iWWV Practice Jason’s Road Story A true to life tale by Jason McLean y brother was having his wedding in MI Port Huron, Michigan. He’s 28, went straight from living at home to living with his wife. ce After the wedding | took the bus to Detroit and then back to Vancouver. | wanted to see some cities and some galleries and to see the U.S. Midwest. TY) The bus was a solution for not having to drive and so that | could be alone. The problem with it is you are constantly being woken up. They stop every 45 minutes and turn the lights on. So | slept a lot with head- phones on. | thought it was going to be awkward — that my appearance wouldn't go over very well in certain parts of the U.S.. The larger centres were fine but in the rural Midwest people would look at my hair and my dress and see someone who looks sup- posedly different. | know all the clichés like Kerouac, but | am not really into that Beat thing of finding yourself — I’m wary of that. But in travelling you do begin to understand the basis of where you've been raised and born and what your standards are and about other ways of life. @® My childhood was pretty isolated. We lived some distance from the neighbours, there was a golf course behind our house, and we had to drive our garbage to the road because our property was so big. We'd go to church a couple of times a year, and it was very recreational based, kept you out of trouble. There are three generations of car dealership owners in the family; my dad was always bringing exotic cars around when we were young. It was only several years later that | realized that there were people who didn't have those sorts of cars. # | try to sit in the middle of the bus. The back is where all the convicts sit and you can smell the bathroom. And at the front you get the loopy people trying to talk to the bus driver or elderly people trying to tell you their life story. Compared to the West Coast the East seemed crowded and confrontational: | got hassled there and was constantly worried that people would take my luggage. The buses are cheap and the people who take them are often trying to get away from stereotypically bad situations like the law or life in the small towns. @ | talked to this mentally challenged girl who was going from one small town to another small town, and she gave me he per- spective on how she was going to make it big by moving to this bigger town. She had a catalogue she ordered things from because her town didn’t really have a store...she was really big on the Disney products, the crazy ones like the Tasmanian Devil. © There's a friendliness and sincerity to the Midwest. | actually had no problem with hair and clothes — maybe got a few double takes...At the bus stops there were chickens, deserted cars, tumbleweeds, everything you'd expect — overalls, bare feet. It's like a time capsule — the way of life that still goes on. It was nice to see the beautiful sunsets and the colours of the crops. @ Some of the stops were hideous, you'd have to eat at Dairy Queens, but they all had their own regional slants. At the Road March 1997 / Planet of the Arts 29 Runner (a fast food joint) down in New ’ Mexico you could get gizzard or Walla-Walla onions. 4 gv To recognize convicts you can look for the teardrop tattoos under the eyes. A blue teardrop represents one year. © One guy | talked to in Big Fork, Montana, in the middle of the night, told me the police were looking for him — he was going to be thrown in jail for beating his wife. He said that she had initiated the violence, and talked about these tunnels underground in Montana that he and his friends used to play in when they were younger, and how there were all these Native American rock draw- ings there. He didn’t really want to listen to me or ask me my opinion, but he wanted to talk to me, tell me. % We're going through Green Bay and this guy wearing a goose jacket, with a huge black eye, sits beside me. I’m kind of scared. But we talk and he tells me that if you have a problem with rats, you find the rat-hole and you put a little steel wool in there and plaster it up, and when the rats try to chew through — they always come back to the same hole - they cut their mouths all open and bleed to death. He called himself a chef, and was going back to his old hometown. He tried to live in Minneapolis, but it didn’t work, he got scared because it was too dif- ferent there, so he was coming back in fear of change. 6 There are very seldom any cash machines in the bus stations, and usually the stations are located at the cheapest retail property in the city. In Detroit when | got on the bus and was looking for a bank machine, | asked for and received directions to one three blocks away. The guy who gave me the directions had been trying to sell his luggage up front. As | was about to leave the guy made a phone call and started yelling into the phone to whoever was on the other end, basically telling him to hurry to the bank machine and wait in there for me. Meanwhile | spot one just across the street. n In Chicago | was the last person on the bus and had to sit beside a travelling carpen- ter named LC nobody else had wanted to sit beside. He had a ghettoblaster with no bat- teries and a Stevie Ray Vaughn tape. We got talking and within the first twenty minutes he gave me his address in Cleveland where he said | should drop by and “We go jaammin’.” He kept singing religious songs over and over again. | didn’t know anything about lowa at all, | didn’t even know where it was. Desmoines was very small place but you could feel that it was the hub for the radius. There were a lot of new pickup trucks and a lot of money. Very white — a bit of a Christian feel. Didn’t spend a lot of time there, just went to break- fast, listened to some used car salesmen talk. It seemed like there was some kind of lumber trade there but | don’t know where all the trees came from. Ay When | got home | was in a bit of a state. Four days of constant travel, pretty much alone, | don’t think was very healthy for me — but it was a good experience. s@s (WW Practice A true to life tale by Jason McLean ¥ brother was having his wedding in Port Huron, Michigan. He's 28, went straight from living at home to living ‘with his wife & After the wedding !took the bus to Detroit and then back to Vancouver 1 wanted to see some cities and some galeries ‘and to see the US. Midwest En) ‘The bus was a solution for not having to rive and so that | could be alone. The problem with it is you are constantly being woken up. They stop every 45 minutes and turn the lights on. So I slept alot with head: ‘phones on thought it was going to be awkward ~ that my appearance wouldn't go ‘over very wel in certain pars ofthe US. The larger centres were fine but in the rural Midwest people would look at my hair and ny dress and see someone who looks sup- posedly different. know all the clichés lke Kerouac, but | am not realy into that Beat thing of finding yourself -m wary of that. But in traveling you do begin to understand the bass of where you've been raised and born and what your standards are and about other ways of life. @ My childhood was pretty isolated. We lived Some distance from the neighbours, ‘there was a golf course behind our house, ‘and we had to drive our garbage tothe road because our property was 50 big, We'd go to church a couple of times a year, and it was very recreational based, kept you out of ‘rouble. There are three generations of car ealership owners in the family: my dad was ‘always bringing exotic cars around when we ‘were young. Iwas only several years later that |realized that there were people who didn’t have those sorts of cars | ty to sit in the middle ofthe bus. The back is where all the convicts sit and you can smell the bathroom. And atthe front you {get the loopy people trying to talk to the bus driver or elderly people trying to tel you their life story. Compared to the West Coast the East seemed crowded and confrontational | got hassled there and was constantly worried ‘that people would take my luggage. The buses are cheap and the people who take ‘them are often trying to get away from stereotypically bad situations like the law or Ife in the small towns | talked to this mentally challenged git who was going from one small town to ‘another small town, and she gave me he per Spective on how she was going to make it big by moving to this bigger town. She had catalogue she ordered things from because hher town didn't really have a store.she was really big on the Disney products, the crazy ‘ones like the Tasmanian Devil ®@ ‘There's a friendliness and sincerity to the Midwest. | actually had no problem with hair and clothes - maybe got a few double ‘akes..At the bus stops there were chickens, deserted cars, tumbleweeds, everything you'd expect - overalls, barefeet.’ lke 3 time capsule — the way of life that stil goes ‘on It was nice to see the beautiful sunsets ‘and the colours ofthe crops @ Some ofthe stops were hideous, you's hhave to eat a Dairy Queens, but they all had their own regional slants. At the Road March 1997 / Planet of the Arts 29 Runner (a fastfood joint) down in New ‘Mexico you could get gizzard or Walla-Walla ¢ To recognize convicts you can look for the ‘teardrop tattoos under the eyes. A blue ‘teardrop represents one year. (0) (One guy talked to in Big Fork, Montana, Jn the middle ofthe night, told me the police were looking for him —he was going to be thrown in jal for beating his wife. He sd that she had initiated the violence, and talked about these tunnels underground in ‘Montana that he and his friends used to play in when they were younger, and how there were all these Native American rock draw Ings there, He didnt realy want to listen to ‘me or ask me my opinion, but he wanted to talk to me, tell me ie We're going through Green Bay and this ‘guy wearing a goose jacket, with a huge black eye, sts beside me. m kind of scared But we talk and he tells me that if you have 2 problem with rats, you find the rat-hole land you put a litle steel wool in there and plaster it up, and when the rats try to chew through ~ they always come back tothe’ same hole - they cu theit mouths al open {and bleed to death. He called himself a chef, land was going back to his old hometown. He tried to live in Minneapolis, butt didn't work, he got cared because it was too dt ferent there, o he was coming back in fear of change. @ ‘There are very seldom any cash machines in the bus stations and usualy the stations ‘ate located at the cheapest retal property in ‘the city. In Detroit when | got on the bus and ‘was looking for a bank machine, | asked for and received directions o one three blocks ‘away. The guy who gave me the directions hhad been rying to sell his luggage up front. ‘As Las about to leave the guy made a [hone call and stated yeling into the phone to whoever was on the other end, basically telling him to hurry to the bank machine and wait in there for me. Meanwhile I spot one just acros the street. a Jn Chicago was the last person on the bus and had to sit beside a traveling carpen: ‘ter named LC nobody else had wanted to sit beside. He had a ghettoblaster with no bat teres and a Stevie Ray Vaughn tape. We got talking and within the first ewenty minutes hhe gave me his address in Cleveland where hhe said! should drop by and "We go Jaammin’.” He kept singing religious songs ‘ver and over again, | didnt know anything about lowa at al, I didnt even know where it was. Desmoines was very small place but you could feel that it was the hub for the radius. There were a lot of new pickup trucks and alot of money. Very white a bit of a Christian feel, Didn't. spend alot of time there, just went to break fast listened to some used car salesmen talk Itseemed like there was some kind of lumber trade there but | don’t know where all the tes came from. s ‘when | got home | was ina bit of a state, Four days of constant travel, pretty much ‘lone, I don't think was very healthy for me “but it was a good experience. ®.