It seems like yesterday- when myspace was in its heyday- that I got a friend request from Mickey Avalon. A skim of his page, a view of his mini-doc featuring Santino, and a quick listen turned me into a Mickey enthusiast then and there, and I spread the word to all my unsuspecting friends like crabs in a whorehouse. I’ve watched his performances grow over the last two years, from popscene noob to two night residencies at Slim’s…and from crowds full of bitches I can tolerate to just plain bitches.

But first, Beardo. Flaunting a tagline that has something to do with coming from a trailer park, his appearance is unforgettable- a love child of Humpty Hump and My Name is Ed of sorts. It’s all a little confusing. He seemed to be filling in for Andre Legacy, both as a mediocrely received opener and consistence guest MC for the rest of the night.

Dirt Nasty, however, is much improved from the last couple times I’d seen him. More innovative beats, more dominating stage presence, and the same ‘I can’t believe I am singing and dancing along to this’ lyrics. Tributes to doggy style, small dicks, and the best one- gold chains and cocaine, get the audience in a good mood. Sure, Dirt Nasty has gone from MTV to porn to producing, but he’s really good as an audience fluffer. Unfortunately, a highly annoying entourage that trails him doused the audience in inappropriate amounts of water and alcohol at the end of the set. Good thing I was hanging out at the bar this time.

Did Mickey shrink since the last time I saw him? He looked more road weary, even starting off a little slow, performing the second song seated. I was a little concerned that he’d lost some of his fire. But once the hits started coming, and the crowd reactions to the new material were positive, he perked up. The set and the dancers were almost exactly the same as his Slim’s show last year, but mentions of a surprise and the new material kept this from feeling like a repeat.

I was worried that Mickey’s sophomore effort was not going to be strong- his first album happened over a long time, and ‘Dance’, which I’ve heard a few times, is very simplistic and unimpressive. However, I can’t wait to get to know some of the new tracks I heard. The storytelling, the slithering beats, they are all still there. And though the subject of success may trump the subject of struggle now, it’s still raw and dirty, and very Mickey.

There are more males at this show than I’ve ever seen at a Mickey show. The word is out that this is were the hot ladies go. Or perhaps they are there to ogle the half naked dancers. But one of Mickey’s new songs talks about how the girls want to be with him and the guys want to be him, and it’s very appropriate.

‘Dipped in Vasoline’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ are still my favorites. But hearing ‘Hustler Hall of Fame’ rapped over Zep’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ is an interesting twist. Mickey could probably continue to perform that first album for a long time- it never gets old.

‘Jane Fonda’ ended the set. Then Mickey mentioned a guest, and I thought maybe Andre Legacy or something kind of expected, but then I saw some very large security types. As soon as Mickey talked about how this guy was who they all learned it from…I knew it would be Too Short. ‘Blow the Whistle’ brings the house down, as we shouted ‘Bitch’ in perfect time. This was followed by the best transition ever, where Too Short says “Ya’ll know that blowing the whistle really means to suck my dick”, after which Mickey, Dirt Nasty, and Beardo step forward and break into ‘My Dick’. That song never gets old.

After the set, the stage immediately turned into a merch booth, where Mickey was signing his shirts for $20. I sat there and watched that madness ensue, as the lithe rappers and stage guys and even the dancers pimped their shirts in an interesting shift of personas. They really are hustlers.

You can catch the crew again tonight at Slim’s.

OVERALL: 8/10
Beardo performance: 6.75/10
Andre Legacy performance: 7.5/10
Mickey Avalon performance: 8.75/10
venue (Slim’s): 8.5/10
crowd/scene: 7/10
value ($20/ticket): 9/10
memorable: 9/10