Remainders cut loose, let go> Warren Zevon, Dave Barry prance with Kings in Bangor benefit

It’s hard to know which image will endure the longest when the ear buzz from Friday’s concert by the Rock Bottom Remainders is long gone.

It could be novelist Amy Tan dressed as a dominatrix and singing “These Boots Are Made for Walking.”

Or San Francisco critic Joel Selvin screaming at the top of his lungs for a full 30 seconds during an x-rated version of “Louie, Louie.”

Or our very own Joni Averill, NEWS column queen and local celeb, getting so wild, wild, wild that we hardly recognize her. (Joni, dear, now we know why you carry aspirin in that little purse of yours.)

What about Angus King, riding a motor cycle, shades and black leather for “Leader of the Pack.”

Or Miami comedy columnist Dave Barry and his wife, Michelle Kaufman, sharing the mike for “Love Is Strange.”

Or (our personal favorite) Stephen King singing “Werewolves of London” with Warren Zevon on keyboards. Ah-ooooo, indeed. Now where are you going to see talent like that again?

The point is, last night’s concert at the Bangor Civic Center was filled with memorable moments for the 1,900 people who turned out to shake their booties with King, Tan, Barry and Zevon — as well as writers Tess Gerritsen and Ridley Pearson, sports columnist Mitch Albom, and Kathi Goldmark. The group has been performing a couple times a year since Goldmark, who ran an escort service in San Francisco, organized this collection of writers-cum-musicians. They were joined last night by drummer Jim Christie and Sax player Erasmo Paolo.

In addition to Averill and Selvin, the “Critics Chorus” tapped into the talents of local meteorologist Ric Tyler, Roy Blount, Jr., Dave Marsh and Barry’s son, Robert. A loosely collaborative group, the critics nevertheless gave the band a quirky kind of soul.

The two-hour performance, which was a benefit for Shaw House, included rock hits and oldies, such as “Stand By Me” with King on lead vocals, “Poor Pitiful Me,” “Book By Its Cover,” “Wild Thing,” “High School Sweater,” “House Is Rockin’,” “Gloria,” and lots more.

Albom did a decent vocal impersonation of Elvis during a medley of the King’s songs, and our homeboy whined his way through “Teen Angel.”

But the highlight of the evening was Barry’s original song “Proofreading Woman.” With calypso backup rhythms, Barry sang out the chorus: “I’m in love with a proofreading woman. Gonna love her til the day I die. She got a big dictionary. Real good grammar. She never says, `Between you and I’.” Thankfully, Barry also plays a mean guitar.

At the max, there were 16 performers on stage, and more when Kaufman and Tabitha King (wearing the uniform top of University of Maine women’s basketball star Cindy Blodgett) boogied down on the sidelines.

Like all good rock concerts, this one was loud and got people up and dancing. Some may have been put off by the four-letter words which were occasionally hurled off the stage. But generally, this was a night of cut-loose, let-go good times in Bangor.

Like all good garage-style bands, the Rock Bottom Remainders is mostly about cranking out some tunes and going a little crazy — on stage and in the audience. And how fortuitous that everyone was having such a blast because, well, let’s just say we think all these musicians — terrific good sports that they are — should keep their day jobs. But now we know the answer to one of life’s niggling questions: What DO the writers of our country do on Friday nights? When they’re in Bangor, they jam.