WBAI-FM Upcoming Program
Arts Express

Thu, Jan 25, 2018   2:00 PM

GENDER, IDENTITY, SEXISM: CHAZ BONO ON THE HOT SEAT

** "I see horror as a very rich way to explore the dark side of life, which I think we tend to avoid - and yet there it is, in plain sight."

Larry Fessenden Talks 'Like Me': The veteran scary actor delves into his horror movie about millennials gone mad, seemingly taken over by a gadget generation cyberspace psychosis. And a serious minded Fessenden, despite all that, considers during this conversation why he's drawn to politically and viscerally gothic dark corners on screen - and what it may have to do with Kubrick, Scorsese, Frankenstein, Dracula and World Wars.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

** "In The USA we look at politicians, and it's like - Oh, they got a cute dog, they got a good family, they say funny things on Twitter. I want to vote for them."

Ideology And Culture Corner: Journalist, political analyst and RT reporter Caleb Maupin - an activist involved in struggles for social justice and an outspoken advocate for international friendship and cooperation, as well as 21st century socialism, poses the question - Oprah For President 2020, Or Trump? The Bigger Problem. Referencing Aristotle, Plato and Socrates; best friends, surgery, and smart guys in the back room turning out presidential scripts for them to perform; and The Governance Of China, Parts I and II.

With Friends Like These....

** "For me, we go to the theater to experience that which we're either unable or unwilling to experience in real life, and art has always been a weapon - so that's what it's about for me."

Theater Corner: Performance artist, actress and playwright Penny Arcade, unveiling her latest world tour one woman show, Longing Lasts Longer - and everything from self-doubt to the sex and censorship wars that inspire her creatively.  With possible connections to zombie tourists, macaroons, cupcakes, body shaming, and gentrification as well. Jack Shalom reports.

** "You know, I honestly don't think a lot of men knew how to relate to me prior to gender transition - but that was part of the stuff I saw in the music industry that made me not want to continue in it."

The Hot Seat: Chaz Bono On Gender, Identity, Sexism, Feminism And Disempowerment: Transsexuality issues from a socio-political perspective - and we disagree. Bono, the child of Sonny & Cher and born as daughter Chastity, addresses lingering questions brought up by the transgender movement - and of a socio-political rather than sexual nature. For instance - though the opposite of Bono's transition - bringing the baggage of white male privilege that one was raised with, into the female world - as there are three times more males transitioning to females, and most of them are white.

And does both the lack of transgender involvement in women's movements and the push to abolish gender designations entirely, serve to disempower, even demonize feminists who object - and potentially marginalize and invisibilize women when it comes to their own historical struggles against oppression.

The actor also details his fascination and attraction to his recurring television role on American Horror Story, as  'a grocery store checkout guy and fanatical Trump supporter who cuts off his left hand so he can get to a polling station, in time to vote for Trump' back then.

Like Me Movie Review

Or perhaps an alternate title, Dislike Me. A psycho-socially minded horror movie about millennials gone mad, seemingly taken over by a gadget generation cyberspace psychosis. And perhaps at a time right now, when idea driven horror may be making a comeback - as with the current breakout popularity of the provocative Oscar nominated blacks in crisis against racism mayhem of Jordan Peele's Get Out.

Combo serious minded scary actor Larry Fessenden, despite all that, plummets the socially alienated when not sadio-masochistic depths of gruesomely compiled viscerally gothic dark corners on screen . As unhinged online streaming cyberspace young fanatic Kiya, played with sustained hynotic weirdness by Addison Timlim, stalks and streams selective victims as a warped bid for involuntary friendship. And as she in turn is stalked and flamed by her hordes of followers online, counting over a million.

When the maniacal millennial's depraved attention turns to seedy motel manager Marshall (Fessenden), hellhole invasion, kidnapping, sexual sadism, and freaky fast food forced feeding all turn up on the progressively surreal menu. As filmmaker Robert Mocker conceives with Like Me, a generation gap faceoff from his seemingly perplexed and intimidated elder perspective, and fueled by a younger lost generation grasping digital gadget horror spree.

Prairie Miller

Arts Express: Dare To Be Different Radio

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