[ATTENDED: May 21, 2018] David Fantasy & Adult Content
When I saw that David Fantasy & Adult Content were opening for Andrew W.K., I had to do some research to see what they were all about.
Somehow, it led me to this page from the West Philadelphia Orchestra, a band David Fishkin joined a few years ago:
Shortly after joining, I had a conversation with my mother about the special connection that WPO has with people who dance to our music. My mother said, “David, why don’t you start a dance band?” I thought to myself, “Indeed, why not?” But I don’t think my mother could have imagined the band that I was inspired to create: David Fantasy & Adult Content. We are a party band, dedicated to making bodies move in rhythm. As my alter ego, singer David Fantasy, I have been known to implore audiences to “get up and shake their asses.”
As a music educator, I am a member of the faculty of the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts, as well as a woodwind teaching artist through the youth program of Symphony In C. I also teach private lessons in saxophone, flute and clarinet.
This show was all-ages. Some of Andrew W.K.’s fans are little (as evidenced by the guy at the merch table who bought a bobble-head for his nine-year-old girl. Why didn’t you bring her? The merch guy asked).
Given this piece of information, I assumed that David Fantasy & Adult Content would be a kind of double entendre band, with David Fantasy (not a stereotypical hunk) playing up the funny.
And that seemed true when Adult Content came on the stage and two of the guys were shirtless (but wearing ties). And then David himself came out in a silver cape with his name stitched on it. He was wearing a gold lame jacket and boxer shorts with hearts on them and I thought this would be campy fun.
And then he sang…
About getting head in the front seat. About pulling out before it was too late. About having wild sex and all the places he was going to put it. A song even started with a line about “your wet pussy.” This was NOT a child friendly show.
And I resented them for it. Despite the camp nature of the show, despite the tight band (and their amazing guitarist), despite the fact that I’m no prude, I was annoyed by them. What if I had brought my ten-year old daughter? What if that guy brought his nine-year old? Why would anyone pick this band to open for Andrew W.K.? Because they are both “party” bands?
The songs weren’t even funny. I mean, people laughed, but more out of shock value. And again, it wasn’t the juxtaposition of him not being a sex symbol singing about having so much sex, it was all just about being really explicit. Which is a shame. Because the band sounded great (I can’t imagine the comfort level of the female backing singers singing these songs).
If he had made the songs less explicit and more about him being a sexy dude, I think the whole schtick would work so much better. I was actually more than a little uncomfortable for some of the women around me (whether they cared about the lyrics or not I have no idea).
The next to last song was called “Make Love with Ice Cream” and it was weird and creepy but rather funny. In part because David Fantasy has a “handler“–a guy in a suit who looks after him on stage in a very James Brown way. He dabbed David’s forehead with a towel and took his cape. During the ice cream song, he came out with a bucket of ice cream and offered some to the percussionist (with his hand). She declined. But the drummer was all up for it and that was all pretty funny.
For the next sing he even played the conga.
David Fantasy plays a great cheesy saxophone (I’m not a fan of sax, but he was great). And when the show was all instrumental, it was really fun. They did lots of “hit it and quit it” James Brown moments. They even did 69 (oh ha ha) hits, which I have to admit was amusing to count off.
When the show ended, David’s handler brought out his cape and David pretended to limp off, but came back for one more hit it and quit it moment.
The showmanship was all there. The music was solid. But those lyrics. Man, take it down a notch and it will be much funnier and more enjoyable for everyone.
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