Gay Woke Stuff
When liking cool shit is political
I don’t feel like analyzing the election, but many people’s lives have been irrevocably changed because of it.
So, since certain parties are bent on making this kind of material illegal, let’s take the brief remainder of our freedom to enjoy art involving our gay, trans and POC friends.
FIGHT CLUB
Doubt I need to explain what this book/movie is, since it’s bled deep into the culture since 1999, but I do feel the urge to remind everyone: I find it incredibly ironic that the pejorative term “snowflake” from this very work got co-opted by right-wing numbnuts, since it was coined by author Chuck Palahniuk, a gay man writing about toxic masculinity, and how destructive it can be.
… also, probably, about how repressing one’s sexuality can lead to explosively bad consequences.
But go ahead, watch the movie again, and tell me Pitt and Norton aren’t giving each other fuck-me eyes.
TANGERINE
Sean Baker’s latest “Anora” is one of the better films this year, and it’s a great companion piece to his earlier film “Tangerine,” about transgender prostitute Sin-Dee Rella, on Christmas Eve in L.A., fresh out of jail, and hunting down her pimp, who was unfaithful to her while she was locked up.
Baker’s incredibly thoughtful in his depictions of sex workers and transgender people. Everybody has a voice, and an inner life. And, maybe most impressively, Sin-Dee is a hilarious character, even when (or maybe especially when) she’s acting like a complete lunatic.
RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE
Miss… Vaaaaaanjie…
I didn’t realize that when I briefly worked on a comedy show about drag queens, that I’d be making a political statement, but somehow, people doing what they enjoy by dressing in (amazing) drag, harming nobody, and entertaining millions, is a real sticking point with conservatives. Sorry y’all’s, but these queens rule. Or, uh, slay, to use the parlance.
A competition to see who can be the best drag queen, made up of fashion shows, musical performances and comedy sketches, “Drag Race” is silly, goofy, and just dang funny. I’ve worked on a lot of shows, and every time I work on “Drag Race,” I belly laugh. Honestly can’t say that about every show I’ve done.
Also, I think that RuPaul‘s song “American,” is low-key revolutionary, as the Queen of Drag simply declares “I am American… just like you too,” in the face of those who’d try to argue otherwise.
INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (TV SERIES)
Have to admit, I admire Anne Rice’s books more than I enjoy them, and the Tom Cruise/Brad Pitt early 90s movie didn’t really resonate with me (aside from both the book and movie depicting the utter tragedy of turning a child into a vampire).
The series, on the other hand, I really click with, and I’m hardly alone. Starring Grey Worm hisself from “Game of Thrones,” Jacob Anderson plays a black man living in early 20th century New Orleans, who meets the love of his life when that lover turns him into a vampire. An exploration of a million topics, from discovering one’s sexuality to being in an abusive relationship, the series takes the source material and adds a couple of layers. For extra bonus fun, Eric Bogosian plays the Interviewer, and he’s at his most Bogisian-y, sarcastic, eye-rolling, constantly underwhelmed by the deadly predator sitting across from him.
S.A. COSBY
Crime and noir, like horror, are incredibly flexible, and allow for all kinds of stories and perspectives. Jordan Peele brought a new POV to horror with “Get Out,” and I would go out on an already-crowded limb to say that S.A. Cosby is doing the same thing for crime books.
So far, I’ve only listened to “Razorblade Tears” and several of his short stories, but I’m very taken. Cosby nails the essence of noir, and adding his perspective of the black experience in America hits that much harder. His stuff moves, and his voice crackles.
CHRISTA FAUST
I’ve only read a couple of her books, “Choke Hold” and “Money Shot” put out by Hard Case Crime, but they’re delightful. A self-described “pervert,” Faust’s books take place at the intersection of genre and kink. The heroine of “Money Shot” and “Choke Hold” is a former porn star, Angel Dare, and both books are in alien worlds - porn and MMA.
It’s been a few years since I read them, but I remember absolutely racing through them, just zingy page-turners. She’s also got a number of movie tie-ins she’s written that I haven’t been able to track down for reasonable prices, but if anybody knows how to get your hands on her “Final Destination 3” or “Nightmare on Elm Street” books for cheap, I’m listening!
If you’re looking for other great stuff, Criterion’s streaming app has a “Queer Noir” section this month that’s just excellent, and includes some surprises (to me, anyway, but I’m kinda dense) that were sorta queer-coded, like “Double Indemnity” and “The Maltese Falcon.” Check them out!
Y’know, while it’s still legal.
My short story “Bastards of a Lesser God,” is in Guilty Crime Story Magazine!
And don’t forget “Plastic Nest,” at Pulp Asylum!
We watch “Primary Colors” on “The Hold Up…”
… and talk perseverating behavior on “Sensory Overload!”
© 2024
Have ye read or listened to any of the Pentecost and Parker Mystery books? Good 40s set hardboiled mysteries starring a lesbian detective.