Dir. Kieran Turner • 2011• USA • 102mins
Thurs. 15th Nov / QFT / 6.40pm / £6.20/£5
Nevermind Lady GaGa, Jobriath did it all before. Destined to be the biggest popstar of the 70s, he is now amongst the least well known. Narrated by Henry Rollins, this long overdue documentary reveals just how influential Jobriath has become amongst musicians and tells the story of his rise and fall from Hair to billboards on Times Square and the cabaret clubs of Broadway. Through animation it spectacularly presents his vision for a never-realised stadium tour involving King Kong and the Empire State Building turning into Jobriath atop a giant phallus! Jobriath A.D. deliberately exposes the hypocrisy of an enlightened 70s when Bowie, a straight man, was the most celebrated sexually ambiguous pop star on the planet, while Jobriath, who openly proclaimed himself as ‘The True Fairy of Rock n Roll’ was brought to ruin. The power of his music, however, survives any sense of tragedy.
