THE FOLLOWING OPINION EXPRESSED IS NOT OF SHIFT OR ANY OF ITS SUBSIDIARIES; ONLY THAT OF SOMEONE WHO MAKES A GOOD POINT... AND IT DOESN'T REFLECT ANYONE TAGGED OR OTHERWISE:
"So, let's recap what happened: The talented Aaron Riggins created WTF ("What the Fuck?") last July, a night of mixed-up revelry at the nightclub TOWN. Being the promotional genius that he is, he had planned to mix up Sunday night's theme with the Spanish version: ¡Que es el fucko! Complete with the usual WTF-esque irreverent text, including a bondage clad pinata promo image, etc.
Just before the event, we all get the Facebook message that the theme is gone. Rather than modify the promotional material or the events of the evening, the shit was simply shut down. Here’s the statement from the douchenozzles at TOWN:
"Allow us to take a second to apologize for some of the wording that has been used to promote our WTF event this month...it was meant to be humorous and was clearly not received that way by everyone and we sincerely feel awful that we would ever offend anyone..."
Why am I this pissed off at the shutdown of a one-off theme? DJs/Promoters and all the creative people that support them (like me) are a tightly-knit cabal in this city. When TOWN chooses to completely shut down the theme of an event they have already paid to promote, it sends the message that edge is not welcome. People do notice this shit, TOWN, and it affects everyone's ability to have self-expression, art, and creative themes endorsed (aka: paid for) by other venues. The next person to pitch a great, edgy idea to a venue will likely be reminded that the assclowns at terribly successful TOWN caved on something as innocent and goofy as saying 'WTF' in Spanish, even after they had already spent money to promote it. Get behind Aaron, TOWN, and while you’re at it, support any creative people that bust their asses thinking of fun ways to get people in the door just so you can sell your shitty $7 watery snow-cones of vodka/soda.
I should say that this point that for the record, I generally love TOWN. Great sound system, great music, great atmosphere. But someone fucked up this time.
Mostly, I don’t want even a little of my nightlife overrun by the censorship of what is clearly only a handful of culturally devoid, ultra-PC pussies. It is this kind of crap that keeps fun and profitable events out of DC and in other cities/other countries.
And was the promotional material offensive? Given the audience, no. How dare a little funny Spanglish offend TOWN's delicate intelligensia of followers, all long since accustomed to the usual TOWN promo photo platter of naked porn stars, foul-mouthed drag queens, and barely legal headless stock torsos.
Had I, as a photographer who's shot promo imagery, been commissioned to advertise ¡Que es el fucko! With, say, a shot of a whitey-white model sprayed with sunless tanner, posing naked save poncho y sombrero y thin John Waters-esque mustache, shown in-scene stealing the hubcaps off a Honda Civic, Speedy Gonzales pistol in one hand, steam from a freshly baked coconut flan rising in the background of an east Los Angeles sunset... Well, that particular image might be oh, un poquito racist. Just, you know, slightly. But, we are talking about a little foul Spanglish and a bondage pinata that made me smile.
And let’s not forget the rusty old fucks that were offended: It must be so much easier to waved your gloved hand and attack the pseudo-problem of wacky nightclub themes than deal with any of the very real and present racism that exists in DC.
Yes, the event is still on. And yes, because I support Aaron, I'm coming. (And if I get banned at the door, it’ll only prove my point regarding censorship.) Aaron's amazing, and I know he'll make the event fun anyway... he just pulled off a gay happy hour at the International Spy Museum for Christ’s sake. Everything he touches turns to magic.
But in all respect, grow a pair, TOWN... ¿QEEF?
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