January 26, 2004
SATAN'S CHATAUQUA (via John Resnick):
Liberals turn to entertainment to batter the 'House of Bush' : Stage shows, music, books being used to reach voters (Joe Garofoli, January 25, 2004, San Francisco Chronicle)
Loathing President Bush is an art form in Berkeley, a disgust so pointed that 3,500 people recently gave a standing ovation to a trio of best- selling Bush-bashing authors -- comedian Al Franken, economist Paul Krugman and ex-Nixon strategist Kevin Phillips -- before they uttered a word onstage.Unbeknownst to most in the sold-out Berkeley Community Theater audience, they were beta-testing a show that East Coast promoters are developing into a national barnstorming tour. The promoters were impressed; dates in New York and New Haven, Conn., are expected to be announced in the next week on what's being billed as the "Rolling Thunder" tour.
Bookers in Los Angeles and Chicago are gauging the reception of the unorthodox concept -- three disparate authors, fronted by three different publishers, united only by their common pounding of the leader of the free world -- before scheduling local versions.
Wasn't this show called "Bring Da Funk"? Posted by Orrin Judd at January 26, 2004 3:26 PM
Ah, Kevin Phillips. NPR's favorite Republican.
Posted by: Rick T. at January 26, 2004 3:38 PMI'm all for this. The left will continue to assure itself that it is in the right, and everyone knows so, because, after all, look at everyone applauding! And they will lose again, and again be faced with a choice: do they reconsider the things they are saying? Or do they grow ever more angry at their enemy, the populace, and thus lose more elections?
I wonder how long it will take them to catch on.
Posted by: Timothy at January 26, 2004 4:27 PMI'll be danged. I guess Kevin Phillips really is alive.
Posted by: Chris at January 26, 2004 4:33 PMAdd Michael Moore to the group and rename the show -- Rolling Gut Gas.
Posted by: Genecis at January 26, 2004 4:42 PMBetcha the only places where they will appear will be in towns and neighborhoods where the largest (and probably only) employer has the word "university" in its name.
The "Roiling Blunder" Tour!
Posted by: Mike Morley at January 26, 2004 5:57 PMOr Manhattan, Raoul.
I spent Saturday evening at a cabaret called the Cutting Room, at which the compere started off with antiBush jokes.
Certainly there was no expectation that anybody would find them, you know, not funny.
As part of the show, a pudgy girl recited what I think was a poem, although I could not identify what language it was in, while slashing herself with a butcher knife. Later, she hiked her skirts.
As she left the stage, the compere said, "You won't find a punker masturbating with a butcher knife anywhere else."
True, probably. I blame Bush.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at January 26, 2004 8:22 PMHarry:
Did all the performers cut themselves? I hope that's not why they call it The Cutting Room.
In the 'Thirties, before it became the most famous jazz club in the world, The Village Vanguard hosted avant-garde poetry readings. Arrested for presenting entertainment without a cabaret license, club owner Max Gordon beat the charge by having some of the poets perform in the courtroom ... the judge said "Not guilty, because that is not entertainment." It sounds like the owner of The Cutting Room could use the same defense.
Posted by: John Barrett Jr. at January 26, 2004 8:39 PM"Out damn spot." So cut a little deeper. You're something else Harry. You ought to rent the VHS/DVD "Scotland PA." And you as well Orrin.
Posted by: genecis at January 26, 2004 8:55 PMWell, maybe if they changed the name of the tour to "Krugmania" or "Frankenpalooza" and added a mosh pit they could do the big stadium tour this sunner.
Posted by: John at January 26, 2004 8:57 PMYou were doing research for an article, right Harry?
Posted by: Robert D at January 26, 2004 9:29 PMI am sure that there will be an accompanying signer for the differently audiblized. I just wonder if she will translate all of the curse words.
Posted by: Robert D at January 26, 2004 10:08 PMGag me with a spoon.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at January 27, 2004 1:51 AMJohn, there was some discussion about the blood. I thought it was real. My daughter, the actress, thought it was staged, but if so, it was cleverly done.
Not research. My son took us. It was a birthday spree for one of the women he works with.
The show also featured a woman billed as the only bellydancing sword swallower in the business.
I believe most of the people there thought they were being decadant and "edgy." But they had not (I suspect) read Luc Sante.
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