THEGAYUK

Author: Jake Hook

  • FILM REVIEW | Hegwig And The Angry Inch

    ★★★★★ | Hedwig And The Angry Inch

    I’ve got to say, I’m not a big fan of film musicals, but when I was introduced to Hegwig and the Angry Inch, this all changed.

    I’m a huge fan of John Cameron Mitchell, who plays the lead: Hegwig, a transexual entertainer who changes sex in order to leave a segregated war torn Germany for a life of stardom (she hoped) in the USA.

    The film follows Hegwig and her merry bunch of band mates following Tommy Gnosis, a world famous rock star, whom she wrote songs with, before he got famous. Gnosis, once famous, denies Hegwig’s existence.

    The music is bitter sweet, with toe thumpers: Wig In A Box and thought provoking ballads, like The Origin Of Love.

    At the core of this bright and brilliantly directed piece is a sad iconic transexual, whose hair (slightly resembling a late Farah Fawcett) is looking for recognition, both for her music and for her Angry Inch…

    The soundtrack is a sound buy!

     

    BUY ON AMAZON | BUY ON iTunes

  • GROOMING: Nanoblur, Taking Age and Breath Away

    I’m pretty sceptical about products that claim to take away 10 years, without taking away layers of skin, so when I saw the adverts for Nanoblur I thought – “Oh here we go again.”

    However, kindred folk, let me let you in on a little secret. This stuff is amazing, I rarely leave the house without it, even if I’m just popping to the supermarket (well there’s a super hot guy there that I… anyways you get the picture…)

    The incredible thing is people who I’ve known for years are starting to comment on my skin’s appearance and how good it looks. I’m lucky that I’ve always looked younger than I am, but the other day whilst out on a social with people I had only just met, I was asked how old I was, when I told them, jaws literally hit the floor. They all thought I was… yes, 10 years younger. Amazing.

    Best of all it only takes around a minute to work, you can actually see this happening. Brilliant. Your skin looks youthful and mattified (we know it’s not a word, but we felt like Cheryl when we said it…)

    Available online and from Boots, just £19.99. Although the tube looks small I’ve used the same tube now for over a month, a little goes a long way.

    You can purchase from Boots here

  • Is it any cop? Eurovision 2012 UK Entry

    Waiting with breath held, nervously cracking my knuckles, it’s a tense time at THEGAYUK gin palace. Until we heard that the Hump was going to be representing us in the Eurovision Song Contest.

    Okay… here’s a quick quiz what links the following Eurovision entries with Engelbert Humperdinck.

    Scooch, Gemini, Jade, Blue? Their combined ages equal the Humps. That aside, the song is a simple, timeless love song, with key-change. It could stand us in good stead. The last time the UK got anywhere near the top was with Jade’s simple, timeless love song — ‘It’s My Time’ — and both Andrew Lloyd Webber and Engelbert Humperdinck share the same face. It’s an omen. Gay science. So we could be in with a winner here

    Jade’s song was a cracker and we loved the fact that she nearly took out one of the violinists during the live show, so we’re hoping that The Hump will go a step further a wipe out the entire orchestra.

    Bitching aside (it is Gay Christmas after all) Engelbert is in good voice and with over 150m records sold the crooner certainly isn’t short of a few fans worldwide.

    Currently standing 3rd in the overall betting odds to win it looks as thought the UK might be in with a chance of getting into the TOP 10 this year!

    Go Hump… Go Hump… (that’s a battle cry, not a mating call)

    The unveiling of the Eurovision song for the UK is a special time in my life.

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • REVIEW: You F’Coffee? Up and Up The Rise of Pam Ann

    Sitting in Business Class aboard this PAM ANN service to camp heaven, I was concerned that my inflight entertainment system (Caroline Reid) wouldn’t be able to deliver the high-quality broadcast I’m used to, however, I was every bit enchanted with PAM since the first time she tried to strip me…

    As I arrived at the theatre to watch Pam Ann’s ‘You F’Coffee,’ I thought I was in the wrong building. The late great Astoria came to mind as hundreds of London’s gay glitterati swanned around, clinking champagne glasses and wearing t-shirts far too tight. Actually, the theatre was serving Champagne in Plastic, I know, the horror. The only thing missing from the old G-A-Y days was the smell of poppers and that feet-sticking-to-the-floor-ohmigod-what-is-that-I’m-stepping-in feeling.

    Once seated and prepared for takeoff Pam enters the stage and certainly gives the audience what they want. She actually glows, radiance is my word du jour for Pam. Participation, crude and lewd language and anal jokes from wall to wall. It’s all rather marvellous stuff. I gave up counting the word c**t (and I mean that in an endearing way) after around 150 of the blighters projectiled out from the stage – mostly aimed at the second row of hoof clad British Airway’s hostesses.

    It’s testament to Pam’s awareness and captivation of her audience that this act, which should be very limited in its subject matter has been doing the rounds since 1996 and yet there seems to be no faltering in the love for Ms Ann. Especially as she leaps from the stage and rub her bountiful bosom in an unsuspecting, expectant bear’s face. They love it of course. Any chance to be touched, groped or lushed upon by Ms. Ann is any gay’s dream, which I was to realize personally a few years back, when unannounced and quite early in the evening on an empty dance floor at Scala’s now-defunct Popstarz night in King’s Cross, Caroline, accosted, nay, molested me and began to strip me in the middle of the club. Now of course I’m far too much of a gentleman to go all the way – or she hadn’t ‘slipped enough E into my drink’ but the love affair had started. No woman has touched me like that. Before or since. Subtle and clever marketing, touching the lives of gay men around the world.

    At times, the show felt as though it was nearly out of control with Reid, racing ahead of her own jokes, but ultimately, the overwhelming feeling is that she absolutely loves what she does and the audience loves her for it. I wouldn’t have minded if Reid had fluffed and f**ked up, because it’s in the unplanned and spontaneous that Pam Ann’s true genius shines through.

    Pam Ann is a true gay icon. A f**cking class act (I know I’m swearing… even in Business Class) One dimensional – but fascinating, uncomplicatedly simple – but sublimely camp and after 16 years of Boeing 747 series 400 with… wingtips (thank you gays…) is keeping her audience quite literally lubricated.

  • FILM REVIEW | The Mudge Boy; Dark, Cruel and Unfinished

    A dark, cruel story of fourteen-year-old Duncan Mudge.

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  • FILM REVIEW | Weekend; Quiet, unhurried and self assured

    FILM REVIEW | Weekend; Quiet, unhurried and self assured

    It’s the kind of movie that Hollywood would run a mile from, and that’s a good thing.

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  • FILM REVIEW | Shortbus

    ★★★★★ | Shortbus

    You’ll never look at a splatter painting in the way away again.

    If you’ve ever wondered what it would feel like to have you face stuffed into a film’s never regions, then Shortbus is the film for you to see. Stat.

    Director John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig And The Angry Inch) bravely circumnavigates the world of sexuality in this stylist, almost uncomplicated observation of sexual dysfunction.

    Shortbus is a New York club where the focus is sexual liberation with a heady blend of punters. Transgenders, aging homosexuals, hot young boys, a straight female sex therapist all looking to get their rocks off – a bit like Piccadilly on a Thursday night but more scintillating.

    The creators and actors of Shortbus have genuinely created and sustained characters the viewer can befriend and have some feeling for. It’s almost as though you can see that the actual actors forged a real relationship with each other, which gathering from the DVD’s ‘extras’ they had to, as part of the film development process was having sexual relations with each other.

    Shortbus did give me a tingling sensation. Not just because you get to see: self sucking, a blinding rim job, a 3 way, the national anthem sung into a sizable cock and Mr Cameron-Mitchell himself being sucked off by an extra (no really) but it caused me to think of my own sexuality and my relationship to it. If you’ve ever wondered how the standard British sexual sensibility is compared to an American one – go to New York, hook up with a bar tender and you might understand the discomfort that this film might create. Sex is ‘in your face.’ It is about sexual roles. It’s about ‘this moment, now’ Being British and naturally reserved such talk and this movie is better left after 2 bottles of Chablis and a handful of bar nuts.

    Some fantastic performances and an introduction to one Jay Brannan – who I suggest you get yourself into – socially so to speak. He has a Facebook, twitter, albums and tours his music about regularly.

    If you’re sexually revolutionize you might watch this and think, whats all the fuss about, but worth a punt anyway. You can pass it of as porn with a story line and real actors. No mention of rusty pipes than need a lube down.

    If you’re a fan of the slightly psychedelic, smash colour, animatic world of John Cameron Mitchell you’ll like this movie. It isn’t one however to watch with your Mother. You get to see quite a bit of peen!

    Available to buy / view on: Amazon

  • FILM REVIEW | Dream Boy

    Nathan is a quiet but different boy, who lives in a very quiet town in the USA.

    Nathan falls for the boy next door, Roy – and their relationship blossoms into a gay adolescent love affair with an unhappy ending.

    The story is based on a novel by Jim Grimsley and delves into a world of child abuse, rape and the coming of age. It’s a very slow paced movie – think Brokeback Mountain and then slow it down some.

    Unfortunately for this film it lacks any of that Brokeback Hollywood treatment. No breath taking vistas, no Jake Gynenhall. Un-hyped and grassroots look at gay life for a teenager in Louisiana.

  • FILM REVIEW | Milk

    Powerful, heartfelt and a strong testament to a force with that was Harvey Milk, the first openly gay political powerhouse that ran for major in San Francisco in the late 70s.

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  • BOOK REVIEW | When You Were Me

    Robert Rodi is on fire – yet again and I’m not sure I’m really surprised.

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  • FILM REVIEW | Mysterious Skin

    Starring one of our favourites Joseph Gordon-Levitt Mysterious Skin is a punch in the stomach film.

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