having recently moved into a house on a quiet, half-block-long street on the edge of the river, i have spent most of the first half of my summer break on the big front porch, beer in hand, notebook in lap. i observe things. i take notes. i am practicing for nosey-old-womanhood.
and in the past couple of weeks, i have noticed some strange things going on two houses east. lots of brightly-clothed, full-body-tattooed people coming and going. wigs. firecrackers. unicycles. eyeshadow. babies. weird stuff like that. everyone is nocturnal. and last week, i was riding my bike to work one morning and saw a tent in the backyard, one of those ones that maybe eight people can sleep in. and a big bonfire pit. the little kids drive this tiny car that is kind of like those whatever-they're-called ones that lots of kids have, except it's sparkly and goes really, really fast. too fast.
on friday night, my boyfriend and i were walking back from the 9:50 showing of fahrenheit 9/11, so it was like 12:30-ish, and there were two people out in the street in front of the house with torches and some other equipment, practicing blowing big billows of flame. and there were a bunch of people hanging around the tent and engaging in similar activities, and drinking. there were definitely drums, and i think i might have glimpsed a bag of what looked liked organic fritos.
it's not like these people are loud or violent or anything, so, i mean, whatever. i mostly just want to know what i'm faced with here. is it some kind of danger-loving hippie commune or is it a yard full of circus? they seem to love to juggle at night, and i know that the circus loves a juggler, but hippies are really into juggling, too, as well as doing things at night. i realize the answer to this question will have little effect on my life or any other, but i'm just curious. are they hippies or circus?
― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)
It might be both. There's this thing called
nouveau circus, and your description seems to fit it.
― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 18:27 (twenty-one years ago)
True hippies don't do anything, much less anything as awesome as juggling and firebreathing.
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 18:45 (twenty-one years ago)
hippies juggle all the time! they juggle those sticks! they juggle the crushing responsibilities of a life free from work, budgets, and serious relationships! they juggle each other's breasts.
― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 18:47 (twenty-one years ago)
"For when the hippie lays down with the carnie, you shall know my name is the Lord." Deut. 21:32
― Huk-El (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 18:50 (twenty-one years ago)
If you've just moved into Riverwest, welcome. That would be Brewzerkus. They are circus-o-phile crust punks with a penchant for nudity mixed with alcohol. They aren't exactly dangerous, unless you happen in front of a flame-breather or knife-thrower, but they're not entirely sane either.
― Camtron (Cameron), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 19:08 (twenty-one years ago)
they sound like crunchies/granolas. (real hippies live in the mountains and other rural areas faaaaar away from the rest of the world)
― kephm, Tuesday, 29 June 2004 19:49 (twenty-one years ago)
I saw
these guys in Providence a while back. Featuring great things like autofellatio on a bed of nails and a woman lighting a lightbulb with her vagina along with the more traditional juggling/fire breathing/walking on glass. And they had a dog who did tricks!
― Ian c=====8 (orion), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 20:35 (twenty-one years ago)