New To You ep107a: Cult/Fringe pt1

Julien "Jules" Koetsch joins John Holt, and Mary Varn  to discuss two picks that from our new theme of "Cult/Fringe." ___________Segment 1: R. Crumb (comic artist/illustrator)Jules (@beautifuljules) brings us a the underground comic artist Robert Crumb. Combining his own sexual and racial hangups with his experiments in psychedelics to contrast them with societal norms and hypocrisy, Crumb produces controversial works that have influenced the past 40 plus years of comic artists, illustrators and animators.A professed misogynist who is obsessed with the female form and sex, Crumb folds his dark and deeply personal subject matter in art heavily influenced by the cartoonists and illustrators from the golden age of cartooning. A documentary about Crumb and his family was released in 1994. The director, Terry Zwigoff, was a long-time friend of Crumb. The two met in the 70's and share a love of vintage blues and early rock records and music. The pair played in a band who covered and emulated that style of music. Crumb illustrated the poster for Zwigoff's first film "Louie Bluie" about visual artist Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong, member of the last known black string band in America.R. Crumbs works can be found at comic and book stores that carry art books and art comics. You can also find his works online at his site crumbproducts.com, or on Amazon. The Zwigoff documentary "Crumb" can be found in the Criterion release on Blu-Ray and DVD, as well as a digital copy on iTunes and Amazon. You can also watch it online at Crackle._________________Segment 2: "Hairspray" by John Waters (1988 film)Mary Varn's (@maryvarn, npccomic.com) "Cult/Fringe" pick is John Waters' first PG-rated film.  The film was turned into a broadway musical in the 00's, then the musical was made into a film in 2007. Don't bother with the musical or the remake until you've seen the 1988 original. This was actor Divine's final film role, which makes John Travolta's reprisal all the more insulting. John Waters is a cult filmmaker who tackles sexual themes and the taboo. In Hairspray he uses the musical movie optimism of the 1950's and 60's to explore the racial tensions of segregation. A strange aspect of non-mainstream films like John Waters' is that the female characters are strong individuals- something that highlights the flaws in mainstream filmmaking and storytelling. Currently you can purchase this movie in hardcopy. You can also get it digitally on iTunes and Amazon.______________________You can follow us on twitter @newtoyoushow and you can leave comments down below!Join us next week for two more picks from the "Cult/Fringe" theme. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newtoyoushow.substack.com