Week Thirty: iPod Picks - The Creatures - "Standing There" - Boomerang

For Week Thirty, I'm turning my iPod loose (in the form of putting it on shuffle) and letting it do the picking... so the seven songs for this week were chosen by my trusty little iPod who is now holding close to 5000 of my favorite songs and who is slowly but surely dying battery-wise; however, I am too attached to do an upgrade just yet...

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The dorm that I lived in while I was completing my freshman year of college in Denton was called Bruce Hall, and in 1996, it was home to some of this state's finest drag queens. They were so sweet, so much fun to be around, and so intent on doing my hair, make-up, and nails...drag queen-style!

The Rose Room at The Village in Oaklawn announced that it was going to have its First Annual Ms. Budlight “Drag Queen” Competition, and Queenie (whose real name was Michael), my absolute favorite of the resident drag queens, insisted that he must compete.

He consulted my gay best friend and me on what he should do for the talent portion. At first, we tossed around the idea of a seductive number to “Face to Face” by Siouxsie and the Banshees because Queenie was a jewelry designer, and he had just created some of the claw-like rings similar to what Siouxsie wore in the video. Then we were inevitably forced to discuss the fact that it was going to be insanely difficult to hide his man parts in one of those tight cat-suits like Siouxsie wore in the video.

After a bit more thought, we collectively decided on “Standing There” instead. Queenie designed and executed an elaborate costume with a headpiece made out of Budlight bottle caps since part of the contest rules stated that the costumes must incorporate the brand somehow. He did a Salsa-style jig around the stage. Apparently, they required original versions of the CD for the performance; so since I knew how hard he had worked, I lent Queenie my original. Believe it or not, he did actually return it because those queens were terrible about keeping people's stuff.

For the rest of my time in Bruce Hall, Queenie credited me with helping him win runner-up, which was the equivalent of second place. I don't remember the stage name of the queen who won. His real name was Chase, and he sure was pretty!!!

The Creatures stopped by Deep Ellum Live in 1999, and being such a huge Siouxsie & the Banshees fan, there was no way in the world that I would have missed that show:

I'm also including my other favorite by The Creatures under the lyrics; it's called "Fury Eyes"...

Hey creepo's... I'm talking to you 
I've got a message to give to you 
You've got a problem... we know 
But there's something you ought to know 

Standing there across the thoroughfare 
They stand and stare with that gormless air 
So funny to see how dumb some grown men can be 

An unwanted weed, a dying reed 
Left to consider life as it passes by 
Ignoring your calling, ignoring your taunting, 
Ignoring your feelings of self hate and loathing 
How empty and pointless your life must seem 

See them standing 
See them staring 
See them wearing that same stupid face 

Sticks and stones may break bones 
But these taunting crones only cause inner groans 
We ignore all your calling, ignore all your taunting 
Ignore all your problems of self hate and loathing 
Somebody should show them where to go 

See them standing 
See them staring 
See them wearing that same creepy face 

Standing there in the thoroughfare 
They stand and stare with that gormless air 
Does what you won't understand scare and make you mad? 
Resentful and envious, don't you disgust yourself? 
So funny to see how pathetic some men can be 

See them standing 
See them staring 
See them wearing that same stupid face 
Ignore all their calling, ignore all their taunting, 
Ignore all their faking, their self hate and loathing 
Somebody should show them where to go.