No, this is not a Harry Potter reference. Stephen Colbert performed on the “Wig in a Box” tribute album (Listen to samples of ‘Wig in a Box’ at Amazon.com). Now a documentary of the making of “Wig in a Box is being released, and Stephen will be features on the DVD.
From PitchforkMedia.com:
Spoon, Ono, Sleater-Kinney, Yo La Tengo in Hedwig Doc
First came Hedwig and the Angry Inch the stage musical, then came Hedwig and the Angry Inch the movie spectacle, and soon after arrived the Hedwig covers album, Wig in a Box, boasting an impressive array of indie giants– including Sleater-Kinney, Spoon, Frank Black, Yo La Tengo, and the Breeders– putting their own characteristic touches on tunes from the musical.
Now comes– brace for it– the documentary on the making of the charity covers album. But wait, this actually looks super rad. Follow My Voice With the Music of Hedwig hits DVD shelves August 7, courtesy of Wolfe Video. It includes the Katherine Linton-directed, Rainlake Productions/Sundance Channel-produced 2006 feature that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and aired on the Sundance Channel that year.
Wig in a Box was orchestrated by Chris Slusarenko of Guided by Voices and the Takeovers, and was released on Off Records in 2003. All proceeds from sales of that album go to the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk School, which strives to create "a safe and supportive environment…for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth between the ages of 12 and 21 and their families."
Follow My Voice, then, interweaves the stories of several students at the Harvey Milk School with the making of the album, and includes performances and interviews by/with Yoko Ono, Sleater-Kinney with Fred Schneider (The B-52′s), Yo La Tengo, the Breeders, Frank Black, Rufus Wainwright, the Polyphonic Spree, Jonathan Richman, They Might Be Giants, the "Three Bens" (Kweller, Folds, and Lee), and Cyndi Lauper with the Minus 5, as well as Stephen Colbert and Hedwig visionaries John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask. Plus a Spoon performance! And Slusarenko turns up in there as well.
So put on your makeup, turn on the DVD player, and, you know, watch this.
Here’s a link where you can buy the DVD:
Too cool for words. I loved that show so that I chose it as part of my user name. I love it when fandoms collide.
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I remember getting the covers album when it came out. It’s really good!
“On August 12, 1961, a wall was erected down the middle of the city of Berlin…”
=D
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Gotta say I prefer the originals though, John Cameron Mitchell is a genius, IMO.
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@ vigwig
Yes, John Mitchell is incredible. I was so obsessed with the musical that I got the Emily Hubley tattoo on my hip (as quite a few people did). I don’t want to turn the comment section into a discussion board, but have you seen Shortbus? If you haven’t, please do.
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@ meaculpa
re: Shortbus, I’ve been meaning to buy it w/o even seeing it
first because I trust JCM’s vision. So, yeah, I’m going to.
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Thanks for the heads up! I’ll be sure to check it out (and Shortbus, too). **loved Hedwig**
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“…standing before you in the divide
between East and West
slavery and freedom
man and woman
top and bottom….”
Between Right and Left
baby bear Knut and godless killing machine
Jane Fonda and Fantasies about Jane Fonda
balls and Thatchers
(I could go on but won’t).
Course, Colbert-the-character would exhort Hedwig to pick a side–we’re at war.
Gawd this is exciting news. I feel a strong rush of contentment and a sense of good feeling about the world.
@vigwig: I’d wondered that about your user name!
@everybody: Shortbus=GOOD
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this makes me so happy!
i absolutely love this musical/movie (my car is named hedwig and it has an ‘angry inch’ hanging from the rear-view mirror) and have the entire cd (and cover cd) on my computer and listen to them constantly.
just sharing..
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I saw “Follow My Voice” at Tribeca, and it’s a great little film. Relatively little Stephen content, actually, but I would strongly recommend it entirely on its own merits.
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