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Oh, Williamsburg.

So last night I went with my buddy Doc to Punch, a new monthly puppet cabaret at Galapagos. The preposterousness of it all - A puppet show in Williamsburg? But where else would it be? - made me laugh and yet intrigued me. Maybe it would be AWESOME. Maybe these would be the coolest puppets ever. Maybe it would be like if TV on the Radio were puppets: Dude remember when we used to see that puppet show for like five dollars on a Tuesday? I liked them before they were cool, now I can't even get a ticket to see them, let alone afford it. Did you see how much scalpers were asking on Craig's List? A hundred bucks, man. For puppets. Shiiit.

Alas this was not the case for most of the show. "Country Home" by Kate Scelsa was beautifully designed but plastic dollies just hanging out on a pretty set that Scelsa kept adusting into different backgrounds was not a puppet show. Performance art, yes. Puppet show, no. Eric Wrights's "Caveman v. Blender" was cute - a cool-looking marionette caveman does battle with a blender - but I wanted a puppet with somebody's hand up its ass saying funny things to me. The third act (didn't get the name), something involving an awesome-looking rat marionette-like thing reciting the Beastie Boys with tuba accompaniment was a bit closer to what I was looking for, but it went on too long and there wasn't really a point to it so it kind of just stopped being funny.

And then the perky "puppet" show hostess announced it would be another hour before the next act came on, but that it would be worth our while to wait for the final acts.

Whatever, we were already drunk. It was a Tuesday. We're unemployed. What else were we going to do?

But you know what? It was above and beyond anyone's expectations. Jollyship the Whizbang were amazing! And not just because we were drunk! They had dirty old man captain puppets and talking crab puppets and clown cabin boy puppets, all with hands firmly up their asses, and a full band that played pretty great poppy rock songs and they had a lot of drug references which is always fun and it was totally hilarious, like I laughed really hard, solidly, throughout the entire show. This is some genius stuff, this pirate puppet-rock show. Admittedly the kind of thing you only need to see once (they're playing next Thursday at the Knitting Factory if you're interested), but still well worth the wait.

After that we had one more drink, and I actually said out loud, "I really do not need another drink," but you know: Tuesday, unemployed. So I had it, and now my head hurts something fierce today. It all seems to be worth it though, for some strange reason.

(1/26/05)