When we heard there was an Indiegogo campaign to fund a documentary about the legendary Texas band, the Dicks, we were met with a mixture of boner-iffic excitement and skepticism. Excitement because, duh, dude, it’s the fuckin’ Dicks, we’d love to see that happen. A documentary about a punk band who lived to fuck shit up? A band who fought the homophobia of the 80s punk scene by not only being openly gay but by being aggressively in-your-face gay with flyers featuring giant cocks, dressing in drag on stage, and playing songs about blowing sailors? That’d be amazing. But there was a sense of skepticism too because whoever’s making this thing better not fuck it up. So we reached out to the the campaign creator and documentary director, Cindy Marabito, to fill us in on her project.
Well, for one, there is nothing boring about the Dicks. I've been a friend and a follower for over 30 years and they changed my life, affecting many if not most of my judgements. When I first met Gary Floyd way back in 1979, I knew something had happened to me that would alter the course of my weird life as I knew it. I wasn't wrong.OK, but why are you the one to make this?
After I got to know Gary, Buxf, Glen, and Pat and heard their music which was as phenomenal and earthshaking as anything I'd ever experienced. Songs like “Bourgeois Fascist Pig” helped me get through horrible days at horrible jobs and I met other people who expressed the same thoughts. To this very day, little kids who weren't even born when the Dicks disbanded will be at shows and screaming out every word to every song. There is a lot of power to that and whatever's slowed me down in the process of trying to finish this movie is very small compared to the vision of those kids and their parents loving the Dicks. There is nothing realer than a Dicks show and I am committed to finishing this story in a world filled with music business packaged contests which force feed tomorrow's big superstar down our tired throats.How long have you been working on this?
I actually started trying to film something way back in 1980 when I was a film student at UT. I would lug home all this gigantic World War II equipment and Gary and his mom, the Dicks and our friends like Philip and the Torn Panties would act in my little school projects shot on an old Bell and Howell camera mit out sound.Then later in San Francisco, I was working at Monaco Labs and said, “Dang, I'm gonna make 'The Dicks From Texas'” and amazingly Gary, Buxf, Pat (Glen had passed away in 1997) all agreed to help out as did our wonderful friends who've remained very close over thee some odd 30 years.What kind of footage do you have so far?
I have all kinds of footage! When I first started back in '99, being a huge film purist, I shot on 16mm and was determined to finish on film. Well, that didn't work out, although I got some beautiful stuff with the help of a brilliant cameraman, Bruce Miller. I transferred to MiniDV after I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 and how all those people sent in tapes. I thought, “Shoot, I can do that.”I have a pristine 3/4 tape of a full-on Dicks performance at the On Broadway in 1982 which will be used in the film. It is the only known footage of a Dicks show from back in the day and I must say, it's pretty awesome.What kind of interviews have you done for it?
Everybody loved the Dicks including the hardcore bands of the day. Mike Watt of the Minutemen, Henry Rollins, David Yow, and Ian MacKaye all participated in delivering great heartfelt interviews. But, to me, the heart of this film are the contributions of the friends from Biscuit to Philip Guilbeau, the Torn Panties who are all moms now, and all us shady characters who are proud to call ourselves Dicks friends and fans.How involved have the Dicks members been in the making of it?
These guys are not ones to go around tootin' their own horns. In fact, when it comes down to selling something about themselves and betraying their conscience, they have always opted to hold on to their doctrine.I have some wonderful interviews with them, but to be honest, getting them to tell their story is like pulling teeth from a hen. Their real feelings have always been best expressed in their songs which is why this music has lived on all these years and has as much impact today as it did 30-plus years ago.There you have it. 'The Dicks from Texas.' Get it funded. Eight days to raise just under $35,000. Dig deep, friends.
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Why the Dicks?
Well, for one, there is nothing boring about the Dicks. I've been a friend and a follower for over 30 years and they changed my life, affecting many if not most of my judgements. When I first met Gary Floyd way back in 1979, I knew something had happened to me that would alter the course of my weird life as I knew it. I wasn't wrong.OK, but why are you the one to make this?
After I got to know Gary, Buxf, Glen, and Pat and heard their music which was as phenomenal and earthshaking as anything I'd ever experienced. Songs like “Bourgeois Fascist Pig” helped me get through horrible days at horrible jobs and I met other people who expressed the same thoughts. To this very day, little kids who weren't even born when the Dicks disbanded will be at shows and screaming out every word to every song. There is a lot of power to that and whatever's slowed me down in the process of trying to finish this movie is very small compared to the vision of those kids and their parents loving the Dicks. There is nothing realer than a Dicks show and I am committed to finishing this story in a world filled with music business packaged contests which force feed tomorrow's big superstar down our tired throats.How long have you been working on this?
I actually started trying to film something way back in 1980 when I was a film student at UT. I would lug home all this gigantic World War II equipment and Gary and his mom, the Dicks and our friends like Philip and the Torn Panties would act in my little school projects shot on an old Bell and Howell camera mit out sound.
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I have all kinds of footage! When I first started back in '99, being a huge film purist, I shot on 16mm and was determined to finish on film. Well, that didn't work out, although I got some beautiful stuff with the help of a brilliant cameraman, Bruce Miller. I transferred to MiniDV after I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 and how all those people sent in tapes. I thought, “Shoot, I can do that.”I have a pristine 3/4 tape of a full-on Dicks performance at the On Broadway in 1982 which will be used in the film. It is the only known footage of a Dicks show from back in the day and I must say, it's pretty awesome.What kind of interviews have you done for it?
Everybody loved the Dicks including the hardcore bands of the day. Mike Watt of the Minutemen, Henry Rollins, David Yow, and Ian MacKaye all participated in delivering great heartfelt interviews. But, to me, the heart of this film are the contributions of the friends from Biscuit to Philip Guilbeau, the Torn Panties who are all moms now, and all us shady characters who are proud to call ourselves Dicks friends and fans.How involved have the Dicks members been in the making of it?
These guys are not ones to go around tootin' their own horns. In fact, when it comes down to selling something about themselves and betraying their conscience, they have always opted to hold on to their doctrine.I have some wonderful interviews with them, but to be honest, getting them to tell their story is like pulling teeth from a hen. Their real feelings have always been best expressed in their songs which is why this music has lived on all these years and has as much impact today as it did 30-plus years ago.There you have it. 'The Dicks from Texas.' Get it funded. Eight days to raise just under $35,000. Dig deep, friends.