the river, styx
the last few days of reporting from new orleans has been done from the 9th ward...a neighborhood that the reporters claim as being mostly black and poor. while the neighborhood is truly made up of many black and poor residents it was also home to some of the most hip people in new orleans- the up and coming artists and musicians, counter-culture denizens and cutting edge hipsters. it was one of the last places in n.o. still affordable for low income artists, providing old warehouse space perfect for studios and homes, just blocks away from the french quarter and faubourg marigny. most of my friends from my years in n.o. lived there, and i spent countless nights shucking crawfish and playing pool at marky's bar on royal street. marky's is under water now, so is dale and sarah's house and thor and shea's house (yes, i have a friend named thor...he is a metal sculptor of all things).
as the days since the hurricane have passed i have thought a lot about the great old junk store on louisa street, the crazy metal sculptor who lived off elysian fields and the clown house on decatur. the clown house was an old shotgun style house that sheltered way too many occupants...it was said that a whole circus company and freak show troup lived in it at one time. the entire exterior was painted red...the clapboards, the windows, the steps, the door, the sidewalk, the grass and the fence...all fire engine red. i was able to meet one of the clown house's residents one afternoon- styx the clown. styx was an interesting fellow. unnasuming, soft spoken and inebriated most hours of the day, styx was never seen in anything but a patchwork suit and top hat, stuffed pet monkey in one hand, a 40 in the other. he was a local legend of sorts...a clown, yet tragically un-funny. he could juggle just about anything, though. the most striking thing about styx was that his clown make-up had been tatooed on his face.
i am saddened when i wonder where styx may be tonight. how can an un-funny inebriated clown with a tatooed face live anywhere else but in a red covered clown house in the 9th ward of new orleans?
here is a photograph i made upon first meeting styx in the spring of 2002:
as the days since the hurricane have passed i have thought a lot about the great old junk store on louisa street, the crazy metal sculptor who lived off elysian fields and the clown house on decatur. the clown house was an old shotgun style house that sheltered way too many occupants...it was said that a whole circus company and freak show troup lived in it at one time. the entire exterior was painted red...the clapboards, the windows, the steps, the door, the sidewalk, the grass and the fence...all fire engine red. i was able to meet one of the clown house's residents one afternoon- styx the clown. styx was an interesting fellow. unnasuming, soft spoken and inebriated most hours of the day, styx was never seen in anything but a patchwork suit and top hat, stuffed pet monkey in one hand, a 40 in the other. he was a local legend of sorts...a clown, yet tragically un-funny. he could juggle just about anything, though. the most striking thing about styx was that his clown make-up had been tatooed on his face.
i am saddened when i wonder where styx may be tonight. how can an un-funny inebriated clown with a tatooed face live anywhere else but in a red covered clown house in the 9th ward of new orleans?
here is a photograph i made upon first meeting styx in the spring of 2002:
posted by Jared Ragland at 9/07/2005 02:33:00 PM
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