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The Daddy-os and the Swingers
by Elizabeth Weaver Engel

dinerWith the swing revival humming along, and our strange little subculture being observed, studied, and written about by many who are not "in the know," there has been a disturbing conflation of dance culture, or what we affectionately refer to as diner culture, and lounge culture, or as we refer to it: daddy-os and kittens.

Despite what you may have read in the Post or GQ or Cosmo, lounge culture and swing culture are two very different entities and rarely the twain shall meet. So for all the uninitiated, I offer this primer:

Daddy-O

Diner

Sharkskin suits Zoot suits
Tight skirts Twirly skirts
The only women's underwear you're likely to see is the occasional errant bra strap Your panties have to coordinate with your dress 'cause everybody's gonna see them
B&W Doc Martins considered cool B&W Doc Martins considered dangerous
Pompadours on the guys Pompadours on the gals
High heels Flats that can accommodate your custom orthotics
All you need for a night out is a tiny clutch for your red lipstick and compact You carry a suitcase to handle your towel, water bottle, ankle brace, extra dry shirts...
3 am finds you sitting in a smoky club, martini in hand 3 am finds you sitting in a diner, chocolate milkshake in hand
Slim gals never seem to eat Slim gals eat like lumberjacks
You instruct your date not to muss your hair Hairdos are rated by whether or not they can survive a waterfall, the pretzel, and an around the world
The dancing in "Swingers" looks pretty impressive to you The dancing in "Hellzapoppin'" looks pretty impressive to you
Sunday morning finds you reaching for the asprin to cure your aching head Sunday morning finds you reaching for the asprin to cure your aching legs and feet
Vintage means 1960's Vintage means 1940's
You think Cherry Poppin' Daddies is a real swingin' band You think the Bill Eliot Orchestra is a real swingin' band
Everybody smokes - it's retro Nobody smokes - it kills your wind
You use weird phrases like "money" and "it's so on" You use weird phrases like "swing out" and "break move"
"Wanna shag?" earns a slap "Wanna shag?" earns a dance
Frank Sinatra is your patron saint Frank Manning is your patron saint
You want to be just like Dean Martin You want to be just like Dean Collins
It's not a good night out if you don't come home with digits It's not a good night out if you don't come home with 3 new moves
Vince Vaughn makes the gals swoon Fred Astaire makes the gals swoon
Las Vegas is Mecca - land of the Rat Pack Las Vegas is Mecca - land of Maxie Dorf
In a new club, you wonder if the bar stocks your favorite brand of vodka In a new club, you wonder if the bar stocks your favorite flavor of Gatorade
You can taste the difference between Stoli, Absolut, and Belvedere and you have a distinct preference You can taste the difference between Deer Park, Evian, and Naya and you have a distinct preference
A drink or two loosens you up and makes you a better dancer A drink or two causes your regular partner to wave off air steps
You see a great air step in a jam and wonder how they did that You see a great air step in a jam and figure out how they did that
Eating a full meal at 3 am sounds disgusting Eating a full meal at 3 am sounds like any weekend night
Your favorite meal: steak, scotch, cigar Your favorite meal: scrambled eggs, milkshake, chocolate cake
Dream girl? Marilyn Monroe Dream girl? Norma Miller
Cigar=Money & Status El Pachuco custom zoot=Money & Status
Martini=Style Bleyers=Style
Arthur Murray teaches you how to dance Ryan Francois teaches you how to dance
You do your gambling at the black jack table You do your gambling on eBay
A Swing/Ska record label seems logical A Swing/Ska record label seems like an abomination

Sources:
Alan's Super Swanky Webpage
Swank-o-rama
Vik's Lounge

cocktail

end

b i o
Elizabeth Weaver Engel, besides being a budding writer, is a stealth geek, a manager (but NOT the Pointy-Haired Boss) at a non-profit association, a distance runner, a "rabid" Lindy Hopper, and a connoisseur of fine B-grade movies. 

Currently a resident of Washington, DC, Elizabeth grew up outside of Philadelphia and holds a Master's degree in political theory from the University of Virginia.  She fell into working with computers by accident and has since been struggling to pull herself out.  Writing for Mindjack is one of the steps she's taking to do so. 


related articles:
It Don't Mean a Thing...Does It?
by Elizabeth Weaver Engel
The swing revival.

The writer of this article welcomes your comments: ewengel@mindjack.com