Hedwing Stirs the Passions - Recommitment to Self/in/World

I saw Hedwig and the Angry Inch live recently here in Kansas City, performed by a local group, and though it was rough, (and I am certain it almost always is), it touched me deeper than any live theater I've seen in many years.

Now, just to start off, I am queer. And really, I mention that to set you up with an "oh, he's gay and loves theater" assumption which I will now quash by saying I generally despise live theater. I loved it as a closeted youth, I must say. My family attended live musical theater all during my younger days. Our parents took us to see The King and I, the Sound of Music, Chicago (this in New York on Broadway in 1976), Finigan's Rainbow, Oliver, Guys and Dolls (these last two I also played oboe in the orchestra for when my high school performed them). We saw many plays, too, and I loved to be transported into the stories, forget myself for a while, stare at others performing.

Then in 1984 / 85, while I was attending my freshman year of college in England at Richmond College in Surrey, my mother took me to a string of theater which ended the magic it had cast for me earlier. Mousetrap, and Little Shop of Horrors, were probably the last two theater experiences I actually enjoyed, but Pump Boys and Dinettes, and finally Cats put the lid on the coffin. I was disillussioned, somehow. Suddenly, everything I saw was revealed as trite, manipulative, overplayed, and annoying.

I'll go see an occassional show, if my curiosity is piqued, mainly out of hope that I'll see something good or great or entertaining. And I am occassionally granted the experience.

"Thanatos", at least one of the original productions, I remember seeing it in a groundfloor loft-type room, not a theater at all, back in 1992 or 93 maybe. I enjoyed the story, the writing. The acting was pretty good. The environment was cool.

"Valley of the Dolls". I have a thing for Late Night Theater here in Kansas City. I love the idea. I love the deconstructionist, chaotic, fun-loving attitude that they fill their shows with. But I'm almost always left wishing they'd get a little more serious about it, push it, make it great. I shouldn't complain. We're blessed to have them in our city. The original run of Valley of the Dolls, I think I saw it at the Unicorn back in the late nineties, was, in my opinion, their finest hour. I keep going to see them hoping for that moment again.

So, a few years ago, when Hedwig and the Angry Inch came to town, I saw it and thought it was interesting. I have a memory of Jon Piggy Cupit doing bits from the show as Hedwig after the regular performance, but I'm not really clear how it played out. Anyway, a little later, the film came out, and I noticed the actor who played Hedwig was also the director and writer and had started the whole phenomenon and this was his directorial debut. And it was VERY GOOD. A GREAT film, with great structure, great writing, great music. A few moments that are confusing, but I was very touched.

So, I made a plan to see it live again, just to see. And I did, a couple of years ago, at the Off Broadway Theater, where it seemed to have originated, being perfectly aligned with the old Spirit Festival grounds where Tommy Gnosis might have played when Hedwig opens the rear exit of the theater to blinding light and deafening rock. It was a moment of theater that brought it all back, the idea that theater could be transporting, could rise above it's own theatricality and move something deep inside me. I was thrilled. And this kid, this wonder of a boy who played Hedwig, a kid with a face and a body and a voice and timing, and Holy Shit! Hedwig Lives!

So I bought the DVD, and it's got a great documentary about the building of the show, from Drag Club experiments to Off-Off-Broadway phenomenon to Sundance Film Festival. It filled in all the blanks and left me happy to know the process, the long hard road it took to move my spirit after years of feeling manipulated but unmoved by the theater.

So thank you Hedwig. For reminding me what it feels like.

Ray LaMontagne in my heart...

I've been listening to kexp.org, a Seattle, WA public radio station that gets me through my workday and has rekindled a passion for music I thought I'd lost. Over the last few years, since I discovered their stream, they have introduced me to bands like The Shins, Grandaddy, A. C. Newman, Muse, The Fiery Furnaces, Modest Mouse, the Decembrists, Neko Case, and The Postal Service.

Last week, I bought Trouble, the debut cd by Ray Lamontagne, who I've been hearing for several months on the kexp stream. It's nothing like the indie poprock I've been happily munching on lately. The first time I heard Ray, I thought "what's this doing on KEXP?" It sounded like Tracy Chapman, Jimmy Scott, Joan Armatrading; some mid-sixties folk blues artist with a smoky, androgynous voice, a simple song structure, and some archetypal, unspeakable quality that hit me in the heart. Of course I answered the question immediately: KEXP isn't married to anything but finding great music and sharing it with us!

Listening to Ray's album several times through in my Chrysler Town & Country Minivan this weekend, I have fallen in love and had my heart broken with some regularity. An experiment I try sometimes works particularly well with Ray's music: pretend God is singing this song to me.

Chills, tears, awe, and empathy. Ray LaMontagne, and the inspiring tale of his introduction to his talent, has brought me a range of wonder that doesn't regularly register on my emotional scale. I am grateful. Standout tracks: Trouble. Shelter. Hold You in my Arms. Jolene. Hannah.

A few years ago, I think I might have thought this music was boring. But right here, right now, it seems to be just what I need.

Points or Reference OIKOS

I have some property. A three-story brick Kansas City six-pack, built in 1911, and presently consisting of 4 single-bedroom apartments and one 2-bed/2-bath penthouse. There is a basement with storage units for each apartment and a coin-operated laundry washer and dryer. Behind the building, and the real reason I bought the place, is a late 19th century carriage barn, built for a home which no longer exists, it is now part of my property. The carriage barn is 2-story brick construction, with a steep roof that was originally slate, and which I'd like to replace with slate. It's expensive stuff, but I think it is the right material.

I moved into the apartment building as a tenant in 1995, wishing to live closer to the location where I was hoping JAVAGAIA would re-open. Well, of course the coffeehouse didn't re-open, but I found a good apartment, which led to my job at City Garden and The Bluebird Cafe. In 1996, I was endowed with the balance of the trust my grandparents, Bess and Joe, set up for my education. There was enough for a down payment on the building when my landlord decided to move with his family to Arizona in 1997. I saw it as a good investment, and I haven't paid rent since I bought the place.

I bought the property for $93,000, and I have put close to $125K into the property since I bought it. It keeps paying for itself, through rental income, and I keep moving toward my vision of a holistic preservation of affordable rental housing in urban Kansas City. I have great tenants who play along admirably. Thanks to everyone helping make this possible.

This year has been great for the carriage barn. Last summer, several codes violations inspired my bank to make funds available for much needed exterior work: the whole face of the building was re-tuckpointed, doorways and windows were reframed, the roofline was repaired, and the old slate roof was removed for repairs and given a layer of ice and rain shield, which has given me a season of protection until I can get the next phase financed. Next up: new slate roof, gutter, doors, and windows. Then interior work can begin: plumbing, electrical, insulation of exterior walls and ceiling, surfaces. Roughing in a kitchen and bath. HVAC. As soon as this work is done I can move into the carriage barn and recieve rent on the penthouse where I am presently living. If all goes as planned, I should have a new house to live in (albeit an ongoing construction project) paid for by the rental units before me.

This is sort of a boring entry, but it is a piece of the puzzle.

Welcome to the World

Greetings World Citizen!

Thank you for trying bushbabybushbaby.

It is Saturday morning, which means: Mexican Breakfast at YJ's.

Eggs: Your way. I tend to have them over medium most of the time. Black beans, a little spicy. Fresh Pico de Gallo (chopped onion, tomato, and cilantro) a corncake, avocado, farmers' cheese and sour cream, some tortillas.

I make little burritos, making certain that all ingredients can be savored in each bite. Anyone watching me make my little burrito would consider me a mad genius or an anal obsessive compulsive. I doubt the two are mutually exclusive. Before rolling, I like to liberally sprinkle some salsa on there, maybe Cholula, Tabasco, or some savory equivelent.

YJ's is located near downtown Kansas City, MO, USA, on 17th Street in the crossroads between Baltimore and Wyandotte. It is one of the finest 3rd World Snack Bars in the 1st World.

Mexican Breakfast is only offered on Saturdays between 9 am and 1:30 pm. YJ's menu is a calendar, with set lunches and dinners 7 days a week. (For instance, I also enjoy the Mayan Tostadas on Monday nights, and the Vegetarian Lasagna on Wednesday nights. I recently tried the Saturday Catfish feast dinner, and it is great too, but not quite as vegetarian as I like to eat.)

More on YJ's in upcoming entries, I'm sure. For now: BREAKFAST!