The dealing's done for Kenny

This post is long overdue; so are a number of things with me at the moment, but that's another post in itself.

There are many curious characters who make up the fabric of the night life in Courtenay Place. You're likely to come across them at least every weekend and usually in the wee small hours. Some are more sociable that others, but all have their quirks. There's the infamous Blanket Man who is quick to abuse anyone who crosses his path, the guy who gets off a bus outside the Star Mart and asks for $2, the 'superstitious' guitarist, who plays Stevie Wonder's Superstition almost continuously outside the National Bank ... and then there was Kenny.

'Kenny', little known by his real name, John Adams, died of a brain tumour on 6 June. He was street performer with many strings to his entertaining bow, least of which was his musical ability, yet that is what he will most likely be remembered for. That, and his ongoing petitions to the Wellington City Council, appealing to Noise Control to have his impounded amp back. Yes, apparently the residents of Courtenay Place were not all Kenny fans.

Kenny petitions the WCC
to get his impounded amp back

I was beaten to the punch by Blog on the Tracks for already writing much (or much more) of what I might have written about Kenny myself. I didn't hear him recite Shakespeare, but I do recall catching snippets of Rudyard Kipling's If during late night jaunts down Courtenay Place during the mid-late 1990s. More commonly, I came across Kenny somewhere along the fence by the entrance to what is now Reading Courtenay (but was at the time under construction), a drunken crowd around him dancing and singing along to whatever he was trying to play at the time. One night, I wandered past to see a clearly tipsy woman with her around Kenny's shoulder and trying to get him to do the can-can with her; turns out it was my best friend at high school, who I hadn't seen for a few years but was not at all surprised by her efforts that night.

Word has it that in the early days, when asked to play The Gambler, he claimed to not know it, yet is what he is most commonly associated with. Whether he ever actually learned to play the song is questionable, but it quickly became part of a very limited repertoire for Kenny.

As a young musician, I think I was most offended by the terrible sound quality emanating from his microphone, which was gaffer taped inside his leather jacket and hooked up to a crummy 40W amp. His guitar wasn't much better. The fact that he barely knew how to play it was simply par for the course. And, yet, he had crowd-pulling power.

There was no sendoff for Kenny, although locals have called for a tribute. Kenny finally 'broke even' and is hopefully now entertaining the crowds in sky - if he ever managed to get his old amp back, that is. ;-)

One last time for 'Kenny':



Image source: http://static2.stuff.co.nz/1308564060/947/5168947.jpg
Used without permission

The Gangsters Ball

Last night, we went to the ball. The Gangsters Ball, that is. The Gangsters Ball took place at the St James Theatre and was billed as a feast of burlesque, cabaret, circus, singing, dining and dancing. In 1920s style, the scene was set for gangsters and flapper fashion to come out and play. It has been a while since we went to a good costume party so we decided to go all out and see what Jesters had to offer. I wore a maroon flapper outfit complete with feather boa and a stylish feathered headband. So glamourous!

There was plenty of entertainment  of varying quality throughout the night. The evening started with a drag-style lip-synching performance, followed by an overly long 'warm up' by the very average DJ and MC, El Jaguar. Various dances and performances added to the cabaret atmosphere and there were some great costumes to go along with it.

The gambling den consisted of just one roulette and blackjack table each, which meant that you needed to be quick to find a spot at either of them. We eventually made it into blackjack, alternately winning and losing a fortune in funny money before eventually going all in at the end of the night - good times.

I got to go home with the Best Dressed Man - my sweetie took out the prize with his white pinstriped suit! The reaction from revellers at as we walked along Courtenay Place at 1 am was hilarious, with one group asking us to pose in a photo with them. It's always fun to wander around town in costume. The photos from the ball will eventually end up on this website but I think you need to log in to see anything more than thumbnails.

Nicolini's

My work team are in town for a three-day team meeting. This time everyone has come to Wellington, instead of us invading head office in Christchurch.

Nine of us had lunch at the fabulous Word of Mouth in Molesworth St, Thorndon. Their fresh salad pick 'n' mix selection and light meals sees people queueing out the door for lunch and also do yummy catering. I used to work just up the road from here. We had a tradition called loser salad. What is a loser salad? It's when you pick a salad to take away and have it for dinner while sitting on your own in front of the TV. Sounds harsh; I suppose it is, really. However, if you have your salad with someone else, it's definitely not loser salad. Just in case you were wondering what the difference was.

Dinner was at Nicolini's, which is good Italian food in Courtenay Place. Our meals were delicious and we went away feel really full after sharing garlic and pesto breads before a main course. Dessert looked incredibly tempting; the appetites were willing, but the tummies were full. The biggest problem with Nicolini's is the noise; we had to shout at each other over loud music and the owner telling off his staff. I'll be back at some stage, just hopefully for a more 'peaceful' dinner.

Christmas dinner Moroccan style

Last night, 20+ friends went for Christmas dinner with a difference. We had Medina, a Moroccan restaurant in Courtenay Place, all to ourselves. The owners are friends of the organisers, so they put on a set menu which turned into a huge feast.

I don’t know much about Moroccan cuisine apart from having a go at adding some pre-made flavouring to lamb on a couple of occasions (yum, but too easy – I think I’m getting off lightly and doing a total disservice to Morocco). The taste sensation we enjoyed was out of this world. I need to find out more about the combinations of spices used and have a go cooking with them myself. Even relatively simple ingredients (pumpkin, carrots, potatoes) tasted amazing with a tiny bit of seasoning. We identified cumin, cinnamon, coriander, and saffron, but there’s got to be more to it than that. I’ll definitely be back to Medina in the new year!

A couple of us popped over the road to The Tasting Room for a drink after dinner. I’ve never been a fan of this place, having experienced a couple of unfortunate dining incidents there (on separate occasions, but, I digress). However, it was pleasant enough on a warm Monday night to sit at their outside tables and share a pre-Christmas drink, but I don’t think I’ll make it a regular habit. I have too many other regular habits (and haunts) I'd rather indulge in. ;-)