By Chloe Schildhause
So many things in this world are disgusting yet delightful at the same time. For some that may be sniffing the smell of gasoline, hearing the sound of a squeaky chair, or watching someone undergo intensive surgery. Such is the case with rap artist Mickey Avalon, whose creepy look - which combines Marilyn Manson, Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, and a character from a John Waters film - is simultaneously repellent and adorable.
I caught Avalon's Nov. 20 show at Slim's, the second show of a two-night stand, and got a taste of his lyrical genius as well as his performance style. The stage was set up to look like a sketchy dark alley with a wire fence, parking meters, a trash receptacle, and a bench tagged with the words "Mickey Avalon" and fit well with Avalon's rhymes about friends who’ve died from lead poisoning and how the performer himself must "spend another day waiting to die.”
Along with death, Avalon is really into sex. Two Mickey girls aided in the visual representation of each song. Whether it was humping one another while wearing only sparkly nipple covers, or squatting before the audience in their ass-less leotards from American Apparel, they were obvious stars. The audience screamed in praise. Avalon himself spewed liquid from his mouth onto his shirt and of course onto the crowd, and made out with women in the front row. He resembled a ratty, old teddy bear that just needed some love.
Occasionally Avalon's lyrics took a serious turn, as he sang, “Looking out my window and I can't help but wonder / That God must be one sick motherfucker… I use to bus tables but now I sell my body.” Satire also played a part. “I like a girl who eats and brings it up," he rapped. "A sassy little frassy with bulimia.” References to pop culture were sprinkled throughout: Depp, Winona Ryder, Janet Jackson, Jean-Paul Gauthier, duh, Jane Fonda, and a line from the Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer.”
The show ended with the Avalon classic “My Dick,” in which the performer and two other rappers sang, “My dick - size of a pumpkin / your dick look like Macaulay Culkin… My dick plays on the double feature screen / Your dick went straight to DVD" and concluded that they have “dicks like Jesus.” After the show, he stuck around to sign T-shirts for 20 dollars - and signed bras for free. Avalon may try to come off as tough as his lyrics and as rough as his stage setup, but he turned out to be as sweet and harmless as a puppy.
