When I was thinking about what I wanted to put on my blog posts for this website, the first thing my mind gravitated towards was that I wanted to talk about the spontaneous road trip I took with one of my friends to Corpus Christi to meet a famous person that was torturing themselves in a big public display. For context, Kevin Abstract (also know by his real name: Ian Simpson) is the lead member of a boy band by the name of Brockhampton. This group is a collective I absolutely fell in love with about half a year ago when that same friend started showing me their music videos. Their style is a strange mix of chaotic and laid back, while covering a wide array of important topics that seem to go unnoticed in a lot of modern pop or hip hop, such as homosexuality in the hip hop industry, class struggle, and the deep seeded racism of the American South.
Luckily, when Kevin Abstract announced that he was pulling this ten hour treadmill run stunt outside of his childhood home on Brockhampton Street in Corpus Christi, I happened to have the day off and my date cancelled on me. So it was obviously initially bittersweet but I was excited to meet somebody that I admired so much. It was also an opportunity to be a part of something truly bizarre, which is an opportunity I rarely pass on.
When we got there after the two and a half hour drive, I was greeted by a famous person running on a treadmill. I mean it was about what you would expect. He was exhausted, he was trembling, and he was sweating harder than I've ever seen another human being sweat. But somehow the simplicity of it turned into something much more interesting when you saw the way he interacted with his audience. He answered every question he could, he took pictures with everybody who asked, and every once in awhile he basically started sprinting (seemingly just to see if he could even keep doing it). Along with that he showcased a lot of the local talent. There were two young women that performed while I was there, and Kevin had the whole crowd sit down and listen attentively to the fan performances, and to any onlookers it probably looked like a fitness cult listening to the most recent hymns lead by their famous hip hop minister.
Even though it was just about the oddest thing I'd ever seen out in public, I felt absolutely serene. Even after a few weeks of reflection I have trouble figuring out why. I'm so uncomfortable meeting celebrities, I constantly feel like a burden even if the person I'm meeting is doing their best to make every person they meet. Almost everyone there seemed younger than us, and in most every other situation like that I would feel so extremely out of place that my first instinct would be to run home to my roommates that are all pretty much my age and not leave the house until I have to go to work. In this situation I didn't feel a majority of that nervousness, and I felt like I was a part of something and for some reason it felt like something beautiful. As long as you avoided the comments on the YouTube stream, the whole environment was filled to the brim with positivity and a general sense of community and support. I felt like if this guy could get thousands of people to watch him run on a treadmill for ten hours, and then actually run on the treadmill for the full ten hours ending on a full sprint, then I could also really do anything I set my mind to. It was absolutely inspirational, especially when you consider that Kevin Abstract fought against the odds, racism, homophobia, and formed a successful diy experimental creative project. He was a kid growing up in a house in the middle of nowhere Corpus Christi, and now people will drive hours just to seem him run on a treadmill for ten hours outside of that very home.
I know it isn't the ultimate success story, and I am fully aware that this situation and the feelings behind it are only really applicable to me, but if I can impart anything from this situation it is that passion and dedication are so absolutely crucial to being an artist; as well as maintaining a positive outlook and demeanor through all of the stress. Kevin Abstract remained positive and comforting under extreme duress, and I cant even stay positive for more than an hour most days. I know it sounds ridiculous to say that this is an event that had me rethink my entire outlook, but it really did. I also know I spent a lot of time gushing over this guy I just met once, but what can I say? I felt how I felt and this is my truth, and thanks to this stunt I'm constantly considering how I can inject more positivity into my life and how I could potentially make a difference in the lives of others through my creative works.
So I wanted to say thanks to Kevin Abstract for just trying to create positive change and a sense of community for those who feel lost in the underground. Also, thanks for being so cool about us taking this picture while you ate your pizza, it was very funny and cool of you.
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