Tech. Rock. Pop. Truthiness.

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing a show at Patrick’s Cabaret in Minneapolis. I had been there before, a couple times. I had thought that these mishmash performances with a wide-ranging bill were anomalies. I went because I had friends performing, and just figured these evenings were one-offs.

The cabarets include artists ranging from poets to belly dancers. One evening I saw a poet from northern Minnesota, a female vocalist of the local cable show ilk, and then a sexy “Rocky Horror Picture Show”-type mini play that included a drag queen and a topless woman. The variety was amazing.

Turns out this is a regular thing. At least monthly, Patrick puts together a conglomerate of artists for an evening or two of total weirdness one could not find anywhere else in the Twin Cities. Last night’s show included the drag queen (dancer/singer/writer Justin Leaf) from the mini play from last time (though this play is not nearly as well thought-out), a gay Japanese man singing the blues for conservative listeners, belly dancing to a Harvey Milk tribute, and a woman with a spectacular old-timey voice doing beautiful accapela songs.

But the highlight was “Happy Imposter”, which is also appearing in the Bedlam 10-minute Play Festival. The piece is a monologue times two: a lesbian character named Melissa has different conversations with a video projection of herself. They’re always talking about different Melissas: “Oh, you ran into Melissa. Are you guys getting back together?” “Damnit, Melissa is calling. Should I pick up?” It’s difficult to convey, but trust me that it was absolutely brilliant. Her timing was nearly perfect and the writing and acting were superb. I can’t figure out if Molly Van Avery, the director, is the actor in the piece. I don’t think it is. Either way, each part was notable.
The best is that I’ll be seeing her piece again on Sunday because she’s in the same group at Bedlam I’m seeing on Sunday. One of my friends is directing a play her boyfriend wrote, so Molly’s piece is icing on the cake. Hooray for local art!

I’ve been busy with little to show for it, except this list.

Music

• M83 – Saturdays = Youth: An album I wouldn’t like by its definition (new wave), but I absolutely adore it. The female voice is so pristine and even the last 11-minute long track based on like four notes is intriguing. Along similar lines, the new Portishead doesn’t suck, thank God.
• 10,000 Maniacs – Our Time in Eden: I was really into this album in high school, based mostly off the lower-top 40 hit and its video, “Candy Everybody Wants“. I have fond memories of mowing lawn to this album. I think “Noah’s Dove” is the best song on the album. I lurve pianos in pop/rock, and this delicate riff puts in a trance every time. Which leads me to the last album I purchased…
• Elton John – Honky Chateau: What a great album! It’s the one with “Rocketman” and of course “Honky Cat”. It lives up to its name — all the songs have a country twinge, which I’m a major sucker for. Elton’s voice is at its best — he’s got a great range here. My favorite song right now is “I Think I’m Gonna Kill Myself” (very funny live vid on the link so take a look). It’s a get-up-and-dance kind of song, but there’s no irony. Loves it.
• Anton Dvorak – The New World Symphony: Another “album” I was obsessed with in high school coming back in rotation. We heard it in a General Music class and a bunch of us got really into it, so much so that we insisted that the 4th movement be played during our graduation. The version on Rhapsody sucks, but there’s a nice video of a performance of the 4th movement (my fave) on YouTube that actually looks like a modern music video in some ways. That opening may sound familiar…yeah, John Williams couldn’t think of a melody himself if it came out of the water and bit off his head.

My other primary distraction from the world has been Mario Kart. One word: SUPERFUN! I love that

there’s old courses on this one, though the only ones I know are the N64 ones. Using the steering wheel is far easier than a joystick. I’m winning most of my Gran Prix races, so I haven’t lost my touch apparently. Then

again, I haven’t started on 150cc yet. I’m a little scared. I’m excited to play online with friends who live far away with their Wiis. Weeeee!!!

I wanted to get another Wii Wheel for guests, but the Target and Best Buy in Eden Prairie were sold out. The Target guy said that more Mario Kart games were made and sent out than wheels. That’s another strike against Nintendo in my book. Hello – that’s simple math! There’s four possible controllers for every Wii, so naturally you need at least four Wii Wheels per copy of the game. I finally found one tonight at Circuit City, though I think it was $5 more there than at Best Buy. Whatever.