There be beauty in that thar booty!
3:55 AM 8/20/09 · Even though I'm writing this up now I probably won't post it until Friday. Wanna give the folks at the BaGG group on MySpace time to post photos from what I just left so I can link to it as well as point out who I think actually should've won. While it may be an annoying thing to point out, though most of the crowd seems to agree on it, the fix was in!
Not that the lady that won wasn't deserving in her own right...but there were 3 better in my humble opinion, only one of which that made it to the finals and I say should've won!
As to the fix. In a lot of previous contests the rumors have circulated regarding this, most often when the winner is someone that many can't figure out what they were doing in the contest to begin with. Not always, a lot of them I totally agreed with the winner or could at least see what the judges were thinking. Like this years booty beauty contest, the winner is certainly qualified...
...it's just there was a bit more to it.
Not necessarily in her favor, can't say unless I find out her name. At the door everyone was given a single plastic pirate coin, or chip when they were running low, to submit their vote for the contestants. About 40 minutes or so before it started, a particular person was going around giving people extra coins and telling them who to vote for. I don't know her name either but I know who she is, kinda sorta, and I think that was just wrong.
Casting my vote I only used one coin. Kept the other 3 for souveniers.
personal stuff you probably don't need to know:
I texted and tweeted a bit while I was there. Little stuff on the club, not sure if there was a #bagg on twitter before that night, and checking to see if some people I know were going to be there. I rarely see anyone I know there anymore, by which I mean know fairly well. I recognize a tonnage of people, I'm great with faces, but I don't usually talk to most of them.
First off, they finally took down all that Aztec shit! Maybe it was Mayan, possibly Inca, but somewhere around late 2007 or early 2008, for something or other, it was put up on the stage, on a lot of the walls, and hanging from the ceiling. I never could figure out why, asked George but even he was a little fuzzy about it. We both couldn't stand the stuff but even with my infrequent visits...IT JUST STAYED UP THERE!
Now it's gone.
Life can go on.
As mentioned previously, seems like forever before contests start these days. It's probably unfair to continually compare the club to the way it was when the building was still called The Trocadero...but I just can't seem to help myself. Another oddity was that to gogo dancers were nowhere to be seen until 11:35pm, I checked my watch. Last few times I've been, and back in the day, the club's dancers were usually doing their thing within 45 minutes of the dancefloor opening up.
Nobody on stage or in the cage for too damned long. Although, I will say this. For the first time in memory I had no issue with any of them. Didn't recognize any of the current gogo's but they were all great. One better than the others but I don't know names so I ain't saying.
Was a bit bummed that I didn't see the photographer making the rounds either. Was really hoping to link to the photos taken aftet the fact. The guy's usually going around fairly early. Then again, he did pop up when the contest started so that wasn't so bad. He and another guy but I'm not sure who he was, other than he stank and he was massive...
...which I only know because when the contest started he was right next to me and blocked my view of about ½ the stage. I'm 6'2". You've gotta be big to block my view up & down, right & left.
Dressed in full Captain Jack Sparrow spleandor,
Al had a pretty good time. Small incident with the Hell's Angels, get back to that, but otherwise...good times. He was my ride and other than the fact we got there a little late, not his fault, I had a blast. Regrettably he wanted to know what someone had to do to get permission to take photos in the club or become a vendor and I didn't know. Should look into that.
One of the vendors that normally works there, though not that night because of the contest (I think) he asked if I knew. Named 'Becca'. Not much to work with. Later that night I spotted Rebecca, who I haven't seen in ages, and it turned out she was the 'Becca' he meant.
She had a decided effect on me, probably having to do with how we met, which basically puts me into instant perma·grin. Outwardly, big smile. Inwardly, smile was so wide it touched all the walls in the club.
There was a girl stuck outside who got banned for the night from entering. Lots of theories, biggie being she and her friend came to the club toting their own booze. Most places don't like you bringing food in from other places, tend to be moreso about alcohol. Anyways, we all hung out with her a bunch and checked on her friend. Hadn't realized at the time how interconnected that was gonna be.
I've never had a problem with the Hell's Angels in the entire time I've been going to BaGG. More than a decades time and not so much as a peep. Was nervous the first time I saw them there just from the reputation...but in spite of that, they're actually kinda nice. Now I mean I personally haven't had a problem with them but I've heard stuff that's happened with them at or around the club that wasn't ideal. Nothing major, really tiny stuff that I mostly can't remember other than I know it happened.
Not this time, all relating to that girl stuck outside and her friend wasted in the side alley. Details are sketchy but here's what I've got.
Al went over with her to check on the guy. She had a riding crop. One of the Hell's Angels took it from her and, for no apparant reason, smacked him in the face with it.
Towards the end of the night I ran into a girl upstairs. A current regular, works at Stormy Leather, rolled into a ball on a stool and looking decidedly unhappy. In passing I asked if she was okay and she said she was fine until I asked that. Kinda thing like that grabs my attention and we talked for about 20 minutes or so as she unloaded to me. While she was catching a smoke outside, not everyone loves the fishbowl, she was chatting with that banned for the night girl and checking on her friend. For whatever reason one of the Hell's Angels was giving her the evil eye. Seriously staring her down anytime she got near that other girl, getting in her face to within a few inches, doing whatever he could to intimidate her.
She more or less kept herself okay till she got inside and got to where I found her.
Think she felt much better after venting. Said she did.
My good deed for the day!
So, yeah. Stuff like that.
On an unrelated note, remember that bit about the "fix being in" up top outside this cut? Something I worked out pretty quick at BaGG, and most clubs, is that if someone is talking to you not everything they say registers exactly. Unless their lips are to your ear stuff gets missed. So, while knowing the contests winner's name might help to see if it was who I was told to vote for, it's more like it sounding like who I heard.
It sounded like 'Rachel Maddow' under the drumming music. If I'm remembering correctly.
If you don't ever watch MSNBC, or seen her being interviewd on other news shows, that name might not mean anything to you. Still, I'm pretty sure I didn't see her up on that stage.
That would've been so cool though!
Music was mostly really good, with a couple eyebrow raisers. Don't recall if the last booty beauty contest was pirate themed or not but I definitely don't recall so much pirate related music back when.
When I got there I wasn't sure how long it had been since I was last at the club...but it came to me pretty quickly. It was the previous booty beauty contest, so about a year.
Link to the Piratey album in question: Clicky! I'll save my preferred winners for another post. Got stuff to do shortly after I post this.