Walkin' on the Wild Side: 'Velvet Goldmine' (1998) and 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' (2001)

The Sleepless Cinematic Podcast · May 27, 2026 · 2h 13m

Madeline, Julian, and Emilio continue their cycle of Offbeat Musicals with a "Two-Shot" on a pair of turn-of-the-millennium glam-rock extravaganzas: Todd Haynes' "Velvet Goldmine" (1998) and John Cameron Mitchell's "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" (2001). Marking their fifth - yes, fifth - discussion on a Todd Haynes film, the trio begin by unpacking "Velvet Goldmine" and its refraction of the legacies of 1970s glam-rock icons such as David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, T. Rex, and Roxy Music. Presented in "Citizen Kane"-like fashion, the film conveys a distinct impression of a well-known popular…