THE REAL WORLD SHELTER ISLAND SEASON 2
9-3-06 POST RATED: Cojo, Doc Coyle, Godforbid, Jain, WZZO, Tracy
OK, so it's not MTV's real world but it is 7 strangers from different walks of life all picked to live in a mansion on Shelter Island for a few days. Anyone who read the first REAL WORLD SHELTER ISLAND 2005 will remember what an enjoyable trip it was. If you haven't read it, I suggest you READ SHELTER ISLAND 2005 as a precursor to this update because I more fully explain the house etc. there.
This year it was almost the same group of people except two of the guys were replaced by two chicks making Doc Coyle (Guitarist from GOD FORBID) and myself the last men standing. Needless to say, it was fucking fun.
Seven strangers, picked (by JAIN) to live in a mansion, and have their lives photographed with digital cameras, to find out what happens when you don't have a TV, but do have a shitload of alcohol, and a few days of good weather. . . THE REAL WORLD. . . SHELTER ISLAND.
With my O & A appearance getting closer and closer, and with my year long sketch experiment SKETCH 365.COM winding down at the end of September my girlfriend TRACY and I weren't able to meet up with JAIN and crew at her Shelter Island Pad on the first night of partying, and now would only be able to crash at the mansion for two days.
The night before I was hanging out in Philly with my good friend and fellow artist RAN-D and a girl he's seeing named Miche. She lives in Philly so I've been able to hang out with Ran-D once every few weeks when he's in town visiting her. We had dinner at a crazy Yugoslavian restaurant Miche likes somewhere in Fishtown and I treated myself to my first ever Meat Strudel.
Tracy was visiting her parents in Allentown for the weekend so the next morning Ran-D dropped me off with her on his way back to his pad in Jersey after I helped him dead lift a tombstone into the back of his truck (besides being a painter and sculptor Ran-D also sandblasts names and death dates into tombstones).
I crashed the night at Tracy's parents, then the next morning after snagging some coffee, a light breakfast and a quick stop at a beer distributor Tracy and I took off NY bound. We arrived in Shelter Island about five hours later. Doc and the ladies were already poolside and the sun was pounding. The girls were all in their little bikinis trying to soak up sun. I carried our bags up to the same cool octagonal room with the dollhouse as last year, I suited up, put on some sun screen, cracked open the case of MIKE'S I had picked up at the distributor, filled a mini cooler with ice and headed down to the water.
Above- my empties day one.
We all had a swim and retired to the porch for cocktails. Tracy and I were introduced to the new women. Alison and Ali. We first met Doc's Girlfriend Ali. She's really cool. It was nice to have another couple around. It was great to catch up with Doc. The GOD FORBID Album IV: Constitution of Treason which he played us the rough cut of last year debuted on the Billboard Charts at #119 and he had toured with Anthrax in Europe since last time we hung out. I told him I'd paint a portrait of the band next time they get to Philly. It will probably be after they get back from their tour in Germany that kicks off next month, but it's all-good. These next few months are gonna be crazy for me.
Ali and Doc sitting on the porch
Jain
Tracy
The sun started setting and considering last year I didn't have this cool new five-mega pixel digital camera I voted we go down to the pool deck for some photos.
Alexis and new girl Alison were willing to sit for a few shots on the rail. Alison was the other new chick this year. She's been friends with Jain and Alexis for years, but new to me.
She's got chest tats.
We all packed into a few cars and headed over to PLANET BLISS for dinner, which was delicious (although the bitch brought me horseradish mustard when I asked for honey mustard!). We went there last year and the food was just as good as I had remembered.
We went back to the house and while everyone was out looking at the stars I decided it would be a great time for another dip in the pool, but after about five minutes of shivering my balls off I climbed out and changed into pants. Last year we visited Shelter Island about a month earlier in the summer so I should have factored in the later date as colder climate. No nighttime skinny-dips this year no matter how drunk.
Everyone was pretty beat by this time, and the people who were here and had partied the night before were more exhausted because they were up till the wee hours drinking and dancing to the Jackson Five like Jay and Silent Bob in Clerks 2. Everyone crashed early.
We woke up around noon. I packed a mini cooler again and hit the pool. Jain and a few of the other girls wanted to go to the actual beach and look for shells, but as Doc said when they asked him if he wanted to go "that requires walking." A motion, which I seconded. I was too busy floating and baking in the sun.
Doc and Ali had been talking all of the night before about how they were gonna grill up all this meat and tofu. Well, we were starving so now it was time to deliver. Doc, Jain, and I watched as Ali really did the bulk of the grilling, in a bikini and chef apron no less.
We ate the food and swam some more, and drank some more. We all chilled out in one of the living rooms. I call it the Jackie O room because the couches are all squared out blue like the 50's styles and the curtains look all huge and presidential. We talked about mainly music and TV shows. The girls made brownies, so we had chocolate, nachos w/ salsa, and booze. Everyone had ipods plugged into the speakers so the music mix was great. I mean, you got a great vacation spot and a professional DJ mixing the tunes, you can't loose.
One of the running jokes of the vacation was this copy of People.
There was some article about a dog that someone adopted and renamed. It was a Katrina dog named Max, and the owner found out that the dog was saved and wanted it back but the new owner wouldn't give it to him. They had renamed him something prissy and had grown attached to it. We kept giving the dog a voice and somehow that was funny. Mostly the dog bitching that it's name was Max.
With Tracy's third year of law school starting we had to shoot back to Philly so she could buy her books and start the summer assignments so we caught the last ferry back and drove through the night getting lost around JFK and somehow managing to get on the right track again by the belt parkway. Man, most of Long Island blows. I'm glad I got to have those few days on Shelter Island though. Jain is awesome and the best host. I really needed a calm before the storm that's just starting to unfurl this month. Back to the "Real" world.
Thanks again Jain!
LIKED THIS? THEN READ REAL WORLD SHELTER ISLAND 2005
Jain can be heard on weekends on 95.1 WZZO (which is also on the web), and also hosts her own show LIBERATION FREQUENCY if you are in a band that is unsigned, or just not getting the exposure you want- contact her and send her your shit. Doc Coyle's band's website is GOD FORBID.COM here is their TOUR SCHEDULE.
