Velvet Goldmine

Todd Hayne’s Velvet Goldmine (1998) reminds me of a Bohemian Rhapsody gone wild. The types of songs used in the movie were not exactly what I normally listen to, but I still greatly enjoyed every musical number. The film really gives you a glimpse into what it’s like to live and love the glam rock era in the ’70s.

Back when outrageous fashion, music, and behavior was a main staple in the public sphere, Brian Slade’s character was a groundbreaking sensation. His alter ego, Maxwell Demon, took the glam rock world by storm. As someone who loves musical theater, I greatly enjoyed Maxwell Demon’s extravagant nature and theatricality in his music and costumes.

Many of the characters in this movie were inspired by real-life icons. Brian Slade and his alter ego, Maxwell Demon, had been heavily influenced by the life and work of David Bowie and his alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. Other influences included Jobriath and Marc Bolan. On the other hand, Curt Wild, portrayed by Ewan McGregor, was based on Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. Even Slade’s ex-wife was based on David Bowie’s ex-wife, Angie.

The scenes involving dialogue mostly bored me. There had been points when I almost fell asleep while watching, but as soon as I heard the first note being played, I instantaneously perked up. I felt the duality of Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ character onstage and offstage, especially when it came to his interactions with other characters like Curt Wild and his ex-wife, Mandy.

This movie felt, to me, like a cry for help. There were scenes wherein you’d see Brian Slade struggling to separate his personal persona from his professional one, as both seem to clash multiple times, especially with the arrival of Curt Wild in his life. This is most apparent in the scene when Brian fakes his own death onstage as a means to escape.

I like how we see the narrative of Brian Slade through the lens of Christian Bale’s character, Arthur Stuart, who is a reporter writing about Slade’s life and through the people who knew him throughout his career. We don’t really realize the significance of Bale’s character until the middle of the movie when we find out he was actually more than just a huge fan but witnessed the shooting for himself. He also gets sexually involved with Wild one time in the past and unexpectedly encounters him again years later.

I enjoyed the film’s exploration of queer characters in the music industry. We see these characters explore their sexualities in a period where there was no stigma against it. Despite society being free from prejudice at this time, Brian Slade’s character still seems imprisoned in his persona by many factors, not just his sexuality.

I don’t, however, see the value in the exposition of Tommy Stone as Brian Slade. It seemed like a fresh start for Brian, and by revealing that this new person was actually the same man who faked his death, he might very well just be shunned by his fans again.

This movie was full of experiences that were foreign to me but not necessarily unheard of. From the music to the queer characters, Velvet Goldmine is essentially an introduction to many new experiences that many might find enjoyable or uninteresting.