Sunday 1 February 2009

_I'm Currently Watching . . .



_The 2002 Docu-Movie 'The Cockettes' about the 1970's San Francisco based Drag Troupe - Brilliant.

"As the psychedelic San Francisco of the '60's began evolving into the gay San Francisco of the '70's, The Cockettes, a flamboyant ensemble of hippies (women, gay men, and babies) decked themselves out in gender-bending drag and tons of glitter for a series of legendary midnight musicals at the Palace Theater in North Beach. With titles like "Tinsel Tarts in a Hot Coma" and "Pearls over Shanghai", these all singing, all dancing extravaganzas featured elaborate costumes, rebellious sexuality, and exuberant chaos.

The Cockettes inspired the glitter rock era of David Bowie, Elton John, and The New York Dolls, and the campy extravaganzas of Bette Midler and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. "Their influence will be felt years from now,'' wrote Lillian Roxon, in her Top of the Pops column during the troupe's New York run. She proclaimed The Cockettes 15 years ahead of their time, and predicted, "Every time you see too much glitter or a rhinestone out-of-place, you (will) know it's because of the Cockettes."

Trivia: On the Weekend of 22 December 2002, the movie grossed $75.00 (by contrast, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) took in $62,007,000).

No comments: