by James Korba
It was a warm Tuesday night in September as my roommate Terrance and I walked calmly to the Pyramid to see Twiztid. What we were excited about wasn’t the music. We were excited about the people: Winnipeg Juggalos!
If you do not know what or who a Juggalo is, let me explain. A Juggalo is a fan of Insane Clown Posse. Generally, they are adorned in many varieties of black and white clown make up similar to that of the band.
Twiztid was at one point signed to ICP’s Psychopathic Records but have since moved out on their own, thereby linking them to the Juggalo “family.” They perform a style of rap known as “horrorcore.” It’s not really my thing musically, but there’s a strong following that I wanted to check out.
Anyways, as we walked to the Pyramid, many thought drifted through my head: How many Juggalos will be there? Is there a Winnipeg Juggalo scene? Would they be insulted because we we’re there to essentially study Juggalo culture? (There is a general thought about Juggalos that they are something of a subculture that is regularly ridiculed by the general public.)
As we walked in I was amazed by the sheer amount of painted faces. I’m talking at least 100 of the 250 or so attendance were adorned in full Juggalo garb. Some wearing just a simple all over print ICP or Twiztid t-shirt to a full Twiztid hockey jersey. My personal favorite was a pregnant Juggalette (Lady Juggalo) in full creepy Heath Ledger joker make up.
I’ve always been curious as to why Juggalos are so passionate. I’ve watched the many documentaries that are all over the Internet, but they’ve never really answered my question. After meeting one Juggalo name Jonathan I know the answer: It’s family.
I was so surprised how nice everyone was. There was no judgement of anyone not wearing any Juggalo gear or any mockery of our lack of knowledge. I totally botched a common Juggalo hand sign and had to be corrected by Jonathan numerous times. I felt that I was let in and invited to be part of this small group of people who feel that the music they listen to is just for them. Jonathan introduced me to his girlfriend who was not in make up as a Jugallette, which she totally embraced, and we just talked.
There was a potential gathering of local Juggalos this year but it was cancelled and he was hoping that there would be one in 2014. There is a strong and passionate Juggalo following here and next time you see that clown faced kids just yell with all your heart “Whoop, Whoop”! In the end they’re people who like to wear clown make up in public, and I have much more respect for them now than I ever have. Whoop, Whoop!