Last summer I was in Long Beach for a few days. It's been nearly a year since then, and yet the moment captured here, when I happened upon a group of local Gs keeping things real, haunts me still.
It's been said that the truest stories of a place like Long Beach aren't found in the lyrics to a hip-hop song, or in a dog-eared copy of the "Rough Guide." They're found, instead, in the hopes and dreams of the everyday people who don their tutus and headbands and go at it anew each and every day they live, always striving to do things a little better than they did the day before.
I guess that's what has stuck with me, what has caused me to wake up on so many afternoons drenched in sweat since this day, last July: The knowledge that, without warning, I came upon the naked and throbbing true heart of America's number one port city.
Real people doing real things. There is a subtle majesty to it all that damn near takes one's breath away.
For those of you who feel that faith has been lost in this country, I say to you: "Look here, and remember."
Doesn't matter who wins -- whether you're the victor or the girl-armed loser, you WILL be rolled by the giant rat.
The referee is wearing the classic uniform worn in sporting ceremonies in ancient days on the Isle of Man. I wonder if the LBC is home to an enclave of Manites.
That said, this photo is epic. Truly one of the best to yet grace this site.
Thanks, fellows! This is probably my personal favourite as far as what I've posted here goes. I was a little hesitant to post it at first, as it is such a deeply intimate portrait of how they do it down there; but then I posted it.
Whoa doggies!
Alex, there's about 5 different ways I want to go with this...please give me about 2 weeks. It's just information overload, and I need some time to come up with some good comments on this.
To begin, I'm wondering who will prevail in the fight of "Who's got next" between that giant mouse and Margaret Cho...
More to come.
Yes, for an ordinary scene of everyday folk doing what they do, it DID seem like there was more going on beneath the surface than appeared ... uh ... on the surface.
At the risk of sounding like a kung-fu movie: I look forward to your Five Different Ways.