About nine years ago, there was a music festival on Northerly Island in Chicago called MOVE. It’s mostly remembered for being tragically ahead of its time and for later being confused with Movement, which (of course) at the time was still called DEMF.
There were two stages which sort of bled into each other. I remember Dajae on the smaller stage, and just beyond it was the VIP tent where we were, my friend and I, being regaled by boozy tales of lost weekends, Barbara Tucker’s wardrobe and the legend of a New York City that even then was fading into tenement rehabs, ironic beards and jeans four sizes too small.
I had no idea how famous Lady Bunny was, or how integral to the scene. Nor was it apparent that House Music would become in some circles so whitewashed and so straightwashed (I’m going with that word) that random encounters like this would someday become unfathomable, if not impossible. Later I described the scene to a friend; when I told her who we were with, she corrected me: I hadn’t met a drag queen. I’d met the drag queen, and don’t forget it. Obviously, I never have.
That’s a long wind up for Urula 1000’s “Blast Off!” but it’s my pitch and I’ll take my time to get this one over the plate, thanks. I’ve (still) never heard Lady Bunny perform, much less sing, but it’s not surprising that you can almost hear Barbara Tucker singing along in LB’s head – the vocal flairs and little tics are uncannily familiar, though of course with aspects that are certainly Lady Bunny’s own. The track itself is a wonderful homage to the frustratingly distant era when the top songs were still things you could sing along with, whether they were Disco or Hi-NRG. And with this kind of material to work with, Lady Bunny hungrily chews up the scenery when it’s called for and delivers a fabulous and utterly flawless performance.
And being a classic single, we get a six piece package of remixes and there’s not a bit of filler to weigh it down. Remixes are by Vanilla Ace, Eli Escobar, KLM and Manotti da Vinci, along with “Endless Summer,” which is a collaboration of Sleazy McQueen and Obas. I’ll take Eli, ES and most of all VA’s for the top. At least a few of these people seem to work together a lot; I have no idea if they’re roommates, lovers, fellow convicts or just visiting, but they all seem to get it, they lay it on thick and clean up well.
