Rat-shaped sock puppets, costume-clad children, ex-hippie parents and hip college kids. Once a month, they all come together to star in “Chic-A-Go-Go,” a Chicago Access Network Television variety show in which, according to floor manager Derrick Davis, guests must abide by one rule and one rule only. “Everybody dance!”
About 150 people did just that on Sunday, for the taping of the show’s 400th episode.
Grooving along to classic tracks from the likes of Ray Charles and Velvet Underground, and shaking their stuff with special guest bands like Chicago’s Waco Brothers and Shonen Knife from Osaka, Japan, the dancers made up one of the largest groups ever to appear on “Chic-A-Go-Go,” show founder Jacob Austen said.
In between the beats, hosts Miss Mia and her sock-puppet sidekick Ratso entertain the crowd with comic banter and Ratso’s outrageously lame knock-knock jokes. Case in point: “What does a backwards poet do?” The answer: “Reverse.”
“There’s just a bunch of people coming together to have a good time … and being their authentic, colorful selves,” said Allison Calamari, a 29-year-old makeup artist who’s been on a couple of episodes with her 5-year-old daughter, Wilder.
Although the large crowd and a series of technical difficulties made the latest episode’s taping “one of the craziest,” Austen sees no end in sight for his series, which began in 1996.
“I’m a pretty dedicated guy,” Austen said as he rushed to strike the set before the
6 p.m. deadline. “It’s such a pleasure to do. I don’t see any reason to stop.”
“Chic-A-Go-Go’s” 400th episode airs at 8:30 p.m. April 12 and 3:30 p.m. April 13 on CAN-TV Ch.-19. The show is taped once a month, and tapings are open to the public. The taping schedule is periodically listed at www.roctober.com.
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plevy@tribune.com
