Notwithstanding San Diego State University’s actual student body, as an open campus, SDSU tends to have a usual rotation of regulars roaming around, acting as its heart.
There’s the out-of-state incoming students touring in droves and the local middle schoolers who skipped school; opposite the Jehovah’s Witnesses outside Trader Joe’s, houseless individuals meander, pooling at the trolley station. Then, in between the thin veins of skateboard-allowable roads, there’s the older folk, sunglasses on, sometimes on bikes or scooters, pumping music with a sense of ease.
Marvin Juxon, most recognizable atop his Loomo segway and blasting house music, is one such person. Marvin travels SDSU playing music mixes from his YouTube – usually 90’s club and early 00’s rap – in an attempt to redirect the days of those around him.
“Wherever I go, everybody’s like ‘Yeah!’ On Family Weekend, there were parents that were hanging out. I was playing reggae [and they said] ‘Hey man, I appreciate your music, have a nice day’,” Marvin said.
To Marvin, playing music is an escape, sometimes literally. He got into an accident earlier this year, leaving him unable to walk long distances or stand for short periods of time. For him, his Loomo is his form of physical rehabilitation.
“They’re looking at me and it doesn’t register that I’m actually disabled. Like, this look doesn’t qualify,” Marvin said.
The aesthetics of commuting look a little different for everyone. Just like on many other college campuses, people usually listen to music on their headphones.
“Me, I can’t wear headphones’. Because what if I don’t hear a skateboard guy coming this way? If I don’t hear a bike coming behind me? Boom! That’s all tragedy,” Marvin said.
Because of this, Marvin inadvertently became a disability rights advocate.
“It’s my therapy, really,” Marvin said. “There’s an energy and a pulse that can make your day or break your day when it comes to music.”
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