Be Not Afraid: Notes on Jackass Forever
2024; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 17; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/thr.2024.a924116
ISSN1939-9774
Autores Tópico(s)Literature, Film, and Journalism Analysis
ResumoBe Not Afraid:Notes on Jackass Forever Donald Quist (bio) I I've fed the animals, combed the kitty litter, and taken the dog out to relieve himself of waste. The early light of this Sunday morning cuts through the open blinds to nourish the house plants. Dishwasher unloaded, floor swept, I boil water and wait for the kettle to whistle. I do some stretches to Coltrane's rendition of "My Favorite Things" and take some ibuprofen for the now chronic aches throughout my body. The tea is made, lemon and ginger, with a dollop of local raw honey and a small scoop of green powder superfood blend. Taking a seat on the living room couch, I pull a knit blanket over my legs. Elsewhere, bodies are congregating beneath steeples, sliding into hard pews, and reaching for hymnals. The dog comes to snuggle and rest beside me. I reach for a remote and turn on the TV. I know what I'm looking for. I've been waiting to watch for quite some time, and it doesn't take me long to find it among the streaming services. Soon the voice of Johnny Knoxville reads a warning. My mouth mumbles along in unison, "The stunts in this movie were performed by professionals, so for your safety and the protection of those around you, do not attempt any of the stunts you're about to see." A wistful smile sneaks across my face as a modified Jolly Roger crashes onto the screen, the crossbones below the floating skull replaced with intersecting crutches. I purse my lips to blow the steam rising from my warm mug. Between careful sips of tea, I chuckle softly, watching a Godzilla-themed stunt that replaces the mega-storied lizard with close-ups of Chris Pontius's penis being piloted with marionette strings through a miniature metropolis. The scene escalates with portable restrooms fired through the air, explosions, hails of rubber projectiles, and a flaming basketball. Things build to a massive gag ejaculation, and then a very real snapping turtle appears, eyeing Pontius' green-painted genitals. It is moronic and terrible and soothes me like the hot, wet, citrus spice passing over my tongue. Elsewhere, in this house, my wife and stepson are still sleeping, unaware of the spectacle of Jackass Forever. I've made sure to keep the volume on the television low so I don't wake them. But if I'm not too careful, my sputtered laughter is bound to disrupt their soft snores. [End Page 142] II I don't remember my first time watching Jackass on mtv. I assume I was high or drunk, sprawled out on stained carpet, a stripped mattress, or a ratty couch in a friend's basement. The show was the primary topic of conversation around my high school in the fall of 2000, but I was always too slow to be an early adopter. From the things people had told me about the show, I thought they must have been exaggerating or that the series was scripted somehow. There was no way a group of dudes had managed to get their own television show doing the kind of stupid things my friends and I did every day after class. Whenever I first saw Jackass, I must have felt a deep sense of recognition. An uncanny familiarity, the type of sentiment people express when they talk about seeing themselves and their experiences represented in media. I knew these boys racing shopping carts into curves behind grocery stores and launching themselves into shrubs. I knew the rush of running through fast-food drive-throughs to snatch a burger bag being passed to a customer. I knew that thrill of subverting unwritten social orders and how self-inflicted pain could make you giggle in surprise. I knew the tenderness and devotion that could exist between boys who pranked each other. I started watching the show weekly, even recording episodes to vhs in case my friends and I got the urge to rewatch particular stunts or segments for inspiration. Despite the warning at the start of every episode and, eventually, following every commercial break, the show encouraged me and my friends...
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