If I were cynical, I’d wonder if Girl Talk’s mash-ups were designed to rehab the hits of the ’80s. At House of Blues last night, the ’80s kept on coming—New Order, INXS, Flock of Seagulls, even Michael Jackson and Bon Jovi—most of them given a contemporary edge and a hint of nastiness as all stripes of hip-hop were laid on top. The ’80s fashion touches in the audience helped drive that home—off-the-shoulder tops (no matter how cold it was outside), colored tights, neon-colored T-shirts with matching headbands, and big sunglasses—along with the early MTV-era graphics on Girl Talk’s video screen.
Girl Talk by Joshua Brasted
But that’s an unkind way to look at a show that had more going on than that. First and foremost, it was a party, and Girl Talk (Gregg Gillis) periodically paused for big, obvious moments that moved the crowd in simple, uncomplicated ways. Give people the opening to “Thriller” or the chorus to “Living on a Prayer” and they’ll go off, no mash-up required. And that party consciousness gave the show some space that the albums lack. He doesn’t move as swiftly from sample to sample, letting a good groove and a fun moment linger, and he periodically takes it down, and even stops. As such, the show’s not as relentless as the albums can be.
Girl Talk’s popularity has forced some changes that aren’t for the better. He has more show now, but much of the show seems to come from the Flaming Lips’ toy box. That doesn’t mean the confetti blasters and oversized balloons aren’t cool, but they’ve been done, and they’re not as compelling as the one bit of stagecraft the Flaming Lips haven’t had—the danger of being knocked off their own stage. The last time Girl Talk played House of Blues, there were so many dancers from the audience onstage that he and his rig were almost knocked off the stage lip by enthusiastic fans. That out of control element was missing this time as the number of fans allowed to surround him was kept manageable, and his set-up and table were far more stable. The new table was integrated into the light show and made it possible for him to climb on top of it, periodically working his laptops by hunching over them, but the drama was muted in the process.
Still, like the Flaming Lips, Girl Talk mines the pleasures found in ephemeral pieces, physically with confetti, toilet paper and balloons, and musically by mashing up cool and uncool songs alike, giving the Edie Brickells of the world fresh life. Or, more accurately, the Matthew Wilders; as my wife pointed out last night, the number of female voices in the mix were disappointingly few, and the amount of “bitch” and “ho” in the rap samples kept her at a bit of a distance from the show. In a show as generally inclusive and audience-friendly as Girl Talk’s, that blind spot carried weight.
Girl Talk plays the House of Blues again tonight with Penguin Prison opening. Show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are on sale.
