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An Interview
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Continued
example would be
filmmaker John Water’s “Serial
Mom”, there are no gay characters
but isn’t the joke really that
it’s a film by a gay guy about a
straight family that has some major
fucked up problems.
It’s through his life that he’s lived this
or observed this. Gay people are
more observant than
straight people. I’m not sure what
that’s about, except maybe our ob
servational dedication to
the artificiality of our world. Making
films or making art is like making
ceremony. We’re in
charge of the ceremony. The fag
does the catering, the floral arrange
ments...
Anthony: Designs the clothes.
Blanchon: Right, and styles the hair,
.the makeup - we’re In charge of the
artifice. We’re in
charge of a fake thing. Like the idea
of culture is our job. Keeping culture
alive is up to the
straight people. Our job is too aes-
theticize it - to make it beautiful, or
ugly, make it a film,
a video, porn - that’s what we do.
But in art’s case, it’s almost a fake
artifice, if I can say those
two words together, because It is
such an unnecessary part of life.
But it’s the part of our life
we need to keep on living. It’s a part
of our head that says we’re not ani
mals or run on instinct.
We run on emotions and intellect,
and as fags and dykes we are really
PageUNovemberl998
critical of that look.
Anthony: Well, as any artist does.
Blanchon: Yes, but for myself as a
fag, it’s entrenched in everything I
do. Sexuality is so
complicated, but on another level it’s
banal. It’s simple or just there. You
can take a look
at the old school of psychology &
see it’s not controlling, it’s just inte
gral to everything I do.
Let’s say I make art, and it’s not
because I’m a S & M bottom, but
certainly having experienced
perhaps being that character will in
form what I’m doing even if I’m mak
ing an architecture
plan for IBM. My sexuality, or any
part of my life will inform what I’m
making.
Anthony: As will any part of your
history - where you were born, who
raised you...
Blanchon: Right. And that’s why I’m
saying it’s degrading to call it “gay
art” or “AIDS art".
I don’t think there is such a thing as
“AIDS art”. There’s AIDS, which
people are dying from, and
there’s art. and the two can’t be
intertwined that easily. I mean, AIDS
has been a part of my
life for 15 years and keeping myself
alive - and getting violently ill -
there’s no place for art there.
It’s not about art - it’s about staying
alive. Art is about vitality, but I don’t
want to get confused
by it. I don’t want to be confused as
to what feeds what. And I think gay
art, AIDS art, black
art, women’s art, to call it that is so