Verbose Exhibitionism
I first heard about Wayne Koestenbaum’s The Queen’s Throat from my high school cello teacher, Arthur Cook, who would carry it under his arm to lessons.
He’d actually bring several books to lessons. That’s because we would sit on them.
Cellists are very picky about chair height, and Arthur — who I consider an important part of both my queer and musical legacy — would use them for an added boost.
I didn’t actually read The Queen’s Throat — that is, the conventional way, rather than via my bum — until relatively recently. But even though it was written in 1993, before I was born, I found many points of connection.
The book is about the gay male obsession with operatic divas like Maria Callas. It’s full of brilliant, almost Freudian, thinking, such connecting singing’s act of “opening the throat” with fellatio.
Plus, I always get a little thrill when I see “Music/Gay Studies” on the back cover.
More recently, Koestenbaum released Stubble Archipelago, a book of poetry. Timed with it, he hosted a performance — or, rather, “Group Tickling Experiment” — at the Francis Kite Club on Friday, April 5.
“Tonight: Tacos and Wayne Koestenbam [sic],” the sign out front boasted. The tacos in question turned out to be sad little half-moons made in a toaster oven.
“The key of tonight is E minor,” announced Koestenbaum in his signature fedora, Barbie-pink pants, and gold windbreaker.
Among the “sprechstimme soliloquys” performed were his poem “The Green Typewriter” to the tune of Chopin, and “Porous Incunabulum I Found in the Washroom” to an aria from Il Trovatore.
“Silly putty…” intoned Koestenbaum, frantically turning pages, “…confessional orgy.” The crowd guffawed, babies cried, cocktails shook.
Throughout it all, the less-than-tuneful Koestenbaum seemed, more or less, self-aware. “You don’t have to be verbose and exhibitionistic like me,” he said.
Still, I didn’t stay long enough to hear him “take requests”
