Live from New York

A rainy day in New York - as seen from the HBO headquarters

It’s been a long while since I’ve blogged, and for good reason I guess:  I’ve been working my tail off finishing the film, BIG JOY: The Adventures of James Broughton.

And we’re almost there – what a triumph and a relief.  It will be released next year, just in time for Broughton’s Centennial!  At the same time, how sad.  You work on a film for four years, molding and shaping it, creating and then “killing your children” as you edit out scenes.  And once it’s “in the can” (one of many gloriously outdated expressions in filmmaking), you can’t change anything. 

We ritually gave birth to the film last month, all 82 minutes of it, at the annual Summer Gathering of Radical Faeries at Breitenbush Hot Springs in Detroit, Oregon.  It was apt and poetic that we staged a sneak preview of our work-in-progress there.  For it was there that I met James Broughton in 1989, at a winter gathering of Radical Faeries; we were assigned to the same cabin.

I had seen a few of his films 10 years earlier when I stumbled into them at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.  There, I was transfixed by his visions of a world where things are perfect after the fuddy-duddies get overturned, nudity is natural, humor hugged and contradictions embraced.

Now, it seems, all but a small number of experimental film freaks and poetry aficionados have forgotten about Broughton.  Hence, this film. 

Here’s how we described it in some 24 meetings we had during Independent Film Week September 16-20 in New York:  “Big Joy is a documentary about living your passions and becoming the person of your dreams, disguised as an inspiring biopic about the wild and crazy California filmmaker and poet James Broughton.”

On September 17, people got to see 20 minutes of BIG JOY

Independent Film Week, organized by our favorite filmmaker support organization, the IFP (Independent Filmmaker Project), is an annual marketplace where emerging filmmakers get to pitch their works-in-progress to various industry executives and festival programmers.  I also went there last year with the multimedia Big Joy Project, when the film was still in “rough assembly” stage.  This year, we had an almost-finished film to show, and the response was encouraging.

We met with HBO in their beautiful headquarters in midtown Manhattan, and were able to hand our film to Sheila Nevins, known as the Goddess of Documentaries at HBO.  We also met with American Documentary/POV, Strand Releasing, Motto Films, and with many fine festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, Frameline, NewFest and Hot Docs.

It really helps to have a finished piece of the film to show.  In our case, we showed a 20-minute preview and for the Labs Showcase we showed the first three and a half minutes.  Readers of this blog can watch it via a sneak preview here:

http://vimeo.com/ericslade/bigjoyopen
the password is: james

We were astounded when each of the 20 films in the IFP 2012 Labs (10 documentaries and 10 narrative films) got to show 4 minutes, and our film got a rousing response.  One filmmaker even told me, “This inspires me to go back tonight and edit my film with even more creativity than I thought possible.”

A scene from Big Joy (from Broughton's film Erogeny) - as seen on the big screen outside at the  IFP Labs Showcase presented by Rooftop Films

A reporter from the Daily Mail of London posted a blog report saying she loved being “seduced by the silly” in the Big Joy clip.

We’re now in a waiting period to see which festivals accept the film, while we continue raising money for finishing, marketing, and distribution.

Eric Slade's film about Harry Hay, Hope Along the Wind, showed at the Radically Gay conference

Co-director/producer Eric Slade and I also participated in a conference the following week at City University of New York, NYU, and the Gay & Lesbian Center called “Radically Gay:  The Life and Visionary Legacy of Harry Hay.”    It was an interesting mixture of academic, fun, and faerie events celebrating the founder of the first national gay organization in the U.S., the Mattachine Society, who also “co-founded” the Radical Faeries.

The view from Alan and Andrea's house on Martha's Vineyard

That, plus a marvelous visit to Martha’s Vineyard, where I was hosted by my friends Alan and Andrea Rabinowitz, made for an exciting and exhausting three weeks on the East Coast.

At last, a bit of a rest!

Another amazing love story ... Johnny & Kristin!

 Johnny's parents kiss him off while sister Sarah, bride Kristin, and brother/Best Man David laugh on

It was another tear-jerker.  Family Wedding Number Two for 2011: Nephew Johnny Reimann and Dr. Kristin Jacobsen, amazing athlete, veterinarian, and human being.

Kristin Jacobsen had it all mapped out – literally.

 Kristin doesn't like cake, so she ordered an "ice cake" - very Minnesota - which melted beautifully with colored lights during the evening

She had organized a rehearsal dinner at “Spill the Wine,” a trendy restaurant in a restored factory.  She gave everyone in the wedding party spreadsheets so they knew where to be when and how to get there.

Johnny and Kristin’s wedding was quite different from his sister Sarah Likens’ in June.  No church, no minister, no hymns.  It was en pleine air, atop a beautiful terrace at Nicollet Island on the Mississippi River in the heart of downtown Minneapolis.   Across the river, you could see the brick condominium where Johnny and Kristin have lived together for two-plus years.

 

 The wedding party getting ready in the "green room" 

Officiating graciously was Justin Gaard, a childhood friend of Johnny’s and a radio personality in the Twin Cities.  He established his “man of the cloth” position from Universal Life Church, which gives on-line ministerial licenses, and proceeded to crack hilarious jokes even as he performed the simple ceremony beautifully.

  

Lindsey Jacobsen with mother of the bride Liz Jacobsen

Kristin’s beautiful sister Lindsey, as Maid of Honor, watched after the train of Kristin’s wedding gown, and helped Kristin keep her cool as her carefully orchestrated wedding flowed on.  Johnny’s brother David was a solid Best Man, who provided a comical moment as the diamond-studded wedding rings in his pocket got caught on an errant thread when he pulled them out.

 The bridal bouquet

 The ceremony was joyously sparse, with very few frills – just a lot of personal comments most of which had been solicited by the couple ahead of time:  grandmothers’ advice (honesty & first-priority love), their own reasons for marrying each other (integrity and fun), parental suggestions (take alone-time and together-time often).  

 Kristin thanks Grandma Helen for great advice

A lavish reception followed in the adjoining pavilion -- made from the ruins of a boiler factory built in 1886.   There, a photo booth provided guests an opportunity to take funny photos in various styles (b/w, color, sepia, etc.), which went into an album which you signed – a great way to remember more than just the guest list.  Nearby, photos of the weddings of the bride and groom’s parents and grandparents proffered a window into the past. 

  

Gordon and I had fun in the photo booth

After a luscious dinner, we danced late into the night.  Young relatives wowed the group with break-dancing, even as the bride and groom danced with everyone.  The Reimann and Jacobsen clans melded.

 Proud parents Alice and John Reimann - whew, enough weddings for awhile!

The next morning, the grandmothers hosted a brunch at the Westin Hotel in downtown Minneapolis, built around the old Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank, where I had first deposited my coins in elementary school. 

 

Helen, Mark and Gordon enjoy breakfast with the groom the morning after

 

The bride and groom then swept away to their honeymoon in Costa Rica and Belize, where they planned to hike and scuba dive.

 Kristin and Johnny Reimann - the honeymooners - made a quick getaway the next morning

Having two weddings in one year put all our cousins together more than we’ve been for decades.  We enjoyed looking at photos, many card games, a great performance of “Hairspray” at Chanhassan Dinner Theater, and a hike at the family farm (since sold to the Philadelphia Community, a wonderful Theosophical group).

 Cousins Francia Mann, Charlotte Wuepper, my sister Alice (mother of the groom), Lynn and Jim Shaffer - on Nicollet Island

And we noted how few divorces have happened in our family.

A story of love...Sarah and Jeff tie the knot

photos by Brady Willette

It really WAS the most beautiful wedding I’ve ever been to.  And I’ve been to some pretty great ones.

My niece Sarah Reimann married Jeff Likens, and now they’re Mrs. and Mr. Sarah and Jeff Likens!  The service was held at Westminster Presbyterian Church in downtown Minneapolis – a place sacred to our family because my sister Alice and hubby John were married there in 1978.  My dad Otto’s funeral gathered 650 there in 1999.  And it’s a place where many great ecumenical speakers have spoken.  Plus, it’s a gorgeous sanctuary, with big stained glass windows arranged around a central dome. 

First of all, the people were gorgeous.  Michelle Obama’s obesity campaign not much needed here.  The wedding party could all be models.  Many attendees, too.

 My nephews Johnny and David look on as Alice lights a candle

Second, we were treated to luminous music played by my cousins Charlotte Wuepper (on flute) and Francia Mann (on violin), with Francie’s husband Brian accompanying them on piano for one of my favorite pieces (Delibes’ wonderful Flower duet) while the couple lit their own "union candle" and blew out the two their mothers had lit before.  Tears trickled from my eyes.

Reverend Richard Phenow, married to one of Alice’s friends who danced with her in the Edina High School Hornettes precision dance line, officiated in an intensely personal, humorous, affirming, down-home way.  Practical spirituality.  He encouraged a long, heart-melting kiss.

Click on the photo and see if you recognize anyone...

Afterwards, the crowd blew bubbles as the couple exuberantly burst out of the church and headed to the Minikahda Club, where I had learned to swim as a child and where we’ve celebrated many weddings, funerals, and high school reunions. 

John Reimann introduced the wedding party, who sat at their own long table while the rest of us sat at round 10-tops which seemed more intimate than most because the stunning flower arrangements, featuring mock orange, carnations, and hydrangia, were on high “towers” that allowed you to see everyone at the table.  He said, "Before we walked down the aisle, Sarah turned to me and said, 'I'm so ready for this!'" -- and it showed all night.

  Gordon & Mark celebrating on the terrace at the Minikahda Club - the weather was great!

The best men (Jeff’s older brother T.J., and his best friend Brandon Heider) gave heartfelt talks which were revealing about Jeff’s dry humor.  Sarah’s bridesmaids gave moving and hilarious reminiscences about her bawdy leadership at a young age.  The dinner was over-the-top, with Minnesota walleyed pike and boneless beef rib, a vegetable mélange with white and green asparagus, an amazing salad, and chocolate brule for dessert.  (The cake was small and only for the wedding party.)

Sarah and Jeff dreamed up an apt theme of  “new story,” and invited people at the tables to tell stories of first dates, weddings, and about Sarah and Jeff themselves.  Many told hilarious tales.  Jeff, a professional hockey player whose latest gig’s in Ingolstadt, Germany (about an hour from Munich), had a number of his childhood and hockey friends at the wedding.  He and Sarah will live in Germany with their bulldog, Quinn.

 Helen, Alice & Steve at the Club

Sarah, and my sister Alice and her husband John Reimann, have so many friends in Twin Cities area that they had to severely limit the number they could afford to invite. 

One of my favorite moments was when the excellent band played a Lady Gaga tune, and my nephew David rocked out like one of her dancers.  My mother Helen danced along.  Many of us are still dancing.

I wonder whether this generation of young adults – many of whom have lived together and wait until later in their 20s to get married – will have a lower divorce rate than we boomers.  Time will tell.

Gratitude for All

Why is Thanksgiving my favorite holiday?

It’s about gratitude, which makes for a salubrious attitude.

It’s about friends, it’s about connecting over great food.

It’s about great questions like the one Orlando asked at our feast: “What do you appreciate about your mother?”

And as usual at Soundcliff (our home), it’s about poetry, music, improvisation, and everyone contributing a course. The meal usually starts at 1 p.m. and flows until 10 p.m., including breaks for hikes, conversations, and fun sharing.

Because several folks have inquired about this year’s menu, here it is:

Cocktails: Hard and soft cider, carrot-ginger juice, Chai, Ginger Tea, Margaritas, white wine

Pu-Pus: Cheeses, Belle’s homemade chicken liver pate, smoked eggs, chips with salsa, artichoke & cabbage dips (by Tom and David)

Oysters: Raw on the half-shell & cooked with Indian palak, parmisan & cream (Malcolm)

Salad: Fresh greens (spicy mustard, lettuce, cilantro, parsley, brocolini, etc.) with triticale berry mix topped with crab cake (Malcolm & Stephen)

Bruschetta: French bread with cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil (Whitney)

Turkey: Roast brined garlic turkey (Gordon) with Sequoia’s cranberry relish and candied yams, garlic mashed potatoes, triticale salad, shaved brussels sprouts with almonds

Mead: fabulously fermented one-year-old mead (honey wine) by Tom

Dingle Sticky Toffee Pudding: an amazing cake with toffee and vanilla whipped cream (Chris)

And dessert all through the days: Michael Hathaway’s lime-coconut bars and cardamom lemon cookies.

*

Among the readings:

WHAT IS MY HEART’S DESIRE?

A beautiful quiet place in Nature, self-sustaining,

Where loving people pass their time in inspiration,

Do what’s needed, living well, mastering skills

As we help each other heal this world,

Preparing still richer worlds for all who care to share:

Where The Magical breathes in every heart

And reflects through all our faces, eyes and limbs,

Where Love and Wisdom have been discovered to be innate,

Where there’s time for wit and fun,

Where work and play and reverence are one,

Where we appreciate ourselves as Divinity that’s manifesting,

Where we create – live out – explore

the full, full wonder of our destinies,

Where we – serenely or ecstatically –

Where we – yes – truly walk in beauty

All the days of our lives.

- Michael Hathaway

**

Around the table: Chris, Michael, Sequoia, Whitney, Gordon, Tom, David, Orlando, Malcolm

And of course, from James Broughton:

Sing Out for Eros

You on your seat there

sit up and sing out

Sing Out for Eros

Love is unbelievable

so it must be believed

Believe your own loving

your passion and folly

your incredible hopes

Praise the marvels of

joy tube and love pump

If you must feel tortured

respect your misery

and be happy about it

Only the nonsensical is

at east with the Absolute

Listen to your angels

ripening your secrets

Come to beautiful terms

with the god in your body

with the body of your god

Share flesh with others

Wake love Make love

Clasp hearts Exuberate

And never look back till

you are far out of sight

*

Blessings to all for a holiday season with plenty of time for rest, introspection, wit, fun, and joy.

A birthday poem

When I got up this morning, a bald eagle swooped by and perched in the tree I can see from my bed... He's still there!

Radical

Unearth your roots

Shake ‘em at the sky

Uphold your traditions

Hold up your radical

Hold down your fort

Breathe easily, not queasily

*

Find and mine what’s obvious

By opening your eyes wider

Wide enough to take in

What you thought was forever outlawed

Wide enough to put out

A part of you you forgot

*

Love more

Love your weird self

Love what’s aching to come out

Love what struggles to get in

Unbind your weariness

And offer it to the sunrise

Express your weird self but

Keep it simple

Don’t be afraid to ask

And unlearn whatever’s holding you back

-- Stephen Silha, April 9, 2010 (my 60th birthday)

Psychic house cleaning

The living room at Soundcliff, transformed into temporary office...

Spring has definitely sprung in the Pacific Northwest. We’re seeing premature magnolia blossoms, tulips, daffodils, rhododendrons, cherry blossoms and more!

It definitely lifts the moods of everyone I can see. Gordon and I have been introducing color into our house, after 12 years of living in a house painted entirely Navajo White. After painting our living room wall a warm bricky red, we decided my office needs a red wall, too.

Bill Palmer masks the room in preparation for painting the office wall

Bill Palmer, our wonderful neighbor who is an exacting painter, agreed to spend an extra day painting my office wall if I would clear it out. It was a dare.

Bill Palmer, the amazing neighbor, painter, storyteller, father and raconteur

Those who know me know that my office looks like a cycloned paper junkyard. Not any more.

What surprised me most was that I discovered (duh!) that I write hundreds of notes, to-dos, and names of people on small scraps of paper, then bury them in my piles. Having unearthed most of my piles, I now have a to-do list that may number 200 things, but it’s organizable!

Now both walls are red -- the house harmonizes! (Thanks again, Gordon/Bell!)

This is revolutionary for me. Stay tuned to see how long it lasts…

Perspectives by the Bay

The amazing Golden Gate Bridge, which we crossed a number of times on our way to and from digit productions, where we rented gear

San Francisco and its gorgeous surrounds was where James Broughton spent most of his life.

It’s always fun to go there and meet people who were influenced directly and indirectly by him. You can still feel his spritely spirit dancing around the city.

Eric Slade, Big Joy documentary director, and I swung through for two interviews after our time in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Art Adams worked skillfully behind the camera.

Keith Hennessy is an amazing performance artist, dancer, and queer theorist who considers Broughton one of his ancestors and inspirations. “There’s a queer scene and an artistic scene that I’m in, where Broughton has always been present,” Hennessy told us before a dress rehearsal for his current performance, CROTCH.

“The more I see him as someone who helped set up the conditions – the material, the psychological, the imagistic, the psychic conditions under which I operate, as both as an artist and as a gay person—the more I start to perform out of that place, to extend that lineage.”

Keith Hennessy at Dance Mission before he took off his clothes for (part of) the performance, "Crotch"

“He has a kind of child’s eye view on the body and sex and God and the earth and all their interrelations. He brings a combination of innocence and curiosity to each of those pursuits.”

Here I am with Anna Halprin, at the beautiful Marin County home she and her husband Lawrence built in the 1950's

Friday, we got to visit Anna Halprin, the dancer and choreographer who was part of James’s life from the 1940’s on. In a way, she was his muse – the dancer he always wanted to be. And she danced to his poetry, as you can see in a brief scene in the Big Joy trailer.

Anna was married to Lawrence Halprin, one of the great landscape architects of the 20^th Century, who passed on last October. Together, they inhabited a creative space in Marin County, where we interviewed Anna.

She and James were part of the “San Francisco Renaissance” after World War II – an important story we’ll be able to tell in the Big Joy film. She described the creative environment: “We were very free and open-ended, not very self-aware. There was a lot of fun, excitement, cross-pollination between us.

“In New York, the dance scene was more traditional. I was working alone, but in connection with the painters, the poets, architects, the actors’ workshop – looking for stimulation, cross-fertilization. The word multi-disciplinary came up as a description of the work we were doing.

“James and I had a special relationship because we both enjoy wit. I never could take anything too seriously around him. … We both dealt with serious subjects in a witty way.”

We shoot Anna dancing James Broughton's poetry at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts in Broughton's film "Four in the Afternoon" (1951)

Being with Anna in her beautiful home was inspiring to me, and gave me a better sense of the community she and Lawrence shared with James Broughton, Alan Watts, Imogene Cunningham, Richard Brautigan, and others.