West VA has always had a fair economy... but folks never seem to leave that country. Not to say there are not pockets of impoversment... but coal paid pretty well and still does.
Eastern Kentucky is about 100 years behind most of West VA... way to many folks on a "check"... way to many drop outs... not much to do.... and very hard to get out... kinda like a redneck ghetto.
I had not heard of Larry Clark (at least I'd forgotten about him),,, when your work gets banned in Paris France...that says a lot about a guy. Looks to me like he just happened to be running with a "quality" crowd of folks to get some of those "neato" homo erotic, heroin hazed images of self destructive behavior.
That Kennedy photo? He is holding a microphone... the cord stops at his back... it 1960 that cord *should* end up in a sound truck... it's not on the ground. Any body else notice that?