Part of being an upcoming Artist is dealing with rejection. You send a hundred emails out and you’re lucky if people are nice enough to respond directly and not completely ignore you. It’s a painful part of the process but it builds resilience and character. It also means that you don’t take it for granted when someone you personally respect helps you out.
I had already been lucky enough to score an interview with Mickey Avalon six years ago over the phone and one of the first things I noticed was the level of humility in his voice, a far cry from the public persona he’s known for. Two years ago, he was even cool enough to give me permission to use a few of his songs on a food documentary.
Without giving away too much, I had a weird idea and sent out a few emails about a film I’m working on and didn’t get much response so I forgot about it. Thursday night, he got in touch and said if we could do it quickly, he’d meet me after the sound check. Of course I canceled plans and let him know I’d be there. Opportunities like this don’t happen often and you have to be ready to make the most of em.
I know how this shit works.
That’s why I always show up early and am ready to film at a moment’s notice. When people are touring, things get hectic and I always want to leave a good impression with both the Artist and the venue which more or less means staying out of the way until they’re ready for me. Much to my dismay, Mickey did not pull up in a black sedan with two cheap Hookers and a Mexican. Nope, he was driving a minivan which is way more practical for touring.
I helped him unload a few bags and we went over what I needed. He was running late so we did it in one take and had it filmed in less than 5 minutes. Of course, he offered to put me on the guest list so I took a shot and asked if he was interested in doing an interview after the show since (hint hint) he’s on tour right now celebrating the 20th anniversary of his debut album. Much to my surprise, he was game.
Since I’m a Chef, food has to be involved and the Mission District is a haven for amazing local restaurants but given his schedule, he didn’t have time to go out so I went to LaVaca Birria and got him some Tacos. The Chef who owns the place, Ricky, is as hardcore as we get and over the past several years, both the press and the public have taken notice. He deserves all the love since I still haven’t found Birria anywhere as good as his.
Kilowatt is a dirty little Punk bar on 16th street and I know I’ve been to shows here when it was under a different name. It’s also about the most ideal place to see someone like Mickey Avalon on a Saturday night since it’s sleazy as fuck. I have no idea what the capacity is but it was a sell-out crowd and the energy was already building before he took the stage. People were craving the escape.
I’ve seen him twice before and he always puts on a great show but this time he was clearly feeling the crowd and was deep in the groove. Not just on the hits either; they covered the entire debut album start to finish and he delivered it like it was fresh from his notepad. This wasn’t him running through the motions; he was delivering a performance.
We need more DJ MacKey guitar.
Now, normally when the DJ brings out a guitar, it’s a prop. They might strum a few chords and run a loop, but most of the time, they’re not really playing it. This ain’t the case for DJ MacKey. He can fucking shred and he proved it, several times, yet he was never cocky about it. Yeah, he was having fun and showing off but he didn’t take it seriously or have that guitar god attitude despite being able to play fucking circles around most people who do. Again, we need more DJ MacKey on guitar, lots more; it’s in everyone’s best interest.
It was a clusterfuck
Of course, the end of the night was a total clusterfuck as you can see below but that’s kinda how things go on the road. Most people don’t get how much work it takes to pull off a tour, between dealing with venues, hotels, transportation, delays and a world of other bullshit. That stress alone is enough to break mere mortals. Then, having to get on stage and give people the kind of performance that they want to tell their friends about, night after night. Rest assured, it’s not glamorous and while I have no clue about Mickeys situation, it’s hard for most acts to break even, let alone make a profit.
Despite the persona, he was nothing but humble, polite, and a total gentleman to everyone I saw him interact with. Like most Artists, he’s a complex guy who’s constantly evolving. Over the past few years, he’s gotten into painting, and now he’s a new dog daddy. Despite being soft spoken in person, when he takes the stage, he’s a force to be reckoned with and his natural charisma can persuade even the biggest haters to pay attention.
Listen, he’s as sleazy and as nasty as they come. Yeah, a lot of his lyrics will absolutely shock and offend some of you, hell, I might even lose a few fans because I’m a fan, oh well. The thing is, he’s authentic, he’s lived this shit and he’s shameless about it. He sings about his experiences, the good, bad and the profane, while finding a sense of poetry in the obscene. He gives the audience a way to escape into their inhibitions and forget about the chaos outside. Debauchery isn’t simply accepted here; it’s expected.
If you wanna go out and let go, go to a Mickey Avalon show (he should totally use that in a song)
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