SC Day 6- Bushes, Buttons, and Behind the Scenes Footage
Today was a day that was more about quality than quantity. I didn't really do very much, but I did enjoy everything I did quite a bit. Part of the reason, it was a lazier day was because after two days of staying out late drinking with Ally, who I will fully admit is made of much stronger stuff than I am, I was totally worn out so I slept in for most of the first part of the day. When I did wake up, it was because I had left my door open, and my Air BnB host's li'l scottie dog was very curious and very friendly. He did make for a pretty adorable alarm clock though. I particularly like the picture on the left because you can tell by his ears that he knows he's not supposed to be there but he's still gonna ride this out as long as he can.
Once I was awake to my canine friend's satisfaction, I head out to try probably the only coffee shop in Columbia that I hadn't been to yet, Indah Coffee. It was very good and everyone their was quite friendly even if they didn't have any jokes on hand for me.
For lunch, I had a hankering for something vaguely healthy so I went to Real Mexico Restaurant Y Tienda. Everything was amazing and crazy reasonably priced. I got an order of shrimp tacos, which came with cilantro, house salsa, lime, and avocado. Each ingredient was top of the line on its own but they all complimented each other really well. I wouldn't have thought about avocado and shrimp going so well together, but it was really refreshing in an odd way. If you have that weird genetic thing where cilantro tastes like soap, you would actually have the option to not have it unlike at Chipotle. If you're a normal person though, cilantro is great. To wash it down, I got a glass of the house horchata and then instantly ordered another one because it tasted so good. Being from the Northeast, I guess I probably don't really know what authentic horchata tastes like, but I've had some that overdo it on the cinnamon and it gets kinda hard to finish towards the end. This wasn't like that at all, and it was one of the most well balanced, tasty drinks I've ever had. Tortilla chips before the meal were also complimentary which only sweetened the deal.
After lunch, I decided to head out to Bishopsville to see two different staggering works of human creativity that I was really excited about. My first stop was Pearl Fryar's Topiary Garden. Pearl moved to South Carolina and worked in an aluminum can factory. As a hobby, he began to rescue plants from a local nursery and began teaching himself the art of topiary. He took to it naturally and soon his talents and his garden grew to unimaginable proportions, earning Pearl worldwide artistic acclaim. He was even the subject of a 2006 documentary. Every part of his garden from the pavement on the path to the "junk art" sculptures that complement the shrubbery was done entirely by Pearl himself, and it is just an awe-inspiring place to visit. Some of the sculptures are impressive for their creative shapes and designs, some for their sheer size, and frequently both. On the yard to the side of his main garden, he's mowed into the grass the words Love, Peace, and Goodwill in lettering too big for my camera to adequately capture.
And he's still at it! Into his 70s now, Pearl still lives at the residence and is more than happy to talk to passing tourists and sightseers. I had a good long conversation with him, and he explained the whole story of the the garden to me first hand which was really cool. He also said that he doesn't charge to see the garden, but he does take donations and he's started a non-profit that helps promote arts and enrichment programs for schoolchildren. Referring to the fact that he might have not even known he had this skill unless he had gotten the opportunity to try out making topiary art on his own, he said the great quote, "Schools can teach you everything except how to do what you love and what you're good at it"
After Pearl's garden, I set out for my next stop but had to stop almost immediately because I got excited to see a real life cotton field for the first time. I've heard a lot about them in history class and Creedence Clearwater Revival Songs, but if I'd driven by them before I'd never noticed until now.
My next scheduled stop was the Button King Museum. Dalton Stevens, the recently departed Button King, suffered from insomnia so to keep himself busy while he couldn't sleep without waking up his wife, he began sewing buttons onto an old denim jumpsuit. After 3 years and 16,333 buttons, he moved on from the jumpsuit and began using glue instead of sewing. He covered his shoes, a guitar, and eventually his corvette which took 150,000 buttons. His button fever caught media attention, and he wet on several shows including Letterman and Johnny Carson in a full button suit to sing songs on his button guitar. The museum didn't have any CDs but I found this nifty little video of him performing:
While all of his button works were impressive my personal favorites were his totally buttoned up outhouse, and a button hearse complete with button coffin. He actually made two button coffins, one for show and one to be buried in. You've got to admire that kind of commitment to the bit.
After the button museum, I drove back to my Air BnB and promptly took a long nap. I had intended to make plans to hang out with Ally again, but between my nap and her already having plans to see The Last Jedi with her brother, it didn't end up happening. Instead I just kind of had a quiet night in.
Before totally settling in for the night, I made an outing to get some chicken tendies at Nicks' Gryos and Grill. Ally had recommended the place, and it was also very close to where I was staying which appealed to my sense of laziness for the day.
The fried chicken was excellent but unfortunately I didn't get any pictures because even though it was only a short drive back to the Air BnB, none of the tendies made it because I am a disgusting garbage disposal of a person. I guess that could be viewed as a compliment to the chicken.
Once I settled in permanently for the night, I watched the Netflix documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton. The documentary is a mix of never before seen behind the scenes footage of from Jim Carrey's decent into method acting madness playing Andy Kaufman in the movie Man on the Moon intercut with an extended interview with present day Jim Carrey. I'm a big fan of Man on the Moon, I grew up watching Jim Carrey, and I fell in love with Andy Kaufman in high school, so I was really excited for this movie and I did not feel let down at all. While there are some really good anecdotes and archival footage about Andy, Jim is really the main star of the show. After watching the whole thing, I'm not sure exactly what his genius to genuinely mentally unstable ratio is, but his life and his performances are so interesting to behold. It makes you want to see him do more and also get all the help he needs. The behind the scenes footage is really incredible, and while I'm sure it must have been insane to live through all the hellish method acting shenanigans in the moment, they're frequently hilarious with the benefit of hindsight. One segment where Tony Clifton visits the Playboy mansion is particularly incredible but I don't want to spoil any of it here. The interview portions with Jim are also very insightful and funny, and he seems like he's really being allowed the freedom to be open and honest with and about himself for the first time to this extent in some time. I'd highly recommend it. It might be a little high and inside for some people, but its a real must watch for weird comedy geeks like me.
Favorite Random Sightings: Dada Hair Hut; Big Daddy Fireworks; Out-spoken Bicycle Repair; Scoopy Doo's Gelato
Regional Observation: I'm not sure where it started exactly but at this point in the South, the highway rest stops really only have a little center, vending machines, and bathrooms. Gone are my beloved highway Sbarro's and D'Angelos of the Northeast.
Albums Listened To: Maggot Brain by Funkadelic; The Magic of Youth by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones (their most recent album. My siblings didn't care for it, but I think it's pretty solid); Magic Time by Van Morrison; Magical Mystery Tour by the Beatles (definitely one of their stranger ones)
People's Favorite Jokes:
Since nobody gave me any today, here's Andy Kaufman eating ice cream:
Three Very Different Songs of the Day:
The story goes that on the album right before his big titular guitar solo George Clinton gave Eddie Hazel acid and told him to play like someone had told him that his mother had died, but that then he later found out that she was actually alive
Some good ol' local boys
Van scatting along to his own guitar solo at the end makes me really happy. He doesn't even do it into the mic, so you know it's compulsive