Isolated
I got caught behind the exhaustion 8-ball this week, and the Unspeakable was kind enough to put together this amazing post and show once again that she's better at this than I am anyway. So please enjoy, and to the Unspeakable... Thank you.
John
I am in Nelson Lagoon, Alaska (pop 50) as I write this. I thought I would be back in False Pass, Alaska (pop 30ish) where I own a house and spent the last decade of my life, but... no. Travel became a confused affair today, and I decided to juggle reservations and catch a chartered flight with the visiting doctor in a couple of days, so I wouldn't have to hole up in Cold Bay, Alaska-- stuck in a dive of a hotel called the Bear Foot Inn. Hopefully the weather won't totally suck and we can get out of here. I'm not saying I haven't enjoyed my time working as one of two providers in this little town.. but I will say that watching The Wicker Man dvd I brought-- since there is only one snowy television station that plays Beastmaster reruns here-- has me watching my back.
Last week was kind of a big deal for all of the residents here. It has been a brutal year in so many ways for this tiny fishing village. Tragedy struck in October, when a beautiful young woman was killed while joyriding with some friends/cousins. The small village shares about 5 last names. A young man who was driving the vehicle is facing manslaughter charges and was unable to make his own graduation here. How many students walked the aisle at this ceremony? Two.
They may not have been able to graduate at all, if a couple of teachers hadn't been willing to fly here and help the students finish their school year. The teachers who were contracted to take these students through this school year, actually bailed on them a few months ago. Up and left. Couldn't handle the town. Basically they took a huge shit on the roughly 14 children in attendance. Children who were already reeling from a hellish year full of relentless mourning-- on a tiny isolated sand spit in the middle of no where. It wasn't until recently that outside traffic began making its way through the area, and only because bear season just opened. Hunters are constantly being ferried between the lagoon and a string of lodges miles out-- with their prized dead grizzlies. 10 1/2 foot is the tallest I have heard killed in the past week.
So, anyways.. there was a graduation of two students here, and the town raised money to hire a band. They were flown in from Sand Point, AK to perform for the kids here. Having no idea what the music or the turn out would be like, I was totally curious. I spoke to the band briefly as they set up and they showed me their set list. Avenged Sevenfold, Good Charlotte, Seether.. and my god.. my eyes went blurry trying to process the rest. They did have original music, they said, but would only be playing songs that all the girls had requested. All the girls? yes. The show was set up in the community recreation center. A four piece, a couple of lights, a smoke machine and about 10 girls between the ages of 7 and 17, and a little boy of about 8-- who spent the entire time spinning on his back.
The show started late, and the girls all lined one wall of the small civic center. Tight jeans, Avenged Sevenfold tees, studded belts, Scandalous eyeliner, and big fat tennis shoes. It took about three songs for the girls to get into the music, but when they finally did.. it was a beautiful sight to see. I didn't even care what the covers were or how the space just wasn't really doing the sound justice. I still can't decide WHY I almost cried watching them all scream and point and fling their hair while yelling Good Charlotte's ANTHEM . I'm 35, and pretty jaded and sure as fuck am NOT in love with the pop punk blah blah of today.. but something about this small group of girls (especially given the bullshit year of pain they have had), cutting loose-- representing possibly the most isolated group of fans for possibly the most isolated rock n roll show, really touched me. I only returned to my sad and bitchy senses when the singer launched into a song saying, "I know you guys know this next one.. you're all wearing the shirts"... and I watched them sort of struggle and look at each other desperately trying to recognize the song. And then they gave up trying to impress anyone with memorized verses and decided to rock out instead.
The band took a break, and the girls all went through their choreographed "fuck me" dance steps to some of the most hideous jock jams shit I can rememeber, as they scrolled through someone's ipod. I'm not going to lie. Watching 9 year olds try to be seductive is frightening as all hell. If I had brought my satchel of condoms, HPV shots and STD educational leaflets, I would have been shoving them up their noses with a terrifying earnestness... luckily I know this is a harmless right of passage.. OR IS IT? Scroll down to see a pair of shoes I shot on the feet of a young teen attending the graduation ceremony. I think they were taped on. I go both ways on this one. I understand their search for identity--but I am scared for them, knowing full well what wolves can do to the curious who roam the perimeter. Wouldn't it be amazing to live in a place where we weren't so fucking repressed- that beautiful young people could dress however they wanted without it meaning they were "asking" for something sinister?
Wanna be my lover. Wanna be my lover... (god help me) But in this environment, you can't be a hater. You can try, but you'll soon see how bad you suck at it.
I took some video of the band playing, but don't have any way to share it right now. When I asked a couple of the girls who their favorite band members were, they said "Shit.. I'm related to all of them." Imagine being a teen, in a town, where everyone around you WAS related to you. Life is totally fucking different up here, and I take my hat off to the natives in the Aleutians for making smiles look easy, because I have witnessed first hand, that nothing about living up here is remotely close to easy. Nothing, and I'm ready to come home.
John
I am in Nelson Lagoon, Alaska (pop 50) as I write this. I thought I would be back in False Pass, Alaska (pop 30ish) where I own a house and spent the last decade of my life, but... no. Travel became a confused affair today, and I decided to juggle reservations and catch a chartered flight with the visiting doctor in a couple of days, so I wouldn't have to hole up in Cold Bay, Alaska-- stuck in a dive of a hotel called the Bear Foot Inn. Hopefully the weather won't totally suck and we can get out of here. I'm not saying I haven't enjoyed my time working as one of two providers in this little town.. but I will say that watching The Wicker Man dvd I brought-- since there is only one snowy television station that plays Beastmaster reruns here-- has me watching my back.
Last week was kind of a big deal for all of the residents here. It has been a brutal year in so many ways for this tiny fishing village. Tragedy struck in October, when a beautiful young woman was killed while joyriding with some friends/cousins. The small village shares about 5 last names. A young man who was driving the vehicle is facing manslaughter charges and was unable to make his own graduation here. How many students walked the aisle at this ceremony? Two.
They may not have been able to graduate at all, if a couple of teachers hadn't been willing to fly here and help the students finish their school year. The teachers who were contracted to take these students through this school year, actually bailed on them a few months ago. Up and left. Couldn't handle the town. Basically they took a huge shit on the roughly 14 children in attendance. Children who were already reeling from a hellish year full of relentless mourning-- on a tiny isolated sand spit in the middle of no where. It wasn't until recently that outside traffic began making its way through the area, and only because bear season just opened. Hunters are constantly being ferried between the lagoon and a string of lodges miles out-- with their prized dead grizzlies. 10 1/2 foot is the tallest I have heard killed in the past week.
So, anyways.. there was a graduation of two students here, and the town raised money to hire a band. They were flown in from Sand Point, AK to perform for the kids here. Having no idea what the music or the turn out would be like, I was totally curious. I spoke to the band briefly as they set up and they showed me their set list. Avenged Sevenfold, Good Charlotte, Seether.. and my god.. my eyes went blurry trying to process the rest. They did have original music, they said, but would only be playing songs that all the girls had requested. All the girls? yes. The show was set up in the community recreation center. A four piece, a couple of lights, a smoke machine and about 10 girls between the ages of 7 and 17, and a little boy of about 8-- who spent the entire time spinning on his back.
The show started late, and the girls all lined one wall of the small civic center. Tight jeans, Avenged Sevenfold tees, studded belts, Scandalous eyeliner, and big fat tennis shoes. It took about three songs for the girls to get into the music, but when they finally did.. it was a beautiful sight to see. I didn't even care what the covers were or how the space just wasn't really doing the sound justice. I still can't decide WHY I almost cried watching them all scream and point and fling their hair while yelling Good Charlotte's ANTHEM . I'm 35, and pretty jaded and sure as fuck am NOT in love with the pop punk blah blah of today.. but something about this small group of girls (especially given the bullshit year of pain they have had), cutting loose-- representing possibly the most isolated group of fans for possibly the most isolated rock n roll show, really touched me. I only returned to my sad and bitchy senses when the singer launched into a song saying, "I know you guys know this next one.. you're all wearing the shirts"... and I watched them sort of struggle and look at each other desperately trying to recognize the song. And then they gave up trying to impress anyone with memorized verses and decided to rock out instead.
The band took a break, and the girls all went through their choreographed "fuck me" dance steps to some of the most hideous jock jams shit I can rememeber, as they scrolled through someone's ipod. I'm not going to lie. Watching 9 year olds try to be seductive is frightening as all hell. If I had brought my satchel of condoms, HPV shots and STD educational leaflets, I would have been shoving them up their noses with a terrifying earnestness... luckily I know this is a harmless right of passage.. OR IS IT? Scroll down to see a pair of shoes I shot on the feet of a young teen attending the graduation ceremony. I think they were taped on. I go both ways on this one. I understand their search for identity--but I am scared for them, knowing full well what wolves can do to the curious who roam the perimeter. Wouldn't it be amazing to live in a place where we weren't so fucking repressed- that beautiful young people could dress however they wanted without it meaning they were "asking" for something sinister?
Wanna be my lover. Wanna be my lover... (god help me) But in this environment, you can't be a hater. You can try, but you'll soon see how bad you suck at it.
I took some video of the band playing, but don't have any way to share it right now. When I asked a couple of the girls who their favorite band members were, they said "Shit.. I'm related to all of them." Imagine being a teen, in a town, where everyone around you WAS related to you. Life is totally fucking different up here, and I take my hat off to the natives in the Aleutians for making smiles look easy, because I have witnessed first hand, that nothing about living up here is remotely close to easy. Nothing, and I'm ready to come home.
8 Comments:
Nicely done.
Reminds me of a recent Art Institute Exhibition, Girls on the Verge.
There was one video of a pre-teen Dutch girl singing a highly sexed Back Street Boys song that carried all the weight that you describe of these girls twisted emotions.
Wouldn't it be amazing to live in a place where we weren't so fucking repressed- that beautiful young people could dress however they wanted without it meaning they were "asking" for something sinister?
And that's especially true where you are with the highest rate of rape in the country.
Girls on the verge indeed Wednesday.
"And that's especially true where you are with the highest rate of rape in the country"
The shitty thing is that...those sexual assault numbers would be higher, except so much falls under the just having sex category up here. "Bath tub parties" were a common occurence in one relatively large town I worked in. One wasted girl in an empty tub and a train of guys. People still don't want to report abuses because of shame, and after being involved with this system for even the five years I have invested... I can't say that keeping it to yourself isn't the worse thing you could do. I have seen people effectively destroyed and perpetrators still walk- after going through assault intakes. So much has to change. We need everything out on the table. Everything. Scare everyone straight every day. I hope that my daughter doesn't find pieces of her identity in a bath tub, because society isn't willing to incorporate sexual education into curriculums. Everyone expects everyone else to take care of it. If we are all held accountable, at least we would be doing more than we are right now. Tokens turning to sand is all I see. At least up here... And trust me, I know how bad it is. I went through a Forensic Assault certification- because it is so widespread. Who got me started?
Oh, and John..
I am in no way any good at this business, but flattery will get you everywhere.
i really enjoyed this post. said enjoyment being tempered by the realization that i am sitting in relative comfort while reading about the hard lives of people elsewhere.
it was cool that those kids got a band to play for them. sounds like they desperately needed to have a little fun.
poor grizzlies. i never understood the idea of trophy hunting.
back when today's children's stories and fables were started, they apparently were graphic and sexual. an early version of little red riding hood had the wolf named 'papa' and he asked her to take her clothes off. The end result was that she learned that that kind of relationship was not the right kind.
I used to think these early ones were not ones I wanted any part of, but now I'm thinking, why not get all of that out there so it's matter of fact and just have it out there. So there's nothing for people to hide behind.
My mother is a big fan of all of those original and twisted fables, fairy tales and stories out there.
I think it should be mandatory for children (as early as toddler age) to be taught about the "secret touch" and tools for dealing with abuse. Every year, in schools, children should have to go through a program reminding them of who has rights to their bodies, and again.. the tools to deal with it. With each advancement in their age, supplemental education should be given to incorporate current trends in the trappings of abuse, and again.. the tools to deal with it. Kids know less about their bodies than they do about geography.. and that is fucking sad. There's no shortage of scumbags out there, and even with this knowledge, no one can assume they are safe. When will we get past the tabboo of speaking openly about the body, so we can at least put a tiny dent in the cycle of abuse out there? The answer unfortunately, is fucking never.. because how many ways can you skin a cat? The human race will NEVER compensate for its endless propensity to execute evil.
Now is as good a time as any to direct people toward Andrew Vacchs once again. I would say he is one of my heros.
AND for the record... I know I didn't spell "taboo" and "heroes" right... probably some other shit too.
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