Clint Woodside

Suburban Youth Pop Quiz #11 — Photographer and Deadbeat Club publisher Clint Woodside remembers Vanna White, Fugazi and freaking out the cops from from his Rust Belt suburban youth.

To celebrate Huck 45, curated by artist, skateboarder and chronicler of teenage California Ed Templeton, we are having a Huck website summer takeover dedicated to Ed’s longtime muse, suburbia.

In this regular series, the Suburban Youth Pop Quiz, we ask characters from our world what their suburban youth meant to them.

Number eleven is photographer and Deadbeat Club publisher Clint Woodside.

Where did you grow up and can you describe it in three words?
A suburb of Buffalo, NY called Amherst.
3 words: Rust Belt Suburbia.

Who was your weirdest neighbour?
I’m scared it might have been me… but other then me, maybe my friend Pat. He had a thousand dogs that all lived in his basement, would listen to Vanilla Ice and wear Iron Maiden shirts… kind of all over the place. We would hang out there all the time because his parents were never home.

What was the most important record you owned?
I feel like it really depends on what year… it changes so many times. But for simplification, Fugazi’s Repeater.

Where did the bad kids hang out?
Oh the bad kids… There where a few different groups, but the one I remember best is Don Nowak, who would get a 2 litre, dump the soda and fill it with gas and just huff it while he would wander main street. There was a large office park that was getting built, and we would often just hang out in the empty buildings mid development.

Biggest fashion faux pas as a teenager?
A mullet maybe?

Who was your first celebrity crush?
Man… That’s tough… Maybe Vanna White? We have the same birthday.

Describe your first kiss.
End of 8th grade. Sue Bunn said good bye to me on the last day of school… and kissed me on the lips. That was the first time and I don’t think she knew, and to her I’m sure it was totally casual. In my head I was “well… that was my first kiss… oh well.”

What happened the first time you got drunk?
I was only drunk once and it was way after I lived in suburbia… I didn’t like it. I don’t drink, really.

What is the naughtiest thing you did as a suburban youth?
We used to hang out on the roof of a house down the way that was abandoned. That was early youth.
The other one was once after watching the video for Beastie Boys – ‘Sabotage’, me and some friends ran all over town with toy guns, in suits and acted like idiots. The cops came and freaked out on us… (they knew we had toy guns…) pulled their real guns and held it to my head and slammed my face in the ground. Suburban cops are 10 times more violent then real cops. They get so amped up to get into some real action… All hell breaks loose.

What was the best party of your teenage years?
There was a good one at my house once. For some reason I remember Sean Hanley got wasted and locked himself in the only bathroom. It was hell getting him out. I would go to shows more then parties.

What’s your most embarrassing suburban youth memory?
When Pat stole my girlfriend Gloria, and then made out (way further then I ever did) right in front of me. That sucked.

Who would you most like to see at a reunion?
Like, high school reunion? Tim Brand I think. Band reunion? I guess Fugazi… But I feel like they are not the “reunion type”. I saw them a lot… They were pretty amazing.

What was your first car?
An ’86 Chevy Cavalier.

What was your food of choice?
Grilled cheese on sourdough, bbq sauce for the fries… Still pretty heavy in the rotation. I did drink a lot more Mountain Dew back then. Thank god that stopped.

What was the biggest fight you ever had with your parents?
I cant really remember the biggest fight. Once, they wouldn’t let me go see Shelter at the Icon, so that was a big screaming match and I went anyway. But when I got there I got so scared I was going to get caught that I gave money to Scott Vogel to buy me a Shelter shirt and went back to the ‘burbs and hung out at Perkins.

What book/film changed your teenage life?
First it was Twin Peaks, then in my late teens, On The Road.

What posters did you have on your bedroom wall?
Oh man… I was such a weirdo. They are still up at my house. My room is pretty untouched. I have that poster of the Bones Brigade all doing handplants on the chin ramp, a few comic book posters (Punisher and Wolverine I think??) Matthew Sweet, Beastie Boys, then a bunch of hardcore posters. The Only The Strong comp had a poster… Farside (the punk band, from HB), Ashes.

Man, what a weird crossroads of mid teen suburban life in the early 90’s. The best is my bedroom door is still plastered with a ton of hardcore and skate stickers. My parents have not touched it and they have promised to give me the door as is and buy a new one instead of clean it off…

Any hobbies you didn’t give up?
I guess photography? That became more then a hobby though, I think.

What smell reminds you most of your suburban youth?
I guess any greasy diner. Definitely still my happy place to this day.

See other interviews in the Suburban Pop Youth Quiz series and buy the Ed Templeton issue at our online store.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Red shop frontage with "Open Out" branding and appointment-only signage.
Activism

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims

Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Cyclists racing past Palestinian flag, yellow barriers, and spectators.
Sport

Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification

Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Crowded festival site with tents, stalls and an illuminated red double-decker bus. Groups of people, including children, milling about on the muddy ground.
© Alan Tash Lodge
Music

New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture

Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Weathered wooden building with a tall spire, person on horseback in foreground.
Culture

Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South

Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.

Written by: Miss Rosen

A collage depicting a giant flup for mankind, with an image of the Earth surrounded by planets and people in sci-fi costumes.
Culture

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind

Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.

Written by: Emma Garland

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Katie Goh

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.