Saturday, September 17, 2016

How Alexis Arquette Helped Make “Wigstock: The Movie” Happen

Alexis and filmmaker Barry Shils discussed the seminal documentary this spring at DragCon
From: NewNowNext
 Alexis Arquette, who passed away on Sunday, made her last public appearance in April at the second annual RuPaul’s DragCon.

Alexis appeared on a panel celebrating the iconic 1995 documentary Wigstock: The Movie, alongside director Barry Shils and drag icon Jackie Beat.


Shills revealed how Arquette’s prodding helped get the movie made. “Alexis inspired me to make this movie. I remember you were so excited… and it just got me going.”

And Arquette shared what she felt about the 1995 film’s enduring legacy.


“I totally cried today—It’s good to see that people are interested in drag now and that there’s money to be made from drag and there are superstars of drag. It turns me on.” But, she added, she didn’t want people to think they shouldn’t do drag “because they’re not ’good’ at putting on makeup.”

It’s a fascinating discussion for devotees of the film (like us)—Shils even revealed they had to re-dub some musical numbers because of copyright issues.


There’s been a lot written about what lead to Alexis’ death, and what happened in the months preceding it, but we’re just going to celebrate Alexis’ life. (You know where to find those stories if you really want to see them.)

Below, Alexis’ longtime friend Sham Ibrahim filmed her talking about mortality and the possibility of an afterlife.

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