The Day After The Show

Stark light of day, the aftermath

The afterglow of the Jell-O Art Show is still fading...I wish it would never be over. The amount of joy packed into three hours after three months is impressive and fulfilling. It well made up for the heartbreak of missing the most exciting Opening Day of Saturday Market in years. Possibly seeing from the outside, unable to be there myself, made it look so much more precious to me. All those moments, without me there to witness them and wipe away a tear, all those people participating in renewal and I was across town celebrating renewal in a smaller circle, another circle that could not quite intersect.

A couple of the Angels did report in after their own days at the Market, but that made me feel worse. If only it had been possible to have twice the energy, twice the moments in each hour. Mentally I was feeling myself running back and forth, knowing the pull of my space at the Market, and my party at Maude Kerns. I'm the Queen, so I had to be there, but then again, I'm some important glue in my Market neighborhood. Oh well, it's all in the past now, and next week I will get my chance to haul stuff downtown and stand next to it all day. The second week could well be fully as exciting as the first, and I really wouldn't have missed the Jell-O Waves for anything.

Before anyone got there

I went early, unloaded my Tacky Food and my costumes and set to work, setting up my table of shirts, laying out my fascinators, and "refreshing" the piece I donated to the gallery in January 2015. It needed some dusting, so I cleaned it up and put it on its pedestal. Before I knew it, it was 3:00 and I had that moment of looking at all the empty pedestals and wondering if anyone would bring Jell-O. Bring it they did! It kept coming until there were some 30 pieces, if you include several fantastic Tacky Food offerings. I tried to take photos of people with their pieces but couldn't get them all. When the public started filing in at 5:00 I cheerfully answered questions and handed out cards until I had to go get made up and dressed for my benediction. As I stood waiting for the Slug Queen to be ready I realized I hadn't practiced a speech. I went to the heart and just thanked the artists, from 8-year-old Maile to Marion with her walker, for making it happen year after year. It's precious, and we have it. The crowd was so amazing...they love Queen Gelatinaceae of the Jell-O Art. I'm her, but the persona they love is more than me. I'm a spokesperson for joy, a deliverer of brilliant transparency. I'm a metaphor for the queen in all of us, the artist, the fool, the sage. I couldn't be happier to represent.

Looking out, ready to Queen

Standing next to Markalo Parkalo, Your Queen and Mine, was equally transformative. There we were, arguably the two most important people in Eugene for those brief moments. He gave a little talk, sang a little song, and I stood awkwardly with my scepter wishing I had prepared to sing with him...we forgot to even talk about which song he was singing. Darn. A missed opportunity. Yet a few minutes and one costume change later, I was singing my heart out with the rest of the Angels and we had launched our performance. It went well, very well, with only one part where we miscommunicated and I didn't cue the musicians at the right time. The audience helped us as we stumbled through some time-filling silliness and it all resumed, thanks to Larry across the stage telling me "Say regular surfers, say regular surfers." I said it.The music started and the tube queens emerged. It was over too fast. My best line "Jell-O Wave Comin'!" a la the B-52s line "Tin roof, rusted", got stepped on in the enthusiasm to get to the last fantabulous song.

The music was memorable and so well done. We heard from our friends that possibly our equipment was not transmitting our wonderfulness quite as well as we were imagining it, but no matter. I can't wait to see the video. It was impossible to see all the costumes and silly acting people were doing behind me, and I can't wait to see the whole picture. When it feels that good it has to transmit, and everyone did seem to be enjoying it. It was hard to let go.

For me the very most magical time was the cast party, though, not to make you jealous, but just to share that after all that work together, with so many rehearsals for so long, the love in the room when it got to be a small and intimate group, was massive. The rightness of the feelings and the glorious singing we did with everyone singing a different part, a dozen parts, and the way we went from song to song merging the music with other tunes from our past and our practices, was brilliant and way beyond inspiring. That's what I want to hold onto the most, the depth of friendship and love that we shared by doing that together, throwing it out there, giving it away. Those moments made up for missing out on standing on the Park Blocks, feeling the same connectedness, the same vitality of the work, essential nature and endless love, as I feel every Saturday when a wave of appreciation washes over me. It's as good as it gets. It's better than I ever imagined, the peak moments that come so infrequently, but that are so rich they make up for any drudgery or complicated drama that came before.

One funny story, just to get it recorded: I had just changed into my official Queen costume with my crown and all, and was waiting impatiently for the bathroom. I said loudly, "Do you think I should say it's the Queen waiting?" The door then opened to someone I knew, lamenting the fact that the toilet was clogged and filled to the brim. I remember that helpless feeling when the water is rising, about to flood, and you desperately don't want your hostess to have to clean up your mess, when all you did was try to flush in the normal way but unexpected things happened. I brushed past her in my taffeta, said, "Well, isn't there a plunger?" and proceeded to plunge the toilet. In my gown and crown, in my full makeup. It must have been quite the sight.
Taking care of business, that's what the Queens do. Whether it is out-trumping Trump, which is what the Slug Queen got to challenge people to do on Friday, or working on the plumbing, we can bring the tools and apply them to the world with our perspective and personality making all the difference. What a great life. Amplify your joy and remember to appreciate it when you have the chance.