'Brokeback Mountain' spurs culture of gay cowboy jokes

“A movie theater in Utah abruptly canceled a screening of the movie ‘Brokeback Mountain,’” Leno said in a recent “Tonight Show” monologue. “They felt it was inappropriate for the community standards.

The gay cowboy romance-tragedy, starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as lovers Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, has become the office water-cooler topic of the moment.

The Internet is full of “Brokeback’’ jokes, some funny, some just crude. Last week, USA Today ran a lengthy story on its Life front addressing the phenomenon.

“Against all odds, a Western romance about two men...has corralled the cultural zeitgeist, making it safe for our national funny bone to come out of the closet,’’ wrote USA Today’s Susan Wloszcyna.

The buzz extends from office e-mails with the inevitable tag line “I wish I knew how to quit you’’ — the movie’s signature phrase — all the way to the highest corridor of power, the Oval Office.

At a question-and-answer session recently, President Bush was asked whether he’d seen the movie.

An awkward grin spread across the president’s face. He finally allowed that while he’d be glad to talk about ranching, he hadn’t seen “Brokeback Mountain.’’

The film, which has been gradually opening in theaters across the country, debuted in Fayetteville on Friday.

The R-rated movie is showing at the Market Fair 15 and Cameo Art House Theatre, where it drew good weekend crowds.

Nationally, the movie ranked No. 6 with more than $6 million in box-office proceeds last week, bringing its two-month take to about $50 million. Not bad for a movie that cost an estimated $14 million to make, according to press reports.

The movie has already won four Golden Globe awards, and Oscar recognition seems certain. Ledger, in particular, has been singled out for praise for his devastating portrayal of an inarticulate man struggling with his sexual identity.

David Letterman listed his “Top 10 Signs You are a Gay Cowboy.’’ Number 5: “Native Americans refer to you as Dances With Men.’’

On “Saturday Night Live,’’ Alec Baldwin and Will Forte played gay prospectors in a spoof called “Brokeback Goldmine.’’

“Brokeback Squadron,’’ an online spoof making the rounds, features a character modeled after Tom Cruise in “Top Gun’’ making goo-goo eyes at his studly wingman.

The movie’s poster, which depicts the two cowboy-hatted characters in a pensive pose, has been the subject of any number of take-offs. One depicts indicted Congressman Tom DeLay and corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff over the caption, “Kickback Mountain.’’

In the USA Today story, gay actor and writer Bruce Vilanch called the movie an “irresistible’’ target for parody.

“Not only is it the first mainstream gay love story in a long time, it’s between two cowboys,’’ Vilanch said. “What greater American icons are there than gay men and cowboys? When you mix the two, it’s a stereotype too good to pass by.’’

So we can expect the nudge-nudge, wink-wink jokes to continue, at least until the phenomenon passes and “Brokeback’’ jokes become as dated as disco.

Until then, stay tuned for the inevitable “Brokeback Mountain’’ Valentine’s Day cards (“I’ll never quit you,’’ etc., etc.), jokes about sequels (“Brokeback II: Return to the Mountain’’) and, come Halloween, “Brokeback’’ cowboy costumes (Are you going as Jack or Ennis?).

After which point, “I wish I knew how to quit you’’ will mercifully pass into the memory banks of movie history, residing forever alongside “Show me the money’’ and “Life is like a box of chocolates.’’

http://nihlist.blogspot.com/2005/12/barry-manilows-take-on-brokeback.html

Barry Manilow's Take On Brokeback Mountain

Brokebacabana (At The Brokeback) by Barry Manilow

His name was Ennis He was a Shepard With cowboy hat and assless chaps He should have kept it under wraps He would merengue and do the cha-cha And when he'd drink and fall asleep Jack Twist tended to the sheep Across the mountain heights They worked the summer nights They were young and they had each other And had rough sex fights

Up at Brokeback, Brokeback Mountain Those gay cowboys, they did some mounting Up at Brokeback, Brokeback Mountain They felt the passion as they discussed fashion Up at Brokeback

.... they fell in love Brokeback, Brokeback Mountain

He was the boss man He did some firing When he went to the mountain top And he saw Ennis getting bopped And when they finished, he fired them pronto Later Jack went a bit too far Gay bashers saw him at a bar And then the punches flew and chairs were smashed in two There was blood and a single gun shot But just who shot who?

Up at Brokeback, Brokeback Mountain Those gay cowboys, they did some mounting Up at Brokeback, Brokeback Mountain They felt the passion as they discussed fashion Up at Brokeback

.... he lost his love

His name was Ennis, he was a shepherd But that was a long time ago, when closets hid more than clothes Now gays have pride days, but not our Ennis Still in the chaps he used to wear, faded feathers in his hair He sits there so refined, and drinks himself half-blind He lost his Jack and he lost his family Taking it from behind!

Up at Brokeback, Brokeback Mountain Those gay cowboys, they did some mounting Up at Brokeback, Brokeback Mountain They felt the passion as they discussed fashion Up at Brokeback

.... don't fall in love

Don't fall in love

Gay flick gets range of jokesBy Jocelyn NoveckAssociated PressNEW YORK – Some of the “Top Ten Signs You’re a Gay Cowboy,” courtesy of David Letterman: •You enjoy ridin’, ropin’ and redecoratin’. •Instead of a saloon, you prefer a salon. •Native Americans refer to you as “Dances With Men.” Is the bottomless font of “Brokeback Mountain” humor – late-night monologues, fake Internet movie trailers, movie poster imitations – harmless and fun, or insulting? Most gay groups find it fairly benign, and note that in any case, the movie’s overwhelming publicity can only be a good thing. “Some of the humor may be insensitive, but even that has spurred positive conversation,” says Susanne Salkind of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest national gay rights group. But Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, says he’s sick of it: “It may be funny, but there is a real element of homophobia. It’s making jabs about sex between gay men.” Jay Leno made at least 15 “Brokeback” jokes in January. Many were references to gay sex. One that wasn’t: “The cold weather continues to spread across the United States. In fact, down south it was so cold people were shaking like Jerry Falwell watching ‘Brokeback Mountain.’ ” The Internet is saturated with “Brokeback” imitations. One is a fake movie trailer called “Brokeback to the Future,” which uses edited shots from Michael J. Fox’s “Back to the Future” to make it look like Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown are in love. There’s also “Top Gun 2: Brokeback Squadron,” with Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer. And then there are the poster imitations. Like “Kickback Mountain,” with the faces of indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Rep. Tom DeLay superimposed over those of Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. Andy Borowitz, author of The BorowitzReport.com, says people get insulted by everything – “so the safest bet is to make jokes about everything.” Of the movie’s iconic line, “I wish I knew how to quit you,” Borowitz says he’s “hoping it’ll become the new ‘Show me the money.’ ” Paul Rudnick, a playwright and comedy writer, sees the humor as coming from straight men who are both fascinated and uncomfortable with the content of the movie. “They’re not quite sure what to make of it,” says Rudnick, who is gay. “They know their wives are going to fall in love with the movie, and with the men in it.” Rudnick hasn’t written about “Brokeback” yet – but only because he’d have to find something really original. “Just joking about a gay cowboy isn’t enough anymore,” Rudnick says. “If you’re going to joke about it now, you really have to be up to the challenge.”

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