thoughtcrumbs : january 2000

This is a great show . . .

For me to poop on! Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is on Fresh Air today.

Terry Gross: "Now Triumph, you criticize public radio, but wouldn't you say the introspective, reflective interview we had just now is unique to the medium?"

Triumph: "You call this a reflective interview? Well, let me look in the puddle of pee on the floor. Yup, I can see myself in it."

Spree

Embarrassing facts:

• I was a big Fraggle Rock fan as a kid.
• My friend Maha and I composed intricate dance routines to my Cats and Michael Jackson records.
• I was in my high-school production of Godspell.
• I saw Rent five times in three cities in 2000.

So perhaps I'm predisposed to love musicians who perform with unabashed glee. Last night's Polyphonic Spree show catered to my proclivity for passionate cheesiness quite nicely. The twenty-person ensemble belted cheery pop, each number a grand finale for a lesser band, complete with slide show, xylophone, and choral choreography. The audience grew hoarse in a communal sing-along that culminated in an enrapturing Wig in a Box. An indie-pop cult in floor-length white robes, the Polyphonic Spree gave a dizzying performance stripped of pretention.

Openers included the accordion-wielding Corn Mo, perhaps the love child of Meatloaf and Elvis, who in addition to obliterating all of the technique my accordion teacher has strived to convey, played the longest life-motivational vamp the Aladdin Theater has likely ever seen. With hamfisted chording, his ridiculously captivating songs covered such topics as being mistaken for Gary Busey (wasn't that you in Silver Bullet? No!), making out with girls at the better podunk mall (the one with the food court), and junior high bus rides. The mediocre and painfully loud Sleepy Jackson followed, but then local throat singer Enrique Ugalde more than compensated, astonishing us with one-man harmonics, a feat few get to see live.

Giraffes? Giraffes!

Dave Eggers and his brother Toph co-edited Giraffes? Giraffes!, the first in a series of nonsensical childrens' reference books. With sound scientific evidence, the authors show that giraffes thrive in Provo, Utah (because it's the hippest corner of the universe), and includes centerfolds of the best-looking giraffes, selected by a panel of muskrats. Note the picture of the solar system on the cover, indicating serious science facts will be found within.

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