POOL DUDES - DEAR VICE

Dear Vice,
These are photographs that I took working as a “pool technician” last summer. I’ve been working in the industry for over four years and am completely unlicensed even though I do plumbing work (residential pools can hold up to 21,000 gallons of water), electrical work, fuck around with gas lines, install 240,000-btu pool heaters (stronger than a home furnace), and handle hazardous chemicals. The suburban pool industry is so unregulated and fly-by-night that it’s basically total anarchy. I’ve worked for a bunch of companies and they’re all negligent and shifty.
I mostly worked alone, but still managed to see so much crazy, dangerous shit. I think pool owners and the general public should write their local politicians to beg them to enact laws that regulate the pool industry. However, until that clampdown finally occurs (if it ever does), I’ll continue to work in the industry, learning as I go. Oh, and if you ever want a job in the pool industry just tell a prospective employer that you “do pumps, heaters, and filters, but don’t set liners”—they’ll think you’re fucking Einstein.   
BEN POBJOY

PHOTOS: POOL DUDES

Comments

[JokoHomo]

YES! Amazing photos.

fuck yes!! able poo

great pix

[ryan]

fucking funny as hell.

[rowlf]

It's charming that it's still the 70s in Canada.

[Liz]

Wow, best entry ever! Awesome photos, laughed my ass off. Now I want to work in pools.

[jared]

this is an amazing documentary, i love it.

[greatest]

if you assses dont put this in the magazine, you're worthless. incredible photos. that's an incredible life, no matter how shitty the guy thinks it is. i wish my summer good involve pools, weed, fuck ups, and not giving a shit - and it does seem like the '70s, which would mean i didnt have kids. praise the pope.

[Mulan]

Holy fucking shit.

What a breath of fresh air to see something real instead of a bunch of stupid shoe parties.

Attention Vice: All your party pictures are gay. Its like 90 percent party pictures in the photo blog. Most of your readers don't give a shit about the parties you throw because most of us live in places like where these pool dudes are from.

I can understand you guys are on a roll and you need advertising dollars and such. I'll always love your magazine, but can you guys see how its content like this that brought you from Ottawa/Montreal to New York in the first place?

So good, this photo essay is the definition of what exactly the act of being a dude is. Just dudeing around. It's funny because I showed this to my grirlfriend and she just didn't understand why it was awesome.

This shows exactly what vice has been lacking ever since it moved to New York, now it's run by a team of first year art student feminists that the old ball editors just want to hump.

[Stephen]

Knowing that T-bone is somewhere waste deep in water using a Sawz-all makes me smile.

I think Dream Theatre loving Polacks and 200lb cannon balls are proof that the Harper gov't needs to ease up on deporting illegal status workers... That shit makes the world turn guy.

[fuck]

This should be the cover story of the next 'jobs' mag. alot funnier than most of the shit that has been in vice for a while.

This is the real shit culture that vice used to embodiy so well, but has forgotten how to do.

[sufasam]

the emo my friends are so awesome pics have become boring but these are fucking awesome.

[Dan Curran]

Oh man, what a greatbway for you folks to pick up my afternoon.

I miss doing work like this because you always worked with a rag tag group of people that were totally stand alone folks.

Office environments don't allow for that sort of thing at all...there's no adventure on the job anymore for me.

But this NEEDS to be printed in a future issue instead of fucking "TB IN RUSSIA"

What were you people thinking with that stinker of an article?

I worked for an asphalt company in Wisconsin while in college and this brings back so many memories - from the drug using/selling and fucking around to the shitty equipment and total disregard for safety. Only 1/3 of the crew had a valid driver's license and work was regularly delayed for parole meetings.

And for all you fairies who think it's so cute to romanticize this lifestyle, why don't you take a crack at it. It's not exactly tough to break into the biz.

PS The Sawzall photo is ridics.

[Erik Kolacek]

Holy shit. I was a pool guy once.

I inhaled so many motherfucking dangerous chemicals that I still want to go punch my old boss in the throat.

Thanks for the memories!

[Stephen Harper]

I worked last summer for a junk removal business in Toronto and I can relate to alot of this, the shit work and dangerous conditions (I came within feet of being run over by a bulldozer at one of the dumps) mixed with fucking off, substance abuse and hanging out with the dudes at your work.

This is the best thing Vice has done in years.

[dubwater from T-DOT]

Hey it's Missisauga!

[dubwater from T-DOT]

Hey- It's Mississauga!

I want an Able Pool T

[chalky d]

Hi.

Sorry to burst the bubble slightly, as everyone is on your dicks for this article.

Dude is wearing a wood choker...

[Fabian]

Dude that thing is so funny , i'd like to do a summer job like this instead of my casher job I applied for ... My work partners will be old spotty divorcées mums ...

[brian]

is t-bone the guy from spread the disease?

[yo]

And here’s T-Bone using a Sawz-All waist deep in water.

not as if it wasnt dangerous

[toni]

job as fuck !!!