Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Introduction
by John Waters
George and Mike Kuchar's films were my first inspiration. George's ''Hold Me While I'm Naked,'' Mike's ''Sins of the Fleshapoids'' -- these were the pivotal films of my youth, bigger influences than Warhol, Kenneth Anger, even ''The Wizard of Oz.'' As a Baltimore teenager in the mid-60's, I initially read about these filmmaking brothers from the Bronx in Jonas Mekas's Village Voice column, Movie Journal. Here were directors I could idolize -- complete crackpots without an ounce of pretension, outsiders to even ''underground'' sensibilities who made exactly the films they wanted to make, without any money, starring their friends. Devouring my favorite magazine of the time, Film Culture, I learned more about their entirely original work, the lurid plot lines, their home-grown movie goddesses, the ludicrous thrift-store costuming -- it was enough to make me run away to New York to actually see one of their opuses.
Boy, was I not disappointed. There it was on the silver screen -- the Kuchars' famous low-rent Douglas Sirk lighting, the melodramatic soundtracks stolen from bad Hollywood films, male and female nudity. A vision so peculiar, so hilarious, good-natured and proudly pitiful that I realized (with a little help from LSD) that I too could make the films of my dreams. The Kuchar brothers gave me the self-confidence to believe in my own tawdry vision. I went back to Baltimore, renamed a neighborhood friend Divine and made my first real trash epic, ''The Roman Candles.''
The real heyday of ''underground movies'' didn't last long in the 60's, but the Kuchar brothers have managed to survive with their sense of humor and original style intact. They didn't want to cross over. They still make funny, sexy, insanely optimistic films and videos every day of their lives, and nobody tells them what to do or how to make it more ''commercial.'' The Kuchars may be the only real underground filmmakers left working in American today.
Come on, MacArthur grant committee. What are you waiting for? Every year I expect to see the Kuchars' names on the list of your so-called genius awards, but so far no luck. If they don't deserve it, who does?
-- from 'Reflections From a Cinematic Cesspool'
1.
Mike Kuchar 'The Craven Sluck' (1967)
'The Craven Sluck seems like a practical primer for John Water's mischievous Mondo Trasho as well as his far more accomplished Multiple Maniacs. Like Mondo, Sluck is shot in black and white, features a blousy blond out cruising for men, and deals with wholly desperate and debauched characters. Maniacs uses Kuchar's unconventional narrative style, along with an equally surreal yet satisfying ending to create artistic anarchy. The best part about Sluck is its star. Forty-plus year old Floraine Connors (a Kuchar company member) does her best bombshell gone to seed shimmy as the sexually frustrated spouse of a bumbling bloated husband. Her silent scenes (dialogue was later dubbed in to give some semblance of a storyline), including a couple of inspired "glamour fits" are absolutely hilarious and she really wants to come across as the middle-aged answer to Marilyn Monroe. Unfortunately, she's more like Mamie Van Doren circa an episode of Fantasy Island. Still, we want to follow this flubbery femme if only because her passions practically pulsate off the screen.'-- Bill Gibron, DVD Talk
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
2.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Watch George Kuchar's 'Corruption of the Damned'
'Kuchar's films are overtly insane. Anyone who lived in such a world would be mad inside an hour. Perhaps the Marx Brothers might survive, but I doubt it. Godzilla, King of the Monsters, might have a better chance. But the utter insanity, the insanity of perverted cliche, is the genuine unwholesome appeal of Kuchar's outlook. CORRUPTION might seethe with violence and sex, the two most attractive things you can put on the screen, but beneath them a twisted outlook pervades. Something is very much wrong with the Kuchar world.'-- Leonard Lipton, Berkeley Barb 1965
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
3.
George Kuchar 'Wild Night in El Reno' (1977)
'This short film by George Kuchar may be the best thing I've seen by the master of madcapped melodrama. Rather than camping it up, Kuchar takes a more experimental, artistic approach to document one of his many yearly trips to Oklahoma. While there Kuchar camps out in a cut-rate motel, explores the landscape, and waits for the storms to roll in. Using carefully composed shot images of the weather outside his window, the layout of his hotel room, and some chuckle inducing stills of vulgar graffiti, Kuchar creates a personal cinematic scrapbook. Layered overtop of these images are snippets of sounds taken from Hollywood melodramas and news reports.'-- Made out of Mouth
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
4.
Mike Kuchar 'Sins of the Fleshapoids' (1965)
'Along with Anger's SCORPIO RISING and Warhol's CHELSEA GIRLS, Mike Kuchar's SINS OF THE FLESHAPOIDS remains one of the most influential films of the '60s American Underground. Mike and his brother George (who co-wrote FLESHAPOIDS), were the godfathers of bargain basement cinema, pioneering a hilariously campy, lurid style between Ed Wood exploitation and Douglas Sirk melodrama. Set a million years in the future, after “The Great War” has scourged the planet, mankind has forsaken science for self-indulgence in all the carnal pleasures afforded by art, food, and lust. Work is left to a race of enslaved androids. One rebellious male robot (Bob Cowan) tires of pampering his lazy masters, and joins the humans in sin.'-- Other Cinema
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
5.
George Kuchar 'Pagan Rhapsody' (1970)
'Since this was Jane Elford and Lloyd Williams' first big acting roles, I made the music very loud so it would sweep them to stardom. She once hurt Bob Cowan's back by sitting on it so this time I had her laying on his stomach. Donna Kerness was pregnant during her scenes but her stomach was kept pretty much in shadow and it's not noticeable. My stomach was the same as always except it contained more mocha cake than usual since that type of cake was usually around when I filmed in Brooklyn Heights. Being that the picture was made in the winter, there are no outdoor scenes because it's too cold and when the characters have to suddenly flee a tense situation, it's too time consuming to have them put on a coat and gloves. Originally not scheduled as a tragedy, things swiftly changed as the months made me more and more sour as I plummet down that incinerator shaft I call my life.'-- George Kuchar
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
6.
George Kuchar's 'I, An Actress' (1977)
'I, an Actress features Kuchar as a teacher in San Francisco showing an acting student how things should be done. It’s hilarious and self-explanatory], so instead of saying more about it, and because it features Kuchar in his real-life role, I’ll quote a few lines from Kuchar’s essay “Teaching Film” about realism: 'Realism only comes to the screen when the film jams in the projector and the image begins to bubble. An instinctual fear of the dark manifests when the projection light fails…heightened by the little furry things with long tails that scamper beneath the seats. The electrical nature of sex becomes apparent as the hair on your neck bristles when that pervert to your left makes knee contact. In these moments of truth, cinema reveals her face of realism'.'-- Douglas Crimp
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
7.
Mike Kuchar 'Definitely No, Possibly Yes' (1:45)
'Mike Kuchar's video of a downtown NY art gallery opening on Halloween'-- Artflux
8.
George Kuchar 'Butter Balls' (2003)
'I made two films working with film and theater students as my collaborating cast and crew. To counteract the talkie I had done with graduate student the day before, this undergrad project has no dialogue but just a steady stream of images we dreamed up on the spot. A psychodrama that's heavy on the beefcake, our picture deals with the sexual dementia of a sex addict undergoing hypnotherapy. It's a mixture of fantasy and desire with some animals thrown in and lots of strange angles of the leading actor's attributes.'-- George Kuchar
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
9.
This is George Kuchar: The Making of Queen Konga' (2006)
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
10.
A short interview with Mike Kuchar, 2007 (8:13)
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
*
p.s. Hey. ** David Ehrenstein, Hi. I won't, although it'll have to get to French Netflix or mubi before I do, I reckon. How could I have missed 'Transatlantic Tunnel'? Everyone, if you want more tunnel, here is a feature film from 1935 wherein team of international scientists and engineers attempt to build a tunnel under the ocean called 'Transatlantic Tunnel', courtesy of Mr. E. ** Bill, B! That mole's nose is psycho. And Joel Miggler may be as well, who knows, but, hey, hats off. ** Brendan, No doubt several times. My B.S. story, I mean. Hope you like the book. I miss Skylight. Give the little tree a tug for me. The D's and the G's suck? I'm out of it. The Diamondbacks, eh? But ... but ... Randy Johnson pitched for them, so ... That's the best I can do on their behalf. I miss Dodger stadium. Eat a $15 bean burrito for me too. ** _Black_Acrylic, Eliasson talking in-depth with Jeff Mills? That's very interesting and curious. I look forward to that too. That Festival sounds very nice. Dundee definitely has its share of really interesting stuff. Cool. ** Steevee, Hi. Zachary Quinto is one of those people for whom the camera does wonders. Seeing an ear, nose and throat specialist certainly makes a whole lot of sense. Good luck with that, Steve. ** Bernard Welt, Hi. B! The first four seconds of that 'kiss' film look really pretty. That's all I've watched so far. What I mean is, I'm not saying it's great for four seconds and then falls apart. Everyone, Not enough tunnels yet even after watching Mr. E's tunnel suggestion? Then I heartily recommend you click this, leading to a 1:13 long film-ette from 1899 called 'A Kiss in the Tunnel', and then, go ahead and put a cherry on the top of the tunnel theme by clicking this, leading to the brief (0:35) famous tunnel scene-ette in Hitchcock's 'North by Northwest', both treats coming straight from the suggestion box of Bernard Welt. Morning! ** Thomas Moronic, It's always interesting when my themed days accidentally intersect with you guys' fears. I mean, apologies to y'all. Complicated apologies. Oh, I got your email! Thank you! I've been wondering with bated breath if/when volume 10 would materialize. Due to the fact that I'll be away (in Geneva for the 'TVC' English language premiere) and the blog will be in reruns for part of next week, I've slotted in your post for the soonest good berth: Tuesday, September 8th. Set your alarm clock. Friday for talking would be good, yes. What's a good time on your end? I've been following the UK scandal general, but I didn't catch what happened yesterday. I'll go find out. ** Étienne, Bonjour to you Étienne! Welcome, and thank you, and welcome again! Um, gosh, I don't know, bookstore-wise. My French is extremely shitty, so I can't read French books, so I rarely venture through bookstores' hallowed entrances. But, when I do, my favorite Paris French-books bookstore is Les Cahiers de Colette, 23 Rue Rambuteau, 75004. Maybe they have my books 'cos it's a good place. I would guess that the gay bookstore Les Mots a la Bouche would have stuff by me in stock. 6 Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, 75004. This is a great city. I would call it the greatest, I think. Are you here to visit or to plant yourself lengthily? Nice to meet you. Come back, please. ** Misanthrope, Hi. Oh, gosh, you're welcome, thank you. That channel does sound like a sweet deal, but I really have to stay away from addictive things because I have massive amounts of things I need to do. I haven't even started a new video game in forever, which is literally physically painful. Or you jump 20 feet from a ladder and the camera angle makes it appear that you landed on -- or entirely on -- the guy. I mean, yeah, there is definitely realness in there somewhere, but it is jam-packed with fakery, man. I mean, come on. I'm sure actors stub their toes and twist their ankles on the 'Game of Thrones' sets too. I like the fakery. It's like a magic show. I like the fakery a whole lot more than the accidental nose bleeds and stuff. I'm sure I told you that there's a tunnel underneath the Recollets where I used to live that goes all the way to Bastille, which, if you know Paris, is a very long tunnel, but when they transformed the building into the Recollets, they hid or covered up the entrance to the tunnel, and nobody knows how to find it. Zac and I were semi-obsessed with finding it for about six months to no avail. ** Etc etc etc, Hi, Casey. Wow, they're serious editors, aren't they? That's good. That's why they're TNY. (1) I had never heard the term 'web confessional' until you used it. I figured that you made it up. I understand what the term refers to, yeah. I would enlarge your definition to include gifs where the emotional display is an accident rather than a deliberate outpouring, where the emotion is made apparent unknowingly, whether through facial expression or physical movement, and where the deliberation is an act of the person who made the gif. In that sense, the word 'confessional' might be a bit misleading. Or you could say that use both 'confessional' gifs and gifs where the emotional display was the intent of the gif whether it was intent of the subject matter or not. (2) Like I said, I think the 'nondenominational' categories have become literary in the way I used them. I guess I don't see 'documentary' or 'reenactment' as inherently dichotomous to literary form. So, to me, they're all literary works. They're all acts of writing to me because I'm a writer, and I only how to make writing. Some use traditional forms -- story, poem, flash fiction, etc. -- and some of the designations identify the source material I used to make the literary work. But when I designate them as 'documentary' or whatever, I'm not pointing those pieces out as being nonliterary. I'm saying that I consider those pieces to be a 'literary documentary' or whatever. else I'm saying I believe that, by employing gifs as a language, forms not conventionally associated with literature in an automatic way can become literature because the literary gif form can incorporate them just as it can incorporate more traditional written forms, if that makes sense. I hope that helps. Ask more, if need be, and thank you so much again as ever! ** Chris Dankland, Hi, Chris. I love that tunnel snakes video. I feel like I watched it for hours. Someone wrote to me yesterday to say that they've been to that spot in Japan and that the Japanese girl tunnel is a total fake. Shit. Weird, I know that Antihero video you mentioned. It's awesome. I don't why it slipped my mind while post-making. Everyone, Either never mind that thing I said up above about the cherry on top of the tunnel theme or else add another cherry because Chris Dankland would wisely like to direct your attention to this, and, in particular, to what goes on between 14:20 to 15:39 and then after 31:40. I've already seen what he's suggesting you might like to see, and I double his urging. Check it. I watched your short videos yesterday, and they're super great! Big kudos! You're the sharpest! Everyone, Wait, hold on. Much more important and fulfilling than even the just linked-to tunnel video thing, you really, really want to click this. That link leads to 4 short videos that Chris Dankland made about his writing, and I watched them yesterday, and they're fucking great, so do that. Really, seriously. Oh, your crazy amazing guest-post will launch here on the blog on Saturday, September 5th. Thank you so much! After putting that post together and tasting its wares, I have significantly more brain cells now. Hugs, French vibes, fireworks at midnight to you, man. ** H, Hi. Oh, thank you about the post. Mm, interesting question. There have been a very few occasions where I was asked to write about artists I'm not interested in, and where I accepted the job because I either needed the money or because there was some kind of favor involved. But what I did was write the pieces in such a way that they had a respectful tone and quality, and included praise for the artist from others, all without actually technically including any opinion on the work by me, and I just hoped the sleight of hand would work and cause the pieces to do their jobs and be positive things for the artists, and they did do that. But I've never pretended that I liked something that I don't. I haven't read 'Tender Buttons', in, wow, decades. Interesting idea. Your comment was far from boring, and your curiosity and happiness came through loud and clear. Have lovely day. ** Okay. My very busy life right now has impacted the blog to the degree that I am having to give you a rerun post today. However, it, or at least its topic, is a real good one, I promise. See you tomorrow.