Rachel Mason | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Known for | Performance, sculpture, music, film |
| Spouse | Buck Angel |
Rachel Mason is an American filmmaker whose work includes performance art, music, films and multimedia projects.
Rachel Mason | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Known for | Performance, sculpture, music, film |
| Spouse | Buck Angel |
Rachel Mason is an American filmmaker whose work includes performance art, music, films and multimedia projects.
Mason was born in Los Angeles, California, to Karen and Barry Mason. [1] She has an older brother, Micah, and a younger brother, Josh. [1] Her mother was initially a journalist and her father worked as a special effects engineer in the film industry. [1] When her parents got into financial difficulties in the mid-1970s, they got jobs distributing porn magnate Larry Flynt's Hustler magazine as well as gay porn publications. In 1982, Mason's parents took over the gay porn bookshop Circus of Books in West Hollywood, without telling their children what they did for a living. [1] They also produced gay porn videos starring Jeff Stryker. [2]
Mason attended Wonderland Avenue Elementary School, Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies (LACES) and Cleveland High School in Reseda. Mason received a BFA in art from UCLA and an MFA from Yale University. In New York she worked as an assistant to video and performance artist Joan Jonas. [3]
Her debut feature film The Lives of Hamilton Fish is a musical art film with no dialogue. Mason often performed the entire soundtrack live in front of an audience while touring the film to museums and festivals. The film's story is based on a true coincidence Mason discovered. [4] Two obituaries of two men, both named Hamilton Fish, were printed on the front page of a newspaper from January 16, 1936. [5] Hamilton Fish (aka Albert Fish) had been a serial killer while Hamilton Fish II had been a statesman. The latter was a descendant of 18th century politician Alexander Hamilton, [6] who was killed in a duel by Aaron Burr; a large part of the film was shot on location at the Morris–Jumel Mansion where Burr once lived. [7] The film also portrays one of the first known psychics, the White Crow, aka Leonora Piper. [8]
The Lives of Hamilton Fish premiered at London's Raindance Film Festival in 2015, [6] and Mason performed with the film as a live performance at museums including LACMA, [9] Art in General, Henry Art Gallery, [10] Corcoran Gallery, Albany Institute of History and Art, [11] The Horse Hospital (London), Pineapple Underground Film Festival (Hong Kong), and Night Gallery (Los Angeles). [12]
Mason's 2019 documentary feature film Circus of Books was acquired by Netflix and executive produced by Ryan Murphy. [13] It is based on the story of the historic gay landmark Circus of Books, a book and magazine store that her parents ran from 1982 until 2019. [14] [1] The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2019 [15] [16] [17] and was the opening night gala presentation at the 2019 Outfest film festival. [18] [19] It was available for streaming on Netflix on April 22, 2020. [1] [20]
"Rachel's art is fluid — it's always easing in and out of different forms. She is a songwriter and performer; she's an actress, of a sort, who performs as if channeling the poetic inner souls of controversial leaders like Fidel Castro and Manuel Noriega." -- Claudine Ise [21]
In October 2023, Mason joined the Museum of Neon Art's "Light in the Dark: Queen Narratives in Neon" exhibition, [22] participating in a panel discussion about LGBTQ+ connections to neon art and the Glendale, California community. Other panelists included museum trustee Eric Lynxwiler, sex educator Buck Angel, neon artist Dani Bonnet, glendaleOUT member Paul Manchester, and activist Shant Jaltorossian of GALAS LGBTQ+ Armenian Society. [23]
In June 2024, Mason's documentary An Update on Our Family premiered at the Tribeca Festival, centering on family vloggers Myka and James Stauffer. [24] [25] [26] It is scheduled to premiere in January 2025, on HBO. [27]
Rachel Mason's life partner is Buck Angel. [28] She has a son from a previous relationship. [28]
Jeff Stryker is an American porn star who has starred in bisexual, gay, and straight adult films. He lives in California.
Renée Elise Goldsberry is an American actress and singer. Known for her roles on stage and screen she has received a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and a Grammy Award as well as a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.
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L.A. Zombie is a 2010 gay zombie porn film written and directed by Bruce LaBruce. It premiered in competition at Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland in 2010. The film exists in two versions, a 63-minute cut version showcased at various festivals and theatres and a 103-minute directors cut DVD release containing hardcore gay pornography not seen in the cut version.
Buck Angel is an American sex educator and former pornographic film actor and producer. He founded the media production company Buck Angel Entertainment. Angel is a transsexual man. He currently works as an advocate and educator. Angel served on the board of directors of the Woodhull Freedom Foundation from 2010 to 2016. The Foundation works to affirm sexual freedom as a fundamental human right through advocacy and education.
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Circus of Books, also known as Chi Chi LaRue's Circus, is a bookstore and gay pornography shop in West Hollywood, California. It was established in the 1960s as "Book Circus", and in the past also had branches in the Silver Lake and Sherman Oaks neighborhoods of Los Angeles.
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Circus of Books is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Rachel Mason, written by Rachel Mason and Kathryn Robson and starring Karen Mason, Barry Mason and Rachel Mason. The premise revolves around Circus of Books, a bookstore and gay pornography shop in West Hollywood, California, and in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.
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