If there is a narrative, any cohesive thread to the story Of Montreal’s front-man Kevin Barnes is telling with their current touring community theatre stage review of Barnes’ created pomosexual Prince jack Georgie Fruit (who also appears for the entirety of their recently-released electro horn-dog of an album Skeletal Lamping), it somehow must incorporate a vast number of pig-headed naked figures doing battle with ninjas for control of…glitter?
It also must include Kevin Barnes’ sexual suicide and eventual rebirth as a…puck-like character of some-sort who…has a funeral and…causes the parrot-headed beings to shoot the world with guns of…light?
I don’t know. I really don’t. Seeing this 2+ hour spectacle last night in Atlanta made the whole thing make even less sense than it did when I was just reading reviews or seeing photos (which you can do here, honestly) .
Of Montreal: Women’s Studies Victim
What struck me was how well this one, “Women’s Studies Victim”, my favorite from the new album, fit into the dreamfuck narrative Kevin had going. Unencumbered by set pieces or awkward blocking (Kevin: stage left. R hand Parrot Head when you sing “penis”), “Women’s Studies Victim” was the rare raw/raunchy+brainy moment from both the show and the album it dervied nearly all its’ source material from.
She took me home and spit in my drink
She spoke of Germaine Greer and freedom I don’t know what to think
I took her standing in the kitchen ass against the sink
She draped me in a stole…I think Malaysian mink
Yes, please.
There were a handful of other moments, too…first single “Id Engager” wasn’t one of them, but as it was the first song the set-pieces/insert-awkward-dancing-HERE moments were still completely novel and fresh. Tt must be odd to be anyone else in that band other than Kevin. “Wait, so, ok, I have to make sure my solo lasts long enough to take me stage left at the appropriate time to grab the hands of the man in the pink body suit standing on the platform and move one of his hands to his crotch. When you sing something about purple flying candylabia attracting the foucault of your soul, Kevin, I’m supposed to put my left foot up and one of the dudes dressed as a ninja will slide under me, and another one will come and sprinkle me with glitter, which will symbolize…
the time…
a ninja…
sprinkled…you…with…glitter?”
They were filming the Atlanta show for a tour dvd. That dvd better include looks at Kevin’s storyboard and blocking for that show, as well as coverage of any post-show notes sessions with the actors.
i’m so excited to see of montreal in orlando. i can barely wrap my mind around the fact that i can see kevin barnes in person.
just to clarify, it’s “Freidan”, not freedom. friedan wrote “the feminine mystique”, which would make sense for a women’s studies victim :] just wanted to clarify that.
I know Friedan! I cannot believe I missed that-I’ve always heard it as “freedom”, but, yeah, that makes way more sense.