Chocolate-Covered Girls

This weekend, instead of leaving the state as originally intended, I went to a bunch of shows and lost my phone. Standing Nudes, which features two Stylofone members, played with The Apes at Cake Shop on Friday. I left before the alleged midnight Joan Jett / Dwarves show, then got my phone nicked at Sophie’s. Saturday, saw Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic, which seems to be less about whether she’s actually funny, and more about getting you to have a friend-crush on Sarah (it works!). After a vague set-up, we see live footage of Silverman’s standup show with some skits worked in around the musical numbers. The best line in the whole movie, and also the most telling, is: “I don’t care if you think I’m racist, I just want you to think I’m thin.”
Yesterday, saw Man v. Beast at Southpaw. There were several welcome surprises: for one, La Beast’s latest material has a more decisively rock sound –more killer, less filler - and their show was as entertaining as usual, with fewer gimmicks and antics and more focus on music. Alan Astor, the second act, was a delight. How can I explain? A rabbi-woodsman-saxophonist-romance-novel-wildman-fronted psych-rock-opera-Renaissance-fair U2, remorselessly belting out lyrics like “Candy-colored seas, honeybees, chocolate-covered girls” (from their magnum opus, “Fantastic Fantasy”). In an interview I found on internet, Alan is quoted as follows: “I’m a huge R.Kelly fan. That guy fuckin’ kills it every time.” He also lets us in on his mission: “I think it’s all about making really fantastic stuff. I just saw Neil Diamond at Madison Square Garden last week – fuck, that’s what I mean!” Mommy and Daddy were unremarkable; I think Mommy is using Daddy to get revenge on her parents.

Standing Nudes – “When I Arrive”
Alan Astor – “Fantastic Fantasy”

Power after hours, power after hours,

Andrea