Sebastien Tellier @ Schubas, 12/9/08

I don't know how people find out about weird musicians like Sebastien Tellier, but I discovered him through American Apparel. I guess one could have found out about him through Eurovision as the failed French entry last year, given the super catchy song, "Divine." Since American Apparel is openly obsessed with sex, I guess they allied with Sebastien Tellier to sell his latest CD, "Sexuality," in stores. The store and musician also came up with the "Sexuali-Tee," which is basically an oversized t-shirt made of slightly sheer viscose. The tag says machine washable, but there was a sticker on the shirt that said "Dry Clean Only." Not sure which to believe, I layer it with other shirts and go the dirty hipster route by not washing it at all.

Sebastien Tellier is a strange man. He was much older than I expected, had a saggy gut, and is losing the hair on his head. When he spoke in English, he had a strong French accent, so perfect I thought it was an act. Then I realized he's just being French. His in-between-song-talks were hilarious, though it wasn't clear if we were laughing because of his accent, his foreignness, his age, or because we found him to be inherently funny. But he talked about how fat his mom was; how Jesus was in him as he banged on the piano; how the holidays are about family family family; how he loves his water, by which he meant his wine; and he threw in a "thanks to Chicago for the bisexuals." He had some mid-song antics as well. Towards the end of "L'amour Et La Violence," he stopped playing the piano and continued to sing but while laying belly-down on the piano. He got intimate with the microphone for the encore, "Sexual Sportswear." It must be a lot easier to act this foolish at such an age when you can hide behind a full-blown beard + mustache, long wispy sweaty hair, and signature thick sunglasses.

Anyway, it was a fun, if bizarre, concert, and I'm very glad I went. The only photos I have are Nik's from his iPhone (above), since my camera is undergoing minor repair, and Mordecai classically forgot his at home after I told him to bring it and checked with him to make sure he had it and he said yes. The only proper photo I have is of myself in my Robin's Egg Blue Sexuali-Tee. I was mad no one else wore their Sexuali-Tees to the concert! I was expecting everyone to look like American Apparel models, but there were only tons of beards and normal people. And four French people in our corner taking pictures and recording the concert.

I've been wearing the Sexuali-Tee, which looks quite unremarkable in this photo, with a long-sleeved shirt underneath for warmth (and dirt protection). This post is also a means to show everyone my new fur vest. My inspiration comes from two sources--the most recent being the Beaver Man from the Turkey Testicle Festival, and the other being Rachel Zoe. I watched all her shows online, and started to realize that her excessive style is not necessarily a bad thing. However, I did not hunt down beavers or browse a vintage designer store, but I happened to come across this thing at Forever 21. It came with some stringy thing to tie around the waist, which I am not interested in using. It's very warm and the acrylic fur is surprisingly soft. It also protected me from looking like the ultimate nerd for wearing my Sebastien Tellier Sexuali-Tee shirt to the Sebastien Tellier concert. That's like wearing a Mariah Carey concert t-shirt to her concerts, something I have yet to cross off my "To Do List Before I Die."