When Lakewood resident Lee Sechrist woke up one recent January morning after a night of drinking he had a gnarly hangover. He’s got a two-year-old son and doesn’t party quite like he used to, so hangovers these days tend to be brutal. This one was particularly bad.
Sechrist felt terrible and his face said as much. He looked in the mirror and the face staring back conveyed exactly how shitty he was feeling. It was a face worth memorializing in a photo. Thankfully Sechrist is a photographer and didn’t have to leave home to document the suffering.
After shooting the photographs he wondered to himself if anyone else might want their hangover similarly documented. He sent out an invite to some friends that he’d make mimosas and have a small hangover party; unfortunately, no one came over. So he just posted the set to Facebook, where it gained a little traction. Eventually Sechrist offered to travel to anyone who was hungover and willing to sit — headaches and nausea and all — for a session. Hell, he’d even bring coffee and bagels.
Some friends took him up on the offer at first and strangers have followed as word has spread. He’s even received messages from people in the middle of the night, as they’re drinking, as they’re preparing for what inevitably comes next, asking if he can shoot them the following morning.
“Just go ahead with the night you were planning on having. Don’t drink anymore on the account of wanting me to take your picture,” Sechrist said. “I don’t think anyone should get hungover on purpose. It’s one of the most awful feelings.”
While it’s certainly not a geographically unique project, Sechrist believes there’s something special about Cleveland’s hangovers. “I think people in Cleveland spend more time hungover than actually drinking,” he said. “There’s a brewery popping up on every corner and they usually have beers with over 7% alcohol. Cleveland’s definitely a hard drinking city.”
Check out more of his work at his site and follow along on Instagram here.
This article appears in Jan 11-17, 2017.
Way to stereotype yourself even more, Cleveland. Nothing like looking at a bunch of middle aged dads who shouldn’t be getting that wasted in the first place. Keep it Classy!
Dear NoCleveland (a sad, do-nothing shut-in who has some poorly formed idea of cleveland), your feeble attempt at a jab comes off as a combination of false equivalency and sour grapes. The whole idea is to poke fun at it.
Anony – Nope, but like most posters you (like this article on Clevelander’s) stereotype someone saying their opinion as “sad-do-nothing shut-in”. I lived in Cleveland 25+ years – born and raised. Finally did get out. I stand by my opinion, and also accept yours. Middle aged dads will continue to go out and get hungover and find this funny. I’d rather see something positive about Clevelander’s – not grotesque close ups of grown men looking like they are trying to relive their glory days.
In my experience – which obviously limited to the life that I’ve lived, your experience may vary – folks that say “I got out of there” weren’t “getting out” of anywhere, but rather looking for something outside of themselves, their identity and that of their place hopelessly entangled.
Getting out becomes getting away – from themselves and the place where they are that person, ascribing too little to themselves, and assigning the remainder to “place.”
It’s easier to find a new you in a new context. Doesn’t make the old place bad or shameful, as much as you might protest. But place and identity aren’t a husk that you molt and leave behind; it’s essential foundation. Embrace it and embrace yourself.
Long story short, people are going to get drunk. People are going to be hungover. In Cleveland, New York, L.A., and every place in between. Documented life experience isn’t a “negative” unless you choose to view it that way. Drop your shame, and you might find that you like yourself a little better.
At minimum, the rest of us will.