The Village Voice's cover story on the strange, strange phenom that is the Juggalos makes us jealous in the same way that you can't wait to get to the head of a traffic jam and see what all the rubbernecking is all about.
Insane Clown Posse have wisely turned this cultural leprosy into an elevator pitch. Over the course of nearly two decades, the wicked clowns, who bought their mamas houses on cartoon massacres and butt, nut, and slut jokes, have sold more than seven million releases, racked up three gold and two platinum RIAA-certified records, and accrued millions of dollars in merchandising. They advertise the Gathering as “the Most Controversial Music Festival in the World!” and promote ICP as the “Most Hated Band in the World.” Both are spins few would debate.
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As high-profile lowbrow exiles, Insane Clown Posse have become magnets for hundreds of thousands of fellow outcasts who call themselves Juggalos and Juggalettes, bonded by their outcast status. For approximately 10,000 of them, the Gathering is a yearly reminder that these white-rap-loving black sheep aren't alone. It is also an opportunity to shower in a trailer, ride in a helicopter, and get tattooed in the back of a pick-up truck.
“It's a motherfuckin' Juggalo Woodstock, only better,” Violent J has written. “There's more to do, more to see, more 'ho's to fuck, and it's all insane as hell.”
