Sex, drugs, pedicabbing, a landscaping convention, and lots of dread

May 26, 2024 1:56 AM

The convention seemed endless. We wandered into Hall J. Everywhere, people clamored to shake the Palm Tree Wholesaler’s hand, either nervously introducing themselves or trying to hide their dismay as they reminded him of their names. I asked if he had a booth at the conference, if he was here to sell trees, and he said, “I’m on the board of the association. I’m the keynote speaker this year.” from The Smoke of the Land Went Up a short story by Andrew Cominelli [Guernica]
posted by chavenet (4 comments total)

"showed me black-and-white photos from his grandfather’s era, when the farm was modest, and then photos from the fifties, when it started expanding. In contrast to these quaint images — men in dented straw hats and rolled-up shirtsleeves, women in simple dresses that displayed muscular arms — the present-day farm seemed sterile and bloodless, a place of machinery and noise, hardhats and neon safety vests, the older simplicity wrecked by the forces of efficiency."
posted by HearHere at 2:39 AM on May 26 [1 favorite]

Hunter Thompsonesque
posted by HearHere at 2:51 AM on May 26 [1 favorite]

Louisiana is also home to the world's largest prison, because it is the United States' largest prison/rodeo
posted by HearHere at 3:04 AM on May 26 [1 favorite]

I wouldn't compare this piece to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, despite the similarity of people experiencing a convention while high. Some of that is just due to the immense cultural baggage that FALILV has; it's probably HST's biggest hit, but also kind of overshadowed much of the rest of his career. This just has a calmer energy to it, and even the most unrealistic element of it--the hotels under construction collapsing in series, like dominos--seems like it wouldn't surprise me if it actually happened. And the ending is simply great.
posted by Halloween Jack at 11:18 AM on May 26 [1 favorite]