THIS TIME FOR KEEPS

The second day of Living Archive openings at KW-Kunst Werker,Institute of Contemporary Art
was actioned swacked in downtown Mitte. I can never find KW even though I have performed there twice in the last few years.Luckily I ran into Anjelika from CHEAP Jewelry and her cute young son, and she pointed me in the right direction. So glad I got there early because I was able to listen and watch Susanne Sachsse’s magnificient video installation Series Ladies twice and was ready for more, but I didn’t want to be greedy as there was a big line of people waiting for my earphones. Later in the evening there was a mob scene around the installation which is a good sign as people usually aren’t able to focus on any individual piece during an art opening. La Sachsse and Ludwig Schoenherr’s Happy and Stupid Structures presentation by film historian Marc Siegel were the most talked about pieces and looked heavenly.
Series Ladies had me laughing out loud-its charms are many and varied, with a delicious soundscape score by John Blue, fashion forward make-up,hair and styling by the ever brilliantine Tan Binh Nguyen,and production design by Turkish hunkster Senol Senturk. Its all about the details and the detailing with this video exhibit is utterly divoon. You will be hearing a lot from Frau Sachsse in the coming months so be prepared as she conquers the art cosmos.
There is also fine work on hand in this group exhibition by Nanna Heidenreich, Angela Melitoupolous, Stephan Geene, and Martin Ebner who designed the gorgeous pink Living Archive poster and logo. The VIPs in attendance: Ellen Blumenstein chief curator at KW, Anja Lueckenkemper, assistant curator at KW, Knut Ebeling of Weissensee Kunsthochschule, Till Sperrle who did the excellent layout for the Living Archive Catalogue, Katharina Fichtner of the Canadian Embassy, Adela Yawitz of KW, the beautiful Bolivian/German theorist Max Jorge Hinderer Cruz with girlfriend Falke Pissano, Birgit Kohler, Milena Gregor, Annette Lingg and Nadine Yoss of the Arsenal Authority,Marieta Kestig, Haji Hendrickson, Ruth Schoneger who did the fab editing of Series Ladies with her super hot and very young looking mom,Schonherr muse and former prima ballerina Beatrice Cordua, Tan Bihn Nguyen, Yorgos, the hunky Byzantine/Ottoman art god, the Brazilian connection of Karim Anouz, Mario Brandao with a visiting New York pal,DJane Olga Damnitz, Angela Anderson, Eunice Martin, Neboja Tabacki who is designing sets and costumes for Susanne Sachsse’s production of the Snow Queen at the Parkauer Theatre, Dorothee Wenner and her perfect daytime glamour,Uli Ziemons and a glowing Arsenal Empress Stefanie Schulte Strathaus. Thursday evening it was back at the Arsenal for South Afrikan muscle sex god Darryl Els’ Shifting Grounds: Reflections on National Identity in the Archive where he presented the groundbreaking film Come Back Africa Directed by Lionel Rogosin-USA/South Africa 1958. This movie which was the first title in the Arsenal’s collection has recently been restored with b&w photography that shimmers, and features a cameo singing performance by the Great Miriam Makeba looking stunningly delicious and seductive. I’ve never seen Ms. Makeba this young. No wonder the wealthy director of the film went cookoo for the Coco when he saw her. Darryl also told me that Harry Belafonte couldn’t resist the lusty exhuberance of the youthful Miriam Makeba when he stole her from Mr. Rogosin. Thank you Mr. Els for rediscovering this film and for your background information. Can’t wait to see the other films that Darryl will present. After his screening was a Melbalic panel discussion with Angela Melitopoulos, Stephan Geene, the hilarious Marc Siegel who can liven the bleakest funereal procession, cute and cuddly baby otter of a curator Anselm Franke and the charming Berlin scholar Gertrud Koch.
Was able to sneak away from Living Archive for a moment to meet up at the Cheese Endique Trifecta with visiting academia royal Dr. Professor Jose Munoz of New York Universities Performance Studies Department. The effervescent Dr. Munoz was in high spirits taking a break from his fellowship duties in Bavaria to shout a personable “Howdy” to the locals taking his Vagimule Doll out for a scrumptious dinner at the Italian boite Sale E Tabacchi off of Friedrich Strasse at Rudi Dutschke Strasse 25 in Stadt Mitte. We were joined by the glamorous Frau Susanne Sachsse and Marc Siegel. The food is out of this world, though our elderly waiter we could have done without. The atmosphere quite compelling which took the the form of a young humpy swarthy type sitting in the patio with his parents who all agreed was stellar by starlight eye candy cream d’mint.
So sad to report the death of Hollywood golden age star Esther Williams. She passed last week at the grande old age of 91. Metro Goldwyn Mayer created the new filmic genre around the fetching Ms. Williams with the aqua musicale. My favourite quote of Miss Williams that she said to horndog Peter Lawford, “Keep your hands to yourself! I’m not part of your stroke”. When they appeared together in the 1948 film On an Island with You. My fav of her many films was 1949’s Neptune’s Daughter where she sang along with Ricardo Monteban the Oscar winning ditty “Baby its Cold Outside”. I also liked her in Million Dollar Mermaid where she played former aquatic star Annette Kellerman, Take Me Out to the Ballgame 1949 with Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munschin and Betty Garrett,Easy to Love 1953 with that snipey little alcoholic faggot Van Johnson, Pagan Love Song 1950 and Jupitar’s Darling her last musical at MGM both co-starring Howard Keel and Pagan featuring the dancing married couple Marge & Gower Champion.
In her autobiography she wrote about having a torrid love affair with Victor Mature and that heman actor Jeff Chandler was a straight crossdresser. Both items I completely believe. Miss Williams began her career when MGM wanted a sports star to compete with 20th Century Fox and their icescapdes pics starring Olympic ice skater Sonja Henie.

ROTE OHREN FETZEN DURCH ASCH

Living Archive Festival is finally here and last night was the resplendid grand opening at Arsenal Inst  fur film und video kunst that was packed beyond the rafters.  The evening began with Daniel “Haji”Hendrickson as Jehovah of Armies introducing the triumph-verant team  of Milena Gregor, Birgit Kohler and Empress Stefanie Schulte Strathaus who gave impassioned speeches kicking off the 50 year jubilation that is the Kino Arsenal and this most ambitious monthlong artistic observation that is Living Archive.  The VIPs who gave further tribute:  Bernd Neumann State Minister for Culture and Media who promised to support Arsenal for the next 50 years.  He was being recorded so this saavy politician will have to stay true to his word.  Also Hortensia Voelckers the Artistic Director of the German Federal Cultural Foundation and Erika and Ulrich Gregor, the co-founders and long term directors of the Freunde der Deutschen Kinemathek and the first Family of German Avante gard cinema.  In the foyer was a delicious spread catered by Trattoria A Muntagnola and drinks bartended by the Gersch Twins: Salome & Richard with assistance by Garet.  Everyone was in a festive mood and feeling quite celebratory.  Ran into Darryl Els the bright eyed and sparkly South Afrikan curator/studkin whose Living Archive program is this Thursday at 6pm.  Susanne Sachsee of CHEAP was looking quite lovely and her video installation will open tonight at the KW along with the Ludvig Schonherr install.  Herr Schonherr’s gorgeous wife and muse Trixie Cordua was filled with her usual good cheer, along with Uli Ziemons and his hot girlfriend Julianne, Marcin Malaszczak, Julian Radlmeier, Marc Siegel, the always stunning Dorothee Wenner whose Family Affairs docu can be seen at the Arsenal’s website and in the Arsenal’s Rote Foyer, DJane Olga Damnitz, Angela Anderson, Constanze Ruhm, Angela Melitopoulos, Florian Zeyfang, Stephan Geene, The Reboot FM Radio team, Gertrude Koch, Birgit Hein, and Eunice Martin who after the party masterfully accompanied the 1928 Soviet film by Alexander Dowshenko that gave the Arsenal its name.

GEIST IM EXIL

Met with film historian suprema Marc Siegel, Muslim Jihadist Daniel Hendrickson and East German intermedia starina Susanne Sachsse at Kino Moviemento for the 8^th Annual Xposed Queer International Film Festival.  Was delighted to be able to catch the retrospective screening of the re-discovered short subjects of overlooked underground gay filmmaker Avery Willard.  This electric program was wonderfully moderated by Toby Ashraf and featured screenings of the films Gay Boys from the 1940s which looks very much like internet amateur porn of today where two fit and well endowed young lads engage in some robust fornication, followed by Rugged Men, 1964, Reflections 1966, Dream Boy, 1967, Clouds 1968 and Salome- Dance of the Seven Veils 1965  featuring Mario Montez look-a-like Adrian, the devils daughter.

Making a live appearance with his sensational films Dandy Dust and Flaming Ears was the geniuses genius that is the one and only Hans Scheirl in Berlin from Vienna just for the festival.  When I first saw Dandy Dust back in Los Angeles in the late 1990s it mesmerized me.  Dandy Dust is a movie unlike any other and is a whirling dervish of hypnotic imagery, that is smart, whimsical and lusty.  The plot revolves around a patrician humanoid’s interstellar misadventures throughout the ages. Its as if Gertrude Stein’s Orlando and Baron Muenchhausen were merged with James Joyce’s Finnigan’s Wake. 

I had never seen 1991’s Flaming Ears, so it was an utter  treat.  A large group of us retreated for dinner after Dandy Dust at a nearby Indian Restaurant so unfortunately we missed about 30 minutes of Flaming Ears which I found to be a saaphic sci fi version of Joseph Losey’s Modesty Blaise with not one but three different versions of Monica Vitti. After the screening Mr. Scheirl was joined on stage with co-directors Ursula Puerrer and Dietmar Schipek for a lively round midnight Q&A session.  In the audience making the festival scene: Anna Muelter, Max Jorge Hinderer Cruz,with the beautiful and brave Liad, the Isaeli widow of the late queer theorist dreamboat supreme Tim Stuettgen, Angela Melitoupolous, Katja Diessenbach, art theoretician Sabeth Buchmann, Piero Bellomo, ginger  artist Gwynel,and producer Jurgen Brunning with young sexy Turkish/German actor Fahri Yardim.

Manuel Schubert and I had a juicy time visiting the studio and atelier of kJohnnyBlue in KreuzKoelln interviewing him about his Living Archive project for FilmHighlights Magazine.  kJohnny was very gracious and generous allowing us into his highly masculine musical world.  Manuel and I were lucky to be given tiny  preview tidbits of the lovesexy Mr. Blue’s upcoming musical performance which take place on June 29^th at 11pm at the Gruner Salon at the Volksbuhner.

Last night Ms. Nancy Barton of NYU and her handsome Jewish stud of a husband Michael took me out for dinner at East London-God Save Brit Food.  We had a fab time together along with Professor Dr. Lawrence Rickels who is the curator of the exhibition Wood(s) at Zwinger Galerie that opened May 18^th till July 13^th.  The lovely bound catalogue for the show Woods-On Identification With Lost Causes looks beautiful and I can’t wait to poor through it.  Dr. Rickels is also involved in the Whole Earth Exhibition and Conference at Haus der Kulturen Der Welt  that is curated by Diedrich Deiderichsen and Anselm Franke giving a talk on Cybernetics and Holism on Saturday June 22^nd.

PUBERTAET RELOADED

Received several emugs from people asking me what i though of the remake of The Great Gatsby starring Leo DiCaprio.  Mr. DiCaprio before he became a matinee idol was my teenage neighbour in the Los Feliz Village section of Los Angeles over 20 years ago.  Also living in this neighbourhood was writer Dennis Cooper and punk/metal star Glenn Danzig who owned a spooky looking house on Franklin Avenue between Hillhurst and Vermont.  Little Leo as I use to call him back then would be one of the skateboarding teens hanging out on Vermont at the old Amok Bookstore where Mrs. Michael Glass held court.  Next door was the Beastie Boys and Kim Gordon boutiques.  The director Spike Jonze who is the heir to the  Spiegel Catalogue fortune also spent a lot of time in the area with his then hunky boyfriend who was an aspiring singer/songwriter.  Yes you heard it here Spike Jonze before he married Sophia Coppolla was a trendy queer boy on the scene going to underground parties like Fuck,SissyClub USA, Sin-a-matic, Sit n Spin,Trade and Hai Karate.  But getting back to my thoughts on The Great Gatsby.  I was surprised that I actually liked the first hour of the film.  Toby McGuire made a good Nick Carraway, and was definitely better then Sam Waterston who played the role in the 1974 Paramount film starring Mia Farrow and Robert Redford.  Leo was certainly better then Redford and now that Mr. DiCaprio is in early middle age he is much handsomer then when he was a pretty youth.  His age lines give him texture.  Mia Farrow was a  much better Daisy Buchanan then the blondine actress who plays her in this version whose name I can’t recall . . .oh and Bruce Dern as Tom Buchanan still can’t be beat as well as Karen Black in the role of the doomed Myrtle.  I hate modern day 3-D movies-they turn every flick into a cheese corn animated film. 

As a movie buff I am embarrassed to admit that I have never seen the silent film version of Gatsby or the 1949 Paramount remake starring Alan Ladd with Shelly Winters as Myrtle.

Had a nice interview at the Cheese Endique Trifecta with a sweet young American writer and artist Ali Fitzgerald for a US arts publication.  She also wants to do a graphic novel presentation with me for Bitch Magazine.  The next morning I had a power photo shoot with a German based arts and culture magazine called Manipulate, Monogomy or something with an M. The stylist was only able to find caftans and dashikis for me to wear and the gay overblown hair queen make-up artist was a bit clueless with his plucked eyebrows so I had to just tell him to do me simple glamour. His first attempt I wound up looking like one of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. 

Been feeling a little under the weather but was cheered up by being invited to breakfast by a handsome visiting curator who shall remain un-named as he doesn't want anyone stealing his ideas for an upcoming project.  Floating on a cloud on my way back home I saw a sight that you can only see in Berlin, namely a  German new age looking man the kind that you would see leading a drum circle walking a rangy mutt of a medium sized dog with dreadlocks.  I kid you not.

Was thinking about the LA Creole Mafia the other day. I started to wonder what ever happened to Michael Duet? Michael was a blue eyed blondine haired Creole boy who I went to school with from elementary to high school.  Michael’s family and my Creole mother’s clan The Duplantier’s are related.  I think all of the Louisiana Creole’s who moved to Southern California during the great migration are all related in some way. The Duet Family all looked very white with decidedly caucasion features, and hair you could run a fine tooth comb through. What gave them away is when they opened their mouth and nothing but the ghetto came clanging out, sort of like Beyonce Knowles.  Michael Duet was born hunky and got more manly as he got older.  We were never friends growing up, but were friendly with each other.  He was a smart boy but choose to act like he was dumb, and by middle school he was a complete stoner, so although I found him quite attractive I never liked hanging around people who smoked weed. Another Creole family of note was the Guinvere’s. Roger Guinvere Smith became a somewhat well known character actor with a feature role on the HBO series OZ.  Roger also hung out a bit in the punk and underground LA scene and was pals with Lawrence Fishbourne when he use to be the doorguy at Contemporary Artist Space in Hollywood, which was a tiny art space on North Cahuenga in Hollywood in the early 1980s run by Janet Cunningham who was a white Louisiana transplant who later became a casting agent for punk rockers and other weird bohemian types in TV and movies.  Janet cast all the punkers in the famous Quincy TV episode starring Jack Klugman.  The Aubrey’s were the most famous LA Creole family with all its members being either journalists or city politicians.  Erin Aubrey was one of my wonderful colleages at the LA Weekly and received a lot of attention for a cover story she wrote about the politics of having a voluptuous rear end.

PRINZIP DER LUST

My performative lecture at Ballhaus Naunynstrasse as part of the academic conference DECOLONIZING THE “COLD” WAR / BE.BOP 2013. BLACK EUROPE BODY POLITICS went over smashingly well with an SRO crowd that included bootacious scholar Nanna Heidenreich, Skandinavian Muslim Warrior Daniel Hendrickson, set designer Senol Senturk, Kurdish art ingenueNazli Kalerci, intermedia sensation Susanna Sachsse, the gorgeous young Columbian/German director Simon Jaikiriuma Paetau who has two films in the Xposed Film Festival with his pal the modern dancer boy beaut from Cartagena Columbia Jair Luna, film scholar Maja Figge with her filmmaker/artist girlfriend Bettina, tanzer Juliana Piquero, Walter “Post Coloniality is his middle name” Mignolo,Cecilia Tripp(cineaste/artshtar), Karim Ainouz, Mario Brandao,Wagner Carvalho, Raul Moarquech Ferrera-Balanquet and the delightful Dannys Montes De Oca Moreda of Centro De Arte Contemporaneo who puts on the Cuban Biennale and informally invited me to participate. Would love to chow down on the large pingas of those Island men of Havana. Speaking of chowing. I spent a lot of time in my dressing room after the event with my beautiful German tech boy Gustave who is extremely love sexxxxy with a capital T. Special shout outs to Brazilian lovely Silvia of Ballhaus, Jens, Tessa and curator Alanna Lochwood. The last week has been especially sad because of the suicide of one of the smartest,most talented people to grace the principality of Berlin Mr. Tim Stüttgen. I hadn´t known Tim for a very long time, but I appreciated his commitment and enthusiasm to queer adventurism in all its many facets and explorations. I will always cherish his complete spontaneity when he appeared on my talkshow/installation Vaginal Davis is Speaking From the Diaphragm as part of Camp/Anti-Camp last year where he geniusly impersonated a Bel Ami blue movie starlet with hilarious results. There will not be a day that will pass where I won´t be thinking of the beautiful Tim Stüttgen. I love you and miss you. 
Rising Stars, Falling Stars- We Must Have Music! Sunday evening was very bittersweat because it was also the evening of Tim Stüttgen´s memorial at bbooks. Our salute to the feminist tap dancing sensation Eleanor Powell and her 1940 film Broadway Melody was packed to the utter rafters with Hollywood musical enthusiasts that included Oscar Isaacs (straight from the Cannes Film Festival)the star of The Coen Bros Inside Llewyn Davies with prima ballerina Trixie “Beatrice Cordua” Schonherr,Daniel Hendrickson, Arsenal Empress Stefanie Schulte Strathaus, Uli Ziemons, Markus Ruff all gearing up for the monthlong Living Archive Festival,actor Jim Parrack(As I Lay Dying)femcee Iggy Azalia with Bond girl Gemma Arterton, the glamorous Manuela Monk, Frankfurt legend and writer of the spiritual tome Eine Echte Diva-Mock –Up. Miss Monk was my co-host when CHEAP brought Camp/Anti-Camp to Frankfurt at the end of last year with VD is Speaking from the Diaphragm. So great seeing Manuela who was accompanied by the sweet Martin Waßmann of Berlin´s Wintergarten Variete Theatre and their young friend David. Manuela regaled with more stories of her time spent with the legendary Eartha Kitt in the 1980s here in Berlin. I was rolling on the floor when she told me that one time she and Eartha wound up in the wrong hotel room and had to make a quick skadaddle before the room´s real occupant emerged. The Living Archive Festival ends on June 30th with a RSFS-WMHM presentation of Vicente Minnelli´s 1970 film On A Clear Day You Can See Forever starring Barbra Streisand and Yves Montand so mark it on your calenderia.

VAGINAL WEIGHTLIFTING

Rising Stars Falling Stars - with Vaginal Davis & Eleanor Powell - May 2013 by Filmanzeiger on Mixcloud