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8 • The Lambda • January 1993
ENTERTAINMENT
Locals ‘band’ together for benefit show
Hlf^’iSweetmanl
B-GLAD Benefit
featuring Gravity’s Pull,
Kid Sister, Prophets of Circe
and Flyin’ Mice
Febuary 7, 9 p.m.
Cat’s Cradle
Tickets: $3 at the door
O pportunity is knock-
ing with a ven
geance. You'd best
be ready. This town hasn't
exactly been knocking down
doors to show support for its
queers in recent years. Now
it’s here, and it’s offering us
money. And music — great
music.
On February 7, Cat’s Cradle
will hold a B-GLAD benefit
show featuting Kid Sister,
Prophets of Circe, Flyin’ Mice
and Gravity’s Pull.
The charming Mindy Dawn
Friedman, who will emcee the
event, said she was glad to
lend her talents to the cause.
“1 think it’s important to
support a group that provides
such a vital service to the com
munity,” she said. “At a time
when hate crimes are on the
rise and laws are being passed
to discriminate against homo
sexuals, it is important to pro
vide as many positive and
uplifting events as possible to
show the strength of together
ness.”
Friedman went on to add
encouragement to potential
party-goers. “I hope everyone
comes out to support B-GLAD
and enjoys an evening of pul
sating entertainment.”
There are two people re
sponsible for organizing this
activity ... two people, prob
ably not of this earth ... two
people lost in the wilderness
of their flyers, phone calls and
organizational stress. Karen
Lally and Chris Berini are B-
GLAD’s own personal Social
Co-chairs, and they are the
pulse that keeps the social
blood of B-GLAD flowing.
Lally said she is very excited
about the concert. “It’s great
to see so many local artists and
performers supporting us, es
pecially bands that are so
popular in the Triangle,” she
said. “We need to get as many
people to the concert as pos
sible, not just for the funding
but also to show that a group
like B-GLAD can have wide
spread support.”
B-GLAD leaders said they
are very appreciative of the
bands’ efforts to support the
queer cause in Chapel Hill.
The bands are performing at
no cost to B-GLAD,
Ruth Vienneau (I) of Kid
Ruth Vienneau of Kid Sister
was excited to be involved.
“We have 100 percent sup
port for B-GLAD, and it
sounds like it is going to be a
real hoot,”
B-GLAD leaders said money
raised at the benefit concert
will not be put to waste. As a
student-run organization, B-
GLAD is in constant need of
funds, they said. Not only is
Sister soys the concert will be 'a real hoot/
this benefit going to be the GLAD members and support-
biggest party to rock Chapel ers to have a lot of laughs and
Hill since Wonder Woman, hear some really cool music at
but it also puts money into the Cat’s Cradle. And it is time to
bank for B-GLAD. And with- get a point across to UNC.
out that extra money, B-GLAD B-GLAD is here to stay and
may one day see its office and to prosper and to have fun.
its programs go spiraling down The group is also here to kick
the commode — all because homophobic butt,
ofan arbitrary decision by Stu- Don’t miss out on the best
dent Congress. knees-up this side of the gal-
But for now, it is time for B- axy.
The return of the Paris burn
Paris Is Burning
directed by
Jennie Livingston
Video, 1991
B
efore I first sawjennie
Livingston’s Paris Is
Burning, a friend rec
ommended it to me, claiming
that even though it was a docu
mentary, it was just like La
Cage aux Folks. As a result, I
went to the theater heartened
by the notion that I was going
to see a comedy, only to find
that I was experiencing a very
poignant and affecting docu
mentary—one that, although
containing many humorous
moments, was hardly a non
fiction counterpart to La Cage
. Recently out on video, Paris
is Burning gives the viewer a
Brant
crash course in the society of
the Harlem drag balls. The
drag queens who compete in
the balls are members of dif
ferent houses — for example,
the House of Xtravaganza or
the House of Labeija, each of
which constitutes a kind of
family for its members. Each
house is presided over by a
mother, who is usually “leg
endary” (i.e., a veteran who
has won a number of trophies
in drag competitions).
Livingston shows the balls
in all their glory; they tran
scend their modest settings
(YMCAs and Elks Club halls)
through sheer ( sensory over
load. The drag queens present
themselves not only in spec
tacular designer gowns, but
also in business suits and mili
tary uniforms, as well as many
other types of attire. College
students, millionaires, aristo
crats — the list of different
categories seems endless.
The performances at the
balls are impressive and run
the gamut from the sublime to
the ridiculous and back again.
Among the more striking ones:
Willi Ninja voguing at a speed
that would appear to be some
where around Warp 9; Octavia
St. Laurent giving a startling
portrait of a fashion
supermodel; and Dorian
Corey dispensing bits of drag
folk wisdom as he applies his
makeup with all the concen
tration of a neurosurgeon.
Livingston’s directorial style
is noteworthy as well;- her use *
of fast edits creates some stun-
ningjuxtapositions. When she
cuts from scenes at a ball to
scenes of people walking
through New York City, the
“normal people” (most of
whom are middle-class
whites) appear to be as much
in costume as the drag queens
are with their pretension and
demeanor cut to ribbons by
the razor-like parody of the
queens.
At this point, most of you
are probably thinking: “That’s
all well and good, but you
started this review by saying
that this movie wasn’t a com
edy, that the performances are
great and that the film is often
hilarious. What gives?”
Good question. The prob
lem is that as much as 1 rejoice
in the performances,
Livingston forces the viewer
to confront the sadness of the
situation which most of the
drag queens face.
One sentiment that a num
ber of the queens echo—par
ticularly the younger ones —
is that the balls are the only
places where they can be them
selves. In short, they are
trapped in a society in which
they are only allowed to be
themselves a tiny fraction of
the time. All of their energies,
perhaps even all of their lives,
are channelled into an effort
to win a trophy at the ball.
So Paris Is Burning is not La
Cage aux Folks. Instead, it is a
well-produced and thought
ful documentary that intro
duces its viewers to the the
Harlem drag ball scene with
out allowing them to bask in
complacence. The ball scene
is presented in all its complex
ity, with no attempt to over
simplify or sugar-coat either
the culture or its participants.
It’s well worth the rental price.