Getting Cultural

Since moving to Melbourne, John Paul and I have become increasingly interested in the arts. That’s a pretty extreme exaggeration, but you wouldn’t have known it last weekend. On Saturday, Melbourne had the “Art Melbourne” exhibit where different galleries and artists from all over the country could come and sell their work. I found a deal online where I could get two tickets for the price of one – so I forked out $20 bucks for an afternoon of entertainment. What the hell. In all seriousness, we both enjoy and appreciate unique artwork, but aren’t really in the market to drop $7,000 on a sculpture made from driftwood. This apparently was not obvious to the gallery owners because on numerous occasions they approached us to initiate conversation and gauge our interest in various pieces. I probably should have made a PSA before entering the building that stated, “We wouldn’t be here if I didn’t get a BOGO deal so don’t waste your time. Thank you in advance.” One gallery manager even made a point to introduce us to the artist himself – which resulted in a 20 minute explanation of his vision when creating each piece. To give the guy credit, it was really cool to hear how it was created. Up until that moment, it looked to me like he had gotten shit-faced and stumbled upon some finger paint. As we were walking to the next exhibit, John Paul looks at me and said, “Wow, it seems like that guy is really in touch with his artwork; too bad he isn’t in touch with his personal appearance.” I about lost it. This guy did look like a Grade-A Paedophile. His attempt at wearing a trendy / vintage suit really wasn’t working in his favour. However, the icing on the cake was his super creepy moustache. I couldn’t figure out exactly what statement he was trying to make with his random patch of facial hair. To give you more of a visual – he kept the top 50% of the ‘stache (closest to his nose) very short…the lower half he allowed to grow much longer. It was a very interesting look; one that I would not recommend anyone to try. Ever. On Sunday, I got us tickets to Cirque Du Soleil Dralion. I have wanted to see a Cirque Du Soleil show for years and John Paul weaselled his way out of going when we were in Vegas last year. In all honesty; I can see where guys may be a little hesitant committing to these types of performances. All they show in the advertisements and commercials are a bunch of men swinging from ribbons and wearing leotards. Although John Paul needed a little reassurance that this would be very different from Wicked (the musical), he was a great sport. When we arrived at the ‘circus tent’; they require you to walk through the Dralion store so that you can be ‘tempted’ by all of the ridiculous souvenirs. It is absolutely mind boggling to see the barrage of people going nuts over this random paraphernalia. To a certain extend, I understand. I was a kid once – and I distinctly remember pitching a fit over wanting a stuffed dolphin from Sea World or begging for the Micky Mouse flashlight at Disney on Ice. That’s what kids do. What DOES concern me are the people who pay $150 for a Dralion windbreaker to commemorate their experience for years to come. If I see ANY of my friends (male or female) wearing an article of clothing with prepubescent Asian girls in spandex printed on it; we are going to have a serious talk. Do you know what I think is an appropriate souvenir? How about your ticket stub? If you want to get really crazy – buy a program. To get back on track, the show was absolutely amazing and I am seriously in awe of what these people can do. It physically, mathematically, and logically does not make sense. Or as John Paul put it during one of the performances, “These bitches are about to get crazy.” I think that it is safe to say that John Paul will be a little more enthusiastic about the next show that we go to. If you have to opportunity to see Dralion, I would highly recommend it!