JOE DALLESANDRO
In February this year, Joe Dallesandro received a Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival for his “achievements as underground film star, gay icon and actor”.While Dallesandro claims to be bisexual, and has a real background of hustling, his homoerotic roles in Andy Warhol’s films seem to be more a product of Warhol’s penchant for the found-object than the actor’s own desire for queer representation. Expanding on his sexuality, Dallesandro explains, “it wasn't that I was sexually attracted to men per se, but you know, if you do something for a while you can acquire a taste for it.” Dallesandro’s ‘queerness’ then seems more a product of circumstance than any genuine identification and investment in non-straight sexuality.
Melbourne Community Voice
June 16 2009
posted by IVAN @ 9:51 PM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Ah..but Joe has also said this which I think is pertinent, "At sixteen,I had this gay friend that I lived with...he owned a club down on Columbus and 76th or 78th Street. It was an after hours club that I ran for him. It cared basically to the bartenders of the gay bars and so they all came to our club at the end of their shift. We were open from 2 a.m. to 6 in the morning. I did that for about six months before I ever met
the Andy Warhol people."
And this..."My introduction to the gay world did two things. One, it saved me from life in prison for murder, which is probably where I would have wound up. How? Because the gay world showed me that you didn't have to beat up every man you saw or hurt people to make a point. It gave me a whole other attitude, a calmer attitude. Two, it taught me never to be homophobic, even before there was such a term."
Also, he has gay followers who admire him more for his physique modeling days than his latter film days. Of course, the Warhol days shone the light on his physique days so there is a reverse influence of sorts but I don't think Warhol gets all the credit. And in reality, it was Paul Morrissey that really groomed Joe for stardom. Warhol simply paid the bills.
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