good ship lollipop

I finally saw the Lollipop People yesterday. Newt's been telling me about them for a year. They were my Snuffleupagus. It was well worth the wait. Turns out the lead singer is this guy, from my music classes. He's rather unassuming, friendly, on the quieter side. But man, when Friendly Rich performs he is transformed! He writhes, yells, takes his pants off, and conducts a wild orchestra! It was awesome...a glorious aural chaos that's logical in the way only music can be. His voice reminds me of Tom Waits, which already, is a-okay by me. But when the band gets going, it's a crazy music box!

The Cameron House was a great venue for it, I'd say, with its overhanging bower of plastic foliage and velvet drapes. I spent some time watching the band through this sectioned mirror. Somehow, the music made even more sense.

At one point, this song (don't remember the title) sounded like scenes from a cardboard cutout fairy tale, with coloured Christmas lights punched through the background for stars, and a face-painted little girl as the heroine.

So good. Watching Rich reminded me of the cathartic abandon only ever possible when performing in a dimmed room with a rapt audience. At times I wonder about the link between exhibitionism and performance.