above photo of Diamanda Galás by Austin
Young
below are photos of Aileen Wuornos
FRENZY:
CONCERT DEDICATED TO
AILEEN WUORNOS
Upon the execution of Aileen Wuornos on October 9 2002, Diamanda Galas performed three concerts dedicated to her in New York and one in Glasgow, featuring IRON LADY, by Phil Ochs, which Galas had sung for her on MALEDICTION AND PRAYER (1998), and I’M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY by Hank Williams Sr., which she dedicated to Wuornos on the recording of LA SERPENTA CANTA, released November 25, 2003 in the UK and Europe on MUTE Records.
"The existence of this woman, whose life remained undefended since the day of her birth to the day of her death-- as a street prostitute, a middle-aged woman, a lesbian, and a child raped continuously by her father, was comprised of the four strikes that finally put her into critical mass.
At the time of the murders Wuornos confessed to-- under the coercion of incompetent legal defense-- there were ongoing investigations of the independent serial murders of many street prostitutes in Florida.
The women in this profession were in a state of alarm, since they were now under siege by johns, police, and more than the usual number of the wild card---- the predator most fond of killing undefended working “girls.”
In 2002, after living on death row for ten years, Wuornos finally become worn down and asked to die by lethal injection.
At her execution she said,
"I'd just like to say I'm sailing with the Rock and I'll be back like Independence Day with Jesus, June 6, like the movie, big mother ship and all. I'll be back."
In America today Hollywood is creating a film, called MONSTER, in order to continue the mythology of this woman as a freak. Notably, the casting was announced one day after her execution, and numerous photo spreads of a featured Hollywood actress, modeling designer outfits, have appeared in the national fashion monthlies.”
-Diamanda Galás.
-----
Some question why Diamanda Galas has chosen to dedicate a song cycle to Aileen Wuornos, a convicted serial killer. Although I do not speak for DG, I have prepared a brief statement on this matter.
Diamanda has been, in the past, a fierce (and I mean aggressively fierce) supporter of draconian retribution towards rapists and perpetrators of aggressive sexual assaults. Let the rapist be castrated and raped (forced anal penetration) himself, his house burned down, and the word RAPIST be tattooed on his forehead. Death is too easy a solution; let them live for ever more in shame.
Prostitutes, who are by profession at risk of rape and injury every day, have absolutely no support from most law enforcement communities because the law says what they do is illegal. So if a prostitute defends herself (or himself) against a rapist, attacker, or an overly aggressive client it is usually met with great cynicism with the police. In order to make a complaint, the prostitute must first confess to solicitation. This legal barrier forces prostitutes (and their managers/pimps) to take their own action.
In the case of Aileen Wuornos, the police made her into a crazy lesbian whore serial killer (or as A&E’s Bill Kurtis gleefully narrates, America’s first female serial killer), gave her a completely incompetent defense attorney and sentenced her to death. There were concerns that Aileen was mentally unable to assist in her own defense and therefore the state would be unable to convict her of a crime. There were concerns over the capabilities of her lawyer. If Aileen is not able to produce an adequate defense, she cannot be convicted. There were questions about the evidence introduced in court.
Diamanda’s decision to dedicate a song cycle to Aileen Wuornos should not be surprising to those of us who are familiar with Diamanda’s work. Especially Insekta and Schrei X. Both pieces concern themselves with populations who have little or no power. Also, they have little or no control over their immediate environments. These populations tend to be vulnerable to abuse and they cannot fight back. As an example, look at the absolutely horrific situation in Vancouver. 69 women have gone missing in downtown Vancouver since 1983. Robert William Pickton, the proprietor of a pig farm near Vancouver, has been accused of murdering 27 of these missing women. The fact that the police did little or no investigating in these missing women cases, until public pressure forced them to look into it much later, only further alienates the prostitutes in western cities.
Finally, there is Diamanda’s history to consider. In past interviews, Diamanda has spoken about her past as a prostitute in California and the clientele that comes with the job. Diamanda may feel a certain kinship with Aileen. Not a sentimental kinship but rather a kinship of solidarity in the face of “wildcards” such as Vancouver’s Robert William Pickton and the men Aileen killed.
Diamanda’s work often concerns terror, isolation, and pain on both a macroscopic scale and a more micro, or personal, level. She sings for those whom society will not hear. The system failed Aileen. And then it killed her.
-Garth.
PS - The statistics related to the Missing
Women of Vancouver change as the police continue their investigation.
For more information on these crimes, please click
here.
The following is from
http://hello.typepad.com/hello/2004/03/the_speech_we_s.html
The Speech We Should've Heard
I loved Monster, it was the most moving film I saw this year, and I'm shocked (but in a pleasant way) that it was made and has been so widely acclaimed. Director Patty Jenkins was able to step away from Aileen Wuornos the "Monster," and make a movie that was more nuanced than Nick Broomfield's sham of a documentary and beautifully acted by Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci. However, I wish Theron had gone out of her way (in any of the many spotlight moments she's had) to mention what really made this movie special.
Here's the speech we heard:
This has been such an incredible year. I can't believe this. I don't have a lot of time. I have to thank my incredible director, Patty Jenkins. Thank you, thank you, thank you. All of our producers, Brad, Clark, Meagan, Mark, Donald, Sammy Lee, everybody at Media 8, Bob and everybody at Newmarket, thank you so much for working so hard on this film. My incredible, incredible leading lady Christina Ricci, who I couldn't have done this film without. You are truly the unsung hero of this film.
The Speech we didn't hear:
I'd also like to acknowledge Aileen Wuornos, who lived a more complicated and difficult life than I can imagine. Even though I never met her, through her words and memories I felt like I was inside her head, and although it was not a pleasant experience, the reward of having a greater understanding of her life outweighs all of the awards and acclaim that have come to me. I hope that interest in the movie outlives all of us and humanity can continue to learn from Aileen's tragic story. And obviously, if it wasn't for her life I would not be on this stage today.
Posted by David Jacobs on March 02, 2004