Last night was the first episode I’ve watched of America’s Got Talent; I work at night and it’s not anything I felt like recording. When Prince Poppycock came on my first thought was “WTF?!”, my second was “I know what happened to the Bicentennial hotpants now that the Liberace museum has closed” and the third was “WTF?!”, so of course I had to YouTube.
For those who haven’t seen A.G.T., Prince Poppycock is the on-stage persona of a guy named John Quale. He combines the outlandish costumes of Liberace and Lady Gaga, the facial paint of KISS or (Elizabeth I) and flamingly gay mannerisms into a whitefaced 18th century fop or castrato opera superstar and sings either opera (not in the range of a castrato but tenor) or else other songs but in an operatic manner. On the surface he sounds like as much of a sideshow novelty act as Tiny Tim but he manages to absolutely captivate the audience and I think Sharon Osbourne would gladly have him move in and impregnate her daughters. There is absolutely no denying the guy has talent including a great voice and greater showmanship and he even designs and makes his own costumes.
Before I give my opinion (for to quote the prosecutor in My Cousin Vinny “Your verdict is gone depend on what you think… not what I think, what I think don’t count…”) let me post some YouTube clips for those who haven’t seen him at all or need a refresher (I’ll omit the one where his voice was off due to illness) and the poll.
I loved Liberace when I was a kid- felt a bit bad when his museum closed this week because I’ve never gotten to see it. I love a great voice, though in fairness I’ll admit I’m not an opera lover. Love panache and pizazz and showmanship, and to top it all off when he’s John Quale Prince Poppycock is kind of cute (see stripping video above). You’d think this is one of those acts that would appeal to me and a select number of other weird showtune loving gays and straight gals but not a major audience.
Instead, the audience goes wild when he appears and I cringe, shudder, and try unsuccessfully to look away. The guy creeps me out and I’m not sure why. He seems less flamboyant in the Liiberace-esque/Elton-esque/Lady Gaga-esque sort of way than in the "When they dig up his basement they’re going to be able to close so many cold case files"esque way. Not an accusation of any sort obviously- he may be the nicest guy on Earth off stage and out of makeup, but the persona is disturbing, by which I mean to me and to me alone.
But I can’t deny the talent and the years of work into crafting the character. He said on his web site he wants to do a Hedwig and the Angry Inch style play about the character and I could see that working so long as he adds in copious humor, more mainstream singing, and perhaps some onstage nudity.
The judges keep saying “You could open in Vegas or on Broadway tomorrow!”, which I can see, but I can’t see him being an attraction for more than a few months. As a five minute part of a variety show he works fine but I think you’d get really tired of him really quick if you attended a full length show- kind of like wild goose liver- great for seasoning or an appetizer but too “too” for a main course.
If dude is smart he’ll rake in all the money he can from the publicity AGT generates and perhaps proceed with the musical venture, but after a time he should bury the character. He can always perform as himself afterward, and bring back the character as needed for die hard fans or big money offers, but I see it more flash-in-the-pan than eternal flame. Of course I’ve never been able to predict tastes in music, so ultimately my opinion is my opinion.
I don’t watch AGT, but my sister made me youtube him. I love him in small doses, which is why I think he’d work well as a Vegas show. The people attending the show would be a constantly changing group, so the audience would be seeking the novelty factor.
I think Jackie Evancho has a greater voice, but I’d hate to see her burn her voice out doing 8 shows a week in Vegas. Let her mature a bit.
Between him and Fighting Gravity, I think you have two fantastic Vegas shows. I like Poppycock, but I think as he grows more popular, his show will have to expand, the way his last set did.
I am picturing him in a true opera atmosphere, where there is a story being told, and all the characters are dressed like him. But it does have to be more than just him - he can be the lead, but there have to be supporting characters.
If I were going to invest in stage shows for any of them it would be Fighting Gravity. I can see them becoming huge; currently they’re limited by budget but with money behind them they could easily be as big as Blue Man Group, a crowd please for years to come and best of all from a longevity standpoint it’s like a Broadway musical- if someone leaves you can always replace them. (I wonder if they considered using the name Defying Gravity, which works better, but didn’t or couldn’t due to the song from* Wicked*.)
Arc Attack is also prime for Vegas but set up costs and liability insurance would likely be a bi-atch. My cousin who saw them perform in Atlanta a couple of years ago said the same thing the judges say, which is that TV can’t transmit the experience- if it could they wouldn’t just still be in the show but would be front runner. You have to actually be there to experience the lightning and the unique sound and even the feel of the electricity.
I can easily see him in a Vegas show. As otternell said - put him in a musical that actually tells a story from beginning to end, with Prince Poppycock as the sad/neglected/ultimately triumphant hero, and you’d sell a zillion tickets. Written well, it would be a hell of a show.
I’m completely straight, but I love the guy - both as Prince Poppycock and himself. I loved his comment that the votes he was getting felt like America making a place for him and accepting him. I thought his ‘Star Spangled Tribute’ the next week was completely from the heart - he was thanking America for voting for him and by implication accepting who he is and telling him that’s okay.
The only reason I might not vote for him is because he’s up against Jackie Evancho, who is one of those young talents that only comes along once or twice in a generation - a true prodigy. It’d be hard to vote against her.
In fact, all four of the finalists left this year are better than anyone who has been on that show other than Bianca Ryan and Terry Fator. And I’d put Terry in fourth place in that group. So Prince Poppycock is up against tough competition and may not win - but he’ll still get a Vegas show. Count on it. He was born to do Vegas.
I’m the last guy in the world you would think would like Prince Poppycock. I watch MMA and football and play violent videogames and drink beer and swear and all that.
I have to admit, the dude can put on a show. He is a true entertainer and I think he is a very talented singer as well. So I voted Absolutely Fabulous!
That said, I still hope Fighting Gravity wins. I love everything about them. Jackie is another one that I could watch for hours. She is truly amazing.
Thanks for the links, Sampiro. Once I wrapped my head around a deep manly voice coming out of all that hair and makeup I liked it. Not sure why my eyes kept telling me to expect a tenor. Maybe I watched Victor/Vicoria too many times as a kid.