Kevin Burke from People's Theatre at KPFA interviews Martin Worman and Scrumbly Koldewyn from the Cockettes, the early '70s San Francisco-based drag and theater troupe. Worman and Koldewyn discuss the history of the Cockettes, including their forming under the direction of Hibiscus and their first big show in June 1970 at Hollywood Babylon. They discuss the tensions within the group regarding their performance style and direction. Koldewyn discusses the group's "accidental" social consciousness. They discuss "Pearls over Shanghai", the "quintessential" Cockettes show. They mention Divine, who was affiliated with the Cockettes but not a member. Koldewyn and Worman discuss how they came to work together as songwriters. They talk about the glamour, mysticism and decadence of the Cockettes, the idea of the Cockettes as a way to live out their fantasies, and the thin line between performer and audience. Burke asks about the making of "Tricia's Wedding", the Cockettes' farcical send-up of Richard and Pat Nixon's daughter's wedding, and "Tinsel Tarts in a Hot Coma" - "a show about making a movie in the '30s", whose premiere was attended by Truman Capote and Rex Reed. Koldewyn and Worman talk about the Cockettes' experience in New York, how their shows were received by New York audiences and their (mostly negative) New York media coverage.
Songs performed throughout the program include "The Circus of Life"; "Just My Friends"; "The Almighty Buck"; "Jaded Lady"; "Endless Masturbation Blues"; "Divorcee's Lament"; "Something Unspoken"; "No-Nose Nanook"; "Hayride to Havana"; "Midnight in Manhattan"; "The Jewels of Paris"; "Gert's Postcard."
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