Time Out Reviews III
This volume of paintings and drawings
is as wiry and emaciated as the artist herself. And art like this does not
come cheap. Those who have viewed any of McCartin's work realise a darker
imagining of life exists than even pieces such as 'Travellers' and 'Site
Specific' portray. There is a violence in her work that is hardly ulterior,
and there is an ostensible empathy with the London underclass. Even the portraits
of lesbian lust are tinged, among the umber, saffron, purple, vermilion and
Prussian blue hues, with a squalid and solid density that eclipses the dull
shine of a street light. What marks McCartin's art apart is its tumultuous
essence.
But of all of the paintings here, probably the most disturbing is McCartin's
1992 'Self Portrait'. It is a sombre, polluted piece that deeply punctured
my psyche as I viewed it. It is so incongruous with the majority of her
portfolio, and left me with a penetrating disquiet. How can someone create
such elan from the charcoal of the twilight world of lesbianism and yet present
themselves to the world as such a wretched being? Is the reality really as
stark as McCartin's oils show it? While her use of colour is faintly surreal
it is thoroughly typical of its subject. You might accuse her of creating
a false impression but this is exactly how Soho looks at 3am after too many
vodkas or E's. This is precisely how it feels to walk around cheap corridors
of London. It isn't just 'from' the street: it's the concrete that lines
the route. Only for that price, I wished for more gravel and sand.
I wasn't ever stuck on Mae West, preferring
the buffoonery of Laurel & Hardy to the sumptuous curves and blatant
come-on style. Leave that to Gypsy Rose, I thought. But swivel my hips, what
an astounding surprise "The Queen Of Camp" turned out to be.
Hamilton's truly insightful biography is exhaustingly researched, lifting
the skirts of vaudeville and placing West not on the pedestal of reputation,
but within the social maelstrom of theatre at the turn of the century. The
book is only 230-odd pages, but each chapter has between thirty and sixty
footnotes: the spine on my copy began to give way during Chapter 9...
Hamilton's fluid writing betrays an intense love of her subject, so it seemed
quite appropriate to lap up every morsel of this literary feast.
While maintaining an extreme level of homage and deleivering an unfailing
historical appraisal, Hamilton does not hail the mighty queen beyond her
flaws. While keeping a sharp edge, it makes for a far more gentle rendition
of a life beset by marital, personal and social rituals. In addition, any
gay folk reading this would have plenty of reasons to pick it up, not least
for the sections on "The Drag" and "Sextette".
This book is a treasure, not only for its portrayal of an ironic, brusque
woman who left no documents or diaries for us to analyse and devour, but
as a book that stands astride the gay and theatrical worlds like a female
Colossus.
For a first book, Hamilton has proved a talent worthy of acclaim. I'm not
saying the book made a heroine out of West for me, but thanks to the author,
she now has a corner for herself, full of admiration.
'I want you to review a leaflet,' said
Mr Burston. Excuse me? What is there to review? Oh, it's a lesbian sexual
health leaflet. It's very momentous then. And I'd have to go to The Girl
Bar to get one. Being crammed into a tiny, stuffy basement with countless
others and being charged £2.10 for a glass of acrid red wine was not
my idea of heaven but off I toddled, my Trichomonas Vaginalis simply itching
at the prospect of new knowledge.
The motto for this new endeavour is 'Touching, fucking, sucking and sex toys'
which hardly trips off the tongue. The leaflet is admittedly extensive, covering
almost every aspect of your elastic, self-cleaning vagina, your rigid anus
and every piece of bacteria therein. It's hardly light or pleasant reading,
but pretty damned essential for any 'women who have sex with women.'
This information is provided in bite-sized snippets, written in an easy,
friendly style but it didn't really need the cheesy photographs. There's
also a line drawing of a woman's bits but it's nothing new for anyone who
has ever read Sister Marion's tampon pamphlet. I was disappointed that the
notes on cervical and breast cancer were so limited and that information
for those 'lesbians' who sleep with men was non-existent. Unfortunately,
the leaflet is currently only available from sexual health clinics which
seems like slamming the bedroom door after the concubine has bolted. But,
if you're passing by, grab one and leave them on your conquest's bedside
table, just in case you really are a dirty little lesbian.
You know me: I never recommend a book
that would make a massive dent in a dole cheque, but here's a rare exception.
When this superlative collection of feminist and lesbian 'graphic expression'
was delivered, I had to fight women off in order to get a peek at it. Anyone
who came within six yards of it grabbed it, plonked down and pored over every
gloriously reproduced leaflet, poster, badge and banner from those heady
days of activism and campaigning, now sadly lost because 'we've got everything
we want'. Once they got past the lurid pink and yellow dust jacket they didn't
read much of the text (I would advise against skipping it though: it's purely
sagacious), but all of them tried to smuggle the book out of my flat. This
is not an easy task: the book is heavy (the paper quality is luscious) and
measures 10 x 12 inches.
If you haven't got a sturdy coffee table, get one and put this book slap
bang in the middle of it. Not only is it a replete reference book, but it
also shows the acumen and wisdom of women, gives proof of our artistic propensity
and will provide a spirited talking point for yonks. Don't wait for the
paperback: buy it in glorious hardback and savour every page.
Yet another Cassell title hits the shelves
and an extortionately-priced one at that. What Is She Like? is all about
identifying ourselves and analysing our experiences; something of an eternal
quest in the community and one that many publishers seem eager to cash in
on. The idea is to peek at how lesbians view themselves in terms of "politics,
leisure pursuits, fashion and affiliation." Wide ranging? In depth?
Ainley (better known as an editor than a writer) has included the list of
questions she used on her subjects, from "What influence does your lesbianism
have on your life?" and "What does being a lesbian mean to you?" to "Do you
see yourself as par of a particular group of lesbians?" There's even a whole
chapter devoted to "What do SM dykes wear to work?" and in case you're wondering,
it's platform sandals.
Ainley didn't tell all of her subjects that she was a lesbian, but admits
(over at least three pages) to feeling "mildly surprised, resigned or annoyed"
that other women didn't suss her out. Her appraisal of the lesbian scene
is either totally out of date or completely out of whack. It isn't brilliantly
written either, swinging between bog-average observations and terribly
psuedo-intellectual philosophy.
It's interesting enough if you're into either introspection and retrospection
or just like those old dyke tales. Still, you could simply ask your friends
what they think being a lesbian is all about. For me, it certainly isn't
about spending £14 on two hundred pages that tells me absolutely nothing
new.
All ©Megan Radclyffe Publ. Time Out Magazine 1995-1998
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