Festivall 2011

FestivALL has consumed quite a bit of my time lately. As an observer, it's been a more interesting year than others and I'm curious about how it will eventually play out. Still, I have a couple ideas about additions for next year, things that could be done to be a little more inclusive, a little more interesting and a little more fun.

I'm even sticking to the high road (mostly) and staying positive, which is rather big of me, actually.

1-Let the local independent wrestling group do a cage match or some silly shit on the boulevard. Slightly chunky guys in black tights hitting each other with metal chairs screams art. Sell beer and make it a family event. Embrace low culture. Besides, wasn't it Oscar Wilde who said "All art is useless?" If that's a working definition, professional wrestling is high art indeed.

2-Open up a metal or alt-rock stage. I couldn't help but notice that all of the death metal acts who do the Capitol Street tour and play either the Empty Glass or the Sound Factory are all leaving town for the weekend. They're playing in Boone County. That seems wrong.

But credit where credit is due, the city bringing in Americana, alt country and rockabilly during FestivALL for some of the free shows is a significant and admirable improvement. Those are good shows.

3-Introduce a signature FestivALL food or treat. I have some ideas --most of them bad --about what it could be, but basically do what everybody else does: find something that shouldn't be deep fried (candy bars, twinkies, coca-cola, sheep's testicles) and fry it. Serve it on a stick, if possible. Have a contest. Award rights.

4-Ask the steering and idea committee for FestivALL to use drugs --at least, directly before big meetings where decisions are made on what to bring in. FestivALL could really use a couple of potheads on the board to come up with lame ideas that might actually work. There is a general sense of FestivALL trying not to be stuffy, which in and of itself is kinda stuffy.

Illicit drug use could do wonders. Plus it would be fun to see the mayor high. Put it on a webcam.

5-Do a serious, permanent art installation in the city. Every year. Leave a significant mark on the city like a jailhouse tattoo. It can be a mural or a sculpture. Use a local artist. Good or bad, let it stand. Arguably, they're already doing this. I just think the scale needs to be larger and more prominent. I love the East End, but come on... maybe downtown?

FestivALL starts tomorrow.