Wednesday night, I was sitting at home, feeling like banging my head against the wall. I had just discovered that the one, the only Prefuse 73 was back in town to spin the next night and I had missed countless giveaways and shit. Speaking to Jenny later on, she revealed she was someone's plus one and I felt like crying. I consoled myself knowing that I was finally going to catch an Afropunk screening and besides that checking Man Man show #4.
PrincessNella met up with me at the job where I was chained to my desk trying to finish crap before 6 (I finally got out around 6:30) and we went to the movie. I loved it because it spoke to a lot of the things I feel as the black girl at hmm...just about every show I go to. One segment that bugged me was when Mariko went on about how thereotically she wanted to date black guys but they weren't into the same scene she was (which I can relate to), but additionally that her mom told her growing up that all black men were abusive and involved in drugs and that she should stay away. It killed me how matter of factly she mentioned it, as if it's common knowledge. You think that might have given her a bit of a complex about that? I might be crazy, but I think so. (I won't even get into how fucked up it is that her mother would say that being that she's either black herself or still married to a black man.) I mean, I lost the bet with my mother about being taller than her by 18 and that shit still occasionally bugs me, so if my mom was like "men that look like you aren't shit," I know I'd have issues. Mariko, get yourself to the shrink!
Anyhoo post-movie, we went to a noodle house that served dumplings so huge that I felt a little ill after 3. It was like a yummy brick in my stomach. I got a call from Jenny saying that there might be a chance for me to get into the Diesel show and I scurried up there as soon as we were done. Strolling up the venue was fucking madhouse in the streets. Hipsters everywhere standing up against the barricades. I saw a kid I went to college with and he gave me that look of recognition and I ignored him. If I wasn't interested then, I'm not interested now is the general rule of thumb. I stood with Jenny, Cameron, and Kristina for about 20 minutes or so before walking up. The way I saw it was "no harm, no foul." Prefuse will always be dope and one of these years I'll see him. I reserve a ticket now for the 2007 tour.
I wandered down to Sapph to kill some time before heading to the other show venue. My Friendster told the bartender to mix me up something strong and cheap and he obliged with some sweet concoction with a gin base that tasted like candy. They love trying to get me drunk in that joint. I'm their mixology guinea pig. The most wonderful part is that I'm feeling like myself again. Dancing is back to being like second nature. It's amazing that I can go out and not scowl (too much) again and have a good time. I thought it would never happen. Cheers to a paycheck!
After a while, I was up to here to catch the show (after a 2 second detour into 419). I got a glass of water and searched for a vantage point to peer out from as I do. I happened to look before I sat down on a couch, luckily because there lay a person. The thought flashed in my head that it was probably Ryan or something -- and I found out later that I was right. The bill was only a quarter done, so soon a hip-hop band came on. I felt them only partially due to a few reasons: 1) Usually when I think "hip hop band," I think a semi-conscious type performance is going to follow. And I would've been wrong in this case because every typical bullshit topic was covered except for guns. 2) Most male rappers are boring because they sound like everyone else. Has anyone heard of flow and an individual style? Jesus. I couldn't even distinguish between the two guys onstage. But, the girl was dope. Or maybe I'm just more partial to a female rapper, especially the ones who are on the "yeah, I'm a tomboy but that doesn't mean I'm not a woman" tip.
After their set, most people in the crowd took it as their cue to bounce which was sort of disappointing. Still, I was ready to represent with my t-shirt and happened to run into Kate. It turns out we were sitting across the room for each other for a good while and no idea. Funny when that happens. She introduced me to some folks and I did the double take when she said to one "this is Kitty Power." Wha? As I'm aware, when you Google "Man Man Ace Fu Records" or something along those lines, I'm pretty high on the returns list. But, the fact that they happened to keep reading? Freaks my shit out. Stop it, people! (No, I'm just kidding. But, leave comments or something. I like it when lurkers come out of the woodwork.)
The set was great -- minus some level problems (everyone's a critic, right?) -- and people drifted in as they were playing. This one chick was doing some drunken out of control dance and I had yeti flashbacks and made a snide comment to Kate about how I hoped thet girl didn't start stripping. It's fun watching something click in people's faces as I'm sure happened to me back in October. I spent most of the set back then whispering to Jenny, "this is the weirdest, most awesomest thing I have ever seen" and I was hooked. But, let me stop...I'm such a shill. But, I might as well be shameless.
