Midnight Delight
Hi-Dive, Denver
October 15, 2005

By Ian Nelson

You know when Sid Pink is involved with anything, it’s going to be at least a little weird. Sid Pink isn’t exactly a person, but the alter ego of a man named Jason Stoval. You might have seen him around town garbed in outlandish clothing and two hands full of gaudy rings. Liberace or any pimp would cut a man for some of the things this guy wears. This past Saturday at the High Dive, he and co-conspirator Arkady put on the very first installment of a show entitled Midnight Delight, and it did get a little weird.

Jason and Arkady used to have a show on the now defunct radio station KBPFR (Boulder Pirate Radio). Let us all bow our heads and have a moment of silence to remember that bastion of free speech and illegal radio. Jason says that the idea for Midnight Delight came from the radio show. A portion of Midnight Delight was reminiscent of the old radio program, filled with banter between the hosts and interspersed with a prodigious library of sound-clips. People can treat this new incarnation much like the last if they want. The entire thing is webcast live on DenverRadioSucks.com, so if you don’t feel like going out, watch it from home.

The Midnight Delight formula is based on three parts. The first contains the aforementioned banter. Jason’s hope is to recall the Rat Pack days where the boys would hurl zingers lubricated with scotch across the stage. However, this isn’t a stage show replete with Sammy Davis Jr. impersonators, and Jason wants to downplay the idea that you are watching a play. The idea is to start this portion of the show early in the night and allow people to filter in the door. Free drinks are given away and a relaxed atmosphere is encouraged. You aren’t required to sit quietly and pay rapt attention to the antics on the stage. Jason feels that no one wants to spend their Saturday like that, so chat it up with your friends and use the conversations between Arkady and Jason to fill the gaps.

For me, the night started on a high note because they played the award winning short-film Stalking Pink. This little film was produced for the 48 Hour Film Contest, starred Jason and managed to win the top prize. I got to help a little, thus the shameless plug. It is the intention to always have short films, songs, and skits in the opening portion of the show. One of the skits on Saturday included a Q and A with Arkady’s liver. Viewers on the web are encouraged to call in, but technical issues during the show prevented it. They also want to have interesting guests come in and get up on stage. The hope is that the show gets big enough to have musicians and authors on tour stop by to plug their own work. For the time being however, Jason feels that there are enough interesting characters around Denver to provide ample entertainment.

The second part of the evening is devoted to live music. It’s not a full show, but it gives bands a chance to come in and play four or five songs. The first show kicked off with the local group The Funeral. They are a three-piece that puts out a high-energy electronic rock. Their sound is akin to that of The Faint. The lead singer has a straw contraption attached to his keyboard that is a lot like what Peter Frampton had on his guitar. I think that’s pretty cool; not Peter Frampton, but the actual device.

Midnight signals the time to begin the third portion of the show. DJs take over the sound system and a dance party is expected to ensue. Some people like to dance, but want to avoid the horrid sucking void that is LoDo. People like this find their options mainly limited to Lipgloss, so Midnight Delight provides another opportunity to get your ass out and shake it. Jason feels this is more in line with how people want to spend their Saturday night.

I like the idea behind Midnight Delight. It is a fairly unique idea to Denver and offers people another choice in the slowly expanding Denver nightlife. The three sections of the night allow you to pick and choose what you do for the evening. If you want to show up early and hang out you can, but if you just want to come to see the band or dance that is allowed as well. The three portions are expected to run about the same time each night so it’s easy to time your arrival. With one show gone, Jason and Arkady can now begin to fine-tune the production. Sid plans on making this a monthly event, and given a chance, in time Midnight Delight could be as big a draw as Lipgloss has become.

Ian Nelson, October 28, 2005