Burlesque's Best

I have written a bit about my enjoyment of burlesque before, but nothing could have prepared my mind for the gale-force blowing it received during my first visit to Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend in Las Vegas at The Orleans hotel and casino this year. It was just over a month ago and I still feel a contact high. One could liken it to a first visit to Comic Con International in San Diego, or a trip to Bonnaroo. Though those latter two events draw more people, there is still an act of devotion and pilgrimage and community at the heart of the journey, and BHOF is big enough to feel inclusive, yet small enough to be intimate. It is just about perfect.

The Orleans Video Marquee - Photo by Robert Paul Lewis

I could write about a lot: the interesting people I met, the late night carousing, how much Vegas has changed in a few short years since my last visit, how enjoyable a session of Michelle L'Amour's Naked Girls Reading can be, how entertaining a bunch of burlesque performers bowling can be, or my two-mile round-trip walk at midnight to the nearest In-N-Out Burger. But it is the performances one attends BHOF to see, and so it is performances about which I shall write.

First, some qualifications. I am not nor do I pretend to be a judge. Any subjective comments I make should not be taken as any sort of censure of other acts. There were NO bad acts of any sort during those four nights of shows.  Only the best of the best are invited to perform, and they all deserve and are granted respect for that alone. That said, I am not terribly excited by boylesque, but I do wish to say that I was enthralled every moment Russell Bruner was on stage. Bruner is a consummate showman and would absolutely make this list were I not only considering the ladies. Also, Ray Gunn's Narcissus number, in which he performs with himself on a video screen, was conceptually one of the strongest of the weekend, so props to Ray. I had a great time at the Legends Night, hosted by the ever-graceful World Famous BOB, but I admittedly know not enough of the rich history of burlesque to adequately put these acts into context, so I will avoid listing them individually and instead simply recognize how damned awesome it is to see these ladies still up and entertaining decades after they began.

Also, I am going to choose to omit the showcase, showstopping performance by last year's Miss Exotic World, Indigo Blue. The epic production value simply makes it unfair to judge other acts against it. It was a rousing, inspiring send-off, though, and only makes me want to see many more performances from Indigo Blue.

Anyway, in no particular order until I get to #1:

MY FIVE FAVORITE BHOF 2012 PERFORMANCES 

Photo courtesy of Derek Jackson

ANITA COOKIE: I have seen Anita perform with her Dangerous Curves Ahead traveling troupe, and really enjoy her work.  This amazingly playful act wherein she accompanies herself on a variety of percussive instruments while humming, yelping, and otherwise vocalizing the classic burlesque song "Night Train," finishing by twirling her tassels to play a cymbal, was one of the funniest of the weekend, and I am a sucker for funny.

Photo courtesy of Derek Jackson

KITTY BANG BANG: Probably my favorite prop of the weekend was the giant, glitter-covered garbage can from which Kitty Bang Bang emerges to begin her act. Kitty does an energetic, power-note routine to Henry Mancini's "Pink Panther" theme that meets and exceeds the promise of that awesome prop. It's rather meta, in its way, because isn't burlesque really the art where glamor meets the street? I think so. Kitty was one of the few performers my shy self actually tracked down and thanked after the show. I can't say enough good things about this act. The epic story of the trash can/wheelie bin is also one of my favorites from a weekend filled with fun stories.

Photo courtesy of Derek Jackson

LOLA FROST & CHERRY ON TOP: These shows are long, and even though every act is damn good, it takes something amazing to get the reaction these ladies received for their mummy/Egyptian themed duo number, performed to Royal T featuring Roisin Murphy's "Crookers." I was amazed by the enthusiasm they brought to this act and how their flirtatious energy built throughout the performance. This was something special.

Photo courtesy of Derek Jackson

RUBY JOULE: I have seen Ruby perform a few times the past couple of years, and she was admittedly a favorite of mine coming into the weekend. The particular thrill of her Vegas performance was that I saw Ruby do an earlier version of this elegant yet lively act in New Orleans last year. Seeing her perform it this time (to a mix of "Ecoutez, Repetez" by Touch and Go and "Put the Blame on Mame" by Banu Gibson)  was to witness a fully confident performer owning her act as well as the crowd viewing it. It was simply one of those alchemical moments where everything was the best possible version of itself.  Ruby won "Best Debut" and "Most Classic" trophies, and I couldn't have been happier for her.

Photo courtesy of Derek Jackson

JULIE ATLAS MUZ: One of the reasons I love burlesque so much is that it occasionally renders me speechless.  I remember the first time I saw the amazing Iva Handfull do her "Firestarter" punked-up fan dance. I get chills even thinking about the way the room exploded in applause afterward. I saw the very first show in which some of the members of my hometown's Salome Cabaret performed, and watching them today makes me smile like a psychotic getting a hit of laughing gas. I had heard of Julie but admittedly knew little about her before this weekend. She won the Miss Exotic World title in 2006, so I knew she would be great.  I just didn't expect her to be this great. She entered from the audience dressed as a cop, chasing away emcee Bastard Keith in the midst of his rant about the dangerous overreach of authority. She then proceeded, to the strains of KRS One's "Sound of Da Police," to molotov cocktail the damn house down. If Vegas could harness the energy of this act, the Strip could be disconnected from the power grid for the whole night and not suffer dimming of any sort or degree. She achieves a physical effect in her disrobing that still baffles me and which I lack words to describe, but even without that bit of awesomeness, words still fail. If I were attending BHOF weekend for an epiphanous moment, then Julie Atlas Muz provided it.

Photo courtesy of Derek Jackson

There were so many other performances I loved. I finally saw Dirty Martini's stellar balloon number, a classic act from a legendary performer. It is impossible to not fall a little bit in love with Roxi D'Lite. Perle Noire could resuscitate the near-dead with her sheer energy and confidence. LouLou D'vil could likely stop or start warfare, depending on her whims. Coco Lectric is a bundle of pure breathtaking. Cleo Viper may well have been an actual butterfly in another life. One should take any opportunity possible to hang out with Black Mariah, who was not performing but was still kick-ass. Also, one should hire David "The Bishop of Burlesque" Bishop to stage manage every show possible. When there is that much love for a stage manager, he must be doing many things right.

Finally, congratulations to the new Miss Exotic World, Imogen Kelly, whose amazing flamingo costume was eclipsed only by her charm as a performer.

I hope to be back next year.

And I hope I get to see the movie Burlesque Assassins well before then.

Some brief thoughts on Andy Griffith

I was working on another post, but admittedly a lot of my thoughts today regard the death of Andy Griffith.

Now, I never watched Matlock, but in my youth I was subjected to constant viewing of The Andy Griffith Show because my family, specifically my dad, loved it.  I usually half-watched it, busy with a comic book or some other amusement, but I came to know all the characters in Mayberry fairly well. I would never claim to be a giant fan of the show, and couldn't quote episode titles or the like as could one of my college professors who helped research a book on the show (Hi, Dr. Lee), but some things stuck with me, even if I wasn't aware of them at the time. Family and friends are important. Be true to your word. Don't get too worked up about problems in the moment, as life tends to sort them out over time. It could have been preachy, and its small-town truisms certainly could have been seen as treacly, but it just felt like life, which is a credit to the people that wrote and performed the show. It felt authentic. This is the new golden age of television, but I don't know how many shows I can honestly describe as such these days.

At the center of the show, the moral center, if you will, was Andy Taylor, Mayberry's local sheriff.  To his credit, Griffith never seemed afraid of being upstaged by Don Knotts, who even the unreasonable among us would admit created one of history's most indelible and memorable comedic characters in blundering deputy Barney Fife. Griffith as Taylor tended to win over a cadre of spirited locals and wayward relatives with a calm, understanding demeanor and thoughtful wisdom in just the right amounts. The fact that most episodes (and, yes, the black & white episodes are better than the colors) can stand up to scrutiny and remain funny to this day speaks outstandingly well of Griffith's instincts and the, yes, authenticity and universality of Mayberry and its inhabitants.  As a writer of fictions myself, The Andy Griffith Show was an early lesson in creating consistent, empathetic characters and also an absolute masterclass in world-building.  That last bit is a phrase most often used in fantasy, in creating the geography, iconography, and internal logic of a fictional locale, but if the object of building a world is to make it feel strange and familiar all at once, then Mayberry fits the definition.

I don't know that Griffith ever had the greatest range as a performer.  The most I've seen him stretch is in Elia Kazan's A Face In The Crowd, and his Lonesome Rhodes could perhaps be described as Andy Taylor's dark mirror. He absolutely nails the part of a homespun con artist sick with power. But with The Andy Griffith Show he hit a sweet spot, and in many ways became the nation's father figure for a good portion of the 60's and beyond.  One could make a case that he remained beloved because he was a symbol of steadfastness in a turbulent point in U.S. history, a decent man trying to do right even as the concept of right and wrong was being turned upside down.

Regardless, I am glad he was around, and I believe he will be for generations to come. Thanks to my dad for always having you on the TV, Andy. Rest in Peace.