Yo dudes and dudettes, the Spare Parts mailbox has been getting some action, so I’ll start off by plugging a society centered around a rather well known local writer. Sue Quiroz sent me a hefty press kit about “Anne Rice’s Vampire Lestat Fan Club.” For a $10 annual fee you receive “a membership card, quarterly newsletters, and anything else that can be dug up!” Members also receive discounts on tickets to the annual Vampire Lestat Ball in October. To join, send your check to the club at P.O. Box 58277, N.O., LA. 70158-8277.
QUARTER RATS REJOICE DEPT.…Ciao Pizza at 1118 Decatur Street delivers on weekends until 4 a.m. “We want to serve the Quarter. When it’s Saturday night at 3 a.m., you don’t want to go out for food. You want someone to bring it to you!” explained manager Beryl Sharpe. For that late night pizza fix inside the quarter boundaries, call ’em at 525-CIAO. Also see our piece this month on other restaurants that deliver in the Quarter and beyond…
WRITE THIS DOWN DEPT.…The New Orleans Writers’ Conference will take place September 25-28 at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel. This is the third year for the event that “brings the national marketplace to the Crescent City as it encourages writers to experiment with their skills and increase their knowledge of the literary arts,” according to their press release. An impressive crew of authors will be on hand, including Elaine May, Roy Blount, Jr., Anne Rice and Wendy Wasserman.
For info on how to register, call their office at 566-5090.
The city’s first “Lottery Party” will be on September 5 at the New Orleans Superdome, headlined by Fats Domino, Huey Lewis & the News and Gladys Knight. Luscious Vanna White will emcee…The Seventh Annual New Orleans Artists Against Hunger and Homelessness Benefit Concert will take place this year on September 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the downtown Sheraton’s Grand Ballroom. The line-up includes Dr. John & The Rampart Street Sympathy Orchestra, the Neville Brothers (“in their last New Orleans appearance this year”) and Allen Toussaint. Special guests hosts are Ed Bailey, John Goodman and Ben Vereen. General admission tickets are $20 (call Ticketmaster at 522-5555) and if you want to be in with the in crowd, you can buy a $50 seat that includes complimentary refreshments and concert t-shirt (call 861-5830).
Speaking of gala events, the Young Leadership Council honors 25 role models again this year on September 28 at the New Orleans Sheraton with Ellis Marsalis being the honoree for music. Deacon John will play for a dance after the awards ceremony.
Tickets are a hefty $125 per person. Call 585-0300 for ticket info.
ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE DEPT.…especially in New Orleans here people love to dress up and act out. I witnessed some quick change dressing up at Le Petit Theatre (616 St. Peter Street) in Carl Walker’s production of The Mystery of Irma Vep. Patrick Graham and Ricky Graham play multiple roles in this campy “penny dreadful” written by the late Charles Ludlam, founder of New York’s Ridiculous Theatrical Company (which still thrives in Greenwich Village under the direction of Everett Quinn). The sets, designed by Robert Weeks, are a delightful part of this actor’s tour de farce, which will run through September due to popular demand. Call 522-2081 for ticket info. Carl Walker also directed the madness know as Women Behind Bars at the Toulouse Theatre (5234207). Written by Tom Eyen, this tribute to trashy black and white women’s prison movies has some of New Orleans’ finest actors competing for laughs. Besides local standouts like Brenda Bergman, Wayne Daigrepont and Becky Allen, I was lucky to catch Holly Woodlawn recreating her role of Guadalupe. Andy Warhol followers will remember Holly’s Superstar role in Trash. Holly has been living in L.A. but told me she is thinking seriously about moving to N’Awlins. Look for her autobiography Low-Life in High Heels (St. Martin’s Press), due in stores this October. Speaking of Le Petit Theatre, their 75th Anniversary season will open September 13 with the Lerner & Lowe classic My Fair Lady.
YOU DO THAT VOODOO TO ME, DEPT.…Local artist Sallie Ann Glassman is a serious student of Voodoo rituals and history. A collection of her paintings currently on display at the Blue Crystal (1135 Decatur Street) reflect a style Sallie describes as preternatural realism.” She creates strong primal images highlighted by vivid, electric colors. Check ’em out! By the way, rumor has it that the Crystal may be migrating to the Warehouse District…more on that in upcoming months.
REELIN’ AND ROCKIN’ DEPT.… Doni Keene has started booking rock bands at the Abstract Bookshop and Cafe (1300 Magazine Street) and has plans for a music marathon in early September. Starting on Friday, September 6 at noon, and running through Sunday at 10 p.m., he’s staging a non-stop shindig with bands like the Bi-Focals, Enoch Light, Fiddlehead, Green Day, Latteta Theresa, Schlong and lots, lots more. I guess so, with 58 hours to fill. Tickets are only $3 per day or $6.50 for the whole shebang.
NIGHTCLUBBING DEPT.…Some cool shows have helped me beat the summer heat lately, especially: Hillbilly Frankenstein, the Hepcats from Athens, Georgia at Muddy Water’s; Love Battery from Seattle (one of the many very hip bands on the Sub-Pop label) at Tip’s; Jong-A-Moi, a very high-energy local Cajun outfit that gets the crowd worked up at Michaul’s (701 Magazine Street) every Wednesday night. I also went on the road with the House Levelers recently and got to see cool clubs in Athens (The Downstairs Cafe), Mobile (Vincent Van Go-Go’s) and Tuscaloosa (The College Station). The band’s new drummer, Justin Martzell, is working out just fine. The Levelers will be spending the month of October spreading the gospel throughout the Midwest.
WHY WASN’T THAT DONE BEFORE DEPT.…Local film and video production company Pelican Pictures is producing a thirteen-part series called Music from New Orleans that’s currently being shot through mid-September at the Freeport McMoRan Theater at the Contemporary Arts Center. The line-up includes Oliver Morgan/Tommy Ridgley, Frankie Ford/Jean Knight, Barbara Shorts & the Gospel Soul Children, the Bluerunners, Jon “King” Cleary, Dr. John, Harold Battiste and AFO artists, Rockin’ Dopsie, Rebirth Brass Band, Pete Fountain, Charmaine Neville Band with Reggie Houston and Amasa Miller, Danny Barker & the Jazz Hounds, and Astral Project. The first camera rolled on August 20. The show is slickly produced and will be marketed to Europe and Japan and throughout the U.S. Finally, New Orleans’ answer to Austin City Limits?
RADIO DAYS (AND NIGHTS) DEPT.…WWOZ (90.7), is presenting readings of the works of contemporary poets on its Thursday night “Kitchen Sink” program (10 p.m.-midnight), hosted by local poet Kalamu ya Salaam. The first Thursday night program is a two-hour documentary on the New Orleans-born Job Kaufman, the poet who coined the phrase “beatnik” (gee, I didn’t know that). Subsequent shows will feature a wide variety of modem poets, including Allen Ginsberg, Amira Baraka, Linton Kwesi Johnson and many others. Much of the poetry will be set to music. Also, listen to Mike Gourrier’s “Jazz From The Park” on September 2 to hear a retrospective of the work of Horace Silver. Tune into ‘OZ, which just keeps getting better and better!
MUSIC BIZ NEWS DEPT.…OffBeat‘s 1991-92 Louisiana Music Directory is hot off the press. It contains 80 pages of all the music professionals throughout the state, plus over 1,500 bands and musicians, including contact phone numbers. Order one from OffBeat for $10 (postage paid) at 921 Canal St., Suite 900, New Orleans, LA 70112. Interfest, the upcoming festival producer’s convention to be held in New Orleans October 30 through November 2, is still moving along, but a bit slower than the organizers originally planned. Bands are being encouraged to book gigs at local clubs for Interfest-sponsored showcases. .
LAST BUT NOT LEAST DEPT.… Hair getting in your eyes? You might be due for a visit to Gloria’s Hair Saloon at Circ De Ville (2038 Magazine). That’s saloon, not salon, cuz Gloria offers “a shot and a cut, ten bucks!” Call 523-4520 for appointments. So amigos, keep sending us news about cool events, concerts, happenings and Chapter 11 proceedings you want plugged in this here column .•
