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Кокетты
Формирование1969 г.
Растворенный1972 г.
ТипТеатральная группа
ЦельПсиходелический , трансгендерный , музыкальный
Место расположения

В Cockettes были авангардный психоделик хиппи театральная группа , основанная гибискуса (George Edgerly Harris III) [1] Осенью 1969 года труппа была сформирована из группы хиппи художников, мужчин и женщин, которые жили в Kaliflower , одна из многих коммун в Хейт-Эшбери , районе Сан-Франциско, Калифорния. Гибискус переехал к ним из-за того, что они предпочитали возмутительно одеваться, и предложил идею вывести их образ жизни на сцену. Позже в магазине на 992 Valencia Street, теперь Artists 'Television Access . [2] [3]

На их театральный стиль повлияли «Живой театр» , «Дом смешных » Джона Ваккаро , фильмы Джека Смита и ЛСД-этос «Веселых шутников» Кена Кизи . Труппа исполнила весь оригинальный материал, поставив мюзиклы с оригинальными песнями. Первый год они пародировали американские мюзиклы и пели шоу-мелодии (или оригинальные музыкальные комедии в том же духе). После этого они приобрели подпольный культ, который привел к массовому разоблачению.

В начале 1971 года несколько участников первоначальной группы отделились от Кокеттов и сформировали свою собственную театральную группу « Ангелы света» . Noh Mercy (ранее On The Rag ) и Tuxedomoon сформировались из Ангелов Света . [2] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]]

The Cockettes были предметом документального фильма 2002 года под названием The Cockettes, снятого Дэвидом Вайсманом и Биллом Вебером. [14]

Подземные начала [ править ]

В Пагода театре дворца в Сан - Франциско «s North Beach окрестности, импресарио Себастьян (настоящее имя Милтон Мирон) [14] пусть Cockettes выполнять как часть его Nocturnal мечты Show, [15] витрина подземных фильмов , в обмен бесплатно допуск. [16] Плакаты для этих представлений были разработаны Тоддом Трекслером. [17] Гала- вечер костюмов «Футурама», новогодняя вечеринка на научную фантастику, организованная создателями шоу «Ночной сон», собрала шумную аудиторию в количестве около 600 человек. [18] [ необходима страница ]Шоу вскоре стало обязательным для посещения модным сообществом Сан-Франциско. Комбинируя танцы под влиянием ЛСД , декорации , костюмы и собственные версии шоу-мелодий (или оригинальные мелодии в том же духе), Кокетты выходили на сцену каждый месяц, выступая перед субботним полуночным шоу Nocturnal Dream Show. Среди названий шоу были « Унесенные шоуботом в Оклахому» , « Пироги с мишурой в горячей коме» , « Путешествие к центру Урана» , « Смаки и наша банда» , « Голливудский Вавилон» и « Жемчуг над Шанхаем» .

Слухи об этих шоу быстро разошлись, и к сентябрю 1971 года Кокетты приобрели репутацию пионеров контркультуры Сан-Франциско. После того, как местное освещение прессы и визирования знаменитости , как модельер и светская Вандербилт и автор Трумэн Капоте , [18] [ Страница необходимости ] в Cockettes привлекла к себе внимание от культуры и образа жизни таких изданий, как Rolling Stone и Esquire и общие журналы интерес , такие как Look и Жизнь .

В 1971 году The Cockettes выпустили короткометражный фильм «Свадьба Триши» , высмеивающий свадебную церемонию дочери Ричарда Никсона , Трисии Никсон ; Глава администрации Никсона Х.Р. Холдеман устроил секретный показ фильма для сотрудников Белого дома. [19]

Стиль исполнения [ править ]

Семья Кокеттов стала пионером в создании эклектичного стиля одежды и костюмов, невиданного ранее. Они черпали вдохновение из различных источников, таких как немое кино, Голливуд 1930-х и 1940-х годов, бродвейские мюзиклы и художественные формы сюрреализма и кубизма. Используя одежду и аксессуары прошлых эпох, найденные на блошиных рынках и в комиссионных магазинах, они объединили эти различные разрозненные элементы в образ, который был уникальным и вневременным, исследуя свои собственные личные фантазии с помощью метода сборки, создавая наряды, которые теперь считаются культовыми. в рамках движения носимого искусства. Костюмы Кокетта были дополнены фирменным мастерством макияжа, наиболее известными из которых были мужские бороды с блестками и преувеличенный макияж глаз. На сцене их выступления изначально были спонтанными, незаписанными и импровизированными,предпочитая экспериментальный и экспериментальный подход к театру, где результат был неизвестен, в результате достигнув ощущения магии. Ко второму году их ежемесячных выступлений начали появляться сценарии, вольно основанные на определенных темах с персонажами, основанными на личностях отдельных игроков, включая оригинальные песни и музыку. Их главный опус был трехактной пьесой.Жемчужины над Шанхаем , с рассказом и словами Линка Мартина и музыкой Скрамбли Колдвина.

Философский раскол [ править ]

В течение первого года Кокеттам не платили за спектакли, хотя билеты на спектакли продавались за 2 доллара, а выручка шла владельцу театра (в течение первого года Кокетты бесплатно пронесли многих зрителей в театр через черный ход). [20] Причина отсутствия интереса к оплате заключалась в том, что группа, вышедшая из хиппи- сообщества Хейт-Эшбери , тогда не была сосредоточена на деньгах. [20] Позже, когда в аудитории «Кокетты» стали входить такие знаменитости, как Трумэн Капоте и члены европейских королевских домов , группа настояла на оплате. [20] Тем не менее, в конечном итоге выплаченные суммы были минимальными.

Поездка в Нью-Йорк [ править ]

После того, как Hibiscus покинул группу, некоторые из участников увидели в его уходе возможность извлечь выгоду из внимания средств массовой информации из статей в Rolling Stone и статей Морин Орт в Village Voice, а также из национальной синдицированной колонки Рекса Рида . [21] В то время как «Гибискус» был посвящен анархии и разрушению границ, другие участники группы увидели потенциал этих усилий и даже наняли театрального директора. [21] Гибискус был явно политическим и приверженцем бесплатных выступлений как части этоса хиппи. [21] В то же время Сильвестрбыл отмечен как выдающийся номер для его пения. Он получал финансирование от Грегга Гобеля, сына Джорджа Гобеля , и начал превращаться в опытного певца, даже наняв The Pointer Sisters в качестве своих бэк-вокалисток. [22] С исчезновением Гибискуса, де-факто лидера группы, [23] планы проведения шоу в Нью-Йорке, которое могло бы катапультировать группу к еще большей известности, были приведены в действие и связаны с двойным счетом Кокеттов и Кокеттов. Новая группа Сильвестра. [22] Хотя рок-промоутер Билл Грэм упустил возможность выступить в Нью-Йорке, он связал группу с Гарри Зерлером, богатым искателем талантов для Columbia Records.", и назначил Сильвестра на разогреве. [22]

Новости 47 Cockettes пансионатов полета была покрыты местным телевидением и группа взяла на самолете в полном сопротивлении . [24] Однажды в Нью-Йорке они были размещены в грязном отеле, где героин легко оценивался, но большую часть времени проводили в качестве знаменитых гостей на десятках вечеринок, где они могли бесплатно есть и пить, открывая счет в местной закусочной и получая бесплатные поездки на такси. [25] Сильвестр знал, что Cockettes не преуспеют, но он был полон решимости дебютировать как рок-звезда и тренировался со своей группой каждый день. [25] The Cockettes все еще переходили от «случайных событий» к реальным структурированным выступлениям. [25] The group had one week to prepare but they had few resources and little energy after all the parties.[25] They were however the talk of town and their show was the hot ticket.[25]

In November 1971 the Cockettes who had not left to become the Angels of Light, were booked for performances at the Anderson Theater in New York City. The venue had no sound or lighting systems and needed a curtain.[26] The stage was also twice the size of the Cockettes' usual one so all the sets had to be rebuilt from scratch in six days.[26] They opened with "Tinsel Tarts In a Hot Coma", a send-up of films about Broadway in the 1930s. According to accounts of the time, "Everybody who was anybody" came to the Cockettes' New York opening, including such celebrities as John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Liza Minnelli, Allen Ginsberg, Anthony Perkins, Truman Capote, Gore Vidal, and Angela Lansbury.[26] Also attending were Andy Warhol and his own infamous gender-bending drag performers Holly Woodlawn and Candy Darling.[26] But with the Cockettes' loose San Francisco magic, the opening night was a disaster (New Yorkers expected a tightly performed show).[27] And in the theatre things went from bad to worse when Angela Lansbury walked out on the show, soon followed by Andy Warhol and most of the rest of the audience.[27] After the show Gore Vidal quipped, "Having no talent is not enough." Apparently the New York professionals did not view the group as talented.[27]

What had seemed so fabulous in San Francisco did not translate well in New York City.[27] Also, the group did not have enough time to rehearse, so their performances in New York were not their best.[20] Of course, no one told New Yorkers that the Cockettes were rather anti-rehearsal.[27] For the Cockettes, the idea was to have a blast onstage with the true spirit of Hollywood. For San Francisco, the Cockettes, in the late 1960s, were beautiful, funny, liberating, psychedelic messengers from the gods.[27] For most New Yorkers, it was "You've got to be kidding!," and the celebrities the Cockettes had so wanted to impress were not impressed.[27] Later, the Cockettes tried to explain their New York failure by commenting "the New York audiences did not understand us," (although it appeared perhaps New York had understood them). After a week of disastrous Tinsel Tarts... playing to empty houses, they performed their original musical Pearls Over Shanghai for the remaining 2 weeks of their contract, and the Village Voice gave it a rave. But it was too little too late.[20] Sylvester and his band was the lone exception but he disassociated himself after several nights on advice from his business friends.[27]

Notable members[edit]

After the New York run at the Anderson Theater, the Cockettes returned to San Francisco and performed Les Etoile Du Minuit, the final version of Pearls Over Shanghai, Journey to the Center of Uranus and their final show, Hot Greeks. Divine, star of films by noted filmmaker John Waters, joined the group in Journey to the Center of Uranus, thus making her San Francisco debut. In that show Divine performed the Cockettes song "A Crab On Your Anus Means You're Loved" while dressed as a big, red lobster.[20]

After the group disbanded in the spring of 1972, various Cockettes continued to perform, often as solo performers (John Rothermel, who was often cast in a lead role due to his excellent singing voice and knowledge of 1920s/1930s music, had a successful cabaret career in San Francisco), but more often as a group, although no longer billed as The Cockettes.

In the fall of 1972 Fayette Hauser, Tomata du Plenty, Link Martin, John Flowers and Sweet Pam moved to New York City to perform in underground theatre. They lived on the Bowery and performed at the Cafe Cino, The Bouwerie Lane Theatre in the Palm Casino Revue, Club 82 and CBGB's with other groups such as the Ramones and Blondie. Later a few Cockettes formed the group Paula Pucker and the Pioneers.

In 1975 Tomata du Plenty and Fayette Hauser moved to Los Angeles and continued to perform in small theatre venues like the Anti-Club and Al's bar.

In 1970 Tomata duPlenty, inspired by early Cockette shows, went on to create a spin-off group in Seattle, Washington called Ze Whiz Kidz. He also created the seminal L.A. electropunk band, the Screamers, and he was the lead singer. Du Plenty went on to play a Cockettes-inspired lead role in the punk rock musical Population: 1.

Fayette Hauser was the lead singer in the L.A.-based New Age band Interpol with Jeff McGregor and Chuck Ivey.

Sylvester's rendition of torch songs by the likes of Etta James, Shirley Bassey, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, and Lena Horne during his solo spots were always a highlight. After the demise of the Cockettes, Sylvester became one of the most prolific singers of the disco era.

Other core members of the Cockettes were Link (aka Link Martin, aka Luther Cupp), Gary Cherry, Rumi Missabu, John Rothermel, Tahara (whose parents had been rodeo clowns), Goldie Glitters, "Johnny Cockette", Sweet Pam (aka Pam Tent), Martin Worman, Scrumbly Koldewyn (who wrote tunes to Link's Martin's lyrics), Fayette Hauser, Daniel Ware, Dusty Dawn, Linden, Brent Jensen, Pristine Condition (aka Keith Blanton), Reggie (aka Anton Dunigan), Miss Harlow (who had been an original Plaster Caster) and Kreemah Ritz (originally known as Big Daryl) and Chris Kilo who produced a few of the early shows after the Angels/Cockette split. Many other people too numerous to mention performed in only one or two shows.

Current lineup[edit]

In its history numerous performers and performing groups have spun off from the Cockettes, including, among others, the Seattle Ze Whiz Kidz (including actors Tomato Du Plenty and Screaming Orchids; the first Whiz Kidz show was a musical based on the life of Yma Súmac), The San Francisco Angels of Light, The New York Angels of Light and The Assorted Nuts. Many Cockettes also continue to perform in the theatre world today.

A 2009 revival of Pearls Over Shanghai (the libretto was originally written by Link Martin) in San Francisco included the participation of Rumi Missabu and piano accompaniment by composer Scrumbly Koldewyn, with Tahara one of the costume collaborators.[28][29]

On December 3, 2009 several members of the Cockettes (Fayette Hauser, Scrumbly Koldewyn, Rumi Missabu, Sweet Pam, Tahara) came together at SFMOMA for a rare screening of the films Tricia's Wedding, Palace, and Elevator Girls in Bondage followed by discussions and memorable Cockettes moments. There was an afterparty at the Cafe du Nord on Market Street near Noe Street at which the Cockettes-inspired New York drag troupe the Dixie Chicks performed.

Documentary[edit]

The Cockettes were the subject of a 2002 documentary, The Cockettes, directed by Bill Weber and David Weissman. The film debuted at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. It went on to a limited theatrical release and to play the film festival circuit.[30] At the premiere at San Francisco's Castro Theatre many of the surviving Cockettes attended in genderfuck drag. The Cockettes received the LA Film Critics Award as Best Non-Fiction Film of 2002 and the Glitter Award for Best Documentary of 2003.[31]

Related acts[edit]

In early 1971 a few members of the original group broke away from the Cockettes and formed their own theatre group, The Angels of Light. The Angels became a well-known and highly creative San Francisco theatre group during the 1970s. Angels performances were free, with no admission charge. The Angels lifestyle included communal living in an old three-story Victorian house in San Francisco on the north side of Haight Street just west of Divisadero Street. Within the Angel commune house meetings were held every morning, all personal money was pooled into a communal treasury, meals were bought and eaten communally, and a form of complex marriage where each member was married to each other member evolved (all sexual preferences included). During the early 1970s, Martin Wong involved himself with The Angels of Light by designing sets and painting scenery for their performances.[32]

In 1972 Hibiscus, the founder of the Cockettes and of the Angels of Light, left the Angels and moved back to New York City. There he formed his own group also known as the Angels of Light. The troupe included his parents and five siblings all actors and musicians as well as performers from all walks of life. In 1978, Hibiscus started doing more organized shows, including the fairly popular off-off-Broadway show, "Sky High" (performing under the name of Brian O'Hara). In the early 1980s, Hibiscus formed the glitter rock band "Hibiscus and the Screaming Violets" . A five piece band included his brother Fred as an arranger, keyboardist, his mother Ann wrote all of the original lyrics and music collaborating with her son Fred on a few tunes. Hibiscus's sisters Jayne Anne, Eloise and Mary Lou were The Screaming Violets. They played in many of the clubs of the era. Lewis Friedman's SNAFU was their artistic home. On May 6, 1982 Hibiscus died of AIDS in New York City (supposedly the 224th person to die in that epidemic).

Jack Coe (a.k.a. Angel Jack) was another renowned member of the Angels of Light. He was seen later on as a regular performer at Studio 54 in NYC. In the 1990s, he moved to his mother's home in Gulf Port, Florida to help care for her. While in Florida, he would make random appearances and do occasional solo performances throughout the club circuit. In his final years, he befriended multi-media performance artist Mikee Plastik, whom he did his final work with (costume design and photo shoot). Coe died of an AIDS related illness in 2001 in St. Petersburg, Florida at St. Anthony's Hospital (the same hospital where famed beat poet Jack Kerouac died). Several books and documentaries about Studio 54 and its legendary scene have featured and paid homage to Angel Jack.

In 1977 the Angels of Light San Francisco commune disbanded, although the group continued to perform until 1980. At present many of the male members of the Angels of Light have died of AIDS, while other members, still living, have moved on and currently live all over the world.

In 1978, John Rothermel (who had had a successful solo cabaret career in San Francisco, after leaving The Cockettes) moved to New York, after a year-long stopover in his home town of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He had always been a junk shop shopper and had become a collector of Art Deco while still in San Francisco. Later in New York, he became an early collector of Mid-Century Modern/post-WWII furniture and decorative arts. After he initially worked in New York as stage manager for Hibiscus' most successful New York off-off Broadway show "Sky High", he developed into one of the most knowledgeable collectors of Mid-Century Modern. He worked at the Greenwich Auction Room, and independently bought and sold furniture and decorative arts before dying of AIDS on April 21, 1994. (Among his most important finds was a 20" high wood and metal model designed by William Lescaze as one of the finalists for the New York Museum of Modern Art building.[33] Certainly worth $10,000.00 or more, John's mother, Della, donated it to the MOMA after John died.)

Another interesting member was Frank Bourquin, using the name Inez Paloma. Frank was John Rothermel's roommate on Market Street. Frank was deeply into 1920s history and was friends with a bunch of Palo Alto record collectors centered around Ed Linotti, who was director of the Stanford University music archives. Frank was working at the Post Office, but developed an ulcer and left on disability. He was featured in a number of the post-Hibiscus shows; one where he sang Happy-Go-Lucky You (and Broken-Hearted Me), a tune from 1932. Apparently, he later moved from San Francisco to Petaluma and was driving a cab, and died in the late 1980s.[citation needed]

The Cockettes inspired a Brazilian drag troupe "Dzi Croquettes," which are the subject of a 2009 documentary film Dzi Croquettes.[34]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "Sebastian's Nocturnal Dream Shows". Gale.
  2. ^ a b Raskin, Jonah; Hansen, Jeanne. "Alternative Voices: 1980s Punk San Francisco". San Francisco Public Library. Retrieved 17 March 2021. Esmerelda: At a festival in S.F. I met the Angels of Light: genius hippie drag queens, pretty girls and babies all covered in glitter. I found my tribe and sang in their free shows. Angel Gregory went to London and discovered punk and brought it home to us in ‘77. Overnight we cut our hair and became punks. Angel Steven Brown started Tuxedomoon while me and drummer Tony Hotel launched our band On The Rag (Noh Mercy). The Mabuhay and Deaf Club were our stages. We lived in the old Cockettes storefront at 992 Valencia Street. No one worked. We just played.
  3. ^ nohmercy. "Esmerelda & Tony Hotel 1978.on the street and at a party in our storefront at 992 Valencia St. in San Francisco (now ATA gallery)present are lots of punk celebs. See if you can find them!". Facebook. Archived from the original on 17 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Noh Mercy". In Depth Music. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  5. ^ DuShane, Tony (19 April 2012). "Noh Mercy: punk duo finally celebrating 1st album". SFGATE. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Noh Mercy: Show Preview". SF Weekly. 18 April 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Noh Mercy - s/t LP". Superior Viaduct. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Keep On Rocking in the Queer World". The Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  9. ^ Kent, Lavender Grace. "Early Years". Honey Hive of Mendocino. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Lavendergrace Luthientinuvi Kent, Born 03/18/1971". CaliforniaBirthIndex.org. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  11. ^ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0260716/
  12. ^ the deaf club: an un-oral history
  13. ^ Garchik, Leah (25 August 2005). "Leah Garchik". SF Gate. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Sebastian's Nocturnal Dream Shows". The Free Library.
  15. ^ "The Cockettes Nocturnal Dream Shows". noehill.com.
  16. ^ "Pagoda Theatre". Cinematreasures.org.
  17. ^ "Original poster designed by Todd Trexler". Beatbooks.com. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016.
  18. ^ a b Gamson 2005.
  19. ^ Greenberg, David (2004), Nixon's Shadow: The History of an Image, W. W. Norton & Company, p. 117, ISBN 978-0-393-32616-1
  20. ^ a b c d e f The Cockettes, directed by Bill Weber and David Weissman, 2002, GranDelusion Productions.
  21. ^ a b c Gamson 2005, pp. 75-6.
  22. ^ a b c Gamson 2005, pp. 75-8.
  23. ^ Gamson 2005, p. 74.
  24. ^ Gamson 2005, pp. 77-9.
  25. ^ a b c d e Gamson 2005, pp. 79-83.
  26. ^ a b c d Gamson 2005, pp. 81-3.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h Gamson 2005, pp. 83-7.
  28. ^ "Velvet goldmine". metacritic. Retrieved 3 March 2021. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  29. ^ Abney, Andrea (18 June 2009), "'Pearls Over Shanghai': A Cockettes classic", San Francisco Chronicle, retrieved 22 October 2009 CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  30. ^ "The Cockettes (2002) Release Info". IMDB.
  31. ^ "The Cockettes (2002) Awards". IMDB.
  32. ^ Jim Herron Zamora (6 February 2012). "Martin Wong". SFGate. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  33. ^ George Howe; William Lescaze (1930). "The Museum of Modern Art, New York (Scheme 4, First Variation)". MoMA.
  34. ^ Benjamin Solomon (23 July 2010). "Dzi Croquettes". Next Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2011. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)

Bibliography[edit]

  • Gamson, Joshua (2005). The fabulous Sylvester: the legend, the music, the seventies in San Francisco. Macmillan. ISBN 9780805072501.
  • Tent, Pam (2004). Midnight at the Palace: My Life as a Fabulous Cockette. Los Angeles:Alyson Books. ISBN 1-55583-874-X
  • The Cockettes, 2002 documentary.
  • The website for the definitive documentary about the troupe with a history brief
  • Visco, Gerry (article) Cockettes Return! Gay City News June 12, 2008.
  • Gaycitynews.com

External links[edit]

  • The Cockettes and the 2002 documentary about their history.
  • The Cockettes at IMDb
  • Martin Worman papers, 1960-2008, held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (index of resources about the Cockettes)
  • Rumi Missabu collection, 1952-2015, held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (index of resources about the Cockettes)
  • http://fayettehauser.com/ website of Original member Fayette Hauser