Picture it: Madison, Wisconsin, sometime in the late 90s. My friend Paul Stoller was having a party in the summer, he was calling it a "dress up party." I asked him what that meant, did it mean I should wear a suit? He said I should wear whatever made me feel sharp and well-dressed, in a summer context. So I instantly knew what I would wear:

White button-down shirt

Navy walking shorts

Cute necktie (daisies on a blue and pink checkerboard field)

Brown leather belt

Brown loafers, no socks

Super preppy outfit. A friend was putting together a gang to go to a local karaoke bar, and it happened to be that same night. I told her I could come for a half hour but then would need to leave to go to a party. I'd only done karaoke maybe once before.

On the way over I decided to do "Lady Marmalade" - - this was before *Moulin Rouge!* (a movie I hate), before it became so well known, but of course all the cool kids knew the LaBelle original. I submitted my song request and waited for my turn. It came up and I went up to the stage. The intro started, and people at the club started looking at each other. "This guy, this super white guy, looks like he just stepped out of the LL Bean catalog, this guy is singing 'Lady Marmalade'?" I started singing and their amusement turned to complete BAFFLEMENT because I F-CKING KILLED IT. Especially in the middle, when Miss Patti goes for the high note (1:51 in the video below). Expectations were confounded, jaws were dropped, drinks were spilled. It was a moment of profound and sublime triumph for me. Don't underestimate Miss Thang, you bitches!

This video is BEYOND! The fur and the feathers, and the intense grooviness of it all.