Farewell, Vida Boheme

Patrick Swayze passed away, and i'm sad because there are only about 5 movies which i MUST watch every time they're playing on basic cable, and 'To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar' is at the top of that list. It's a silly, formulaic movie about three drag queens stranded in a tiny, small-minded town, but i love it, mostly because of the leading man. Patrick Swayze played Miss Vida Boheme, the 'drag-queen-with-the-heart-of-gold' who was best friends with Wesley Snipes' character, Noxeema Jackson, and maternal mentor to John Leguizamo's Chi Chi. i'm not an expert on drag queens, but i know enough to think he nailed the performance, which also nabbed him a Golden Globe nomination. As legend has it, he showed up for his audition in full drag and improvised a 30 minute monologue inspired by the bullying he endured as a kid taking ballet classes from his mom in Texas, and when Steven Spielberg watched the audition tape, he didn't even recognize Patrick. He'll mostly be remembered for his dancing, and i think it's a shame that he passed at a time when dancing is come back en vogue in mainstream pop culture, what with competitive dancing shows and musicals on tv and movies. i hope in his last years he was pleased with its resurgence. Anyway, he seemed like a genuinely nice guy and i'll watch 'Too Wong Foo' a little wistfully from now on.