AmosL
08-29-2006, 01:15 PM
That Guy--JIM TUSHINSKI
Jim Tushinski is a man who is both an author and a a film maker. His book "Van Allen's Ecstasy (Harrington Park) s a popular read and his DVD "That Man: Peter Berlin" (Water bearer Releasing) appeared on DVD earlier this summer. Both are extremely worth while.
"Van Allen's Ecstasy" deals with a young man who wakes one morning and can remember nothing about himself. Michael Van Allen was born into a family that was talented to the Nth degree. Gay and 29 years old, he has always dreamed of being as talented as his father, a famous concert pianist ad his mother, a noted artist. One morning he awakens in a mental hospital and is informed that he had a breakdown at one of his father's concerts. Michael's mind is blank--he has no memory of his life before he awoke. Here is the story of his quest to find out not only who he is but who he was. Hs journey to self discovery is filled with shocking revelations; issues that could possibly destroy his sanity forever. As he journeys he is unevenly balancing a life based upon what other people tell him about himself; he can remember nothing at all. What was it that caused him to lose all sense of past? Why is he in a mental institution and who is the mysterious presence known as Sasha who haunts him and attempts to give him advice? As he looks for answers to these questions his mind teeters between obsession and madness. He knows that the answers that he will get can either push him over the edge or send him into the depths of insanity. The plot is Kafkaesque and dark and yet enlightening. To give away any more of would be to destroy a wonderful reading experience. This is quite simply a book that will make you think and it will stay with you.
Infused throughout the book is the mystery of creativity. It deals with the soul of an artist who wants to be accepted and approved of because of his talent--a talent that he wishes to have. It's a book about discovery of oneself and that yearning to be not only a member of society but to be respected by that society. This is a study of madness and a study of knowing who you are. Neither is an easy topic to write about and Tushinski does it with finesse, haunting finesse.
Completely different is Jim's movie, "That Man: Peter Berlin". Here is a movie about the world of porn, a documentary of a once famous male porn star who captured the minds of gay men in his very first film "That Boy". In San Francisco in 1974, Peter Berlin walked around town and made men tremble with lust. Possessed with a beautiful face, long blonde hair and a lithe slim body, he was the personification of sex. His skin tight white pants looked as if they were painted on him and left little to the imagination. Having only made two films yet he ruled the roost.
Jim Tushinski wanted to know what ever happened to him and in his search to find out, interviewed people who had known him and eventually met the man himself. Through the conversations of the two we get an inside view of Berlin's private life. We also get to see some of his private photography as well as some clips of his earlier work and film of him walking the streets.
"That Man: Peter Berlin" is an explication of the myth of a man who helped to herald the age of gay porn--where he came from, how he got his start and how he came to San Francisco. He was a photographer, he made films and he was a model, He made his porn film in his 20s and gained stardom almost overnight, He had sexual liaisons with the very famous including Sal Mineo and Robert Mapplethorpe. He survived AIDS, saw many die and turned into himself, living alone to this day. He was an icon before we even used the word. Jim Tushinski's film gives us Berlin's story while at the same time he gives us the stories around Berlin. There is so much to see here and gives it us the inside on a guy who was well before his time. Tushinski provides for Berlin to speak himself and here is where we get enlightenment about an age that none of us will ever have a chance to see again. The film is powerful and exciting andthis a movie of us should see to understand how it was.
Jim also sent me a copy of his short film, "Jean Michael Vincent was My Muse" which has been making the rounds of film festivals. It is a six and one half minute short which deals with youthful fantasy. If you get the chance to see it, make sure you do.
Jim Tushinski is a man who is both an author and a a film maker. His book "Van Allen's Ecstasy (Harrington Park) s a popular read and his DVD "That Man: Peter Berlin" (Water bearer Releasing) appeared on DVD earlier this summer. Both are extremely worth while.
"Van Allen's Ecstasy" deals with a young man who wakes one morning and can remember nothing about himself. Michael Van Allen was born into a family that was talented to the Nth degree. Gay and 29 years old, he has always dreamed of being as talented as his father, a famous concert pianist ad his mother, a noted artist. One morning he awakens in a mental hospital and is informed that he had a breakdown at one of his father's concerts. Michael's mind is blank--he has no memory of his life before he awoke. Here is the story of his quest to find out not only who he is but who he was. Hs journey to self discovery is filled with shocking revelations; issues that could possibly destroy his sanity forever. As he journeys he is unevenly balancing a life based upon what other people tell him about himself; he can remember nothing at all. What was it that caused him to lose all sense of past? Why is he in a mental institution and who is the mysterious presence known as Sasha who haunts him and attempts to give him advice? As he looks for answers to these questions his mind teeters between obsession and madness. He knows that the answers that he will get can either push him over the edge or send him into the depths of insanity. The plot is Kafkaesque and dark and yet enlightening. To give away any more of would be to destroy a wonderful reading experience. This is quite simply a book that will make you think and it will stay with you.
Infused throughout the book is the mystery of creativity. It deals with the soul of an artist who wants to be accepted and approved of because of his talent--a talent that he wishes to have. It's a book about discovery of oneself and that yearning to be not only a member of society but to be respected by that society. This is a study of madness and a study of knowing who you are. Neither is an easy topic to write about and Tushinski does it with finesse, haunting finesse.
Completely different is Jim's movie, "That Man: Peter Berlin". Here is a movie about the world of porn, a documentary of a once famous male porn star who captured the minds of gay men in his very first film "That Boy". In San Francisco in 1974, Peter Berlin walked around town and made men tremble with lust. Possessed with a beautiful face, long blonde hair and a lithe slim body, he was the personification of sex. His skin tight white pants looked as if they were painted on him and left little to the imagination. Having only made two films yet he ruled the roost.
Jim Tushinski wanted to know what ever happened to him and in his search to find out, interviewed people who had known him and eventually met the man himself. Through the conversations of the two we get an inside view of Berlin's private life. We also get to see some of his private photography as well as some clips of his earlier work and film of him walking the streets.
"That Man: Peter Berlin" is an explication of the myth of a man who helped to herald the age of gay porn--where he came from, how he got his start and how he came to San Francisco. He was a photographer, he made films and he was a model, He made his porn film in his 20s and gained stardom almost overnight, He had sexual liaisons with the very famous including Sal Mineo and Robert Mapplethorpe. He survived AIDS, saw many die and turned into himself, living alone to this day. He was an icon before we even used the word. Jim Tushinski's film gives us Berlin's story while at the same time he gives us the stories around Berlin. There is so much to see here and gives it us the inside on a guy who was well before his time. Tushinski provides for Berlin to speak himself and here is where we get enlightenment about an age that none of us will ever have a chance to see again. The film is powerful and exciting andthis a movie of us should see to understand how it was.
Jim also sent me a copy of his short film, "Jean Michael Vincent was My Muse" which has been making the rounds of film festivals. It is a six and one half minute short which deals with youthful fantasy. If you get the chance to see it, make sure you do.