The DVD release of the documentary Pansy Division: Life in a Gay Rock Band will be released on Alternative Tentacles at the end of Marc. Undeniably one of the most gay music acts in the last twenty years, Pansy Division pioneered queercore before others had the confidence to come out of the closet. This humorous and fast-paced yet intimate portrait of the band features newly shot footage and archival footage spanning 15 years.
In conjunction with the movie founding member Jon Ginoli has written a book entitled Deflowered which highlights his experiences in the band. Ginoli will embark on a national book tour this Spring.
03/20 San Francisco, CA @ The Booksmith 03/21 West Hollywood, CA @ Book Soup 03/22 San Diego, CA @ Obelisk Bookstore 03/23 Whittier, CA @ Whittier College (reading, film clips, acoustic set) 03/24 Bakersfield, CA @ Barnes And Noble 03/25 Santa Cruz, CA @ Bookstore Santa Cruz 03/26 San Francisco, CA @ Books, Inc. 03/27 San Francisco, CA @ A.T.A. (film screening only) 03/29 Corte Madera, CA @ Book Passage 03/30 Portland, OR @ Powell's Books 03/31 Vancouver, BC @ Little Sister's Bookstore 04/01 Seattle, WA @ Elliott Bay Books 04/02 Missoula, MT @ The Zacc Gallery 04/05 Minneapolis, MN @ The Bryant Lake Bowl Theater (reading, film screening, acoustic set) 04/06 Northfield, MN @ Carleton College 04/07 Chicago, IL @ Homolatte 04/08 Chicago, IL @ Quimby's 04/09 Chicago, IL @ Borders Books (Halsted) 04/10 Cleveland Heights, OH The B-Side (reading, film screening, acoustic set)
924 Gilman St.: Let's Talk About Tact and Timing ... DVD By Dan Abbott August 20, 2008 Original review It's a funny thing to see the punk generation grow old. In America, raging against the machine must be done either ironically or moronically, unless you really want to be shot at from helicopters. The myriad movements inspired by punk survived largely by becoming institutions. These days, resistance has been relegated to a mere fashion statement. Punk is now a charming phase for white kids to go through.
So there's something bittersweet and nostalgic about watching Jack Curran's documentary 924 Gilman St.: Let's Talk About Tact and Timing, about the world-famous Berkeley punk venue, which first opened its doors in 1986. The film details the origins of the venue and its early years under the umbrella of MaximumRocknRoll magazine, featuring first-hand accounts interspersed with footage of more recent performances of bands like Ted Leo & the Pharmacists and Pansy Division, filmed by Curran and crew. That the all-ages venue is still open 22 years hence is testament to the tenacity of its volunteers, who book the bands, clean the toilets, and negotiate for its existence with the City of Berkeley. Gilman changed the punk rock world by barring bands deemed homophobic, sexist, racist, or on major labels.
Punk historians and archivists will appreciate being able to put faces to legendary punk names and voices like Op Ivy's Jesse Michaels and Fugazi's Ian MacKaye. The film, distributed by Alternative Tentacles, does a reasonable job of explaining what makes Gilman so special. But it's weighed down by too much live footage, and skips over several important chapters in the venue's existence. (Alternative Tentacles)
Whoa, what happened? It's been a long ass time since the last Revolver USA podcast. Cast #17 plays catch-up with the past couple months of releases: Susumu Yokota, Onna, Matteah Baim, Bob Log III, Syntheme, Pansy Division, Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Crystal Stilts. You can stream or download an AAC file of this podcast and all other Revolver podcasts at the Revolver pod-page: http://www.midheaven.com/audio/podcast/
