Daniel Hill and Drew Ailes[Editor's note: Daniel Hill and Drew Ailes covered the 2013 Gathering of the Juggalos in Cave-in-Rock, Illinois.]
Seventeen-year old Cody Morin has been sponsored by the Make-A-Wish foundation, and attended the Gathering while staying at a nearby cabin. That's where we meet with the young man, who has a congenital defect in his liver. His one wish is to meet the members of Insane Clown Posse, his favorite band, and he has traveled over 26 hours from Vermont to make his dream a reality.
Cody's a pretty quiet kid, but like any self-respecting Juggalo, he's also psyched to see some titties.
With Cody is his mom, Darla Fletcher, a blonde woman in her 40s who is scheduled to go under the knife alongside Cody in about eight weeks. “No alcohol for me,” she says with a laugh. She will be donating a piece of her liver to her son, who is not eligible for a liver from a deceased donor. “They say he's not sick enough,” she says, rolling her eyes, despite the fact that he has had over ten surgeries in the last year.
“They cut him open and sent him home with a tube sticking out of his stomach.” she goes on to say. “And now I have to give him all of these shots. I'm not a doctor, but I had to figure this stuff out.”
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| Nate “Igor” Smith |
| Mimi Morin, Cody's sister |
With the two of them are Cody's sister, Mimi Morin, and his best friend Alias Foster. “He's my brother,” Cody explains. “We are really close.” Alias is a fresh-faced 17 year-old landscaper by trade, with an interest in underwater welding, a profession with a high mortality rate.
Alias rolls a blunt. “We're Gathering virgins,” he says. “Hell, we're concert virgins. We've never been to a concert before.”
The family is back at the cabin after spending a few hours at the festival so that Cody, who started feeling sick, can rest. Mimi is impatient — Anybody Killa is scheduled to play in about 45 minutes — but understanding. Cody is quiet; you can see in his face that he is concentrating on feeling well.
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| Nate “Igor” Smith |
| Alias, sitting in Cody's wheelchair |
On the subject of Cody's illness, Alias speaks with the kind of unintentional callousness that only a teenager is capable of. “It's kind of a blessing in disguise,” he says, “because otherwise we wouldn't have gotten to do this.”
“I'm glad you're having fun,” Cody shoots back with a look.
The family has been granted a spot on the grounds right by the main stage, where vehicles normally are not allowed to park. This is to make it possible for Cody to sit and be comfortable while watching the artists perform. They met with ICP on day four of the festival.
“It was awesome,” Cody says, his eyes lighting up. “Violent Jay was so cool. He got us all lunch. He said 'I'm fat. Is anybody else hungry? Let's get some food up in here!' and sent a guy on a golf cart away to fetch a feast of burgers, Philly steaks and ribs for everyone.”
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| Nate “Igor” Smith |
| Cody Morin and his mother, Darla |
“He was so nice, very open,” Darla elaborates. She then leans in, speaking quietly. “Like, now I know that Violent Jay is constipated. He told us that.”
While we are speaking, Jason Webber, Psychopathic Records' PR chief, pulls up in a golf cart. “Is everything okay here?” he asks, checking on the family. Constantly in motion, Webber has been seen running around like a chicken with his head cut off at this festival, juggling duties. “Everything is fine!” he is told.
Question for Cody: What has been the highlight so far?
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| Nate “Igor” Smith |
“Honestly, the highlight so far has been those titties,” he says with a wry smile, referring to a nearby girl who heard he was sick and came and, unsolicited, danced for him before walking away just as mysteriously as she walked up. Nearby, Alias nods his head in agreement.
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