Twistin’ Gorilla
Oh. My. God. Why has no one previously hipped me to the marvels of the World Famous Pontani Sisters? I’ve known of their frequent assocation with Los Straitjackets, but hadn’t paid much attention to them and assumed they were just a bit of off-beat fluff, a dancing trio of Mari Wilsons, perhaps. But I was sorely mistaken. Last week I raided the Yep Roc records vaults and was rewarded with the utterly brilliant Twist Party, a Straitjackets offering from last year that I somehow missed. Well, boy did I miss it — and let me tell you, I was also missing the stunning accompanying DVD, on which the Pontani Sisters offer step-by-step instruction in “The Kitty Kat” and “The Daddy-O,” as well as being featured in the entirely goofy low-budget video for the instant classic, “Twistin’ Gorilla,” a song which hasn’t been out of my head since I heard it last week. “Everywhere I go / I’m followed by a twistin’ gorilla!”
I’m playing that on and off against pretty much everything Warren Zevon ever did (and if you want a segueway, you’ll have to settle for one of his lesser songs, “Gorilla You’re a Desperado”) while I’m reading Crystal Zevon’s “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.” Initial thoughts: the VH1-style of narrative, where she switches among the narrators to give a full perspective of the times she is describing, really works in this instance. Also: drunk, drugging Warren was not a good person. (Although one person said he was still an asshole sober, he just repeated himself less.) Why is it the dark, difficult ones, the ones who wear their weariness and cynicism on their sleeves, are the ones who can write the most beautiful, touching lines in all of song?
Did I mention that I turned a need for a $50 part into the purchase of an entirely new, and entirely sweet, bike? Did I mention that my new bike, a bottom-of-the-line Specialized Roubaix, is entirely sweet? Did I mention that I lurve it? When you’re heading into the wind and you get down on the drops into an aero tuck, that’s about as funky as you can be. So I’m riding less (just no time) and enjoying it more.
What else? Kids out of school, weather wonderful, job busy. People ask if I miss the old job — not even a little. I loved it, I lived it, and it was time to move on. Love what I’m doing now so much.