ICP: Fans are 'down with the clown'

F-bombs and middle finger salutes will fly with the Faygo when Insane Clown Posse brings its wicked clown personae to The NorVa on Monday.

The band is a duo: Violent J, or Joseph Bruce, and Shaggy 2 Dope, also known as Joseph Utsler.

Some fans of ICP, called Juggalos, were caught off guard several years ago when the band announced that its brand of horrorcore rap, which includes profane, violent and misogynistic lyrics, actually urged fans to follow God.

We caught up with three Virginia Beach fans to find out about the Juggalo lifestyle, the meaning behind the band's "The Dark Carnival" mythology and what to expect at the show.

"What a Juggalo really is, in the main sense, we are outcast. At some point in your life you were pretty much told you were useless; you were worthless. Then one day you bump into someone else that just happens to be going through the same thing, and you've found a connection. Then you find out that there are more and more of you, " said 36-year-old Nick Fabila, who lives near Chimney Hill.

Juggalos have an inner society they call "family."

"They call it 'being down with the clown,' " said Jack Dyer, 17, of the Bayside area. " We come together because we like the music, we like the environment and the atmosphere. "

Seventeen-year-old Lauren Locke of Kempsville considers herself a Juggalo.

"My mom is not very fond of it," she said. "She doesn't understand what they are singing about."

The duo's fourth CD, "The Great Milenko," brought many more Juggalos into their "family." Fabila said each of ICP's CDs represents a different stage on the path to the afterlife. When "The Wraith" was released in 2002, it suggested that each Juggalo was responsible for his or her actions, and that those actions determine whether a soul goes to heaven or hell. In media reports at the time, Insane Clown Posse said it had used "street talk" and violent lyrics to appeal to fans in order to send a message to always follow God.

Did fans know what they were listening to?

"They lost a lot of fan base, but did not lose family base when they told everyone, 'Hey, we tricked you guys. You might think we are all about killing people when we are actually against all that,' " said Fabila.

Juggalos interpret the music in different ways.

"For me, 'The Dark Carnival' represents all the Juggalo family in one happy place. It's getting you ready for when you die. You see a lot of bad things now, so you're not going to be afraid of death when it comes," Dyer said.

"I listen to their music when I get angry because it usually calms me down," Locke said. "They have this 'I don't care' attitude that I can relate to."

The stage show features pyrotechnics, video backdrops, a hype man to get the crowd going and Faygo brand soda showers.

"They call it Juggalo Juice. They will shake it up and shoot it out into the crowds," Dyer said.

"You can expect to see a lot of face paint, although you don't have to wear it to be a true Juggalo," Fabila said.

When painting your face, Locke said, there are two main ways of doing it, "white and black, or white and red."

Dyer suggested wearing an ICP T-shirt to the show.

"You don't want to go in wearing a button-up because you will be looked at very weird, and will probably get harassed."

Patty Jenkins, (757) 446-2298, patty.jenkins@pilotonline.com