by christina wagner
I approach 1528 Hendricks Ave (Jack Rabbits) borderline buzzed. It’s been about two months since I’ve stepped into the joint, so I was a bit nervous. I wasn’t sure if it was the two double tall Bombay and tonics I had consumed at Monty’s or the always-refreshing comfort of familiar faces greeting me at the door that made me feel somewhat at home, but I was ready for the spectacular performance that You Tube had promised me. I thought I was arriving tardy (as usual), but not nearly as tardy as the actual package (Mickey Avalon), leaving the crowd somewhat antsy.
I actually got into an argument with a group of teeny boppers over seating arrangements, but I came out okay in the end, after taking sides with my friends, they ended up buying me a frosty Stella. Andre Legacy and Dirk Nasty Simon Rex came out strong with an almost Vanilla Ice appeal. People were into it, I had no idea why. Maybe it’s because I’ve been turned on to some truly brilliant hip-hop recently, or was it because I had a brain? They were spitting out hooks, like, “I’m an animal lover.” Really? Singing songs like “I’ve got a gold chain, I’m on cocaine.” Hmm.
With enough vibrations erupting on my seat to make even Howard Stern’s speakers look like virgins, I was ready for a change of heart in tonight’s performance. Next up was Mickey Avalon. The performance started out with a remix of Toni Basil’s ‘Hey Mickey.’ Very clever. Avalon exploded on stage sporting a black zip up leather jacket and two sexy cigarette smoking brunettes. The crowd was freaking out. Girls were jumping up on shoulders to get a peak, sneaking onstage only to quickly get thrown off, flashing their goods, all while chanting along to lyrics such as, “Mickey Avalon, dick thick as a baton, the illest motherf**ker from here to Vietnam, I used to work nights on hot c*ck dot com, but then I got fired when my mom logged on. I’m on the run, my dad’s a bum, I asked my girl if she loved me and she just said —umm...”
The strong undertones were comparable to dirty electropop accompanied by simplistic airy tones that complemented his matter-of-fact LA-esque vocals. This all highly contrasted his 80s hair metal against his nasty little Bad Boy Bill vibe. I don’t think there was a song he performed without chanting his own name. Andre Legacy and Dirk Nasty joined him on stage for a song or so. Sweat pouring off his face, gracefully smearing his guy liner, while twenty-year old nothings pathetically reached to touch his one-hundred pound fragile body mashed between two hearty buns of man-meat. If Mick Jagger and Peaches had a love child, he would be Mickey Avalon, I think to myself as I watch him wave his arms around like a hysterical army warplane.
I’m lead to the bus via his tour manager, Tone, where we find Mickey and his girlfriend lounging in the back. He’s calm, collected and peaceful, very different from his stage persona. As I’m setting up the microphone, we briefly chat about tonight’s performance and his first impression of Jacksonville. He was very impressed by the response and the enthusiasm.
“If the crowd is having fun, then I’m having fun. Just seeing them get down like that, I know I’m doing something right.”
More so than most performers, Mickey truly feeds off the energy exuded from his audience. Accompanied by the brunette bombshells in a kind of Robert Palmer sort of way, he climbs fences, lunges into the crowd in a snake-like manor, and definitely got his Jane Fonda on. Born and raised in LA, Avalon battled the first round of criticism harder than most. In a scene that gave birth to greats like The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane’s Addiction, proving yourself as a local in such a competitive scene would likely discourage even the hardest working musicians into submission. After wrapping up a tour in Europe with The Chili Peppers, selling out the Barfly, and rubbing shoulders and winning praises from artists like Amy Winehouse, “ She’s been a fan of ours for a long time,” you would expect another pompous musician, if not for his stage presence alone. But Mickey is surprisingly down-to-earth. He snuck an old friend and a homeless guy, Clive, onto his guest list for the sold out event and even made sure security treated him like gold.
When asked about Dirk Nasty aka Simon Rex, he makes sure to point out that Rex is more than a crossover act and has been making beats for quite a while.
“The acting thing just fell in his lap.”
The trio are also label buddy buddies on Shoot to Kill. (You can look it up on myspace.com/beardo.) When asked about his past, Avalon admitted to hustling to get drugs and that music was his savior.
“Being able to joke about it, a lot of the first recordings were a joke, we didn’t think it was going to go anywhere. Simon was passing it around at clubs when I was living in a halfway house. All the stuff is real serious and funny and sexy, but what I think is the problem with rap is how it’s so male-oriented, so guy-to-guy, so it’s not really sexy.”
Although his past is not exactly squeaky clean, he tells me that he wouldn’t change a thing, it got him to where he is today. He raises the blinds to show everyone what’s out there in an artistic way. I think I’ve found my new guilty pleasure.
|
EU Critic’s Choice Awards
