Challenge: No Lights No Lycra

This challenge is something I had been meaning to do for a while. And by "a while" I mean "around 3 years," since my ex housemate and INSSW blogger Dave used to go all the time. Also, dancing in the dark pretty much sounds like exactly my kind of thing. But often I was busy or lazy or forgetful or had a broken leg and didn't get around to it. Yet, one very cold Wednesday evening I managed to remember that it was on and that I had expressed interest in going, even if I did remember halfway through a gym workout. And I decided to go anyway.

This is basically what happens

No Lights, No Lycra started a few years ago, and the idea is that it is a dance class without instructors or choreography, where people can just dance in the dark. When I arrived, there wasn't really anyone around yet, and since it is in a church hall it was all a bit creepy. Soon enough, people who looked like my people and so I followed them to a dark hall, and sat just inside, hoping that I would be able to find Dave in the dark when he arrived. Lucky for me I did, and soon enough there was dancing to keep me warm. About halfway through Dave wandered off, and I didn't find him again until the end. I think the experience is better on your own, as it was much easier to forget myself and just enjoy my own physicality. Highlights were the weird echoey version of "Shout" that was kinda eerie in the dark, and going crazy to "I just can't wait to be king."

Rating:

10/10 - turns out it is my kind of thing.

Would I do it Again:

I already have! (Yeah, I have been slack with blogging, but it only took a week and a half to get around to it. Which is not that bad)

Challenge: Listen to Hell Hath No Fury - Clipse

I had never even heard of Clipse. I assume they are maybe a big thing in Gangsta rap, but maybe not enough to have been mentioned on 30 Rock or on British panal shows. That is how I stay down with the kids, which is a pretty good indication of how not down with the kids I am.

The more I look at this album cover the more confused I get

I didn't listen to it super closely, as I was cooking while I listened. I do a lot of my music listening while cooking, and I guess usually it involves more singing. Overall, well, I got through the whole thing without too much trouble and there were songs that I would dance to, without even having to be that drunk!
Songs I quite liked: Hello new world, We got it for cheap, Nightmares.
Would I listen to it again: Maybe. I dunno. I want to say yes but I probably won't. But that is my fault, not your's, Clipse.
Rating: 7/10

Challenge: Spiegeltent

The Spiegeltent has been popping up in Melbourne for several years now, and has always fallen into the category of things I meant to go to but always forgot about until it was gone. So, after convincing my sister and mum to go to a comedy festival show with me, when I noticed that Ali Mcgregor's Late-Nite Variety-Nite Night was on there, I figured that might be a good choice. Partly because Mum knew who Ali McGregor was (after a small amount of reminding), partly because the show offered variety and mostly because I like the name. AND IT WAS AT THE SPIEGELTENT. Finally, I could go!

This is a picture of Ali McGregor that also shows how happy I was to be going to the Spiegeltent.

The Late-Nite Variety-Nite Night featured four guests, as well as host Ali McGregor and her buttress Floxie McGinty (Virginia Gay). The first was standup comedian Matt Okine, who my sister and I liked enough to decide that we should go and see his show the next night. Next up was East-End Cabaret, who I liked enough that I would go and see their show if they were doing one in Melbourne. Although, hearing a song about how deflowering virgins is a terrible idea while sitting next to my mother was a new experience I possibly didn't need? Maybe next time that will be less uncomfortable. If that happens again.

I stole this photo from Ali McGregor's facebook page.

Burlesque act Agent Lynch was next, (sitting next to my mother while a lady is stripping to reveal a vagilaphone was another new experience). Finally, there was Dave Callan, who I have decided I should definitely go and see this festival. He danced to Beyonce. It was marvellous.
Between the guest spots, Ali sang some wonderful things, the highlight for me being the medley of Prodigy hits. If you have not heard her sing, here is a video of her singing a Blur song.

Virginia Gay, who was Ali's "buttress" (this may or may not be the correct term for a female butler, although I think the correctness of the term is probably irrelevant) throughout the show, was hilarious. Her face is just so delightfully expressive. She also had to earn her keep by singing a song, which had me in stitches.
Nutshell: A good way to see a variety of acts. Turns out the name of the show is an accurate description!
Rating: 10/10
Would I go again: Yes. I'd even take my mum again.

#1st!

Challenge: I’ve never seen a country music gig.

“I like both kinds of music – country and western.”

It wasn’t until I was writing this up that I was thinking I have some vague, memories of me doing some country dancing as a kid – more than 20 years ago, probably under much sufferance. So the challenge was still valid and so there I was at the Victoria Hotel Brunswick, a typical, average sized suburban pub, on a Saturday night to see The Moonee Valley Drifters. With that noughties Johnny Cash biopic well in the rear-view it is once again pretty easy to shit on country music again; you know the drill; cousin courting country folk, depressing lyrics and crunking awesome hats. Yeah the jokes pretty much write themselves (And what is the deal with aeroplane food?).

But in the spirit of INSSW someone who’s country music collection begins, middles and ends with a (hardly listened) double CD Hank Williams best of collection there I was at a not-in-the-country country gig.

The crowd was made up of white suburbanite couples in their 50s and 60s who reminded me of my parents – if only my parents were out on the town having so much fun. I know more about Japanese basket weaving than I do about country dancing, but even I could see that it was the more swing dancing than boot-scooting. Same goes for the music; if you’re note familiar with it then of course all country music sounds the same in the same way that you probably couldn’t tell the difference between Waka Flocka Flame and Gucci Mane* if your life depended on it, while I on the other hand could bore you to death on the difference several times over.

What I liked the most was the communal feel – people seemed to all know each other or eager to make friends. Honestly I couldn’t have looked more out of place, but I didn’t feel out of place, well not too out of place and I think if I had made the effort they would’ve been friendly enough, despite the age gap. It wasn’t until Sally pointed it out that I realised that they were swapping partners; I’m not sure if this contributed to the communal feel of the place, or vice versa.

As for the fetching less who was possibly the only young person there and maybe I could’ve plucked up the courage to ask her to dance – I mean this is for hicks so it really can’t be much harder than getting crunk, innit? Going by snappy dressing she looked like she meant to be there (somehow I felt my plaid Chucks violated the unofficial dress code- will have to back to you about my Kangol), but when she got dancing and showed up pretty much everyone there- well, you could tell she most definitely meant to be there; it was her world and I was just visiting. 

The band did 3 sets of about 5 or 6 songs, at first I thought I thought it was maybe to give the band a break (who appeared to be much the same age as the dancers with the exception of the lap steel player who looked my age give or take), but then I realised it was probably so the dancing baby-boomers could have a well-earnt break.

After the gig I spoke to the perfectly friendly and likeable band leader ex-pat Yank Tom Forsell and bought a CD off him which he and several other band members signed. Of course, you can’t decide that you don’t like ALL country and western from one gig any more than you can decide you don’t like ‘rock music’ (hey I’m down with the kids!) from one gig, but I enjoyed myself. Even if they looked like my parents it was a fun night. Who knows? Next time I might pluck up the courage to dance…………

*Like Hank Williams both are hard-living, (self)-destructive Southerners.

Rating: 7/10

Nutshell: Friendly, unpretentious fun.

Would I do it again? Yes absolutely I’m going to keep an eye out and see them again.