Oh, that old familiar sore-thighed, achy-footed, dry-mouth post-party feeling. I just got back from the "Hell in ML" Halloween party, which ended up squeezing the Olde Club show out of my evening. After dinner I assembled the rest of my costume (jeans, brown shoes, camera, scarf, lack of facial hair, hair gelled and combed forward) to go with the shirt and hat that I had been wearing all day. (At dinner Joel gave us a lengthy history of the shirt, including the etymology of "gondola" and "regatta.") Rebecca dressed as Lydia from Betelgeuse, (which I've never seen), with a long sheer flouncy dress, wide-brimmed hat, large veil, combat boots, intense eye makeup, and camera (all black). Ben's idea was to embody the line "bottles and cans and just clap your hands," so he taped some of the above to his person. On the way to ML we stole a campaign sign that said "BECK" and he draped it over his posterior. A nice assemblage: film, music, literature.

My favorite costume was Dan Blim's impersonation of Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People", complete with bayonet, tricolor, and exposed breast (Rebecca pointed out that he was wearing sneakers and that he wore the same thing last year). I was impressed partly because it's always been my ambition to find someone to go with me as the Arnolfini's. Also noteworthy was Daniel Sproul's self constructed modernist ensemble of lights and frames and gels, with a mesh box over his head. Apparently he told Rebecca it was "an abstract representation of the 1970's. Almost everyone recognized me immediately, although a few had to be told, and of course they all had to say something like "I found him!" A few people couldn't stop raving about my costume. It was fun. It was way too hot for the scarf, so I took that off, and the camera was a bit difficult to dance with; I just slung it to the side.

I pretty much played a free agent all night, dancing with Rae, Renee Witlen, Claudia, Bryn, Kirsten, Lela, Blair, Jocelyn, and others. Lots of devils, lots of drunkards. Pert Joanne insisted that I should come to salsa this week. Mary Harrison was stationed in front of the DJs and was gamely grinding with anyone who happened by. "So you're like a punked-out Catholic school-girl?" I asked. "I'm Britney Spears asshole!" "Oh, right, the pigtails." She smiled and threatened to lose her balance. A few people make themselves impossible to approach - Jeanne for instance - but I was mostly successful at finding people to dance with. I went out to rest for a while and met Ben's new friend Nicole, who was complaining about lack of techno; we then ended up dancing in a circle with Sarah Walsh, to "U Cant Touch This." Then Darude's "Sandstorm" came on, and people started getting excited. The lights came on about halfway through, signalling us to leave, but the effect was that all of a sudden everyone could see everyone else in however much of his costume had survived the evening, and he went crazy. Good party. For some reason I thought the DJing was pretty good, although it was just standard top 40 stuff.

I didn't write song lyrics, which I really want to do before rehearsal tomorrow. I've been thinking about all the songs about starting or being in a band, since that's what this one is about.

the Mamas and the Papas "Creeque Alley"
The Byrds "So You Wanna be a R'n'R Star"
They Might Be Giants "Rhythm Section Want Ad"
Belle and Sebastian "Get Me Away from Here"
Aimee Mann "I've Had It"
there were more but I can't think of them right now.

What is love?
baby don't hurt me
don't hurt me
no more