Jeffrey Schwarz wants everyone to be a little more Divine

CD: Hello Jeffrey. Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to have a chat. First, I have to tell you how much I really enjoyed your William Castle documentary, Spine Tingler! I’ve been a fan of Castle’s movies and I read his bio, so the doc was a real treat.

JS: Thanks, Chuck. I am attracted to larger than life characters and William Castle certainly was one of the greats. If only he had stuck around long enough to work with Divine …

CD: And now you’re turning your attention to that larger than life cultural icon — especially here in Baltimore — the one and only Divine. Where did the idea for this project come from?

JS: I have always worshiped at the altar of Divine and of John Waters. Anyone who feels like an outsider growing up can certainly relate to the world that they created and they way they lived their lives. The idea came about when I was producing the DVD extras for the remake of Hairspray a few years back. We did a documentary called You Can’t Stop the Beat: The Long Journey of Hairspray and it covered the entire phenomenon including the original film. Getting to finally meet and interview all the Dreamlanders gave me the bug to try and do an entire film just about Divine. Aside from that E! True Hollywood Story a bunch of years ago, there hasn’t been a proper documentary about his life so I wanted to fill that cultural void.

CD: How closely are you working with John Waters? Is he able to provide you with some of his early films featuring Divine?

JS: The first thing I did when I decided to try and make the film was call John Waters. He’s in Spine Tingler!, You Can’t Stop the Beat, and another show I did called In the Gutter, so he knew my work and trusted that Divine’s story would be in good hands. Without his support and blessing I would not have moved forward on this. He actually said, “I trust you. This will be a good movie.” So that’s all I needed to hear! John opened up his rolodex to us and got in touch with all these people I was hoping to interview, telling them to speak with me. He’s been nothing but supportive of this project.

CD: Are any of the other Dreamlanders featured in the film?

JS: Yes, of course! We have already interviewed Mink Stole, Mary Vivian Pearce, Sue Lowe, Pat Moran, and Vincent Peranio. It was just one legend after another sitting down to talk to us when we were shooting in Baltimore.

CD: How about non-Dreamlanders like Tab Hunter and Lainie Kazan from Lust in the Dust?

JS: Yes, we also interviewed some of Divine’s co-stars like Tab Hunter and Mary Garlington from Polyester, several of The Cockettes that he worked with, and lots of friends and fans. And Holly Woodlawn! Lainie will be happening soon.

CD: Frances Milstead (Divine’s mother) passed away in 2009. Had you started the project prior to her death, and was she able to participate in any way?

JS: Yes, after getting John Waters’ blessing I got in touch with Frances and told her what I was hoping to accomplish with the film, to keep her son’s memory bright and to introduce a new generation to his work. She was totally supportive and sent me some incredible rare photos of Divine when he was growing up. She had a great life in Florida, surrounded by all these gay guys who adored her and made every day special. I’m so glad we were able to interview her before she passed away so she could talk about her boy. She was a lovely person.

CD: What are some interesting things you’ve learned about Divine while putting the film together?

JS: I was most surprised to find out more about his relationship with his high school sweetheart, who we interviewed. They dated all through junior high and high school. Divine, who was Glenn then, took her to the Prom and treated her so well. He even did her hair and makeup and told her how to dress. She was really smitten with him, in a very sweet high school puppy love kind of way. When he started dressing in drag she was completely unfazed and supportive. They even went to a high school party together with Glenn dressed as Elizabeth Taylor. When he started hanging out with John, David Lochary and all the cool Baltimore beatniks, she really felt left behind.

CD: What do you want audiences to take away from the film?

JS: Divine never considered himself a drag queen. He was an actor who played female parts — and those are always the best roles anyway! He was a fantastic performer, a great actor, and a warm, generous person who couldn’t have been more different from the roles he played. I want people get to know the man behind the glamour, a sweet soft spoken guy with so much love in his heart. And he was also kind of nuts too. I especially want kids who didn’t grow up with him to get to know this amazing character and I’m hoping this will help secure Divine’s legacy for the future. Drag didn’t start with RuPaul you know!

CD: Tell me about your fundraising project and how fans can help.

JS: It’s tough out there raising money for independent films, so we started an on-line fundraising campaign where fans can have a say in making this movie. It’s a way for people to give back to Divine, to feel personally connected to something really special, and to show that Divine still has a thriving fan-base. We put together some very cool incentives, and are looking for folks to contribute anything they can. We have thousands of fans on our Facebook page, and even if everyone gave just $10 we’ll have raised the money we need to get to a rough cut.

CD: That’s great! I am eagerly awaiting the finished project. Can we expect a big premiere in Baltimore?

JS: Well of course, hon!!!

I want to thank Jeffrey for taking the time out of his busy schedule to chat with me about this project. If you’re a fan of Divine and John Waters, check out the trailer below and consider making a donation through IndieGogo. Jeffrey is a great filmmaker because he’s passionate about his subjects, and it’s about time someone properly honored the legacy of Divine.

Clacked by Chuck Duncan
on Sep 12, 2011 @ 12:00 EST5EDT