| Cabaret Casanova�s Sex Appeal Crosses Gender Boundries by Roxy Abeln-Taylor |
Surely a highlight of the Miss Europa Disco Dancer Hot Party was the Karaoke, featuring powerful and eccentric performances from Merle Semmler and Mary Connor, Kathy Papendick, yours truly Roxy Abeln-Taylor, and the infamous Lincoln T. Abeln and the wanton Lincoln T. Abeln Dancers. Into this steamy mix of delight and heightened sensuality, Jefe Engeman, of Minneapolis, strolled to the stage to perform a classic Glen Campbell number: �Rhinestone Cowboy�. Nothing could have prepared the throng for what was about to hit them. Engeman began the first verse in an unhurried fashion, following Campbell�s rendition closely, his voice melodious and pleasant. He seemed to be saying, �Hey, this is just a sweet and serene ride that I�m taking y�all on, down memory lane�, and everyone believed him. But this boy had a fire-cracker in his pocket just itching to burst! Suddenly, in the run-up to the chorus, he stalked to the side of the stage. While belting out the line �But I�m gonna be where the lights are shinning on me!�, he stood, spread-eagled against the spotlight, a manly silhouette outlined like a sun in supernova! More was to come. The chorus exploded in a blast of longing, loneliness and unassuaged passion, Engeman dropping down on one knee with an air of both pleading desperation and fierce determination. The audience swooned, caught up in this dream-like web he spun, a web of untamed hunger and sensuality. They remained captivated throughout the song, to the climactic finish, Engeman again on his knees. Thundering applause and screams of joy greeted the triumphant hero at the end of his vocal journey. Engeman favoured us all with another seering performance of the Elvis classic �Suspicious Minds�, joined by the blisteringly hot Lincoln T. Abeln Dancers. This, too, had the makings of a matchless performance, but was unfortunately marred by its hijacking by Lincoln T. Abeln. It seemed that it was to do with the fact that Abeln had recently split with the Lincoln T. Abeln Dancers, both sides citing creative differences. Still, Engeman carried on and did his best to out-sing and out-stage a very loud Lincoln T. Abeln, and almost succeeded. But the love - and lust! - of the crowd for Engeman was obvious and resolute. Women swarmed around him like bees around very bewitching honey, flirting outrageously (rumours about a midnight liaison with an amorous groupie abounded). And the men were far from immune to his considerable charms! Claude Vincent �Side Arm Pete� Abeln had this to say, �That Jefe . . . I mean, I�m not gay, but . . .Phwooof!�, raising his eyebrows emphatically. It has since come to light that Engeman has always had a deeply romantic and sensual nature, of which his peers were unaware. He recently admitted to owning albums by the band Kansas, and he had this to say about them: �. . . I still have a soft spot in my heart for those 20 minute ardent, self-indulgent, self-righteous, quasi-mystical piccadillos which they chose to call songs . . .� And who would have thought (before the Night the Lights Went Out in Hermosa!), that he would have this to say about the Cassidy brothers?: �Those Cassidy boys (David and Shaun)--yummy! Especially Shaun--dreamy! . . . � "It seems the Hermosa Institute of Art is still reeling from these romantic revelations about this lusty lothario � even in terms of how to address him. Founder member Molly Wortham has recently issued the following statement: "Man, that Jefe, he is just so smooth! I think we�re gonna have to start calling him just Hef!" I, for one, will be jumping on THAT bandwagon asap!" |
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