How Not To Be a Douchebag at Tonight's Girl Talk Show

By Annie Zaleski Thu., Jan. 8 2009 at 10:06 AM

In this week's paper, I spoke with Gregg Gillis, a.k.a. Girl Talk, and asked him for etiquette suggestions for this show. He had this to say:

Give yourself a little bit of space.
"It's not like going to a dance club, it's not like going to a concert. At the same time, it's still dance and celebration music to me. You can do that in a crowded room, you can do that shoulder to shoulder. But a lot of time at shows, everyone's pushing forward, everyone's trying to get onstage, everyone's trying to be involved so much -- and again, I really respect that enthusiasm. But you should take a step back and realize that it might be really fun to have an inch of breathing room, so you can dance with someone and enjoy it. Sometimes the shows where the crowd is actually spread out a little bit, it can be very conducive for the show, and everyone can get a lot more insane -- rather than being smooshed together for a half hour."

More tips at this link. Now, if you've never seen Girl Talk, I do suggest preparing yourself for uncoordinated dancers (regardless of whether they're under the influence of alcohol). This video doesn't really convey the insanity of the crowd -- if you can't stand to be in places where folks invade your personal space, I suggest not being near the front -- but it does underscore how unselfconsciously nerdy Gillis is, and how he manipulates and layers music together for maximum booty-shaking.