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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 2, 2004)
aprii 2. 2004 ■ FILM s he famous cinematic journey down the yel low hrick road seems to have been taken away from us by this cruel modem world. Once the exclusive province of the queer, the queer-at-heart and those too naive to recognize the layers of gayness that permeate the entire affair, the colorful, giddy classic The Wizard of Oz now seems most prominently appreciated as a reclaimed stoner flick. (The potheads found out you could turn down the sound and cue up Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon to achieve an eerie synchronicity, apparently an earth-shattering experience when one is properly “relaxed.”) Now, instead of being The Movie T hat Indirectly Inspired Stonewall, it’s The Movie T hat Indirectly Inspired the Munchies. The stoner version relies on home technolo gy that didn’t exist when this writer was a young ster, though. Remember the pre-VCR days when we had to wait for the networks to show old movies? Well, I’m proud to be a member of what was possibly the very last generation to experi ence The Wizard as an annual televised event. No amount of commercial interruption am id have diminished the prospect of its broadcast in the eyes of my feverishly anticipatory self between the ages of 4 and 11. It inspired a sense of expectation, a devotion unmatched even by the routinely scheduled and, therefore, less special television I staunchly refused to miss: Wimder Woman and The Golden Grris. My blissfully ignorant parents had never heard of gaydar; if they had, I picture a sort of gaydar-alarm going off at top volume to the tune of “O ver the Rainbow.” O f course, all of us— gay, straight and every thing in between— were affected by the film when we were children, but when it comes to the formative-gay-experience factor, it wasn’t Ding-dong! Come out, come out, wherever you are for Sing-a-Long W izard o f Oz by C h r is t o p h e r M c Q u a in about just liking it hut about loving it to the point of identify ing in a way that could make one quite reckless. For example, how else can a young lad unabashedly descend on his playmates wearing a Burger King crown, waving a “wand” (actually a depleted paper towel roll) and trilling, “I’m G linda, the G ood W itch of the N o rth ” than if his head is somewhere in the magical land of Oz? This is according to the experience of, um...a friend of mine. The film plays like a secret metaphorical preparatory manu al for children on the common places of queer experience: Oz is like a great big gay bar where a W hat a bitchy queen w on’t do for a good pair of shoes. little girl from Kansas, who hap Sing-a-Long Wizard of Oz Gay N ight, complete with pens to he a fag hag ahead of costume contest, is April 17. her time, learns all about strictly platonic friendships with polite yet irrepressible of the West, who’s mean to Dorothy because men who have a ready show tune on hand for she’s cuter and has better shoes). every occasion. It’s, frankly, an invaluable resource for gay She runs across a gruff-on-the-outside, children who may otherwise learn too late tenderhearted-on-the-inside “bear” (the Cow about the special appeal of tiny little dogs or ardly Lion) and queens prissy (the Tin Man), that getting groomed, primped and made over dizzy (Glinda) and bitchy (the Wicked W itch beforehand is vital, even if one Jias come to a H giviag aid your desires ■ ■ " m ) : s I P p p P II 1 m C e le b ra tin g B o d y E ro tic Portland • April 24- Call Al, 505-493-9421 Bodij Electric School www.bodyelectric.org F R E E H IV T E S T IN G Every Thursday Hours: Harm 3701E. Vancouver, sp^mia Hair Cut & Color And M o r e ! wvw.spank-u.com Needle Anonymous! E veryone «deserve* to be SPANKED now an«) th en ! 1433 NE Alberta • S03 280 5280 We w a n t to S jo a n fe & F r o c f e y o u u p ! A makeover contest sponsored by Spank and Frock' Call us (or details city to obtain o ne’s missing vital organs, or th at striking up a rousing sing-along is a per fectly appropriate way of coping with one’s fear of evisceration by lions, tigers and bears (oh my). Speaking of sing-alongs, the time has come for those of us who know what it feels like for the world not to understand one’s childhcxxl craving for sparkly red footwear (or perhaps a later inclination to follow in the footsteps of the Tin Man by hitting up random strangers for lubrication) to come together in a context that will actually encourage us to belt along to our favorite Wizard of O z numbers. After the unequivocal success a few years ago of Sing-a-Long Sound o f Music (I’m told that flick has a few gay fans, too), Cinem a 21 is bringing to Portland a sing-along version of the great and powerful O z April 9 to 18. H ere’s the best part: A pril 17 is Gay N ight, featuring a costume contest. N ot only will you once again get to follow the yellow hrick road, you and your friends will also be following th at on-screen bouncing hall to an ecstatic height you’ve only previously experi enced by “ruining” th e movie for fussy fellow viewers who simply couldn’t appreciate the heart and soul you pour into your own stun ning renditions. A nd you’ll do it in a gingham dress. Have fun, munchkins. in S ing - a -L ong W izard of O z plays 7 p .m ., plus 2 p.m. weekend matinees, April 9 to 18 at Cinema 21, 6 1 6 N .W . 21st Ave. Gay Ni^ht is 7 p.m. April 17. Tickets are $10 for opening night, $12-$16.50 all other times from the box office or www.ticketweb.com. See Page 44 for a special contest only for Just O ut readers! ■49
