Confidential To Space 1026: OK, It Was Funny This Year, But It’ll Be A Lot Funnier When You All Move To Portland
Last year, we got into a big tussle with the Space 1026 kids over their dalliances with the Mummers, which are, in case you didn’t know, Philly’s second-best racist cover organization. (Philly’s Anti-Mumia Industry taking top honors, of course.) We said it was dangerous for the art kids to mix up their irony with pig-faced townies who don’t know from ironing much less irony; they said something about smashing the state via co-opting The Man’s racist parade and inventing a whole slew of new traditions. In the end, we both decided to live and let live and share in common that we’re both pussies. So, this year, the Vaudvillains, the Space 1026 Mummer troupe, was back and had a new theme: “Philly Phood Phantasia.” And in addition to just being at Japanese-television levels of absurd (we picked up a very strong Parrappa The Rapper influence here), it was pretty goddamned funny: There was a giant Arctic Splash carton dancing around, a hoagie that didn’t look like a hoagie at all, and Dan Gross was one of the pizza slices. Irony loving Mummers: 1. Philebrity: 0. Sigh.
January 4th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Fishkin’s cheese steak costume is awesome. I almost wish that I was in Philly for this.
January 4th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
I loved the Vaudvillains costumes and performance – and they came in #5 for the second year in a row… not bad.
As much as I agree with some of the points you make about the obnoxious elements found within the some of the comics and wenches – the more new, creative blood that enters the mix, the better for all.
Like the Holy Rollers NYB, the Vaudvillains are at least doing their best to break down old walls. I, for one, tip my hat.
January 4th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
As a life-long Philadelphian and a brand new Vaudevillain, I’d like to just go on the record and say that I’m neither racist (my family is biracial) or moving to Portland. Thanks for the press though. I was thrilled to finally be a part of this phenomenon, having attended the parade every year, but finding it difficult to break in to a brigade. And to have a chance to chip in and help on the costumes and props? Even better. This was a tremendously fun and positive experience and I was proud to have a chance to expose my son to the festivities, especially because of the artistic environment. Happy New Year.
January 4th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
And, in a great way, the Vaudevillains were down for the whole experience because I saw them post-parade strutting on 2 Street and the crowds loved them!
January 4th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
@chuck63 – - yea, as I stepped out of my house at 2/Federal, I was almost sideswiped from a very pretty giant marshmallow passing by! They gave it their all, that’s for sure!
January 4th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
oh – for those wanting to see the creative work of the costumes they did, check out:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsquigley/sets/72157622996455637/
January 4th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Counterculture gone pedestrian. *yawn*
January 4th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
why would you blog articles for a city you hate and are not very familiar with. The mummers are philadelphia’s mardi gras and carnival all rolled into one. You make so many stupid statements without any basis in fact whatsoever. Seth Williams supports mummia’s conviction, is he racist? you have no idea what your talking about. Go back to New Jersey no-one will miss one less hater.
January 4th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Hahaha. Yes.
January 4th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
Schan – Mardis Gras and Carnival are the same event, so they’re already rolled into one. It’s more like St. Patrick’s Day and an Eagles/Giants home tailgate smashed together. And that’s not a compliment.
January 4th, 2010 at 10:51 pm
As the captain of the hoagie train (and, like many others in the brigade, a native Philadelphian who’s never been to Portland) I’d like to weigh in here.
Of course, like everyone else reading this, I disapprove of the crude caricatures of minorities that still in 2010 goes on in the Mummers, just as much as I’m frustrated by the de facto exclusion of minorities from the parade. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to want nothing to do with Mummery, unlike some of my co-Vaudevillains who refuse to even hear the this-is-cultural-slumming-and-its-in-bad-taste argument.
But ultimately I don’t think its cultural slumming, empty irony, or complicit racism because, check it out: the Mummers Parade is at its core about dressing up in costumes, getting wasted, and dancing around to music on the street. That’s what the Vaudevillains wanted to do, quite sincerely, and that’s what the “real” Mummers wanted to do, just as sincerely. Many of the latter also hold beliefs that most people reading this find unseemly, sure. Sometimes they act these out in their Mummer performances, but this is actually a small percentage of the time. Mostly they dress up (in drag!) and dance and drink and have fun. We dressed up, drank, danced, and partied along side them. We all had very real fun.
The complaint is, in part, that the parade isn’t inclusive, so why refuse to participate? It doesn’t seem at all impossible to me that the Mummers could become a far more diverse event in the future, and I don’t see how we can be anything but a step in that direction. We’re sure as hell not the Black Panthers Drill Team (unfortunately), but we had Asians, Latinos, gays, a Burger Queen, a Dairy King. . . oh, and we were something like 50% female. We were treated very well by the Murray Comic Club (our parent Mummer club) and by everyone on Broad Street and on Two Street.
January 5th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Timo: In the context of cities, carnival is usually associated with rio, and mardi gras(french) is generally associated with new orleans. Having been to both, i can assure you that there is absolutely no shortage of outrageous bawdy behavior at either event. if you think people puking and acting crazy at these things is exclusive to the city of brotherly love, than you are sheltered and mistaken. The mummers are a really great tradition to have in this city. It has roots stretching from pre-christian europe to africa and the carribean.
January 5th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
I saw Fishkin (Seth to me) the same morning, when it was still dark outside, at a jam session. I was playing a bass riff from the first funkadelic lp for hours because the drummers woldn’t stop and in comes Seth playing “Ole Langs Eye”. Later on he was accompanying a female pianist playing “Ole Langs Eye” in the living room, very much like a recital, as all the heads ate orange things and cookies. Afterwords he told me he was playing with Jeff New Body in The Mummers and I thought, “oh, how nice, they’ve joined a string band!”. I had no idea they were going to do this. I always thought The Mummers were uncharted territory aesthetically. Personally, I always thought it would be cool to do trance music with a Mummer arrangement…..or get memebers of the Arkestra out there and do a space theme. Or even, yes, Mummer Metal. Anyways, good work Daveshkin!
January 6th, 2010 at 10:53 am
Was I just called provincial by a Mummer? Snap!
January 8th, 2010 at 12:36 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL9l5YZBtMM