Friday, August 15, 2008

Lava Ladies



Party Crasher
A Roman Volcano Prom Erupts
by Jeff Kirby

"Prompeii" isn't just a party, it's an extravaganza. There are hundreds of people in beautiful costumes mingling inside a meticulously decorated club in the heart of Belltown. The theme is pretty loose, so the costume genres are somewhat eccentric: Mostly, the outfits are ancient-Roman themed, but there's also some Greek mythology, Lord of the Rings, and "gay" speckled throughout the crowd.

"Mount Vesuvius" is set to erupt. In the back of the club there's a large black cloth volcano surrounded by cardboard houses. For snacks there are bizarre but cute tater-tot mountains with blue flames shooting out the top. The "Catastrophe Cooler," which contains ginger-infused vodka that has been soaking for six weeks, is the drink special. The bartender lets people know that even though it doesn't taste very strong, it has been specifically engineered to fuck people up. The drinks sell out quickly.

At 11:11 p.m. the room begins to fill with an unbelievably thick cloud of fake smoke. Confetti rains from the ceiling and "Eruption" by Van Halen is cranked over the speakers. There's a masking-tape perimeter around the volcano—no one is exactly sure what's going to come out of it or if they're safe standing in the front row. Thankfully, it's not a giant mound of vinegar and baking soda inside: Three women in red dresses emerge and begin to trash the city of Pompeii. Everyone stands still, transfixed, as the lava women smash the shit out of the cardboard boxes, until one of them screams, "Start dancing!" and out of the flames and destruction a party is born. JEFF KIRBY

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Crush it.

Not only has this phrase become a household staple, I have also taken a shine to crushing things...literally. Here I am with the illustrious and immensely talented "hot ashes" reigning our doom on the civilization of Pompeii. This performance piece came complete with smoke machines and the three of us jumping forth from folds of vinyl Vesuvius. Set to Ladytron's "Destroy Everything You Touch", we brought in the heat. And then flashed everyone. I have a bruise on my foot to prove the ferocity that was the hot ashes. Stick it.

http://flickr.com/photos/espressobuzz/2728987957/in/set-72157606522725996/

Sorry, folks. I didn't take the picture and it is copyrighted. Take the extra step and view this link.