Think No More Lad; Laugh, Be Jolly

 

 

 

So what does one see when spending a Friday evening at the Kennedy Center.  Does one see Washington National Opera’s performance of Madama Butterfly with Ana Maria Martinez.  Nope… been there, done that in Houston. 

Does one see performers from the Manhattan School of Music as a part of the Conservatory Project (where, funnily enough, students from the University of Michigan performed just two nights prior).  Meh… one does not.

What one does does is attend probably the least Kennedy Center act that has been there since, I don’t know, when it opened 40 years ago in 1971.  That’s right baby, ginger-tongued comedienne Kathy Griffin was doing a two night stunt and you’d better believe my ass was in one of those plushy, velvety seats.

“That’s right, everybody… TAKE MY PICTURE!!!”

Practically the first thing she did when coming out was announce something like the following…

I feel it necessary to start off this evening by making an apology to the National Symphony Orchestra for dragging this beautiful concert hall into the mud. I mean, I’m not going to change my material or anything… 

My mother sent me an email today: “Now Kathleen, you MUST behave yourself. This isn’t some gritty comedy dive in Los Angeles—it’s the Kennedy Center for Christ’s sake!!!”

And, if you know anything about Miz Griffin, then you realize that’s about the last thing that I can quote here that is blog appropriate.  She spent over two hours riffing on her normal subjects (up to date coverage of the Charlie Sheen crazy), her newest Whitney run in at Clive Davis’ Grammy party, what those crazy Housewives across the country have been up to (“Why you all up in my Kool-Aid!?!”) and even infusing more political humor into the mix than normal.

I love that you guys here know who that pin-wheel eyed crazy Michele Bachmann is. Were I to talk about her in L.A. they’d just say… “Oh, is she that new chick on Gossip Girl?” To which many people in the audience probably went… what’s Gossip Girl?

She also spoke of being in Reno, Nevada the same time that La Palin was speaking at the Weatherby Awards (a big deal in the hunting world, apparently)  Why is that relevant, you might ask. Because our own, dear blog follower and frequent shout-out receiver, Jan, was in attendance!!

I did have to laugh when visiting the gift shop before the performance started.

Much like an appearance by me at the hunter’s ball, one of these is not like the other

 

Artist: Bryn Terfel/ Album: Silent Noon