Thursday, October 26, 2006

How To Trim Around A Bathtub

Long Goodbye (Part 1 of 3): Three (four) sad (?) Transvestites

Throughout the existence of FYT myself to reprove me, despise, desire to attack and painful extinction of several people, some professions, a pair of local policies, many bands, all monotheistic religions, casual passers, communicators various and some neighbors. However I received few responses from these groups of people were offended, which I think is somewhat logical since subspecies generally consider incapable of understanding and / or enjoy the refinement of this blog. Instead, he received many protests from several members of a minority who not only never attacked, but I consider as valid and part of society which I refuse to consider his separate existence of the same: homosexuals. Personally I

with Foucault and Kinsey, that there is something called "gay" but simply homosexual behavior and that specific issue, as are all-sexual behavior of each person and their potential partners bed, bath, or tent. I believe with Kinsey that you can set a scale of 1 to 10 who is at 1 as the person who is exclusively heterosexual behavior and 10 to which it has exclusively homosexual behavior, and that except for these rare creatures, swayed by others the numerillos between these two points.

I've lived so far as heterosexual and I doubt they will find a great desire repressed at this point in my life, which does not mean it is not able to realize that, say, Jet Li is physically much more attractive than Ben Affleck , or that a third of my club, and half of my library, is composed of works by artists considered to be homosexual and who are often brutally frank about their customs. Or that William Burroughs me look like an example of manhood, in short, are details. The point is that I never thought to use the blog as an instrument of discrimination and does not even occur to me to make it a means of discussion about something that in my opinion is not necessary to discuss a lot to say. If I referred to homosexual acts with the same rudeness with which I have referred to any sexual behavior and without any emphasis. Interestingly I have the feeling that there are nonexistent homophobic comments that have plagued the (bad could) but the assumption that these are behind what I do myself as heterosexual hedonist Coert preaching. It is a paradoxical trap of contemporary culture that the groups struggling for free expression of sexual diversity somehow feel offended by the expression of sexual homogeneity (as if that existed, on the other hand). But the struggle for expression has become stronger, in the strengthening of speech, the prohibition of others. And in this minefield of language can be considered a misogynist for saying that he likes women. U homophobic to say that maybe it's time to muzzle Umpi Dani. And the war

language reaches absurd levels: a reader emailed me complaining about my use of the masculine article "el" in referring to or explaining transvestites and how important it is to respect the language of the definition generic one chooses for himself. I was a bit surprised that the accusations of homophobia that I have occasionally been generally related to nouns or adjectives he used, and had not thought that came to watch lexical items.
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But after saying that all is well, that language is not taken too seriously, which is a means not an end, I am thinking that the two spent two things overlooked. The first, very simply, is that transvestite transsexual is not synonymous with transsexuality and that, without there actually a generic change: if I saw a bear I can not pretend that I consider as plantigrade more "myself" I feel dress bear. So, come on, the transvestite is a transvestite and the correct item for the RAE, to Benito and common sense is "." Because we are not what we want, we are what we can and what we are.

The other thing we spent in high-and I care even more than a discussion gramático/articular- is that thanks to the custom of giving the reason the speech of minorities (and hardly dare to relativize how right he is) we forget one thing: cross-dressing is not a behavior or an exclusive privilege of homosexuals. Leaving aside the cross-dressing as a caricature of femininity, usually performed by comedians straight without much imagination as the nasty Miguel Del Sel - occasional cross-dressing is also performed with joy and without mockery by heterosexuals in areas "cleared" such as carnival and performance. Or the rock.

course there is a big difference between transvestism and being a transvestite, but I'm not sure that all homosexuals who seek to cross-dress often the loss of male identity. When in doubt and with a transvestite, I guess that education alone would refer to it in feminine terms, and I shall know him by name, is Andrea, Mariana and Cacho, but the abstract transvestite, transvestite in general is for me a man. I do not see what's wrong, I see that's wrong with being a man. I do not see the world through the eyes of ugly Andrea Dworkin.

Anyway, this post is not about that problem language in particular or on the protests attracted, but because the discussion came at a time when, by a strange series of coincidences, I was watching or re-watching some films that deal with cross-dressing and just have four different views on four distinct transvestites. Diversity in diversity, say, and the communicating to the rock and revolution, or what remains of both.

Dr Frank'n'Furter (Tim Curry): The first time I saw The Rocky Horror Show ( Jim Sharman, 1975) I was a teenager and I was shocked. I had gone to see why the film had been banned by the dictatorship and somehow I was expecting to meet with what the film actually offered: rebellion, arrogance, rock, alternative and controversial moral, what I did not expect was the burden of absolute sexual freedom, a typical product of the 70, and the joy with which this was addressed. To my adolescent moral building and conflict, there was no good turn around a villain to hero's girlfriend who was also a heroin-and then suck it's own hero, as the heroine in turn fucks an muscular sort of mutant created by the same villain in question. That was not right, I thought, but in an orderly mess. The villain was, of course, Dr Frank'n'Furter the androgynous, not much of a man by the light of day / But by night, one hell of a lover .

is not difficult to see why the dictatorship censored this movie, although no explicit drug consumption, no clear political message and the sex scenes are totally discrete, the atmosphere of joyous amorality and hedonism that comes from each and every one of scenes from Janet and Brad come to the castle of the infamous Doctor is as evident as subversive. Today such a film would be unthinkable, perhaps you could do with more explicit sex scenes and a long succession of gay tongue kissing, but no one (well, Todd Haynes might itself) would dare to tell such a story without moralizing and without heroes. Well, actually yes there is a hero, but I spent ten years thinking it was the villain. Re-watching

today The Rocky Horror Show I realize that Dr. Frank'n'Furter, physical caricature Lou Reed's Transformer is the weakest villain in movie history . Is self-centered, moody, extremely debauched, cruel and vain impetuously, but except for his untimely assassination Eddie (Meat Loaf ), has no power over any of the other characters, and much less about their supposed servants Riff-Raff (Richard O'Brien ) and Magenta (Patricia Quinn ), who end up running it with a mixture of sadism and contempt (and after that the guy just play the wonderful 'I'm Going Home '!). And there's the issue: the real villain is defined by its accumulation of power. The combination of dreams disproportionate short pulses of mid Frank'n'Furter pansexual lust is more like an exhibition and as such a vulnerability, an abdication of power. When Janet (Susan Sarandon ) finished singing the incredibly horny ' Touch me', he directs his plea to the " creature of the night, which is manufactured by Frank'n'Furter creature, but in its final chorus are all bizarre things in the film, led by Curry's character, who repeated, in tones ranging from pride to curiosity this "creature of the night", taking charge of their identity with the concept. Freaks, groupies, fat bikers, transvestites are all creatures of the night . And they are radiant.

In a logical world, Tim Curry should have become a legend after this paper, in the end only turned daemon Legend (Ridley Scott , 1985). But what he did in The Rocky Horror Show was an epic and there are stars with a place stuck in the sky for much less bright. And 30 years away is worth reminding the perfect youth council of his character: Do not Dream It / be it .

Divine (Divine): I find it surprising that only this year has seen Pink Flamingos (1972) for the first time, but is explained by the fact that, like many Rio de la Plata, I saw the movie John Waters front to back and, although now I'm reconsidering, the late Waters I was very uninteresting to bother to get a copy Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble . I knew by reputation the most controversial scenes from Pink Flamingos: The Divine blowjob that makes the character of the child, ortho Dancing ' Surfin' Bird 'intercourse among chickens and, of course, the legendary dog-turd Divine degulte front of the camera, but none of this excited me to watch a movie than I thought (with some justification) as an early version, more rough and realistic film of Waters.

But I was wrong on the essentials and I found this magnificent demonstration of a full cultural terrorism is the infamous film that remains, like all genuine art-fully impossible to co-opt and tame. You you can talk about that movie mad at you eat dog poop, you can put in your DVD copies, but still infumable, and is impossible to see family.

And of course much of the credit, the inability to absorb and clear this film is Divine . He was neither a transvestite or a transsexual or a man or a woman but a category in itself. When you see movies Divine Waters does not think like a man dressed as a woman trying to pass woman, or who fails in the company, Divine is Divine, its actions are beyond any appreciation histrionic because it tries to convince anyone but yourself a. A formidable presence that works out to destroy society. The final terrorist, which is not only beyond the parameters of sexuality but also of aesthetics. Just as one does not think like a transvestite Divine, or as a member of any kind, nor think of it as fat, or as someone well or badly dressed, because these categorizations were blown to pieces since the guy came on screen. Because it is heavy .

In Divine Thrash, supposed documentary about the career of John Waters but actually focuses on the implementation of Pink Flamingos Waters, a man with a permanent guard of humorous cynicism, lower the barrier to talk about Divine, and speaks in terms rare. Talk of pride that means that his work is associated with the figure of someone well and remembers him as a friend. And the Divine mother remembers him with affection as a child, and suddenly all categories overthrown by his formidable presence to become re-write but elsewhere, in a parallel dimension in which the Divine is a friend, a fellow work, a son and a funny guy. Something like the world after a wild and successful cosmic rebellion in which Antony sing ' Hitler in my heart' over the corpse of Robbie Williams .

Tick (Hugo Weaving): I had forgotten how much I liked ABBA until I saw this film in some ways is a tribute to the most powerful of the Swedish quartet's songs, 'Mamma Mia '; The Adventures of Priscilla ( Stephan Elliot, 1994) was equivalent to the 90 of La Cage aux Folles , ie the image pleasant, empathetic and somewhat stereotyped (and as such assimilated) of homosexual transvestite.

The years have not been good to The Adventures ... today many of their treatments and stories doomed to seem commonplace, but the nerve festive time of the film was really attractive even from a look straight. Reviewing today surprised me a little latent misogyny in the film: three women portrayed in it, only one (lesbian, incidentally) is portrayed with some sympathy, while the other two are a tomboy impresentable (which receives a fierce commentary from Terence Stamp inviting her to have fun with a buffer) and a semi-crazed oriental whore whose main skill is to drive golf balls vaginally. No, there is no love for women in this film.

But over the years has also won an extra attraction, when its release Hugo Weaving, Terence Stamp and Guy Pearce were perfect strangers (well, Stamp a little less), which could well be identical to the characters they represented. And the most surprising is Weaving. After over ten years and The Matrix trilogies and Lord of the Rings , Nigerian Weaving and eyebrows is elf Elrond or Agent Smith, and it is difficult to re-imagine a role as the transvestite Tick, and less aware of how comfortable it is, the performance of Weaving is simply wonderful and even though his approximation is essentially humorous character, remember to leave a space of glamor and possible appeal. Tick \u200b\u200bis the three characters The Adventures ... , the nicest and most versatile, but also the most culpable, which considered more their homosexuality incompatible with the father (or any role "respectable"). Of course that overcomes these doubts, because The Adventures ... is a machine to satisfy the wishes and tastes, mainly intended audience as I was when I saw more than ten years: male, slightly biased and incapable of admitting even affection for a few songs of ABBA. If Frank'n'furter could sneak into our party and put acid in beverages to abuse the Divine unprepared and could break the door panzazo then set fire to the ballroom, Tick and his politely ask permission and offered as opening number Dani Umpi . Well, there will always be more fun than MIDACHI .

Hedwig (John Cameron Mitchell): hard to imagine a better start than Hedwig & The Angry Inch (2001), the explosive device directed, written and starring John Cameron Mitchell to that Apparently no one listened to pop. The film begins with Hedwig and her band performing 'Tear me down ' shit in a bowling alley. It is nothing more than that, a rock band playing a great rock'n'roll song, but it is impossible to take your eyes off Hedwig / Mitchell. You know it makes sense that after having played the role in hundreds of functions in the work of the emergence of the film and that with the extra help of editing, the performance we see is not exactly spontaneous. But the shots are long, unlike the micro-assembly of video clips where taken and repeated every second that the idiot accidentally portrayed resembles a rocker, and suffice to note that Mitchell's body language / Hedwig is amazing. Have that kind of feline grace but unmistakably male enjoyed by few performers. Hedwig dance like Iggy Pop as Perry Farrell, and Gene Kelly as Mick Jagger never dance (though he tried wonderfully). And in doing so is a king of the stage, a creature of the night only.

Hedwig The clear pattern is Wayne / Jayne County , but sings better and is also a creature of the XXI century, so, like the Brian Slade in Todd Haynes -based David Bowie but with several extra elements incorporated, "also inspired the major figures of the epic glam, adding an inevitable component of postmodernism. And all great stories glam have to use force some sort of grand metaphor homosexual. But the parallelism of Germany Hedwig (female name exists in English but has a connotation that could be translated as "wig of thorns") with the Berlin Wall and its references to the original Greek myth of the androgyne not work as well as aliens Haynes Wildean in Velvet Goldmine, Hedwig movie that is a sort of smaller and more wild cousin, "and when philosophy inspired by the myths and disc of Berlin Lou Reed, the film and the character fall. In contrast, when Hedwig / Mitchell are singing the scene is unsurpassed.

Mitchell's voice, something waterfall but with good record, slightly resembling that of Marianne Faithfull while remaining deeply masculine. Hedwig himself is a transvestite disaster: a big nose rather masculine traits, dress often seems the enemy is past the age to be a star glam and no underarm. To make matters worse, his character is mutilated confessed victim of a failed sex change operation. But when he sings ' Sugar Daddy' or ' Angry Inch' is absolutely magnetic and a whole host of questions about what is success and failure on stage. What's the rock'n'roll, clear. Hedwig is a

beautiful loser, a term that has been used and abused to describe characters that only the second of the two adjectives made them justice. It is a failure with enormous powers, both within the band on stage and even people with forces theoretically superior to theirs, as his ex-lover Tommy Gnosis permanent traitor ( Michael Pitt). Young, fachero, "sensitive" and belonging to exempt may not talent but obviously speculative generation Music Marylin Manson, the character of Tommy Gnosis is obviously more updated than the glam-punk of Hedwig, but at the same time not only the respect but fear him, because he knows that Hedwig is real.

(This happens in a movie, ie a work of fiction, but Hedwig is much more true that many characters constructed in the "real" and the situation you describe is very, very credible. How many invite winners magnificent untalented losers to participate in their records or open their shows, leaving as redistributors of event when in fact they are, once again, tailgating on the credibility of top artists and bands and transiguieron not? I am not thinking in the fictional case of Gnosis, Hedwig, the end of the game of betrayals more emotional and direct, but in these concerts so "Inconsistent" in which some figure of low commercial Olympus to ask any band of under that serves as a support act, an action that is often hailed as generous when usually nothing more than a brutal golden theft.)

And with so much credibility on the shoulders, Hedwig rescues words and meanings. There is nothing easier to hijack a word, and the era of advertising and bastardeo is the era of mass looting of entire sections of dictionaries, and as good thieves, take first the words most valuable jewels family. Words such as youth, revolution, love, violence, anger or rock'n'roll. But a healthy and strong, even of a failure rocker and a failure of transsexual (or a talented artist who pretends to be above), may be purged of impurities a concept that is so cross and Mitchell Hedwig-no, which is its instrument, decides in the middle of the XXI century, that the word has been co-opted by the worst scourges of expression of Western history, talk of Rock'n'roll.

Not all songs present in Hedwig & the Angry Inch are good, the level is rather lower than, say, The Rocky Horror Show or Singing in the Rain, but one of them is outstanding and is the ballad that closes the film, "Midnight Radio." Mitchell there, and left his alter-ego of Hedwig self-contained in a rare paradigm that of the great rock vocalists, singing: "Here's to Patti / And Tina / And Yoko / Aretha / And Nona / And Nico / And I / And all the strange rock and rollers / You know you're doing all right / So hold on to Each Other / You gotta hold on tonigh t "

There are other things besides the wig with thorns, when it abandoned for" Midnight Radio ", including the irony and alienation, which have way to a brutal frankness, not in the secret intimacy of the data revealed but in a melancholy optimism confession reveals a stubborn belief in certain rituals and communicating vessels, which reveals the latest nudity. No wonder the song was started (evoking its own effect) as follows: " Rain falls hard / dry Burns / A dream / Or a song / That hits you so hard / Filling you up / And Suddenly Gone / Breathe Feel Love / Give Free / Know in you soul / Like your blood knows the way / From you heart to your brain / Know That You're whole "

is clear who is talking about serious things.

But I want to go back to frame something for those who know the song is tautological and that seems the most naive of his verses: "And all the strange rock'n'rollers / you know you're doing all right " . When Mitchell sings the second part of this verse, literally howling, not like the bum that seeks empathy and effect in a stadium but as a celebration. Because return to the two previous adjectives and synergy, "strange rock'n'rollers ." For any cynic that concept is an oxymoron, for Mitchell / Hedwig no. And is supported by a simple act of faith, belief in the liberating strangeness. Do not try to convince, for it is something obviously exists, but we've already heard too often similar nonsense, is not it? But suddenly, in one of those because the song you just heard is really powerful, we were thinking about those "strange rock'n'rollers " who are doing everything right. Because there are and if we know that is so curious, yet are resistant to acknowledge its existence, because it involves faith and criteria, means to separate the wheat straw by beating the tabula rasa and insecurity of postmodernism, and our own disenchantment cohiba us the time to recognize or know the strangeness , that thing only and collective which also has the otherness , because that implies also acknowledge our ignorance, our wonder and our wonder. Hare's eyes dazzled. And you can see the forest of arms raised to armpit odor, the arm that is demanding word and individuation from the crowd, and at the same time point real, evident and certainly possibly invisible by its own evidence. As the inevitable end of the song:


And you're shining Like the brightest stars

A transmission On the midnight radio And you're spinning



Your new 45's All the misfits and the losers
Yeah, you know you're rock and rollers Spinning
to your rock and roll
Lift up your hands


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