Review – The Cockettes

Ah, what a magical time the late sixties and early seventies must have been in San Francisco. So magical, indeed, that apparently a number of the interviewees in this documentary don’t seem to remember things all that well. But that doesn’t stop this from being an interesting look at the birth, development and death of the Cockettes. To call the troupe a drag show would be selling it way short, as there was a measure of art and also some famous faces (Alan Ginsberg, Divine, Sylvester) making guest appearances along the way. I was surprised at how well-documented even the early days of the show turned out to be. Especially in the age before consumer video, it’s rare to find something this off-the-wall that has such an extensive visual record. And the footage sure helps, because watching what these folks were doing back in the day is a lot more interesting than listening to them reminisce about it now. If you’ve an interest in the subject or its setting, by all means give this movie a look. Mildly amusing