Tom Rubnitz: Community Drag Theater

The work of Tom Rubnitz can be described by an array of adjectives including sexy, glamorous, campy, hallucinogenic, hedonistic, joyful, and romantic, but the heart of the work is the New York City queer community who collaborated on this bouquet of images from the 1980s-90s.

Originally from Chicagoland, Tom Rubnitz, a New York transplant, injected both humor and clarity into the deadliest decade of the AIDS crisis. From playful takes on advertising and drag performances at the renowned Pyramid Club to more serious commentary, such as his collaboration with artist and writer David Wojnarowicz, this program describes a decade of queer culture, performance, and friendship.

The program is presented in partnership with Video Data Bank.

Participant Bios

Billy Beyond is a multidisciplinary artist, working in photography, film, music, and perfume amongst other media. As one of the stars of Strawberry Short-Cut, Billy worked with Tom Rubnitz on the creation of his beloved elfin character.

David Yarritu moved to New York City in 1983 and met and befriended Tom Rubnitz that year. David is currently scanning and archiving hundreds of the Polaroids that he shot in the 1980’s, including over 200 images documenting early Wigstock festivals.

Screening Program

Chicken Elaine
1983, 1:00

Rubnitz’s short cooking clip showcases a chicken casserole recipe from the kitchen of Elaine Clearfield. All you need is chicken, rice, a packet of Lipton onion soup mix, a can of cream of mushroom condensed soup, and water!

Made for TV
1984, 15:00

Combining Rubnitz’s skillful manipulation of the familiar “look” of TV shows with an extraordinary range of characters, performer Ann Magnuson convincingly impersonates the array of female types seen on TV in a typical broadcast day.

Hustle With My Muscle
1986, 4:00

This rapid-montage music video for John Sex’s song “Hustle with My Muscle” portrays the singer as a ladies’ man with ample endowment to share. “Can you handle all the man below my belt?” he provocatively asks.

The Mother Show
1991, 4:00

Produced by Tom Rubnitz in collaboration with Tom Koken and Barbara Lipp, The Mother Show is a tribute to mothers everywhere, starring Frieda, the “living” doll.

From the Files of the Pyramid Cocktail Lounge
1983, 6:00

From The Files of the Pyramid Cocktail Lounge is a series of video clips taken at the Pyramid Club, a seminal location for the East Village drag scene in the midst of the club’s most influential years.

Listen to This
1992, 15:30

Listen To This is a fragment of collective memory that finds critical relevance in contemporary Queer discourse. Tom Rubnitz weaves narration, image, and a form of temporality, dislocated from ‘real time’, into a video where artist and AIDS activist David Wojnarowicz’s loss and anger is palpable.

Drag Queen Marathon
1986, 5:00

A dragumentary about a day in the life of a score of drag queens on the lookout for photo opportunities at Lincoln Center, the Guggenheim Museum, Tiffany’s, and in SoHo. A tripped-out Hapi Phace shares her haiku, and The “Lady” Bunny pouts about the concept of unisex clothes.

Program Duration: 51 mins + Q&A