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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 15, 2002)
42 J im * » march IS. 2002 DIVERSIONS ................. T ................. Even some of Waters’ fans consider his work disposable camp trash, made simply to provoke and to shock, hut this attitude overlooks his films’ underlying stubborn validation of the outsider. Like the director’s core gay audience, Dawn refuses to conform to other people’s notion of how she should live. If many straight viewers couldn’t embrace her hilarious portrait of a “madwoman” who remains true to her dream, however fractured, queer viewers should. — Gary Morris A refurbished Fem ale Trouble plays March 22 to 28 at Clinton Street Theater Trouble at the Clinton ohn Waters’ Fem ale Trouble has been sadly neglected since its release in 1975. And no wonder. Although outrageous from start to finish, the movie still lacks any infamous notoriety such as Divines doo-doo snack in Pink Flamingos, and it didn’t help that Waters seemed to reject his early bad-boy persona and the films that went with it. He made higher-profile, almost mainstream stuff such as Hans pray and Serial Mom, seemingly happy to trade his old “prince of puke” label for the more stately “indie godfather.” Female Trouble is the gaudy biography of Dawn Davenport (Divine), a hefty high school slut who hates her life, longs for glamour and fame, and gets raped (by Divine out of drag) and knocked up on Christmas morning on an old mattress just off the highway. She marries a hairdresser, whose fag hag aunt Ida (Edith Massey) plots against her. She has a juvenile delinquent daughter, Taffy (Mink Stole), and after a few odd jobs (surly waitress, go-go girl, cat burglar) becomes a nov elty model for a fascist couple who run a beauty school. All manner of insanity ensues. Fortunately, Female Trouble, just released in a refurbished print with new footage and playing March 22 to 28 at Clinton Street Theater, has survived as Kith a brilliant example of personal vision triumphing over a lack of budget and a hilariously vicious satire of everything boring and normal (read: heterosexual) in life. Waters details Dawn’s world with the amused detachment of an anthropologist. The characters’ ruthless rejection of convention is everywhere apparent, including motherhcxxl (“Thank God I had an abortion!”) and hetero sexuality (“Queers are just better!” ). Come to the cabaret Y ou couldn’r visit a cabaret in Paris for $3, hut you can in Portland, Oregon. Dante’s Café and Cocktail Lounge serves up “Vaudeville,” a comedy and cabaret show every Tuesday night beginning at 9. It’s a nonstop evening of entertaining freaks and geeks offering queer-friendly weirdness: master magician Reed McClintock; spinnings of DJ Dairy (not for the lactose intolerant); fire juggler extraordinaire Mike the Menace; Shay- na, the heart-stopping trapeze artist; daring sword swallower Pandora Pandemonium; Aziza (winner of the Bellydancer of the Universe title); Kitty Diggins, Portland’s most famous burlesque dancer; and, of course, Bubbles the drunken, depressed bunny. New on the docket are drag queens Vannessa Lynn and Veronica DeVore, who are pleased as punch with the evening. Admitting apprehension at performing outside the normal venues, dear Vannessa says that she had “a great time” and that the whole thing had a “Moulin Rouge-type feel.” Throw in Nicole Kidman and I’m there. Dyke on a mission S omething new is going on ’round Portland. Here’s the idea: Every Saturday and Sunday evening lesbians will descend on a bar and coffee shop, respectively, creating Dyke Night Portland. You don’t need an invitation, just an e-mail from the listserv telling you the loca tions of the upcoming takeovers. The firebrand behind this gaiety, according to one of her e-mails, is “just a girl” who has been in town for six months and has had trou ble finding lesbian friends. “I’m not renting out venues,” the anonymous list moderator says, “just hoping we can take over.. .by pure numbers.... The bars are not giv- 10 years In the Life T he gay and lesbian cultural news magazine In the Life celebrates its 10th season of profiles and interviews on and about all things queer— from political figures to sex to gay parenting. The stalwart program next airs on Ore gon Public Broadcasting at 11 p.m. March 26. The theme is leaders and pio neers in leadership, most notably various activists’ response to the question “who should lead the gay and lesbian movement?” The show also profiles several govern ment figures. Virginia Apuzzo was appointed in 1997 as Assistant to the President for Management and Adminis tration for the Clinton White House, making her the highest-ranking openly gay official in government. U .S. Rep. Sabrina Sojourner is the first out African American lesbian elected to Congress. Sir Ian McKellen is profiled on In the Life Deborah A. Batts was the first out lesbian openly gay man to he knighted by British roy to be appointed to a U .S. federal court. alty and who turned the whole thing into a Also profiled is Oscar-nominated actor Sir one-man show, A Knight Out. Ian McKellen, who, in 1991, was the first ing us official dyke nights, we’re just going.” She says the first Dyke Nights— March 9 at the Shiinghai Tunnel and March 10 at Shot in the Dark Coffee House— showed promise in that many women showed up. Unfortunately, they also looked around and left without taking off their coats “presumably because they saw no dykes." Witnessing this “over and over,” the moderator’s latest e-mail encourages women to stick it out. “Ladies,” she writes patiently, “had you stayed, the next group would have seen dykes— you!” »The next Dyke John Trudell mixes spoken word and rock ’n’ roll March 20 at PSU Nights are March 16 in The acclaimed poet and musician will per the upstairs bar of the GixxlFm t Lounge, form with his hand, Bad D ig, in support of his 2845 S.E. Stark St. (you should know this new album, Bone Days, March 20 at Portland address), and March 17 at Anna Bananas, State University’s Smith Memorial Center. 1214 N.W. 21st Ave. Time of arrival is un (See Page 28 for complete information.) important, hut queers will start showing up Bom of mixed tribal hlcxxl, Trudell grew up about 9 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. in and around the Santee Sioux reservation To receive ongoing Dyke Night lix:ations, near Omaha, Neb. The struggle against eco e-mail dykenightportland@yah(xxcom. At 90 nomic and cultural deprivation eventually people on the list so far, there’s no reason this would become the raw material for an uncom shouldn’t he great. promising artistic vision. Trudell became an activist in the late ’60s working with the organizations Indians of All Tribes and American Indian Movement until 1979, when his wife and three children were uch fun and hilarity were found March 3 killed in a fire. In the same year, he met Jackson at Darcelle XV for the annual Closet Browne, who helped him express his anguish Ball contest. The event is organized by through p<x'try and music. Mr., Miss and “The lines were my Ms. Gay Port bombs,” he writes, “my land along with explosions, my tears.” the Imperial With 20 years of writ Sovereign Rose ing and recording eclectic Court. soundscapes, as well as Contestants multiple collaborative are intrixluced at projects and tours, the beginning of including benefits for the show in their indigenous causes with “natural” state, the Indigo Girls, Trudell then transformed is a master of his craft. by their “spon Still, the sound remains sors,” who have fresh, with a haunting, until the end of timeless quality that the show to cos Em press Poison Waters (right) and C loset Ball almost seems un tume them as winner Blaze Cheval rehearsed. Expect tribal opposite gender- rhythms, chanting and ptxitics against a hack- wise as possible. There is a drag show, of course, drop of good old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll. during the transformations, then judges pick the best metamorphosis. This year’s winner is striking leopard-skin- TiR>i Yiwmy clad redhead Blaze Cheval. Pnxreeds from the event go to Outside In. hat a great reason In other ISRC news, the group raised $2,000 to head down the at the Stars Twinkle and Shine Show, an Colum bia River annual fund-raiser for Camp Starlight, which Gorge. T he HcxxJ River serves children whose lives are affected by Diw ntow n Business HIV/AIDS. The hardworking Empress Poison JIOOD R1VTU Ass<x:iation and the Waters, together with Darcelle XV, has pledged Colum bia G orge Arts to raise $50,000 for the summer program. and Culture Council have announced the return of First Friday. On the first Friday of every month, dozens of local artists exhibit their work at various ohn Trudell’s artistic goal is very simple, he downtown Htxxl River businesses. There’s also explains. “To communicate the human live music and samples of local ftxxl and wine. experience at a level that human beings And gosh dam, you’ll probably have to make can recognize and relate to. That may he a per a weekend exit of visiting this lovely little burg sonal statement. It may he a political state ment. But whatever it is, it all comes from the because First Friday runs from 5 to 8 p.m. same point of reference: the experiences we Compiled by LlSA B rahshaw share as peoples of this planet.” Out off the closet and plenty to wear M Gorge on wine and cheese « «• Music ffor the soul n
