Wednesday, November 12, 2008

RIP, Martha's

The world was shocked and saddened today by the loss of the world's greatest lesbian and redneck karaoke bar, where the UNCW MFA class of 2004 spent probably way too much of its time during its brief and tenuous tenure in Wilmington. Where the crazy black guy in the wicker hat will spend the remainder of his Prince-performing days is still unknown, but please take a moment to enjoy this photographic retrospective in honor of our fallen friend.










4 pipers piping:

penelope said...

OMG! I don't know whether to laugh or cry! Literally it went down in a blaze of glory. I hope they're able to rebuild...where will all the Lounge Lizards go??

Megs said...

I am kind of freaked out by the fact that this happened within walking distance of my house, and yet I am finding out from a person who lives in Ohio.

Maybe I need to get out more.

Erica said...

Kim,
I'm at UNCW now in the MFA program (2010) and I also went to Ashland. Mackall suggested I study here, but I have to say that I'm pretty upset about Martha's, too. We were really enjoying Martha's, with a little bit of Purple Rain, some Summer of '69. Ugh, such a shame.

I enjoy your blog, by the way. Cheers!

Jessica said...

Oh, it's so sad! So sad! As glorious as you were singing Bobby McGee, Mrs. Kim Shable Oja, I have to say you were but one of Martha's shining stars. I'm so glad you have a picture of the blond lady up there - she was always something else, all serious and calm, with her raggedy pockmarked skin and her intense eye shadow. I loved that place so much. Moving here, it always seemed like the town was so segregated, and everywhere I went I was there with just more young white people just like me. It was so damn lovely to go to Martha's and see black folks in cowboy hats hanging out with Hispanic truckers and the butch lesbians and the glam lesbians and the young white professional crowd and the old fogeys and the Leland hicks. And us. You'd go in, and label and label, unconsciously or not, but then everyone would start singing along in a giant greek chorus of achy breaky heart or something even worse, something so bad it's good, and by the end of the night we'd all be smiling at each other and you'd met like ten people and danced with Randy and Allison and Sue and they were names now, not labels.

Sorry to write so much. I need my own blog, i think. Martha's will live on! Thanks for posting.......

xo
Jessica