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Freaks, Glam Gods And Rock Stars: The Nyc Story: Review

FREAKS, GLAM GODS AND ROCK STARS: THE NYC STORY
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"What is a freak?" filmmaker John T. Ryan asks a cross-section of New York scenemakers, and the answer — "A free person" — represents the consensus. New York City is a more corporate and tourist-friendly place than it was in its punk heyday. But Ryan's defiantly scrappy look at the drag queens, poets, punks, performance artists and musicians populating New York clubs in the first years of the 21st century proves that the underground isn't dead — it's just laying low. Ryan is a proud practitioner of rough-around-the-edges, DIY filmmaking, and gravitates towards performers with the same dismissive attitude towards mainstream polish (Donovan Leitch's Nancy Boy is a striking exception): Most of the bands he showcases will never be seen on MTV. They include longtime NYC fixtures The Lunachicks, one-time Warhol protégé Jayne County, Mad Juana (featuring Sami Yaffa, formerly of Hanoi Rocks, and his wife Karmen Guy), The Toilet Boys, BOOB!, goth-rockers the Brickbats and the now-defunct shock/performance rockers The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black. Some of the performance footage is outstanding, while the interviews with performers are generally less impressive; let's face it — most musicians don't have much to say. Ryan also devotes a lot of footage to Wigstock, Manhattan's annual celebration of all things drag. Wigstock founder The Lady Bunny is featured performing her trademark parodies of pop pap like "If You Could Read My Mind" and "La Vida Loca," which are far more interesting than the interviews with drag artists who either love or loathe her. A little drag queen back-biting (or deification, for that matter) goes a long way. Ryan also spends time with Laurel Barclay of Daddy, who divides her time between the band and spoken-word performances; follows D.W. Friend of the Brickbats to his day job as a grade school art teacher; talks to gravel-voiced Brooklyn native Zane Fixx, veteran of several unknown glam rock bands, about trashy dressing; and throws in some footage of the Village Halloween parade for good measure. Is the film unfocused? You bet, and it feels longer than its 74-minute running time. But it's an intriguing document of New York City at a particular place and time (between 1998 and 2000), and it will only look more interesting in years to come. leave a comment --Maitland McDonagh
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