Vortex with author's traveling companion

Washington City Paper: What’s your name?
Luca Vortex: Luca Vortex.

That’s not your real name. That’s a punk name.
That is how everybody knows me.

How old are you?
33.

Are you familiar with go-go music?
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When George Washington University music professor Kip Lornell teamed up with former Experience Unlimited (EU) manager Charles C. Stephenson to introduce academia to D.C.’s primary musical export in 2001’s The Beat, go-go blasted through boomboxes held by guys selling mixtapes out of cars near the intersection of East Capitol St. and Benning Road NE more often than it was heard on WPGC.

Eight years later, white frat boys are lining up to watch Chuck Brown headline the 9:30 Club. We asked Lornell and Stephenson about what has changed.

City Paper: Why does go-go face such a struggle for mainstream acceptance?

Charles C. Stephenson: I don’t think it’s a struggle. You go back historically—there’s been an evolution…most of the musicians are basically satisfied. They don’t want it commercialized. As long as they can play the music in its purest form, they feel good. Some bands would like to go international, national. Periodically, there are breakout artists that reach higher heights. But the majority of musicians associated with go-go are just happy to play the music.

Kip Lornell: It’s no more of a struggle now than it was 10 or 20 years ago….Keep in mind that media has changed so much….It’s much easier to consume go-go if you’re in Amarillo, Texas, and its 2009 than if you’re in Amarillo if it’s 1999.

But if you take go-go out of a club east of the river or in P.G. County, is it still go-go?
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Kato: Can you please speak at our next web conference. “When it comes to your group’s name, you should be dropping that all over the place.” Kato: Seriously call us.

The legendary Chuck Brown is a man of many, many talents. You probably already know that, in addition to inventing an entire genre of music, the Godfather of Go-Go is a guitar player, singer, rapper, party starter, D.C. booster, fedora wearer, and an extraordinarily effective pitchman for lottery tickets and newspapers. But, did you know that he’s also an actor?

Brown has been making a nightly special guest appearance in the stage play “Love Overboard,” which began its run at the Warner Theatre on Tuesday. According to Brown’s manager, Tom Goldfogle, the icon gives a musical performance and also delivers one line during his time on stage. Goldfogle said he was unable to quote the line, but we’d be willing to bet it ends in “doo-wop, doo-wop, doo-wop, doo-wop, doo-wop, doo-wop.”

Your last chance to catch Brown’s line is Sunday, Feb. 1 at the Warner Theatre, 513 13th Street, NW. Tickets are $45.50-54.50.