Mike Brown: The ICP Show

Let me start this article off by clarifying one thing: I am not a Juggalo. I mean this as no offense to any Juggalos (although it is very hard to offend a Juggalo), but I’m just not. For about the last year I have done a fair amount of research on the whole phenomenon that is the Dark Carnival in order to become a Juggalo ambassador for normal people. I am like the Jane Goodall of Juggalos—they are my chimps, so to speak.

Last year when I interviewed Chaos and his clown crew about the local Juggalo scene he asked me very seriously why I wanted to cover it. I told him that I work for a music mag and have a lot of musically-inclined friends, but none of us know what this whole Juggalo thing is about. When I was petitioning for an ICP interview with their PR people, I got the same question. Those Juggalos are skeptical of the media.

I call the local Juggalo hotline about once a week to see what the local hatchet flinging community is up to. When I got wind that the Insane Clown Posse was coming to Saltair, I felt a responsibility to go and cover it and try to get an interview with the head clowns. Mission accomplished.
So SLUG photographer Dave Brewer and myself headed into the eye of the Juggalo volcano, not knowing what to expect. Well, I kind of knew. You know when you see five or six Juggalo kids acting a fool at the downtown library? It’s like that, but there are 2500 of them all in one place. Those are just the ones that could afford tickets to the show and were able to get their shifts at Taco Bell covered.

In order to enhance the experience I decided to dress up as a clown—not a sad scary clown like a Juggalo, but a happy bright colored clown, make up and all. I told this plan to several friends who became concerned for my safety. I wasn’t trying to get beat up by Juggalos at an ICP concert, but that would have made this story so much more awesome. I came up with a game plan in case shit hit the fan.

Phase one of said plan was to make it to and from the car in the Saltair parking lot as fast as possible. I realized that due to the heavy security that night, the chances of something going down inside were highly unlikely.

Phase two was to wear a hatchet-man necklace under my costume. If things got rough, I could whip it out to let the Juggalos know I’m down. It felt like wearing a cross around vampires. I actually had to whip the necklace out, twice.

Phase three was that I was wearing my Doc Marten steel toes. I can kick like a mule. Not that I’d want to kick anybody with those things, but if you are going down you are going down. I knew it was unlikely things would get to that point though.

I also made Dave promise that if something bad happened to just stand back and get as many photos as he could, to which he happily agreed.
Needless to say, my clown costume was a smashing success at the ICP show. The Juggalos loved it. I also learned that night that Juggalos and Juggalettes love having their picture taken. We didn’t even have to ask anyone for their picture, they just started posing for us.

Overweight girls in clown makeup were showing us their Juggalette jugs, regardless of if there were hickies on them or not, and we didn’t even ask them to. I saw way more Juggalo genitals than I needed to that night—some of them felt that if you are gonna have your picture taken you need to go balls out, literally. My personal favorite picture of the night was when Dave was photographing a girl’s hatchet-girl back piece and her boyfriend whipped his dick out and placed it on the tattoo for the photo. I don’t think we can post that one in the online gallery (which can be found at slugmag.com), but it was a great picture nonetheless.

Me and Dave tried to get backstage with our media passes to no avail, but we did manage to get permission from security to get some pictures in front of the stage before the Faygo started flying. If you don’t know what Faygo is, it’s like Shasta out here. Just like corn-fed farm women, it’s big in the Midwest.
I’ve noticed a religious undertone to the whole Juggalo thing. The hatchet man necklaces are like their crosses and Faygo is like their sacrament. I even met a guy who made me hold up some signs in the front row. He said the signs he made proved that he decoded a message in one of the ICP songs that saved him and three of his friends. I said, “You mean like Christianity saved?” and he was like, “Yeah.”

Photos:

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Comments on this article

Posted on November 6, 2009 by SWERV1

Mike Brown your my new Hero !!! My friends & I are also mystified by this Juggalo thing !.. Damn that article was too funny

Posted on November 6, 2009 by Tea Minus

Props to you Mike Brown!! You went where most smart people wouldnt dare go..even if they got paid to go. Those pictures are priceless! Truely shows what kind of "following" ICP has. Its kinda sad when you see grown ass men out there trying to relive thier youth in such a wierd way. Hmm, oh well guess someone has to buy Violent J his house...

Posted on November 22, 2009 by aaron jacks

mike is that all you had to say about the concert i dont understand i went to the columbus ohio show and it was my first icp concert ive been down with the clowns for over twelve years but because of my work and school i havent been able to go to a show and this concert fell right at the right time i was amazed i became a fan all over again it was so magical i mean even if you werent a fan and you went to a show you would become a fan and the other jugglos and lettes were awsome i went about 4 hours early and met so many people that were really cool the concert was the best experience i have ever had i will never forget it and i intend on going to every icp concert when they come to columbus i will never miss another show as long as i live if you want a true juggalo experience you should go to next years gathering i am definitly going after the experience i had at the show id be stupid not to go.

Posted on November 23, 2009 by Dave

For an article that was supposed to be about a concert, I found it not to be informative of said concert or entertaining. Your lack of actually quoting the person you were interviewing was also sub-par. Go back to college and or highschool and learn that good ol' American language. By the way I am a Juggalo. Peace be with you.

Posted on November 28, 2009 by Leif the Queef

Mike, you are a daring motherfucker. To walk right into the belly of the beast, dressed like John Wayne Gacy no less. Salute.

Posted on November 4, 2010 by Anon.

Juggalos suck assholes. They are a discusting excuses for humans. xxx

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Randemus

Dave, teach Aaron Jacks about run on sentences. He isn't helping.

 

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