Wigstock: The Movie
Encyclopedia
Wigstock: The Movie is a 1995
documentary film
focusing on Wigstock
, the annual drag
music festival that had been held New York City
's East Village
through the 1980s and 1990s. The film presents a number of performances from the 1994 festival, including Crystal Waters
, Deee-Lite
, Jackie Beat
, Debbie Harry
, Leigh Bowery
, Joey Arias
and the Dueling Bankheads
. The film also captures a performance by RuPaul
at the height of his mainstream fame.
Wigstock: The Movie also goes behind the scenes, examining the rehearsal process of a number of the performers including Lypsinka and the "Wigstock Dancers." Members of the crew assembling the stage and attendees are interviewed about their experiences at the festival and some of the performers give interviews about the importance of drag and transgressive gender expression in their lives. One memorable moment features Wigstock Mistress of Ceremonies
Lady Bunny
on the telephone with a city representative inquiring about the possibility of placing a wig on the Statue of Liberty
.
A soundtrack album for the film, featuring many of the performers included in the film, was released in 1995. In addition to the performances the CD includes comments delivered from the stage by Lady Bunny
.
filmed a 20-minute documentary, also called Wigstock: The Movie. The short played the gay and lesbian film festival
circuit in 1998
.
1995 in film
-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
focusing on Wigstock
Wigstock
Wigstock was an annual outdoor drag festival that began in the 1980s in New York's East Village that took place on Labor Day. Traditionally the festival would act as the unofficial end to the summer for the gay community of New York City...
, the annual drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
music festival that had been held New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
through the 1980s and 1990s. The film presents a number of performances from the 1994 festival, including Crystal Waters
Crystal Waters
Crystal Waters is an American dance music singer and songwriter.-Childhood and young adult life:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Waters is the daughter of Betty and Junior Waters, a famed jazz musician; her great aunt, Ethel Waters, was one of the first African-American vocalists to appear in...
, Deee-Lite
Deee-Lite
Deee-Lite was an American house and club/dance group, formed in New York City, United States. The group's best-known single was "Groove Is in the Heart", from their 1990 debut album, World Clique. However, Deee-Lite achieved longer lasting success on the U.S...
, Jackie Beat
Jackie Beat
Jackie Beat is the drag persona of actor, singer, songwriter and screenwriter Kent Fuher. Beat has appeared in a number of independent feature films both in and out of drag, including Wigstock: The Movie, Flawless and Adam & Steve...
, Debbie Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
, Leigh Bowery
Leigh Bowery
Leigh Bowery was an Australian performance artist, club promoter, actor, pop star, model and fashion designer, based in London. Bowery is considered one of the more influential figures in the 1980s and 1990s London and New York art and fashion circles influencing a generation of artists and...
, Joey Arias
Joey Arias
Joey Arias is a New York City based performance artist, cabaret singer, and drag artist.Born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, he was six when he moved with his family to Los Angeles. After singing with the rock band "Purlie" on Capitol Records and a stint with famed improvisational group the...
and the Dueling Bankheads
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an award-winning American actress of the stage and screen, talk-show host, and bonne vivante...
. The film also captures a performance by RuPaul
RuPaul
RuPaul Andre Charles , best known as simply RuPaul, is an American actor, drag queen, model, author, and singer-songwriter, who first became widely known in the 1990s when he appeared in a wide variety of television programs, films, and musical albums. Previously, he was a fixture on the Atlanta...
at the height of his mainstream fame.
Wigstock: The Movie also goes behind the scenes, examining the rehearsal process of a number of the performers including Lypsinka and the "Wigstock Dancers." Members of the crew assembling the stage and attendees are interviewed about their experiences at the festival and some of the performers give interviews about the importance of drag and transgressive gender expression in their lives. One memorable moment features Wigstock Mistress of Ceremonies
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
Lady Bunny
Lady Bunny
The Lady Bunny is an American drag queen originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, who has lived in New York since the 1980s. She is the founder of the annual Wigstock event and is well-known as a nightclub DJ, promoter and celebrity...
on the telephone with a city representative inquiring about the possibility of placing a wig on the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
.
Soundtrack
A soundtrack album for the film, featuring many of the performers included in the film, was released in 1995. In addition to the performances the CD includes comments delivered from the stage by Lady Bunny
Lady Bunny
The Lady Bunny is an American drag queen originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, who has lived in New York since the 1980s. She is the founder of the annual Wigstock event and is well-known as a nightclub DJ, promoter and celebrity...
.
Song listing
- Lady BunnyLady BunnyThe Lady Bunny is an American drag queen originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, who has lived in New York since the 1980s. She is the founder of the annual Wigstock event and is well-known as a nightclub DJ, promoter and celebrity...
- "Calling Lady Liberty" - Lady Miss KierLady Miss KierKierin Magenta Kirby , better known by her professional name Lady Miss Kier, is an American singer and DJ.-Personal life:Kirby was born in Youngstown, Ohio and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
- "Touch Me with Your Sunshine" - ErasureErasureErasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
- "Cold Summer's Day" - Crystal WatersCrystal WatersCrystal Waters is an American dance music singer and songwriter.-Childhood and young adult life:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Waters is the daughter of Betty and Junior Waters, a famed jazz musician; her great aunt, Ethel Waters, was one of the first African-American vocalists to appear in...
- "100% Pure Love" - NYG's - "The Real Thing"
- Tabboo!Stephen Tashjian"Tabboo" redirects here, you may be looking for "taboo".Stephen Tashjian is an American artist. His drag queen character Tabboo! became known in the East Village underground scene of New York City in the 1980s...
- "It's Natural" - Jackie BeatJackie BeatJackie Beat is the drag persona of actor, singer, songwriter and screenwriter Kent Fuher. Beat has appeared in a number of independent feature films both in and out of drag, including Wigstock: The Movie, Flawless and Adam & Steve...
- "Kiss my Ass" - RuPaulRuPaulRuPaul Andre Charles , best known as simply RuPaul, is an American actor, drag queen, model, author, and singer-songwriter, who first became widely known in the 1990s when he appeared in a wide variety of television programs, films, and musical albums. Previously, he was a fixture on the Atlanta...
- "Free to Be" - Billie Ray MartinBillie Ray Martin-Career:Billie Ray Martin has had dance and pop hits in various collaborations and as a solo artist. Initially a guest singer for S'Express , she went on to work with the electronic/pop/house-music group Electribe 101. The group's only album was Electribal Memories because it disbanded...
- "Space Oasis" - ChicChic (band)Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...
- "Chic Cheer" - Mistress Formika - "Fight for Your Right (to be Queer)"
- Nancy Boy - "All That Glitters (Come Out Come Out)"
- Joey AriasJoey AriasJoey Arias is a New York City based performance artist, cabaret singer, and drag artist.Born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, he was six when he moved with his family to Los Angeles. After singing with the rock band "Purlie" on Capitol Records and a stint with famed improvisational group the...
- "Them There EyesThem There Eyes"Them There Eyes" is a jazz song written by Maceo Pinkard, Doris Tauber, and William Tracey. It was published in 1930. One of the early recorded versions was done by Louis Armstrong in 1931...
" - Donna Giles with David MoralesDavid MoralesDavid Morales is an internationally acclaimed Grammy-winning house music DJ and producer. In addition to his production and DJ work, Morales is one of the most prolific remixers of all time, transforming many pop music songs into club-friendly dance tracks...
- "Gimme Luv" - LovelandLoveland (band)Loveland was a British house group, formed in 1994 by Mark Hadfield, Paul Taylor and Paul Waterman.The group scored several dance hits in the UK in the middle of the 1990s, and released one album, 1995's The Wonder of Love. McFarlane was the group's 'featured' lead vocalist, and was often...
- "Hope (Never Give Up)" - Jon of the Pleased Wimmin - "Passion"
- Marc AlmondMarc AlmondMarc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
- "What Makes a Man a Man" - Deee-LiteDeee-LiteDeee-Lite was an American house and club/dance group, formed in New York City, United States. The group's best-known single was "Groove Is in the Heart", from their 1990 debut album, World Clique. However, Deee-Lite achieved longer lasting success on the U.S...
- "Somebody"
1987 film
In 1987, filmmaker Tom RubnitzTom Rubnitz
Thomas Block Rubnitz was a video artist most often associated with the New York East Village drag queen scene of the late 1980s. His video tapes were mainly inspired by pop culture and Las Vegas style shows. A number of his works featured RuPaul and members of the B-52's...
filmed a 20-minute documentary, also called Wigstock: The Movie. The short played the gay and lesbian film festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
circuit in 1998
1998 in film
-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
.
External links
- Wigstock: The Movie on IMDB
- Wigstock: The Movie (1987 short) on IMDB