ROX-TV lands in Ohio to cover the Gathering of the Juggalos 21 and to catch all the madness and insanity on the ground.

Welcome back to the ROX-TV website. I’d like to thank all the readers who have returned and welcome all the cats we’ve picked up along the way. This was a very special year for me and my return to the dopest music festival on earth. As you may know, we’ve been running articles over the past few weeks about some of the artists that would be performing at the GOTJ21 and I encourage anyone who hasn’t already peeped them out to do so when they get a chance.

I had been counting down the days until it was time to pack up shop and head south to Thornville Ohio where shit was about to get all the way live, in person and proper. For people that read my articles, they know that there is nothing better than showing up in the flesh to catch the sights, sounds, and debauchery that only a live concert can offer. I’m an old school Juggalo from Genesee County Michigan and have been down with the clown for almost three decades. The 810 and Flint Town is definitely an old school “Clown Town” and we’ve been celebrating the Dark Carnival for many years. Call it intuition or some inner knowledge, but when the GOTJ21 was announced, I knew on some cellular level that I would be in attendance to celebrate the Juggalo Culture and revel in all the glory that comes with it.

I was in attendance at the first Gathering of the Juggalos in Novi Michigan in 2000 and although many years had slipped away, I was excited to not only be attending as a fan, but this year I would also be carrying the ROX-TV banner into battle. We celebrate the Insane Clown Posse and the world in which they have molded from the rust and dust of Southwest Detroit all those years ago.

I think its rather funny how the times have changed over the years, from the Dark Carnival being shut out of every known avenue from radio to cable, only to outlast the hate machine and eventually conquer all. ICP never went mainstream, they just kept grinding until the whole world gave up trying to fight the inevitable and finally accepted the Wicked Clowns and their followers. When I was a kid, coming up in the 810, we were dissed and worse for being fans of the ICP. People said the music was bullshit and that it wouldn’t last. Others said it was just garbage, preferring some stale alternative MTV horse shit. Well guess what? We out lasted those MFERS and all the shit talkers.

You can usually tell when good or unique music is around by the amount of the pushback the artists receive. This can be done for a variety of reasons including envy, jealously, ignorance, or just plain out feeling threatened by something that people didn’t understand or couldn’t compete with. This my friends is what happened and I’ve lived long enough to watch it all go down in real time. Where once there might be pockets of Juggalos in a town or city, there is now a nation wide army of die hards.

ICP has long since stopped trying to appeal to the big names, they come to them. Where shit talkers can only muster a handful of paying customers, the Insane Clown Posse literally has to create a small city in order to serve it’s Juggalo community for a couple of days. For someone that was down since the humble beginnings, the ride has been something to witness. I wouldn’t have cared one way or another, because I’m down with the Clown for life (literally) and will be in death (via my ICP tats), but it brings a smile to face to know that we’ve won.

I will repeat that for all the simple minds and obstacle builders, who have tried for decades to kill the message. “Hey assholes….we won…..so fuck you”. How do I know we’ve won? Because I just got back from Ohio and seen it for myself, much like The Warriors did when they cruised down from Coney Island to peep out Cyrus at the big gang meeting (if you don’t know, you better watch that movie, for real). And just like The Warriors, who had to bop some serious heads to prove their skills and fighting ability, ICP has been downing “Orphans” for years, who attempted to prevent the word from getting out.

If your a younger person, Juggalo/Juggalette, or whatever just know this….shit talk is the first indication that whatever your doing is better than what others have to offer. They feel intimidated or nervous. Pay the “mouth pieces” no mind, that’s usually all they can do and the best way to deal with them is to outshine or ignore them. Toxic minds can grow no gardens and there is no point in arguing with crazy people, so just bust wide and dip around the junk heaps.

Be proud of this thirty year legacy and community which has slowly creeped over the country and the world. There’s really no stopping this shit anymore and no one can oppose the Dark Carnival.

THE JUGGALOS are working on the generational affect now, with old school cats bringing their kids down to check out the music. This Carnival shit is going to be here a long time my friends and will surely outlive me. I take pride in saying that. We are not like anyone else and we don’t have to be, because the scene has been carved out by Psychopathic Records and the Insane Clown Posse. We have a home…..

So with that, I will get busy trying to recreate the Gathering from my perspective so that people can see and feel what it was like for me on a few hot ass days in August of 2021. We came together as a family, enjoyed the time, and did what we do. Articles will be coming in the following hours and days, check them out. Let’s get to it……

Signing Off,

Mike Shepard

ROX-TV Head Writer

kidvicious810 on IG

shepard2909@hotmail.com