Fame or Famine

Last night was really hectic. Foxy Veronica’s Peach Pies was performing as “entr’acte” numbers between five, count ‘em, five bands at the King Club in Madison. Keep in mind this is Madison’s Halloween weekend, a nationally infamous event. I’m not sure if that made the crowd weirder or more thinned out, as most of the revelries were taking place on State Street.

However, what I do know is that it was a sad event, because it was the final (for a while, at least) performance by Betty Wantsme, who you’ve read of in these entries during my reviews of SYTYCD. She’s the one, in fact, who got me into the Peach Pies in the first place.

She’s not leaving acrimoniously – far from it. She simply took a look at her life, at her priorities, and realized that the performing was a stress in her life that was no longer making her happy. I have a lot of respect for that, especially as someone who tends to be far more outcome-based, often to the detriment of myself and those around me. Knowing when to quit is probably one of the most useful survival traits any performer or artist can have.

And she may come back later. Meanwhile, through her I’ve found a happy performing home with the Peach Pies, and I’ve gone beyond the basic novelty act to being a soloist and dancer and choreographer. So here’s saying thank you, Megan – oops, I mean, Betty – and it’s been a pleasure performing with you these months.

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