Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Horror Remix Recap: Zombie Edition / A Special Guest Report on Scenester Violence

We stopped by the Bottleneck last night for the "zombie" edition of Horror Remix (even though we're bored with zombies) and caught the evening's first film, 1987's The Video Dead. Readers, we're pleased to report that this is a lost-masterpiece along the lines of Cronenberg's Videodrome or DeLillo's novel White Noise in the way it equates death and technology. Nah. We're just fucking with you. It's a gloriously stupid film about zombies that come out of a TV set and kill a chihuhauha named Chocolate and then get slaughtered with bows and arrows and chainsaws and at one point a zombie woman uses a chainsaw herself. Yeah. It's pretty terrific. Especially with $2 Free State draws (we tried the new Winter Ale) and cheap kettle corn and hot dogs. There were even a couple of folks dressed as zombies amongst the crowd, which is pretty hardcore just to sit around in the dark and watch zombie movies.

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Aside from the on-screen carnage, things were peaceful at the Bottleneck, but apparently that wasn't the case a few blocks away, where the Jackpot's karaoke night turned violent. Yes, you read that right. We're pleased to bring you this special report on "scenester violence" from guest correspondent Peter. Follow him at @plyrene on Twitter.

"A large fight broke out in front of the Jackpot around midnight on Tuesday 10/25. This occurred during the venue's weekly Karaoke night, and I wish I could remember what song was being sung inside. (Top songs to fight to? Iggy and the Stooges?).

The crowd that night was mostly service-industry scenesters from Tellers and 715. The fight broke out when an inebriated passerby (who had apparently just been thrown out of the Red Lyon) slurred some insulting words at this group (including some of the tuffies from Tommy Ferrari and the Future Motor Machines). A drink was promptly thrown at his face, and a beatdown [followed].

Sean Hunt (aka Approach) was working door and quickly jumped in the fracas to restore order. While trying to separate and protect the guy getting beat up, the offender BIT him in the leg. Though Sean was luckily wearing thick jeans, the bite still broke the skin pretty bad. Zombie jokes and fears of hepatitis ensued.

I waited until things cleared up to ask the guys what prompted the confrontation. When I got my answer, I was shocked at their violent response and surprised nobody found it ironic--the offending party, who had dreadlocks and was wearing a dirty Hawaiian shirt-- had called them "fucking hippies."

The cops showed up about 20 minutes too late, and just took a few statements before leaving. There was a weirdly celebratory atmosphere in the bar afterwards. I wondered how many people were thinking about S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders.

This comes just weeks after an incident where a former KJHK DJ, Ian, called for a scene-wide boycott of the Granada across Facebook after feeling harassed by a member of the crowd at the Odd Future Show and the venue's security answering his request for assistance with a dismissive "quit being such a pussy." (Then again, what did he expect at the concert for a shock rap group with Kill Them All in their name? Nothing but cardigan-clad Pitchfork readers?).

In parting, if there's anything we can learn [from these incidents], it's that no matter how rough things get in a packed crowd, or what derogatory names you get called, it's not worth resorting to violence. Just stand your ground, go home, and write a fast and loud song about the experience for your band's next 9-minute EP."

5 comments:

Ian said...

For the record, I didn't expect a friendly crowd at the Odd Future show- I expected a security staff that would take my cry for help seriously.

Scary Manilow said...

Being called a HIPPIE is good reason for bloodletting. And if the biter is the same guy I'm thinking of, this sin't the first time he's gotten beat down in front of the Jpot. Maybe he needs to find a new staggering route.

Stackalee said...

This is a clear cut case of zombie-on-zombie violence, Sugar Dick. These jackass hipstirs are avant-garde! And did not 715 flash its pork butt at the commodified clientele?

Gareth-Michael Skarka said...

Was over at the Red Lyon that night --

The cops didn't just ask questions. They arrested White-Boy Dreads and his companion for property damage (after the fight, he broke the drivers-side mirror of a Ford F150 parked on Mass, and then punched the windshield of a Dodge Neon, breaking it).

While I was looking for the owners of the cars, I heard that the pair had been tossed out of Replay earlier that night, before being tossed from the Lyon (where he assured us that we shouldn't fuck with him, because, and I quote, he was "Hood, yo.").

So the obvious lesson here: White-Boy Dreads are Hood. They're also fucking dumbasses, who are now in the process of learning a very painful -- and expensive -- lesson.

The clear lesson here:

lesson learned! said...

Thanks for the follow-up comments. We are glad the streets are safe from the fearsome White-Boy Dreads!