Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV
March 20, 2011
No ‘Wrong Turn’: McDowell miners receive realistic portrayal in ‘Coal’
By SAMANTHA PERRY
Bluefield Daily Telegraph

— I couldn’t contain my excitement last Wednesday. I wanted to leave work as quickly as possible, which is not normal behavior in our newsroom. Typically we linger at the office, waiting to see how the day’s stories are developing and if anything “breaks” in the late afternoon or early evening hours.

But this day was different. Earlier in the afternoon, Bill Archer handed me his press preview of the first episode of the new Spike TV reality series “Coal.” The show was filmed at a McDowell County mine, and was billed as a series that showed the true world of coal miners.

I was intrigued by the concept of the series many months ago when we first received word of its filming. If the show did indeed portray the true world of coal mining, I knew it could serve as a positive public relations pitch for the mining industry.

But I was also hesitant. When it came to national media attention — be it through news or movies — West Virginia is more often than not the brunt of bad jokes.

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I remembered the horror flick “Wrong Turn.” As scary movies go, it was par for the course — evil, mean bad guys torment a group of attractive young adults. There was tension, drama and suspense, all set in Greenbrier Back Country, W.Va.

The bad guys, by the way, were inbred, mutant cannibals.

Bluefield even received a shout-out of sorts in the flick’s opening scene, when a radio broadcast spoke of two missing Bluefield State College students. As the movie progressed, one had to infer said students were victims of the cannibals.

While I understand horror movies aren’t known for their realism, this one still put a black eye on West Virginia.

Not long after the release of this movie, there was the Abercrombie & Fitch debacle. The clothing store, which attracts hip, cool, young adults, debuted a T-shirt that read “It’s all relative in West Virginia.” The implication, of course, was that all Mountain State residents have intimate relations with their siblings, cousins and other family members.

Although we know such claims are ridiculous — like those evil, mutant cannibals — it still hurt to see a national campaign focusing on such outlandish and false behavior.

And so I was cautiously optimistic about “Coal.” I wanted the show to be realistic. I wanted it to portray the real world of coal miners. But, sometimes, it’s hard to trust those from outside who don’t understand our way of life.

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As the daughter and granddaughter of coal miners, I grew up around the business. My family members started at the bottom in this industry and worked their way up. We experienced good times, and bad. And so many of my youthful memories involve darting in and out of mine shafts, hanging out at supply houses and learning to drive on back roads leading to and around mines.

When I think back on my memories of mining, I can’t help but recall my preteen years. At the time, Dad owned a small mine in Southwest Virginia, and things were going well. And, for a spell, I became a bit pretentious — refusing to wear anything but ’80s designer clothes and carrying around my lapdog, a Pekinese named Hiccup, like today’s Beverly Hills Chihuahuas.

During that time, Mom and I made a visit to Dad’s mine. In retrospect, I was probably acting a bit bratty, but that stopped when Dad ordered me to go outside and pull some pieces of timbers out of a pile of coal. Although mortified, I complied. My siblings and I were “raised right,” never arguing with a parental directive.

Clutching Hiccup under my arm, I attempted to pull the pieces of wood out of the giant coal pile. For those watching, I’m sure the sight was ludicrous.

Finally, one of Dad’s workers took pity. He came over and pulled out the timbers, accomplishing in 15 minutes what would have taken me hours.

But the lesson was learned. I was not, nor ever would be, a Valley Girl. I was a coal miner’s daughter.

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Popping the first episode of “Coal” into the DVD player, I held my breath and issued a silent prayer, “Please, please, please let it be good.” Five minutes in I exhaled and became engrossed in the drama.

The show did not whitewash the mining industry, nor did it attempt to portray us as ignorant, backwoods hillbillies. It appeared to be true to its mission — reality TV. Now, having had a sneak peek at that first episode, I can’t wait to watch the rest of the series.

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“Coal” will debut on Spike TV Wednesday, March 30, at 10 p.m. For those who would like a preview, check out the Daily Telegraph’s website, www.bdtonline.com, to see a trailer for the upcoming series.

Samantha Perry is managing editor of the Daily Telegraph. Contact her at sperry@bdtonline.com.