Roller Dreams - The Legend Of Roller Dancing In Venice

There was another gorgeous sunset in Venice last night, but the show was not over after that. It was on to Beyond Baroque for Gerry Fialka's Laughtears annual night of Venice cinema. The main event was a screening of the wonderful documentary, Roller Dreams, which tells the story of the rise (and decline) of roller dancing on the Venice Boardwalk.

The 15th annual cinematic evening of works featuring Venice had a packed house for the event, which began with live music from Sara Messenger (a star of Roller Dreams) that I was still looking at the sunset for, and then a film from Taylor Cox called PULL, about artists and people in Venice listening to their inner voices to continue to be creative. That one was a nice intro to the rest of the night, especially as Fialka is one of the main people being interviewed within the film. It's great to see filmmakers continuing to be inspired by our Venice.

It was was standing room only in the Beyond Baroque auditorium by the time Roller Dreams screened, with locals and roller skater fans crammed into the room to witness a piece of Venice history on the screen. The 80's were all about roller disco, and Venice was at its very heart. The skaters were rock stars down at the Boardwalk, and thousands of bystanders would surround them to cheer them on. You meet characters like Sally, Duval (who dressed up like Superman in a cape - RIP), Jimmy, Terrell, and the mean mug of "Mad", who was the undisputed ringleader of it all.

Times change, and the roller dancing scene was eclipsed by the skateboarding one, but that's not the only reason why things changed down there at the Boardwalk. We've been living with the gentrification for years now, which is a big part of this story, along with the issue of race. The vast majority of the awesome roller dancers in Venice were African American, and once there got to be thousands of fans packing in to watch them, the police weren't comfortable and simply put an end to it. The concrete was bulldozed up, the loud music (often Prince) they danced to was forbidden, and that was pretty much that. Except it wasn't.

All of the roller dancers featured in Roller Dreams were in the house for the screening last night at Beyond Baroque - Mad is still Mad. It was extra emotional when they all stood up at the end, because we all now knew the history, their importance to our community and to the rollerskating world, as well as a glimpse into their hearts, and what all of this meant to them. Director Kate Hickey's film was inspired by the Aussie cult film Xanadu, starring Olivia Newton-John, which began Hickey's love for roller dancing. Once she moved to Venice and learned that the pioneers of the sport were all right here (and shockingly never featured in the white-washed roller disco films of the era), she knew she had to tell their stories. She has done so with a loving and respectful tone that shares the joy and pain of the roller dancer's world.

The Venice Beach Sk8 Dancers are still down there every weekend, as entertaining and groovy as ever. Now that I know their stories, I just want to go down and watch them all the time. Or better yet, learn from them, as they all said they welcome everyone and love to teach people new tricks (and rollerskating is making a big comeback! Way cuter than rollerblades). They also need our help. The Skate Dance Plaza needs a facelift (and to be even and not crumbling), and they have a Go Fund Me set up to improve the conditions so they may continue offering fun and entertainment to the global village that passes by in the thousands each weekend. They need $20,000 (and the City isn't helping - surprise). We can do this for them. They've given the world so much for decades ... we can help them get funky for decades more. Please support our Roller Dreamers!

Go Fund the Re-Paving of Venice Skate Dance Plaza!

https://www.gofundme.com/repave-venice-beach-plaza

Thanks to Gerry Fialka and Beyond Baroque for a great night of Venice cinema!

First Mondays At Surfside With Venice Songbird, Suzy Williams!

"Well ... at least Suzy is still singing here." I overheard this last night at First Mondays with Suzy Williams at Surfside Venice, when someone was lamenting the loss of Danny's Deli. And MAN, is Suzy ever still singing here!

If you've never seen Suzy Williams - The Venice Songbird - strut her stuff, well ... you haven't really been to Venice. She's something else, and takes you back to a cooler, nicer time, when people had fun, and made fun, and WERE fun. It's almost vaudevillian when she belts out her jazzy numbers, usually accompanied by the celebrated Brad Kay on the keys, and you are treated to true musicianship, and real showmanandwomanship.

I arrived a little late to Surfside, and Suzy was taking a break to give the floor to the local band, Feisty Heart. They were really good, and I concurred when Suzy said, "Did that sound like Venice, California or what?!" It really did ... like a dreamy seaside soundtrack. When Suzy took back over the microphone, she introduced her next song by saying, "This is a song about trying to get laid." Decked out in a pink wig, pretty dress, and long, black gloves and singing of how "Nature loves a serenade", with Carol Chaiken providing apt trills on her flute ... you surmise it's probably not that hard of a task for Ms. Williams. Because she's awesome.

The crowd was very old school Venice, with everyone cheering on Suzy's every note. A young couple from Australia was sitting across from me, and told me that they had to go get cash, because they had to fill Suzy's tip jar ... "She's amazing!" She really is. There's no one else like her around, and she is a bonafide Venice treasure. To watch her singing to her husband, Gerry Fialka (clad in a chef outfit for the tune), is to know about Venice living history. Sit down with either of them and you'll learn a WHOLE lot.

Her lyrics tend to have great phrases like "The Cat's Meow and the Dog's Bow Wow", those from a Valentine of a song that charmed the room, of course. I ordered up an Old Fashioned, just to be drinking on theme. I loved her tune, "Cover Me", where she pleads with other musicians to cover her songs, so that she may live forever - and she has well over 100 songs for you to choose from, so there you go.

"Get Your Own Bad Habits" featured Williams in full Ethel Merman style voice and bawdiness as she got down and dirty in both voice and choreography. I just love her and can't brag enough about being her friend. It's the best. Her next number was dedicated to her friend, Mews Small, who was in the house. Mews played Jack Nicholson's girlfriend in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, and judging from this song that she wrote, she's got plenty of good stories to tell (She has her own show at the Unurban on February 18th!).

"We all have multitudes, and we're all here getting each other - without Facebook!" It was true. Everyone there was very in the moment, and lucky to be in the room together. It doesn't get a lot more Venice than Tonan beaming while listening to Suzy Williams, and looking around to recognize almost every face. What a wonderful Monday thing to do!

After a brief intermission/costume/wig change, Suzy introduced her stellar band that has Stuart Johnson on drums, Carol Chaiken on just about everything, and the inimitable Brad Kay on those keys, exclaiming, "Let's make America swing again!" Yes. Let's.

Between fantastic torch songs, Williams begged everyone to call her if they go to the beach. "If you live in Venice, please call me and make me go to the beach. I don't go enough!" Done. Every day. The time to stop playing came and went, and Suzy said, "If anyone wants to shoo us out, go ahead!" But no one did, and her "penultimate song" about a BBQ drew "We love you, Suzy!'s" To introduce her ultimate song, Suzy spoke on seeing a group of nattily dressed older people she'd seen recently, saying, "Fashion helps you feel not so depressed, so dress up, Kids!" Yes, let's! "I will not go into that good night without a good fight" was the number, and it was extra-great ("My iron lung is gonna make people plotz!"), as was the thunderous applause for all gathered at Surfside on a Monday.

And speaking of Surfside ... what wonderful hosts for this gig. Suzy told us, "Surfside actually pays bands money! They support locals, so locals, I think we better come eat here!" Because the food is actually good, and the service is even better. *Special shout-out to Alexis, our server, who was lovely and gracious the entire evening. It's really a great spot for Venice - and we'll be there again on Saturday after the Mardi Gras Parade - Join us!

After Suzy shouted her "Thank you's!", I heard a visitor say to a local, "That was incredible. You live a charmed existence here." He was not wrong. When asked how they came here, the person I eavesdropped on said, "I was seeking asylum." You too can seek asylum from the crazy world at large each First Monday with Suzy Williams at Surfside Venice ... you will simply plotz!  Love you, Suzy!


Surfside Venice
23 Windward Avenue
Venice 

Next First Mondays: March 5th
                                    April 2nd

The Lit Show - Starring Suzy Williams!

Oh, Suzy Williams. How are you so so cool? Well, for starters. she and her husband, Gerry Fialka, put on The Lit Show every year at Beyond Baroque, where you hear the words of famous authors put to jazzy compositions by Suzy and Brad Kay. Where you wind up being not only thoroughly entertained, but smarter.

In the 7th or 8th Annual (no one was really sure which) Lit Show, Suzy and Brad were joined by Oliver Steinberg on stand up bass, Carol Chaikin on everything (well, flute, clarinet and two different saxes), Barry Zweig on guitar, and Don Allen on drums. And the entire crowd of loyal Venice fans on laughter, clapping and the opening chorus of "The Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit Show!!!!" Everyone was down from the opening notes, that Suzy delivered in full Marilyn Monroe (who was also featured on the evening's program cover, reading Ulysses) regalia, right down to the beauty mark. That's the thing about Suzy, she really DELIVERS every single word, making her especially great at adapting such glorious words from authors that you may not have even known ever wrote song lyrics.

Like Kurt Vonnegut, Rudyard Kipling, and Ben Hecht (very upbeat number from the dude who wrote Scarface, etal!). Even Ray Bradbury, who lived exactly right across the street here in Venice for a spell, and whose song, "Bedtime Exercise" found Suzy portraying a sexy robot. A "Venusian Venetian."  To introduce Nabokov's ditty from Lolita, Suzy said, "Let's blow it all to Hell!" Which happened, particularly due to Carol Chaikin's sax blowing that was so feeling it that it reminded me of Lisa Simpson going off.

"The Great Secret", inspired by words from Hafiz, Suzy's "Spiritual Master", turned out to be that There really is no such thing as sin ... so we're off the hook, boys and girls! Suzy is the best. She reminds me a little of Bette Midler in her delivery, and her not giving a damn what anyone thinks, straight up doing her own thing, and in the vaudeville style way she interacts with the crowd. Suzy is a true mold breaker, though, and fully deserving of her title, The Venice Songbird.

After a brief intermission, Suzy returned to the stage as a sultry brunette, salting the set with funny little asides like, "Edna liked to be called 'Vincent'" about Edna St. Vincent Millay. For Vonnegut, Suzy donned a turban and hoop earrings and shook a maraca for the summery delight of "Bokomon's Calypso" from Cat's Cradle. All the Venice faces were smiling along, deeply in love with the divine Ms. W.  Nice, Nice, Very Nice!

The "G Rated Bessie Smith of Venice", introduced Brad Kay of Suzy when she sang "Little Shirley Beans". This one was inspired by Salinger's Catcher In The Rye - which she suggested everyone re-read when they're older. I'm going to.

The very bohemianly awesome evening ended with the crowd singing along "LOOOOOOOOOVE!" with Suzy to "A Song of Love" by Lewis Carroll (from Sylvie and Bruno). I loved every bit of it, and urge anyone who's never seen Suzy to get there and get charmed by our dear local treasure songbird. Especially because she shouts great things like, "Don't forget! Marilyn Monroe is always on the merry go round reading Ulysses!" to end her show.

The Liiiiiiiiiiiiit Show was about the most sweet/street, smart/tart time I've had in a while, and truly so original. Just like Suzy.

The Battle Of Cairo - 1/2 Revolution Screens in Venice

I bumped into my friend Gallo yesterday morning at the beach, and he told me about his friend Karim's film screening at Beyond Baroque last night. 1/2 Revolution is the heavy, dramatic, REAL documentary of a group of friends as they experience the (ongoing) Revolution in Cairo - exactly one year ago. Titled HALF Revolution as it is nowhere near over.


The film just screened at Sundance, and is especially timely because 75 people were just killed at a soccer match in Egypt by government thugs the other day, and Tahrir Square is on the front page of today's paper again, full of fury, pride and resistance. The people of Egypt MEAN it.



I was happy to see the screening room at Beyond Baroque packed at 10 pm on a Thursday, full of interested, caring Venetians and friends. Egyptian born Karim El Hakim lived in Venice for years, until 9/11 happened and he no longer wanted to participate in the politics and economy of the U.S. He moved back to his homeland, and has been right in the thick of the uprising in Cairo. So much so that he filmed much of it right outside the window of his home.

It's all about basic human rights. Which is exactly why it's so universally compelling, and why the spirit of the whole thing is catching on - everywhere. The People of Egypt were FED UP with the 30 year Mubarak regime, and took to the streets. Watching it all on the news, it's difficult to grasp how very BIG it all was/is. When you see it up close, through the lens of a regular guy that many in the room hold dear as a friend, it is entirely something else. You feel the fear, the panic, the righteous anger, but most of all, you feel the absolute determination of a people that are ready not just to protest, but to die for a better way of life. As one guy says, "If I die, I die with a smile."

"Everyone is on the streets - EVERYONE!", yells Karim into the phone to his friend. You feel the terror when friends lose each other in the melee, and the joy when Karim is reunited safely with his wife on the street. Super moving (His wife called during the Q&A following the film and the entire audience applauded her via speaker phone). You feel the fury and pride when a fellow citizen is killed by their own government, and someone writes "Egyptian" in their blood left on the street.


This is especially outrageous as the entire time the people protesting are yelling, "NO VIOLENCE!" What must happen in the minds of authorities/leaders to make the slaughter of people they are meant to protect permissible by their hands? A deep sickness, no question.



El Hakim and his director, Omar Shargawi, take you right into the dead center of the thrill and fright of the packed Tahrir Square, and back into their homes as they deal with the reality of those intense days. El Hakim is leaving tonight to return home to Cairo, and will be back on the streets with his people tomorrow. "Nothing has really changed, Egypt is a mess," said El Hakim in the Q&A. "This is not Occupy Wall Street, people are dying in the street." Gerry Fialka asked him why he lives in Cairo now, and El Hakim responded, "I feel like I live in the future there ... as the U.S. and others follow our example." But he cautioned, "If you're gonna move, be ready." You can just watch this film and know exactly what he means.

And I hope you will. 1/2 Revolution is doing the festival circuit now, but keep your eyes open for screenings anywhere you can via their website. It is a MUST see documentary for oppressed citizens of the world everywhere.

As the Egyptians chant, "FREEDOM!!!" "JOIN US!!!"