Where Do Rich People Go

Rich people go wherever the fuck they want to go. I keep wondering if my dirt bike could get me to Italy. – Tim Barrus

Icon

Iconography is the Jack Russell chasing its crazy tail. Stripped down to what is important but probably not to the dog. To the dog, you either feed it or you don’t. Icons seek an audience. A holiness beaten bitter by its complete failure to find a god. Anywhere. Anywhere.

The Ghosts of Appalachia

Herbert and Helsinki are old. They live on an island in Appalachia. In other words, they’re my neighbors. They have a boat. It is a little boat. They grow corn, make whiskey, and ride shotgun on their dirt bike. My bike is bigger than their bike. Your bike is your…

Tim Barrus: Spoons

People ask me why I am doing this one. This book of Getting Out of Dodge. Dirt Bike Town. People have been all over my ass about writing that looks at the deep sense of loss in Appalachia. I’m not doing poverty porn. That would be easy. Right now, I’m…

Tim Barrus, New York Times

I live at the top of a mountain in the Blue Ridge. I ride a dirt bike. Street bikers think I’m nuts. But who needs a helmet anyway. I am thinking America in my hair. When I ride into a city, someone tries to steal my bike. I have caught…

Dirt Bikes