Interview with an Equipment Operator
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One guy at Pole was trying to take me under his wing. He thought I was a scientist helping out with the dishes. This was back when I wore John Lennon specs. He told me not to take offense because the Polees were just in their little zones already, and they saw me as an outsider. A bunch of them told me I could have free beer. They took me into this building and there were stacks and stacks and stacks of MGD. They told me, "You can have that beer for free! Take as much as you want!" I couldn't figure out why no one else was drinking it. I had never heard of old beer that was no good. I'd never seen that before.
So I was drinking MGD in the lounge above the galley one night. A girl was playing the guitar, and some guy was harrassing everyone. I was smoking and he turned to me and said, "I'll put my fucking boot in your head." I was just smoking. "I'll put my motherfuckin' boot in your head," he said. I left after he cornered me in the back. He was grabbing me and stuff. That night he got in a fight. The next day they fired him and he flew out.
Did you see any other violence at Pole?
No, but here's a story. Every year they send a Brownie or a Girl Scout down to the Pole. They get the ultimate VIP treatment. Do you know what I'm talking about?
Yeah. "Visit the scientists, little buddy."
Right. I wasn't in charge of this mission, but this guy stole a Spryte to go out to the old crashed airplane away from Pole. He had no authorization. He just jumped in a Spryte and went.
Who was the guy?
I think he was a mechanic. The guy was mad. He had a big fluffy hat. The Brownie drove while we surfed on the roof. He just pointed her in the right direction. It was like the Three Stooges. We got to the airplane and climbed down in it. When we came back the mechanic drove down the runway. The radio was not on. Suddenly we saw someone signal from afar, waving. There was an airplane coming down behind us. The guy pulled off real quick and said, "Run!" The plane landed right where the Spryte had been. We bailed and left a running Spryte there. I ran back to my room and hid. Later we had a little talk with the Brownie, "Just don't talk about going out to that airplane." The next day at the [All-Hands Meeting] they were trying to find out who was driving the Spryte.
What year was this?
94-95. I did fourteen months as a DA.. [laughter]
Was that your first year?
Yeah. That was the year they turned the greenhouse at Pole into a weed emporium. This was also when the Live from Antarctica show was going on. It was the first live video from Pole. They sent a schoolteacher down who was supposed to be Miss Goody-Twoshoes, representing the Live from Antarctica program. She was riding so much cock down there. She would just get done blowing some guy and then jump up, "Hi, students." She was doing the pilots. I think she was screwing around one night with the guy who wanted to put a boot in my head. The Brownie hung out with her.
The show was PBS?
It was PBS. They were going to try to do Live from the Amazon, Live from All Over, but funding for it crashed.
So you're in the first live feed from Pole?
Uh-huh. I'm in there when they're doing the Pole shot and the schoolteacher is talking. You know how they have two Poles down there--the one that looks good and the one that's moving?
Yeah, the real one.
The TV crew had us stand by the real one while they chiseled the Pole marker into its new spot. Which I'm sure confused everyone back home. It was fun though. My parents got to watch that.