Film maker Nick Zedd coined the phrase Cinema of Transgression in his manifesto about the then burgeoning film underground in New York City, which included himself, Richard Kern, Kembra Pfahler, Tommy Turner, Beth B, and Lydia Lunch among many others. He linked the work they were doing back to mavericks like John Waters and Paul Morrissey who made uncomfortable and unconventional films.
Transgressive art and literature have been with us for a long time, going back to the Dadaists and surrealists. Plenty of examples in literature and music and in films the Cinema of Transgression has grown well beyond the city limits of New York.
Transgressive art pushes boundaries, bends social norms, offends, terrifies, but often with humor as much as violence. To try and list films that are or are not transgressive would be a fruitless task, especially when how much one film can vary from another; Geek Maggot Bingo is a far cry from Fight Club which is nothing like Julien Donkey Boy. So what do I hope to accomplish?
I've put the call out for contributors, asking writers I know, to contribute pieces about individual films or directors that are considered transgressive. The purpose for this is much the same as My Heroes Have Always Been Monsters; to highlight certain films that are outside the mainstream and in some small way help save them from the dustbin of history.
Underground films are like old folk songs, you've got to keep passing them on to keep them alive. In this era of big budget, 3D, world in danger, mega-blockbusters, it's a breath of fresh air to watch Pink Flamingos or Right Side of My Brain or Doom Generation. Not because they are such rays of sunshine, but because they are obviously labors of love, made by people who were getting by by the skin of their teeth.
I'm excited to see who winds up contributing, I'll start posting things as soon as I get them. I've got some reviews and resources I'm doing, there will be new Sound Attacks to tie in thematically and I'm going to start bugging people for interviews soon.
Meanwhile, new comics are coming, new reviews, and new chapters of My Heroes Have Always Been Monsters.
Stranger With Friction is 1 year old as of April 30th and we've had nearly 10,000 page views! Thank you SO MUCH to all our readers I hope you keep coming back as we start to roll into our second year!
Viva le Strange! And keep watching the sky, nerds!
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