Ry-Russo Young's Muscle Top Debuts on PAPERMAG
Webisode #1
By David Hershkovits
We are proud to introduce Muscle Top, a web serial created for PAPERMAG by Ry Russo-Young.
Three episodes have been shot and the script for another ten episodes
has been written. Will the additional episodes ever see the light of
day? It's up to you! Love it, tell the world about it, and we'll bring
you more.
Filmmaker Russo-Young may be best known for You'll Miss Me, the award-winning feature film she directed starring Stella Schnabel, but, after this, everyone will likely be screaming "Muscle Top!" Russo-Young describes Muscle Top as being "about two characters who come together to form a big, gay pop band and all the trials and tribulations they encounter. Part of their mission is to have a band that is overtly gay because they're sick of seeing gay culture become commercialized but not named." A bit like Glee and Flight of the Conchords, Muscle Top integrates music in to the story line and stars Oberlin classmates Seth Garrison and Clara Latham, classically trained musicians who sometimes perform as The Fancy.
"We all wanted to see a show that we hadn't seen before that had elements of gay, and music is an integral part of the show," Russo-Young says. "It seemed like a fun idea to be able to work in a broader stroke comedy and to reference gay culture which I grew up in. [Russo-Young's parents are lesbians]. I never did anything overtly gay and I don't feel like it's only a gay show, but it's nice to engage with a culture I'm familiar with and that I haven't really talked about in other movies."
Young, who is in Sundance workshopping a new script she's writing with Lena Dunham, began Muscle Top when she was between films. "The time between films is always an intense time," she says. I'm trying to figure what they hell I'm going to do with my life, what to make next and what's important."
Without further ado, we give you the first installment of Muscle Top!
Muscle Top webisode 2
Muscle Top webisode 3
Filmmaker Russo-Young may be best known for You'll Miss Me, the award-winning feature film she directed starring Stella Schnabel, but, after this, everyone will likely be screaming "Muscle Top!" Russo-Young describes Muscle Top as being "about two characters who come together to form a big, gay pop band and all the trials and tribulations they encounter. Part of their mission is to have a band that is overtly gay because they're sick of seeing gay culture become commercialized but not named." A bit like Glee and Flight of the Conchords, Muscle Top integrates music in to the story line and stars Oberlin classmates Seth Garrison and Clara Latham, classically trained musicians who sometimes perform as The Fancy.
"We all wanted to see a show that we hadn't seen before that had elements of gay, and music is an integral part of the show," Russo-Young says. "It seemed like a fun idea to be able to work in a broader stroke comedy and to reference gay culture which I grew up in. [Russo-Young's parents are lesbians]. I never did anything overtly gay and I don't feel like it's only a gay show, but it's nice to engage with a culture I'm familiar with and that I haven't really talked about in other movies."
Young, who is in Sundance workshopping a new script she's writing with Lena Dunham, began Muscle Top when she was between films. "The time between films is always an intense time," she says. I'm trying to figure what they hell I'm going to do with my life, what to make next and what's important."
Without further ado, we give you the first installment of Muscle Top!
Muscle Top webisode 2
Muscle Top webisode 3
Your Comment
Posted at 8:15 on Jun 29, 2010
Love it! I've seen the first three, and they just get funnier. Please renew for the next ten!