Courtesy of APA

This Is Not Your Parent's Dinner-Theatre

By Herden A. Daza

Short Attention Span Theater Tour
Kid Koala/P-Love/Lederhosen Lucille/DJ Jester
El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
October 24th, 2003

Tour dates available at Ninjatune.net. Courtesy of Kid Koala

As the crowd in line for the show grew, one thing became increasingly apparent: this was not your average hip-hop show. Could it have been the greasy boys in Levi's with their Von Dutch trucker hats, or the girls wearing Pumas without fat laces? Maybe it was the ladies wearing jean jackets and hoop earrings, or the fellas with slap-on wristlets and beanies. Whatever it was, I can only say that there was a vibe going on outside that night. Quietly, my gut instinct whispered to me that we were in for something special.

A quick glance inside definitely confirmed my suspicions. Rows of comfy-looking chairs obscured what would have been the dance floor. On stage, instead of a singular pair of turntables, requisite for any hip-hop gathering, there stood a gauntlet of one's and two's and the odd keyboard synth on the side coiled at the ready. Behind those was a projector screen, one for each side of the stage, blithely waiting for the lightÑand the showÑto go on. Yes you were right, I told my gut, and I made my way to a seat.

DJ Jester under the bigtop. Courtesy of APA

First to take the stage was DJ Jester. A diminutive figure alongside the equipment, he began by mixing eighties singles. The audience, most of whom had not yet arrived and were "fashionably late" enough to make Kid Koala's set, was enthused enough to sing along with Jester's choice cuts, which among other hits, included the theme to popular eighties TV-series "The Greatest American Hero." His witty selection and keen pop-culture savvy earned him many cheers. Winding down his set, he surprised many with a rendition of 50cent's "In Da Club" cut to a jazzy instrumental melody.

Next to perform was Lederhosen Lucille, a lady whose whimsical fashion-sense was as loud as her synthesized rock. As in her name, Lucille was kitted in lederhosen and braids, all set off by her fuzzy hat. Her infectious cheer and ironic fake accent warmed the crowd in her favor. Starting and ending with rock-polka ballads, the singer whipped the audience into frenzy with hilarious gems such as "You Suck" and "The Best Dishwasher I Ever Had." With her eyes splayed open and her voice floating on helium, she bounced through her set with an energy that some might argue was overwhelming.

Finally, DJ's Kid Koala and P-Love were welcomed by a raucous capacity audience. Kicking things off to a properly unorthodox start, Kid Koala sang a verse from Lionel Richie's "Hello" into a turntable-style Dictaphone (if memory serves right, this particular model being the Assman 6400). He then took his not-so-musical rendition of Richie's classic and proceeded to wheedle a beat out of it. After whipping the audience to a near frenzy, he then got into the meat of the performance.

"Is it me you're looking fooooooooorrrr..." Courtesy of APA.

Kid Koala started his set by playing the video to his song, "Fender Bender" from his previous album "Nufonia Must Fall," an animated piece by his colleague Monkmus. From this point on, however, Kid Koala rocked the ears of his fans with tracks from his new album, "Some of My Best Friends Are DJ's," with performances from fellow DJ's P-Love and Jester.

To keep the audience into the show during turntable reloads, animated shorts by Monkmus guided the viewers to a darker, more introspective tone. Motifs included betrayal by loved ones (literally, an animated stab in the back), comedic dismemberment, and other generally macabre pieces that were too cute to turn away from. Marking somewhere near the halfway point, Kid Koala included a round of musical bingo, a favorite since the "Nufonia Must Fall" tour. Lady Luck waved to two ladies and a gentleman this night, and in order to receive their prize, which included a t-shirt, full copies of the "Nufonia Must Fall" and "Some of My Best Friends Are DJs" albums, and assorted other goodies, the contestants were invited to the stage to settle the score. What ensued, a game of paper-rock-scissors and a bubblewrap pop-off, loosened the crowd, a bit weary from sitting in one place for so long.

The duo of Kid Koala and P-Love then delved into the orthodox and played a short set of dance-oriented hip-hop, urging the crowd half-jokingly to get up and groove. Though less than a handful of people actually left their seats, they were quickly told to return to their areas by security. The set ended with vinyl being rent asunder as Kid Koala errantly flung a record at P-Love and overshot by a couple yards.

Part of the fun and games that night at the El Rey. Courtesy of Kid Koala.

Finally, encore consisted of another comedic bit from the "Nufonia" tour. Explaining the origins of their friendship, Kid Koala regaled the audience with slides of a story about a chaotic love-triangle between the two DJs and a foxy, entrepreneurial optometrist while P-Love manipulated the collaboration between Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney, entitled "The Girl Is Mine." Closing things up, Kid Koala introduced the video for "Basin Street Blues," the latest single from his new album, which was also animated by Monkmus.

As the stagelights gently flooded the room, a dazed and sated audience took their leave, happy at the chance to stretch their legs again. I had no idea that "Short Attention Span Theater" could last this long. My mind and ears still reeling and ringing, I left with a feeling in my gut that I had not felt in a while. I had been rocked.

For tour dates and further information, please visit ninjatune.net

November 7, 2003