Month: April 2006

Back To Carnyland

I’m heading back out on the road and don’t know when I’ll be able to post again. I’ll post as often as I can but my posts will be few and far between until late fall. Here I go again. My life and thoughts as a Carny.


So You Wanna Be A Carny

Why? You can run, but you cannot hide. People have fantasies of running away, dropping out, leaving all the bullshit behind. I’ve met lots of people over the years that were running away. A Carnival is a good place to hide, no one really gives a shit who you “really” are. You can give a…


Things That Haunt me

In the early summer of 1985 we pulled into a small city out west to do a show, I was 19 that summer. We had a whole day off after setup. I wanted to spend that day by myself and explore a little bit, rather than get shit face drunk with the rest of the…


A Moment Of Clarity

The rain is beating against the windsheild, I can’t see it though, I’m too high. Dale is driving, he’s my best buddy on the road, I’ve known him for years. He’s giving me a lecture and I’m trying to listen but I want to nod off, it takes everything I have to keep my head…


Two Worlds

When I’m on the road, the regular world seems a distant memory, and when I’m off the road, the Carny world seems a distant memory. The “Normal world”, as I and many others call it, is a quieter more stable enviroment. Workers have rights and get paid decently, they get breaks, there are labour laws,…


Forecasting And Predictability

People are generally predictable. We follow patterns and programming within us. Most people will simply follow the crowd, this is called the “Herd Instinct.” It’s also the reason a “Pitchman” will call a couple people in and ask them to hang around while he does his pitch. Of course others in the “Herd” see these…


The Reason I Started This Blog

I didn’t know people would actually find it, I didn’t know anything about Blogs a month ago. I am learning a little now. The reason I started writing here was because I kept losing shit I wrote on my computer. I would write something and file it in a folder and then either delete it…


Jackie Brown

I can’t remember Jackie’s last name, I haven’t seen her in a decade or more. I just remember she hated it, so I called her Jackie Brown. She was short and well built, attractive in an odd way, and had an explosive temper. Her parents were hardcore bikers and she had grown up in an…


Late At Night

Sometimes late at night, when I’m laying in my bunk and can’t sleep, I open my window a crack and listen to the young guys and girls on our crew partying. I chuckle to myself when I’m listening to them, all their shit talk, laughing, music. They say youth is wasted on the young. I…


Lot Lizards

They exist on every Carnival lot in the world I’m sure. We’ve all had our turns with them, well….most of us. I haven’t touched one in years. They’re easy, they take no work or effort, they’ll fuck anybody. “Rode hard and put away wet” is the term. They’re rough looking and it’s not hard to…