Exposing Self
by Daniel R. Hirtler on 11/01/10
We attended a painful performance over the weekend which promised to be an exposition of "the time" through musical performance and interstitial narrative overlayed with pictures. There was some confusion as to whether "the time" was 1985, of which mention was made, or 2010, as if it were 1985. I couldn't recognize the sentiments at all, and it did not go unnoticed that the performer must have been no older than 10 in 1985.
I did recognize bits of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" in the intersong monologue. The role of Hedwig seemed to have figured large in the performer's biography. Sadly, the performer never exposed himself or his core motivations in the performance, whether in the style of 1985 or today.
Thinking back to other characters I have met, fictitious or seemingly genuine, my connection to them has come from learning their inner pattern from their outward jumble and so, seeing the wanting within them that leads them on.
Thinking back to 1985, the mess we were all exposing to the world as ourselves, a composite of the cultural images which we layed over our selves, those who were interesting and inspiring shuffled and sorted that mess into beautiful and compelling patterns which showed a life direction to something better.
It would be an interesting project to develop the narrative to express the beauty of the soul of a person in 2010. I wonder what that would be. I am pretty sure that the methods of communication of 1985 would be inadequate to do so.
