Silver Tuxedo
by Will
Kevin and I performed two-man improv at Variety Underground last night. It was a fine time, and we included a decent number of references to our hometown of Danbury, Ct including our old A&P and Martin’s tuxedo shop. Actually, Kevin probably didn’t know that Martin’s was a real place. But it’s where I rented my tuxedos for both the junior and senior prom. For the junior prom (1987) I wore a silver tuxedo with a pink cumberbund. That decision was made during my month-long Era Of Fashion Boldness, which was followed by an 18 year period of Blue Shirts And Khakis Are Good. Martin was an actual person who owned the store. He was an old man, and I liked to imagine that I was helping keep a mom-and-pop store alive with my choice of patronage. He did go out of business when I left Danbury for college, which supports that theory.
Kevin and I bill ourselves as The Brothers Hines (our tagline is “We’re related.”). After the show a woman came up to me and said “I would never have guessed that you two were related.” Then she paused and added “Ever.” I would like to have known what she was thinking of during that pause.
A few weeks ago I was introduced as “someone who does comedy” to a group of people at a get-together. About ten minutes after that someone said to me “I could never imagine you being funny.” Good to know.
Comments
Famous
and not funny
“probably didn’t know that Martin’s was a real place.”
I didn’t. I rented my tuxedo at a place in the Mall. Some chain. I made a reference to Martin’s being a chain in our scene merging Will’s and my tuxedo memories into one amalagam.
If I were there I would have called it Bogey’s, as that is where I rented my tux. Me, and my 1/2 black friend James, rented the same style tux. Frederick Douglas would have been proud.
I went with the white dinner jacket, black bow tie, black pants look both times. Aiming for the Bond suaveness and missing in a tremendously not-Bond-like way.
Bring back the era of fashion boldness.