As December approaches and I inch closer towards having my KU umbilical cord finally snapped for good, I am having to do something I've dreaded for a long time…trying to get a job. My first step has been securing an internship at Fox 4 in Kansas City, where I have assisted in the various news stories, carried things, and checked my email during downtime.
Upon returning home one night I discovered a late 1990's BBC2 show via the Internet named Weird Weekends with Louis Theroux. The show chronicles various subcultures in America and is notable for being both hilarious and informative, while revealing the idiosyncrasies in each (usually extremist) sub culture. For instance in the macho man world of bodybuilding a decidedly homoerotic subtext soon becomes apparent, in the world of gangsta rap, most street thugs rapping have actually had years of college education and suburban upbringings contrary to their personas, etc.
I was immediately struck once I had watched the first episode (on swingers), and right then and there a new dream was born. I've decided that I want to do a new updated version of the show hosted by yours truly. I want to try to pitch the idea to HBO (or similar network) and get a pilot shot.
Ideas for subcultures that I would want to investigate would be: bouncers at nightclubs, phone sex girls, and lounge singers amongst others.
This great show helped remind me about the endless possibilities that our country has, and just how many beautiful, weird points of view that we all have. That's why I love this damn place so much.
In a side note I had a strange weekend myself a few weekends back. It went something like this:
As a friend and I were walking home from a night of drinking at Fatso's pub, we ran into a group of cool looking black guys behind the Granada Theatre. Immediately I approached them and discovered that Tech N9ne, the semi-famous KC rapper was playing, and that one of the men in the camp was Tech's manager. It took some convincing, but eventually we were let in for free backstage where we watched the tail end of the show in peace…for a while that is.
When the show ended I was drinking a beer when a large shaved head bouncer knocked the can out of my hand, upsetting me. I then expressed my disapproval of his actions and was thrown out of the club, head first, onto the pavement and into a large puddle in front of Tech N9ne and his whole crew. Upon standing up, I was greeted by the fist of a large 350 pound black man for no apparent reason. I then stumbled home. You gotta love those weird weekends.
(Let me know if anyone has any connections at HBO)