Scenes From the New York Four Loko Memorial: Like the Tea Party, Just More Loko
Posted by Song_Hia on Thursday, Nov 18, 2010
Above, a slideshow; below, video of the peppy, delirious festivities.
A small crowd slowly gathered in Union Square yesterday evening. They lit candles, drank out of paper bags, and traded stories about “crazy partying” and “blacking out.” A woman passed out postcards offering download codes for free songs from the Scott Pilgrim Vs the World soundtrack. It wasn’t your typical crowd of skate punks and chess playing hobos.
The crowd had gathered to pay its respects to Four Loko), heir to the Sparks mantle of caffeinated booze, which is being banned in various states and from college campuses across America for its devilish combination of alcohol and caffeine.
The vigil was organized by Chiptune rock bros (and Motherboard faves) Anamanaguchi, who posted the following testimonial on the Facebook event page:
It is my personal belief that New Yorker and American Forefather, Alexander Hamilton, would have enjoyed Four Loko and made it his drink of choice during the grueling Battle of Yorktown – as it is a drink which can keep you awake and warm – perfect for when Hamilton and General George Washington led the remaining 2000 soldiers of the Continental Army across the Hudson to Brooklyn in pure silence under the dark New York City moon – a maneuver which saved the army, won back New York and ultimately America from the taxing hand of the British.
When they arrived they led an impromptu parade around the park. “Keep Four in the store!” “It’s loco to ban Four Loko!” “Think global, act Loko!” These were some of the rallying cries and signs bandied about as a crowd of a hundred or so gathered. The band implored the group to share memories of the departed drink. One reflective soul admitted that drinking Four Loko has only resulted in bad times in his life. He confessed that under its spell he had called his dad a “faggot,” but that the elixir forced him to examine and reconcile the differences between him and his father, ultimately “making their relationship stronger.”
The air reeked of the drink as Anamanguchi began their “acoustic” set on the west side of Union Square Park, which involved bongos, and a laptop plugged into a boom box. They proclaimed, “This song is called Helix Nebula, it’s about drinking Four Loko in orbit.” One mourner performed the booty clap for the entire duration of their set.
I had to go to five different bodegas on the way home before I found one that had any Four Loko left. Never Four-get. Or rather: always be Four-getting.
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