fo-ton-o-mous [foh-ton-uh-muh s] noun photo + autonomous = fotonomous 1.Web identity of Lydia Marcus, an individualist, Piscean & native Los Angeleno (Encino/WEHO) raised in diametrically opposed communities shaped by culture, status, sexuality, and spirituality.This multifaceted upbringing informed her ability & desire to always seek to blend out instead of blend in. 2.Blog of Lydia Marcus, a writer, photographer (Nikon & Polaroid shooter), filmmaker & unapologetic Valley girl.
I've been going to L.A. PRIDE for 25 years (since I was 16) but this was the first time I ever walked in the parade. A friend who works for NBCUniversal invited me and my doggy Cali to walk with the OUT@NBCUniveral group. It was very exhilarating and fun and the adrenaline pumped me up for the whole day! - Lydia Marcus
Here are my favorite photos from PRIDE:
Cali & Lucille Ball impersonator
Cali is full of PRIDE. Posing in front of an old MTA bus
Me & Cali
Me & Cali walking in the parade
With all the noise, people, moving vehicles, and general mania, Cali kept looking back and checking that I was still behind her.
Olympian Johnny Weir strikes a pose. He was the parade's Grand Marshal
Madame Tussaud's had a float with wax figures of Lady Gaga and Jane Lynch. From a distance I saw Jane and thought she was actually in the parade. The likeness is uncanny.
Heaven is missing two gay angels. :-)
Love these t-shirts! Take that Fred Phelps!
The WEHO Cheerleaders show their spirit!
The focus isn't perfect, but I like the moment - WEHO Sheriffs in front of the Pride festival entrance.
Tons of attendance at the Parade. A view of the crowd
The BRAVO TV contingent: Jenni Pulos, Andy Cohen, Zoila, and Jeff Lewis.
Madison Hildebrand from Million Dollar Listing
OUT@NBCU workers dancing on the route. It was so much fun walking alongside these guys and gals because they really got the crowd pumped up.
I spent yesterday evening in West Hollywood, celebrating victory that Prop 8 (which banned same sex marriage in the state of California) was declared unconstitutional. I saw this window display on the corner of San Vicente & Santa Monica Boulevard at the American Apparel store. I just love the slogan "Legalize Gay" - funny and powerful. American Apparel sells t-shirts and tank tops emblazoned with those two words and currently they're offering a buy 1 get 1 free on their website. Now's a great time to buy!
I'm no prude but I think this "L Word" billboard is gross from it's slogan "going down in history" to Kate Moennig ("Shane) tonguing Mia Kirshner's ("Jenny") neck. Shane and Jenny are roommates and best friends on the show (not romantically paired in the past seasons and ew, I hope not romantically paired this season). Adding to the lack of sex appeal is the inclusion of Pam Grier ("Kit") right behind the image of Jennifer Beals ("Bette") and Laurel Holliman ("Tina") starting to get busy. Pam plays Jennifer's sister - so the last place I need to see her naked shoulders cozing up is RIGHT BEHIND her sister while she's making out with her partner. I'm guessing the ad agency that put together this billboard has never seen the show and that Showtime is just trying to get new viewers, not actually play to the viewers they already have. A big YUCK. But the "L Word" has rarely been sexy to me so it doesn't surprise me that this billboard is a real turn-off as well.
Photo by Lydia Marcus Photographed January 17, 2009 on Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, CA
Post Note: 1/28/09 - The last episode of the L Word aired this past Sunday and yuck, the writers have actually put Kate (Shane) & Mia (Jenny) together romantically. So I guess that part of the billboard was for real. The preview for next week shows all their friends being grossed out by the pairing so I'm guessing the story line is more for shock value than for romance.
Today is the 20th Anniversary of World AIDS Day and I'm thinking of talented men who impacted, affected, inspired, and influenced me in my youth before they died from AIDS.
*VITO RUSSO (1946-1990) ACT UP AIDS activist and author of "The Celluloid Closet" - a book I always refer to as my queer film Bible.
In the mid 1980's, when trying to find queer representation on screen and on TV was like looking for a needle in a haystack, Vito's "Celluloid Closet" steered me towards a cinematic history I didn't know existed. I used to study it and then try to find the titles I wanted to see at the video store. Luckily for me growing up in L.A., the Video West chain was gay owned and operated and had a considerable amount of titles in stock when no regular outlet carried them. While I didn't realize it at the time, I was teaching myself to be a queer film historian and expert and eventually it led to my niche in entertainment journalist. I was lucky enough to get to see Vito's traveling show of "The Celluloid Closet" when I was just 16 or 17 when he came to the Wadsworth Theater at UCLA. Vito spoke and showed clips (many that I had never seen) showing gay images on film going back to the earliest days of celluloid.
Vito is also featured in the documentary "Common Threads: Stories From The Quilt" speaking about the loss of his lover Jeff Sevcik to AIDS, his own HIV + status, and ACT UP activism (he was a founding member). Later when I was a college student at CSUN, part of the AIDS quilt came to campus and I was able to request Vito's panel be brought to the school. Looking back now, Vito had only died a year or two before I saw the quilt.
There is a movie version of "The Celluloid Closet" that was made in 1996 but it pales in comparison to Vito's original book. While Vito didn't accept the crumbs that Hollywood gave to gay portrayls, the film version of "The Celluloid Closet" gave off the vibe of gays being grateful for any mainstream inclusion. Now in 2008, I think Vito would be proud of a film like "Milk," finally glorifying the achievements of gay rights activist Harvey Milk hitting the mainstream cineplexes.
*KEITH HARING (1958-1990) - artist extraordinaire.
I'm not an art historian, but I'm pretty sure that artist Keith Haring was one of the first and most prolific to use his art to fight AIDS (and apartheid) in a mainstream way. According the www.haring.com, "Haring was diagnosed with AIDS in 1988. In 1989, he established the Keith Haring Foundation, its mandate being to provide funding and imagery to AIDS organizations and children’s programs, and to expand the audience for Haring’s work through exhibitions, publications and the licensing of his images. Haring enlisted his imagery during the last years of his life to speak about his own illness and generate activism and awareness about AIDS." Keith's art was fun, accessible, and completely original. While Andy Warhol masterminded Pop Art in the 1960's and early 70's, Keith Haring took the torch and became THE Pop Artist of the 80's and my formative teen years. Keith Haring was out and proud and his art reflected his social activism and sexuality. The radiant baby and barking dog live on.
*CHRISTIAN FARROW aka CEE FARROW (dates unknown)
Cee Farrow was an early 80's new wave star with his hit "Should I Love You" while Christian was a major underground club promoter in L.A.'s gay club scene. My best friend Robert Pavlick got me my fake I.D. and then took me to all of the best clubs in the mid to late 80's so of course I eventually met Christian who was really at the top of the scene. He was one of the nicest people I've ever met. You didn't have to be a star to be treated with respect and friendliness at one of Christian's clubs. I remember the last time I saw him walking along Santa Monica Blvd in the middle of WEHO's boystown just crossing the street and making the rounds with everyone else. He was tall, good looking, down to earth and very sweet. One of the comments on the You Tube page for the "Should I Love You" video says it best, "Cee Farrow...gone to the great SoCal disco in the sky."
*TONY BECKETT (dates unknown)
I met Tony when I was around five years old. My Mom was very close friends with a gay couple (Bob and Charles) and we met Tony at one of their fabulous parties. Tony was British and a longtime Butler (or Major Domo) to Paul Lynde. When Paul was out of town, Tony would invite my Mom and I over to Paul's wonderful mini mansion in Beverly Hills. I would check out the closets (lots of caftans), go for a swim in his blue tiled pool, and just investigate the house filled with antiques, tchotchkes and interesting design including a guest bathroom that was completely mirrored from top to bottom and side to side. Tony had the cool disposition of a Brit, but he really had a gooey center that would show off in his devotion to me and my family. His actions spoke louder than words - like when he let me drive him around in his new car when I was just 15 and just had a learners permit. He was so supportive that way. As he got sick, he never wallowed or complained, I think he knew that he'd had a good life and good friends, and just accepted what was happening to him. Since he was infected in the early years of HIV, I think that the ATZ "cure" was probably worse on him than the actual illness. No matter what, you could always count on Tony for funny, tart stories about famous people that he'd met or worked with. When Tony was stuck living out the end of his life at an AIDS hospice, he gifted me with my first computer - his Radio Shack Tandy 2000 that had been put in storage when he got sick. Tony was a lot of fun, a wonderful cook, and a valuable friend to me and my family. While I do have images of Tony somewhere in a box of old photos, unfortunately I don't have one handy to share today.
I've got another summer sinus infection. Every time I'm sick and laying in bed feeling miserable I start missing my Mom. No matter how old you get, the thought of Mom coming in to bring you food and company and TLC is comforting. So in lieu of the fried matzo my Mom will never be able to make for me anymore, I comforted myself by digging into old Hi8 videotapes and watching some home movies from a lifetime ago. In the 5 and a half years since my Mom's passing, I think this is only the third time I've needed to watch videos again just to see her and hear her voice. It's a dicey thing to bring out the videos - usually seeing my Mom makes me feel good - but you just don't know is it going to make you too upset as well. I pulled out tapes from 1991 and 1992 - tapes that had my Mom and my second Mom, my Aunt Lisa, too. I think this is the first time I've seen any of these images since around the time frame they were first shot. It felt so good to see my Mom laughing and being her vivacious self. In the case of my Aunt's video, I had recorded her 75th birthday at her apartment in West Hollywood - virtually my second home. I was only 22 when I shot the video but for some reason I had the presence of mind to actually do a walk through the apartment documenting the rooms and the little knickknacks and photos on different tables. How wonderful it was to see all the details again. At one point I even captured my Aunt and Dad talking to each other in German (a very rare occurrence). So Mom and Aunt Lisa, today I think of you both strongly and am so glad to be able to see you again.
I just came across this photo of my Mom a couple weeks ago when I was looking through old photos. I just love it. She looks so beautiful and radiant and I love her smile. A photo of me and my Aunt in her apartment I think around 1989. The look on my face says it all - how much I love her and how safe and loved I feel when I'm with her.
Saturday I watched the documentary version of "When I Knew" part of Cinemax's Reel Life series. If you have video on demand through your cable provider, you can find "When I Knew" on Cinemax's VOD channel plus an extra clip "When I Knew: Miami" shot in a sort of filmic photo booth (I'm guessing at the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival). Unlike the book, the documentary (by those fabulous World of Wonder filmmakers) was incredibly balanced between gay and lesbian recollections. Also different from the book, it featured a lot of younger people (plenty of 20 somethings) telling their stories. And for even more "When I Knew" stories, World of Wonder has a bunch of video booth interviews posted on their site. I noticed that actor/comic Jason Stuart has posted one there.
Sunday eve I went to the Pride Festival in WEHO. Even the Pacific Design Center got into Pride by lighting up their building in the colors of the Rainbow Flag.
The first person I ran into was Jason Stuart, right after he had just won free round trip air fair at the Orbitz booth - lucky guy! Here's a shot of me and Jason. Even though I'm still getting over a nasty virus, I just had to go to Pride on Sunday to see Olivia Newton-John perform on the WAMU main stage. Pride has gotten some big acts in the past (I've seen Deborah Harry and The Motels perform), but getting Olivia was pretty huge. I think she must have been there primarily to support the launch of the new LOGO TV series "Sordid Lives" where she has a recurring part. LOGO had a pretty cool "booth" in the form of a mock trailer park complete with Airstream trailer and pink flamingos! Considering my energy was really low, I wasn't very into the Pride festival, but it was so worth going to see Olivia who sounded awesome and played all her big hits including Xanadu, Magic, Hopelessly Devoted To You, I Honestly Love You, You're The One That I Want, and Physical. Hopelessly Devoted To You was the most connected moment between performer and audience. The audience sang along with as much passion and pain as Olivia - I guess it's just one of those songs that everyone who's ever experienced a broken heart or unrequited love can relate to. Everyone was jumping up and down when You're the One That I Want Came On, but the most fun had to by Physical as many people in the audience started doing very eighties-esque aerobics as dance moves! It was hilarious. Even Olivia did some of her signature moves we all know so well from the Physical video. Olivia is turning 60 later this year, so it's amazing how great she looked and moved onstage. I was standing pretty far back in the crowd so my photos from my little point and shoot weren't so great. Thankfully, photographer Brian Putnam is letting me show off some his great shots taken from in front of the stage. photo credit www.putnamphoto.com photo credit www.putnamphoto.com photo credit www.putnamphoto.com photo credit www.putnamphoto.com
I shot some videos too - and the sound is great - but I was too far back for any good details, so I'm sharing a few better videos taken from You Tube. Enjoy!
Hopelessly Devoted To You
Xanadu
Physical
...And going back in time, here's Olivia performing Physical on Solid Gold!
This weekend is the 38th annual L.A. Pride. I was actually at the first one in 1970! I was just a baby, my parents and Uncle went somewhere to eat on Hollywood Blvd and L.A.'s first ever gay parade (dubbed Christopher Street West) was in full swing. The first pride I have memories of is 1986. My best friend Robert Pavlick (R.I.P.) drove us down to West Hollywood in his Peugeot (I think a 505). On Sunset, he was driving pretty wild as usual and going way too fast on the way to a red light when the car next to us crossed into our lane and cut us off and Robert slammed on the brakes and threw us into a complete 360 spin! We survived the drive and walked up and down Santa Monica Blvd watching the parade. Afterwards we went to the festival, then an open, free event. I remember they even had carnival rides (like the Scrambler). While everyone was dressed casual summer, I recall being way overdressed in my new wave finery - a nice dress shirt (brown and black - some sort of animal print) buttoned up to the chin, black culottes, and my funky mod styled black and white clubbing shoes.
A couple of days ago I received a copy of the book "When I Knew" by Robert Trachtenberg - a compilation of coming out (to others and to oneself) anecdotes. HBO sent me a copy and a screener of the documentary directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (from World of Wonder) based on the Trachtenberg's book. They're screening it in honor of Pride Month (actually I think their affiliate Cinemax is the one screening it). I haven't watched the film yet, but I did read the entire book on Thursday. I love the concept and it shows that most people's memories of their queerness goes back to early childhood with plenty of stories recalling ages 5-8. Many of the stories are funny, a few are sad, and some are downright poignant like this one:
1971, Abilene, Texas by Stephen Orr: "My father was tossing a football with my brothers in the front yard. Seeing me sitting alone on the steps, my mother took my dad aside, "Dub," she said, calling my dad by his nickname, "I think Steve is feeling a little left out. Why don't you ask him if he'd like to play too?" So my dad walked over. "Wanna throw the football some?" he asked. "I'd really rather go pick flowes," I replied. And we did. My father, a former football coach, spent the rest of the afternoon picking flowers with me in a nearby field.
My only issue with the book is that within 120 pages, only about 10 stories are from women. Hopefully the documentary is a bit more balanced.
In honor of L.A. PRIDE weekend, here are some of my shots from a few of the last Pride events. Everybody's favorite "Momma" The grand dame - "Madame" My Aunt Lisa always took me to this library when I was a kid. West Hollywood "The Creative City" Now that's one gay Pinto ;-)
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