Cultural Report/Soundbite
By The Mighty Afrodite

MRFWood Presents: Banana Fish Zero
at The 21st Annual Mermaid Parade

I have a float's eye view, as Frank Wood, that heathen old pirate we know and love, flattered me by asking me to join him, and some of the hottest women in the New York music and club scene, as part of his motorized undersea bacchanalia, and in the spirit of total hedonism that I'm known for, I gladly accepted.

And since you can't have a bacchanalia without killer tunes, Banana Fish Zero was also on hand, providing some mild shocks and cheap thrills, and a worthy soundtrack to this rolling fantasy trip.

Frank Wood carried on through obstacle over obstacle, showing what an excellent promoter and showman he really is by taking every setback in stride and pulling an awesome production out of his ass, with all the bangs you could possibly want, and nary a whimper.

And he made it look so easy!

Undaunted by technical difficulties, weather, or sponsorial misunderstandings, we pulled together and pulled out, onto Surf Avenue, on the winding trek to the reviewing stand.

So how does Frank Wood pull together a spectacle worthy of The Mermaid Parade?

1) Originally supposed to be a flatbed, Frankie, in a last minute executive decision, went with a rental truck,

2) housing BFZ drummer Tex, as well as the essential amps and sound equipment inside, while Prince Hal in his blue body paint and strategically placed seashell, as well as John Law in stylish orange speedos, followed along on foot, rocking along in the rain, disdaining vocal audio and playing to the crowd in total soaking wet abandon, completely embodying the spirit of rock that their punk forefathers strove to create!

3) Can't have a Mermaid Parade without mermaids, as well as the occasional Tiki girl. Frankie's invite to play was accepted by the Punk rock Girl from Epanema, Lisa Lightning, who joined me on top of the truck, and boogied out non-stop, while I flipped and flopped my groove thing right along side her; while on the ground, disdaining their tails and grass skirts for several pairs of the finest legs in NYC,

the Lovely and sinuous Adarah, Jaimie, John Law's own babe-alicious wife Toby, in all her pregnant glory, along with their adorable daughter Lulu, as well as the other BFZ ladies, the plush Pink Snow, Motor City Bartender Xan and M.C. patron Melissa, Jea (bassist from The Drive), Cherokee and Pete, Anna. Olga, and Marnie!

4) Sponsors! The Bead Queen, who designed the Jolly Wood flag, and graciously doled out her swell beaded goodies; Tony and Tina's Make up, which accented the various bodies in gorgeous shades; The New York Waste, which always supports this kind of thing; Otto's Shrunken Head, whose owner, Steve Pang, happily helped bring the party to the people in his '63 Riviera; Loot, Joy Ryder, and Rare.

5) Tech support! (because getting that many bare breasts together for any occasion just isn't as easy as it might sound!) My best friend, Ami Orava, who designed my costume and helped me pull it together and then took pictures to prove it; Bob Lesser; Ryota, who provided photographical documentation and cheerful enthusiasm; Gig Lizzy; Barbara, Stephanie, Gino and Pretty Suicide, for the equipment that wasn't even used, but was much appreciated nonetheless; and That Man about Town, Lundo!

6) The Rain. No, seriously, I mean it! Every one thought the rain would be a downer, but instead, the deluge of water gave the parade a cool, misty, ethereal, Fuck it/ Let's Just Do it kind of quality, that really made the parade even more so than it already was!

7) And last, but not least, all the other hearty partying mermaids, pirates, and various denizens of deep and shallow, who, rather than whine about what might have gone wrong, pulled out the stops and rounded out the parade with joy, rock, friends,.. and of course, breasts!

So, far from being a wash out, this year's Mermaid Parade will be many fond and delicious memories, an inspiration for future Parades to come!

CLICK HERE for the reaction of some Coney Island staff to Mermaid Afrodite.

CLICK HERE for photos of the Mermaid Parade 2003.