Girls Against Boys performing V-Lux @ the El Rey

w/ The Moonrats
July 22, 2007

So how was GVSB at the El Rey?

You mean, how was GVSB in my art deco basement?

Because that's what it felt like. The show was criminally under-attended. But who cares? More GVSB for me!

And I must say that the evening was positively enchanted. First, I "won" two tickets to the show via MySpace (let's be honest -- they were giving them away), so my wonderful roommates Seth and Sarah came along.


Sarah and the "GVSB"

After Sarah's expertly mixed shots of vodka, apple pucker and orange juice (what I hereby declare "The GVSB"), the three of us walked to the El Rey under the wispy clouds of a pink sunset. And then -- lo and behold -- it rained! In Los Angeles! A drop of water fell from the sky and kissed me square on the forehead! It wasn't enough of a pour to clear the smog away, but it was a nice accent to the evening.

We got there way too early and started drinking accordingly. After an impressively catchy set from The Moonrats (think GVSB meets Modest Mouse), GVSB walked onstage and I fled to the dance floor with Seth's jack and coke.

I was looking forward to the moment GVSB took the stage as the Moment of Truth: the moment when the opening throbs of "In Like Flynn" would part the crowd and separate the merely curious from my Brothers and Sisters, my fellow Bulletproof Cupids in this Tropic of Scorpio. So when the curtains opened and Johnny Temple started in on that bass, here's who I saw: two chunky, acne-ridden latinos; one short, greasy lip-syncer; a giant and giantess with long blonde hair and black t-shirts and jeans; the awkward, the horny, the misunderstood; the abominable, the Unfuckable, the Chronically Unlaid. Brimming with sexual energy but deprived of grace, charm, chance. The Loser Sleaze - those of us who, if we could just make it through the night, would show you a good time/coz we were already tired of waiting/already tired of waiting around.

So when Scott McCloud invited us to come down to his level in the opening lines of "In Like Flynn," we assented wholeheartedly. Down below, McCloud et al. began dishing it out: from the cheeky philosophy of "Go Be Delighted" to the carnal double-bass assault of "Rockets are Red" and onward through the apologetically skeevy "Satin Down," the aggressively apologetic "Let Me Come Back," the guilty angst of "Learned It," the sedated sensuality of "Get Down," the dire ecstasy of "Bulletproof Cupid," the whirlwind high of "Seven Seas," to the frenzied climax of "Billy's One Stop," a song McCloud claims is about being pulled over by the cops; a song that ultimately concedes to the numb hangover of "Bughouse."

Whew.

After V-Lux, they launched into "Tucked In" and "Cruise Your New Baby Fly Self," which surprised (and delighted) me quite a bit and stoked my hopes for all of Cruise Yourself -- hell, all of the catalogue straight through You Can't Fight What You Can't See (EXCEPT Freak.on.ica, sorry guys). But then they played "Crash 17 (X-rated Car)", one of the best from House of GVSB. Then, for the encore, two crowd-pleasers - "Kill the Sexplayer" and "Superfire." I cheered my hardest for a second encore, but it wasn't meant to be.

So yeah, it was pretty amazing. Epic, indeed. I felt as though some great need had been satisfied; some divine truth had been revealed. It was the perfect show -- Seth and Sarah were there to keep me company, and kind enough to watch my bag as I rocked out show-lo at the front of the stage. Seth only stopped by occasionally to hand me more drinks. What a sweetie.

Seth and I, delighted (and drunk).

Ahhhhhh I just love you guys so goddamn much/so come on mover/so come on switchman/so come on shaker/so come on switchman, baby.

get down/and shake your thang.

More:

Amoeblog interview with bassist Johnny Temple

YouTube of GVSB performing two of their best songs in 1993: "Bulletproof Cupid" from V-Lux and "My Night of Pleasure" from Tropic of Scorpio

Another YouTube of GVSB performing this blog's namesake, "Go Be Delighted" from V- Lux, as well as "Wow Wow Wow" from Tropic of Scorpio.