By Michael Varrati

Featuring Event Photos by Nicole Fraser-Herron

“Is she really going to throw a Ball in a movie theater?”

Making my way through the historic Castro Theatre on the night of “Paris is Burning: A Celebration,” this was a question I heard more than one audience member ask in confused fascination. Of course, their puzzlement was not without good cause. A typical Ball can last anywhere from 10-20 hours, and usually requires a whole venue for its participants to gyrate and pose. To have a Ball in a movie house seemed rather outrageous, audacious, and, well, absolutely Peaches.

Of course, knowing Peaches Christ’s special panache for celebrating movies in a manner befitting their legacy, I cannot think of a more appropriate way to honor the iconic Paris is Burning.

…and, oh, did she ever.

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From the very beginning of my association with Peaches, one thing we’ve always come together on is our need to celebrate our heroes.

However, this commonality isn’t shared solely by the boss lady and myself, but rather is a thread that runs through the veins of each member of the Midnight Mass family. We all have this compulsive yearning to worship at the altar of those who shaped us into the children of the popcorn we are today. You can see this love and passion in every single one of Peaches’ stage shows, and hopefully it’s also reflected in my columns here on the site. As dyed-in-the-wool monster kids, we consider it our duty to carry the banner ever forward into the night, shouting of love and schlock to all who will listen.

Because of this continued commitment to spreading the word, we always like to recognize a kindred spirit when one crosses our path. In recent years, one such individual has proven to be a cut above many of his peers, celebrating his idols with a level of style and class that few can match.

The man in question is documentary filmmaker Jeffrey Schwarz, and for his continued effort to make sure future generations know the names of his idols, we wanted to take a moment to make sure you knew him. Read More…

By Michael Varrati

In writing about the Cockettes, it has become something of a clichéd trope to quote John Waters. Having famously once described the iconic gender-bending performance troupe as a bunch of “hippie acid freak drag queens,” the Pope of Trash seemingly had applied a nice summary to something that had been previously hard to define.

However, as with most succinct overviews, Waters’ comment merely scratches the surface of a larger history. From their very inception, The Cockettes were poised at the precipice of a social and sexual revolution.

Founded in the late 1960s, the group grew to prominence in San Francisco (and later worldwide) for their avant-garde, open approach to art and sexuality. As their popularity grew, so too did their ranks. Waters alumni Divine and Mink Stole famously joined The Cockettes for performances, as did disco icon Sylvester.  The group was seen and praised by peers as diverse as Andy Warhol and John Lennon, and through their inspired style, changed the face of performance art and drag forever.

In 2002, filmmakers David Weissman and Bill Weber encapsulated much of The Cockettes’ history in their documentary of the same name. Through candid interviews and archival footage, the film pulled back the layers of an era of social/sexual reform, and perfectly placed The Cockettes in the center of it all. Read More…

By Michael Varrati

One thing Peaches Christ and I have always had in common is our desire to celebrate our artistic influences loudly. The very essence of Peaches’ Midnight Mass is the appreciation and worship of the movies that inspired and motivated her to become the icon of fright she is today. Similarly, a lot of my articles here on the site, including the popular Cult Filmmakers You Should Know series, are all carefully planned to pay tribute to the avant-garde and daring artists that I love.

While film is definitely a huge motivator for the two of us, Peaches and I are also rather multi-faceted in our appreciation of the arts. Recently, Ms. Christ and I got together to discuss praising different aspects of the performance community, and we kept returning to the idea of legendary drag performers. As Phillip Ford mentioned in my Vegas in Space piece, there was an era when drag was certainly not the celebrated part of the LGBT community it is today. For a whole generation, the mere idea of gender-bending was considered to be an outlaw act. Certainly, a far cry from the RuPaul’s Drag Race-era we exist in now. But, because of a plethora of drag pioneers like Divine, Charles Busch, and more, the concept of this fringe performance art began to creep its way into the theatre and movies, creating a veritable cult of its own.

So, in the spirit of the Cult Filmmakers series, Peaches and I would like to open to you the Drag Dossier. Through this series, both myself and special guest writers will reveal to you the stories of some of the most famous, avant-garde, and unique performers in drag culture. Hold tight, my dear children of the popcorn, because it’s going to be a glamorous ride!

For our first installment, I am beyond thrilled to highlight one of the very best of the community:

The legendary Miss Coco Peru.

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By Michael Varrati

When it comes to celebrating the majesty that is Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls, I think that we here at Midnight Mass HQ have more than proven ourselves. My boss lady, Peaches Christ, has been mounting lavish spectacles worshipping the film for over a decade, and I personally consider the movie to be woven into the very fabric of my cult film identity. Search back in my articles and interviews far enough, and it’s a motion picture that invariably comes up.

Why?

Because it’s fierce as fuck.

Showgirls is an over-the-top cult spectacle. It demands to be seen. It begs to be worshipped.

It’s the perfect midnight movie.

…and, as such, we love it dearly.

Due to our undying devotion, we also have an intense love for those involved in making Showgirls the cult spectacle it has become. One such individual, Rena Riffel, who played Penny/Hope in Showgirls, has become a dear friend of the Midnight Mass family and has carried the torch for Verhoeven’s masterpiece since its release in 1995. Even when many of her fellow cast mates shied away from discussing the movie, Riffel held the banner high, knowing that she had been involved in something unique and special. Read More…