Every year hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse and their label Psychopathic Records host an intriguing festival aptly titled the Gathering of the Juggalos, named after the diehard fans of the band. However this year, things went a little awry when singer and reality television star Tila Tequila took the stage. Below you will find the official press statement of what took place:
“Although what happened to Tila Tequila at the 11th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos is extremely unfortunate, Juggalo Gathering, LLC and Insane Clown Posse are not responsible. Ms. Tequila was made aware, in advance, of her unpopularity with many Juggalos at the Gathering, but she insisted on performing. She was even paid in full before her performance, and was told that she did not have to perform, but if she did decide to perform, she could leave the stage the minute that she felt uncomfortable. Gathering's head of security told her that it was unsafe to go on stage, and recommended that she leave the Gathering grounds. Despite warnings and already being paid without being required to perform, Ms. Tequila made the decision to go onto the stage and perform. As soon as her show started the crowd began to boo heavily and throw garbage. It was immediately obvious that she was not welcome. Her injuries were only sustained because of her refusal to leave the stage. After several minutes, she even removed her top, exposing herself, which seemed to mock and further antagonize the crowd. Finally, Gathering security pulled her off of the stage. Soon after, she was escorted to her car, and was driven safely off of the Gathering grounds.”
Sounds like she was fairly warned to me. It was incredibly foolish to even consider playing the festival let alone follow through with it. I sense a hint of masochism and a blatant cry for attention. Ms. Tequila was clearly trying to prove something. Probably that she is “the crazy bitch that’s runnin’ the game” according to her trite and meaningless single titled “I Love U”. Her actions were shear stupidity, but the reasons for the Juggalos’ reaction has more powerful forces at work.
The Juggalo are a fascinating specimen of music fandom. Like any other movement they have their own way of dressing, talking and behaving. It just so happens that Juggalos’ lifestyle is incredibly laughable. Ultimately it’s their prerogative if they want to wear black and white clown makeup around town. But this is supposed to frighten and offend me? Basically the whole thing is a gimmick created by ICP, but not the admirable tongue in cheek type like Gwar and Kiss present. These people are very serious. The Juggalos proclaim themselves to be a “family”, which in my mind officially takes the fandom to the cult level. What some fans don’t realize is that they are faceless consumers to their beloved ICP. It is a clear rule that in order to be a Juggalo you must have the merchandise. So what does all this have to do with the incident? Groups of people that have something in common agree to certain ideologies. In this case their deep-rooted beliefs concerned Tila Tequila.
Novelist and critic Raymond Williams said that culture is a “whole way of life”. This can be taken quite literally in the case of the Juggalos. They have devoted their lives to an idiosyncratic musical phenomenon. In turn, they do deserve a small amount of respect for that. Though it just so happens that their devotion is based on unintelligent ideals and a complete lack of lyrical prowess. I hate to sound like Tipper Gore, but in this case ICP’s music has had a profoundly negative affect on these people. The Juggalo ideology has been deeply imbedded in their minds; this is simply a result of strict listening habits.
They are not open to music that is not endorsed by ICP. Therefore, they find themselves listening to the same records again and again by only a few dozen artists. Consequently, there is the notion that Juggalos are the daft and comical simpletons of the musical spectrum. They have aligned themselves completely outside any other cultural movement, which in reality is manufactured and based on rabid consumption of tasteless media and ethics. So envision what it must be like for the Juggalo to attend The Gathering. It truly is the Mecca of mass ignorance and juvenile ideology.
Imagine if Belle & Sebastian opened up for Slayer. It would ignite a deep and urgent rage in the fan ready for a Slayer show. This is what the average Juggalo must have felt when Ms. Tequila took the stage. I would even say they felt threatened by her injecting herself into their “family” and festival. The bands that play The Gathering have a certain sound; they are all in some way similar to ICP or are on Psychopathic Records. Essentially, most of these artists have a kitschy quality to them despite the explicit and violent content. Their music plays out like an action or horror movie in that the violence is so over the top and graphic that it becomes amusing. Tila Tequila does not posses that mentality. To the Juggalo she is inauthentic and annoying. If anyone is to blame here it most likely has to be her. The Juggalos are extremely passionate fans so you really can’t blame them for enforcing their valued ideologies about music and life. Granted their retort was quite immature and yet expected. This whole fiasco comes down to one simple statement: an ignorant artist breeds ignorant fans.
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