Kansas City Bomber
For years now it’s been fascinating to watch each new generation discover and try on the mothballed cultural relics of its parents. Somewhere as this is being written, a child is unearthing a Members Only jacket, a pair of leg warmers or a Frankie Goes to Hollywood T-shirt. It’s also interesting to see what sticks: A few years ago, a widely announced glam rock revival seemed to find few takers.
Over in Raleigh, a fierce band of women with monikers like Busty O’Lipps, Celia Fate, Harlot O’Scara and Maiden Hell are reviving the most bewildering and, to those of us who missed it the first time around, intriguing, artifact of the 1970s: roller derby. They’re called Carolina Rollergirls and they’re hoping to join the ranks of other nascent clubs around the country, including those in Austin, New York, Arizona and L.A. In Raleigh, they’re working on building their membership by having fundraisers (including a spank-a-thon at Kings Barcade in March).
This Saturday at the Rialto on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh, they’ll be presiding over a late night screening of Kansas City Bomber, a 1972 roller derby epic starring Raquel Welch. Suggested donation is $5 and the film starts at 11:30 p.m. There will be door prizes. More information–including how to become a rollergirl–is online at www.carolinarollergirls.com.
–David Fellerath
