GLR September-October 2023

landish and outlawed. These elements are recycled into some thing oddly beautiful: disposable plastic drugstore Halloween vampire teeth, a garland of Pez dispensers, a headpiece of 3-D glasses — a bricolage borrowed from drag and burlesque that draws a line to performers of previous eras, like the acid drag of the Cockettes and the giddy debauchery of Leigh Bowery. As additional photos and the accompanying exhibition cat alog from Rizzoli reveal, Dazzle ’ s theatrical ensembles aren ’ t bound by the footlights or the proscenium arch. They are equally at home at public spectacles in New York City, from pa rades (Coney Island Mermaid, Halloween, Easter) to queer lib eration marches, and events like Night of 1000 Stevies. Dazzle says his costumes are like living sculptures: they morph and evolve through use and wear. While it ’ s hard to cap ture the exact alchemy that marries performer and costume in a museum setting, video clips and elaborately articulated man nequins, swanning through the air or scaling walls, provide a sense of that unique fusion. Ultimately, the show ’ s expansive ness allows viewers to marvel at the paradoxes inherent in Daz zle ’ s signature style: playful yet rigorous, arch but accessible, intricate and unsubtle. It ’ s a more-is-more mode of do-it-your self glamour pitched to the receptive viewer: effusive, dizzy ing, and, in the parlance, fantabulosa. Taylor Mac ’ s 24-Decade History of Popular Music can be viewed at hbo.com/movies/taylor-macs-24-decade-history-of-popular-music. The only serious misstep in Kijak ’ s documentary is the in clusion of “ Phone call between Rock Hudson and friend, ” a taped conversation that was later leaked to the tabloids. The call dates back to 1974. Sounding more like a pimp than a pal, the “ friend ” calls the star to report that some sexy young ingenue has just been signed by Paramount Studios and that Hudson would likely want to get his hands on this fresh meat. He is a “ damn fine boy, ” 6 ’ 2 ” , and “ very good in that department. ” But who is this so-called “ friend ” ? Without any context, the film then rushes into a humble brag by Armistead Maupin, who con fesses that he, too, had his pants “ charmed off ” of him by the rock-hard Hudson. Based on what Kijak is presenting, who did n ’ t? The problem is that the “ phonecall ” leaves Hudson sound ing like a Watergate burglar and, worse, a forerunner of Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced film producer and sex offender who exploited young actresses left and right. Biographer Griffin does a better job than Kijak at connecting the dots between Hudson and Willson, the agent responsible for repackaging Roy Harold Fitzgerald as “ Rock Hudson ” and putting his name in lights. “ In light of the Weinstein scandal and the many firings and resig nations that followed, ” writes Griffin, “ Henry Willson ’ snotori ous brand of star-making seems deserving of its own hashtag. ” Even if All That Heaven Allowed falls short of radicalizing Hudson ’ s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it does jump start the conversation about his life and legacy even if so many questions remain unanswered. Oddly, Rock Hudson is a film Rock Hudson Continued from page 50 No Flowers throws a grenade into Eisenhower-era family val ues and, like many a successful satire, appears all kind and gen tle on the surface.

star still waiting for his closeup. September – October 2023

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