big body kito — full uncut interview "if you build it, they will come"

marcos morgan, aka big body kito, books kitofest, the all-day artist gathering that takes over anchor rock club once a year and turns it into something halfway between a house party and a small festival. he also does the late nights, the long drives, the hard conversations that nobody sees. an excerpt of this conversation runs in issue 8. what follows is the full thing, lightly edited.

kitofest is a great gathering of people. what about it stands out, what makes it special to you?

the people. the artists. the swirling of energies in the air. the way it all comes together. seeing anchor be transformed for a night. knowing that there is a place for underground artists and music, and for that we have to thank anchor rock club forever and ever. also knowing that it is possible, and showing people that yes, you can think of something and bring it to life, and yes, if you build it they will come.

if someone's never been to kitofest, what should they know going in?

it's a BIG house party with ever-changing vibes. one moment you're screaming out love by keyshia cole, the next you're head banging to a dubl deez riddim set, and the next you're getting sent to the moon by a dabtender. the artist and vendor lineups are curated by myself, as well as the free goodies. come early, stay late, get to know each other.

i know you have thoughts on clav. let em rip: social media, the whole apparatus. where you at with it these days, the good and the bad of it?

it's all cooked. it does more damage than good and it's just a feedback loop. why are we creating more content, actually creating bots to make fake content to teach people how to do that same just for them to watch content that wasn't even made by another human????? naaaaaa something ain't right. we can find ways to share information that doesn't tie us to the hive mind, just like this print. and of course it's not as fast or whatever but DO WE NEED IT TO BE FAST?!?! i don't think so. the upside is connection, artistic expression, and being up to date. but that's like justifying c*ke addiction with the fact it makes you skinny, social, and outgoing. likeeeee it's not sustainable. detach. go outside. throw your phone away and while we're at it throw the ai too.

what's freewill-maxxxing mean to you when you actually sit with it?

taking our lives back. we have been robbed. of our time, our hearts, our attention spans. it is an act of resistance toward the powers that be and the type of life and society they would love for us to fall in line with. we do not have to say yes to the hand that feeds, for we have everything we need inside of us. life, love, imagination, whimsy, passion. freewill-maxxxing is the cultivation, spreading, and intentional manifestation of that.

you've been booking, making stuff, building community in ac for a while now. what's the part of all that nobody really sees but matters the most?

the late nights, long drives, doubts, self-ego checks, hard conversations, the necessity of saying no, the even more necessary saying YES. the internal work we do as individuals matters the most because it affects everyone around us. to work with others you must always first work on yourself, but the beauty in it is that you work on yourself without realizing it when you work with others through service, joy, sharing space. just kinda like a cycle of growth and love really.

friendship. what makes a good one, and what's a friend taught you that stuck?

patience. admiration. transparency. joy.

it's okay to ask for help. whether you're moving, rotting away from depression, or chasing your wildest dreams, a true friend wants to see you at your happiest and healthiest and will do whatever they can to show up for ya. but we all get caught up in our heads and own lives. just ask. we all need each other more than we think, and sometimes the best way to show up for yourself is to show up for others.

ac right now. what are you seeing happen to the city and how you feeling about it?

i'm seeing the fruits of years and years of labor. dreams have to be believed to stay alive and atlantic city is a dream that never dies. from its inception there was intention and now it's alive and present more than ever. there's so many people who believe in ac, their calling, and themselves, and when we can find ourselves doubting that, we can look to our left and our right and see someone who believes in us just as much as we do them. and that is how you build, brick by brick, with a village. but i do think the house is close to being built and it's feeling like party time. 👀

tourist's got one day in ac, never been. what's the day look like, where you sending em, what you telling em to skip?

ooo yes i love this let's go.

you start at hot bagels near the inlet for brekky, i recommend bec on a french toast bagel, then a stroll on the boardwalk. get in the whole thing, congrats you just walked off your bagel calories. buy a stupid tshirt too, bring that back. stop by sunny tien lounge to smoke some weed as soon as they open and say hi to spencer. hit the seed, grab an ipa, talk to ali about his ducks. angeloni's for dinner, anchor for a show, tony's for afters. once the city starts to quiet down, run it at the casino till it's 6am, then see the sunrise, realize there's a group of crazy ravers doing something on the beach, meet them, commune with them, dance, live. then breakfast at perry's and congrats, you just did 24 hours in ac.

there is no real need to go to a casino, but if you do, tropicana or ocean would be my pick.

what's something you've been thinking about lately that you can't shake?

this deep call to stillness, community, and communion with god. i grew up a pastor's kid and of course had a rebellious phase, but i also went on my own spiritual path for years and have time and time again found god flowing through all things. throughout all the years and especially now i have felt a call to be in a place of truth with people and share what i have experienced with others, to some way shape or form help them get closer to their truth and the truth that we are all one. look around us, they're killing us and telling us not to bleed, starving us and telling us to eat, blinding us and asking why we can't see. we must look towards the light within, because it's all we need. but we must come together.

follow marcos at @bigbodykito and catch kitofest news on his channels. read more community voices from issue 8 at divinghorseac.com.