[LEMONS] 6.07.2002
I Love LA
I spent most of last week in LA. Lower Alabama, that is. That's where I was born, and where I was mostly raised. My mom lives there and I still get back to visit every once in a while. I last went back on September 10, 2001. And I had gone home to help my mother care for my grandmother, who was in her final few days. So I didn't really get a feel for the place. But this trip was different. This time I got to look around a bit, and I'm pleased to report back on my native land.For starters, I was pleased to note that two of the small south Alabama towns I passed through had meth busts just before my arrival. In Flomaton, Alabama, the paper's two top stories were on a double-wide that had burned down thanks to a carelessly fired bottle rocket, and a domestic dispute call that led to a meth lab bust. Likewise in Eufaula, the Tribune reported that one of my grandmother's neighbors had been busted for meth. Now, I first came across meth back in the 80s in high school, and knew it as the Hessier's drug of choice. It was then largely confined to rural areas and urban white trash enclaves. It could be found predominantly at Cinderella, Skynard, and Crue shows. You still have to be a fucking idiot to do it, but it has become epidemic in California with the club set (who, it should be pointed out, tend to have equally shitty taste in music). I was glad to see that my people hadn't been awed by meth's newfound popularity, and were still representing. Shine on, you crazy mulletheads.
Another thing I noticed is that the radio has changed dramatically since I was last in the rural South. The rural Southern radio stations used to play three formats exclusively: country, r&b, and gospel/religious programming. As I drove all over LA and the Redneck Riviera (a.k.a the Florida panhandle) I found that today it's all country, hip-hop, nu-metal, and top 40 (which tends to consist mostly of... hip-hop and nu-metal). Now i remember why I started listening to Indie music in the first place. What hath Limp Bishit--who you'll recall are crackers from the panhandle--wrought? Furthermore, where did the gospel stations go? Have they been replaced by the sounds of rage? Where they run out by Clear Channel and its corporate ilk? I don't care if you've got that old-time religion or not, gospel is an inherent part of Southern culture. Despite spending hours with the "seek" button depressed, I didn't find a single gospel station.
This was yet another indication to me that Southern culture is disappearing, which is tragic. I realize most of you outside the South think Southern culture consists of nothing more than racism and football, but that's simply not the case. It is a rich and distinct asset worth preserving, minus the racism and football, naturally. Furthermore, I found Montgomery had been reduced to a never-ending stream of chain stores. This was alarming. Homogenization has accelerated drastically in the few short years I've been gone (or maybe I just notice it more, being away).
The food, however, remains the same. Fried and covered with gravy still seems to be the way to go. Unfortunately, I only had two really "Southern" meals while I was there (I also managed to eat Thai, Mexican, and Japanese cuisine). I love Southern food. Nothing in the world tastes as good. On the downside, however, I have a history of heart disease in my family and most of that stuff will stop your clock faster than, um, unplugging it. Or something. It's a tragedy.
Finally, I found that I miss the South. Despite all of its problems (and they are legion), it's where I'm from, and where my family is. I've become a Californian, but I'll always be a Southerner too.
- l i n k -
