I don't remember much about last night. I got rather drunk in a pub after setting up sound and video recording equipment, then found myself surrounded by around 70 famous people from the last 200 years. All of them women. Some had beards, but all were identified by name tags.
Some stood up to give speeches, and some played music.
First up were Siouxsie and the Banshees (reincarnated for the night by Bodygurn), playing surprisingly reggae-influenced versions of some greatest hits.
Then a speech from the great revolutionary and martyr, Rosa Luxemburg. In the voice of a gruff 6'6 man, she paid tribute to many of the women present who'd fought oppression over the decades, only to be half airbrushed out of official history.
Billie Holiday dropped by, in the guise of a folk singer called David Allen. She sang "Strange Fruit", unaccompanied and to a hushed audiance.
Edith Piaf also sang an acapella guest spot - "je ne Regrette Rien". Then ten minutes later decided she'd had such a good time that an encore was in order. She's like that.
Then there was Kate Bush - from her little known fat skinhead techno period. I thought the pissed bloke with her nametag sang abysmally, though a lot of lady luminaries from the past said they'd enjoyed it. Marlene Dietrich said it was "alright".
The final act was X-Ray Spex, disguised as Strict Machines, belting out their intense mix of punk styles.
There were others who spoke, but I didn't catch their names. Yoko Ono wandered around asking guests to polish an orange.
As the evening drew to a close, I sat eating nuts with an argumentative Tracy Emin, wondering how the night would seem in the morning.
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Outrageously fabulous.
ReplyDeleteWhen do we get to see and hear said recordings?
It'll take a day or two to get the files moved the the laptop, edited, encoded and uploaded. After a quick listen to my set, it's not quite as bad as I expected, but still a bit rough.
ReplyDeleteAs I say at the end of the set, "I have been drunk, out of tune, and Kate Bush. Goodnight".
Hurrah!
ReplyDeleteCareful, dear Captain, with what you say about Edith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich! (Lol!)
ReplyDeleteI love and worship those two women from the bottom of my heart, okay?
Being so gay I have no alternative, have I?...
And according to your description, that night reminds me of recent Eurovision Song Contests. I wonder why... Tsk, tsk...
Ciao!