Celebrate Bklyn

Years ago when D & S got married on the good but grounded ship Frying Pan, the band Luna played for them. The couple got the dreamy popsters to perform in the bowels of the rusty tub by writing nicely, really, as simple as that. I think there was some cash involved, too, but only in the low four figures. I know it’s wrong to outshine the bride, but the bassist was vavoom-vavoom, and I guess the lead singer songwriter thought so too, since he married her later. Flash-forward to last Saturday night, and Dean Wareham, formerly of Luna, Galaxie 500, and, spiritually if not actually, the Velvet Underground, played with his partner Britta Phillips, formerly of Luna and Belltower, in Prospect Park. They did their piece “13 Most Beautiful,” essentially a soundtrack for a baker’s dozen of anti-cinema Andy Warhol’s boring screen tests (black and white shots of Factory hacks and other poseurs posing) projected behind them. Can you tell I think Warhol one of the most overrated of the 20th’ century’s personalities (stiff competition)? Since most of the objects (they sure weren’t “subjects”) of the 16mm clips are long forgotten, Dean & Britta had a fair amount of ’splaining to do. But the music was very mellow and hypnotic and I liked it. Refreshing my memory with both Galaxie 500 and Luna the next morning, I realized it’s been the same stuff since the late 80s, but whatever, I still like.

But oh, how the experience would have been nicer if not for the dickheads sitting next to us in the park! These dickheads were all female, for a change of pace, and mostly drunk, which is just embarrassing for thirtysomethings. The only time they weren’t loud was between songs, the only time they actually paid any attention to the stage was when, ah, hipsters, they recognized Lou Reed on screen and applauded themselves for their sagacity. I thought about giving them $3, Celebrate Brooklyn’s entrance fee, because, gosh, the story of Sarah’s throwing a glass of water on the screamer’s lap because she, the screamer, said Sarah was going to get fat eating that, was really, really entertaining.