
UNION SQUARE MAP
Amazing
Strangers
• Skaters
• Gravers
• Scenesters
• Junkies
• Peepers
• Fundies
• The DJ
• Quarter Guy
Reader Mail
• Hate
Mail
• Fan
Mail
• Special People
• Punk
Mail
Girls
• Super
Chics
• Unholy
Army
• Love Diaries
Art
• Portfolio
• Hire
Comics
• Satan's
Salvation
• Neptune
• Sheeples
• Hatemail: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
• WWJD? 1, 2, 3
Games
• Dressups
• Nun, Treasure Hunt
• Dress me up!
• Schoolgirl
Dressup
• Find
Jesus
• Jesus
Darts
Adventures
• Tour
? Amazing Strangers
• God
Ate My Balls
• Unholy
Army
• Love
Diaries
• Illustrated Stories
Radio
• NoBS
Radio
• Interview
Film
• Movie
Reviews
• My movie
• Passion
of the Christ
Store
• Magnets
• Pins
Promotionals
• Fliers/Pamphlets
• Wallpaper
• JDU
Banners
• NBS
Banners
Outside Links
• ConcreteTV
• Banksy
• Ex Muslims
• Richard Dawkins
• Bob Smith USA
Other
•
Myspace
• Wikipedia
•
Chatroom
|
<< PAST | NEXT >>
Junkies

Photo by Normal Bob
| Their garbage at their feet, the gentle breeze
pushes them like limp feathers, to and fro. The Junkie sway is
welcoming
everyone back to spring in New York. Thanks you two. Now please get off
the stage. |
|

Photo by Normal Bob
| You know, I can sit and make fun all day long but the truth is they got somethin' I don't got. They got each other. They've found love to keep them warm on those cold winter nights ahead. And what do I got? *Lookin' in every direction* Nothin'! I'm alone, and they get TWO thrills! Love and junk! Christ. Where did I fall off course? |
|

Photo by Normal Bob
| Okay, good. It's nice to see someone who doesn't have it all. I mean, he has one of the things (junk), but not the other (love). Thanks God! |
There's just nothin' worse than havin' to see all these people around who've got everything. One thing is fine, but two things? That's one too many for me! I feel much better now. |
|

Photo by Venessa Nina
| One of the funny things that I've experienced since moving here to New York that I'd never seen before is witnessing first hand the frequent and predictable junk related falls of the human being over the course of just a couple years. This girl is one of those cases. |
| Just a few years ago she was another teenager hangin' around the cube, goth, bashful and (found out later) a runaway. Then the winter comes and goes, and in the spring I see her doin' more of the punk thing, hangin' out with squatters, a little less feminine, a little more soulless. The transformation is so predictable. |
| Then another year passes and there she is, a useless junkie squatter nodding out in a Starbucks with her Grande Mocha Frappuccino and her forehead on the tabletop. Now I've almost gotten to the point where I can see the kid and predict their nodding routine almost to the month. It's sad but true. |
|

Photo by Normal Bob
| Okay, I'm going to present two scenarios to you and you have to choose the one you think actually happened one fine day at Union Square. Ready? Here we go! |
| #1. A headless man walks up to the steps at Union Square Park, sits down in front of me and proceeds to pour chocolate milk down his neck hole while he watches the Bush protestors. |
| #2. Another junky, after finishing off a box of Entenmann's doughnuts, nodding off, head drooping down past his shoulders, almost falling forward, but never... quite... toppling.. over... to the... ground... beneath.. him. |
| You guessed #2? Yeah, you're right. It's #2. |
|

Photo by Normal Bob
| And what's a page of Amazing Strangers without some junkie stuck in a nod tryin' to light a cigarette in this position for 7 and a half minutes? |
| It's just not as much fun, that's what! |
|

Photo by Normal Bob
Listen. Being a dad ain't easy. You gotta constantly be aware of the baby's needs. If its cryin' you'll shove anything in its face just so it'll shut up, and you always need to have your desk chair close at hand. Then before you know it you've gone through like 8 cans of soda, you've pissed your overalls, and the baby's finally shut up, but only after it's completely buried in whatever junk it was cryin' for. |
When does that give you time to sleep? Yeah. So shut the fuck up. |
|

Photo by Normal Bob
So anyhow, Jewels has been a sore on the ass of the East Village for the past 15 years or so, getting more and more infected as time goes on. He regularly harasses everyone he can get within 20 feet of and I've even been so lucky as to witness him jerking off while crying, sitting on someone's front step, while the lady who lived there waited for him to finish so she could take in her groceries.
|
Jewels is one big fucking mess, and I have avoided posting him on my site because he has the ability to make any person's life in the E. Village one living hell on earth. If you don't believe me click here and see for yourself.
|
|
| I took this
picture on the train thinkin' there was a chance he was
just a guy fallin' asleep on his way home from work or
something. |

Photo by Normal Bob
| But this is
totally a junky. And you can be sure it's junk when no
matter how far they sink they never... ever... really...
totally... fall... over. |
|

Photo by Normal Bob
And yes, you too Mr. Junkie! You too are part of my Union Square summer sunshine day dream! You and your David Lee Roth antics under a rusty spoon influence and the warm breeze of body odor.
I even ache for you.
|
|

Photo by Normal Bob
| There will never be a New York City like fuckin' old school rock-n-roll Ramones style Bowery junkie New York. All that's left are few scattered bones who still somehow manage to walk around upright. Ghosts of what NYC used to be. |
|

Photo by Normal Bob
| What the fuck are you talking about?!?! |
| New York still fuckin' rocks! It's still CBGB's, Jack Daniels and smack, not even a mother could love, Romones-esque black tar in a syringe! Only now it's just a little more bisexual and there's a better selection of hair dyes. |
|

Photo by Venessa Nina
Jesus Christ!
If it hasn't been made totally clear to you already, New
York City has a junky problem! They're all over the place
conking out everywhere, slowly dying on every street corner.
This one here
is 8 months pregnant begging for spare change while nodding
off on heroin. |
|

Photo by Normal Bob
Oh yeah, and you can be sure it's Springtime at Union Square beach when the lifeguard slumps over into a junkie-nod and he does not see his shadow.
|
Spring has returned along with my smile.
|
|

Photo by Normal Bob
| Yeah, that's
right. Another fuckin' junky crashed out on a park bench
who doesn't even know what planet he's on. I dunno. What
are we gonna do? Does life even have any value anymore?
Does anyone think about tomorrow? What is love? |
|

Photo by Normal Bob
| So Skater Bob and I are hangin' out in front of Duane Reede on Broadway & 8th and there's this junky lady that we're both familiar with hangin' around the garbage can there on the corner. She's just kinda strollin' around it, and then she went and seemed as if she was throwin' something away, like a napkin or something. But instead of tossing whatever it was in, she reached in and kinda held her arm in there for a little longer than any normal person would. She was just sorta lookin' up while her arm was hangin' in the trash can. |
| So then she went inside Duane Reede and Bob took my camera, walked over to the can, and snapped a picture of the inside. Then he brought the camera back and we zoomed around on the display until we found what we were lookin' for. Can you find what we found? Click and see if you find it. It's fun! |
| So then of course after spotting the "item" we both started laughing our heads off, and I stood on top of this ledge so that I could see what they were all doing in there. And when I got a glimpse of them in the checkout line I held my camera as high as I could and started snappin' pictures of 'em though the store window. And I got this great shot of the both of them! |
Photo by Normal Bob
| The one on the left side is the one who was hangin' over the trash can (that's a giant scab on her forehead), and the one on the left (we found out later) was trying to return merchandise that they didn't purchase! It's just funny, and that picture of the inside of the trash can is so perfect! If you didn't spot what I'm talkin' about, click here and I'll show ya. |
|

Photo by Normal Bob
This is Freddy about 2 and a half years ago (Jan, 04). |
He's showing his track marks to the camera. Freddy was
the only
junkie I've seen who actually had energy when he was shot up. He'd
dance and rap for ya, and he'd also be quite up front about his usage. |
About 4 years ago I was waiting in a long line to use
the bathroom at Starbucks. And everyone in the line was getting really
mad because someone had been in the restroom for a long fucking time.
Then, after like 20 minutes, out comes Freddy, soaking wet from head to
toe, sayin', "The toilet's
busted." |
Ever since then I've followed the ups and downs of
Freddy, until he disappeared just before the winter of 2004. My friends
and I thought sure he'd OD'd. |

Photo by Normal Bob
But wouldn't
you know it, Freddy turned up yesterday and Union Square, looking about
10 years older, but coherent and sane none the less. I was impressed.
He told me he'd
been clean for 8 months, had just gotten out of rehab a couple weeks
ago. It's not a good sign to see him comin' back to Union, but at least
he's still alive on my flawless spring afternoon! |
|

Photo by Skater Bob
So I'm walking up to Union with a
friend explaining to him how Union Square is different at nighttime
than it is during the day. "It's a
whole different scene. People are a little crazier, drunker and
stupider." Then, not five minutes after we sit down on the steps
there this grinning junky comes up and starts singing to us, then shows
us his arms, and proceeds to squeeze pus out of his track marks,
rubbing it all over his arm. [see video, if you dare] Fucking
outrageous, right? |

Movie by Normal Bob
Afterwards the junky bums a
cigarette and takes a huge drag from it, turns his head and vomits like
a fucking volcano all over the steps right were we're sitting! We all
leap up and scramble several feet away, laughing in complete disgust
while the newly refreshed junky runs off into the night.
|
|
|
<< PAST | NEXT >>
(C) 2008 All pictures featured here are my property because they were taken by me & my friends with my camera, so they're all mine!
NORMAL BOB SMITH DESIGN NEW YORK
|
|