jonnygoldstein.com

So after the Knitting Facory gig, I stayed in costume—a flannel nightie, a mullet wig, and a fake upsidedown mustache—and walked about 20 blocks to a bar where there was a get together for recent graduates and current students of the Interactive Telecommunications Program. It was fun seeing compadres I hadn’t rubbed shoulders with for awhile.

A woman who someone had introduced me to when I got there approached me and asked if I could help her win a bet. She bet this acquaintance of mine that she could get me to dance on the bar.

I asked her how much money she bet. She said five bucks. I thought about it for a sec and then said, well you would have to give me all the winnings for me to do that, and five bucks just isn’t enough. Besides, in my mind, it’s disrespectful to the bar staff to dance on the bar. I’m not into disrespecting the working people. Plus, I’m not a trained monkey.

Then they both started getting on my case about getting on the bar and dancing, even the guy whowas going to lose the bet if I did so. I guess they were thinking: wild and crazy guy in mullet wig, nightie, and fake mustache–This guy will do anything. It was an interesting experience of having people take my performing persona and thinking that’s who I am. I told the aquaintance as much, and he was like “Is there a real Jonny Goldstein? Aren’t you always performing?” In a snotty way. Take away the snottiness and that’s an interesting question. I guess I always am performing. But so is everyone including the bar dance lobbyists. What do you think? Is there a real you, or are you always performing?