Extra! Extra! Clowns Found Not Scary! (with Clown Cabaret)

Occasionally, we have guests who are involved in a subculture so alien to me that I have to dive in and gleefully demonstrate my ignorance. For example, greeting a troupe of classically trained professional clowns who have performed everywhere from Disney to Spain to Ethiopia with, "So which are scarier: clowns or zombies?"

(from left to right) Matthew Pauli, Rich Potter, and Karen Beriss
(image from Clown Cabaret's successful Kickstarter)

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Seems like an innocent question, until you realize that clowning is so much more than a jackass with face paint who jumps out at you in a haunted house. Real clowns don't get up in your face. Assholes do. And the members of Clown Cabaret were quick to set straight my understanding about the matter. Also, I have secured explicit promises that the Clown Cabaret will never hide under your bed and scare you. Don't say I never did anything for you.

This episode, we were joined by the three founders and producers: Rich Potter (the tall one), Karen Beriss (the girl), and Matthew Pauli (that other guy). We discussed the role of makeup in clowning as a magnifying glass. Matthew explained how his graduate courses in classical acting examined clowning alongside techniques such as neutral mask, movement, and mime. Karen described working in hospitals with Big Apple Circus Clown Care. And Rich took us on a orthographic tour of collective nouns (by the way, it's an "alley" of clowns, since I know you were on the edge of your seat).

(image by Clown Cabaret)

"A clown is a performer who's very aware that they're in front of an audience… whether or not there's makeup, or if it's comic or pathetic varies wildly." - That Other Guy

(image by Clown Cabaret)

"Clowns tend to be fairly vulnerable. They are not just there with the audience, you get to see the real person… you can't get in front of the audience and freak out and try to hide that as a clown. If you're going to freak out, you have to share that with the audience." - The Girl

(image by Clown Cabaret) 

"Everyone is a clown. It's just a matter of most people try to hide it. People like us put our foibles up on stage for everyone to enjoy and laugh at so they don't have to get up on stage and get laughed at. But throughout the day, everyone does something stupid." - The Tall Guy

The most fascinating section of the podcast revolves around the relationships within a troupe (or gaggle or alley) of clowns: the leader, the (optional) middle man, and the subservient. Laurel and Hardy, the Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello - not a smear of makeup between them, but they all follow classic formulae of clowning. With no words, and a well established hierarchy, two clowns can make the act of going through a door take five hilariously awkward minutes. Keep an ear out for the power structure through the podcast.

Here's where you can find them and get up to speed on the awesome medium, genre, process, and true art of clown (and they're also funny, and not in that awkward "people get angry when I laugh in MoMA" kind of way):

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Swellmagic (Karen and Matthew's magic)
• January 14 performance
• February 13 performance (noon) at the Harman Theater of Delusions of Grandeur ("Three well-meaning, but misguided, clowns attempt to create epic theater. The show devolves into Shakespeare.")

Thank you, Rich, Karen, and Matthew for coming on the podcast. Can't wait to make it out to one of your events.

The Skull and Pasties (Podcast with Cherie and GiGi)

by Aine 

(Just assume all links are NSFW)

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Everyone needs a little GiGi in their life.
(image copyrighted by Cheryl Fair)

Two beautiful nerd girls were willing to talk swarovski crystals, beaded trim, sewing, hot glue, and costuming with us! Well, ok, that's true, but maybe not the most accurate intro. This week, the DC Geeks' podcast is joined by GiGi Holliday and Cherie Sweetbottom!

Cherie danced for us! Now that I've got your jealousy attention, I should admit it was Numfar's Dance of Joy. In this episode, we talk about how the honey badger could inspire burlesque, whether their families love or hate their performances, and how traditional burlesque performers view the evolution of nerdlesque. Listen to how they chose their names, and learn about the weirdest meme pasties (spoiler: It's grumpy cat).

Between Whedonism, Lord of the Pasties: The Two Tassels, and the Evil League of Ecdysiasts, GiGi and Cherie have begun drawing in geek fans who may never have realized that they loved burlesque. In some ways, nerdlesque sounds more challenging than cosplaying or burlesque alone. 

Cherie Sweetbottom, the sweetie pie with fruit on the bottom
(image from Cherie's website)

You have to know enough about the fandom to know the character and be inspired by them. You have to be able to make your own high-quality, heavily rhinestoned costumes that you can dance/strip/perform in. And you have to be really good at burlesque, never using the source material as an excuse to slack off. As Cherie put it, you can't be a lazy artist. (Other genres of fan/geek art seem to have similar problems: If you are bad at drawing, throwing in gears and goggles won't make your scribbles sell).

Let's talk about the heartbreaking elephant in the room: The Red Palace will be closing its doors at the end of this month. The community of burlesque, sideshow, and variety acts is losing its main home. So, get thee to a burlesque show! Cowboy up and go alone if you have to. Party hard and go make new insane drunken stories and stop telling us about that one time you wandered into the wrong dorm room!

• TONIGHT: Lord of the Pasties - The Two Tassels (it will sell out, show up early)
• Thursday: DC Variety
• Friday: Cheeky Monkey Sideshow (with Mab!)
• Saturday: Olde City Sideshow
• Sunday: Wonder-brunch followed by Dr. Sketchy's (see Cherie's new White Christmas act!)
• Dec. 20: Hot Todd Lincoln's House of Hotness Holiday Edition
• Dec. 21: Listen Local Series with Bearshark, Courtesans, and Maple
• Dec. 22: Burning Down the Palace - Hot New York Farewell
• Dec. 27: End Daze of the Red Palace
• Dec. 28: GiGi Holliday's Ladies' Night Out: Last Call… For Now (will sell out so get there well before 8).
• Dec 31: Zombie New Year's Eve Bash and Ball Drop III Blowout Bash

Naked Girls Reading presents truth in advertising.
(photo by Todd Gardner)

Here's how to keep tabs on GiGi and Cherie for all their upcoming performances:

• Dec. 21: Naked Girls Reading (Cherie wants to read the biblical Christmas story)
• Jan. 4-5: GiGi is performing at Elvis' Birthday Fight Club
• Feb. 15-18: GiGi is performing at the bdsm event, Dark Odyssey: Winterfire

• Cherie's Twitter
• Cherie's Facebook
• Cherie's Website
• Gigi's Twitter
• Gigi's Facebook
• Gigi's Website: Gilded Lily Burlesque

To avoid coming across as a creeper, send them a message letting them know you found them through DC Geeks before friending/following.

Thanks again to GiGi and Cherie for a wonderful podcast!

Podcast - Interview with Mab Just Mab

Usually she has someone stand on her head for this trick.
(image from Mab Just Mab)

Ladies and Gentlemen, step right up! Step right up! Don't be shy! Classic sideshow for your entertainment! You know her from the Accidental Circus, loved her with the Cheeky Monkey Sideshow, it's Mab Just Mab!

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As Mab is a wonderful storyteller, we run a bit long this week, but I wouldn't deprive you of a second of it - the episode really is that good. And if you listen to 1:09:39 - you get a song. 

Whatever you thought you knew about burlesque and sideshow acts is about to be blown away. This week, we have a wonderful show with the illustrious Mab, DC's own sideshow girl. Who takes the time to walk us through not only her own stories, but a deep history of sideshow (and taught us that there's more to the definition of "geek" than biting the heads off of chickens).

Those of you who know me understand that I am the one who's most likely to bury my face into a friend's arm during a sideshow act. However, I still have this incredible fascination with exactly how horrified I can truly become. I'll respond with any combination of squealing, tears, gasps, dry heaves, and wide-eyed horror, and always followed with wild applause. So I was thrilled to get to learn more.

Far from "just shock value," sideshow performances have a wonderful pacing and artistry to them. If you'd like to see more, check out the awesome (potentially NSFW) video below of her performance at Dr. Sketchy's.

Beyond doing sideshow, at local faerie festivals, Mab transforms into Wedji TuCheeks - a Goblin-born trans-Fae. She shared some wonderful stories about walking the events as her alter-ego. Keep an eye for Mab on Kickstarter as the comic book featuring the lovable over-the-top Goblin should be debuting on there soon.

And here are the links below if you would like to know more!

Mab Just Mab

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Tumblr

Accidental Circus

• Website
• Facebook 

Cheeky Monkey Sideshow

• Website
• Facebook

Moonshine Cabaret

• Facebook

Check out Mab's other projects

• UkeCordionPocalypse!
• Wedji TuCheeks

Thank you, Mab for an excellent podcast. Enjoy the podcast, DC Geeks, and don't forget to listen all the way through.

Captain Freedom and the Capital Fringe Festival

(images from the awesome people at capfringe.org)

The Capital Fringe Festival is a pretty cool idea. The event, which has run since 2006, focuses on serving up a selection of contemporary performing arts and music acts with a heavy focus on artistic freedom, low ticket prices, and original material. Fort Fringe, the epicenter of this annual performing arts festival, squats quietly on a side street merely two blocks away from the Mt Vernon Square/ 7th Street Convention Center Metro station, within spitting distance of K Street and all the associated money that involves.

Some forewarning for those inclined to make an evening out of a Capital Fringe show: Most of the dining options in the area are not cheap. Most restaurants nearby cater to the three-martini lunch crowd inhabiting the nearby offices. However, the folks running the festival have done attendees the favor of hosting a pleasant little tent bar in a parking lot near Fort Fringe with cheap and serviceable food and drinks – a good choice for those less inclined to spend $50 a head on dinner before a show. Comers may avail themselves of three-dollar cans of Stella Artois at their own risk.

The venue for the show I attended, the Redrum, is pretty much a typical shared art space. It is arty and spacious. Features include a slightly raised platform for your stagey needs, chairs for your sitting convenience, and not much else. Festival performances tend to be minimalist in design. The play itself was put on by a skeleton crew of six players (audio and lighting guru included), and contained all the heart and love you would imagine from true believers in the idea of live theatre.

Captain Freedom is a biographical journey through the life and times of its titular protagonist – a professional superhero more concerned with the celebrity and wealth that a heroing career can bring than petty morality. Those familiar with the movie The Specials will quickly understand the play's approach towards superheroes as beings that are not just super-powerful, but super-flawed. Our fearless Captain highlights the hitches, bumps, finagling, and dirty deals that made him the hero he was.

The show manages to be highly topical with plenty quips on politics, references to current events, and the usual old saws about inside-the-beltway life that seem to be sure-fire crowd-pleasers. Yes, some of the jokes are old hat, but overall, the performance was thoughtful and entertaining, and boasted a plethora of special touches that made the night a memorable experience for magnanimous humor lovers as well as nasty-minded cynics like myself.

The Capital Fringe Festival will continue to host performances until this coming Sunday. Captain Freedom's last festival performance will be on Friday, July 22 at 10:45PM. Kindly visit the festival website for information on shows and tickets.