Joe Jarvis

We're assured at all times of the endless possibilities of this whole "Internet" thing. Perhaps they can indeed do anything with computers these days, but most of us demand nothing more than quick access to porn without enduring smirking convenience-store clerks. In this regard, the Internet proves one of humankind's greatest achievements, but there's still something to be said for having to dart into that store near North and Ashland and leave in meticulously practiced nonchalant swagger. The easier it's gotten to procure illicit materials, the more boring it's all become. Inundated with inexhaustible thumbnail galleries on the net, slammed by obscenity-blaring spam e-mail and accosted by Maxim covers at newsstands, arousal now has more to do with Pavlovian dynamics than biological imperative.

Recently I drank at a North Side bar with my boys. A Betty Page striptease video came on and killed conversation for a good half-hour, until the clothes finally came off, at which point we all simultaneously lost interest. Perhaps less is more. A teasing Page beats a splayed Jenna Jameson any day.

This week two burlesque shows visit us to resuscitate our sexual imaginations. The Fluffgirls' "Burlesque Winter Follies Tour" hits The Hideout on Thursday and Friday night Subterranean presents "One Bad-Ass Burlesque Show." Also, Katharina Bosse's "New Burlesque" photo exhibition went up last week at the Alan Koppel gallery. While all this seemingly comes out of nowhere, the genre hasn't gone anywhere since it hit the States in 1870. Burlesque has been ensconced in New York for a decade, with strong scenes in New Orleans, San Francisco, Denver and Los Angeles.

Tara Tremmel, "Bad-Ass" co-producer, is currently working on her doctorate at U of C and producing and directing "Gurlesque," a two-hour documentary dedicated to the genre. She describes the art as "a playground where performers have conversations" about their sexuality and societal roles, and relates a recent performance in Seattle in which a drag king chased another performer ostensibly to touch her goodies, but it turned out he just wanted to try on the dancer's sexy clothes. So, while Tremmel notes the form traditionally sees "people playing with all different ways of being female," burlesque allows each generation to address their specific issues, from what it means to be a woman to queer identity roles.

While the messages may be serious, the presentation remains playful. The Subterranean show, a fundraiser for Tremmel's film, features Shirley Temptress--Temple meets PJ Harvey--and screen dancers. Friday night "Bad-Ass" dancer Indigo Blue offers a tassel-twirling workshop at Early to Bed. Again, not all of us look to adult entertainment for prescient social commentary, and admittedly, the Fluffgirls show wouldn't be a done deal for me if it weren't for Fatima, the twenty-one year-old nubile bombshell with a fullback's thighs, but audience motivation matters little. Leave behind any "take off your kit" mentality; this isn't going to be some sloshed bill-waving night at Scarlett's or Crazy Horse Too. It doesn't matter whether you give a damn about what the ladies have to say about their lives: to get to the good stuff, you're gonna have to listen anyway.

(2002-11-20)

Also by Joe Jarvis

Tip of the Week
T.J. Stiles' "Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War" is one of a few scholarly works focused on the outlaw, but will remain the authoritative text far past our lifetimes.
(2002-09-26)

Fight Club
Although the prospect of seeing Oscar de la Hoya permanently disfigured provides sufficient impetus for many to throw in for a pay-per-view, there are other reasons boxing has survived recent innumerable embarrassments.
(2002-09-18)

Hair line
The forthcoming "Vamp Human Hair-Trimmed" line is a take-off on the recent use of pony hair among prominent mainstream designers.
(2002-08-14)

STREET CIRCUS, PART 2
Andrew Butler is killing the activist stereotype. PETA members, wearing prison uniforms and monkey masks, squat in rows of chicken-wire cages outside the March of Dimes' Loop headquarters, beneath the banner "Stop Cruel Animal Tests. marchofcrimes.com." Butler and his 5-year-old daughter Shanti hand out pamphlets to chuckling passersby.
(2002-08-07)

IGNORANCE IS BLISS
(2002-08-01)

NONFICTION REVIEW
(2001-11-15)

FICTION REVIEW
(2001-10-18)

NOT MILK?
(2001-03-01)

REPAIR WORK
(2001-02-08)

about Newcitychicago | about Newcity magazine | advertising | privacy policy | FAQ | employment