Matt Baume hosts ‘Culture Cruise’ Super-smart Matt Baume explores the cultural impact of the 1994 indie film, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, in the latest episode of his web series, Culture Cruise. Baume’s popular series regularly takes a look at queer moments in TV and film that changed the world. In 1994, a broken-down bus named Priscilla departed Sydney’s gay enclave, carrying three glamorous performers to the rural heart of Australia on the most perilous journey of their lives. And although only three of them set out in the film, they were soon followed in real life by an entire drag army. Baume notes the film became so popular in the land Down Under ” that six years later Australia paid tribute to it at the Sydney Olympics.” Organizers for the Closing Ceremonies featured a contingent of drag queens and pop star Kylie Minogue performed one of the ABBA songs from the film. Also – the town of Broken Hill, featured in the film as hostile to the three traveling queens, now has become home to a huge annual drag fest called ‘Broken Heel.’ But Matt tells the tale much better than I. Take a few minutes and hit the play button below.
