Slog News & Arts

Line Out

Music & Nightlife

« Re: Rants and the Ranting Rant... | Should There Be A Moratorium o... »

Friday, April 13, 2007

Gong Show Rocked

posted by on April 13 at 11:54 AM

gong-bunny.jpg

The Stranger Gong Show last night at the Crocodile was friggin’ hilarious. The over 30 acts were a mishmash of everything—earnest a cappella singers to freaky performance art to the Easter Bunny. The best acts had a definite shtick, even when their talents were questionable.

First prize—a giant package of tickets and gift certificates and $100—went to the fabulously entertaining Lizard Queens, “the Doors do performance-art spoken word” remembers judge Jonathan Zwickel. I thought people might fall over, they were laughing so hard during the act.

gong-lizard.jpg

Some noteworthy also-rans: Fnarf putting 14 quarters up his nose, the slack-rope-unicycling balloon-animal tier, the “Glamorous Life” dancer, and the WTF?! woman regurgitating Twinkie bits for her rubber-chicken babies.

gong-balloon.jpg

The audience was gustily participatory, both with the loving and hating, as well as freely expressing opinions on acts’ gong-worthiness. The judges were appropriately drunk and opinionated, throwing out one-liners and snap judgments. Host David Schmader kept things going, trying to keep bedlam at bay while soothing the hurt feeling of gonged-off participants, one of whom actually looked like he might hit someone.

Have no fear: Our video-production team is working on getting some video together for viewing soon.

Thanks to Kelly O for the photos!

RSS icon Comments

1

The woman who chewed up the Twinkie and regurgitated it into the mouths of two rubber chickens, which came as the climax of an act that also involved Chinese fan-dancing, a mysterious bra appearance, incompetent tassle-twirling, and I don't know what else, all accompanied with freaky facial expressions of fear mixed with bug-eyed crazy: she was unfairly gonged. I loved her.

I have a number of other acts, but many of them usually end in vomiting, so maybe not for an indoors crowd. But I would like to thank my many fans. Little did I know, back on the junior high playground where the first quarter entered my nose (a borrowed quarter, which the lender never wanted back), that someday it would take me this far. Thank you, thank ALL of you, the little people who make this possible.

Posted by Fnarf | April 13, 2007 12:27 PM
2

I agree with Fnarf (in this and all things): a part of me will never feel complete because I didn't get to see how the Chinese fan-dancing Twinkie regurgitating tassle WTF girl finished her performance. DAMN YOU GONGER, DAMN YOU!!!

Would it have killed ya to wait 30 seconds and give her a one if you hated her routine, so the rest of us could have some peace?

I guess we'll never know.

Posted by imaginary dana | April 13, 2007 12:47 PM
3

Too true, the both of ya. Chicken Lady -- her performance a true moment freed from within at that time, at that place. Wow.

Other acts could have been the fuckin gonged way earlier. It was a good mix of stuff overall. I liked, too, that all the acts were way into the spotlight of it, of having the crowd there in front of 'em, Judges were funny. Crowd was rowdy. It was a lot of fun.

Posted by Lloyd Clydesdale | April 13, 2007 1:41 PM

Comments Closed

In order to combat spam, we are no longer accepting comments on this post (or any post more than 14 days old).