I'm gonna pee in my face!

[imomus]

I'm gonna pee in my boy eye
I'm gonna pee in my face

These -- at least to my ears -- were the lyrics to one of the songs Yximalloo played during his twenty minute set last night at West Germany in Kreuzberg. When I asked him after the show what the words were, though, Yximalloo said they were in a language of his own invention.

I'm not sure whether Yximalloo was dissatisfied with the song, or really loved singing it; at any rate he performed it three times in a row. It sounded a bit like The Residents mixed by Melt Banana. It seemed to amuse Hanayo, who sat across the room with a big smile on her face. And Sunshine Wong, in our party, couldn't stop giggling.

The spectacle was enhanced by Yximalloo's outtasight (or should we say "outsightly"?) stage costume, which involved ballet tights, rubber wear, and a set of flashing red LEDs inserted under his jacket. He also wore a big black cagoul, despite the tropical humidity. On his merch table were copies of his albums, all called "The Worst Of..." (followed by the year in which they were made), and a pair of Yximalloo/Costes underpants. He gave me a similar pair when I first met him in Tokyo. I can't say I've worn them much.

What was most extraordinary for me about the performance, though, was the way it ended. After about five numbers (three of which were the same song) Yximalloo just stopped, smiled at us, and left the stage. Afterwards he told me it was because he was getting bored.

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It struck me that this capacity for self-boredom is one of the things that makes Yximalloo, paradoxically, exciting. It's the opposite of rock's usual capacity to be endlessly excited by its own boringness. Music would certainly be more exciting in general if musicians were willing to listen to, own up to, and act upon their own boredom.

(I do hope he plays longer when we perform together in New York, though.)