Several years ago some friends introduced me to the spectacle that is Jesco White. He lives in the mountains of West Virginia where he channels Elvis, torments his wife regarding her egg-frying skills, dances on top of a doghouse, and generally passes time huffing lighter fluid.
Jesco was the subject of a student documentary, The Dancing Outlaw. An amateur filmmaker traveled the wilds of Appalachia in search of colorful characters. He hit the motherlode when he found Jesco, that's for goddamn sure.
The first time I saw The Dancing Outlaw, I was uncomfortable for the first few minutes. Clearly Jesco did not have the advantage of a privileged upbringing. He wasn't the most sophisticated or well-educated of men, and mocking someone for those reasons is a mighty shitty thing to do. Hell, laughing at anyone else's expense is a shitty thing to do. But as time went on, I couldn't hold in my laughter any longer. Partly because I'm a stone cold bitch, but mostly because it was abundantly clear that this guy (and his assorted family members) were perfectly content with the people they were. They knew they were different than a lot of other people, but by god they liked it that way and if you disagreed too vehemently they'd totally cut you. Their way of life was uncomplicated and straightforward, and if others wanted to poke fun, well let 'em. And for those reasons I was able to laugh my ass off without compunction.
I wish these people the best, and I genuinely hope they are happy. But I cannot stop myself from introducing y'all to the most spectacular redneck spectacle that ever was: Jesco White.
Jesco was the subject of a student documentary, The Dancing Outlaw. An amateur filmmaker traveled the wilds of Appalachia in search of colorful characters. He hit the motherlode when he found Jesco, that's for goddamn sure.
The first time I saw The Dancing Outlaw, I was uncomfortable for the first few minutes. Clearly Jesco did not have the advantage of a privileged upbringing. He wasn't the most sophisticated or well-educated of men, and mocking someone for those reasons is a mighty shitty thing to do. Hell, laughing at anyone else's expense is a shitty thing to do. But as time went on, I couldn't hold in my laughter any longer. Partly because I'm a stone cold bitch, but mostly because it was abundantly clear that this guy (and his assorted family members) were perfectly content with the people they were. They knew they were different than a lot of other people, but by god they liked it that way and if you disagreed too vehemently they'd totally cut you. Their way of life was uncomplicated and straightforward, and if others wanted to poke fun, well let 'em. And for those reasons I was able to laugh my ass off without compunction.
I wish these people the best, and I genuinely hope they are happy. But I cannot stop myself from introducing y'all to the most spectacular redneck spectacle that ever was: Jesco White.
Jesco White
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