Loose woman on the loose
Why hello there, Mary! Brrrrrrrr! Quick! Come on in and pour yourself a hot toddy. It’s fre-fre-freezing out! Whether you’re wearing 20 layers to walk a block, huddling under the covers or trying desperately to remember what warm feels like, we’ve got the perfect solution to these mid-winter blues: Psykho 3: The Musical. You’ll have such a spring in your step after watching that you’ll think it’s…well…Spring!
When I discovered the video this week on Fales Archives and Special Collections Director Marvin Taylor’s Facebook page, I just knew I had to share this camp classic with you, dearest of the dear Filthy Dreams readers. You know what Mother always says–Sharing is caring!
Speaking of mothers, Psykho 3: The Musical transforms Hitchcock-ian terror into East Village trash. Reimagining Psycho and the horrid Psycho 2 as a ridiculous, drag-filled hysterical musical, Psykho 3 documents the unique brand of camp oozing its way out of the East Village clubs in the 1980s.
Starring John Kelly, Hapi Phace, Tabboo!, and Loretta Nicks (otherwise known as Brian Butterick who not only played in 3 Teens Kill 4 but was also a frequent anonymous subject of David Wojnarowicz’s photographic Rimbaud in New York series), Psykho 3 was originally a much-loved performance at the Pyramid Club. Written, produced and directed by Mark Oates, who also has a Hitchcock-like cameo in the film, Psykho 3 was one of the many theatrical productions staged in clubs during that era, which should be the subject of a much larger future article.
Due to its popularity, Oates teamed up with fellow camp lover, video artist Tom Rubnitz to make a video version of the musical. Perhaps best known for the mind-boggling Pickle Surprise video, Tom Rubnitz will always have my heart for both his videos with John Sex and his Downtown personality-studded PSA for AMFAR (Foundation for AIDS Research). Shot entirely in black and white, the video debuted at the nightclub Area in the fall of 1985.
So sit back, snuggle up and enjoy Psykho 3: The Musical! Just try not singing “Loose Woman On The Loose”!