It would appear that I'm not the only one with a soft spot for Greaser boys. Apparently when Danny Boy O'Connor, founding member of House of Pain, isn't jumping around, he's asking for money to fix up the Outsiders house in Tulsa.
According to his GoFundMe page:
It was in 2009 when I ended up in Tulsa on tour and made my first pilgramage to the actual house, better known to fans as "The Curtis Brothers house," that was used in the filming of the 1983 movie. Located at 731 N. St Louis, Tulsa, OK, I was amazed and equally disturbed by the deteriorating condition of the historic house. I thought to myself, Why hasn't anyone stepped in to save this place? And why doesn't someone restore it and turn it into an Outsiders museum or something?
Well, and like, maybe I'm just being a jerk here, but like, the Greasers didn't live in a great area, did they? That's why they were Greasers and not Socs. Did you read the book, Danny Boy? Typically, houses in bad off neighborhoods don't get taken care of, regardless of what Brat Pack vehicle they appeared in. Also, just out of curiosity, what would you like to see in the Outsiders museum? I'm a huge fan of the book series and have "stay gold" stamped and printed on several items I own. But beyond a copy of Gone with the Wind and a switchblade, I don't think there are many items that those Greaser boys own.
Well, it's 2016 and we felt the time is now to step in as buyers before it fell into further disrepair and perhaps eventual demolition. Just this week we got a small group of friends together and purchased the house, but the battle is far from over.
Unfortunately the home is in extremely poor condition but there is hope and that's where you come in. We're in dire need of financial support from you, the fan of The Outsiders, to make this a reality.
Okay. Here's the deal, Danny Boy. I want to help you. I really do. I love The Outsiders as a book, and absolutely love to make fun of the movie and the terrible score. (Let's be real, it's the worst thing that Francis Ford Coppola ever did. Don't say The Godfather III is, because that was still nominated for Best Picture and Best Director.) But you're missing several promotional opportunities here. So, allow me to take the lead.
Here's the one thing you need to use to get people to donate:
Good job, Matt Dillon. You speak exactly like a rural Oklahoma teenager from the wrong side of the tracks would. No one can question that accent.
Anyway, the campaign needs to be renamed "LET'S DO IT FOR JOHNNY!" And honestly, if you were to sell t-shirts (at $30 a pop) that said "LET'S DO IT FOR JOHNNY!" I would straight up buy two. Because there's one thing I know for sure as a person who self-identifies as a Greaser, and it's this: If you scream "LET'S DO IT FOR JOHNNY!" like Matt Dillon just did, then you get to declare war on rich kids, and for those of you who have read what I've written about Edmond, you know that's my hobby.
But I'm excited to see what happens. And can we just take a moment to appreciate how this fight to save this house is a shining example of Johnny's plea for Pony Boy to stay gold?
Stay gold, Danny Boy, stay gold. And print up some "LET'S DO IT FOR JOHNNY!" shirts.
