Notes
from Austin Volume 3 #2 - Lodger's
Notes
John Waters will
be the host of this year's Independent Spirit Award. As
you may remember, Waters stole the show a couple of year's
back with a witty presentation that skewered Hollywood
and filmmaking. This should make for an awesome show.
Maybe Waters can host the Oscars in 2002! Wouldn't that
be a hoot!
This year, however, Steve Martin will be hosting the
Oscars for the first time. Judging by Martin's quick
wit, glib humor and ability to ad-lib, it should be
an interesting and amusing evening.
On my nightstand:
T.C.
Boyle (Buy IT!) - Stories
Images in the Dark - An Encyclopedia of Gays and Lesbians
in the Movies
In my CD player:
Eno
- Music for Airports (Buy IT!)
Aphex
Twin - Ambient Works (Buy IT!)
Various
- Just Say Yesterday (Buy IT!)
Various - DIY UK Pop 76-79
The
B-52's - The B-52's (BUY IT!)
Rent
Soundtrack (BUY IT!)
I've caught a few episodes of "Friends" recently and it's
really beginning to suck. The writing is horrible. Notice
how the show is really a collection of jokes with almost
no plot. The segments are 30 seconds at most and just
whip by with music cues interspersed between them. It's
awful. It's not situation comedy but one-liners strung
together with a threadbare plot. For a better example
of writing just wait a half hour and watch "Will and Grace."
Sometimes "W&G" has too many gay jokes but it's always
funny and well written. It's comedy comes from interaction
of the characters caught in a certain situation. It's
not just about the jokes.
My friend Kelly got me a ton of CD's for my birthday including
Eno's "Music for Airports," which I never had before and
now I truly love. It's so awesome the first track is just
beautiful. It evokes such a sense of longing and emptiness.
Kelly also gave me the Aphex Twins ambient CD's, which
I also like. But some of it isn't ambient really. Rule
1: If it has a beat, it ain't ambient.
I went to ACAC with Lube
TV host and producer Mark Brauner to edit some episodes
of the show recently. ACAC is on the "bad" side of town
but I think the idea is to put it close to the people
who should take advantage of it most. It also reminded
me of my college radio station with rules posted all over
the place and people scurrying around working on stuff.
I loved my years at a college radio station (KACC in Alvin,
TX). My air name in college was Bob Wire. I worked there
for a couple years and learned so much.
Anyway, we worked on episode 43 of Lube TV, the first
new episode since John Christensen's death. The show
has been in reruns since his death but ACAC threatened
to cancel the show unless new episodes were produced.
They even gave Mark a deadline, which I think is really
shitty of them. Jesus, his co-host and the main talent
of the show died - could we get sometime to get our
act together please. Fuckers! Anyway, Mark filmed some
"host" segments at Wimberely for #43. The episode, which
will air in early February, will include John's magnum
opus video "Manifesto," which I dearly love. Mark also
filmed a funny segment with John's brother Tim which
we had to edit a bit. We worked for over an hour on
the piece which ran only 4 1/2 minutes. I don't know
how anything ever gets edited, it such a long and arduous
process.
It looks like I will be co-hosting some new episodes
with Mark soon and I'm really excited about that. I
get recognized from my appearances on the show quite
a bit - more than I do from the website. I'm excited
about it all, even though it sucks how this has evolved
for me. I am certainly no John Christensen and the show
will never be as fun, interesting and exciting as it
was when he was around. But I will do my best. And with
Mark's talent and character, it should be quite fun.
I had two birthday parties this year, one in Houston and
one in Austin. To my delight, Mark Brauner came down to
Houston for my party there. He brought filmmaker Vassily
Fedyaev who showed his new film "Impatience" to the crowd.
Most of my Houston friends are not film people, so even
though we were a bit boisterous, I think Vassily got an
interesting a real reaction from an audience to his film.
Most folks liked it. I will write more about it later
as it is quite a nice film. It will be shown on Lube TV
within the next few weeks here.
In Austin, for my party, David Garza, who wrote the
Chronicle
article about Filethirteen, came. As did my friends
Kelly O'Hare and Richard Eckersley. Now that I'm going
to co-host "Lube TV," I'd like to show some of Rich
and Kelly's work. They have a short film, a mockumentary,
called "Cupcake" which is really nice. Also in attendance
was Vassily, who traveled to Austin for the party -
and some visiting of other friends. John's brother Tim,
Mark, Naked Dan (who was in town to get a car), Trish
the dish, and filmmaker Ryan Cox with his boyfriend
and girlfriend. I can never remember her name, which
is so rude of me. She made a film called "Kill Your
Boyfriend," which I'd really like to see.
Kelly got me a ticket to "The Vagina Monologues" at the
Paramount for my birthday. I went to what I think was
the last show on Sunday evening. Much to my surprise,
Linda Ellerbee was one of the "actors" in the piece. The
play is really interesting in that it is simply three
women, seated on high chairs, with microphones, reading
and talking. The show is also somewhat personalized with
the actresses/performers referring to how they became
involved with the play and such.
Ellerbee had a really hilarious monologue where she
got to cuss up a storm and she played it to the hilt,
bringing forth an angry and bitter woman who bitches
about tampons and such. It was hilarious. I thought
I was going to hurt myself laughing so hard. It was
so great to see Ellerbee. I love her so much.
The other two actresses in the piece were also quite
good. Starla Benford got down and dirty and really brought
her monologues to life but it was Sherri Parker Lee
who stole the show with her monologues about a woman
who went to a "vagina workshop" as she almost literally
sang the word "vagina" throughout her discourse, and
then there was the one about a woman who was a "sex
worker" who described, in accurate and acute detail,
the different types of moans women make. It was hilarious
and performed with an abandon that made the beauty and
hilarity of the monologue soar. This was the, ahem,
climax of the play and quite literally left the audience
drained! From laughing so hard and applauding, of course.
On Friday night, my friends Jan and Mary took me out to
see "Rent" for my birthday. We ate dinner at Wan Fu beforehand.
Mary was a little queasy from some flan she had eaten
earlier in the evening and we had to make a pit stop on
the way to Bass Concert Hall at the 710 Club to use the
bathroom.
"Rent" is an awesome work. The music is exceptional.
Almost all songs with no real dialogue, the musical
style is very reminiscent of Sondheim - but with an
electric guitar! For some reason, perhaps because of
my limited source of references, the piece also reminded
me vaguely of "Rocky
Horror," "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Angels in
America."
An aside: I saw a brilliant production of "Angels"
in about 1995 at the Alley Theater in Houston. The staging
was awesome. I can't remember the name of the guy who
directed it, but he soon went on to become Artistic
Director of some theater in NYC. I love this play and
I wish Robert Altman would have gotten around into making
the film.
The problem with "Rent" and with "Angels" is that,
thank God, they are almost period pieces now because
of their themes of AIDS victims. Sure, I know the AIDS
epidemic is still in full swing, but it seems like such
a 90's thing now. You almost don't hear about it anymore.
And, let's face it, nobody really wants to be reminded
of it. It is a perpetual downer. Only on rare occasions,
such as with the French film "Savage Nights" or Araki's
"The
Living End" has AIDS been anything but a stereotypical
dramatic downer. Of course, somehow, the downer is turned
upside down by the unwavering spirit of the victims
and the remembrance of the joy they brought into the
world. "Rent" is no exception to this. It's victim is,
sigh, a drag queen and the most flamboyant gay in the
piece. And the deaths in "Rent" are pure overwrought
stereotypical drama. In fact, the whole plot is rather
typical and drab, sort of like a low-rent "Friends."
But the songs in the piece are wonderful. Sure, there
are some that are simply good, but pieces like "Rent,"
"One Song Glory" and the almost-hit "Seasons of Love"
(with it's refrain of "525,600 minutes") are nothing
short of masterpieces. The truly best song, however,
is "What You Own." The brilliance of writer Jonathan
Larson, who died before the first performance of a bizarre
undiagnosed medical problem, is shown in his ability
to rhyme "America" with "millennium." This song will
play over and over in your head long after the performance.
The cast in this production was also top notch with
Dominique Roy's Mimi. Maggie Benjamin's performance
artist Maureen, and Matt Capland's seeming narrator
Mark particular standouts. My only problem was the cultural
diversity in the cast which was near non-existent. Almost
all the females in the piece were African/American.
I'm all for casting the best person for the role, regardless
of race, but apparently it is hard to find white girls
who can sing. With Capland and Cary Shields as Roger
the only two white boys in the piece (Mark is non-sexual,
Roger is seemingly heterosexual), I couldn't help but
wish they would get together. There is, at least, an
underlying, VERY underlying, homoeroticism to their
friendship but it is almost too subdued. So, in the
end, I had no one to identify with. Yet, the whole ensemble
of cast reminded me of me and my friends several years
back that the play left me sad and melancholy and feeling
a tad bit old.
Finally, mention must be made of the horrendous sound
mix the night we saw the performance at Bass. You could
not understand half of the lyrics due to bad sound design
and horrid mixing. It was severely disappointing. Perhaps
the acoustics at Bass are not optimal for rock performances?
It was disappointing. And at $60 as pop for tickets,
we deserved better. I will think twice before going
to Bass again.
Thank God Jan also got me the CD soundtrack of "Rent"
for a present. I have been listening to the discs since
seeing the play and I love it. The performances on Friday
night, with this cast, were much better than the performances
on the CD but at least you can hear the singing and
understand the words.
At intermission, Jan had to explain a lot of stuff
to Mary and I because she knows the play (it's her favorite)
and has seen other productions and, of course, has the
soundtrack herself. We didn't get half of the plot so
it was good to see it with someone who knew what was
going on. I got to bitch about the sound mix and stuff
during intermission, so that was fun - cause - as we
all know - I LOVE to bitch! It makes me happy.
The throng of an audience, who clapped like maniacs
throughout the performance, gave the actors a standing
ovation at the plays end. I stood too but only because
my ass was so sore. Hint to all actors and playwrights:
If you want a standing ovation, make the running time
of your piece 2 1/2 hours.
After the play, we went to IHOP. Mary ordered waffles
with strawberries. The strawberries were frozen. She
asked for more. They brought her more frozen ones. She
asked for a manager. Instead of simply fixing the problem
or apologizing, the stupid motherfucker actually tried
to tell us that because of health department regulations,
it was COMPANY POLICY to serve the strawberries frozen.
What a moron. I would have bitched up a storm but Mary
was doing a fine job of it herself. She got the guy's
name. I hope she follows through and complains to the
corporate office. What a dumbass.
Saturday night I went out with my friend David on a tour
of the gay bars in Austin. We hit Splash, which I had
never really been to before and although it was early,
there were some cute guys about. We vibed a couple but
both of us were to shy to go up and talk to them. The
one I liked was probably a drug dealer anyway. I always
like the complete losers. We also went to the forum and
hung out on the patio upstairs. They've built an even
higher observation deck up there and you can see over
the city. This is going to be cool when the damn weather
finally gets good. (Is it ever going to warm up and stop
raining - I feel like I live in fucking Seattle). We ended
up at Oil Can Harry's, which was packed wall to wall,
and I got shitfaced drunk. It was fun.
David wants me to find him a boyfriend, which is funny,
because I can't even find someone for myself. I don't
know what he's thinking.
The next morning - Sunday - he called me at 10am -
nonononono - I must have a little talk with Davey. Never
before noon, honey - especially on my day off!
Sunday night, Mark Brauner and I went to the Vortex to
see Karen Finley's new piece, "Shut Up and Love Me." John
Christensen loved Finley, although judging from what little
I'd seen of her work, I didn't think I would. But, in
memory of John, we went. Tickets were $22 which was way
too outrageous but it was our last chance to see her.
Finley's new work, which is still a work in progress,
finds her doing monologues (sometimes reading from notes)
from a chaise-lounge and from behind a podium. The stories
she relates, for some reason in a bad Bostonian accent,
are amazing and bold. Her brazen breaking of taboos
is nothing short of masterful. Finley's stories, of
a woman who decides to fuck her father, of a woman who
picks up Viet Nam vets and masturbates to the TV broadcasts
of the Gulf War, of a woman who gives her lover a bath
while talking about him as if he were a child, reflecting
on his mother's withdrawal from the boy and her inability
to show him love, are groundbreaking. If Finley simply
got on stage and did these monologues, the piece would
be a milestone, a breakthrough. But, in her trademark
style, Finley performs these pieces in various states
of undress. She opens the show and does an mid-section
piece where she undulates, struts and disrobes seductively
while Barry White songs play. But Finley takes these
scenes to their most outrageous limits and in doing
so demystifies the female body. Her actions remind us
that titty dancers and prostitutes only exist because
society insists on making the female body "off limits"
and "taboo." By breaking down these walls, and over
exaggerating her movements during these sections, she
reminds us that woman's bodies are not erotic except
by the taboos we as society place on them ourselves.
It is those who attempt to "ban" gentleman's clubs and
massage parlors that allow the propagation of the business
to continue. By allowing the human body in all it's
beauty to be taboo and supposedly shameful, we allow
the societal system of sexual frustration to continue
and therefore allow sexually oriented businesses to
thrive. It's compelling stuff and she displays this
notion with nary a word, only her actions.
Overall, Finley's performance was too relaxed, however,
for my tastes and she began the night by personally
identifying with the audience and talking about how
we were "outcasts" because we were at her show on the
night of the Superbowl. She also broke character several
times during the piece, distracting from the shocking
themes and dramatic punch of her stories. And she too
often allowed exaggerated pauses to generate far too
much inappropriate tension in the room. Her pieces were
so stunning and so bold that the audience never applauded.
We were never sure where the story ended.
And finally the most disappointing and disturbing
moment of the night was when Finley disrobed and rolled
around on a mat covered in honey. Again, she may have
been lampooning sexual and societal mores and again
working on the theme of demystifying the female body,
but this act seemed exhibitionist and contrived. She
seemed to enjoy the act, which may be reason enough
to include it, but more likely, it seemed simply the
event expected from her followers. Finley, known to
cover her naked form in various condiments (which is
why Johnny loved her so much) has also fought the NEA
and the government, all the way to the Supreme Court,
because her funding was revoked by Jessie Helms during
those turbulent times in the 80's. (Goddamnit, I was
glad my taxes funded "Piss Christ!") So Finley, who
must be close to 40 but still looks great, seemed to
insist on giving the audience what they came for. It
was totally unnecessary. Finley's monologues are so
profound, so cutting edge and so brilliant that her
supposedly artistic shenanigans really only distract
from her work. I would have enjoyed reading the book
just as much as seeing the performance, if Finley ever
publishes the stories she read. She is an awesome writer
and storyteller and her work in this area is so important
because she is talking about things, especially from
a female perspective, that do not get discussed.
Still, by being open and having no shame of her body
and no fear of displaying her nude self to us, Finley
reminds us of the beauty of the female form, it's eroticism
and it's mystification while breaking down the erotic
and the mystery. She bares more than her soul to her
audience and allows herself to stand naked before us,
unashamed and unembarrassed. All barriers are removed
and in their place a true openness between artist and
audience comes into play. The audience may take what
it wishes from her, may pick and choose, may allow in
whatever it wishes. In this way, Finley is a true artist.
She is not a performance artist for her work is not
purely performance. She is a human artist with her mind
and body open and touchable, without any barriers...
naked and unafraid.
If only there were a male Karen Finley out there!
Well - that's a wrap! Lodger2001
Lodger's
Notes: I
got to bitch about the sound mix and stuff during intermission,
so that was fun - cause - as we all know - I LOVE to bitch!
It makes me happy.
Austin
Film and Entertainment News:
The latest info on Screenings in the Austin area,
Austin films, actors,and directors, as well as info
about Austin's numerous Film Festivals.
Hollywood
News :
The latest info on Hollywood films, actors, directors,
and studios as well as info about Film Festivals and
on-line screenings!
Things
to do this Week - Check the calendar!
More
Notes from Austin - The Archives
More
of Lodger's reviews indexed alphabetically! Just click
your favorite letter to go there.
a
b
c d
e f
g h
i j
k l
m n
o p
q r
s t
u v
w x
y z
HOME
|
