A year ago, Alex Everett was a starving artist, living in Los Angeles' latest piece of prime real estate--Mount Washington.
He had just graduated from U.C. Santa Cruz with a degree in
Chinese History. However, the 23-year-old soon found himself in the
same position as many other 20-somethings making their way into the
workforce. He became an unwitting victim of the current economic
recession. After holding down a series of dissatisfying blue-collar
gigs (and suffering--like so many others--an unplanned layoff), Everett
decided to take control of his fate and work toward a greater goal. He
called upon his love of photography and used his impressive portfolio
within the field as a means to have his voice heard. He also pooled his
energy and resources into allocating a position that would showcase his
view of the world as well as his impressive literary talents. Today,
Everett is a contributing photographer at Allegory Weekly and a writer for the Union of Medical Marijuana Patients.
UMMP is a non-profit organization that advocates for patient
rights in the ongoing battle in the decriminalization of marijuana.
The group follows very carefully the latest news, initiatives and
current laws governing residents of each state in the union. It has
even filed suit against the Drug Enforcement Administration in Federal
Court for "extortion in their ongoing letter campaign against landlords
of legally compliant patient collectives." It is Everett's
responsibility to keep the public informed of the organization's
goings-on, as well as writing speeches for its leaders.
How does one evolve so quickly from would-be welfare case to someone
well on his way to achieving all of his most precious goals? To answer
that, you first need a grand picture of this immensely talented young
man.
Not to sound Freudian, but tell me about your childhood. A.E: I grew up in LA, always getting good
grades as a kid, haha, with a less consistent record when Iwas older.
I was always making a joke out of everything and anything. Its always
helped me see through anything that might seem daunting or scary,
especially in other people.
You've managed to do something that
not many people have been able to achieve recently, and that's find a
great job! Congrats! Still, I'd like to know: How has the economy
affected you as a recent college grad / new hire? A.E.: Well,
obviously its been hard, but everyone talks about that. For me, its
forced me to expand my options beyond what everyone else tends to look
at. It's pretty humbling to be part of a huge swath of young people who
are fresh out of college, totally in debt, and just trying to find any
job at all, much less a successful and prosperous one. I consider
myself lucky for what I've just found, but at the same time, that sense
of desperation has really helped me look beyond the traditional
options. Communes, labor networks that use alternative currencies, i'm
looking at all of that. because the traditional routes now look pretty grim.
Alex, in your words, why or why should marijuana not be legalized? A.E.: Personally, I think
marijuana should be decriminalized to grow and sell on a small level;
but if you look at the reality of legalization, it opens up a bad road
to corporatization, monopolization of the ability to grow and
distribute, and potential dilution or harmful modifications of the
plant itself for purposes of mass consumption.
So, you're now an advocate for the nation's weed movement. But what do you do for fun in your spare time? A.E.: I write for myself, I
really try and read as much as possible, always about stuff that I
think of as taking me further out on that edge of reality. Hunter
Thompson, then Daniel Pinchbeck, and... Well, honestly, it's not
limited to reading. In most of the things I consume and produce, its
like a race to find new things that get me more acquainted with the far
out reaches of pretty much anything. For a while it was history, now
its psychology and esoteric knowledge. There is literally too much
information accessible to us for me to sit and be happy with just one
book or one idea.
Which bands / musicians do you listen to? A.E.: I'm listening to DNA, an
old postpunk band from NY, right at this moment. I guess my favorite
artists are just a collection of weirdos and radicals... Boards of
Canada, Stereolab, the Manson Family (yes, they sang! and its great!),
PIL, Can.
OK, so here's the million-dollar question: When will you feel that you've achieved success in your life? A.E.: I
think we're always thinking of ourselves as on the road to something.
Right now i'd like to find myself in Europe on a semi-permanent basis,
but once that happens, I'll probably be thinking about some new goal. ¤
Not to sound Freudian, but tell me about your childhood.
