Flem Fist

May 12-15, 2011 is the 22nd Annual Rainbow Film Fest in Honolulu. Our friend Cheyne from Firebird Photo, who was on our show recently, shot the key artwork for their promotions campaign. To show that everyone is welcome & hopefully represented, the photos for the Fest include depictions of all types of relationships, including of course, guy on guy, lovely lezzie, freaky bi-pervs, and a monster embodying all genders and abominations thereof. We of course, opted to show the group shot, before they took all their clothes off and did what you expect people of their persuasions to do.

There's a novel commentary about the campaign pics in the trailer for the movie short film "Beasty Training", (by some hottie I just discovered & am now instantly obsessed with) that's playing in the festival on Friday the 13th:



Also playing on Friday the 13th (and the real reason I'm taking that day off) is "The Advocate for Fagdom", a documentary about Queercore Canadian filmmaker Bruce LaBruce.

Among those interviewed to give their impressions of LaBruce, are legendary writer/director, John Waters, Bruce's "Hustler White" co-director Rick Castro, and sexual photographer Richard Kern.



As luck would have it, I met Bruce LaBruce on the day of the OJ Simpson car chase, way back in 1994. If I remember correctly, it wasn't too long after a major earthquake in LA, and on that day there was a big basketball game on TV.

Bruce and I had just been introduced by our mutual friend Vaginal Davis (also in the documentary), before she took off to return the truck she had borrowed to move into her new place, since her old apartment had been damaged in the recent earthquake.

Bruce was totally engrossed in the basketball game, when the news broke in with reports of a high-speed police chase involving a Bronco. No matter what channel you turned to in LA, there was live footage of the chase. Bruce was pissed! The channel broadcasting the game eventually superimposed a mini picture at the bottom of the screen, so we could watch the game. But it was ruined.

We were intrigued by the non-event that soon took over every station on the dial. Nothing seemed to be happening, but everyone was watching. We couldn't excape it. Frustrated and bored, we started wondering if the chase had affected Ms. Davis's travel route. She was taking a long time.
We knew the people who ran the rental place were Asian immigrants. We started hypothesizing that the car rental people had heard about the hunt for a murderous big Black dude in a white truck, and when Ms. Davis showed upp, we figured they detained her while one of them alerted the authorities. We imagined her performing various "acts" to prove she wasn't the man they had seen on tv. She probbly offered to lick whip cream out from between their toes, or singing one of her songs about dick.

Eventually Ms. Davis came home, unscathed, and without a story to tell. We told her what she had missed, then all the devious delights we fantasized she partook in to prove her innocence. I think we went to IHOP after that. Bruce was still grouchy about the game being interrupted. I never seen him in person after that. Last time I ran into Ms. Davis, it was by accident in Berlin, where she now lives. I hope she's gotten over herself by now (or at least forgiven me, but I guess that last comment ruins my chances of that).

The 22nd Annual Rainbow Film Fest, May 12-15, 2011
Honolulu Academy of Arts, at the Doris Duke Theatre, 900 Kinau St.

u downe?

I'm super nervous about November 6, when I have to emcee the next downetowne party "Miss Medic", at Bar 35. I'm kinda into the "Medical Fetish Theme", but not sure how their mostly-lesbian following will take to my style (whatever that may be). I'm not even sure what to expect that night, but luckily, Cocoa Chandelier will be performing that evening as well! So even if I suck, Cocoa's gonna uppstage me anyway. She and I will be sharing the stage for one musical number (not sure if we'll have an extra player), as well as a solo performance each. I haven't told my friend Mish yet, that I'm stealing a skit which she conceived a few years ago. But I'm bigger than her, and a guy. So, me worry? Please.

Cocoa Chandelier was crowned Universal Showqueen in 2008, the most prestigious title within the Transgender community in Hawaii. She is also the Artist-in-Residence at Leeward Community College, after contributing her talents as choreographer, costume design and artistic direction, after years of participation in Drama and Dance. Cocoa was assistant director and dancer for Iona Contemporary Dance Theatre for over 13 years, founded the House of Chandelier, and Giinko Marischino performance groups, seen frequently around Hawaii. She is and advocate for HIV/AIDS within the Pacific Island and Polynesian communities.

It is a daunting gig, though. My girl Ruby Hong & her associates have been creating quite a scene for years now. With Ruby's tomboy tastes, and the legion of lipstick lezzies I've heard fly in from outer islands, you could expect to encounter more than your zen garden variety of granola-grazing birkenstock-rocking butchies. In fact, locals from all walks of life, flock to this once-a-month theme party. So I hope it's okay if I just be myself, and remember that you can't please everybody.
It was kinda awkward when I had to write a bio. I don't like to hype myself too much, because if my audience has high expectations, it's easier to let them down. I hope I didn't set myself upp with the following synopsis of my "career" (The word Bio wasn't supposed to be there at the beginning, but it kinda sounded like I was the product of some eugenics experiment gone wrong, so I didn't correct it):

Bio-Cult figurine Diar "D.R" Rhea has been an ensemble playa on the scene for years. On stage with the House of Chandelier, or in one of her earpiercing bands like Imminent Riot, she's fed Honolulu a different diet of draggery, full of femmeboyant faggotry infused with politipunk hackery. This multi-media darling would also have to be an acclaimed (self-proclaimed) "zine geek". Her Shaka Zine has mocked tv screens once a week for 2 seasons, with their monthly chat show, Shaka Talk on Olelo. Mellow but manic, she hopes not to panic, streetwalking in traffic downetowne!

We'll see how everything goes. I already got a couple costumes in mind, although no one's answered my craigslist ad seeking a "reliable actor" to be part of my solo number, things usually fall into place. Ruby's always been a friend, and I'm anxious to see what everyone else is wearing. Plus got go-go dancers, and DJ KSM, so I'll have fun even if I flop. And nowadays, all the hottest guys wind upp having vaginas, so hopefully I meet some sapphic pseudo-star fucker.