An evening with Gov. Pat McCrory (well, really with me)
I’m someone who loves a good costume, especially if it’s for an even better cause.
That’s why local environmental activist Ahmer Inam and I are excited to be one of 10 presenters at Thursday’s Pecha Kucha Night — Special Volume: the Art of the Cause/the Cause of the Arts.
Artist Rosalia Torres-Weiner will be at #PKNCLT #ArtoftheCause. Listen to her @WFAE interview. http://t.co/W2GtlwtZZE pic.twitter.com/s9GrFi4tmh
— PechaKucha Charlotte (@pknclt) April 28, 2015
For those new to Pecha Kucha, it is a presentation style with 20 slides clocking in at 6 minutes and 40 seconds total. Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham architecture invented the method as a way to keep otherwise lengthy presentations concise and fast-moving.
It started in Tokyo in 2003 and has spread worldwide since then.
Use #pknclt & #ArtoftheCause tomorrow and share your experience of PK Charlotte’s Vol. 13. @shareclt @HappeningsCLT https://t.co/CRvPVXPtVd — PechaKucha Charlotte (@pknclt) April 29, 2015
Thursday will be the first time Pecha Kucha Charlotte has asked for submissions involving one theme: Where art and activism meet.
After several discussions about coal ash and Gov. Pat McCrory, Ahmer and I decided to lampoon McCrory’s views on the environment. That led to me to this idea: Dressing as Pat himself.
The process:
-First, I got a wig. Jamey Varnadore of Varnadore Costumes steamed Pat’s signature hair flop into a handsome wig for my head.
-At the Sleepy Poet Antique Mall I picked up a 1960s gray suit and red-striped tie.
-Amazon.com had a plethora of North Carolina flag pins and a gold ring (after all, I’m supposed to have a Mrs. McCrory in my life — that’s her below).
-And it was at Rite Aid where I found Pat’s signature nearly-rimless glasses.
-I already had the wing-tipped shoes.
Memorizing and working on Pat’s frat-boy laugh, and sudden stops and starts in smiling will probably send me to a therapist at some point. But it’s worth it. After all, it’s for a good cause.
Photos: Joanne Spataro; Observer file photos
Joanne Spataro is a humorist and writer living in Charlotte, at least when she’s not out eating nachos and snark tweeting @lookitsjoanne.
This story was originally published April 29, 2015 at 6:02 PM with the headline "An evening with Gov. Pat McCrory (well, really with me)."