JAPANESE UNDERGROUND

 

I don't watch too much television outside of my BBC and PBS shows. So, if I do have the tube on, I often have on TCM as I love old movies. Being a night owl, especially on weekends, I have noticed that TCM plays many arthouse films, and some pretty graphic and racy movies to my surprise. This past weekend was a gem, I had seen once, and had almost forgotten about it. TCM was the only network I have ever seen air the film. The film- Funeral Parade of Roses. The film has always been a twisted favorite and I feel it was before it's time and could be an important film to see if your LGBTQ. It covers gay culture along with typical 60's hippie/drug era and shows you what Japanese culture was back then to young adults. It's a drama along with some psychological tendencies. It gained its popularity when it's said it was the inspiration for Stanley Kubrick to make A Clockwork Orange. Director Toshio Matsumoto's shattering film, a kaleidoscopic masterpiece is one of the most subversive and intoxicating films of the late 1960's: a headlong dive into a dazzling, unseen Tokyo night-world of drag queens, trans-girls and fabulous divas, fueled by booze, drugs, fuzz guitars, performance art and lots of black mascara.

The movies follow Eddie, as she deals with her hateful mother, and another drag queen that despises her, all the while dealing with the booming hippie culture of the 1960's. Eddie is played by a transgender actor named Peter, who gives an astonishing Edie Sedgwick/Warhol-ish superstar like performance. Eddie ends up as hostess at Bar Genet- where she's ignited a violent love triangle with the reining drag queen Leda, gains the attentions of the club owner Gonda. Whether laughing with drunken businessmen, eating ice-cream with her girlfriends, or fighting in the streets with local girl gangs, Pete's ravishing Eddie is something to behold.

In amongst all that, Matsumoto bends and distorts time here, freely mixing documentary interviews, Brechtian film -within-a film asides, Oedipal premonitions of disaster, his own avant-garde shorts and even on-screen cartoon balloons into a dizzying whirl of images, and sound, and music. What surprised me the most all these years later was I had forgotten how gory it was. The very last five minutes are graphic and shocking and squeamish for some. The end scene reminded me a bit of the shocking end to Helter Skelter. There is also the scene where Eddie catches her abusive mother with a lover and stabs them repeatedly. Of course, I had also forgotten about the bombshell twist at the end too. Very twisted.

But kudo's to TCM for playing this arthouse film. This is a key work of the Japanese New Wave and queer cinema. After that movie ended, they aired Performance, which I had never seen. But it was worth staying up till 4:45am. I mean an arty, bohemian film. it had a young, hot and sexy James Fox and Mick Jagger in a bisexual threesome!!!! I recommend viewing both films and have a cock-a-tail to two to enhance the experience.

CHUCKLE

You know, it occurred to me later in the day today, it was 20 years since my father died. I can still remember his last dying words to me like it was yesterday.

"Stop shaking the ladder you little bastard!!!"

MOOD BOARD

Finally, a weekend to truly do nothing but relax and act couch potato like!!!! Did I feel bad I didn't do a damn thing except a few things around the house? Hell no. But it did give me time to start considering what will be going from the wardrobe on a upcoming sojourn though. Always stressful you ask me. And no...it will require more than just my usual fare of a brown paper bag filled with square cuts. I also went out briefly to find a few little trinkets to mail off along with the Freakin Green Elf Shorts to Janie. Yes, they are still with me, but will be saying Bon Voyage like me soon too. And no, I'm not going to France. This board came to mind with my love and fascination growing up studying Marie Antoniette. After seeing some news this weekend, and seeing the antics of the GQP party, I'd like to tell them to sit down, shut up and let them eat cake. Course I love my queens. Most days my mentality is more the Queen of Hearts....Off with their HEADS!!!!!!!!!  

Now I'm in the mood for cake. Or cakes, Whichever hits first.

VARIETY HOUR

What an odd trio to have paired together...and not the first time Cher had Kate Smith on her variety hour show. Kate Smith made numerous appearances.

IN THREE WORDS

In this weekly feature, Ill share a guest with you all, 

and you tell me in only three words, what come to mind.  

In Three Words...

Cyndi Lauper

What you get when Cyndi Lauper meets legendary DJ Junior Vasquez...good times from the Palladium damn it!

"THE KITCHEN"

After three emails asking how the kitchen remodel I did ended up, I had never got around to posting the pictures. I usually like to keep my worked related things off the blog for escape, but here they are. "The Kitchen" as it is called, was a free-lance project I did in the middle of the pandemic and one of the longest projects I ever did. From design time, consolations, personal time shopping, the install, to the final touches, took about 10 months. My friends who asked me to do the project asked me to do it since I wasn't working...and quite frankly I was tickled and honored they asked. I knew their style. but had no clue just how much they planned to spend, or how much time this would take. The house when they bought it had the kitchen already stripped down to bare walls, because the previous owners had planned to remodel, but then lost their jobs in the pandemic, and had to sell their home, so it did save some money for my friends from gutting the kitchen and gave me a clean slate. The cabinets all ended up being all custom made from a place I knew of in NJ from River Wood Craft, which saved much time in the pandemic since they were local. I also had my contractor to do the install and also had him for consultation on any structural issues. See, I can get very clueless sometimes like Joan Crawford..." Knock out that BITCH of a bearing wall, and put a window where a window OUGHT TO BE!" This was the biggest kitchen project I ever did and thought it turned out rather very nice...even though it tested my patience at times.

The floors went in first, followed by the lower cabinets and island.

The kitchen stove went in , a La Cornue, a small fortune you ask me. But Darrin is a HUGE cook, and a good stove was important to him. In the planning when they mentioned that was the stove they wanted, I knew then price would be no object.

The one small pantry got gutted and became a wet bar, and wine frig before entering the dinning room.

Most of the metro tile work and the few upper cabinets were installed. They have such lovely ceramics, pottery collections and dinnerware and such, we though it a same to hide it all in cabinets, and they didn't want a typical kitchen. The one stimulation for me was to try and eliminate upper cabinets. My contractor and I came up with long linear shelves with brackets to run the length of one wall where the window is and run them right past the windows and have them meet the one custom made curio cabinet. It also helped to save money for other things they wanted. Like the Sub Zero frig and the Viking range microwave. The island even had their dog bowls built in. 

Then the fun part of decorating and accessorizing with what they had and infuse with some new things.

There was also a closet for brooms, cleaning supplies and such, that I talked them into gutting out and turning the closest into a bookshelf for all of Darrin's cookbooks, eliminating the need for an actual bookshelf to add into the kitchen. And he has some serious cookbooks.

I was both sad and relived when the project was done, and won't mention the final price tag of the project, but I sure can't complain with my commission of it. It got all banked while I was on unemployment, and by then, by a month, started working for the Dame in his floral shop as his shop assistant. The boys were over the moon when they got home from a trip to the finished kitchen. Of course, the joke ended up on me. As they were so impressed, they asked me to do their dining room next! Soooo.... while I was working in Harrisburg during the week, I spent weekends at my place planning and working before moving from Bucks County on their dining room. It only took a little over a month. But what a difference! And talk about timing...I finished that project and timed my moved perfectly. 

 And friends wondered why I was always so tired.

PORTAITS

Anetta Fish

Danny La Rue

Cheryl Hole

Lesbo

Thorgy Thor

Tempest DuJour

Madame Madness

ART OF THRIFTING

 
This weekend my good friend the Dame wanted to go antiquing and thrifting. It's nice to be able to get back into this again. I know some people have a stigma attached to thrifting, don't have the patience, or find it dirty or down low. But I have gotten many a compliment over the years with clothing and home accessories and furnishings found thrifting and antiquing and mixed in with my up-to-date items, creating a one-of-a-kind style that makes me, me. And I have no problem spending. There are a few times I needed to have my head examined over the prices I paid for some of my designer duds and shoes, and coats. That said, I have no problem paying $2 for a vintage Christian Dior shirt though either. In this modern age, it has becoming somewhat of a conscious trend. Apart from the fashion world and people trying to keep up with constant trends that change every 5 minutes and rooted in consumerism, thrifting is where it is at. Thrifting, not only will you find that the prices won't hurt your wallet, and with antiquing, one can usually, wheel and deal for a lower price, one will often find one - of - a kind pieces, hidden gems, hard to find vintage designer, and long-gone fashion labels. Unlike fast fashion, these pieces are often better quality made and last longer, and the same can be said for wonderful items for the home, that add some whimsy and a feel of eclecticness. Thrifting also benefits the Earth. Consumerism is one of the biggest causes of the rapid climate crisis. When we engage in keeping up with trends, we are buying clothes for short term usage, and ultimately produce more waste. Companies like Stein, H&M, sadly, Zara, and Forever 21 participate in the advertising of these trends. The hidden not so hidden reality of the fast fashion companies like these is that they use cheap labor and use cheap material of their clothing that neither stand up to time and contain microplastics. I, in the pass have bought my good staple and classic pieces and then supplement them with thrift finds. And all these years later I still have a pretty good closet I must say. It's all about mix and matching. The above Carlise Antique Mall was just one place where we ended up this Saturday.  There was much to be seen.

Was in love with the assortment of Gladiola vases.

This fireplace would be perfect for a apartment or extra room for a touch of Swiss Chalet.

This handbag AMOST came home with me!

I fell in love with this Mid-Century china cabinet. A steal at $120!! Perfect for a bar like I did with one, or with a low enough bedframe and box spring and mattress, how cool would this be as a headboard?!?! Picture the mattress coming to the lip below the doors. And the inside filled with books!!!! Talk about bedside reading. And a great space saver for an apartment dweller.

Myself doing my best Iris Apel impersonation.

I saw this and thought of Travel Penguin.

A very nice gin glass on the left.

This settee ALMOST came home with me to be placed at the foot of my bed as extra seating in my boudoir but was a bit too deep with my spacing. I love it though. Hmmmm where else to use it?

This piece was absolutely stunning!!! A good price too at $300 or a better offer. This could make for a nice bar too!

Well, my score for the weekend, were two glass pitchers for water and iced tea, both priced for less then $14 each and a slew of more vintage bottle brush trees that went right into Christmas bins for my ever-growing collection. But as always, I was delighted by my unexpected find...another coat...yes, another one...

A 100% wool coat with a fur lined lapel, and fully lined for a whopping $65!!!! And it will go perfect with everything, including these plaid pants from Scotch and Soda I got three years ago. I had wanted a tan wool coat with fur and saw one from John Barlett but didn't want to spend the $795. This one is almost identical and has the distinction of being from the 60's and is in excellent shape. I have two other fur lined lapel coats, but this one has real fur...the only downside. The clan can't believe half the coats I wear down the street. I'm not the fashionista of the group for nothing.

And with all the money saved, that will buy copious amounts of gin and tonics at Happy Hour!