Pitchfork

Photo by Jason Bergman

As we know, Girl Talk shows can get pretty crazy. But Friday night's performance at the Gargoyle Club on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis will go down in history as the craziest Girl Talk show yet.

Here's the short version of what happened: According to various sources including reader emails, the Washington University student paper Student Life, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the Riverfront Times, Girl Talk's set was cut short after a man exposed himself and got Tasered in the ass.

Here's the long version: The Riverfront Times reports that the November 9 show started out as a typical Girl Talk affair. Packed, sweaty, people going nuts and crowding the stage, security getting everybody off the stage, etc. (For photos from the show, pre-Tasering, check out Todd Owyoung's blog.) Most people seemed to be having a great time, except for those in the vicinity of one rowdy concertgoer.

Eyewitness reader Greg Sabo wrote in an email, "There was one 20-something (who seemed to be under the influence of something) who kept on causing problems. He threatened basically everyone around him. Attendees asked the bouncers to remove him several times, but they were basically unsuccessful. This person starting a lot of pushing bouts during the show. There were several chants by the crowd to get this one man out. He also jumped up on stage once after everyone else had gotten off."

Apparently, the bouncers finally got the word. Student Life reports that at 10:45 pm, the troublemaker was removed from the venue by security. "He then shoved a security guard and pulled down his pants." Sabo points out that "he was already topless." The Washington University Police Department was called. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the man exposed himself.

Student Life continues, "When WUPD arrived they repeatedly told the man to pull up his pants or face arrest. The student refused and an officer attempted to handcuff him. When the student struggled to resist being handcuffed, the officer pulled out his Taser and threatened to use it if the student did not comply. The man continued to resist and was Tasered." According to both Sabo and the Riverfront Times, the Taser gun was pointed at the man's rear end. The reader writes that he was Tased twice: briefly at first, then "for at least 10 seconds (maybe as long as 20)."

The man was a 22-year-old student, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, though Washington University has not released his name. Student Life reports, "WUPD took the student into custody and had him examined at a hospital before booking him in the St. Louis County Jail. Hospital examinations are standard protocol following Taser usages. The police will recommend that the student be charged with Sexual Misconduct and Resisting or Interfering with Arrest."

Girl Talk, aka Gregg Gillis, had no idea that any of this was happening at the time. In an email to Pitchfork, he wrote, "I guess this is all true. I didn't see the tazing [sic] or anything." He was, however, upset that his set had been cut short, and promised to make it up to concertgoers with an after-show performance. The party moved to the basement of a fraternity (Student Life reports that it was Sigma Alpha Mu), where both Girl Talk and opening act the Death Set performed. Gillis wrote of the frat performance, "It was out of control. The Death Set's set was magical."

Girl Talk dates (if you dare):

11-30 Atlantic City, NJ - House of Blues *
12-07 Paris, France - Le Showcase
12-08 Rennes, France - Festival Transmusicales
12-10 Paris, France - La Fleche d'Or $
12-11 London, England - Barden's Boudoir $
12-14 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Club
12-15 Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
12-30 Lorne, Australia - Falls Festival
12-31 Marion Bay, Australia - Falls Festival
01-01 Sydney, Australia - Field Day Festival
01-03 Brisbane, Australia - The Troubador
01-05 Busselton, Australia - Southbound Festival
01-10 Sydney, Australia - Oxford Arts Factory
01-11 Melbourne, Australia - Miss Libertine
01-12 Auckland, New Zealand - Rising Sun
01-26 Chicago, IL - Metro (two shows) $
01-29 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder !
01-30 Gainesville, FL - Common Grounds !
01-31 Orlando, FL - The Club at Firestone !
02-01 Tampa, FL - Czar Bar !
02-02 Miami, FL - Studio A !

* with White Williams
$ with Dan Deacon
! with Grand Buffet