The Insane Clown Posse has just finished their final song of the night on the second and final day of the inaugural Canadian Juggalo Weekend.
Dozens of fans remain on stage and in the area in front of it, spraying each other with the bottles of Faygo that were left over from the performance. Diet root-beer seems to have been the main flavour of the Michigan-based soft drink used to drench the crowd tonight, and the entire venue now smells like it.
“…perhaps the reputation that they have – that juggalos have – might be something blown out of proportion…” – Raoul R, bouncer
Empty bottles, feather stuffing from pillows, and other confetti litter the floor. In some area the Faygo puddles are so deep the floor is no longer visible. In most areas the floor has become a mirror, the fresh coat of syrup water providing a crystal clear reflection. In the midst of this scene HipHopCanada’s Jonathan Crane decided to interview one of the bouncers – Raoul R. – about his take on the weekend’s events.
Q&A: Raoul R. (Venue Bouncer)
HipHopCanada: So what was your general take on the weekend, like after seeing the walls literally dripping with Faygo what are you feeling?
Raoul R: I mean as far as a hip-hop show is concerned… I would say pretty intense. I’ve never seen anything where there’s pop and stuff being launched at the crowd and all that other stuff. As far as hip-hop is concerned… I think it was a great show; a lot of old-school stuff. Generally the whole weekend – I thought – was pretty good.
HipHopCanada: A lot of times when juggalos are in the media it’s usually negative. So would you say this is a rowdier crowd, or a harder crowd to deal with?
Raoul R: There were elements that were difficult to deal with, just because perhaps they were excited about the show or that kind of stuff. But generally as far as a crowd is concerned I thought it was pretty good. There weren’t that many problems that I had seen, so perhaps the reputation that they have – that juggalos have – might be something blown out of proportion.
HipHopCanada: Were you shocked at any point, or were you expecting this?
Raoul R: No I was kind of expecting this. I mean I’ve worked various different kinds of shows where there’s all kinds of interesting people so nothing really shocks me any more. It’s just a matter of how the crowd reacts. I thought it was a decent crowd.
HipHopCanada: So what was the most interesting thing you saw all weekend?
Raoul R: I was really excited to see Onyx, I missed out on Swollen Members, I’ve worked one of their shows before. 2 Live Crew was interesting, and then Ice T was tremendous tonight. I’m not a big ICP fan, but it was cool to see the show and how they operate, and their fan base.
HipHopCanada: Would you say your perspective about the juggalos, or juggalo culture has changed?
Raoul R: A little bit, now I have a little bit more understanding about it, so I mean, it seems like it’s a family atmosphere for the people that are in the crowd. They really enjoyed the bands, the atmosphere and it’s a completely… it’s a culture onto it’s own. I mean hip-hop is its own culture but there’s different elements, and this is just a different element inside hip-hop I would say.
Interview conducted by Jonathan Crane for HipHopCanada
