Not "Message Films"

OPEN IMAGE GALLERY

Curran Nault about to go dancing

I remember watching Otto; or, Up With Dead People a couple years ago at aGLIFF (that's the Austin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival noob), and being enraptured. A Marxist-inflected queer zombie movie? I'm in! Luckily I'm not the only one. Scholar Curran Nault will be giving a talk on Bruce LaBruce at this year's Pride festival.

Austin Chronicle: What are you doing for Pride?

Curran Nault: I’ll be presenting a ‘Clip N Talk’ on the irreverent underground queer filmmaker Bruce LaBruce this Saturday (6/5/10) at 3pm at the Long Center (Rollins Theater). There will be some musings from me, lots of sexy images and time for audience Q & A. My talk is part of a fantastic line-up that AGLIFF has put together for Pride. So, if folks want to cleanse their palettes after the punk and perversity of LaBruce, they can follow my talk with some Saturday Morning Cartoons or the documentary Fish Out of Water, a queer-positive look at homosexuality and the Bible.

AC: Why Bruce LaBruce?

CN: Great question. LaBruce is not an obvious choice for Pride weekend. His films have been controversial within LGBTQIA communities due to their radical edge and outlandish amalgamations of sex and violence. As someone who seems to enjoy being a rebel and a social outcast, LaBruce is also not the type of guy who would likely attend Pride. But, as I see it, this is all the more reason to discuss LaBruce in the Pride forum. He brings a perspective to the table that is often absent from large-scale LGBTQIA events and he reminds us of the issues and individuals that are sometimes marginalized in such spaces. Which is not to say that his films are heavy-handed or dull. Quite the opposite: they are humorous, compelling-as-heck and really, really fun to discuss. Overall, I think LaBruce will enrich the Pride experience. It will be a rare treat for the audience to view his work in this context.

AC: Skinheads, zombies, punks, Marxism – What's it all mean?!

CN: Ha! And don’t forget hustlers, porn stars and kick-ass female revolutionaries! The kick-ass female revolutionaries are my favorite. Well, LaBruce’s films demonstrate an erotic and artistic attraction to figures on the edge of society. What makes LaBruce’s films especially intriguing, however, are the ways in which he queerly re-imagines these figures. Across several of his films, for example, LaBruce turns the image of the ultra-hetero-masculine punk/skin on its head, and to amusing effect. As for zombies, well, you’ll have to come to my talk for the full take. But, for one, zombies are the ultimate queer outsiders. All those deviant acts of lurching and cannibalizing and so little love and respect in return. It’s sad really. Poor zombies.

AC: I know! Having to resort to eating intestines instead of brains! Can you talk a little bit about Bruce LaBruce film's relationship to mainstream gay movements?

CN: LaBruce’s films are part of the queercore (queer punk) movement, which, among other things, deliberately sets itself apart from mainstream gay and lesbian culture. Underneath all the sex and silliness, LaBruce’s films often have important things to articulate about the homogenization and corporatization of the gay and lesbian movement (as well as homophobia, queer youth culture, and sexual politics more generally). At the same time, his films are not serious and staunch in tone and they are not alienating to folks with different points of view. They are provocative, but also approachable. His films have messages, but they’re not “message films,” and are beloved by LGBTQIA folks across the spectrum, as evidenced by their popularity on the festival circuit.

AC: What do you hope viewers of your clip n' talk take away?

CN: I hope folks who have never heard of LaBruce will leave my talk wanting to explore his films on their own (they deserve to be seen!) and that people already familiar with LaBruce will leave with a greater understanding of the context and themes of LaBruce’s work. It would also be great if folks left simply excited and energized by the possibilities of queer cinema. Above all, I want attendees to have a good time and for my clip n’ talk to add something unique, valuable and entertaining to the Pride festivities.

AC: What else are you working on right now? How can we keep up with your scholarship?

CN: Right now I’m working on my dissertation, which focuses on queercore and some of its central themes: rage, sex, bodily difference, camp. With any luck, it will one day make its way into book form. In the meantime, I have a published essay on Beth Ditto, lead singer of lesbian dance-punk band the Gossip, and have an article coming out in the journal "Jump Cut" later this month. It’s on pegging pornography.

You heard the man! You better be setting your homepage to Jump Cut and refreshing every day!