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The success of Failure
"Being a girl was something that never really happened for me,"; says Rae Spoon, co-author of Gender Failure (Arsenal $17.95), along with Ivan E. Coyote.
It sounds like a clever thing to say to grab attention. But one need only dip into any page of this mutual tell-all to understand how that statement has been true for both of these writer-performers who have grappled with the limitations of traditional gender roles.
Coyote's straight-forward, sometimes amusing, yet difficult-to-share account of having breasts surgically removed is a breakthrough in candour even for Coyote. This is clear, honest and wisely non-propagandist reportage from the front lines of an ongoing battle to bring transgenderism into mainstream awareness.
In Dawson City, Yukon-almost home turf for Coyote, who was born in Whitehorse-the pair first co-wrote a 90-minute live performance show called You Are Here, mostly blending Spoon's music with Coyote's storytelling, adding some visuals. It was experimental for them both in a weirdly conventional way: to see if a butch comedic talespinner and a trans folk musician turned indie rock 'n' roller could NOT veer into content that was specifically emanating from their queer origins.
Five years of touring later, Gender Failure was conceived partly in Germany, partly in Spoon's Montreal apartment, later adding collaboration from an animator named Clyde Peterson after they saw a version of the new show in New York. The second theatrical musical was another experiment in repositioning themselves: while Spoon forced herself to contribute her share of the storytelling, it was a coming-out-of-the-closet for Coyote as a fledgling musician.
"Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking"; is hard to surpass as promo slogan. Gender Failure is also pitched as "a poignant collection of autobiographical essays, lyrics, and images documenting Ivan and Rae's personal journeys from gender failure to gender enlightenment.";
Obviously the show couldn't be called Gender Enlightenment, but that's one of strongest elements of this collaboration. By having two people share their independently forged quasi-confessional monologues-and revealing the compelling commonality of their trajectories-a non-LGBT audience member or reader cannot help but be "enlightened"; as to what it means to find oneself, on a daily basis, between the black & white zones of male & female.
Don't expect a Transgender Olympics quite just yet, but social attitudes are changing quickly and Gender Failure hastens that change with wit and confessional charm.
Coyote is smart enough to eschew didacticism. Meanwhile Coyote and Spoon know full well how much leadership is entailed in their work, how much their work matters to the LGBT sector of society. For Coyote to continually walk the line between educator and entertainer with such an endearing, saucy and provocative intelligence-smartly retaining loyalty to an earnest and effective B.C. publisher-reaffirms Coyote's position as one of the most important literary artists in Canada.
ISBN: 9781551525365
EPUB ISBN: 9781551525372
by Alan Twigg
It sounds like a clever thing to say to grab attention. But one need only dip into any page of this mutual tell-all to understand how that statement has been true for both of these writer-performers who have grappled with the limitations of traditional gender roles.
Coyote's straight-forward, sometimes amusing, yet difficult-to-share account of having breasts surgically removed is a breakthrough in candour even for Coyote. This is clear, honest and wisely non-propagandist reportage from the front lines of an ongoing battle to bring transgenderism into mainstream awareness.
In Dawson City, Yukon-almost home turf for Coyote, who was born in Whitehorse-the pair first co-wrote a 90-minute live performance show called You Are Here, mostly blending Spoon's music with Coyote's storytelling, adding some visuals. It was experimental for them both in a weirdly conventional way: to see if a butch comedic talespinner and a trans folk musician turned indie rock 'n' roller could NOT veer into content that was specifically emanating from their queer origins.
Five years of touring later, Gender Failure was conceived partly in Germany, partly in Spoon's Montreal apartment, later adding collaboration from an animator named Clyde Peterson after they saw a version of the new show in New York. The second theatrical musical was another experiment in repositioning themselves: while Spoon forced herself to contribute her share of the storytelling, it was a coming-out-of-the-closet for Coyote as a fledgling musician.
"Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking"; is hard to surpass as promo slogan. Gender Failure is also pitched as "a poignant collection of autobiographical essays, lyrics, and images documenting Ivan and Rae's personal journeys from gender failure to gender enlightenment.";
Obviously the show couldn't be called Gender Enlightenment, but that's one of strongest elements of this collaboration. By having two people share their independently forged quasi-confessional monologues-and revealing the compelling commonality of their trajectories-a non-LGBT audience member or reader cannot help but be "enlightened"; as to what it means to find oneself, on a daily basis, between the black & white zones of male & female.
Don't expect a Transgender Olympics quite just yet, but social attitudes are changing quickly and Gender Failure hastens that change with wit and confessional charm.
Coyote is smart enough to eschew didacticism. Meanwhile Coyote and Spoon know full well how much leadership is entailed in their work, how much their work matters to the LGBT sector of society. For Coyote to continually walk the line between educator and entertainer with such an endearing, saucy and provocative intelligence-smartly retaining loyalty to an earnest and effective B.C. publisher-reaffirms Coyote's position as one of the most important literary artists in Canada.
ISBN: 9781551525365
EPUB ISBN: 9781551525372
by Alan Twigg
Submitted on February 24, 2014 in By David.
