Article: DRAG ERASE

by Elizabeth Bromstein

KELLY AND THE KELLY GIRLS (10:30 pm) with Ariel's Worm (9:30 pm), Hyena (11:30 pm) and Les Six (12:30 am) at the Bovine Sex Club (542 Queen West), tonight (Thursday, March 4), 10:30 pm. $6. 416-504-4239.

Nothing, especially a band, lasts forever. In June of 2002, R. Kelly Clipperton, now of Kelly and the Kelly Girls, then of the local glam punk outfit Merkury Burn, told NOW that Merkury Burn was going to explode onto the scene "like a great big ejaculation."

"We did ejaculate," he says of the now defunct project. "I think we ejaculated quite well. But then we just couldn't get it up any more."

So Clipperton and his flaccid member moved on to form Kelly and the Kelly Girls, a six-piece jazz/blues/ swing/dance/rock operation with a pop sensibility featuring such illustrious members as Jennifer Gilmour of the Dropdeadbeats and Roach Motel on bass and Michael J of Big Rude Jake.
The group, which is dropping an album called Swing Swing May 25, had an auspicious beginning.

"We started right after I left Merkury Burn. I had a whole bunch of invitations to play Pride with Merkury Burn. So I explained the situation, and the organizers said, 'Come and play with your new band.' We took it from there and then just kept playing our asses off and honing our songs."

Then you have no ass?

"I wish! I'm still white, honey, so I've got what I call a porridge ass, because my ancestors ate a lot of porridge."

Renowned for being a fabulous frontman, Clipperton is rumoured to be relaxing the big gay drag element, taking things in a more manly direction.

"Well, I've done the suit thing a couple of times, but it's going in all directions. It just depends on how I'm feeling at the time. There's no set of rules."

Well, maybe just one rule.

"I want to stay away from the angst thing. I'm so sick of flipping on the radio and hearing anger – everyone's so angry, angry, angry. Most of the songs that I write are relatively introspective, but the vibe of the band is very positive.

"But I'm thrilled that Courtney's out of rehab. There's one angry person I'll probably never get sick of."