Now that I've had a chance to sleep on it, here are some further impressions of the Art Car Ball. We got there early, so I had plenty of time to take pictures of the other cars as they arrived. We saw an amazing laundry car, covered with bottles of detergent, irons and messages and laundry. On top of the car was a washer and dryer, and ironing board and a clothes-line (the kind shaped like a big metal T). At night, they had strung christmas lights inside the detergent bottles so they randomly lit up!
We also saw Sashimi Tabernacle Choir, the car covered with "boogie bass" (those mounted fish that sing) and lobsters. The car is a favorite and rightly so; there were crowds around it all night. From the descriptions, I thought that the boogie bass all still worked. So when he turned it on, you'd have a hundred fish on the car singing "Take Me To the River" in a dorky voice. Which, I must confess, sounded more scary than entertaining.
But in reality, the car is much more fun. He's wired up their mechanisms for movement to a central control & has a loudspeaker inside. So when he turns it on, you hear the Mighty Mouse theme, a choir singing "Joy to the World," etc, and the fish and lobsters all move in sync! The lobsters stand up, the fish flop back and forth and there one lobster conducting from a pole that extends out over the windshield. He had some complicated arrangements of them. I guess it must be pre-programmed, so all he has to do is push a button marked "Mighty Mouse" and the music and movement all happen automatically.
OK, got to take a shower and get ready for the Main Street Drag. Will write more this afternoon if I have time.
2 Comments
Welcome to Houston! Glad you, George, and UnderseaMJ made the trip OK. Hope you all enjoy our city, the parade, and the International Festival this weekend. I hope to catch the parade myself.
Best regards,
Marsha
A few more impressions of the Art Car Ball. One thing Sarah hasn't mentioned yet -- fire! After it got dark, several cars added a flame component. My favorite was the roach car, which had twin flaming antennae. There was also a Viking-esque dragon boat with torches. The giant mantis had its tail on fire. And a free-standing flame cannon that was shooting a vertical fire blast.
Also, earlier in the evening there was a performance by a group of local breakdancers. Old school!