An unsung hero of the New York Queer scene is given a vivid and affectionate portrait in the fascinating documentary. Directed by Lola RocknRolla, the film explores the life of Dean Johnson, a gay man who became famous in New York’s LGBTQ+ community. Earning notoriety from the ’80s to the 2000s, he worked both as a party organiser and singer in rock bands Dean and The Weenies and Velvet Mafia. A pioneer in the emergence of Queercore rock’n roll, the film speaks to those who knew him to understand his importance to the city at a time of great change.
What’s perhaps most intriguing about this illustration of Johnson’s life is the idea that he defined a scene that he could never emerge from. Names such as Madonna, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Divine are all mentioned as people he partied or lived alongside, but the authenticity he exuded was perhaps ahead of its time. In an era where the modern definition of “queer” or understanding of gender fluidity was less prevalent, a six-foot-six bald man in a little black dress singing about his life as a sex worker scared off the mainstream, meaning grand-scale recognition would never come. It’s a reminder that those who instigate a movement rarely inure the benefits.
Punctuated by raw performance footage from the time, as well as delightful animation, this skilfully made documentary goes some way to righting that wrong. Johnson’s friends and collaborators all underline his influence, being someone who, as one interviewee put it “took risks so that I could take some risks”. Another insists that modern Queer folks are “standing on his shoulders”, another chapter of the untold Queer history that is only just emerging.
New York is also a character in itself, portrayed in all its graffitied glory in the years before its gentrification. Crumbling dancehalls and the sweaty walls of iconic punk club CBGBs show a city with a vibrant underground of misfits, all wearing their difference with pride. Many times, the film asks the question as to whether “cleaning up” New York meant losing its soul.
It’s also a blistering exploration of sexuality, and the means by which many in the community had to survive. Johnson was a sex worker, and he gave his encounters a new lease of life through poetry performances. It’s intriguing to see those spoken to refuse to shy away from that side of his life, celebrating it as part of the survival of a character who struggled to fit in to society’s norms, or perhaps just didn’t want to.
The narrative gets a little blurry toward the end as the subject of Johnson’s death is explored. The questions surrounding his passing in 2007, from a drug overdose at the apartment of a sex work client in Washington, D.C., were never resolved, leaving only speculation. It’s an unsatisfying end, and you sense that there’s an intriguing true crime story somewhere in that incident.
Despite this narrative flaw,The Big Johnson shines as brightly as its subject. Just like The Death And Life Of Marsha P Johnson (David France, 2017) or Disclosure (Sam Feder, 2020), The Big Johnson pushes LGBTQ+ voices closer to the surface of mainstream attention, meaning figures such as Dean Johnson can finally get the appreciation they deserve.
The Big Johnson premieres at the 12th edition of the Doc’n Roll Festival, which takes places in London between October 23rd and November 9th. Book now your tickets for the premiere at the Rio Cinema on October 29th (followed by a discussion moderated by Victor Fraga of DMovies).
