Staunch Characters

by maxmosher

Well, I can say this for sure: my mood about dating fluctuates more than the European economy. Having been pulled out of melancholia two weeks ago by an unexpectedly fun Pride weekend (karaoke was involved) my outlook has sadly swung back to sour. The Week of the Three Crushes looks to be ending with a whimper not a bang (or banging) and now I’m once again planning on becoming a crazy old dog lady.

Why a crazy old dog lady? Because I’m allergic to cats.

Speaking of which, I’m going to see ‘Grey Gardens’ tomorrow night, which is being shown behind the 519 Community Centre on Church Street. The 1975 documentary by the Maysles brothers is about the cousin and aunt of Jackie Kennedy (by then Onassis) who have whittled away their fortune and now spend their days in a dilapidated East Hampton summer home sunbathing, eating corn on the cob, listening to records and bickering about old times.

But oh, it’s about so much more. The combination of reliance and rejection of the mother-daughter relationship is mythic in its timelessness, while also eerily familiar. The film can be viewed as a metaphor for a certain outdated way of being a lady (marrying rich, having no career, devoting one’s free time to the performance arts, despite questionable talent) which by the 1970’s was rotting from the inside, just like the crumbling, raccoon infested home. Light years before reality TV shows like ‘Hoarders’, the documentary demonstrated how you never really know what’s going on inside the walls of the house across the street.

And, of course, ‘Grey Gardens’ is about how to maintain your personal style on a limited budget, while suffering from alopecia.

It’s about much more, but I won’t give any more away. Come and join me at the 519 Community Centre on Saturday at 9pm.

Also on Saturday during the afternoon, I will be at the WORN table at the Distillery Art Market in the Distillery District (our building is 55 Mill Street). It’s a good chance to pick up the new issue, help support the mag by buying one of these fabulous gay puppets and to actually get down to the Distillery District.