Lights are flashing, cars are crashing

Ever been bowling before? Ever thought about what goes on behind that back wall when your ball disappears? There are big machines back there that pick up, sweep away, and set down the pins. They move the ball onto a track so that it can come back to you. These machines are called automatic pinsetters. Unfortunately, a real person has to fix these beasts once in awhile. More often than not if the machines are old - and they usually are. People who work on these machines are often referred to as 'pin-chasers'. Some people call 'em 'pin-monkeys', but they hate that. Don't call them that. In my six years or so of being connected to a bowling alley, I've been a pinchaser, and I've encountered many. Some were co-workers, some worked at other houses. Everyone I've known who has done it for any lengthy period of time at the Garden Bowl in Detroit happens to be male, wear glasses, have a generally dark disposition in life, have an artistic or creative mind, and they all like the band Joy Division. One of them, is an insanely talented painter. He's also been to rehab for heroin and alcohol. Another recently showed work at the "Dirty" show this year. I believe it involved vibrators, but I'm not sure, I didn't make it out there. There's another who is a virtual encyclopedia of narcotics, and happens to be a music fanatic. In fact, drugs and alcohol seem to play a big part in the lives of these men. What is it? Why is it that people with dark and artistic lives tend to take these jobs where their hands get calloused, and their clothes get permanent grease stains, and they have to trim their frayed jeans if they want to keep their feet? I think it's a case of not being able to make a living on your art, so you give in and do something that allows you to work with your hands and feel and see a sense of accomplishment once you've finished a task. I liked the days when I couldn't get my hands clean no matter how hard I tried and the callouses made them rough. I felt like I knew that I just did something with my bare hands and I could see what I accomplished. I don't know, whatever, I liked it.