Michael Jackson’s mug shot revealing an unpleasant side of the pop star is something different. But is it cool? The first snow of the winter in Minnesota is cool. But is it different? A giant, edible Little Debbie snack sculpture? Cool and different.
The idea came by chance when “we wanted to go out and have a good time and also go see some art too,” said Tim Carroll, the co-creator of Rock Star, the Wednesday night bonanza that includes dancing and art at First Avenue.
The Dec. 3 show will include a mixture of film, dance and visual art. The visual art portion includes a major appearance by Little Debbie snack cakes.
“It’s something different to shake up the bag a little,” Carroll said. Rock Star has been a growing scene since its inception in October. The last show drew an audience of about 500 people, which is fairly remarkable for a midweek performance.
This month it features a giant edible Little Debbie sculpture that will be created and displayed the day of the show.
With First Avenue’s reputation for being the rock and roll giant of Minneapolis, the Rock Star snack sculpture fits perfectly, Carroll said.
But the sculpture’s intentions lie beyond visual stimulation. Its devious ambition is to take your predictable and ordinary life and turn it into something “stupid, funny and great,” Carroll said.
Techno is getting old, said Carroll, who used to love the genre. “Now everything seems the same,” Carroll exclaimed with a quirky enthusiasm that mirrors the events he plans.
Rock Star relies heavily on extremes. It uses the abnormal as the grounds for its existence. Antics such as dispersing cotton candy during shows undermine the dubious seriousness that so often goes along with making the scene.
The right side of the brain is the creative side, and cotton candy and giant Little Debbie snacks are proof that only a bad colorer can come up with ideas that promote art in ways that step outside the characteristic paintings and drawings. Rock star makeovers are next month’s wacky stab at Minneapolitan rock reserve.
