09.24.25
Upshot Coffee, Tower Grove South neighborhood of St. Louis, MO
Conversation with Danya Gerasimova

‍

‍

Poopyknife, a.k.a. Manak!n and Keytar Kyle, is a St. Louis artist best known for his unhinged keytar playing.

‍

Danya:

When was your first visit to Cementland?

‍

Poopyknife:

I think it was in 2011. It was pretty soon after Bob Cassilly died. It was me and my friend John, who was a photographer. We just went and took a bunch of pictures. And this was when you still had to be really sneaky. It was a real stealth excursion going around. 

‍

Danya:

Did you see security out there or something?

‍

Poopyknife:

I never had an encounter with security. My sister and other people I know had some experiences with security, both positive and negative. Later, that gate on Riverview Drive was just wide open, come on in. But it used to be locked down, fenced all around, and the neighborhood that surrounds it kept a keen eye on the place. They would come and have their guns. I don't really know why.

My friend Chris got shot at and chased off, and I don't think it was by any official security. He got shot at because he went at night, which is stupid because your flashlight gives you away. That's a no-no; you go during the day. But then my sister got an official grand tour. One of her friends' family members was a security person and gave her the grand tour of the place. I don't know how official these people were, either neighborhood security or some hired security. They let her in and showed her all the bells and whistles.

As time went on, I would say since around four years ago, I noticed that there wasn't any security at all anymore. It was just people coming and going as they please, which I think caused Cementland to lose a lot of its mystique. And it got looted. There were a lot of really cool statues there that Bob had some plan for. If you've ever been to City Museum, there are all these upcycled ancient statues there that he used for this and that. And looters came in and took all of that from Cementland because it's worth money, I guess. So now it's really a husk of what it used to be 14 years ago.

‍

Danya:

How did you first find out about Cementland?

‍

Poopyknife:

I think it was word of mouth. I certainly didn't just stumble across it on my own. The buzz that was created by the circumstances of Cassilly's death was enough to put it on the map for a while for people like me and my friends to go explore.

‍

Danya:

Do you remember what that first visit was like?

‍

Poopyknife:

My friend John and I went to get pictures, and we explored it pretty thoroughly. There was a bunch of overturned metro buses, all spray painted inside and out. There used to be this big metal sphere, a circle that was upright and you could walk through like in the show Stargate. There was the castle. And there was this janky, dangerous, rusty bridge with no side rails or anything. It would jiggle and sway as you walked across it. And that was my favorite part about the whole place, because it wasn't idiot proof. Once you make something into an actual park, everything has to be idiot proof. And that was just like, "Crossing this thing is on you."

I don't know if scrappers just looted that joint or if the people that owned the place decided to take it down. But once that bridge was gone, I was like, "Man, this is it." Obviously there's still tons of other stuff left at Cementland to explore, but I knew then that the state it was in wasn't meant to last. So I long ago made my peace with the fact that one day it would no longer be, and that there are other adventures to be had elsewhere. 

My only regret is that I never climbed the fricking smokestack. I did climb a lot of other stuff that was hella sketchy, but that is like the crowning achievement of sketchiness. I don't have any irrational fears, but I do have something that happens in me when I'm experiencing heights and I'm not grounded. I did climb the inside of the smokestack, which for some reason I feel more secure doing, even though it could be certain death. But not on the outside.

But as you might guess, we were in awe on that first visit. It was all so fresh at the time. And we had the place to ourselves. In the later days, there were scrappers and other tourists all over that place. I took my brother there once around 2022, and there was a group of youths, and one of them had an AR. Just walking around with it. He wasn't shooting, and I didn't get aggressive vibes, but it was just that unhinged after security was loosened up. And I guess the neighborhood just stopped caring for whatever reason.

‍

‍

‍

Danya:

How often would you go back to Cementland after your first visit?

‍

Poopyknife:

I wouldn't say a lot, because like I said, it was a lot more difficult to get in when it was fresh. 

‍

Danya:

You said you saw scrappers there?

‍

Poopyknife:

Yeah, when it got a lot busier in the post COVID years, there were some scrappers. And I'd rather them not be there, because they kept taking away from what pulled people there, what made Cementland so mystical. I saw this one cat who was trying to load a really big, heavy old statue of a lion into the back of his pickup. So I thought, this is just how it's going to be now. I'm not going to tell him to stop; it's not my house. I accepted that it was inevitable: people were going to come and take stuff. It's just the circle of life.

‍

Danya:

Have you ever seen people living out there?

‍

Poopyknife:

I never saw anyone camped out myself. But there is a boat that you can find if you go way deep in the place, and I did see some notes there that someone very deliberately left for the next person living in there. Watch out for so-and-so, look out for this thing, and this part of the boat roof leaks or whatever. It was hobo notes, a code used by crusties. It was obvious that somebody was in there and was leaving notes for whoever was there next.

‍

Danya:

How have you noticed the landscape change over the years? How overgrown was it in 2011?

‍

Poopyknife:

That was part of the charm: you're going through an enchanted forest. It was great. It obviously wasn't as overgrown in 2011 as it was a couple years later, but you could tell that it was unkempt.

‍

Danya:

Did you notice any intentional landscaping there?

‍

Poopyknife:

The biggest example of intentional landscaping there was the mound. Back in the day, there were the Cahokia Mounds over in Illinois, but there used to be mounds all over St. Louis too. And then colonialism said, "No, these mounds are not good for white people," or whatever. They got rid of all the mounds. So now St. Louis has a curse on it, and Bob was aware of the curse. And he was like, "St. Louis is going to be cursed until we replace all these mounds." So that's why in the middle of Cementland, he deliberately put a big heap of dirt. He made a mound. He deliberately put that there to make steps towards replacing all the mounds that were destroyed in the 1700s or 1800s. I'm not a history major, but back in the colonial days.

Any trees and flowers that I saw looked like they had just naturally been there. It wasn't like the deliberately placed and arranged landscaping in front of someone's house. I just took it as part of the entire scenery. In the later days, there were a lot of weeds, a lot of honeysuckle.

‍

Danya:

Did you grow up close to Cementland?

‍

Poopyknife:

I grew up in North County, in Florissant and Hazelwood. And I went to school in Spanish Lake, so it was just a stone's throw away to go check out Cementland after school. Or to take a little trip out to the Chain of Rocks Bridge, which is right by there, and there's a lot of history there too.

‍

Danya:

Did you and your friends do a lot of urban exploring type stuff?

‍

Poopyknife:

I feel so fricking pretentious, but we didn't even call it urban exploring. We didn't call it anything. It was just like, "You wanna go to this abandoned building?" "Yeah, let's do it." When someone said "UrbExing," I didn't know what it was. They were like, "Check it out on YouTube." I'm like, "What? You're going to blow up the spot, man."

I don't know if it's explicitly a North County thing, but we did that a lot growing up in North County. We would also run around in Cold Water Creek—which, by the way, maybe don't do, because there's nuclear water in there. I didn't know that back then. I'm a little mutated cause of the creek. It's alright.

But there are a lot of abandoned buildings not only in North County, but in North City. It's a double-edged sword, because it's fun to explore, and I've found all kinds of cool treasure, but it's also sad that it's so neglected, and it's not beneficial for the people living in those neighborhoods.

There isn't so much of that in Florissant, Hazelwood, Ferguson, and Spanish Lake. There's still a lot of stuff to explore, and sometimes there's an abandoned church or an abandoned school you can poke around in. But in North City, there are more churches, schools, even light bulb factories—lots of fun. I do not claim it; I wasn't raised up in that area; I don't have any friends in that area. But I've explored a lot of those buildings thoroughly.

Definitely wear a mask if you do that. You don't want to breathe whatever gunk is in that place. But there are a lot of cool, fun things. There are weird factory slides that you can go down. I found a sculpture one time. Me and my friend went inside a house, and there was a kiln in the basement with all these sculptures that someone had made. They were all really wholesome things like Jesus and Santa. And amongst all this wholesome stuff, there was a big nubby cock. So I swiped that dick, and that's one of my favorite treasures I've ever found in abandoned buildings.

‍

Danya:

Did it feel safe doing that kind of stuff?

‍

Poopyknife:

It didn't feel too safe. If it was too safe, it wouldn't be any fun. But it felt safe enough. Personally, I have never had a dangerous encounter. I have never fallen through a floor. I've had two friends that have fallen through floors though. They did not have to go to the hospital; they got lucky. But I've always come out unscathed. The only time I've ever come across someone living in a space, they were very friendly and they gave me a tour of the place. They got me on the roof and everything. They were very enthusiastic. 

But I want to say that this is not an endorsement to go and bother people. Don't assume that you're going to go and get that treatment from everybody. I used to rent a place in Dutchtown, and there was an abandoned school nearby, Roosevelt High. A couple of years ago, somebody went in there and got shot. I've been in that school many times and I've never encountered anybody. But someone did, and they got shot, and that sucks. So I want to say, you shouldn't go wandering around in those places. I shouldn't even be doing it. But people are going to do it anyways, right? So just be careful. Bring a mask. If you encounter somebody, be respectful. Assume that it is their house, even though it could just as well be your house if you fall on hard times. But be respectful, and try not to get stabbed or shot.

As for Cementland, I haven't been there in at least two years. I don't know who lives there these days. Like I said, I've only ever encountered people scrapping and touring the place. But if you want to "UrbEx," as they call it, just be mindful. Keep your head on your shoulders and keep an eye out. Have a good time and do your research.

‍

Danya:

What else do you think would be cool to see happen with Cementland, now that Bob Cassilly isn't around to finish it?

‍

Poopyknife:

I want whatever Bob Cassilly wanted. And I know that's just not the universe that we live in. The universe where Bob Cassilly is still alive and thriving—I want to live in that St. Louis. That man was such a unique and important asset to the culture of this city. And when he was murdered, there was so much that was taken from us. It was a really special thing that happened, and it really sucks that it didn't come about.

We got City Museum. There's no place in the country like that, possibly in the world. He gave us that, and that's not all: there's Turtle Park and Rootwad Park. He wanted to do something so unique and not derivative of anything else that's ever existed, and he wanted to do that with Cementland. That man had so much more to give. I'm not trying to be greedy, but what I'm saying is that St. Louis isn't exactly a cultural staple. We're not New Orleans. We're not New York. But we could have come close if he was still breathing. He was so important.

‍

Danya:

Have you ever played a show at Rootwad?

‍

Poopyknife:

I've been to a few generator shows there, but I personally haven't played a show. I would love to. I don't have a generator, otherwise I would just have a show there. Whoever has the generators is holding out on us.

‍

Danya:

I haven't really heard of any shows happening there in the past year. I heard someone got shot near that area a while back, so I wonder if it has to do with that.

‍

Poopyknife:

Yeah, I don't think there have been shows, which is a shame. I don't even want to say it's a sketchy area. I've been to Rootwad and the [nearby abandoned building] Cotton Belt so many times and have only felt safe, calm, and peaceful there, but there are always exceptions.

‍

Artica used to be there. Artica is an art festival that happens every October, and it used to take place at the Cotton Belt. It's free, and it's all these musical performances and art installations that you can interact with. But they've moved it.

‍

Danya:

Do you think Rootwad works well as a show space?

‍

Poopyknife:

Oh, big time. Oftentimes I'd go to a show not because I like the band so much, but because of the environment that it's in. It's outside for one thing, which is always a plus in my book. It's in the center of this unique sculpture that doubles as a walking platform. You can dance and mosh in the gravel, and there is tons of space to do that. It's art that you can walk on, and dance on, and potentially sleep in, as people sometimes do. And there's that turtle. I love turtles. Who doesn't? I'm pretty sure there's a snake too. I also love those. So I just like being around that instead of being in a stinky bar. I'm not a bar guy.

For example, I'm glad that the Sinkhole is there, because we need more of that kind of stuff. 

By all means, go to the Sinkhole and have an awesome time. The staff is excellent; it’s a wonderful venue. But personally, I get hung up on cramped spaces. It's not really my kind of venue because it's very narrow. If it's a packed show, as soon as you open the door, you're just standing right there for the whole night. The audio hurts my ears. And I don't fucking drink. That’s my only hangup. Other than that, go forth and rock.

But at Rootwad, you can just spread out and dance. You're not being bombarded by sound.  If you don't want to be right in front of the music, you can go up on the bridge and watch it, or you can just listen to it from far away. And that's fine. It's DIY at its purest. You don't have to depend on a liquor license. You don't have to depend on anything except for the guy bringing the generator. It's a very feral type of experience.

‍

Danya:

Is there anything you want to share I haven't asked about?

‍

Poopyknife:

I love all the spraypaint at Cementland. I’ve painted a little bit. I never got into the “graffiti for life” type crowd, but I do spraypaint. It's one of my favorite activities. I don't take it as seriously as the people who will bungee down a wall to do it. I'll just casually go out and do some paintings here and there. It's fun to doodle on a building that nobody is living in. I don't advocate people spray painting on actual businesses, unless it's like a Walmart or something.

Some UrbExers get all bent out of shape about it, "Oh, why did they spray paint all over this?" I love it, because Cementland is already hopelessly crumbling. And when people start painting on it, it adds to the post-apoc aesthetic. Have you ever seen the Ninja Turtles movie that came out in 1990? It's like you are walking into the Foot Clan hideout, where they kidnap and recruit all the kids, and they're skateboarding, and playing video games, and it's all spraypainted, and it's got chain link fence everywhere. That aesthetic—chef's kiss. I love that. I breathe that. So I love the added spray paint. I love all the graffiti. If you're not going to invest in an abandoned building to make it usable, spraypaint the fuck out of that thing and make it even more beautiful.

‍