NAME THAT DRAG QUEEN

On Saturday night in suburbia, I attended The Disco Ball, a community fundraiser to benefit the programs of the Junior League of Bronxville.  I was pumped when the theme of the night was originally announced months ago - The Disco Ball.  I talked with many friends about what this theme meant to them - among the ideas were the 70s, Saturday Night Fever, SwingTown, Diane von Furstenberg, Studio 54 and glitter, glitter, glitter.  But to me, my vision was different.  All I could think of - indisputedly - was Priscilla Queen of the Desert and I knew I was destined to channel my inner drag queen that night.  Even better, Jackis was still going to be out of town so I would have no ball and chain telling me that my dress was too short or my heels were too high or my false eyelashes had too many rhinestones on them.  But let's get real - did anyone who knows me really think I was going to wear a skirt?  Hell no!  Bling on the sequinned booty shorts!   So that's what I did.  But since my true love is shoes, let's embrace my hot pink furry go-go boots.  As I put them on, all I could hear in my head was Austin Powers telling me to YEAHHHH BABY!   

Since there were no cages, I danced the night away on an elevated and illuminated cube.  I knew how to do this - after all, my college mamagirl friends and I regularly danced on any type of furniture almost every night in college.  Chairs, banquettes, tables, benches, bars - we weren't picky.  So when I saw the cube, I just climbed up and started to dance.  The evening had its usually elements that most fundraisers have - bar, food, bar, silent auction, bar, raffles, bar, photographers, bar, lipstick reapplication in ladies room, bar, and more bar.  But last night, there was something original.  Something novel.  Something that drew me away from the bar.  They had Name That Tune, possibly one of the funnest games - maybe ever.  Now, I played a great deal of Name That Tune in my collegiate days- primarily in a room called Yak in one of the fraternities (I can't remember the derivation of the name Yak ----anyone?) and although I logged in many hours of practise, I wouldn't even dare to consider myself good enough compared to some of my friends - the afficionados of the game.  But hey, it was for charity so I paid my $25 and entered into the pool of contestants. 

The rules were that you had to write the title of the song and the artist down and a judge would circulate and check the answers after 3 or 4 first notes of the song had been played.  And as luck would have it, I miraculously won the contest!  The following is the list I found, crumpled and scrawled in my clutch this morning - my answers.  Its a great 70s playlist and I do love all the songs.  As I stood among the final two contestants and the last song played, I listened closely to the 4 notes that were played.  I looked at my opponent and could see that she was not entirely confident.  I had this in the bag.  You see, this final song was one played to me by a former boyfriend -wait, it was actually blasted out the windows as we drove down the German autobahn at 120+ miles an hour.  It was one of my most crazy, romantic, young love memories.  Afer college, I was living in London and met a tourist.  He wasn't technically a tourist - he was a friend of a friend, visiting for the week.  But doesn't it sound much more romantic to fall truely, madly, deeply in love with a stranger tourist?  Because that's precisely what happened.  I met a great guy and spent a week hanging out with him. When it was time for him to leave, I accompanied him to the airport.  I was so sad to see this stranger leave and when he said "come with me", I relinquished all of my reason, common sense and things that my head told me I should do.  I said goodbye to him, went back to my apartment, picked up my passport, packed a bag and booked the next flight out.  He picked me up at the airport in Hamburg, Germany with this song blaring out of his car and we sped off down the Autobahn.  It was Barry White's "You're My First, My Last, My Everything" and I always think of him when I hear that song.

Here's the 70s playlist from the competition - all incredibly fun and amazing songs!

ABC, Jackson Five
We Are Family, Sister Sledge
I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor
Disco Inferno, The Tramps
Copacabana, Barry Manilow
Staying Alive, Bee Gees
Funky Town, Lipps
Brick House, Commodores
YMCA, Village People
Bad Girl, Donna Summer
You're My First, My Last, My Everything, Barry White

Hot Pink Faux Fur Boot Sleeve, Pleaser
Gold Sequinned Shorts, H&M