So Cameron and Mona and Bill have done a wonderful job summing up Rooftop Film's screening extravaganza last night. Thanks for that! A lot of feelings swirling around and I need to write this out. First off, the documentary Pulp: A Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets was EXCELLENT. Delightful. (yassss on the Candida interview footage!) Phenomenal job encompassing the final UK (and hometown) show on their 2012 reunion tour. The opening credits are a thrill for anyone that attended those shows.
However, the audience was split into 3 "adjacent" screening areas. 2 on rooftops and 1 in a courtyard below in an empty industrial complex. Jarvis and the director (and the resulting Q&A) were located on one of the rooftops - wouldn't you know the one populated with Press and VIPs - while most paying ticketholders - regardless of what time they arrived - were given the green wristbands and sent off to the "other" rooftop screening area. What would have made sense is a multi-tiered ticket system, like when you buy concert tix for arena shows. The fact that $22 full priced ticket holders were led to believe they would be participating in everything (only to be put on an isolated roof one building over) is appalling. There were plenty of empty seats on the main roof too.
Then, the karaoke contest after party. Contestants entered via Twitter, and I'll admit it: one of my best friends on earth (and biggest Pulp fan, we f*cking cashed in our piggy banks to make it to the Primavera reunion, so we'll always have that experience thankfully) wasn't picked which BLEW because he would have killed it. The fact that one guy got in by submitting a GIF of his head on Nicki Minaj is puzzling. Seriously? Anyway. The majority of the contestants ended up being Pulp-smitten women in their late 30s faffing about trying to win over the audience with "ohmigosh is jarvis looking at me right now because i can't look at him let me flap my elbows some more eeeeeeeeeee" expressions ... it just got hard to watch after awhile.
Then Chance came on stage, who can only be summed up as the Jewish Jarvis. Who actually went for it and stepped wayyyy out of his comfort zone. Bless him. Then the chick who was proposed to during the Primavera show (yay closure!), who actually hobbled out dressed as an old lady for "Help the Aged" and proceeded to goofily strip down to a leotard, she WENT FOR IT and it was brilliant. But we all knew who would walk off with the crown.
Now I know many of you are friends with family of the 9-year-old winner of the Jarvis judged Pulp karaoke contest last night. Great/good/fine/whatever but ICYDK, his song choice was "This is Hardcore." 30 seconds into his slow-mo vogueing I was like "ok, this kid has a handle on camp and is in on the joke" but the more I think about it - well - at the end of the day seems like his parents were using him to "go viral." He already has his own post on Buzzfeed. It makes me want to vom. Also, there was a grown up woman (and yes slightly inebriated) straight up sobbing at the site. The fact that the chants of "CPS! CPS" haven't been addressed in any of the reviews...
"This is Hardcore" - like many Pulp songs - are sacred to many and undeniably part of my friends' "coming of age" soundtracks here in the US. And this one is DARK. really REALLY dark. and now I forever have a child's voice singing "Then that goes in there. Then that goes in there" branded on my psyche.
So to the parents: I hope you get banned from Youtube forever.
To the universe: Thank You God for Cocteau Twins.