Courtesy Art
“THE BRANDON TEENA STORY” extends its run at the Ross Theater for two more
days. But despite its anti-hate message, the movie only conveys more negative
images: not of gays, but Nebraskans.
Nebraska
bashing
Stereotypes ruin ‘Teena Story’
By Sarah Baker
Senior staff writer
The crusade against perpetuating stereotypes has
grown ever stronger over the past few years.
But with the release of the anti-homophobia docu
mentary “The Brandon Teena Story,” it becomes ques
tionable if this movie helps or hinders that crusade.
“The Brandon Teena Story” has been playing at the
Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater, 12th and R streets, as
part of The Return of the Gay/Lesbian Film Festival for
the past two weeks.
Because of the overwhelming popularity of the
film, the Ross is holding the movie over for two extra
showings Thursday and Friday.
The film, which has been critically acclaimed all
over the world, tells the story of 20-year-old Teena
Brandon, a woman who dressed as a man and dated
other women. Later she was brutally murdered when
her true sexual identity was uncovered by two Falls City
men.
The documentary film wras shot entirely in
Nebraska and explores the cultural phenomenon thqt
take place in and around both Lincoln and Falls City.
Having made its Nebraska debut Oct. 22, “The
Brandon Teena Story” was directed by Susan Muska
and Greta Olafsdottir, and it won numerous awards
including the 1998 Teddy Award for Best Documentary
Film at the Berlin Film Festival.
Critics around the world have touted the turn as
something that must be seen by all because of its pow
erful message and jarring realism.
The poignant and emotional story is something that
is more common than most people would think and
deserves to be known. But the way in which the film
perpetuates many stereotypes makes the message a lit
tle less powerful, especially for Nebraskans.
The most astonishing aspect of the film is how, iron
ically enough, while attempting to raise awareness on
the subject of hate crimes, the film at the same time sup
ports and proves true many other long-standing stereo
types, debatably of equal importance.The story begins
when Brandon moves to Falls City, and it focuses on the
last tragic weeks of her life.
The film is organized in the traditional documen
tary style, using close-up shots of people telling person
al accounts.
The picture itself has a gritty, unfinished feel to it,
and viewers may be confused as to whether this is inten
tional or just a result of meager budgets and poor com
position.
Most scenes are crafted with straight-on camera
shots ofpeople involved m the mupjea;,dnupa who.qach
played a small part in the sad last weeks of Brandop s
life.
Most of the participants paint an unflattering, and
only partially realistic, portrait of “small-town”
Please see BRANDON on 10
Watt to set sail at Ranch Bowl tonight
By Jason Hardy
Senior staff writer
For the past 28 years Mike Watt has cap
tained his ship of innovation tlirough a number
of musical realms.
Tonight he docks at Omaha’s Ranch Bowl
for a performance of Watt’s latest release,
“Contemplating The Engine Room,” a punk
rock opera that follows three sailors through a
day of work in a ship’s engine room.
Watt and his band, the Black Gang, are cur
rently on the last leg of his “Puttin’ the Opera to
Bed” tour, which, as the name suggests, is the
last tour for his punk-rock
opera.
past.
The three sailors in the story represent the
three members of Watt’s first group, The
Minutemen, arguably one of the most influen
tial, if underground, bands of the ’80s. He also
addresses his friend and former band mate D.
Boon’s death, which he bundles together with
his relationship with his father. These are sub
jects Watt found hard to sing about in previous
works.
While the album has been met with a multi
tude of critical
acclaim, the live
Watt himself is known
and respected for his work
as a punk pioneer in the
early ’80s with The
Minutemen and later for
planting the seeds of early
alternative with his group
flREHOSE. As a solo artist,
Watt continues to laugh in
the face of Father Time and
industry stereotypes by
committing to originality
and musical innovation.
Unlike most people just
entering their 40s, Watt
(‘ionn tn hp d 1 1 fnrcrpv ahpaH
fcfc
It was a way for me to relive
my past. Its like going back
and being a kid without
trying to fit into those
clothes and stuff.”
Mike Watt
bassist of the Black Gang
shows have been
received a bit dif
ferently. Since the
album is set in a
distinct time
frame, the live
shows play out in
the same order and
style as the album,
beginning in the
morning, as the
sailors wake up,
and ending at
night, when they
retire to their
by sailing into the unknown with each musical
endeavor.
“After ffREHOSE. I wanted to put myself in
a weird situation and reinvent myself with every'
new project,” Watt said in a phone interview
from Minneapolis, “it's my own version of
Madonna, 1 guess.”
With invention often comes the unexpected
and “Contemplating the Engine Room” is clear
ly that Released in October 1997. the album
uses a sailing metaphor to tell tales of Watt's
“Most people aren’t used to a gig getting
slower, and that trips some people out,” Watt
said. “Some people are afraid, but for other peo
ple it draws them in, and they want to know what
happens.
“I tried to make music that goes to the time
of day. In the early morning it’s very clear, and
when they get drunk it gets all crazy. I used the
cycle of the day, because the day is very real.
One life is made through many days.”
The concept for the album came about while
Watt was on tour
as the bassist for
Porno for Pyros.
He came upon a
copy of Richard
McKenna’s “Sand
Pebbles,” a story
about a sailor who
worked in an
engine room.
The 1966 film
version of “Sand
Pebbles,” starring
Steve McQueen,
was a favorite of
Watt and his boy- 1
hood friend Boon. 1
Inspired by the I
novel, Watt began §
to draw similari- |
ties between the I
life of an engine
room worker and ^
his own life. .
“My dad 1
worked in an ^
\^uuKiri3i rnuiu
1 PIONEER OF ROCK in the desolate ’80s, Mike Watt continues to forge new
erritory on the trail of his current tour - a punk-rock opera. Watt (center)
ours with Nels Cline (left) and Bob Lee on the drums.
engine room, and -
the way he saw the world was to join the Navy.
The way I saw the world was to join a band,”
Watt said. “It was a way for me to relive my past.
It’s like going back and bemg a kid without try
ing to fit into those clothes and stuff.”
As another source of inspiration. Watt found
himself riding a bike instead of driving, some
thing he hadn’t done for nearly 25 years. He
bought a 10-speed for $5 from a man who was
moving away, and much of the album's music
and lyrics were thought up while riding that bike
every morning over the course of four months.
During those morning rides, Watt said he
drew on the stories and experiences of his father,
who is pictured on the cover of “Contemplating
the Engine Room,” and related them to his expe
riences with the Minutemen and the way his
view on mortality has changed since those early
years.
“In a lot of ways, the record is about bound
aries and how a lot of these things seem so clear
and clean-cut, but when you get older things get
fuzzy,” Watt said. “The equator isn’t a line in the
ocean, but when a sailor crosses it, he goes
through a big ritual.”
With the release of this album. Watt says he’s
dealt with his past in a way that helped him grad
uate to the next level of his life.
"Because of this opera, I think I’ll be able to
sing about today more,” he said. “I think I've
found a way to say goodbye to the past, or maybe
not goodbye, but just thank you.”
Tonight's show at the Ranch Bowl, 1600 S
72nJ St., in Omaha, costs $9 and starts at 9.