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  Patty Schemel I won’t say that I’m always particularly verbally eloquent but I was a little aghast at my rambling questions posed to Hole drummer and subject of QDoc Friday night film Hit So Hard Patty Schemel. I wasn’t necessarily nervous, but I can’t deny that Hole’s 1994 album Live Through This was second only to Team Dresch as the most played tape on my Freshman year walkman. And despite any verbosity on my part it was great to hear Schemel’s take on the documentary, and I’ve included the uncut audio below, in addition to the written interview. For a brush up on the film you can read the earlier post reviewing Hit So Hard.
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qPDX: How was it coming out publicly as a musician in the 90s? Any contrast to being out personally?
Patty: I didn’t have any concerns about it. I was out with my peers and in my band. In my band it was a safe place to do that.
q: Any public backlash?
P: None that I knew about. It was a good experience. I got a lot of kids that would say thanks for coming out.
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 Nothing says I love you, like surgically adopting your lover's face. The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye is a film by Marie Losier chronicling the relationship of Genesis P-Orridge and his wife Lady Jaye. Genesis took part in forming Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV, and kickstarting the industrial movement. Lady Jaye was his love and collaborator. Epic romance and art were among their accomplishments… so was looking alike. Man, if you think you and your partner are codependent, check these two out! They met in a fetish dungeon, and spent years having plastic surgery to look more like one another. Basically, their one-ification was their gay baby.
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  Patty Schemel with Hole, for Rolling Stone in the 1995 issue where she came out. From L Courtney Love, Eric Erlandson, Schemel, Melissa Auf der Maur For any rock fan who was a teen of the 90s Seattle grunge reigned supreme and Hole was its seat of feminine power. The seminal grrl grunge group was fronted but the unmistakable, if not always likeable, Courtney Love, wife and baby momma to the most well known grunge persoanlity of all time,, the late Kurt Cobain, frontman for Nirvana. But as big a personality as Love was, all the little baby dykes had eyes only for the lady behind the drums. Patty Schemel was a kick ass ginger drummer with heart, and she was gay.
She was also a drug addict, alcoholic, friend, and now wife and mother. Five years ago, at the beginning of her new sober life, she came across archival footage taken during Hole’s 1995 world tour and thought to digitize the memories. Instead, it became, Hit So Hard: The Life and Near Death Story of Patty Schemel a documentary of her amazing journey.
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  Butt Plug Klub welcomes Kaj-Anne Pepper back to PDSex What else do you really need to do this weekend but ensconce yourself in QDoc? OK, fine. Here’s a bunch of other cool stuff, but I’m tired, so commentary is short.
Thursday
Dirtbag! – No less a fabulous femme kickass DJ than she ever was, Gutter Glamour has reemerged from the chrysalis as Bruce la Bruiser. Joined by guest Freddie Fagula the DJ duo will get you on the floor and make you weep all in one. It’s a free party in the heart of Alberta that will slyly introduce new wave to the pop laden queer scene and I, for one, embrace the infiltration.
Sweet Tea at the Fixin’ To – I think it’s awesome that there’s a neighborhood queer night up in St Johns. And really I’ve been meaning to go. But when there’s so much awesome Thursday action in inner NoPo it’s hard to truck out to the 8000 block. Still, I hear it’s awesome. Let me know?
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  Scene from the stage production of 'Arias with a Twist' The dream of the 80s is alive in Joey Arias, or so it seems from the waxing nostalgic at the beginning of Arias with a Twist:The Docufantasy, Q Doc’s opening night documentary that follows Arias in his latest performance, a collaboration with classically trained puppeteer Basil Twist.
The first 20 minutes of interviews with Arias’ 80s hipster pals is tender, and I certainly sympathize with the sadness over the commodification of performance art, queerness and weirdness that has come about with the likes of Lady Gaga etc. Indeed, Joey Arias was already a brilliant Gaga-esque diva before Stephanie Germanotta was a glint in her parents eyes.
But as cute and tender as it is, it starts to get a bit tiresome. Luckily, the film moves on pretty quickly to its introduction of collaborator Basil Twist.
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 This cover is tame compared to its contents.
Switchblade Sisters is possibly the most epic girl gang movie of all time. Made in 1975 by exploitation director, Jack Hill, it pulls no punches. This movie is trashy, politically incorrect, overdramatic, and almost perfect. I attempted to write a plot summary a few times, and failed. Either, I like this movie too much to cut anything out, or it really is infinitely crazy. I’m going to do my very best to give you the lowdown, without writing a novella.
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  Joey Arias appearing in 'Arias with a Twist' QDoc, the only Queer Documentary Film Festival in the US starts in P-Town this Thursday. For its 5th anniversary the fest will feature 11 screenings and an opening party with opening night film star and drag and performance art sensation Joey Arias accompanied by local musical genius Thomas Lauderdale of Pink Martini. After seeing opening film Arias with a Twist I can safely say that you don’t want to miss Arias in the flesh. And in addition to the live performances the Mother’s Bistro (212 SW Stark) party will also have delicious, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages.
Just Out has a great overview of the fest, including an interview with Joey Arias and a check-in with the organizers. We’ll have reviews of most films posted daily as well as an interview with former Hole drummer Patty Schemel, who’s film Hit So Hard screens Friday.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Equity Foundation, QDoc is offering 20 FREE tickets for EACH QDoc film for youth ages 23 and under. Youth can reserve FREE tickets in advance by emailing QDocYouth@gmail.com. Also, a limited number of FREE youth tickets will be available at the door for each film on a last-minute basis.
You can also get an idea of what to expect from QDoc’s 2011 trailer.
So stay tuned and check out the entire lineup below:
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May proved another great Blow Pony and photo snapper extraordinaire Melody Awesomazing once again caught a lot of awesomeness with her camera. Here’s just a taste of the outfits, the joy and the wonderful nastiness of the Blo Po crew.
You can view the complete set on the photos page.
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  Double Duchess perform Saturday at Blow Pony Thursday
Not Enough! benefit dance party – Last Thursday becoming a bit too tame and straight and bridge and tunnel for you? It’s our chance to queer it back up while raising some funds for Not Enough! and having a gay ol’ time.
AIDS Walk kickoff party and Swimwear fashion show –
Prom Night at the Cafeteria – Creator DJ Lunch Lady promises to a spiked punch bowl and a pregnancy scare at this wonderful reimagining of the high school night you never had (even if you did go, was it really all you dreamed?). Double bonus for not fearing expulsion and for me to use one of my favorite phrases, “I’m off like a prom dress.”
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  Max Voltage playing the violin Local music and performance maven Max Voltage, one of the minds behind the brilliant and uber gay performance series Homomentum and Homo’s Got Talent is now looking to create a queer music series. In an open letter to the community on Facebook yesterday, s/he called for contributors and volunteers. I’ve reposted the request below:
Dear Community,
I have produced queer events in Portland, OR for 10 years now. Mostly I have focused on drag/dance/cabaret shows, because I’ve always had an affinity for creating space for radical queer art-forms that don’t have a stage. I am also a life-long musician (have played violin classically since I was 5), and recently, I have had the opportunity to play, tour and collaborate with some fucking fabulous queer musicians. I’ve also begun helping book/promote/produce queer music shows in Portland, including the recent Rae Spoon/Tender Forever show, which was amazing & a really positive experience.
My next project brings together all these passions of mine… music and creating space for radical queer art: F-holes: a queer music series.
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