SHOW REVIEW: The Blessed Virgin Larry
GothCon, New Orleans 2001 (Blessed Virgin Larry)
By: Sonya Brown
Picture if you will GothCon (http://gothcon.com/), New Orleans, 2001. I am unpacking in the hotel room that I am to share with friends for the next 3 days of music and fun, when into the room storms this endless burst of energy in human form. He's snapping pictures... and he turns and takes my photo. I'm looking like a deer caught in the headlights. stunned. "That will be a good one" he says, and he continues to make his way about the room. I was instantly charmed by this lovely tanned Tasmanian devil with mini strands of braided hair and "God Chaser" bracelets. I'm introduced to Gamma. The Blessed Virgin Larry.Later on, Gamma gives us a preview of the outfit he is planning to wear for his performance that evening with Neurepublik (http://neurepublik.com/) . Wow. I'm not about to miss this performance! Sporting a cowboy hat and a nun outfit covering a tiny g-string with a silver plated cod-piece, I would have gone to see this performance even if he planned on lip-sinking to Britney Spears!!
He performs his song "Son of a Bitch" with Neurepublik that evening, and as he works the crowd and strips off the nun outfit down to his g-string, I realize that not only does he have a remarkable stage presence and a downright lovely physique... but he can SING dammit!
Now I have never seen an entire Blessed Virgin Larry performance as he lives in Tampa, Florida, but I would love to see his show sometime. I did manage to get one of his videos, and I absolutely LOVE it. This is the kind of stuff I go for. Evil blasphemous boys in make-up that not only make music, but make it come alive. Highly visual with lyrics that bite and drip with outrage. Now that's entertainment for a girl who was raised on Alice Cooper and David Bowie.... and it's all done tongue-in-cheek. Never take yourself too seriously!
Right now I'm listening to the re-mix of Son of a Bitch on the full length CD from The Blessed Virgin Larry, "The Jesus Conspiracy". While I delight in this entire CD, it's Son Of A Bitch that keeps drawing me back in. I can just see Gamma now, stripping off that nun suit and throwing open his arms on stage clad only in a g-string. To quote Homer Simpson, "arghhhhhhhhh". Pardon the drool.
