I could say this post is partially in honor of veteran hambone Robert Goulet, the legendary stage thespian-cum-lounge singer recently hospitalized due to illness, but that bit of news is pure convenience for finally putting up this Will Ferrell clip. Ferrell may not be a man of range — he’s got Arrogant Buffoon (Ron Burgundy), Sweet-Natured Buffoon (Frank the Tank) and Balding, Vaguely Spiritual Buffoon (James Lipton) down pat — but damn if he isn’t the perfect conduit for an official send-up of Goulet-style martini cheesiness. This SNL clip has Ferrell crooning Notorious B.I.G’s “Big Poppa” and Sisqo’s “Thong Song” with all the verve of an aging hipster gone unknowingly to seed.
Skewering the 70s lounge singer seems to be turning into a booming business. New York’s Justin Bond and Kenny Mellman created the drag cabaret duo of Kiki and Herb in the early 90s, combining the stage banter of Bond’s aging alcoholic “chantreuse” Kiki with a range of hoarse Broadway and pop covers while Mellman’s gay, near-silent Herb accompanies faithfully on piano. LA’s Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine are less theatrical but just as schticky, classing up such mainstream fare as “Baby Got Back,” “Nookie,” “Suck My Kiss,” “Wrong Way” and “Rape Me” since 2000.
But as far as I’m concerned, the crowning jewel of the somewhat dead-end routine is none other than self-styled International Singing Sensation Meow Meow, a firebrand faux-diva more along the line of a German 40s nightclub act (think Cabaret’s Sally Bowles). On one hand, Meow Meow is Kiki’s younger incarnation — still an alcoholic, still a glamour-puss, still a cynical stage veteran always resigned to go on with the show. But she doesn’t rely on her pianist for back-up; it’s all Meow, all the time. A recent performance at the Melbourne Arts Festival’s Famous Speigeltent had her literally climbing around the sold-out crowd, stealing sips from any casually held-out wine glass and losing the occasional bit of clothing. Interactive, and a voice to boot.
The lounge-act mockery of Kiki and Herb seems likely to stale quickly — after a while, it’s beating a dead horse. Meow Meow adds even as she pokes fun, branching out into a broader future of stage entertainment. A meta-throwback to the past, sure, but with the comedic sexual frankness of the future.
TORO! :: bull by the horns 