Still High At Rock Bottom

The early 2000s blessed us with miracles like Beyoncé, the iPhone and denim body suits. The era also gifted us with trash pop and shock value hip hop (i.e. the vulgar enigma of Slim Shady), which left us in the ripples of a hot mess decade, led by the reigning princess of peril himself, Mickey Avalon.

Avalon is more a personality than a hip-hop artist. He may rhyme, but his lyrics and simple beats are more of a show than an ode to the genre. His sound is a little bit ’80s, a whole lot of ’90s and a few bumps of cocaine.

Avalon’s life was laced with vices from the start. He grew up in Hollywood in a family that danced between addiction and sobriety. After the loss of two family members to heroin, Avalon turned to music in the midst of his own addiction.

In the early oughts he met fellow shock value rapper Simon Rex, aka Dirt Nasty, who helped fuel his successful and glorified party-boy brand. Avalon signed with Interscope Records by 2005 and turned his vices into a career, releasing several successful albums by 2010 and writing perhaps the most popular anthem about a dick.

Avalon’s gaudy and grungy personality gained him a niche in the mainstream scene, and he was soon on tour with huge names like Slightly Stoopid, Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. No Avalon performance was complete without a lit cigarette between his pouty lips, his half opened eyes smothered in layers of black liner and a whole lot of ass on stage.

Although he is a fuck boy by today’s standards, Avalon’s vulgar, hypersexual and apathetic music has made for several timeless party anthems. Whether you indulge in his vices or not, he’ll bring a good time and a hell of a dance party.

Get your booty on the dance floor and do the Jane Fonda with Mickey Avalon and Dirt Nasty 8 pm Wednesday, Feb. 6, at Whirled Pies; tickets $25 for general admission and $75 for meet and greet. The show is all ages.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!