April 13, 2004

 am i over 21? how can you tell??

i've been thinking about my visit to the cat's cradle last night to see rasputina.

i enter, buy a ticket, then walk up the little hall to the guy who is checking IDs. the women in line in front of me obediently present their licenses, but i opt not to. i feel confident i look like i'm over 21.

there's this moment, though, when the guy sizes me up --it takes maybe 2 seconds-- then stamps my hand with the "over 21" stamp. it's blue and in the shape of a cat.

those 2 seconds are interesting to me. what exactly is he looking for? what reveals our age? i have a few gray hairs (fewer now, since the low-lights were put in a few days ago), and a deep furrow between my brows. and though i readily admit that i look over 21, i don't really have a fine grasp on why i say that. do i have a world-weary look that's absent in those under 21? am i dressed differently? is it something in my eyes? and really... do the doormen get training in age-guessing?

the show was good. last time i saw rasputina (1995, maybe?, in NYC) i could have sworn there were more than two corseted women playing cellos. still, they're great. the songs range from outright guitar-cello-rock (zepplin covers!) to lovingly warped ballads. and the between-song patter is cute and funny, but i can't help but wonder whether it's geniune or staged. it doesn't really matter... it's still quite entertaining.

enough so that it kept my over-21 mind off my aching lower back. mostly.

Posted by xta at April 13, 2004 12:59 PM | TrackBack
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