David Wojnarowicz

Fascinating discussion (w/ footage of David being interviewed) between Sylvere Lotringer and Marion Scemama regarding an interview with David he conducted and she filmed.

Marion Scemama also directed the 2018 documentary [italic]Self-Portrait in 23 Rounds: a Chapter in David Wojnarowicz’s Life, 1989–1991[/italic]. (“Self-Portrait in 23 Rounds” is the title of the first chapter of [italic]Close to the Knives[/italic]).

I can’t find it for stream or purchase anywhere. 😞

In case any of you are interested in reading it - I highly recommend it - the first 21 pages of [italic]Close to the Knives[/italic] are available as a preview.

You bitches. No comment, no taste.

Out took a break from trans content to do an appreciation of him a few years ago. They found and interviewed his widower, who's still alive.

Thanks for this thread and the few comments. Will check out the videos and article. I read Close to the Knives a year or two ago and I regularly quote ‘smell the roses’ to myself if I’m having a moment where I’m being pointlessly negative or down about something I really don’t need to be.

R6 Nice. What made you book up his book?

OP, I'm hunting for something new to read. Sounds worth checking out.

R5 Thanks for sharing that. I hadn’t read it.

Tony Kushner is a big fan of David’s work and wrote the introduction to [italic]The Waterfront Journals[/italic], which is a brilliant collection writings; portraits-through-monologues, really, of the varied people he met on the road.

This interview, I believe, was conducted not long before his death. He discusses his feelings regarding testing positive for HIV/AIDS.

I was reminded of him recently - I own all of his writing and photography - because I was watching an interview with Fran Lebowitz after watching the Scorsese series, and she was talking at length about her friendship with photographer Peter Hujar, who was David’s great love.

In the article below, there is a photograph David took of Peter after he died of complications with AIDS.

R6 What made you *pick up his book? He’s not what one would call a ‘popular writer.’

Is there any man-to-man sex in all of this?

R13 David wasn’t afraid of writing about sex, let’s just say that.

R7 and R12: I think I might have seen a post with him mentioned on the AIDS Memorial Instagram account. Or he might have been mentioned in another book I was reading at the time. Then I looked up his book and ordered it second hand on Amazon. Definitely glad I did.

Cool. R51 Check out @The Waterfront Journals” if you haven’t already.

Thanks R16: will do that

R17 I posted a preview of it upthread. It’s a slim collection but in some ways just as powerful as his memoir. Each chapter is a monologue by someone someone he met on the road during his travels. It’s powerful, illuminating, and heartbreaking.

Bumping for exposure.