Posted on 09/27/2006 6:25:48 AM PDT by conservativebabe
ROCK ISLAND -- Mo likes to twirl fire.
A red stripe crosses her face like a mask. The words "Kill Your TV" are written in black from forehead to chin.
What appears to be a red nylon bath puff is strapped on top of Harrison's head, like a rooster's comb. It matches his red cutoff T-shirt. "Turn Off Your TV" is in black on his right cheek.
He sits on the upper stage of two handmade pontoon boats, strumming an acoustic guitar and singing. Bare feet dangle over the Mississippi River.
Sunshine and blue skies welcome their journey here.
"Harrison spits fire," Mo said from the river bank at Sunset Park. "We dance. It's fun. Then, we do puppets. We tell the story of the boat."
They call themselves the The Miss Rockaway Armada, and for the summer, at least, they've rejected conventional society and most of its trappings -- including last names.
One of their leaders, Santiago, 25, is a native of Trinidad and lately a resident of San Francisco. He's an artist.
It's a common bond among this group.
"All of us are artists and musicians," Santiago said. "It's a project. You know, there's a difference between working in terms of a career in which you do the same things every day.
"We find a social purpose that leads into the next project. It's a lifestyle in a way and a real push among young people."
Earlier this year, the Armada crew came together in New York with the goal of building a boat to travel the length of the Mississippi River. They scrapped wood and nails together, acquired two Volkswagen Rabbit diesel motors converted to run on waste vegetable oil, and built three 20-foot long pontoon rafts tied together.
They built everything in New York and California, then hauled it to Minnesota and hit the river in late July.
They perform when docked in towns along the river -- puppet shows, vaudeville-type plays, musicals. Visitors compare them to modern-day Mark Twain characters or Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters.
"We have recycling stations, 55-gallon drums of drinking water, two propane stoves, a fridge," Santiago explains. "The top floor is the stage where we perform."
Their journey started near Minneapolis. They hope to see New Orleans come spring.
The Armada's Web site says they have, "taken 20-person bands to Mexico, pulled off town square-sized guerrilla theater in Berlin, and fed hundreds of people with garbage and love."
"We do get a lot of donations from communities we come to," Santiago said. "We didn't realize fully it would be that way. We had raised money in the beginning and budgeted for our dieting.
"As we came down the river, people would just come out of their houses giving us things from their fridge," he said. "That has been amazing. The interaction between the communities on the river and our community -- how they sort of appreciate each other."
As Santiago speaks, Harrison continues strumming the guitar. Milk crates are all over their ship. Fruits and vegetables sit in bowls and baskets. Books -- including Plato's "Republic" and Boris Pasternak's "Doctor Zhivago" -- are stacked in a couple of makeshift libraries onboard.
Loki, 22, is dressed with a sleeveless shirt sporting the British flag. His face is painted black and blue with specks of paint lining his arms. He climbs up a fire pole on the galley to go upstairs on stage.
Curious visitors at the park are watching the Armada as if it and its crew arrived from another planet. One visitor from shore said they watched a show on Monday evening where the Armada troupe rubbed their hands together and chanted to make rain.
Santiago explains it's part of their show. A hand-carved frame with a sheet inside it brings the upper-level stage to life.
"We have puppets on long extensions of wood that are silhouetted against it," Santiago said.
The structures of their boat are designed to look like fish skeletons. On shore, small tents sprout up like mushrooms on the sandy beaches.
They are seeking anyone in the Quad-Cities that has riverfront property to allow them docking for the winter.
Santiago says the Armada keeps in touch with the U.S. Coast Guard to make sure everything is OK with their rig.
Mo gives a brief tour of their boat.
As many as 33 people are squeezed onboard, some leaving, new ones arriving. Most are young adults in their late teens and early 20s.
They have rudimentary plumbing on board, but anything more involves the kindness of strangers. "We beg for showers," Mo said. "We go to the YMCA."
They are scheduled to perform again later this week. To find out more information on the Armada, view their Web site at www.missrockaway.org.
"We advertise by word of mouth and go to the coffee shops," Mo said.
Her mother understands this sojourn, Mo said. They enjoy listening to a Boston Red Sox game together on the radio when Mo's around home.
"She understands it's something I need to do," Mo said of her mother. "I'll take care of myself. We all look out for each other.
"The boat is really like our family."
Low life bums need to get a real job so they can buy for their own riverfront property and pay property taxes.
holding nose ...
No 'MO'... come October jerkwad!
Wotta coinkydink.
A Red Stripe crosses my face as I watch TV.
They built everything in New York and California, then hauled it to Minnesota and hit the river in late July.
I wonder how much petrol that took :)
LMAO! Uncanny!
Um, I think the Chinese Buffet down the street will be getting my business, thanks!
Why I'd pay top dollar to watch these talented performers. {{hic}}
I used to have riverfront property and I would have at least made them work for docking there. They would come in handy when it comes time to shovel snow.
"We advertise by word of mouth and go to the coffee shops," Mo said.
Really? So what's the 'Booking' link on the website for?
From their website:
We’re building this boat entirely from salvaged materials. Wood dumpstered and begged from construction sites, buckets of screws donated by kind crew members, rope found on the sidewalk, and blocks of foam from both coasts.
I can't help but think about the Manson Family when I look at this bunch and read the crap on their website.
Hippie Wait Person: Thank you for coming out to the Che Armada tonight - may I take your order?
Diner: Uh, yeah, can I see a menu?
HWP: Well, we really can't afford menus, and besides, paper and ink harm the environment, and printing companies are so bourgeois...
Diner: Uh, OK. Can you tell me about your specials?
HWP: (Brightens) Oh yes! Tonight we are featuring a little dish we like to call "Garbage" - we just got a fresh load of it in this morning!
Diner: (looking around and sniffing slightly) Hmmm, I don't know.....Do you have anything else?
HWP: Well, we can also offer "Love"...
Diner: (really looking at HWP for the first time) AAAHHHH! Oh, I mean, ah, you know I just remembered a very important appointment that I must be at, right now, across town, and I'm not as hungry as I thought anyway...
HWP: (shaking head and mumbling as diner exits) You know these people would be happier and live longer if they would just stop once in a while and smell the garbage...
LOL! Very creative.
Thanks! I was thinking maybe they could work that into one of their skits... :-)
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