chase the light

Over the last couple years I’ve been meaning to get over to Lucha VaVoom but had yet to actually get the energy. On Tuesday I receive my weekly “Flavorpill” email [LINK]. It tells me all the cool things going on in L.A. so I in turn also look cool. There was a blurb about Lucha VaVoom happening this week. A Halloween edition too! At the very bottom was a contest to win tickets for Wednesday nights show. And the question…? “Which Buxotica takes a name from a rebellious ’30s-era Mexican painter? The third through fifth correct answers each win a pair of tickets to this match.” So I fill it out with “Frida Kulo” and the next day I’m a winner! I get a confirmation email from New York that also went out to Rita D’Albert who runs and performs in the show in L.A. Hmmm… that name sounds so famliar? Google it, and she used to be a guitarist in the band The Pandoras and is/was hooked up with Andy Prieboy who is one of my favorite L.A. musicians ever. He’s an incredible artist. Andy had a brief stint with Wall of Voodoo and wrote “Tomorrow, Wendy” that Concrete Blonde also covered. He also was the man behind the stage show “White Trash Wins Lotto” which caused a big stir in L.A. a few years ago. But, it’s his solo work that I really love and his few releases out there are amazing. Totally unheard by 99.99687% of the world, but loved to death by the other .00318% of us.

BUT NONE OF THAT MATTERS! Because now life is defined as B.L., Before Lucha, and A.L. After Lucha! I now have to refer to myself as being born in 39 B.L. The event was total mayhem which included some audience participation that was not supposed to be part of the show. Anyway, Mexican masked wrestlers, mini (midget?) wrestlers, burlesque Buxoticas, comedians, audience dressup, etc. It was sheer insanity like a Fellini film that comes to life. It’s definitely a see it to believe kinda thing but what a blast! Pictures don’t really do it justice. It’s basically masked men wrestling, girls taking off their clothes and shaking their boobies, comedians making jokes about the whole thing as it goes on, including Tom Kenny who is the voice of Spongebob saying stuff like “Fan-fucking-tastic!” and “Ouch, that even hurt my labia!”, and a crowd full of people wearing masks or dressed up as geriatric Elvises.

During the final match two wrestlers were out in the audience flailing away at each other and some stupid drunk chick decides she wants to be part of the action and picks up a chair and goes after one of the wrestlers. I’m standing like 5 feet away and the wrestler turns and looks a little freaked out by this girl about to slug him on the head with a folding chair! Then security goes apeshit and goes all Rodney King on her throwing her to the ground and struggling with her all over the floor! There’s like 8 burly guys taking this chick down and then the stupid ass boyfriend tries to start pulling them off of her and then they turn and jump him and he starts flailing around! Then the crowd starts throwing water and shit at the whole scene and plastic water bottles are coming in and I decide it’s time to get the hell outta there because it’s escalating pretty quickly! I make my way out to lobby and quickly purchase a souvenir Mexican wrestling mask for fun and then I hear all this commotion. Security guards are yelling, “MOVE, MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!!!!!” as they come through the lobby dragging the idiot boyfriend out in to the street and chasing him away. I’m not even sure where the girlfriend ended up. Security handled it right though. Anyway, it was awesome and the best free thing ever.