WATCH THE NYC PREMIERE HERE ON THE IFC NEWS SPECIAL!
Once upon a time (like the mid-'90s), a party promoter named Michael Schmidt had a novel idea: drag queens dumping the lipsynching routine to sing rock and roll live onstage. No one knew what to expect when they first opened the doors to Don Hill's on the fateful night that SqueezeBox! was born in downtown Manhattan. With Mistress Formika presiding as hostess and den mother, the drag queens rocked New York nightlife in a way no one had ever seen before. But what began as a place for queer misfits who'd rather hear a guitar riff than a disco beat turned into a pansexual free-for-all. Straight or gay. Preppy or punk. Man or woman (or somewhere in between). All were welcome at SqueezeBox! as long as they were there to have fun. Though celebrities like John Waters, Drew Barrymore, and Johnny Knoxville were regular fixtures, the movie stars, drag queens, punks, and everyone in between partied elbow to elbow, waiting for a glimpse of what would happen on stage. And what a stage. Not only was it graced by legendary performers like Deborah Harry and Jayne County-it was also where the Toilet Boys were born and John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask started working on Hedwig and the Angry Inch.But when big, bad Giuliani blew through New York nightlife to "clean it up," the party ended-with chins up and middle fingers in the air-after seven rocking years. Directors Zach Shaffer and Steve Saporito capture the raw, debauched energy of SqueezeBox! in their uniquely stylized mix of archival performance footage and interviews, offering those who were there a chance to relive it, and those who weren't a chance to get a taste of the action. Seven years after the seminal party closed its doors, SqueezeBox! is the ultimate tribute to what can never be recreated nor forgotten.Running Time: approx. 91 mins.Starring: Debbie Harry, Jayne County, Miss Guy, John Waters, Jesse Malin, Toilet Boys, Nina Hagen, Michael Schmidt, Pat Field, Bob Gruen, Kembra Pfahler, Marc Spitz, Misstress Formika, Michael Cunningham, Hedwig, Sean Pierce, Sherry Vine, John Cameron Mitchell, Justin Bond, Joey Arias, Stephen Trask, Theo Kogan, Dean Johnson, Bebe Buell, Lady Bunny, Michael Musto, Jackie Beat, Ethan Brown, Cherie Curie, Sandy West and King Joey & the then mayor of our NY Rudy/Rudina Giuliani AND of course many many more incredible New Yorkers!
aSQUEEZEBOX NYC ROCKED THE WORLD FROM APRIL 15th 1994-MAY 16th 2001!
During the turbulent reign of Guiliani in the 90’s when Times Square was being sold to Disney and sex clubs were shuttered in favor of fast food chains, there was a brief shining moment when drag queens rocked New York nightlife. The epicenter of that moment was SqueezeBox, a weekly pansexual rock and roll party at Don Hill’s night club. Started as a refuge for gay rock and rollers who felt like outsiders in both the gay and rock worlds, the party grew to become a seminal event in nightlife history. By bringing together two seemingly contradictory worlds, SqueezeBox engendered a spirit of universal acceptance for everyone who passed through its doors. What transpired for seven years on the corner of Spring and Greenwich was an often hilarious, always rocking, and frequently debauched assemblage of everything from the ridiculous to the profane. Using the SqueezeBox stage as a testing ground, artists were encouraged to bring to stage anything they could imagine, spawning acts as diverse as the glam rock Toilet Boys to the off-Broadway sensation Hedwig and the Angry Inch. SqueezeBox, the movie, re-creates the chaotic, frenetic, and unapologetic energy of the club and spotlights the people and the times that demanded something original in an ever increasingly capitalistic world. Through the use of archival footage and first person interviews SqueezeBox, the movie, sheds some light on the people and the times that informed the club. Notable cast members include (in random order) Debbie Harry, John Waters, Michael Schmidt, Joey Ramone, Antony, Boy George, John Cameron Mitchell, Sherry Vine, Patricia Field, Bob Gruen, Marc Spitz,Toilet Boys, Richie Stotts from The Plasmatics, Mistress Formika,Gyda Gash, LunaChicks, Dean Johnson, Bebe Buell, Michael T., Justin Bond, Stephen Trask, The "Lady" Bunny, Michael Cunningham, Ethan Brown, Sherry Vine, Jessie Malin, Nina Hagen, Don Hill, Jackie Beat, Raffaele from 'Cycle Sluts from Hell', Heatherette, Michael Cavadias,Cherie Currie & Sandy West of 'The Runaways', Jessie Malin, Michael Matula & Alicia Tranni the hair vixens from Mudhoney Salons in NYC, Jimmy James, Ronnie G., Jo-Jo Americo, Michael Cavadias, Dick Manitoba, Jayne County, Bob Hawk, The Dueling Bankheads, Kembra Phaler, Psychotica,Texas Terri, Michael Musto, Joey Arias, Brandy & Brenda from Howdy Do, Chantal from 'Morningwood', Lyle Derek,Jean Hill from John Waters 'Desperate Living', Bryan Gelb,Candy Ass, Genesis P-Orridge, Jackie Beat, Greta brinkman,Dave Matos & THE THEN MAYOR OF OUR NYC, Rudy Giuliani, among many other New Yorkers! COME PARTY WITH US IN MOVIE HOUSES SOON!
