Benji and the UTFO Concert
From the beginning of Sag Harbor, it is established that Benji is somewhat less ‘cool’ than the rest of his friends. He lacks knowledge about sneaker culture, he rides his beat-up bike, and he’s against the idea of BB gun fights. But Benji’s experience in “Breathing Tips of Great American Beatboxers,” when he successfully sneaks into the UTFO concert underage, changes his narrative as the less cool friend in the group. Throughout the chapter, Benji devises his plan to sneak into the concert, as NP and Bobby come up with their own. On paper, NP and Bobby appear much farther in the coming-of-age path than Benji does. They both have girlfriends, and Bobby even has his own car. Even NP and Bobby’s scheme for getting into the concert outweighs Benji’s in terms of ‘coolness’. Benji simply plans to dress older, practicing saying “I paid money for this ticket” several times in the mirror in case he is questioned (Whitehead 237). On the other hand, NP uses his position at Jonni Waffle to bribe ...