Born On This Day- April 21st... Hedwig's John Cameron Mitchell

The always boyish John Cameron Mitchell has impressive theater credits. He has won 2 OBIE Awards & several drama critics’ awards for his stage acting. He's directed a Tennessee Williams play starring Cynthia Nixon & Peter Sarsgaard. He's even been in action movies & even a Spike Lee joint. Mitchell played Huckleberry Finn in the Broadway musical Big River, Dickon on Broadway in The Secret Garden, & in the original cast of the Off Broadway musical Hello Again. He received Drama Desk nominations for the roles, & he can be heard on the original cast recordings. He appeared in the original cast of John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation & starred in Larry Kramer's The Destiny of Me, for which he received an Obie Award.

But with his film adaptation of his own Off-Broadway smash, in which he stars as a transsexual punk-rock godess John Cameron Mitchell may forever be known as the title character of Hedwig & the Angry Inch. The product of an East Berlin upbringing & a botched sex change (the "Angry Inch"), Hedwig is a mix of Ziggy Stardust & Lady Gaga, she is the bitter lead singer of a failing band that belts out cathartic hardcore tunes catchy that audiences have been singing along at festival screenings (the film won the Audience & Director Award Sundance).

Mitchell is the opposite of his greatest creation. He is a soft spoken & unpretentious waif of 47 years old, but looks a decade younger. He created Hedwig with New York musician Stephen Trask more than decade ago as way to be in the spotlight on stage at the NYC's notorious rock n' roll drag bar Squeezebox. The Husband & I saw Hedwig memorably, 12 years ago at the gloriously rundown Jane Street Theatre in the West Villllage.

I was driven to tears by & very affected by his film-Shortbus which caused a stir at the Cannes Film Festival where viewers were shocked at the film's depiction of actual, non-simulated sex. Variety reported that it was “unquestionably the most sexually graphic American narrative feature ever made outside the realm of the porn industry”. The film features one of my favorite young singer/songwriters- Jay Brannan. I find this film to be impossibly moving.

He also filmed Follow My Voice: With the Music of Hedwig which uses Hedwig's music performed by other musicians including Yoko Ono & Cyndi Lauper to chronicle the lives of 4 teenagers from The Harvey Milk School in NYC.


Next up for Mitchell is his direction of the film adaptation of David Lindsay-Abaires play- Rabbit Hole starring Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest & Sandra Oh, & a revival of Hedwig starring its creator.


Mitchell should live in Portland. He is perfect for this city, but he lives in NYC. He is proudly a Radical Faerie.

From The Post Apocalyptic Bohemian Archives

You Wear It Well

I took the day off from work to give myself a little break, as I start a 15 day run of managing the store on my own, with my adorkable assistant- J taking a vacation.



Monday morning had been given over to a long consultation with my physician & a nasty blood draw. I received the good news of the finish from the 2 daily injections given by the Husband. Strange that I surmised that he was going to miss giving me the little prick 2 times a day. I also was told the sunny news that I would be moving up to a bigger prick, but only 2 times a week. This new go round is B12, which I have never had before. I have been told that B12 will make me feel mighty real, yet I prefer my chemical lifts in capsule form. I was also given a prescription for special support socks. It is OK; I didn’t need to have any of my dignity anyway.

I had to purchase these fashion delights at a frightening little shop that was decorated in a style I can only describe as Grandmother’s sewing room circa 1937. The shop sold only bras for woman that have had mastectomies & support hosiery. It was special to have the shop staffed by Thelma Ritter & Marjorie Main. The ladies gave me a lesson on how to put on the foxy socks, which involves wearing rubber garden gloves on your hands. I just pray that I don’t have to open the door in mid-donning; standing there in my underwear & my black mystery material compression socks while wearing rubber garden gloves. How did I go from the goateed & tattooed “alt” guy, who knew all the best new bands & dressed wearing tight jeans, rockabilly shirts, & leather jackets to being attired like Wilford Brimley? What shirt goes best with the medical alert bracelet? Will I ever feel desirable again? What could be more alluring than a chunky, shaved headed, middle-aged gay dude in support hose?

I did ask the doctor about returning to the gym, & he said no to the elliptical trainer & stair machine & suggested rowing for the aerobic work out & upper body weights only, but he emphasized that the best option for me is always flat on my back with my legs elevated. I wanted to ask him if I could go back to having sex, but I was apprehensive that his response would be: "Of course, Stephen. Enjoy sex, but as I have said before: "flat in on your back with your legs elevated & be sure to wear the the compression hose."