Shagadelic: The Origins of Slang Words for Doing It

Reviewed by G. Bruce Smith
The Broadwater Studio
HDFF ’23 – Through June 24

RECOMMENDED

Dear Professor Richard Fondler (aka Michael Blaha),

Well, that was . . . interesting.

I’m referring, of course, to your one-hour lecture/performance with the catchy title Shagadelic: The Origins of Slang Words for Doing It.  When I say “interesting” – which of course in the theater world is an often cringe-worthy word, depending on the tone by which it is delivered — I actually, really, truly mean Shagadelec wasinteresting. I learned so much about the etymology (the study of the true meaning of words) of the many, many, many slang euphemisms for sexual acts. And I like that you delivered your presentation with clever puns, witty asides, and occasional bad jokes.

Through your deep dive lecture, I learned that this unique slang family has roots in many countries and languages, sometimes dating back many centuries. Germany seems to rank high in countries of origin (given the hard “f”s in the language, this comes as no surprise). But you also pointed out the French bon mots —what other culture, but the Gallic, could come up with “la petite mort” (“little death”) for orgasm?

I wish I could go into detail on all your clever asides, your wry jokes, but because this is a public letter, I am restrained by vague notions of “decency,” whatever that means. However, I will share with you two of my favorite moments in your lecture.

For example, you say, to “nail” actually came from sailors’ payments to Tahitian sex workers with, for those in the South Pacific the much-prized Western piece of hardware. But, as you noted, that practice eventually stopped because the ships were falling apart. (Ba-da-boom.)

And the poetic, so-very-British phrase “amorous congress,” used primarily by the Georgian era upper crust when in public, reminded you of what could have been a love letter between Kevin McCarthy and Marjorie Taylor Greene. (Ba-da-boom again.)

I must say, Dr. Fondler, that you looked professorial indeed with your bow tie and jacket, which lent you an air of gravitas on a subject that lends itself to anything but. And you appropriately reminded us of the origin of “Shagadelic” – as in, Austin Powers’ “Shagadelic, Baby!” (Whether it was a party, a fun situation, or meeting beautiful women, the Mike Myers character loved to say this phrase.)

But Dr. Fondler, I’m sorry to say that after about the first half hour, I found myself fidgeting. While interesting (yes, genuinely interesting), your lecture began to feel like a conceit that wore out its welcome to some extent. And it didn’t help that you planted yourself firmly behind the podium for the full hour. I understand that professors do tend to clutch podiums, but there are those who move around on stage — animated, excited about their subjects. Many add audio-visual elements to their presentations. Many ask questions of their students/audience members that result in improvised – and sometimes fun, even hilarious – discussions. Something to consider, perhaps, in the future?

However, I concede that I might very well be in the minority. The Broadwater Studio audience – small but packed – laughed loudly and appreciatively throughout your lecture/performance. I could have sworn I heard some of them exclaim, at the end of your lecture/monologue, “Shagadelic, Baby!”

The Broadwater Studio, 1078 Lillian Way, Los Angeles. One performance remaining, 9 p.m. Saturday, June 24. (323) 455-4585 or https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9829. Running time, one hour with no intermission.