By Melissa Antoinette Garza
THE BRITISH GUIDE TO SHOWING OFF (2011) is available for purchase on Amazon. I’m not sure if I should be angry at myself for missing that it was there for so long or just extremely happy that I now own it.
The documentary follows the legendary artist Andrew Logan and the amazing Alternative Miss World pageants he created. Generally, I loathe pageants. I find them boring and repetitious. The Alternative Miss World pageant, however is something entirely different. It’s about art and fashion and fun and insanity. It turns the ordinary pageants on its head and gives those often shunned by polite society, a time to shine. It’s unaffected, raw, unapologetic and brazen. In other words, I need it in my life.
After a quick introduction to his early life and art, we see Logan scouting for the location of the 2009 pageant. As he prepares for the 12th of its kind, we’re taken on a trip thru memory lane of all the amazing pageants of the past.
The footage is spectacular and fun. The costumes, the artists and the atmosphere makes me so envious of those who experienced it. I want to be there! I want to live that! I need a goddamn time machine.
During the amazing shots from the shows of the early 70s, we hear the stories from those who were there firsthand. Unsurprisingly, my favorite is (and will always be) Richard O’Brien. He talks of attending with Tim Curry and Little Nell, and mentions how the whole event appeared to be something right out of Dr. Frankfurter’s castle. Have I mentioned how much that I long to be there?
Other than spectacular shows and exquisite costumes, there was something else that Andrew found at his party. He found love. Andrew met Michael at the pageant and decades later they’re still rocking it out. There’s something special about meeting a lover at a place filled with so much love, and I imagine for Andrew it runs deeper since he created the show that brought the love. It’s a wonderful layered circle of positive energy that I want to drown myself in.
In one particularly great scene, Logan differentiates himself from Andy Warhol citing both motivation and the spirit of art. I love Logan because there’s no cynicism or pretentiousness in him. It is completely and utterly his love for the alternative aspects of culture that drive his genius and I’m grateful for it.
Up against all odds including legal action, anti-gay laws, homophobia, near bankruptcy, protests and 1980s level AIDS hysteria, Logan still continued to get his voice heard thru his art. He’s a goddamn rock star!
Overall, I definitely recommend this. It’s one of those films that is far more visual than oriented in dialogue. The anecdotes and memories surrounding the photographs and archived footage are captivating, but nothing quite matches the grand spectacle itself. There are no words to properly describe how much this style of art speaks to me. It has since before I knew what is was, what it meant or why it spoke so deeply to my soul. I always knew I was different. In my youth, I hated myself for it. As I’ve said many times before, ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) freed me of the complete self-hatred I felt. It made me aware that I wasn’t alone. In many ways, The Alternative Miss World Pageant does the same. Logan provides an escape of unbridled freedom to showcase yourself the way you want to be seen. He gives the opportunity to glam it in the spotlight and admire everyone else doing the same. It’s about freedom of expression and an artistic vision that speaks to the lost and forgotten among us. We need more celebration of the odd, the unique, the castaways and throwaways, the manic misfits and the goddesses of night.
Sadly, Logan makes a statement which I’d love to disagree, but simply can’t. He states that he’s one of the last who explore the alternative culture and he’s right. The decadence, the darkness and the sexuality of it all has been replaced with family-friendly nihilism. I do hope one day that there’s a solid, strong, unaffected, balls-to-the-wall return to the artistry. I am anxiously and impatiently waiting for the day!
I bought this for $7.00 off Amazon streaming. It’s the only site I saw where it was available in the states, so grab it!
Scared Stiff Rating: 8/10
Richard O’Brien Rating 11/10
(the math checks out)
