Loeser when she stole my teddy bear at a fifth grade slumber party), but a lot of the super violent and creepy lyrics speak to me.
I like living in the USA. I like the diversity, and all the cool experiences I can have. What is a Juggalo? As ICP says, "F--k if I know." They swear a lot. They talk about creepy violence and also beautiful rainbows and daisies and miracles. Some of them wear face paint. Most of them don't have a lot of money. A lot of them were bullied at school, like I was. They were really nice to me. At the end of the night, I was soaked with Faygo. My voice was hoarse from screaming all the lyrics and yelling, "Whoop Whoop!" I am down with the clown, and I hope the Carnival comes back to my town.
