It’s been quite interesting performing at the Arizona Renaissance Festival this year. Let’s just let our roving Arizona updater, Cindy Gray, tell you things from her perspective while viewing Tortuga Twins shows from the boys merchandise cart.
Weekend Three (including President’s Day)
“Wind, rain, sunshine ... we had it all this weekend!
Saturday started with strong winds and lots of blowing dust, followed by a nice little downpour - some even reported a touch of hail, but I didn't see any. The guys canceled their last two shows of the day, coming out to visit with the few die-hards that showed up. Sunday was much better ... well, at least it wasn't windy! The day began cool but decent ... then showers started up in the afternoon and stuck around for most of the day. It wasn't nearly as bad as the day before and the guys did manage to do all four shows to delighted fans. Monday we finally saw sun! The weather was cool and breezy, but at least it was dry! People flocked into the festival in droves, and we had large crowds of enthusiastic fans all day! Business was booming!!
Trying to remember a few highlights from the shows: Sunday's S&S had D'Angelo very vocally expressing his displeasure at being glove-slapped in the eye - repeated, loud bellows of 'OW!' continued on for quite some time until Scaramouche said "we liked it better last week when you couldn't talk."”
Weekend Four
“It was flippin' bizarre!! Saturday was overcast and cool, but pretty good overall. Sunday was cold ... then the wind picked up ... then storm clouds started to roll in! We could see snow on the top of the Superstitions, then got word of snow in AJ - then on the other side of the festival site - and then on my head!! LOL! It mixed with some light rain and I heard some mention of hail, but I think it was just the snow - tiny "pellets" rather than flakes, but it was most assuredly not hail. After the brief 15 minutes of snowfall and light rain, the weather cleared out and the rest of the afternoon was clear and partly sunny. It was rather exciting for us desert dwellers!
The shows were great fun (but aren't they always). Some highlights from Saturday include the Robin Hood show ... they say that Robin "spun in a circle" and the guy took off running a lap around the whole stage. The Twins stood there and gawked for a minute, then Raphael said "we have been doing this show for 20 years and no one has ever done that!" A bit later, Robin repeated "go ahead, make my day" in a particularly squeaky, high-pitched voice. Scaramouche said "I just want to thank you for making me look macho."
We also had a great exchange during S&S. After they stripped off their shirts (and Raphael commented on getting his mic cord stuck in his thong), Scaramouche said "I plan on doing this show another 10-15 years. Please let me know when this no longer looks good." Raphael responded: "About 8:30 tonight." There was also a bachelorette party in the audience. Scaramouche told the bride-to-be that it was not too later to change her mind. The other two both chimed in with "ALL THIS could be yours."”
Weekend Five
“There have been lots of great shows, of course - Saturday after the last show, I saw people still laughing and talking about how amazing the show was as they walked off and Sunday's S&S show was just as off the hook. The first thing that caught my attention was Scaramouche's "obviously, definitely" - a pause - a request to "repeat that please ... now, into the mic ..." and a young man's voice saying "the sexiest man alive"! Shortly after that, a reference was made to "a teenage boy who just had a coming out party" to which D'Angelo responded "as long as he doesn't have a 'going in' party!" It was all downhill after that. They were so off script by the time they got to the "pursuit of hap-penis" and the whole camping with Michael Jackson thing that Raphael and Scaramouche were going in one direction while D'Angelo was trying desperately to get them back on track - he was saying his lines very slowly and deliberately, over-exaggerated: "oonly one prooobleeeem ... nooot enough wooood - I was supposed to say that joke five minutes ago!" There was also fun with the pre-show stuff - Scaramouche setting up some teenage boy by bringing two hot women to sit on him, then telling him if he was really a pimp he could get those women to kiss. His friend suddenly jumped up, cell phone in hand and a huge grin on his face, ready and waiting to catch the whole thing on video. I'm sure I could go on for pages and pages, it was that much fun!! “
In Other News… Stage Show
The boys have been working very hard on a script for their new “stage show”. Yes, you read it right. The Tortuga Twins have begun work on another Palooza- type show which they hope to be performing soon. I pinched this from Scaramouche’s facebook Fan Page: “In the new Touring Stage show we're writing, we have an entire segment extolling our love of breasts. If you too, are a fan of the boobies, click the "Like" link.” I can’t wait to see what else they have up their sleeves.
Renaissance Festival Awards
Don’t know if you’ve heard about this, but…
The Tortuga Twins won in three separate categories in the 6th Annual Renaissance Festival Awards for 2010.
- First Place –Best Non-Musical Group
- Fourth Place – Best Stage Combat Group
- Second Place – Best Bawdy Act
The boys are really excited about winning and would like to thank everyone that voted for them.
Cookbook
Our long awaited Cookbook should be ready within the next few months. We’re as excited about it as you are and can’t wait to start trying out those amazing recipes! Chef Jax has been notified and the Twins will be working with her when they get to Georgia in April. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
Birthdays
Our March Birthday Babes and Dudes are as follows:
March 1st, Chris Kamell from AZ; March 3rd, Angi Blake & Evelina Fletcher from AZ; March 5th, Rick Petit from NC; March 10th, Brittany Tran from MN; March 14th, Sherry Byars (cart minion) from AZ; March 16th, Eric Brown from MN; March 17th, Marie Gonzales from AZ & Kyrie Wilcox from NC; March 18th, Cathy Sipprell from NC; March 19th, Angela Wolf from MN; March 20th, David Frank from MN, March 21st, Sam Cooke from AZ; March 22nd, Zahra Kahn from NC; March 25th, Ashely Quynn from MN & David Wendler from GA; March 27th, Kerri Helms from GA; March 27th, Stephanie Kalus from MN; and March 28th, Corey Harmer from MN, Colleen Hollenbeck from NC, Mandy Lappe & Bobby Weston from AZ. Happy, Happy Birthday to ALL!
Private Parties
The Twins have already been booked for several “Private Parties” this year. One is coming up on March 23rd in Arizona. Not only did the lovely ladies that booked this event show exceptional taste in hiring the boys as their entertainment, they also saved a bundle by booking them at a fraction of the normal cost for such events. You see, right now the Tortuga Twins are running a sale on bookings for Private Shows. “What was once $3000+ is now only $750 - $1000 (some restrictions apply *** ).” It just makes sense NOT to pass up this opportunity while you can.
Journals are UP
Reminding ALL Tortuga Twins Fan Club Members that Journal entries by the Twins are up in the Members Side of the Tortuga Twins site. It’s the one place you can get a glimpse in to the private lives of your favorite Tortuga…pictures included. To join the Fan Club, or to renew your membership, simply follow the links on this page (to join online) or visit the Official Tortuga Twins Merchandise Cart when the boys come near your town. It’s only $9.99/year and well worth the price of admission.
In closing, just wanted to share the following note the Twins received from a fan recently and ask you all to keep her in your thoughts.
“Just a note of appreciation…
I have been fighting cancer for two years. You can't imagine how much it means to come to your show(s) and be able to laugh and have a good time, despite the struggles of treatment. The last couple of weeks in AZ have been especially appreciated, as it has been a rough year so far.
Thanks so much for what you do.
Jen”
This quote says much: “Laughter is the shock absorber that eases the blows of life”
And from Scaramouche to Jen: “We're so glad if we can help even a little. “
Till next time…
Love and laughter to all.
