Monday, October 4, 2004

PASS THE SPARKS

You know how after parties go. You hate them. You loathe them. You attend them anyway. Well, the Tarts are throwing the Killers an afterparty at the Darkroom (located on Ludlow between Houston and Stanton. Did you read that correctly? HOUSTON BETWEEN LUDLOW AND STANTON... you know in case you've never been there, or heard of it before since it's only been open FOR A MONTH). Some of the Killers will be DJing. There wont be a guest list. There wont be a VIP room. There wont be anything but music, drinks, and a bunch of people outside smoking cigarettes and complaining about something or another. So please come and try to have a good time.

Friday night was one of the rare occasion Friday nights where I skipped out on Jewdy (Jewish Duty) to shabbat at the Slipper Room for Marc's birthday party. Since I'm poor -- very poor -- i like to offer my lack of proper DJ skills in exchange for birthday gifts whenever possible. The party was at the Slipper Room and a normal friday night there typically consists mainly of the following: Burlesque Dancers. I don't care for the burlesque business at all. I find the whole thing to be pretentious and an over intellectualizing of stripping done in a very uncomfortable smartypants way that makes me feel dirty and wrong. I'm secretly a prude, i guess, but maybe not since I don't mind strip clubs at all. I like to see my strippers unironic in all their father hate glory, tanned skin, and dancing around to shitty music. I was told that there wouldn't be naked ladies shaking their titties while I DJed (or even a burlesque show at all), but there were, and I'm sure they disliked me as much as I disliked them. In fact, they complained about it as Marc's friends danced around to the hip hop the Tarts' #1 DJ assistant, Vicar, provided. About 4 years ago when I went to the Slipper Room for the first time i noticed how much it resembled a dream I had as a 4 year old of hell. The same decor. The same burlesque dancers. This resemblance intrigued me totally so i kept on going (mostly cause it was Marc's regular haunt and i like the people who own it and work there), and threw a party with Gideon there... but now I rarely go. I just can't handle naked ladies.

Saturday night I went to check see Supergrass at Webster Hall. God bless them in all their monkey faced glory. Last year I was knee deep in my Supergrass obsession and saw them 4 times until I was like "I've had enough!" But really, I hadn't. And apparently neither had Adam, who jumped up on stage and sang along like the damn dirty ape that he is.

After 'Grass I went over to the Tribeca Grand Hotel to see the Bloc Party show. Thursday night the Tarts and Vicar went to see them at the Knitting Factory and were blown away. I've been really into the band since hearing "She's Hearing Voices" a back in february/march and was thrilled to see that they were actually as good live as on record -- if not better. Kelle is an amazing singer/frontman and the chemistry of the band was electrifying. Ironically, not as gay as the chemistry as Franz Ferdinand, but totally similar and Vicar thinks that it'll be the last time we ever get to see them at a place so small... and I guess he was right since the Tribeca Grand show was a total mad house. Since I'm short I couldn't see anything but the backs of the people infront of me and occasionally Kelle's head, so after 10 minutes of trying to balance myself in the right spot, i gave up, ordered a champagne and sat on a couch with Karen and Brigid and listened as if I were a blind shih-tzu, or a really short, slightly chubby, jewish girl.

Afterwards I went over to Misshapes to meet up with Evan Erlebacher and Vicar (ps, check out photos from last week when Kill Hannah DJed and made me feel like i was walking on sunshine w/their cute faces and good tunes). It was the Prosiacs record release party and the tunes were totally industrial goth, it was like I was at the Batcave and a true testament to how great guest DJs can be. You know, you go, you meet up with friends, and hear something different. Maybe i was happy since I was drunk again after abstaining for a week.

Last night was the Franz show. You know I love that band more than i love myself, but I was so exhausted from the weekend that I didn't go. Plus, their show at Roseland left me a bit lukewarm, and I want nothing but the fondest of memories for that band. I can't believe that it was a year ago that I was checking them out at Pianos and thinking they sounded like APB. My how far they've come. Mazel tov to them since i totally believe that if something is good that it should be as big as possible. If it's possible for them to "sell out", i hope they do. I want to hear them in car commercials, movie trailers, and if there was a way to expose them more, i would do it. I wish the same for all the bands I love since that means that they're getting paid what they deserve. I'm sick of seeing bands that are great go broke cause they're scared of what pretentious fuckers will say.

Here is a cute photo paid for by the cute animals and babies association:

18 comments:

Lawrence said...

Franz Ferdinand = APB? Get your ears cleaned, young woman.

Oh, and can you reprint the address of the Darkroom and the times of the afterparty? I want to compose a flyer and leave it at every NYU frat because they all need to be there.

Anonymous said...

funny...i did exactly what you did saturday (supergrass/bloc party minus misshapes) i was really excited to see bloc party...they seriously delivered! going to see the killers tonight at irving as well...maybe you can pass me some toilet paper?

Anonymous said...

Go Sarah! I can't believe people giving Karen or anyone crap about giving out the Darkroom address - as I said on my site "Go home and masturbate instead, you pseudo hipsters, because no one will ever love you as much as you love yourselves." I'd rather be around a bunch of people into The Killers than a group of 'too cool for the room' idiots. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Go Sarah! I can't believe people giving Karen or anyone crap about giving out the Darkroom address - as I said on my site "Go home and masturbate instead, you pseudo hipsters, because no one will ever love you as much as you love yourselves." I'd rather be around a bunch of people into The Killers than a group of 'too cool for the room' idiots. Thank you!

goldenfiddle said...

is that a real baby?!

Anonymous said...

i really started liking bloc party after jjjay started writing about them on his blog (l.t.g.t.r.) and i was persuaded to listen to them. they're a really good young band. i've heard mixed reviews about their live show at knitting though. i've seen them before and thought they were pretty ok, but your review is the first out and out praising of it i've read. personally, i think they are really talented, but can improve their live show. they're still really young so i'm sure they will. s.t.

Raised By Bees said...

Maybe I'm a smartypants who can only deal with naked women ironically (or public nudity in general)? Possibly. I'm not as familiar with the neo-burlesque stuff, except for The Pontani Sisters (I wanna be a fourth Pontani so badly. I even have the workout tape because that's the only workout I'd do).

The original burlesque women, from what I can see, were clever, yes, but very natural, and very kick-ass. They had real bodies and real curves and were trying to build up sexiness and mysteriousness at the same time. Most modern strip club ladies are just nasty, their boobs are like weapons, and you can now see their moves in the average rap or Xtina video. Although if you are ever in Philadelphia, despite our "stinky cheeseteaks," you must experience the Dolphin. South Philly women in full effect.

I celebrated Marc Spitz's birthday in spirit, at Morrissey at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia.

Anonymous said...

You certainly are giving those NYU Frat boys a run for their money by posting two different addresses for the Darkroom. Especially since the second one doesn't exist.

Anonymous said...

I find the whole thing to be pretentious and an over intellectualizing of stripping done in a very uncomfortable smartypants way that makes me feel dirty and wrong.”

this is totally ridiculous and inaccurate. burlesque isn’t “pretentious”, “over intellectualizing” or “smarty pants”; saying that is the same as calling traditional tattoos "pretentious" or saying that rockabilly is “over intellectualizing” rock n’ roll.

i don’t even know where to start here. perhaps with the definition of “pretentious” or “over intellectualizing” or “smarty pants”; although, surely, as an interpol fan, you must know the meaning of these words.

so possibly the problem lies with your understanding of burlesque. from this line, “I like to see my strippers unironic in all their father hate glory,”** i gather you believe that burlesque is “ironic”, which, it is not. there is a history + meaning behind it and - truth be told - i personally don’t know the full history nor the full culture around it, or even particularly like burlesque, but it’s there and its not an “ironic form of stripping” nor is “an intellectualizing of stripping”.

i just don’t know. not that i really expect all people into a certain type of music to know or understand the history or significance of “subcultural music” because that's a bit immature and the whole rock n’ roll “scene” isn’t “underground” anymore but really, this post has truly pointed out that the shit has gone stale. i don’t want to be all “i’m so underground” or “i’m so subcultural” (because i’m not) but, blah, this whole post makes me slightly sad.

and sarah, this isn’t a criticism against you but against the way subcultures/scenes (in this case, burlesque) are misconstrued by those not aware of the history behind them.

**i could go into the “stripping” = “father hate glory” but a) its too serious for me to even go into here and b) entirely too subjective so ill leave it alone.


- amy k.

Anonymous said...

The Slipper Room DJ (some blonde) used to play cool underground hip hop from the mid nineties...it was about as nostalgic a modern day stripper dressed as a 1920's flapper

Anonymous said...

I thought Franz Ferdinand sounded just like APB when i first heard the cd too! I used to listen to APB back in 1986 when I was 15. I'm old.

Anonymous said...

I thought Franz Ferdinand sounded just like APB when i first heard the cd too! I used to listen to APB back in 1986 when I was 15. I'm old.

Anonymous said...

I thought Franz Ferdinand sounded just like APB when i first heard the cd too! I used to listen to APB back in 1986 when I was 15. I'm old.

Anonymous said...

How does a new New Yorker find out where all the good shows are? Save me from lame weekends.

Anonymous said...

if you've really been bleedin' listening to bloc party since february you should have realised by now that it is in fact kele, not kelle.

Ultragrrrl said...

whoa. psycho. because it's impossible for me to not know how to spell the name of the singer of a band i like... especially when it's a conventional name like Kele. is this imran?

Anonymous said...

No, THIS is Imran. Leave me out of this, bitch.

Anonymous said...

tattoos like whoa

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/lukedutch/IM002077.jpg