Chicago-based artist Derek Erdman went to the 2009 Gatheringof the Juggalos in Cave-In-Rock, IL, in early August and got some amazing shots. More than amazing, actually. Arresting best describes the affective power of his online photo essay, which I scrolled through yesterday and almost didn't want to end.
And that wasn't for any of the reasons you'd think. Sure, Juggalos are associated with various forms of extreme behavior, including but not restricted to wearing clown makeup, drinking Faygo and worshipping the Insane Clown Posse. While, Erdman (who, as far as I know, is not a Juggalo) got plenty of the hallmarks of Juggalism in his photos, there's something about his work that's so human, so solidarity-inducing, that it's impossible to ridicule his subjects.
Equally enganging -- albeit for more journalistic reasons -- is Erdman's 7-minute short doc on the Gathering, titled Dark Carnival of Souls. As with his photography, Erdman approaches the task of filmmaking with an empathy that is refreshing.
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Whoop Whoop! GOTJ 2009 was by far the best of the six that I have been to. Where else can you see Coolio, Onyx, Gwar, Pauly Shore, Kevin Nash, MC Pee Pants, Vanilla Ice, Kottonmouth Kings, Tech N9ne, and of course every artist on a whole record label with a ferris wheel in the back ground? As for the man selling the "bitch beaters" and corn on the cob, he was by far the most awesome vendor I have ever had the pleasure of being waited on by! He was hilarious! And the turkey legs were very aptly named... they were big enough that one could feed me and three men that are all over 6'2" and 265 lbs. They were about as big as a cave man's club, no joke!
I only hope that this year's gathering is half as amazing as last year's was and I challenge any of the "haters" to come and experience it with me and my crew and see if you don't fall in love with juggalos too!
WHOOP WHOOP.
It warms my heart to see so many down-ass ninjas in one spot. Still aint been to da Gathering, but you can BET YO ASS ima be there next year/
Now that I've had more time to process, I think there was something counterintuitively quaint and nostalgic about the photos.
As for the video, I can't say that calling a giant leg of meat a "Bitch Beater" is a bad idea in any context.
Fascinating photos, to say the least. I had no idea there were that many "Down-Ass Ninjas" devoted enough to permanently pledge their allegiance.
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